- Beliefs -

Charlotte who had saved Prince returned back to the shinsu tent.

"Impressive" White said, though in inside he started to be worry of Charlotte.

On their fight one month ago, he had measured her strength. Her strength shouldn't be this strong and she shouldn't be this fast. Based on her current condition, Viole who he remembered was stronger than her seemed to be weaker now.

"I thought you were going to abandon your friend. You're a merciful person indeed....even though you have to swallow your words back."

"White, don't you think that you are wrong here?" Charlotte asked him. "I said that--

'if I am not meticulous enough, then I might lose my life and put all my comrades' lives in danger. Wouldn't it be better to sacrifice one to save others?'

Do you really think that I will challenge you without any preparation? Oh, I cared for my friends too much to let you play with their lives, White. I don't need to swallow my words back, since what I said to you are words."

It took several moments for White to thought about her words before he chuckled.

"I see...so you are planning to sacrifice yourself" he said. "How very selfless you are."

"I learnt from the best" Charlotte replied.

She smiled at the sarcasm that White threw to her.

"Now, this time, we will lower the hostages from Hoaqin's Team!" Poro Poe declared.

Charlotte looked at who the poor guy will be.

And the poor guy turned out to be Buelsar Elliot who was unconscious. Charlotte remembered that he was defeated by her brother Bam and the thought that her brother had won a fight against Buelsar made Charlotte smile out of blue.

Buelsar Elliot, was just like Prince, forced to enter the submarine and was prepared to roll around the spiral pipe.

"We will now begin lowering the hostages from Hoaqin's Team!" Poro Poe said. "BEGIN!!"

The submarine began to roll around the spiral pipe.

"Nox.....?" White asked suddenly.

".......A ruler" Charlotte answered after wondering what this white haired man planning. "Someone who rules over his citizen and area. That's if you ask me."

"Before I get trapped in this place, when I used to be a slayer, I once become the kings of two lands in an area of the outer tower" White explained. ". In one of the lands, there was a corrupt king. A lazy, rotten ruler. Everyone hated him.

. Everyone in the land praised me for it and naturally, I became their king.

I looked after the poor and executed any greedy officials. Ahh-- I really was a good king. The surrounding lands bowed before my might and people everywhere sang of my greatness.

And a long time after that-- I made my most loyal follower king and disappeared. After that, people recorded my name in their myths and "

"They must be blind" Charlotte responded, didn't bother lowering her voice. "To worship and pray someone like you must be their biggest misfortune."

White just smiled.

"Maybe you're right. But at the time, who cares about it? . Then a long time passed, I kept an eye on that land for a very long time. The land got more powerful and expansive. But at the same time, arrogant kings and rulers appeared.

The more they satisfied their greed, the more people suffered from hunger and starvation. They became pigs who divided people into classes and hoarded wealth for themselves. Just like the corrupt king and his servants from so long ago. It was quite funny.

. . I spoke of the old me as corrupt and needed to be overthrown and.

And that power continued to grow until it became so great that it threatened the country itself. .

They endlessly waged war on one another. All they knew was hatred and pain, not reconciliation or forgiveness. Of course, there were also the times when the two countries tried to stop the wars. .

The unfair death of a hero, raping and slandering innocent women, and the most effective thing of all, ."

Each word that came out from White's mouth slowly ignited the fire inside her.

"The wars became less frequent, and whenever I saw the signs of peace, I would appear before them and say

. Ahh-- the taste of those spirits consumed with desperation and torment and rage......it's really......... hard to put in words. ."

Charlotte who crossed her arms tried to appear calm. No wonder Bam shouted and yelled at White when he heard all his explanation. She was also starting to feel angry.

".....You've planned everything from the start, don't you?" She asked him. Her body was trembling with rage.

"

..... I put on powerful spell in both of the countries. If it weren't for that damn princess of Zahard, I would have been the most powerful God in the world!"

He spoke fiercely with clear disliking and hatred to the Zahard Princess before he looked at Charlotte who was frowning and glaring towards him. He smiled again.

"Does that sound cruel? Well, that's the reality. A monarch's power deprives from using the rage and stupidity of the masses. ...... Until you realize that, you will never be a slayer king.

"

Charlotte, "..........."

She had grown up in this tower.

She grew up in the cruel tower.

One can't stand and remain in her childhood forever. Charlotte knew that very clear. One will grow up and his mind will be more sensible and understanding of lives. Charlotte who had grown up in the tower started to be able to differentiate the lies and the truths and she knew that the four last sentences from White's mouth was rather a provocation.

He believed that she was going to save his hostage for him once he said those words.

Even if she didn't, he won't save him anyway.

"......Inferior scum..." Charlotte muttered.

"What?"

"Do you really find it amusing?" Charlotte asked with her darkest expression.

"Of course" White answered.

She frowned even deeper, "You really are hopeless, White. No wonder the Zahard Princess sealed you back then. She probably thought that you are .

You want to talk about sacrifice with me? Then let me tell you what sacrifice really means. Sacrifice means that when you sacrifice yourself for the others selflessly without asking anything in return, like a madman like you. But of course, even if I said these words, you understand right?

Continue ruining your own future, White. No one will be bothered to stop you from destructing yourself."

Before White could say a thing, when she heard the count of "three" again, she immediately jumped to save her enemy's hostage. Rather than wasting her breath with White, she would rather help her enemy's hostage.

Her action confused the others but some people like Altaira, Noah or Khun. The three of them had expected this coming so Khun wasn't really surprised. If there was something that he was surprised of, Khun was rather surprised with her strength.

"KHUN!!!" Charlotte shouted again.

Khun opened the submarine coolly without any surprise and Charlotte, using the same trick, saved Buelsar.

"What the-?" Sachi was surprised, nearly cursed. "She saved someone from the other team!"

"C-Congratulations!" Poro Poe once again was surprised by Charlotte's actions. "Hoaqin's Team receives ten Dallars for their hostage being saved!"

Charlotte observed Buelsar's wounds. His wounds didn't seem to be light. Thinking that he suffered this far for someone unworthy made Charlotte pitied him a bit, although she didn't show it on her expressionless face.

[Time Reverse]

She used the same trick that she used to heal both Daniel and Aka and healed all his wounds. But even though she had healed all his wounds, she did not return his consciousness.

Buelsar Elliot was taken back to his team.

┌──────═━┈┈━═──────┐

Submarine of Choices

└──────═━┈┈━═──────┘

"I didn't expect you to press the button without hesitation" Rachel said towards Khun who was pretending to have an heart attack after opening the submarine for an enemy.

He was wondering whether this plan of hers will work or not.

"I told you that both Charlotte and Bam are different from you" Rachel said again. "But I'm surprised that you would open the submarine. This makes me wonder whether ?"

"But what about you? " Khun retorted. "You're not getting sentimental now, are you? What on earth are you after? You've been trying hard to kill both Bam and Charlotte. But this time......are you sure that you hate them?

Make up your mind. What the hell are you doing? With your ambiguous action, I can't tell what you're after, but if you are trying to use them, the forget it."

"" said Rachel. "I'm serious. You know this, don't you?"

Khun, "..........."

"Bam followed me according his own will."

"Fine, then let's try this" he suggested. "Whatever decisions Charlotte made in this game,. . "

".....You are going to follow their decisions?"

"That's right" Khun confidently answered. "If Charlotte says that she is going to save everyone here, then I'll keep opening the submarine door."

"Don't be ridiculous. If you save all our hostages, we'll get thirty Dallars."

"That's right. But you've seen Charlotte's power now. Even if you get thirty Dallars, we will still win this competition. And I'm sure that this is also what Bam will do if he is here.

Charlotte follows Bam's words and I will follow their decisions. Which means, this is no longer between you and I, .

."

≪ ◦ ❖ ◦ ≫

Charlotte returned back and faced White again.

"Very impressive" White said with a smirk. "Such consideration, even going as far as saving an enemy. But have you realized that this might cost you some of your own companions?"

"I don't need you to care about my business" Charlotte said coldly towards White while wiping the sweat that rolled and reached her chin. "You just have to know that I will save everyone here and as well as beating you up.

None of the people here deserve to die for someone who is inferior than animals, White. I'm going to win this competition and give you a serious slap, as well as showing the level of difference between the two of us. Right here and right before everyone's eyes, I'm going to show that there are the times where the arrogant and foolish slayer will suffer from humiliation."

White frowned when he heard that.

"You really are getting on my nerves."

Charlotte forced herself to smile calmly but fakely when she heard that. She only replied with one word: "Likewise."

The next hostage who was chosen from their side was Akraptor.

Charlotte thought that now that she was in this state, she might as well beat that Pedro for making this stupid selection. She didn't like this selection, not even the slightest. They could play with others' lives, but not her comrades' lives.

'Well, someone is going to deal with him anyway' Charlotte thought as she looked away. 'I'll just focus beating him up.'

"You want to save everyone and win the game?" White asked her. "Do you really believe such a perfect story exists? How arrogant. That's an arrogant thought to have, Nox."

"I don't care whether it's exist or not" Charlotte replied. "Either way, I'm going to do what I say and no one is going to stop me."

"Only the strong survives in the tower. The strong devours the weak, and those who are even stronger devours the strong. Beasts can't exist without preys to hunt. And you want to be the hero who saves everyone here?"

"...I think you missed some parts of my words. When I said that I'm going to save everyone, I'm going to save everyone " Charlotte corrected White. "If there are people who I despised the most in the tower, then that would be the two of you. And right now, you will be my prey, White."

"You are the one who missed some parts. Do you really think you could defeat me just because you had gained some power recently?"

Charlotte made a lopsided smile, "Don't you also sense the tremendous power inside me?"

"We will now begin the descent!" Poro Poe said. "GO!!"

".....looks like I'm going to have to settle things one and for all with you" White said as he rested his sword on his shoulder and neck. "If you save everyone, I'll win without even doing anything....but I don't want that kind of victory.

This is the battle of beliefs. I will spend to this time. Follow me if you dare."

Compared to Prince, Akraptor was more calm. He didn't scream, yell or shout. He patiently waited for Charlotte to come and save him and Charlotte was certain that she won't let him die.

Right on twenty, the two of them descended together.

"Not pretty bad for a little girl" White said.

Charlotte thought that if she was going to fight with White, then she will fight when the hostage who was in danger was White's. Although she despised White and pitied his teammates except for Yura, Casano, Rachel and that Traveler, she still wanted to play it safely and cared more for her own comrades.

Therefore, in order to distract White, Charlotte chose to attack first.

She opened her fan and then swung it towards him, creating a gust of wind in which White had blocked with his sword.

'This gust of wind is strong!'

"How rude of you to attack me before I finished my words" White said towards Charlotte.

"Are your words important?"

"Of course!" he answered as he swung his sword. "NOW THIS--!"

[White-Style Spirit Sword: The Wake of Dead]

"--IS THE POWER CREATED FROM THE BLOOD OF BROTHERS AND THE PEOPLE!!"

Charlotte crossed her arms to shield herself from the attacks that made her hurt.

[Time Reverse]

She reversed the time and healed herself again.

'She has a quick regeneration.'

"So....you've followed me this far" White said. "Very impressive."

"My turn!" Charlotte said.

[Hansung Yu Style Shinsu Manipulation Skill: Waves of Peacock Wings]

Charlotte began to control the shinsu and made it appear into eight rooms and directed all of them towards White. And after that, she was using a different skill.

[Hansung Yu Style Shinsu Manipulation Skill: The Maelstrom]

While White was busy to block those attacks, Charlotte's golden eyes were immediately locked at the submarine where Akraptor was in. She swung her right hand towards the submarine.

[Time Pause]

The submarine paused again. It stopped rolling and it gave her the chance to descend as fast as she can, leaving White behind.

"KHUN!!" Charlotte shouted again. "SUBMARINE!!'

Khun opened the submarine and allowed her to save Akraptor right on time.

White watched Charlotte who was trying to save Akraptor and descended as fast as she can. He silently admitted that this girl was born with remarkable abilities. With their abilities and talents, the two of them might just reach the top of the tower without sacrificing anyone.

But the problem was that she and her twin brother behaved differently. The two of them destroyed the rules of the tower that he knew.

'You're nothing but a mutant. So....be gone....!'

Rak watched how White raised his sword and gathered the power of the souls that he had to his sword and prepared to swing it. He immediately shouted, "FEMALE BLACK TURTLE!!"

"CHARLOTTE!!" Bam shouted as well.

Hearing her name has been called, Charlotte immediately looked at her back where she found White attacking her with a different skill, something even dangerous than before.

[Phantom Master Sword]

This skill produced such a bright white light. The blast was quite huge and if Charlotte didn't reverse the time right on time, then she will be badly wounded.

Akraptor knew that as well and he was trying to use his life to shield Charlotte.

Charlotte was taken back at first. But then she frowned and clicked her tongue. She had to react quickly. She lifted her right hand and was about to reverse the time when something happened.

A different flashing light blocked White's attack and surprised them.

".....That's enough, Hoaqin" said his last clone. "Right to the bitter end, ."

Charlotte didn't expect that the last clone would be helping them right now. She was too carried away or she was too busy to care about what happened in the manhwa since the third round started. Taking this chance, she looked at Akraptor from head until toe.

"You aren't hurt right?" Charlotte asked. "Why do you stand up before me? If something like that happens again, just hide behind me! I could face it!"

"You could? You clearly looked confused for a moment" Akraptor said.

Charlotte was about to argue more when Akraptor patted her head, "Alright. Don't argue anymore. Let's just watch the show."

"I.....just don't want you to get hurt" Charlotte said.

"I know."

"My nature...." White looked at his last clone. "What are you talking about? Since when do you know anything about me?"

"I've been watching you longer than you think" his last clone earnestly answered. "Because.....the billions of victims you've made.....and their vengeful spirits....formed who I am, your new clone."

While White was surprised, the last clone appeared again before Charlotte.

"Nox, right?" She asked and Charlotte nodded her head.