I Became the Tyrant of a Defense Game [EN]: Chapter 430

◈ 431. [Free Exploration] Capturing the Magic Tower (3)

Baekya is a Lich.

A Lich is a mage who has turned themselves into an undead to gain immortality.

These insane mages, who throw themselves into the abyss of the dead to avoid death, each have their own reasons for becoming a Lich.

Some are driven by the primal fear of death, while others seek the tyrannical power of dark magic.

Baekya’s reason for becoming a Lich was simple: there was still much to research.

As a mage from the Lake Kingdom, she devoted herself to magical research until the end of her life, but she met her death without seeing its culmination.

To witness the end of her research, she became an undead—a Lich.

The problem was what came after.

About ten years after she became a Lich, the entire Lake Kingdom sank beneath the lake.

Since she was not alive, she was not cursed with eternal life. Baekya continued her magical research as a Lich under the Lake Kingdom for five hundred years.

However, the body of an undead is not immortal either.

Her body, reduced to bones, gradually began to decay.

Thus, about three hundred years after becoming a Lich, Baekya began to search for a new body.

At first, she used Eastern sorcery to transfer her consciousness into the body of a Jiangshi [a type of Chinese hopping vampire].

This new body was strong enough, but Baekya was aware of the limitations of a physical form.

– Even if I transfer to a new body, it will collapse again someday… I need a way to preserve my spirit so that I don’t have to keep transferring.

Thus, Baekya began to research how to digitize her ego and perpetuate it within a magical mechanical device.

After a long time, the research was successful.

Baekya succeeded in digitizing her consciousness and uploading it into the magic tower’s mechanical system.

If a mage seeking immortality is a Lich, then she, who digitized herself and remained in a mechanical device, is still a Lich.

So Baekya still called herself a Lich—and game users called this Baekya a Cyber Lich.

***

After calmly explaining her past.

《The Baekya who is acting as your enemy outside… the Nightmare Legion Commander, is not me.》

Baekya continued, guiding us to the botanical garden on the roof of the magic tower.

《Strictly speaking, she has the same ego as me, but she rebelled against me… she’s another me.》

…What kind of nonsense is that?

Seeing that we all had the same expression, Baekya smiled wryly in the magic panel.

I don’t know how a skeleton can make such an expression.

《I digitized my consciousness and put it into a mechanical device. And during that time, I ordered the ‘me’ with a physical body, who had been continuing the research, to commit suicide.》

When Baekya uploaded her consciousness into the mechanical device, two Baekyas were created in this world.

The Baekya of the material world, who remained in the body of a Jiangshi, continuing her research.

The Baekya of the cyber world, who had obtained the immortal spirit she had desired.

To maintain the uniqueness of existence, and as agreed in advance, the Baekya of the cyber world ordered the Baekya of the material world to commit suicide. However.

《But the other me refused to commit suicide.》

The Baekya of the material world refused to die.

Thinking about it, it’s only natural.

A Lich is someone who runs away from death and seeks immortality.

Even if another ‘me’ is perpetuated in the cyber world, there would be no reason for ‘me’ to die in reality.

《At that moment, we became separate entities.》

“……”

《The ‘other me’ who refused to commit suicide left the magic tower, killed all the ancient mages resurrected by the Demon King… and even rose to the position of the head of the Demon King’s mage legion.》

I had read the game setting book, so I knew all about it.

The rest of my companions still looked puzzled, as if they didn’t understand. I clapped my hands.

“In simple terms, this Lich’s spirit split into two, one is the good one here, and the other is the bad one we have to kill. Okay?”

Evangeline’s face brightened.

“Wow! It suddenly became so easy!”

《Well, it’s not that simple a problem…》

Baekya sighed faintly in the panel.

《…No. Actually, you could say that’s all there is to it. Because what I’m asking you to do is the same thing.》

Whirr. The wheeled mechanical device stopped in place and turned to face us.

The Lich said in the panel.

《Kill the ‘other me’.》

The 3rd ranked Nightmare Legion Commander—Magic Emperor Baekya.

This cyber Lich was asking us to kill someone who was the same as her before they split.

《We couldn’t kill each other. We know each other’s moves completely… so we need someone else’s help.》

“……”

《If you do that, I will grant you anything you want. And if there is any help I can provide, I will provide it as well.》

Anyway, of course, we have to defeat all the Nightmare Legion Commanders.

If we can get help from this skeleton in the mechanical device in the process, we should gladly accept it.

But, out of pure curiosity.

So I asked without realizing it.

“Can I ask why?”

《Huh?》

“Is there a reason why you want to kill the other you?”

Perhaps because I am also Ash, and also a classic enthusiast… a copied and added existence.

I was curious about her intention to kill another version of herself.

Then Baekya looked at me intently, and then,

《If I looked in the mirror, and the me in the mirror moved differently from me.》

She opened her mouth.

《Wouldn’t that be very unpleasant?》

“……”

《If you were walking down the street and encountered someone exactly like you, how would you feel?》

There is something called a doppelgänger [a ghostly double of a living person].

An old superstition that bad luck will come if you see someone who looks exactly like you.

Is there an instinctive aversion to someone like oneself in everyone?

《I have to be unique. If there is another me to replace me, then there is no reason for me to exist, right?》

“……”

《So, I have no choice but to kill the other me who is the same as me.》

I shrugged and nodded my head vigorously.

“I accept the request. But, I want you to promise full cooperation.”

《You don’t have to worry about that. Just say the word.》

“Okay. Then first…”

I pointed to a large box in the corner of the botanical garden.

“Open that treasure chest for me.”

Shining brightly.

The box, which was emitting a light that said, ‘I’m expensive,’ looked luxurious at first glance, and was locked with several complex-looking mechanical devices.

Baekya readily answered my request.

《Of course. You have cleared this ‘Magic Tower’, so you have the right to open that box.》

Chiiik-

Clank!

Almost at the same time as the words were spoken, the box began to open.

As the box opened, emitting a dry ice-like smoke, a dazzling golden light spread out.

‘Hmm, SSR!’

I slowly stood in front of the box and took out the contents.

It was… a pair of silver bracelets and a pair of anklets.

I took them and went to Evangeline. And I smiled.

“These are for you, Evangeline.”

“Huh? Oh, so this is…”

Evangeline received the bracelets and anklets with a puzzled look.

“Armor… you say?”

“Yes. The ‘pretty’ armor you’ve been longing for.”

“But… it doesn’t look like armor?”

I gestured to the puzzled Evangeline.

Then, Evangeline, while still suspicious, quickly took off her existing armor and put on the bracelets and anklets on her wrists and ankles.

“How is this supposed to act as armor… Whoa?!”

Evangeline hadn’t even finished her sentence.

Charrrr!

White armor began to emerge from the bracelets and anklets, like scales, and began to cover Evangeline’s entire body.

Clank! Clang, Click-!

In an instant, a silver-white armor that covered her entire body, tailored to Evangeline’s figure, was completed.

The cloak that draped from the shoulder armor to her back was also white like snow.

The helmet was a sleek shape like a motorcycle helmet, and the front was a transparent visor made of a magic panel.

Evangeline’s bewildered face was clearly visible.

This rapid armor deployment, which could be called a transformation, ended in just a few seconds, and finally, the ultimate armor [Snow White] revealed its brilliant form.

“W-wow… Wowww…”

Perhaps because she sensed that it was an amazing item at first glance, Evangeline gaped and examined her body.

《The culmination of the Lake Kingdom’s magical engineering—Magic Armor Snow White.》

Baekya explained nonchalantly.

《It’s the strongest armor that the original me used to wear. Before completing the research, I couldn’t die, so to protect myself… I created it by concentrating all the techniques I could use.》

Now that I’ve lost my body, I don’t need it, so you can have it – Baekya added.

“A-amazing…!”

Evangeline stammered, examining the gauntlets that carefully covered even her fingertips.

I nodded, looking at Evangeline, whose item setting was finally complete.

[Snow White] is an armor that exhibits the best performance no matter who wears it, but it has a particularly good compatibility with Evangeline.

This is because various additional functions create synergy as if they were perfectly tailored to Evangeline’s skills…

Well, let’s verify this in actual combat later.

Anyway, I was happily watching Evangeline, who was delighted with her new armor, with wide eyes.

“My lord.”

Lukas, who had approached me from behind, muttered gloomily.

“Aren’t you being too biased towards Evangeline…?”

“Whoa, you scared me!”

When I turned around in shock, the other heroes were all glaring at me with gloomy expressions… You guys?

“No, no, that’s not it. I’ll take care of all of you~.”

And you all got one item each from this magic tower capture! Rather, I’m the only one who didn’t get anything!

But even though everyone got something, it was about SR grade, and they were envious that only Evangeline got SSR grade (and among the best) equipment.

“I’m okay!”

Damian smiled brightly and held up the [Venom Fang] he had obtained earlier. Well, that’s because yours is also an SSR grade item…!

Anyway, after appeasing everyone by promising to give them good items again.

Verdandi cautiously approached me.

“…Ash.”

“Yeah. It’s your turn anyway.”

I turned my head to Baekya and asked.

“Baekya. There’s something called the Holy Grail here, right?”

《Huh? The Holy Grail…?》

“It’s necessary to defeat the other you. I’d like you to provide it.”

After thinking for a moment, Baekya made an ‘aha!’ sound and moved the mechanical device into the botanical garden.

《That’s what you’re talking about. It’s inside there. Come on. Follow me.》

At the innermost part of the botanical garden, there was another glass door.

Following Baekya’s guidance, we entered inside.

As soon as we entered the inner chamber of the botanical garden, Verdandi stopped with a start.

“Huh?”

“What’s wrong, Verdandi?”

When I asked, Verdandi muttered with a puzzled look.

“…It can’t be, but it smells like home.”

“Home?”

“Yes. And also…”

Verdandi frowned.

“The smell of the World Tree…”

Verdandi was right.

This was because there were trees that were hard to see in the outside world in the inner chamber of the botanical garden.

“…They’re not just trees.”

Verdandi, who examined the tree’s trunk, muttered hesitantly.

After looking at the leaves and even smelling them.

Verdandi let out a bewildered groan.

“This is a tree of the same species as our Elven World Tree…!”

However, the tree was withered and dead.

As if it had been barely mummified by magic in its dead state. Having stopped all life activities… it was frozen.

“I don’t want to remember it.”

Kuilran growled, glaring at the red leaves of the maple tree next to it.

“This is the same species as the cursed maple tree that was in our Maple Lang tribe’s hometown.”

The maple tree was also dried up as if it had been mummified.

Next to it was a metal tree that shone gold and spread out in all directions. Dusk Bringer groaned.

“These golden branches… it’s the Dwarves’ guardian tree, the Golden Tree.”

I muttered softly, examining the blue coral reef in the tank that filled one wall.

“And this is the Merfolk’s blue coral reef.”

The golden tree and the blue coral reef were all in the same dried-up state as if they had been mummified.

Even though they were already dead, the guardian trees of the four major heteroraces were all gathered here in the magic tower.

Why?

In front of our bewildered faces, Baekya, who had stopped, pointed to each tree and spoke slowly.

《The guardian tree of the Fairy race, the evergreen tree of life… Evergreen.》

《The guardian tree of the Beast race, the evergreen tree of struggle… Everred.》

《The guardian tree of the Dwarf race, the evergreen tree of wealth… Evergold.》

《The guardian tree of the Merfolk race, the evergreen tree of circulation… Everblue.》

Finally.

She took out a black branch.

《And the result of artificial magical grafting, created by combining these four trees.》

The thorny tree, which was withered and dead, was definitely.

《…The guardian tree of humanity, the Everblack.》

The same tree that I had seen in the Imperial Palace of the Yellow Capital.

And in the Spirit Realm.