Return of the Shattered Constellation

Chapter 240: Star, Mimisbrunnr (5)

Chang-Sun quickly sprinted across the surface of the water like a lightning bolt coursing through the ground.

『Will you take the offer?』 Armand asked as Chang-Sun ran.

Unsure about what she meant, Chang-Sun frowned. “What do you mean?”

『I’m asking if you’ll take the Evil Dragon’s offer.』Armand elaborated. Chang-Sun looked back at the little elemental spirit who resembled Ithaca. Suffocating silence filled the air until Armand broke it.

『Tiamat is not only the head of <Nammu> but also the fifth-strongest Celestial in <Heaven>. There is a reason why something like the Nine Heavens exists.』

Nine Heavens usually meant the highest sky or the nine celestial bodies circling around the earth. Grand Heaven, Clear Heaven, Vast Heaven, Flame Heaven, and Black Heaven were in the center, east, west, south, and north respectively. Sun Heaven, Red Heaven, Transformation Heaven, and Faraway Heaven were located in the intermediate directions.

However, the Nine Heavens’ meaning in <Heaven> was a little different. It referred to the Celestials who were close to reaching Emperor-level. Tiamat, one of the Nine Heavens, was called Faraway Heaven and was located in the northwest. Chang-Sun would get a very powerful ally if he married her.

“Marriage shouldn’t be taken so lightly,” Chang-Sun said.

『That is why I’m saying this. Someone like Tiamat wouldn’t joke about making such an offer, and there is no better way to make allies than becoming one family through marriage.』

What was Armand trying to say? Was she telling Chang-Sun to take Tiamat’s offer for his revenge? There was definitely no downside to becoming Tiamat’s husband. Tiamat was one of the Nine Heavens, and she was preparing to wage war against the ‘Taurus.’ As the saying went, ‘The enemy of one’s enemy was one’s friend.’ Since Tiamat had a favorable impression of Chang-Sun, she would be a great help to him in the future.

Although Armand seemed to be advising Chang-Sun to marry Tiamat, Armand’s expressionless look caught his eye. Considering Armand knew Chang-Sun and Ithaca’s past yet still suggested this… was it because she wanted to cut all ties related to Ithaca, whom she deeply hated? Or was the lingering feeling in his heart telling him not to let Ithaca go?

However, Armand just looked at Chang-Sun, saying nothing more. It was as if she genuinely wished to hear what Chang-Sun thought.

“This doesn’t seem like the right place to talk about this, so let’s discuss it later. But let me make one thing clear,” Chang-Sun said.

They were now getting closer to the ghost ship, two-thirds of which had already sunk.

“I’ll never get married out of necessity. That just means I’m abusing other people’s sincerity.”

Only after Chang-Sun plummeted did he come to realize that he shouldn’t be abusing people’s goodwill even if it was for his own benefit.

『… Is that so?』 Armand quietly mumbled and ended the discussion. Chang-Sun wasn’t sure if she got the answer to her question or held back her curiosity. 『That’s certainly your choice to make. It’s not something I should stick my nose in. Just… save my sisters, please.』

“Of course.” Chang-Sun lightly tapped the [Yuchang Sword] and the [Zhan Lu Sword] against each other.

Clanngg!

The two divine swords emitted milky-white light. Now that he thought about it, this was his first time using Double Sword Resonance using only Ou Yezi’s divine swords. Although the swords’ had different attributes, they were created by the same blacksmith, so they would most likely resonate very well.

As Chang-Sun expected, the two divine swords’ divine energies, which were seeping into Chang-Sun, merged with each other and amplified their power dozens of times. A part of his black lightning energy turned white.

[The ‘Yuchang Sword’ and the ‘Zhan Lu Sword’ have resonated, creating a significant amount of divine energy!]

[The swords have been coated with sacred white lightning.]

[Concentrating the great will of the Absolute Good.]

Woosh, woosh, woosh…!

Approaching the ghost ship, Chang-Sun spun like a top. It seemed as if he was ice skating.

[The Skill ‘Black Mountain King’s Claws’ has been activated in quick succession!]

[The Skill's damage has increased according to the level of an Authority.]

Woosh!

Woosh―!

Chang-Sun fired four white lightning bolts. The ones launched from the [Yuchang Sword] moved from the bottom left to the upper right. They were quick and sharp, like an assassin stabbing their target with daggers. On the other hand, the [Zhan Lu Sword] lived up to its reputation of being the sword of monarchs. As if a monarch themselves had swung their sword upward, the sword’s lightning bolts struck the left part of the ship, swept across the deck, and dropped down to the right part of the ship. Creating an X, the lightning bolts repeatedly overlapped with each other and butchered the ghost ship.

Tap!

Chang-Sun stopped spinning and fired the last, fifth claw, which was as strong as attacks mixed with an Authority.

Swoosh!

Rumble―!

The [Black Mountain King’s Fifth Claw] dropped down to the center of the deck and spread white lightning energy everywhere, completely obliterating the ghost ship. It looked as if a giant tiger had indiscriminately clawed it to pieces. Dozens of the ship’s fragments flew in the air like fireworks.

Woosh, woosh, woosh.

Much to the <Troop> members’ bewilderment, the ghost ship was now sinking, and they could do nothing to stop it. They were already in chaos due to the sudden [Dragon Breath] attack and the Celestials’ ambush. Now, white lightning bolts were raining down on them.

Made up of the swords’ divine energies, the sacred white lightning bolts were the most efficient in purifying or exorcizing evil. With the lightning bolts imbued with the resolve of the Absolute Good, the <Troop> members, who were monster or demonic Celestials, were basically struck with a natural disaster.

Rumble, rumble, rumble―!

Rumble!

“Arghhh!”

“W-what in the world…!”

“Urggghhhh!! Why isn’t the fire going out?! Why? Whyyy?!”

The white lightning bolts left behind white flames that dealt significant damage to the <Troop> members who didn’t have enough resistance to divine energy. Qi Gong, Lie Si, Jun, and the other executives weren’t better off. In fact, things were worse for them since they were busy fighting against four Celestials.

Paaaah―!

Chang-Sun leaped down to the sinking deck. Many Celestials looked at him, but he simply charged onward, paying them no attention. After all, he only had one target in this operation.

“Qi Gong…” Chang-Sun put on his iron mask and quietly mumbled, “... it was you.”

Click―!

Once the iron mask had covered his face completely, navy-blue flames blazed up in his eyes.

Woosh!

“Then I have no reason to feel bad.” Chang-Sun smiled faintly as he looked at his enemy. His Inferno Sights blazed wildly, but with his [Gnostic Eye] open as well, his right eye emitted a faintly different light from his left. Although the functions of the [Gnostic Eye] were still a mystery to Chang-Sun, he at least received a lot of information from it.

What he should do next, the routes to take, the techniques to use, the enemies’ possible reactions, countermeasures… Hundreds of pieces of information and suggestions repeatedly popped up and disappeared, all of which he used to create the best strategy. All the information was also delivered to Simon Magus, the demon king of gnosticism.

「M-master… What is this…?」Simon stuttered. Simon was called the demon king of gnosticism because he was the closest mortal to reaching primordial memory, which was the initial memory that all souls had. Despite only having fragments of gnosis, Simon could already go up against Peter the Apostle. However, Chang-Sun seemed to surpass his level.

「What in the world… is in your eye?」Simon asked.

‘I don’t know,’ Chang-Sun answered.

「What?」 Simon sounded baffled.

‘I don’t know.’

Chang-Sun didn’t really have any other answer. He genuinely didn’t know what the [Gnostic Eye] was, what it was made up of, or how to even activate the eye. All he knew was that the old man in his dream had covered his right eye with an eyepatch, and that had now been transplanted to his eye.

‘But that isn’t the important part, is it?’

「Y-yes! Haha! That’s true!」

Realizing what Chang-Sun meant, Simon smiled coldly. Although he didn’t know the mechanism behind the [Gnostic Eye], the information that the eye showed them was real. All he had to do was focus on using it to assist Chang-Sun.

Clang!

Meanwhile, Chang-Sun swung the [Yuchang-Sword] toward Qi Gong’s chin, but Qi Gong narrowly blocked the sword using the [Chunjun Sword], which shook faintly afterward.

Ziing, zinng!

Oooong, ooonng―!

The two divine swords reacted fervently upon meeting each other. Qi Gong frowned.

“You…! You’re Lee Chang-Sun!” Qi Gong exclaimed.

There was no way Qi Gong wouldn’t recognize him. After all, the Emperor’s Seat plummeted when he tried to capture Chang-Sun using the [World Net].

The <Troop>’s first goal was to take down the <Purple Star Astrology>, and their second goal was to eliminate Chang-Sun and whoever was behind him. Hence, Qi Gong instantly realized what was going on. Considering, one of Kali’s priests was Chang-Sun’s subordinate, he was likely here to rescue the others. However, that begged the question of how Chang-Sun found out about the Gray Elves’ location. Did he receive the information from his supporters?

Either way, Qi Gong decided to subdue Chang-Sun first. He wasn’t sure why Chang-Sun confidently showed up here, but this was his chance to find out who was behind Chang-Sun and the whereabouts of his father.

“Long time no see, Qi Gong,” Chang-Sun blurted out.

Qi Gong’s eyes lost focus. “How do you know my name…?”

“Well…” Chang-Sun stomped on the deck instead of answering Qi Gong’s question.

Thudd!

[The Skill ‘Stomp’ has been activated!]

Chang-Sun’s strike shook the ghost ship, which was quickly sinking due to the white lightning bolts traveling across the deck. At the same time, the white lightning bolts flew up and crashed into Qi Gong.

“Urgh!” Qi Gong grunted.

Smash―!

The attack was strong enough to destroy the part of the deck where Qi Gong was standing. Barely managing to regain his balance, Qi Gong turned and swung the [Chunjun Sword], unleashing a strong gust of wind that shredded the white lightning bolts into pieces. However, Chang-Sun had just been buying time.

[The Authority ‘Scarlet Dragon Summon’ has been activated, summoning a scarlet Jiaolong to create chaos!]

Chang-Sun’s coat fluttered, revealing the scarlet Jiaolong symbol drawn inside it. A several-meter-tall scarlet Jiaolong soon appeared, coiled around Chang-Sun, then pounced at Qi Gong.

At that moment, something inside Qi Gong’s head snapped. Chang-Sun casually using the [Scarlet Dragon Summon], the signature Authority of the Emperor’s Seat, enraged him. Chang-Sun calling him by his name had already confused him, so finding a trace of his father, whom he looked up to, made it impossible for him to keep his composure.

“I’ll kill you!!!!” Qi Gong infused all his divine power into the [Chunjun Sword].

Oooong.

The [Chunjun Sword] shook profusely, seemingly on the verge of breaking down. It unleashed a storm of divine power that ripped the scarlet Jiaolong into shreds. The ghost ship had now completely sunk, and everyone still on it was going underwater.

Chang-Sun followed the guidance of the [Gnostic Eye]. He retreated for a moment and escaped Qi Gong’s attack range. When the divine power storm stopped, Chang-Sun approached Qi Gong again. He didn’t activate the [Execution Sword]. His goal wasn’t to kill Qi Gong, after all, and too many Celestials were watching him, like Pabilsag and Tiamat. His only objective was to take the [Chunjun Sword].

Qi Gong tried to infuse his divine power into the [Chunjun Sword] once more, but Chang-Sun proved quicker. He stabbed the blade of the [Chunjun Sword] using the [Yuchang Sword].

Crack.

The [Yuchang Sword] dug into the layer of Qi Gong’s divine power that was enveloping the [Chunjun Sword], making it dissipate as if it was never there.

“What…?!” Qi Gong’s eyes widened. He had never heard nor seen the odd phenomenon of someone cutting through divine power.

“Well, it’s only natural for you to be surprised. You don’t care how Ou Yezi’s divine swords work, after all.” Chang-Sun smiled coldly.

Having been using the [Yuchang Sword] and the [Zhan Lu Sword] for quite some time now, Chang-Sun was already well aware of the mechanism behind Ou Yezi’s divine swords. Absorbing its owner’s mana awakened the memories inside each of the divine swords, and with those memories, the owner could reinforce the sword’s attributes to make it stronger.

However, Qi Gong just dominated everything as the first son of the Emperor’s Seat, so there was no way he would pay attention to a mere sword’s memory—no, Qi Gong wasn’t the only one. Most Celestials only knew how to dominate, but Chang-Sun was different. By reading and listening to the memories and voices of weapons, Chang-Sun became a king—the [King of All Weapons].

[The Effect of the Trait ‘Close-Combat Master’ has been applied, reading the mind of the ‘Chunjun Sword’!]

―I…

―I… want to go back.

―Somewhere quiet.

―Somewhere cozy.

―I don’t want to fight.

The [Chunjun Sword]’s attributes were related to nature, which also meant something or someone’s inherent character. Although it was a sword, the [Chunjun Sword] refused to be used as one because it hated artificiality and combat.

‘I can make that happen,’ Chang-Sun told the [Chunjun sword].

Chang-Sun liked the [Chunjun Sword]. It would be boring if every sword specialized in combat, so having one or two swords like the [Chunjun Sword] didn’t seem that bad.

‘So come with me,’ Chang-Sun offered.

―You won’t fight?

―You’re also fighting right now.

―I don’t like getting hurt.

‘Yes, I fight,’ Chang-Sun replied.

―Then…

―No.

‘But I promise that I won’t force you. Besides…’ Chang-Sun trailed off.

The [Yuchang Sword] and the [Zhan Lu Sword] howled.

‘Won’t it better to stay with your friends than your current owner?’ Chang-Sun smiled.

―Friends?

―Friends…

―Zhan Lu is there.

―Yuchang is also there!

―Other friends seem to be with him too.

―Will everything be okay with friends?

―Will it be okay?

―I think it’ll be okay.

―I think so!

―Then…

―Then!

―Let’s follow him.

―Let’s go.

―Yes.

―What do I need to do…

―to follow you?

Chang-Sun and the [Chunjun Sword] exchanged numerous words within a short moment.

[You have successfully gained the favor of the ‘Chunjun Sword’ using the Effect of the Trait ‘Close-Combat Master’!]

[‘Chunjun Sword’ has chosen a different owner.]

Like the [Yuchang Sword] and the [Zhan Lu Sword], the light the [Chunjun Sword] was emitting gradually changed to milky-white sacred light.

‘Just come with me. That is all you have to do.’

―Okay!

The [Chunjun Sword] shone brighter.

Boom!

“… Hup!” Qi Gong inhaled sharply.

Qi Gong tried to swing the [Chunjun Sword] when Chang-Sun went for Qi Gong’s wrist using the [Yuchang Sword], but he flinched in surprise instead. Seemingly shaking off Qi Gong’s hand, the [Chunjun Sword] exploded.

Woosh, woosh, woosh!

The [Chunjun Sword] flew up. After letting go of the [Yuchang Sword] and the [Zhan Lu Sword], Chang-Sun reached out for the divine sword that was circling in the air. Qi Gong held out his hand toward it as well, but Chang-Sun was quicker. The [Chunjun Sword] ended up in the latter’s possession.

“N—!” Qi Gong tried to scream, but it was too late.

[The Effect of the Trait ‘Sword Forest’ has been applied, unsealing the sealed memory of the ‘Chunjun Sword’!]

[A hidden Trait has been awakened.]

At that moment, a fresh forest scent spread across the gloomy battlefields.