Return of the Shattered Constellation

Chapter 259: Star, the Old Secret (3)

“Hmmm?”

Cha Ye-Eun’s eyes widened as he put down her luggage in her first-class seat, having just come across someone familiar. “… Huh?”

Though also surprised, the man on the opposite side of her soon smiled. “Saintess! Nice to see you…”

Click!

“… here.”

“Would you like your brain to fly like this airplane?” Ye-Eun asked, holding her revolver against the man’s temple.

Woo Yeong-Geun, the man, held his breath as his back profusely sweated. Although he was just joking, it seemed that he got on this bad-tempered witch’s nerve. This witch loathed the word ‘saintess’ the most in the world even though it was her first title.

“… Firing a gun inside a plane is considered terrorism according to international law.” Yeong-Geum smiled nervously.

“It’s okay. I have a license to kill. Does not matter how, who, where, and when.”

“That is domest—!”

“Mine is actually international. I’m pretty expensive.” Grinning, Ye-Eun put her revolver closer to Yeong-Geun’s temple. “Why don’t you continue?”

“… I’m sorry.”

“I’ll take that apology.” Ye-Eun withdrew her revolver and put it back in her inventory, allowing Yeong-Geun to finally heave a sigh of relief.

‘Using an inventory within a plane has to be prohibited… So how in the world is she using it?’ Yeong-Geun wondered.

Players’ inventories could be used to create all sorts of commotions in secret, but people were now in the third era since Dungeons and Gates opened up on Earth. They now had many jammer magic spells that locked inventories. However, none of them seemed to work on Ye-Eun.

She was indeed a world-class witch and was considered the most promising candidate to become the new ‘king’ of Korea. Living up to her titles, she was exceptional in magic.

‘We have two of those ‘kings’ in Korea now, though.’ Yeong-Geum chuckled dumbfoundedly, recalling the news article he had read from his phone before he boarded the plane.

<The birth of the Tyrant—no, the Tyrant Overlord?>

<When will the storm named Lee Chang-Sun stop raging?>

<The generation of new ‘kings’ started in the Republic of Korea, the previous wasteland of Players!>

<How strong is the White Tiger Clan now?>

The ‘whirlwind’ that started in Korea turned into a storm that now raged all over Europe. After Chang-Sun defeated four of the Overlords, he officially became the strongest Player in the world. The people on the internet were already busy discussing who should be considered the number one Player, Chang-Sun or Munseong. Since they were both in the White Tiger Clan, the Clan’s stock price skyrocketed.

“Since you’re also on this plane, the Council agents must be urgently looking for Mr. Lee Chang-Sun as well. Am I correct, Agent Cha?” Yeong-Geun asked, taking off his suit jacket.

Thinking it was a bit ridiculous to explain everything in detail, Ye-Eun just nodded and concisely answered, “Yeah, something like that.”

“Can I ask what the Council agents think of this matter?”

“What do you mean?” Ye-Eun tilted her head.

“You don’t need to feign it. You and I both know what I’m talking about.”

“… I didn’t know the Sword of Ohsung Clan’s intelligence network was this good.” Ye-Eun raised one of her eyebrows.

“It’s more of the Ohsung Group’s.”

“From what I heard, your niece is with Mr. Lee Chang-Sun.”

“Yes. She looks up to him very much.” Yeong-Geun nodded. “That’s why I’m very worried about this situation.”

Everyone knew that Yeong-Geun was a fool for his niece anyway, so he didn’t bother to hide his weakness.

The White Tiger Clan could be a group of demonic beings, and it was doubtful Chang-Sun could become so much stronger using orthodox methods alone. Woo Hye-Bin, Yeong-Geun’s niece, was with Chang-Sun right now, so he was naturally worried. The employees of the Ohsung Group’s Europe division were probably watching Chang-Sun’s every move right now.

Ye-Eun nodded, then sat down and put her seatbelt on. “I am as well. That’s why I want to check this out myself.”

Click.

The clicking sound of Ye-Eun’s seatbelt was unusually loud. It was as if it conveyed her determination.

* * *

Nothing was known about Hsan except for the fact that they existed outside Worldlines just like Mephistopheles and that they observed the universes. These old great rulers, also called Great Ancients, meaninglessly wandered around <Nihil>, but they occasionally interfered in the affairs of Worldlines as well. Whenever Hsan did, a very abnormal phenomenon occurred in the Worldlines, leaving a big impact.

That was what Ithaca wanted. She was dying, so she didn’t have enough power to influence the world Chang-Sun had come from. With Hsan’s help, it was more than possible, but it came with a great cost.

—Are. You. Sure. You. Will. Not. Regret. It?

Ithaca had just offered her soul to Hsan. After one’s death, one’s soul was supposed to join samsara again, but she sacrificed hers to form a contract instead.

“My soul has the <First Star’s Fragment>, which means I’m also the avatar and incarnation of the <First Star>. I’m sure you would find some value in me,” Ithaca answered.

—The. <First Star>. Became. An. Emperor. Shone. On. Their. Own. Then. Grew. Dark. And. The. Dull. Father. Wanted. To. Become. Like. Him. So. The. Avatar. Of. Such. Being. Is. Surely. Valuable.

Up until that moment, Ithaca didn’t know who the <First Star> was, but she knew their mere fragments were enough to create numerous <Stars>. The <Horoscope> and <Purple Star Astrology> Celestials were born from those fragments, and they were currently ruling the universe. Taking everything into consideration, the <First Star> had to have been a great being.

Nevertheless, Ithaca did not expect that even the Great Ancients would be in awe of the <First Star>. Even the <Dull Darkness> looked up to the <First Star> despite being the one who oversaw the law of all planes and universes. For those reasons, Ithaca knew deep down that her wish would be granted without a hitch.

‘Sun.’ After looking down at Arcadia, the world and planet she had left, she shut her eyes. ‘Please be happy.’

—Then. I. Will. Take. The. Deal.

Hsan divided Ithaca’s power into seven pieces and scattered them all over Worldline eight hundred one. Afterward, Hsan made Ithaca’s seven daughters, whom Ithaca had created before her death, guard each cryptical book.

That was the hidden story behind the creation of the [Seven Cryptical Books of Hsan].

* * *

The [Seven Cryptical Books of Hsan] were always meant to be used only by Chang-Sun. Worrying about her lover getting injured in the future, Ithaca made every preparation she could to ensure he could rise again and recover his <Starlight> after he plummeted.

If Chang-Sun found all of the [Seven Cryptical Books of Hsan] and overcame the books’ trials, he would naturally regain his <Starlight> and shine more radiantly than anyone else. He would become a <Star> brighter than any <Stars> in the <Horoscope> and <Purple Star Astrology>.

‘… But Heoju snatched them first,’ Chang-Sun frowned.

It was a genuine coincidence that Heoju found the cryptical books. He idolized and had an inferior complex against the ‘Divine Twilight,’ so to overcome it, he decided to become the new ‘Divine Twilight.’ While scouring the hometown of the ‘Divine Twilight,’ Heoju found some of the [Seven Cryptical Books of Hsan], which Ithaca, Hsan, and Peter did not anticipate.

For Chang-Sun, the [Seven Cryptical Books of Hsan] were Ithaca’s legacy. He had to recover them no matter what.

[Completed playing all the stored memories.]

[Would you like to play them again?]

The screen in front of him slowly paused. He ended up with even more thoughts.

‘... Who in the world is Peter the Apostle?’

Peter the Apostle had taken a peek at Chang-Sun’s destiny and life, which had repeated six hundred sixty-six times. Was Peter really just another possessee of the <First Star’s Fragment>?

‘Is Thanatos aware of this?’

Thanatos saved Chang-Sun from starting his samsara again and helped him get a new life. How much was the King of the Underworld involved with Peter the Apostle?

Everything was still a mystery to him, but one thing was certain.

‘I feel shitty.’

In the past, Sinmara had asked him if he wanted to know what she had seen. If so, then she could tell him all about his past, present, and future destinies. Although Chang-Sun wasn’t sure if her predictions were as accurate as Peter the Apostle’s, she would surely have seen a lot.

『You are ■■■, and ■■■■ will ■■. That ■■ a ■■■, but in ■■…!』

At the time, many parts of Sinmara’s remark had been censored, leaving Chang-Sun intrigued. Chang-Sun did not ask about his destinies in depth either because he hated—no, loathed destiny, future, past, previous lives, and similar concepts. He didn’t want to get involved with potential restrictions.

‘I don’t need any of this either,’ Chang-Sun thought.

The end of this world, his future, his defeats… Chang-Sun wasn’t really curious about what Peter the Apostle saw. He would just keep moving forward and remove anything in his way.

Crack!

[The memory video is breaking up for an unknown reason!]

So…

Crack―!

[The disruption in the memory video has worsened.]

Since Chang-Sun didn’t have to know about it, he decided to get everything out of his way.

Crrraccck!

[The disruption has affected the entire video.]

[The durability of the memory video is drastically decreasing.]

[Warning! The world you are standing in will soon collapse. Take caution not to get buried.]

Crash!

[The memory video has broken down.]

[You have rejected the plan of ‘Peter the Apostle.’]

…

[A Scenario Quest has been canceled.]

…

The message about a Scenario Quest quickly flashed before Chang-Sun. It seemed that Peter the Apostle wanted to deliver a message to Chang-Sun with the help of his student Jacque Valentine. However, Chang-Sun got rid of the message because he didn’t need it. That seemed to be why the Scenario Quest was removed.

On the one hand, considering Peter had seen Chang-Sun’s every life, Chang-Sun wondered whether or not Peter knew that he would make such a decision as well.

‘It doesn’t matter now.’ Chang-Sun watched the world crumbling down like a broken window. After a moment, he turned away only to abruptly stop in his tracks because of who was in front of him.

Ithaca’s soul slowly closed her eyes and was about to disintegrate as Hsan reached out their hand toward her. While scattering into particles, Ithaca stared at Chang-Sun.

Their eyes met.

It was faint, but Ithaca was smiling.

He knew she would definitely not hear him, but he felt otherwise when she met his gaze.

“Ithaca—!” Chang-Sun called.

―Idiot.

He could see Ithaca’s smile deepening and her moving her lips to say something; she was calling him with the nickname she had used more than the nickname ‘Sun’.

Paah―!

Chang-Sun started to run toward her. He didn’t feel like he should or decided to, but he still found himself running to her anyway. The closer Chang-Sun got to Ithaca, the more Ithaca beamed.

―Why. Are you coming?

Rumble―!

The world around them shook, and numerous fragments fell down. Each fragment was so big that one’s soul and body would both get crushed and disappear if one were buried under it.

[Warning.]

[Warning.]

The messages weren’t even in full sentences anymore. The word ‘warning’ repeatedly popped up in red before Chang-Sun, clearly evidencing that what he was doing was very dangerous. Nevertheless, Chang-Sun kept running.

Thud…!

With a cloud of dust, something dropped in front of Chang-Sun. He quickly took a look around his surroundings. Right? Left? Which direction should he go? Which way should he detour to see Ithaca…?!

‘… What the hell I am detouring for?!’ Chang-Sun soon changed his plan. ‘I’ll destroy it!’

Pzzzzz!

Atra Fulmen sparks flew up from him.

Rumble―!

He activated [Fiery Lightning Bolt], firing bolts everywhere that caused huge explosions.

[The fifth chapter ‘Abruptæ Procellæ’ has been applied, creating an Atra Fulmen storm!]

Rumble, rumble, rumble―!

Booom!

Clouds of dust rose up again. The fragments of the world scattered, allowing Chang-Sun to see what was in front of him again. When the world ran out of the energy that maintained it, it filled up with darkness, disrupting Chang-Sun’s senses.

Nonetheless, Chang-Sun kept running. He wasn’t sure if he was going front or back, but he didn’t hesitate. He could tell where Ithaca was even though the fragments of the world kept blocking his way and slowing him down.

“Shit!” Chang-Sun cursed.

He drew up his mana to the maximum—no, far beyond his limit. Chang-Sun could now use five of [Prelati’s Spellbook], but now wasn’t the time to care about it.

[Caution! Your mana output is exceeding your limit!]

[Warning! Your ‘Integrated Mana Circuit’ has overheated. Your cooling device is malfunctioning.]

[Warning!]

[Warning!]

…

[You have opened the sixth chapter of ‘Prelati’s Spellbook’ by force.]

[A part of the sixth chapter ‘Fulgurator’ has been applied!]

Pzzzzz!

The Atra Fulmen and his <Dusk Lightning>, which had created a lightning storm together, now circled around Chang-Sun. The Giant that had been running behind Chang-Sun broke into parts and merged with him little by little, its parts becoming his armor, weapons, and helmet.

The part of the Giant that merged with Chang-Sun’s back turned into a new set of wings, making him look like the legendary Lei Gong.[1]

Wearing a bird-beak mask, Lei Gong was depicted to have the body of a monkey and an axe and hammer in each hand. Due to the black-purple lightning armor that Chang-Sun now wore, he resembled Lei Gong a lot. Due to his Class limitations, he could no longer complete the transformation, but everything was still certainly sturdy. The falling fragments could no longer hurt Chang-Sun.

Boom, boom, boom―!

After smashing the fragments that blocked his path, Chang-Sun finally reached Ithaca.

“I…” Chang-Sun panted hard.

He did not shed a single drop of sweat when he fought against numerous apostles, yet his nose bridge and forehead were now covered in sweat. He had already depleted all his lightning, deactivating his Lei Gong form.

“...am here,” Chang-Sun continued.

―You’re really an idiot. You know very well that I’m fake.

Ithaca was smiling right before him. She was beautiful as always. He really couldn’t—no, he didn’t want to believe that she was fake. She couldn’t speak, though, and she only had her upper body left now.

Ithaca was seeing the future through her prediction ability, and Chang-Sun was watching the stored memories of the past. This whole place where the future and past met was artificial, but none of that was important to Chang-Sun right now. All that mattered to him was that Ithaca was here.

―Still. I knew you would come. So.

Chang-Sun wanted to tell her to stop, but they didn’t have much time left. The world was almost completely disintegrated, leaving them with only a few seconds at most.

Deep in her heart, Ithaca had buried words that she couldn’t say even though she wanted to tell Chang-Sun. Those words turned into thorns that dug into her heart. For those few seconds, Chang-Sun had to help her say them, and he himself had to say the words he had hidden away just like she did.

―You will come again, right?

Chang-Sun beamed, which he hadn’t done ever since he had become the ‘Divine Twilight.’

“Just a little more.” He nodded. “Wait for me just a little longer. It won’t take long.”

―Okay…!

With teary eyes, Ithaca nodded. At the same time…

Rumble…

[The memory video has broken down.]

[Logging out.]

… the world around Chang-Sun turned dark.

1. Also known as Raijin. He is basically a thunder god that appears in Chinese, Korean, and Japanese mythologies. He eventually became part of Daoism. ☜