Return of the Shattered Constellation

Chapter 220: Star, the Owl (6)

Before the World Net was built, the Emperor’s Seat left instructions for his children.

『I told them to get ready to flee since we can’t tell how things will turn out. The defeated’s children… It’s highly unlikely for my enemies to leave my subordinates alone now that I’ve lost.』

The Emperor’s Seat had known that he wouldn’t survive this fight, having expected that someone quite powerful had to be supporting Chang-Sun. Nevertheless, the Emperor’s Seat wanted to see with his own eyes whether or not the ‘Divine Twilight’ was involved.

Hence, rather than resist when the Divine Steel chains tied him up, he decided to cooperate with Thanatos and Chang-Sun. He was already at the point of no return anyway, so he wanted to at least leave hope for his children, who were probably running away from the <Purple Star Astrology> right now. Chang-Sun would surely not leave them alone. After all, there was no better prey than them.

“No.” Chang-Sun shook his head firmly as if the Emperor’s Seat’s request wasn’t worthy of consideration at all. Chang-Sun continued, “Those people also ultimately went on a rampage to make me plummet, so I have no reason to go easy on them, especially the Eunuch Star. I’m going to slit his throat myself.”

The Emperor’s Seat smiled bitterly, realizing that Chang-Sun would never do him such a favor. When Chang-Sun mentioned the Eunuch Star, the heart of the Emperor’s Seat grew heavier. The Eunuch Star was the one who caused the Emperor’s Seat and Chang-Sun to drift apart. He was also the tragic reason why the Emperor’s Seat was no longer one of the Three Enclosures.

『Then let me change the terms. If you accept this new request of mine, I’ll tell you anything you want. Naturally, my request will be easy for you to do.』

“I’m listening.” Chang-Sun crossed his arms.

『I have a daughter who always causes me great sadness.』

Chang-Sun noticed deep regret and sadness in the voice of the Emperor’s Seat.

『She’s really sick, so when you meet her later in the future… just once… Can you let her go just once?』

Chang-Sun quietly glared at the Emperor’s Seat, who continued to smile bitterly, waiting for Chang-Sun’s answer.

“… That’s the real reason your divine class got damaged,” Chang-Sun concluded.

『Do you want to hear about it?』

The Emperor’s Seat waited for Chang-Sun's answer again, so Chang-Sun was certain. Chang-Sun wasn’t sure if the daughter that the Emperor’s Seat was talking about was his biological daughter or his subordinate like his other children, but the Emperor’s Seat cared about her enough to risk letting his divine class get damaged and sharing his <Starlight>. However, Richardus backstabbed him in the process, preventing him from doing anything about the attack. Everything now made sense.

“What’s her name?” Chang-Sun asked.

『Later. You’ll know immediately when you meet her later.』

“Fine, but I can’t guarantee anything. It depends on the situation.” Chang-Sun nodded.

『That is enough. Thank you for your understanding.』

The Emperor’s Seat finally heaved a sigh of relief. He smiled as he bowed, which felt really foreign to Chang-Sun. The ‘Tian Shi Yuan’ that Chang-Sun remembered was a monarch who ruled the world with his hundreds of children.

Chang-Sun and Thanatos asked several more questions, and the Emperor’s Seat readily answered them. During the questioning, Thanatos and Chang-Sun gained a little more intel, including the activity of Kali’s priests who had come to Earth to find Chang-Sun, the priest who had been blessed by the ‘Aquarius,’ the status of the Tian Shi Yuan army…

‘… Part of them ended up in the <Star Auction>.’ Chang-Sun’s eyes turned cold.

『I think we’ve talked enough… Why don’t we get started?』

The Emperor’s Seat looked up and met Thanatos’ eye with a refreshed look. It was as if he had let go of all his burdens now. Although the Emperor’s Seat was still worried about his children in this world, he believed that they could overcome any obstacles.

『The Emperor’s Seat, you have been charged with the crime of violating and circumventing the <Oath> signed between the <Underworld> and <Heaven>, committing many other crimes in the process. You have also used the <Society> under your lead to exploit many civilizations and several planets like Earth. Do you admit to the stated charges? 』

『I admit to my crimes.』

『I, the judge, believe the crimes you have committed are very serious, but you, the defendant, admitted to and are reflecting on your crimes. Hence, I hereby sentence you, Celestial…』

Thanatos stared at the Emperor’s Seat.

『... to be sealed.』

The Emperor’s Seat quietly closed his eyes.

Whirl!

More Divine Steel chains jumped out from the black holes and tied up the Emperor’s Seat tighter as the entrance to the abyss opened up below him. As the Emperor’s Seat slowly sank, he looked at Chang-Sun and gently smiled, mouthing, ‘I’m glad I got to meet you, my son.’

Thud!

With the Emperor’s Seat completely locked away, Chang-Sun bit his lower lip.

『You’ve gone through a lot, so take a break even for just a short moment. I’ll contact you later once I have more information.』

Thanatos’ eye closed.

[The courtroom has closed!]

Chang-Sun’s face remained dark.

* * *

‘… What in the world…’ Minerva couldn’t help feeling shocked by everything that she had witnessed.

The fight between Chang-Sun and the Emperor’s Seat was already shocking in itself, but the King of the Underworld himself also showed up… Despite being one of the smartest <Olympus> Celestials, she still couldn’t be sure of what to make of the situation. However, when she learned Chang-Sun’s true identity, everything immediately made sense.

The ‘Divine Twilight,’ the notorious fiend that had put <Heaven> in tumult, was Chang-Sun! Minerva actually didn’t know much about the <Myth War> since <Olympus> remained neutral during that war, which had always been the position that their <Society> took. Hence, Minerva only heard rumors about how notorious the ‘Divine Twilight’ was and didn’t really pay much attention to it. However, she didn’t expect Chang-Sun to be that famous fiend.

The problem was that Chang-Sun’s identity was clearly a secret. The fact that the <Underworld> was using the ‘Divine Twilight’ as a reaper was bound to put many Celestials in <Heaven> on edge, but Minerva now knew about it all. What would Chang-Sun and the <Underworld> do about it?

Chang-Sun, who was still in deep thought even though the Emperor’s Seal had been sealed away, suddenly turned his head and looked at Minerva, making her instinctively clench [Pallas]. The aura Chang-Sun exuded was so stingingly belligerent that she forgot about the goodwill she had for him. She cautiously waited for Chang-Sun’s next words.

“I think I’ve done enough to repay you for the [Zhan Lu Sword],” Chang-Sun said.

“… What?” Minerva’s jaw dropped and her eyes widened in surprise upon hearing such unexpected words.

However, Chang-Sun collapsed before he could answer her question. After the sealing process, his fatigue overwhelmed him and made him faint. In the confusion of the moment, Minerva quickly ran to Chang-Sun and caught him before he hit the ground.

“So you can trust me, huh?” Minerva chuckled dumbfoundedly, looking down at the unconscious Chang-Sun, who was now in her arms.

It seemed Chang-Sun believed that Minerva would protect his secret and become his colleague—someone he could fight side by side with. No, he was confident that he could deal with the consequences even if she didn’t become his colleague.

“Well, it’s actually not that bad.”

Minerva’s smile deepened. It had been so long since someone trusted her first.

[You have successfully completed the Sudden Quest!]

[As a reward…]

…

[You have sealed another Celestial!]

[Your karma is increasing.]

[As a reward, you have regained a part of your revoked Divine Class.]

…

[As a reward, you can extract one of the Authorities of the three Celestials you have sealed.]

…

[The Divine Ground ‘Twilight-Setting Battlefield’ has closed!]

* * *

That was when the Azure Dragon stopped panting and looked up at the sky.

『This is…?』

The Azure Dragon was certain that one of the great stars that beautifully decorated the sky of the <Purple Star Astrology> had just completely disappeared. Although he hadn’t been shining as brightly as he used to ever since he lost the power struggle, the star was still respected by many monster and demonic deities. The star also led a big army, making him essential to the <Purple Star Astrology>. That was also the reason why many stars had participated in the World Net of the Emperor’s Seat.

The Azure Dragon frowned deeply, thinking those damned <Horoscope> Celestials had set up a trap and extinguished the star, but the Dragon soon regained their composure. Even before the Azure Dragon descended on this divine ground, the great ‘Zi Wei Yuan’ had already told the Dragon repeatedly about what to do once something happened to the Emperor’s Seat. Besides, the Dragon was the only one with the power to give orders on this battlefield.

Roaarrrr!

The Azure Dragon raised their head high up in the sky and howled, shaking the entire divine ground and catching all the monster and demonic deities' attention.

[The Constellation ‘Azure Dragon’ howls in mourning!]

『Listen, Celestials of the <Purple Star Astrology>,』the seven stars that made up the Azure dragon said in unison, their voice thunderously echoing throughout the space.『Retreat.』

The Azure Dragon fiercely swung their tail and turned in a circle, creating clouds of dust and shoving away all of the subordinates of the ‘Gemini’ that were fighting them. As soon as the Azure Dragon saw an opportunity, they turned around and flew up into the sky.

『What the hell?!』

『Kyaaaah! What are you doing, Azure Dragon?!』

『Azure Dragon, what do you mean retreat?!』

『You should explain what happened before giving such an order!』

Bai Sheng, Yue He, Ma Lin, and Yan Shun, who were still on the ground, protested against the Azure Dragon’s order, which was given out of nowhere. However, the Azure Dragon just flew past them as if the Dragon had nothing more to say.

『Shit! I didn’t get to gnaw on that human named Lee Chang-Sun!』Bai Sheng furiously grumbled but soon concluded that the Azure Dragon gave them such an order with a good reason. Hence, he immediately followed the Dragon’s lead.

The <Purple Star Astrology> Celestials’ sudden retreat from the battlefield baffled the <Horoscope> Celestials. They couldn’t help but think that the <Purple Star Astrology> Celestials intentionally wreaked havoc in the ‘Gemini’ camp and were now running away. If so, then they were clearly ridiculing the ‘Gemini’ and their subordinates. Frowning deeply, Pollux showed up in front of the Azure Dragon.

『Why in the world have you done this?!』Pollux shouted.

『We’re getting out of your hair before this battle turns too serious, but you still don’t want to let us go?』the Azure Dragon scoffed as if it wasn’t a big deal.

『How dare you…! Do you think you can just come and go as you please?!』Pollux roared.

『If you don’t like it, then try dealing with them and us at the same time in your current state.』

The Azure Dragon gestured in a direction with their eyes, and Pollux instinctively turned his head toward it. The castle gate of the Owl Fortress, which had been tightly shut until now, was opening wide.

“Children of the dawn that pursues light! Warriors who fight to bring glory to the goddess! It’s time for us to drive those shameless evil forces out of this land and bring back light to this place! Let the owl spread her wings wide once more!” Serena shouted.

Minerva’s other subordinates simultaneously rode their horses forward, leaving a big cloud of dust on their trail. A flag with an owl drawing fluttered above them.

[The ‘Atrytone’ soldiers have appeared!]

Pollux bit his lower lip as he looked at the Atrytone soldiers. Fighting the <Purple Star Astrology> had exhausted the Divo Napatas, and the ‘Gemini’ soldiers had already sustained immense casualties. Fighting the Atrytone soldiers head-on right now would be suicide. The warriors that Minerva had personally chosen could never be taken lightly. Hence, Pollux was left with only one choice.

『… Everyone.』

Pollux couldn’t help but grit his teeth.

『Retreat.』

Despite having received Pollux’s order, the Divo Napata soldiers hesitated, awkwardly straightening their postures.

At that moment, Castor’s eyes turned sharp, and in his giant form, he shouted,『What do you mean, Pollux?! It would be a disgrace to retreat—!』

『Shut up and listen to me, brother! Do you really think I want to go through this humiliation? Stay if you want to!』Pollux replied coldly and disappeared. Castor could only look at the Atrytone soldiers that were running toward him. He and Pollux were equal as the ‘Gemini,’ but Pollux was the one in charge of leading their subordinates because Castor was born weaker than Pollux.

Castor knew that he had to obey his brother’s command, but he became furious at Pollux for undermining his power in front of their subordinates and enemies. However, Castor couldn’t do anything about it.

[The ‘Divo Napata’ soldiers are withdrawing!]

The Atrytone soldiers quickly chased down the Divo Napata soldiers that were trying to escape from the battlefield, taking only a short while to drive out all the enemies. The numerous relics and artifacts left by the enemies on the battlefield became the Atrytone soldiers’ trophies.

They had won.

[The Celestial ‘Twilight-Piercing Owl’ has won the war!]

[The great legend of her victory is spreading throughout the entire universe.]