Return of the Shattered Constellation

Chapter 260: Star, Hoshikjang (1)

Whoosh.

Chang-Sun opened his eyes again. As if it had all been a dream, everything he had just seen disappeared.

[The temporarily-closed server has opened again.]

[The Celestial ‘A Good Season to Hunt’ frustratedly asks you why you vanished again.]

[The Celestial ‘World-Encircling Serpent’ tilts his head in confusion, saying that something is odd.]

[The Celestial ‘Twilight-Piercing Owl’ is worried about you because you look sad for some reason.]

…

‘…Were they not able to see what I saw?’ Chang-Sun wondered.

Judging from the Celestials’ messages, it seemed that Peter the Apostle had taken measures to ensure that only Chang-Sun would be able to see the memories. It was understandable, as it would be best for others not to find out about Chang-Sun’s secrets and Ithaca’s gift.

* * *

After pulling himself together, Chang-Sun took a look around and realized that Simon Magus was still in the same place, his shoulders drooping. However, nothing else remained.

「…Fool.」

Simon muttered to himself, his voice tinged with various emotions such as resentment, discontentment, regret, bitterness, sadness… It took a long time before he raised his head and looked up at Chang-Sun. Still wearing the iron mask, Simon looked at Chang-Sun calmly and spoke.

「Master.」

“Go on,” Chang-Sun said, nodding.

「Do you think we’ll be able to recover my idiotic student?」

Simon asked quietly, suppressing his emotions.

Without answering, Chang-Sun looked up at the sky.

[The Celestial ‘Malignity-Drinking Saturn’ meets your gaze, grinning!]

Satan had plummeted down to <L’Infernal> from <Maleakhe>, but he had risen and become one of the Seven Deadly Sin Monarchs. And yet, he regarded all worldly affairs as entertainment.

In fact, Chang-Sun had already witnessed that very side of Satan. The moment chaos had broken out in the <Star Grave>, Satan had happily committed a massacre. The deal he had made with Jacque Valentine, volunteering to be the mediator in the apostle battle… It all had to have been a game to him.

However, Jacque’s soul had still ended up in Satan’s hands, so it was obvious how he would be treated—as a toy that would suffer for eternity.

“I made a promise to you when we first formed a contract,” Chang-Sun said suddenly.

「…?」

“Don’t you remember?” Chang-Sun asked.

「The Immortal Overlord… Seal the Immortal Overlord’s Guardian too. If you promise to do so, you’ll have my full cooperation.」

Simon voiced a sincere request.

“Sure, I’ll do that,” Chang-Sun eventually replied.

「…!」

Simon’s eyes widened. At the time, he had only spoken up because he hated the fact that he was bound to Chang-Sun against his will, but Chang-Sun still remembered it…!

“Let me help you,” Chang-Sun said with a nod.

At that moment…

Ding, ding!

[You have promised to grant your Subordinate’s request just now, declaring war against the Celestial ‘Malignity-Drinking Saturn’, one of the seven leaders of <L’Infernal>!]

[Your declaration has been delivered to the Celestial ‘Malignity-Drinking Saturn’.]

[The smile of the Celestial ‘Malignity-Drinking Saturn’ deepens!]

As always, Satan merely thought of Chang-Sun’s proclamation of war as a very interesting game.

[Your relationship with <L’Infernal> has worsened drastically!]

[The Celestial ‘Sun-Hostile Venus’ sneers at you arrogantly.]

[The Celestial ‘Wealth-Wanting Deception’ wishes to take your previous incarnations’ wealth as his trophies.]

[The Celestial ‘Chaos-Ocean-Stirring Mercury’ envies your boldness.]

[The Celestial ‘Lust Moon’ feels lust for your recklessness.]

[The Celestial ‘Hungry Fly King’ is looking forward to gnawing at you.]

[The Celestial ‘Goat-Horned Old Man’ smiles enigmatically and slyly.]

The messages were from the Seven Deadly Sin Monarchs of <L’Infernal>: Lucifer of pride, Mammon of greed, Slyt[1] of envy, Asmodeus of lust, Beelzebub of gluttony, and Belphegor of sloth.

They all laughed at Chang-Sun for his reckless bravado. Even though he was speculated to be Odin’s reincarnation or the secret weapon of the <Underworld>, the monarchs found Chang-Sun’s arrogant declaration of intent to fight against one of their own funny.

However, Chang-Sun did not bother to respond. He had already gone through many incidents in the <Star Grave>, so there was no way he would grow close to them. Besides, he also disliked Satan for making things too complicated and chaotic.

「…T-Thank you.」

Simon lowered his head. As a black mage and demon king, he knew what it meant to fight against one of the Seven Deadly Sin Monarchs better than anyone else. Thus, he was very grateful to Chang-Sun.

[Your Subordinate ‘Simon Magus’ has sworn absolute loyalty to you!]

[Your Control over your Subordinate has increased by 30.]

[Your Leadership has increased by 30.]

…

[Your Class has increased!]

Clank―!

Chang-Sun sensed that the invisible link between him and Simon had strengthened.

[The Celestial ‘Garden Gatekeeper’ quietly glares at you.]

* * *

<Generation Shift! The Tyrant’s Rebellion!>

<Done Conquering Europe. Where is his next target?>

<Everyone is looking at the U.S. When will the White Tiger Clan’s ‘hunt’ end?>

<The relationship between the Crna Ruka and Tyrant.>

<The Tyrant has become a ‘king’.>

Two shocking incidents occurred on the 21st, and breaking news has hit the entire world. The four European Overlords and the high rankers gathered in one place to talk about the hegemony of the new era, but the ‘Tyrant’ Lee Chang-Sun (25) appeared in Europe at the same time. Then, he subdued all the Overlords and high rankers on his own.

[...]

Ever since the era of Dungeons and Gates started, the ‘Immortal Overlord’ Jacque Valentine remained undefeated, but it has been confirmed that he was killed in battle.

[...]

Over one hundred Clan representatives who were at the conference site have declared their membership in the community the Tyrant created, but they have practically submitted completely to him. The ‘Blue Wolf Overlord’ Joachim of the Illuminati supported the community especially fervently and encouraged the other representatives to join, which is a significant development.

A ‘second axis’ has now been created, with the European Continent and Atlantic Ocean in the center, after the ‘first axis’ in America and the Pacific Ocean. However, the Tyrant’s move has made many people wonder, because the leading Clan of the second axis is the Crna Ruka, not the White Tiger Clan. Some people say that the ‘Tyrant’ is trying to draw a line between him and the White Tiger Clan.

[...]

It is unclear if there is a conflict between the Tyrant and White Tiger Clan, but the second axis has finished establishing itself, and will soon come onto the world stage and start operating. China, Central Asia, and Africa have been directly contacting each other, so with this event, it is assumed that the foundation of the ‘third axis’ will speed up.

[...]

On the other hand, the Tyrant, who is the de facto leader of the second axis, will head to the U.S. in accordance with his schedule. In Chicago, he will meet personnel from the White Tiger Clan, whom he is officially a member of.

[...]

[email protected]

Reporter Kim Ji-Na. Awakening Newspaper.

* * *

3:00 P.M., in Frankfurt Airport…

“Uuurgh! I feel like I’m going to die…!” Jin Seok-Tae groaned as he left the airport, stretching as hard as he could. He felt very sore after staying in the airplane for over ten hours, but his fatigue seemed to be disappearing little by little after some stretching.

“You weren’t even in an economy seat, so why are you tired? Tsk, I used my own money to let you travel on an expensive seat,” Cha Ye-Eun remarked, clicking her tongue.

Of course, stretching could not stop Ye-Eun from scolding Seok-Tae as she followed him. However, it seemed that she had been craving cigarettes on the airplane a great deal, because she was already holding a cigarette in his mouth.

“…Smoking is prohibited here,” Seok-Tae said, glancing at the sign.

“It’s okay. I have the license,” Ye-Eun replied.

“I never heard that the license to kill could grant you immunity from an illegal act like this,” Seok-Tae grumbled.

“It’s fine as long as I don’t get caught,” Ye-Eun said.

Seok-Tae glanced at Ye-Eun and saw mana particles circling around her, indicating that she had activated [Mana Scan], which she was using to detect any incoming security guards. For a very short moment, Seok-Tae wondered whether ‘Saintess’ was really the right title for his gangster-like seonbae.

‘A heavy-smoking, alcoholic saintess… How has the world not ended? Saintess, my ass. Maybe an ill-tempered witch,’ Seok-Tae thought.

At that moment, Ye-Eun’s eyes narrowed and she snapped, “You badmouthed me in your head just now, didn’t you?”

Seok-Tae flinched, but he tried to regain his composure as much as possible. Then he shook his head, replying, “N-No way, m-ma’am! Ha, hahaha!”

“You’re sweating,” Ye-Eun said.

“Ha, hahaha…” Seok-Tae kept laughing awkwardly, really wanting to cry. At that moment, however, he saw Woo Yeong-Geun trudging away with his suitcase behind Ye-Eun. He quickly ran toward his lifeline, crying out, “Director Woo!”

“Just once. If I catch him just once, then…” Ye-Eun muttered under her breath.

Pretending not to have heard anything, Seok-Tae asked, “Are you going to go right away?”

“Yes, that seems to be for the best…” Yeong-Geun replied, his face haggard. He had become more worried over time about the fact that his niece was with Chang-Sun right now.

After seeing how grim Yeong-Geun’s expression was, Seok-Tae became concerned. He was about to say something, but he ended up murmuring, “…Huh?”

“Hmm?”

Seok-Tae and Yeong-Geun saw a group of people rushing to the opposite airport gate. The chaotic crowd of people was holding cameras and lights, and they soon encircled some people Seok-Tae and Yeong-Geun were familiar with.

“…The Tyrant?”

“Hye-Bin!”

It was Chang-Sun’s group. Joachim Wolff had instructed his Clan members to safely escort Chang-Sun and the others to the airport.

Seok-Tae became very surprised after he saw Chang-Sun, whose hair had turned completely gray; however, it was a sort of gray that could not be achieved just by bleaching one’s hair. The problem was that the color just suited him too well, making him look enigmatic. On top of that, Chang-Sun walked with so much confidence that Seok-Tae felt as if the world revolved around him.

‘That kind of a person is a ‘king’. The world is really unfair.’ That slightly depressing thought quickly flashed through Seok-Tae’s mind.

At that moment, Chang-Sun looked in the direction of Seok-Tae and Yeong-Geun. He even lowered his sunglasses, seemingly not having expected to hear someone speaking Korean in a German airport.

“Samchon? Why are you here?” Woo Hye-Bin asked with a frown, looking at Yeong-Geun as he ran toward her.

She was feeling exactly like a daughter who became embarrassed when her parents visited her at the office. However, parents were bound to become nervous if their children traveled far away from them, so Yeong-Geun could not help but treat her like a child.

“Are you hurt? Have you been eating regularly? O-Oh, m-my god. Your ch-cheeks are hollow…! Your skin is tanned. Oh, how hard has it been…?!” Yeong-Geun cried, cutting Ye-Eun’s face.

“Ah, stop it, samchon!” Hye-Bin cried, pushing away Yeong-Geun.

Meanwhile, the crowd around Chang-Sun split and made way for Ye-Eun, and she quietly approached him. Although Ye-Eun had not specifically made a request, the onlookers felt as if it was only right to do so.

Tap.

Tap.

The sound of Ye-Eun’s shoes echoed loudly. She exhaled a puff of cigarette smoke and said, “Mr. Lee Chang-Sun.”

Chang-Sun lowered his sunglasses completely, and his sharp eyes met Ye-Eun’s lethargic gaze.

At that moment, Ye-Eun could not help but think that Chang-Sun was really too handsome. His appearance was actually her ideal type; if not for the fact that he was a Player, she would already have considered making advances on him. However, if his handsome appearance was a mask that hid his monstrous nature and his confidence had been built by eating fellow humans, then she had to ‘extinguish’ him like the cigarette she had just dropped to the ground.

With a cold gaze, Ye-Eun asked, “May I have a word with you?”

An indescribable tension filled the air around the two.

Chang-Sun concisely answered, “No, you may not.”

The ‘ill-tempered witch’, as Seok-Tae described her, raised a brow.

1. The devil of envy is usually known as Leviathan, but there is a theory that Leviathan originated from this creature from Ugaritic mythology. ☜

Namu's Thoughts

Namu:

For those of you who want to know more: This chapter’s title is 호식장(Hoshikjang). It refers to a special funeral for those killed by tigers. I found an interesting article about it, so enjoy! :D

“In the past, there was a tendency to think that when a tiger kills a human (Hohwan/Tiger Disaster), then it was the person’s destiny to get killed by a tiger.

The soul of a person who got killed by a tiger becomes a ghost named Changgwi and gets tragically enslaved by the very tiger. A Changgwi should lure another human and sacrifice them to their tiger master to become an ordinary ghost again.

Once a Changgwi selects a target, their tiger master doesn't bite the target’s neck off right away. The tiger makes the target walk in front of the tiger until they reach a certain place to kill the target. The tiger starts out by biting off the target’s limbs and torso and only leaves the target’s head behind. After licking the deceased’s hair to the left, the tiger leaves. The process of being inflicted with a Tiger Disaster(Hohwan) and the result are very abnormal compared to ordinary accidents.

In the mountainous area of Gangwon-do (A region in Korea), there is a unique funeral tradition called Hoshikjang. When the deceased’s family members discover the part of the deceased’s corpse, they build a grave called Hoshikchong right where they found the body instead of bringing the body home.