Return of the Shattered Constellation

Chapter 279: Star, the Revival Plan (4)

[Your Subordinate ‘Kali’ is controlling her image!]

『I had no idea.』

The ‘Goddess of Destruction and Massacre,’ who destroyed and recreated many of her antagonizing civilizations in the past, showed up. When Kali’s gigantic image behind Chang-Sun glared at the fake Kali, she unwittingly took a step back. Even though the fake Kali had the same kind of Divinity, the real Kali’s Divinity was far more overwhelming.

‘This was why they tried to rescue the enslaved Gray Elves from <Star Grave>,’ Chang-Sun thought.

The moment the fake Kali showed up, Chang-Sun immediately realized how the <Troop> members got her. The fake Kali wasn’t completely fake. She probably even thought of herself as the real Kali too.

Kali had a characteristic that prevented her from being wiped out from existence even if she died. As long as a certain amount of her Divinity was gathered, she could freely resurrect through cuttings since she was a Divine Tree.

The <Troop> members seemed to have realized that and tried to use it to their advantage. They gathered scattered Gray Elves, found one who could use their Divinity among them, and used them to resurrect Kali and revive her ruined <Order>. As a result, the <Troop> members gained a great ally who could solve their lack of manpower.

Judging from the number of the <Troop> Gray Elves present, they seemed to have achieved quite the success. Now, they planned to use the same method to recruit Nain and the other resistance fighters. However, they didn’t think that Chang-Sun would revive another Kali, much less that she would possess far greater divine power than their Kali!

『I didn’t know my enemies were up to such a cute scheme. Hahaha, I didn’t see this coming.』

The moment the image of Kali behind Chang-Sun spoke, Nain and the others turned pale and bowed, going down on one knee.

“Mother!”

“Mother….!”

“I see Mother!”

Nain and the resistance fighters were now certain. The image of Kali that Chang-Sun summoned from within him was the real Kali—the one whom they had desperately been looking for!

『I’m sorry. Despite the hardships all of you went through, I still got here too late. Everything is my fault,』 the real Kali apologized.

“Not at all!”

“Why would you say such a thing?!”

『As always, all of you are very sweet. You’re my children, but you’re truly sweet.』 She grinned, then quietly turned to look at Nain. 『My ninth child.』

“M-Mother!” Nain’s lips trembled profusely.

Nain bowed deeply, unable to calm down. He wasn’t sure how the real Kali would reproach him or how angry she was with him. Maybe she would expel him for momentarily wavering when the fake Kali appeared because his faith wasn’t deep enough. Regardless of the punishment he would be given, he planned to accept it without complaints and ask for her forgiveness afterward.

『You’ve gone through a lot and done a great job, my child,』Kali said, contrary to Nain’s expectations.

Drip!

Nain’s heart, which he had to keep frozen all this time, finally melted.

Drip!

Drip!

At that moment, every hardship and tribulation that Nain had gone through flashed before his eyes. He ran away from the <Horoscope> and <Purple Star Astrology> Celestials’ ceaseless pursuit, gathered his scattered siblings despite the difficulty, and even managed to raise a resistance army. He and the resistance fighters fought numerous battles only to do poorly and ultimately lose. Eventually, he reached Earth and went through several more difficulties.

He overcame all hardships and tribulations under the belief that doing so was his duty to his mother. Nevertheless, he seemed to have become mentally exhausted without realizing it.

Kali knew and acknowledged all of Nain’s efforts. Although Nain didn’t receive any rewards, her acknowledgment was enough for him.

“… I just did what I was supposed to do.”

『Nothing in this world is done without reason. You could have given up, but you didn’t. Instead, you made all the necessary sacrifices. That’s the reason we got to meet again,』 Kali gently soothed him.

“I’m not the one who made sacrifices. Without the devotion and sacrifice of all my siblings here today, I couldn’t have gotten this far.”

Kali’s smile deepened. She couldn’t be more proud of Nain for standing up for his siblings until now. She always looked solemn, so even her priests had rarely seen her compassionate and merciful smile.

『Is that so? Great job, everyone.』 Kali looked at the others.

“Not at all.”

“Don’t say such a thing.”

“It was a very meaningful time for all of us. I believed our deceased siblings would think the same.”

『Thank you for saying that. Then let me change the subject. My Branches, children, and subordinates… I want to ask you a question.』

Kali’s tone abruptly became more serious, removing any trace of happiness. Her smile disappeared as well when she looked at the fake Kali and her followers.

The fake Kali took a couple of steps backward again. The other <Troop> Gray Elves’ faces darkened.

『They’re trying to distort my teaching. What do you think I should do about them?』 the real Kali asked.

Nain stood up from the ground. His eyes resembled the real Kali, who was a warrior, ascetic, and the symbol of Himavat. The Gray Elves who stood up after Nain were no different.

“They should be punished,” Nain quietly answered.

『They’re also my children.』

“We’ll welcome back those who realize their mistakes and ask to be punished. As shepherds, we have to lead lost sheep down the right path. However, if they still can’t come to their senses… they’ll have to be cut off.”

A growing tree with too many branches would have its growth speed hindered because it wouldn’t be able to efficiently distribute nutrients. Hence, Nain planned to wear the yoke and pollard the tree.

『… Is that so?』 Kali took a step back, realizing that Nain was far too determined to be convinced otherwise.

Paah!

Light spread out from Nain and the Gray Elves, momentarily circled around Chang-Sun, and seeped into him. His Divinity increased, causing his sacred light to thicken.

They wanted to become Kali’s Subordinates once again, who were currently Chang-Sun’s. The conversion that the fake Kali’s appearance stopped finally resumed.

『Come, my children.』

[You have accepted them as your Subordinates.]

[The Ninth Branch and other Branches now belong to a new Order.]

[The Order ‘Himavat’ has been rebuilt!]

[Your Divinity(Attribute: Living Tree) has been enhanced!]

…

[The level of your Subordinate ‘Kali’ has increased.]

…

Woosh, woosh, woosh…!

Kali’s power-up was equivalent to Chang-Sun’s.

Clank, clank―!

A couple of the Divine Steel shackles on his soul got removed.

‘Only fourteen shackles remaining,’ Chang-Sun felt the spiritual power in his soul surging.

[Your Class has increased.]

[You have gained the right to reclaim some of your revoked Divine Name’s letters.]]

[You have reclaimed two letters.]

[‘N’, ‘E’]

[The ‘■■ne ■■’ is revealing his Class!]

Pzzzzz!

The Atra Fulmen sparks around Chang-Sun agglomerated and took the shape of a giant fiend’s foreboding and horrifying upper body and head. Chang-Sun called this form the Fiendish Killer.

“My friend’s children are also like my children. After all, they’re basically my nephews and nieces. That’s enough reason…”

Chang-Sun unleashed his full power.

“... for me to save you.”

Paaah!

Chang-Sun turned into a black ray of light and darted forward. Nain and the other resistance fighters quickly followed his lead.

[The ‘■■ne ■■’ is about to write a new <Myth>!]

* * *

‘The plan has gone awry!’

Bai Sha, the man designated to lead the fake Kali and her Gray Elves, realized that their operation was quickly turning south. They didn’t expect that another group would make another Kali—no, they did consider the possibility before. Considering the <Troop> members found out about it, they thought that other organizations could as well.

Nevertheless, they brought quite a number of the Gray Elves together, allowing them to resurrect Kali with quite a large amount of Divinity. Hence, they believed that their Kali could overwhelm the other Kali.

When two beings with the same Divinity fought, the one with more Divinity overwhelmed and could absorb the other’s. For that reason, the <Troop> members wished another Kali would show up even though it was unlikely.

However, although they got their wish, they found themselves in danger instead because their Kali had less Divinity. They went through so many hardships to bring the Gray Elves together, but they were about to lose all of them and Kali’s Divinity! Bai Sha decided to order everyone to retreat immediately.

[The Celestial ‘Silk-and-Jewelry-Wrapped General’ angrily asks you what you think you are doing. He orders you to get the Gray Elves!]

‘What the he—!’ Bai Sha had to try really hard to hold himself back from cussing out loud.

As ordered by Lie Si, the Ninth Corps commander, Bai Sha had to hold his ground. Disobeying an order was such a serious offense in the <Troop> that it was punishable by death. The <Troop> was a <Society> made in a backlash against Richardus, who killed their father, so they had to impose that military law.

Something else bugged Bai Sha the most, however. Before Chang-Sun flew toward him, Chang-Sun released his Class, causing a mysterious message to pop up.

‘■■ne ■■…? W-wait, no way,’ Bai Sha thought.

The <Troop> members had different theories about Chang-Sun’s identity, but they all shared one thing in common: they acknowledged that he was extraordinary!

The theory that Chang-Sun was the special secret weapon of the <Underworld> prevailed, however, and it was the rumor that quietly spread among the high-ranking <Heaven> Celestials as well. That was why they could not help but wonder who he truly was.

Chang-Sun was initially thought to be ‘Divine Twilight,’ but that was swiftly dismissed. Everyone knew that ‘Divine Twilight’ was put through the <Divine Trial>. Nobody could survive being sentenced to execution through that process, so they naturally believed that he was annihilated.

However, now that the people knew the <Divine Trial> wasn’t as fair as they thought, the <Troop> executives couldn’t help but consider the possibility. Bai Sha just saw a Divine Name that shouldn’t be showing up anymore. Although most of the letters were censored, the name closely reminded him of someone in many ways! Unfortunately, he couldn’t keep analyzing the situation.

[The Skills ‘Black Mountain King’s First Claw’ and ‘Black Mountain King’s Second Claw’ have been activated, crossing each other.]

[The Authority ‘Dragon Breath’ has been activated!]

Rumble―!

Chang-Sun crossed the [Yuchang Sword] and [Tiamat’s Snaggletooth], their divine and demonic energies mixing with the Atra Fulmen bolts that he was unleashing in the form of [Dragon Breath].

[The Skill ‘Fiery Lightning Bolt’ has been activated, launching multiple attacks!]

<Troop> soldiers were blown away every time the sky lit up. Meanwhile, Nain, the other resistance fighters, and Chang-Sun’s summons caught up to the <Troop> soldiers and raised hell.

Bai Sha gritted his teeth. ‘Shit! I would have joined the other division if I knew things would turn out this way—!’

Due to the law of causality, Celestials were restricted in the <Saha World>, so the Ninth Corps soldiers created two divisions.

Lie Si and the first division soldiers headed to ‘Doomsday City’ to stop the <Purple Star Astrology> Celestials’ plan of getting to the Source. Meanwhile, Bai Sha and the second division soldiers focused on contacting and recruiting Nain and his resistance army. Afterward, they planned to head to ‘Doomsday City’ as well.

Their main army was with the first division, and all Lie Si and the others could do was watch them through their Channelings. In other words, Bai Sha and the second division soldiers were bound to fall here.

Flash!

Looking at the [Fiery Lightning Bolt] charging toward him, Bai Sha closed his eyes. ‘If that man is really ‘Divine Twilight’... If he came back from the grave after taking the King of the Underworld’s hand, then Lie Si, Heoju… Everyone is going to die.’

The future of the <Troop> members and <Purple Star Astrology> Celestials would be the same as what Bai Sha was looking at right now: pitch-black darkness.

“Thank you for your donation. I’ll be taking Kali’s Divinity now,” Chang-Sun said with a sneer.

That was the last thing Bai Sha heard.

Booom!

* * *

[Retrieving the Divinity of the old Celestial ‘Goddess of Massacre and Destruction.’]

[The level of your Subordinate ‘Kali’ has increased.]

…

[A new <Myth> is being written!]