Return of the Shattered Constellation

Chapter 206: Star, the Illuminati (2)

The drawing of a black hand, the Crna Ruka’s symbol, dangled on the wall as if it would fall any minute, seemingly resembling the situation of Wojtek and the two other people in the room. Excluding Czestochowa, the Thumb Finger assassin, ‘Inverted Cross’ Wojtek, was known to be the strongest assassin in the Crna Ruka.

‘For fuck’s sake.’ Wojtek grunted.

‘Red Yoke’ Hyacinth,[1] ‘Barbaric Martyr’ Vitus[2], and Wojtek were glaring at each other as if they would attack one another as soon as they had a chance. Looking at the two, Wojtek fidgeted with the dagger in his right sleeve. Although they had done staredowns, they had never revealed their animosity openly until several days ago.

The bloody internal disputes that had taken place over the past several days had caused them to burn bridges. Hence, it wouldn’t be strange if they declared now that they would leave the organization with their share of the Clan’s assets. However, they couldn’t proceed with it because Czestochowa had been granting them very special powers, and, above all else, they were scared. After all, she could still be alive and was just watching them from afar.

Czestochowa! To Wojtek, Hyacinth, and Vitus’, she wasn’t the type to die this easily. Despite being almost ninety years old, she was still obsessed with power and beauty. As a king, she ruled the criminal underworld across the globe and, using her youthful appearance, garnered numerous lovers.

They couldn’t believe that she had died, but if she really had, then anyone in the criminal underworld would dream of becoming the next ruler. The three people in this room were all more than capable enough to self-proclaim themselves as Czestochowa’s heir.

However, they were met with an unexpected variable that made it difficult to make a move immediately. To top it all off, Marcel Diesel, known as the ‘Merchant of Death’ in the criminal underworld, had delivered to them a message from the Tyrant. They gathered in this room despite the severe bad blood among them because of that very message.

―Don’t you want to retrieve your lost Authorities?

Wojtek was taken aback when he first heard the message. The Tyrant knew their exact situation—the Crna Ruka members who followed the Celestial ‘Big Sick Bug’ were losing the Authority and Skills that they had received.

Up until recently, the Crna Ruka’s Guardian had been giving them his blessing of darkness. However, around the time they lost communication with Czestochowa and the rumor of her death spread, they stopped feeling their Guardian’s <Starlight>. It was as if he had disappeared completely. To make things worse, the more they used their Authorities and Skills, the more drastically their attacks’ damage decreased. It made them wonder if they could now only use their Authorities and Skills a limited number of times.

Wojtek and the other leaders felt as if their brains were going to explode. The French and German governments were already pressuring the Clan, so they had to quickly decide who would become the next Clan leader. However, considering their Authorities and Skills were weakening, the Clan would self-destruct at this rate.

As they dealt with multiple problems at once, Chang-Sun asked them to gather up if they wanted to regain their powers. If an ordinary person had sent that message, they would have ignored or even plotted the person’s assassination out of annoyance, but…

‘He could be the Killer Overlord’s killer,’ Wojtek thought.

Even though Czestochowa had taken Cansio and Kunegunda to assassinate Chang-Sun, she had still gone missing. It made no sense to even consider the rookie Tyrant could defeat the Killer Overlord, but Chang-Sun definitely had something to do with the Killer Overlord’s disappearance. There was a chance he used a special skill or put a curse on her. Either way, the Crna Ruka assassins had to find out how Chang-Sun was involved in all this and what his secret was.

‘If I could do as I pleased, I would have just kidnapped and threatened Lee Chang-Sun… but I can’t. That’s the problem.’

Hijacking the plane to Germany that Chang-Sun was on, sending assassins to Korea to hold Chang-Sun’s family members hostage… Wojtek considered various options when he received the message, but he never said any of them out loud. It was best to keep such secrets to himself. If Hyacinth and Vitus found out about the secrets Wojtek knew, they would no longer be secrets, and he could lose the throne right in front of him.

After pondering for some time, Wojtek reached one conclusion.

‘It’s highly possible that we’re all plotting the same thing.’

In that case, things could become complicated. Chang-Sun could notice that something was wrong and team up with the other assassins, making the three’s situation worse. The fact that they didn’t know the full extent of the Tyrant’s ability also bugged them like hell, so Wojtek had only one option.

‘I can’t believe I have to protect my enemy from other bastards to find out his secret..!’

Wojtek, Hyacinth, and Vitus now had to feign obedience and gain Chang-Sun’s favor, which was unbelievable for them. After all, they had spent their entire lives squeezing ordinary people dry and threatening them.

‘I wouldn’t be able to try any of my plans since the Immortal Overlord is with him. Shit! What the hell is going on?!’

Not being able to tell how the Tyrant and Immortal Overlord were linked together made Wojtek’s heart even heavier.

‘Wait… did he plan this from the start?’ Wojtek had a feeling that he could be right.

During his investigation of the Tyrant, he discovered that although the Tyrant seemed reckless, every movement was calculated.

“…”

“…”

“…”

Having a lot on their minds, Wojtek, Hyacinth, and Vitus tiptoed around each other as they waited for Chang-Sun to arrive.

Boom!

The front gate of the mansion, which the Crna Ruka had been using as a safe house for quite a long time now, burst open. The three assassins sitting by the table in the second-floor hall simultaneously turned their heads toward the commotion, finding Chang-Sun walking through the foyer and the rising clouds of dust. He looked at the three assassins, having already detected them.

However, they couldn’t even say hello to Chang-Sun. Baek Gyeo-Ul, who was walking behind Chang-Sun, threw some things that he had been dragging inside the mansion. The moment the three assassins realized what those ‘some things’ were, they froze up.

“I can see the Index Finger butcherers.”

“Ha! I can see your people too, Middle Finger. How are you going to explain that?”

“Even the Thumb Finger assassins… Huh! Ha!”

Wojtek, Hyacinth, and Vitus criticized each other, but their hands were all faintly trembling. To monitor Chang-Sun and his group, the three assassins had secretly planted their people around the mansion. However, their men were now all rolling on the ground, tied up like criminals.

The sight was hard to believe, considering every single one of them was a high-ranking assassin in the Crna Ruka. Although their Skills’ damage had decreased since their Guardian disappeared, they were still skilled assassins. What made the leaders even more baffled was that their men were subdued by someone who seemed to be Chang-Sun’s subordinate. They couldn’t help but find the situation odd.

Meanwhile, after looking at the three assassins with his arms crossed, Chang-Sun suddenly leaped high and disappeared. A moment later, he showed up on top of the three assassins’ table.

“…!”

“…!”

“…!”

Unable to even follow Chang-Sun’s movements, Wojtek, Hyacinth, and Vitus sensed a crisis was imminent. Although they used to think that Czestochowa could still be alive and just hiding somewhere, they realized at that moment that Chang-Sun, a person they couldn’t even begin to understand, had truly killed their leader. Moreover, they couldn’t help but consider him as the reason behind their Guardian’s disappearance too.

[You have activated the Skill ‘Tiger Kill,’ dominating the area!]

The three assassins straightened their postures, but they couldn’t move anymore because they felt as if they were inside a giant tiger’s mouth.

‘The safe house… is under his dominance!’

Wojtek held his breath as sweat trickled down his back. How could Chang-Sun just make a space his own with his presence alone? The only reason Wojtek had asked to meet Chang-Sun in the safe house was that he believed he and the other assassins could fight back here if their meeting went south. After all, this was their home ground… However, the assassins couldn’t even think about moving right now.

That wasn’t all.

Pzzz―!

Chang-Sun swung his hand in the air. black fog rose up from the ground and turned into a curtain that displayed four masks.

[You have activated the Authority ‘Demon Face,’ listing your masks!]

The three assassins were rendered speechless when they saw Chang-Sun’s lion, wolf, swan, and lizard masks, all of which had different expressions. Czestochowa’s [Demon Faces] were looking at them!

Chang-Sun had fewer masks than Czestochowa, but his masks exuded more profound and dreary energy. They even seemed to be stronger than the [Contorted Doggaebi Face], which Czestochowa had bragged about a lot. The three assassins had always wanted the masks, but they had never been able to get one despite how desperately they desired them. On the other hand, Chang-Sun had four of them.

“You all know what these are, right?”

“…”

“…”

“…”

“Of course, you would. I’m using your Guardian’s Authority,” Chang-Sun said. The three assassins kept their silence, not knowing what Chang-Sun would say next. Smirking, he continued, “I’m willing to give you a mask if you want. Wearing it will restore your weakening Authorities and restore your Skills. Your subordinates will regain their powers too.”

“…!”

“…!”

Wojtek, Hyacinth, and Vitus quickly exchanged glances. Although quite surprised, they were already busy making calculations in their minds. The next leader of the Crna Ruka would be decided depending on Chang-Sun’s terms.

On the three assassins’ behalf, Wojtek asked, “What do you want? If you want us to swear our loyalty to you instead of Czestochowa—!”

“You think I’d believe criminals’ loyalty pledges? You would backstab each other as soon as you see an opportunity, would you not?” Chang-Sun asked sarcastically.

“Still, you would want something from us,” Wojtek said.

“I want two things.” Chang-Sun raised two fingers. The three assassins turned their heads and looked at them. “First, I want the identity of the Korean who requested to assassinate me.”

“We’re criminals, but we can’t give you the identity of our cli—!”

“Then you can leave,” Chang-Sun interrupted.

Vitus, who had a means of communication with the White Tiger Clan, tried to refute Chang-Sun’s demand, but he instantly shut his mouth. Wojtek and Hyacinth smirked at Vitus since the less competition there was, the merrier it was for them.

“My other term is…” Chang-Sun’s eyes shone coldly as he folded the last finger. “... Assassinate the important figures who follow the Illuminati’s Red Eagle Duke.”

“…!”

“Are you asking us to fight a war against the Illuminati—!”

“Who said anything about war? I told you to just eliminate people on the Red Eagle Duke’s side. I’ll give one of my masks to whoever has the most kills.”

“O-outrageous…!”

Wojtek trembled profusely. Even though Chang-Sun had told them to only assassinate the people on the Red Eagle Duke’s side, they would be burning bridges with the Illuminati if they did what Chang-Sun asked. The technique of ‘borrowing a knife to kill a person[3]’ from the East crossed Wojtek’s mind.

However, it didn’t mean Wojtek could turn down Chang-Sun’s request. Players without an Authority or Skill were considered F-class and were thought of as trash. In short, they would have to retire if they didn’t do what Chang-Sun said.

Besides, the Crna Ruka assassins had many enemies. What would those people do if they were to retire? Just imagining it was enough to send shivers down the three assassins’ spines. It would be the best-case scenario if they could have peaceful deaths, but it was highly possible that they would be sold off to an island after they were skinned alive or taken by black wizards to use as experiment materials.

“The choice is yours. I’ll give you… It’ll be difficult to keep track of body counts if I give you too much time, so you have until midnight. That should be enough, shouldn’t it?” Chang-Sun stroked his chin.

The three assassins instinctively looked at their wristwatch. It was 11:13 am right now, which meant they had a little bit over 12 hours before midnight. Although the assassins wanted to protest how they were supposed to assassinate someone within this time frame…

“What are you doing? Get moving,” Chang-Sun said coldly, tilting his head.

The three assassins hurriedly ran in the opposite direction without saying anything else. A war between the Crna Ruka and Illuminati—no, between the Crna Ruka and Constantine’s faction was about to take place.

[The Celestial ‘Malignity-Drinking Saturn’ stares at you quietly, thinking you smell like him.]

Chang-Sun intentionally ignored Satan’s intense staring.

1. He’s a Polish priest and missionary who focused on reforming women's monasteries in Poland. ☜

2. He is a Christian martyr from Sicily. Not much is known about him. His known biography is completely fictional, a legend. ☜

3. It’s a popular idiom in East Asia. It’s similar to the phrase ‘someone else does their dirty work.’ ☜