Following the conclusion of the 'Deathmatch', everyone present within the grass field found themselves teleported into a vast circular chamber more than 300m across. Standing a few meters from their position, a short man with brown skin and red hair that spiked upwards in an unorthodox style that gave him a wild and untamed vibe. As for his attire, he wore a militaristic white tunic with a small, house-shaped, badge pinned to his chest. The rest of his outfit consisted of black jodhpur trousers that flowed seamlessly into his boots, matching the gloves that fully covered his hands and ran to his elbows.
Overall, the man gave off the impression of someone with a hot-heated temperament, and, as if to prove this was the case, he currently had an annoyed expression on his face as he asked, "There are only six of you? What the hell?"
Without waiting for anyone to answer, the man pulled up a terminal that only he was supposed to be able to see. With a few quick inputs, a display showing each person present appeared before him, further annoying the man when he realized five of the six people present had absolutely no data. The only one that did was the Princess of Jahad…
Realizing the information his brain had just process, the man's eyes became round as saucers as he shifted his attention to the fashionably dressed woman standing at the forefront of the group and asked, "You're really a Princess of Jahad?"
With one hand on her hips, Endorsi batted her fringe bangs in a haughty manner before answering, "Indeed. I am one of Zahard's precious pairs of shoes. Now, aren't you going to introduce yourself, Test Administrator?"
Feeling a massive headache coming his way, the fiery red-haired man made no attempt to hide his frustration as he released an exasperated sigh and rubbed his temple. Then, seemingly without any regard for Endori's status, he casually replied, "The names Quant Blitz. I'm one of the Test Admins of the 2nd Floor and a Ranked Scout. For the time being, the six of you need to behave yourself while I report this situation to the Test Director. It's pretty obvious you're all monsters after eliminating the other…196 contestants…?"
With 200 Regulars taking part in the exam, the fact there were six people present implied that 194 should have been eliminated. This confused Quant quite a bit, his expression turning serious as he quickly filtered through the original list of Regulars to find the anomalies…
With an ever-growing frown on his face, Quant quickly discovered the odd people out, dismissing the invisible display with a wave of his hand before glaring towards Gandr and Phae as he asked, "How did the two of you sneak into the Floor of Tests?"
Rather than allow his other selves to answer, Vahn casually made his way to the front, his expression calm and poised as he stated, "They are my vassals. I summoned them to my side in order to avoid having to play your tasteless game. Is there a problem?"
Though Quant wasn't at all amused by the fact that a Regular was speaking to him in such a casual manner, that didn't stop him from pulling up Vahn's data. Like before, there was no real information on the man, only that he was 'qualified' to participate in the exam. This wasn't too surprising, as he was on the original roster; what really confused Quant was the fact that both Gandr and Phae were also listed as 'qualified'…
Understanding there was something very wrong with the current situation, Quant met Vahn's gaze, his expression turning even more serious as he plainly asked, "You…are you an Irregular?"
Hearing the familiar term, Vahn briefly considered his options before ultimately deciding there was no reason to hide his status. It was obvious that being an Irregular was uncommon, the name itself being an obvious indicator, but that didn't mean he was going to conceal his identity. His purpose within this Record was to reach the absolute pinnacle, so, in response to Quant's question, he lifted his head ever-so-slightly before stating, "If the words of that rabbit are to be believed, I am, indeed, what you people call an Irregular."
Not expecting Vahn to outright admit it, Quant looked at the man like he was observing someone who had lost their mind. Then, just as he had following Endori's introduction, he released a sigh of exasperation before remarking, "I don't get paid enough for this shit. Well, whatever. Just stay here until I get back. This situation is way too abnormal so I'm not qualified to deal with it on my own. I will return with the Test Director shortly."
With those parting words, Quant dismissed his invisible terminal before departing the room with a quick burst of speed, effectively vanishing from view in an instant. The most surprising thing about this feat was that he didn't seem to use anything to enhance his movements, relying solely on the strength of his body to casually break the sound barrier.
Vahn was quickly beginning to realize that there were some abnormally powerful people present within his current Record. Even people like Asuna and Nagi would struggle to perform superhuman feats without the aid of magical energy and ki, so, to see someone casually break the sound barrier using pure physical capabilities, it was safe to assume that even 'average' people within the Tower were going to possess super-human strength, speed, and reaction time.
Rather than feel even remotely concerned, Vahn was actually looking forward to his future battles. For now, however, he had another matter to address, as, immediately following Quant's departure, Endorsi attempted to approach him with a mix of curiosity and enmity contained within her ghostly amber pupils.
Without letting the Princess get anywhere near Vahn, Phae and Gandr blocked her path, the latter partially drawing Laev-tan as the former adopted a polite smile and stated, "That is close enough, Princess. Though your curiosity is understandable, attempting to approach an Emperor without his permission is behavior unbefitting a Princess of a foreign Empire…"
Though she was momentarily confused by the woman's words, it didn't take long for Endorsi to realize what Phae was saying. This caused her expression to turn slightly incredulous as she looked between the trio and stated, "Wow, you three must be from the outside if you have the gall to call that man an Emperor within the Tower. In this place, Jahad might as well be a God. You might have been an Emperor in the outside, but you're basically signing your own death warrant if you intend to claim such a status within the Tower…"
Realizing that Endorsi was actually trying to warn them, Phae continued to maintain her polite smile while Gandr quickly sheathed Laev-tan with a loud 'clack'. As for Vahn, he slowly turned to face the Princess, a relaxed yet dignified smile on his face as he stated, "An Emperor does not shy away from the burden of their title. Irrespective of the situation, I am, and will forever be, Vahn Aldrnari Mason, the Sage Dragon Emperor.
Hearing the firm resolution contained with Vahn's tone, Endorsi found herself in a dreamlike stupor, her mental faculties stalling for a brief moment as his words settled within her mind. She had never heard anyone speak in such an 'absolute' manner without any pretense or deceit. It was like she was hearing an immutable truth, and, based on the impression she got from his vassals, Endorsi couldn't shake the feeling that Vahn was a very different kind of Emperor than anything the Tower had ever seen…
Before she could recover her senses, Endorsi's expression soured as a demure voice sounded from behind, hesitantly asking, "Are you really from outside the Tower? Have you ever seen the stars…?"
—
Shifting his attention to the cloaked figure cowering behind the six-meter tall demonic man, Vahn couldn't help but squint his eyes as he observed the 'peculiar' blonde-haired girl. He wasn't able to understand why, but she gave him an uneasy feeling. Her aura showed no particular signs of hostile intent, but, for some reason, she gave off the impression of a venomous snake that was prepared to strike at a moment's notice. Despite this, she seemed to be even weaker than an average human, an incongruity that didn't match up with the apparent nature of the Tower…
While making a mental note to be wary of the seemingly normal girl, Vahn allowed Phae to answer on his behalf, her expression a perfect mask of amicability as she explained, "We have. They appear in the night sky, dotting the heavens like an ocean of sparkling gemstones against a vast expanse of darkness…"
Seeing the fervor contained in the young woman's eyes as she hung on to Phae's every word, Vahn began to wonder if he had made some kind of mistake. She suddenly seemed like just a normal girl, but, considering their circumstances, that would actually be stranger. Thus, redoubling his intention to be wary of the woman, he extended his hand, astonishing both Endorsi and the as-yet-unnamed woman by pulling out a Memory Orb and projecting an image of the night sky.
Following Vahn's lead, Phae lowered her head as a sign of respect and gratitude before turning to face the starstruck duo and explaining, "As you can see here, the night sky is filled with stars. This is an object known as a Memory Orb, a special device that converts memories into three-dimensional projections. They are really quite convenient when you want to demonstrate something that is hard to put into words~."
Though she was listening to Phae's words, the blonde-haired woman was unable to prevent herself from taking a few steps forward, drawn by the projection of countless stars. She found them to be far more beautiful than anything she could have imagined, but, after extending her hand and failing to grasp one of the tiny motes of light, her expression quickly became soberer as she muttered, "Of course they aren't real you silly girl…"
Shaking her head at her own chiding remark, the woman shifted her gaze towards Vahn, seemingly forgetting his status as she plainly asked, "Can I have that? It has always been my dream to see real stars…it's the reason I decided to climb the Tower. I want to break free from this cruel and hopeless world, a place where people are forced to betray others just for a chance at realizing their dreams…"
Noticing the subtle contraction of the woman's pupils when she mentioned betraying others, Vahn could easily intuit what kind of person she was. She was the greedy and delusional type, the kind of person that prioritized their own wants and needs over everything else. He could easily imagine her lashing out at others whenever things didn't go her way, and, if he chose to deny her the Memory Orb, he got the distinct impression she would do everything in her power to steal it from him…
As there was no way he could agree to the woman's request, Vahn allowed Phae to mediate, her tone firm yet kind as she stated, "I do not believe it is appropriate to ask for another's belongings when you've yet to even introduce yourself. His Imperial Majesty might not care about the lack of propriety demonstrated by people outside the Empire, but that does not excuse your behavior. If you are to have any chance of obtaining the Memory Orb, you would benefit from behaving more sensibly in the future…proper courtesy never hurt anyone…"
Surprised by the unexpected reproach, the blond-haired woman showed a confused expression on her face before seemingly realizing what was being asked of her. Then, as if she had spontaneously become a different person, her aura completely changed as she offered a courteous bow and said, "Forgive my indiscretions. It was never my intention to cause any offense. I was so captivated by the stars that I simply forgot myself for a brief moment. My name is Rachel, Rachel Light. Please accept my sincerest apologies…"
Though his back was turned to the woman, Vahn could see her from the perspectives of Phae and Gandr. He was also the one to sense the change in atmosphere around her, all but confirming his suspicions that she was a borderline sociopath. She was the type that could pretend to be whoever she needed to be in order to complete her objectives, the type of person who would only reveal her true colors when she was backstabbing or betraying others…
Turning around as if he was personally inspecting her performance, Vahn pretended to relax his expression before tossing over the Memory Orb. This surprised Rachel quite a bit, resulting in her practically leaping to catch the orb out of the air and landing hard against the ground. Despite this, she had a happy smile, her face twisted almost unnaturally as she held the Memory Orb close to her chest and exclaimed, "Thank you very much…!" in a tone that didn't match the dangerous gleam in her eyes…
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'A world where even the weak are superhuman…','Vahn be like, "Irregular? No. I am the Emperor."','Rachel, the shadow hidden beneath the Light')
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