Return of the Shattered Constellation

Chapter 289: Star, a Futile Dream (3)

The restriction devices on Chang-Sun’s soul were blasted away, completely releasing his Class.

A raging storm enveloped Valhalla.

Kieeeeh―!

Woosh, woosh, woosh…!

“This is…?”

“H-how can a Class be this hideous?!”

The blue and red force soldiers fighting against Chang-Sun’s Undead Army felt shivers running down their spines when the air abruptly turned cold. Ghost wails alone were already ominous, but the storm carried all negativities.

Adversity, atrocity, treachery, fear… Every single quality the storm harbored could devastate minds and exhaust souls. The soldiers’ minds filled up with thoughts of how they would die—no, how they would get trampled over, ripped to shreds, and annihilated.

Oooooo―!

Woosh, woosh, woosh!

[The ‘fiend’s upper body’ is making an appearance!]

The Class storm that circled around Chang-Sun agglomerated in midair, creating a sight that made all the soldiers’ hearts sink.

Thump!

Chang-Sun’s real form—a Giant—overwhelmed the soldiers so much they felt as if they could actually hear their hearts sinking.

[‘Cælo Fulgente’ has been applied, spreading Atra Fulmen energy in every direction!]

Pzzzzzz!

Chang-Sun’s Atra Fulmen sparks flew up and behaved so menacingly it was as if they were going to rip apart the soldiers like beasts with sharp claws.

[The ‘Magical One-Eyed Giant’ widens his one eye in surprise upon witnessing your Class!]

Balor was the eternal enemy of the <Tuatha Dé Danann> and king of the <Fomori[1]>. This one-eyed Giant—no, Giant Celestial brought death upon every enemy he encountered.

“Didn’t I tell you to come down?” Chang-Sun asked.

Balor seemed greatly shocked by the level of Chang-Sun’s Class.

“If you don’t, then I’ll just drag you down from there.”

Chang-Sun didn’t like the fact that Balor’s reactions indicated that he underestimated Chang-Sun. He thought they had to be taught a lesson about why ‘Divine Twilight’ was a fiend.

[Lost letters of your Divine Name have been temporarily restored!]

[The first restored syllable: ‘Di’]

The moment he acquired his first syllable, he felt power rushing through his veins. He had regained his dignity as a Celestial[2].

Chang-Sun didn’t grab his Nameless Spear, the [Yuchang Sword], or any other weapon. Instead, he tightly grabbed the chains loosely hanging around his wrists and fiercely swung it at Balor.

Clink, clink―!

Swoosh!

Since the chains’ main purpose was to restrict Chang-Sun’s soul, they had no limit in length. Chang-Sun was also using it in his subconscious realm, resulting in remarkable damage output. Using it like a whip, he ripped the space apart while firing Atra Fulmen bolts in every direction. The sight was the epitome of atrocity.

[The ‘One-Eyed Magic Giant’ is appalled!]

Chang-Sun’s chains were made from Divine Steel, the only metal that could restrict Celestials. This bewildered Balor, whose original plan was to observe Chang-Sun from a hidden space.

Booom!

On impact, the space that Balor was hiding inside cracked and shattered.

Pzzzzz

The messages displayed over the space also broke into pieces. As the spatial fragments dropped, Chang-Sun saw Balor, who was sitting on his throne with a frown.

“I told you to come out,” Chang-Sun said.

[Lost letters of your Divine Name have been temporarily restored!]

[The restored syllable: ‘vi’]

‘Divine Twilight’ was the twilight of Celestials[3].

Chang-Sun wasn’t only after Balor. After all, sitting beside Balor were his other targets.

Swoosh―!

Crack! Crack!

Chang-Sun swung his chain horizontally, shattering more parts of the space. Long cracks formed in the air, and sharp spatial fragments fell to the ground. One after another, Tomte, Perkwunos, and Odin came to view, their expressions dark.

“There you are.” Chang-Sun smiled crookedly.

[Lost letters of your Divine Name have been temporarily restored!]

[The restored syllable: ‘Twi’]

Boom, boom, boom―!

Chang-Sun’s Atra Fulmen sparks between the cracks simultaneously blew up, creating a series of explosions. He activated [Fiery Lighting Bolts] at the same time, firing them toward the four false Celestials’ thrones. The bolts smashed, shattered, and blew up the thrones, ruining the hidden space.

The four false Celestials had no choice but to leap outside. As they did, however, an Atra Fulmen storm raged over Valhalla, and the fiend’s upper body began firing lightning bolts.

Rumble, rumble, rumble!

Boom―!

Woosh, woosh, woosh!

Just like the restored syllable,[4], explosions and smoke enveloped the area.

『Son of a bitch—!』

『How dare you pull such a stunt on me!』

Balor turned in the air and removed his eyepatch, revealing his hidden magical eye.

[The ‘Magical One-Eyed Giant’ has activated his blind eye!]

[The principle of death has been applied to your flaming lightning bolts.]

[All your attacks have been nullified.]

Balor’s magical eye, which he usually hid with an eyepatch, enforced the principle of death on everything in his sight. It could be used not only on living beings but also on phenomena, allowing him to dispel Chang-Sun’s attacks.

Chang-Sun’s [Fiery Lightning Bolts] and [Abruptæ Procellæ] attacks were nullified before they could even leave a scratch on Balor. However, Balor experienced rebound every time he used his eye. Whenever he dispelled Chang-Sun’s attacks, he stumbled backward as if someone hit him with a blunt weapon.

Boom!

『Cough!』

Balor eventually ended up on all fours, coughing up blood.

『Blarrgggh.』

He even vomited and cried out blood for quite some time.

『How in the world…?』

Balor’s lip trembled in disbelief.

Tomte’s situation wasn’t any better.

[The ‘Small Elemental and Magical Spirit’ activated the Skill ‘Rampant Gale’ to protect himself!]

Tomte specialized in wind magic. Just like Balor had his magical eye, Tomte had [Rampant Gale], which was practically his Signature. However…

Boom!

[The wind wall is shaking!]

Booom!

[Cracks are spreading on the wind wall!]

Boooooom!

[The wind wall has been destroyed!]

Chang-Sun’s [Fiery Lightning Bolts] tore the [Rampant Gale] apart and struck Tomte, who was behind the wall.

Slash!

『Kyaaaah!』 Tomte shrieked like an animal as his severed left arm was sent flying. The Atra Fulmen bolt scorched the area it hit so hard that it still sizzled.

『How is he this strong…?』

Perkwunos and Odin were the only ones Chang-Sun’s [Cælo Fulgente] couldn’t injure.

Perkwunos lived to see the history of the universe. He was classified as an Ancient Celestial and even had the title ‘Primordial Lightning Deity.’ Hence, he could deflect Chang-Sun’s [Fiery Lightning Bolt] with ease.

Perkwunos already expected that Chang-Sun, ‘Divine Twilight,’ would be strong. Hence, he easily anticipated that Chang-Sun would be formidable to a certain extent in his subconscious realm, where he would have no restrictions.

Even so, he still couldn’t believe what just happened. Chang-Sun’s strength surpassed his expectations. Although Balor’s <Society> was small, he was still its leader, and Tomte was a great Celestial. The ‘Divine Twilight’ shouldn’t have been capable of defeating them with ease no matter how many Celestials he had sent plummeting, yet he did just that.

To Perkwunos, that could only mean one thing. ‘His potential got higher!’

Countermeasures for the Zodiacs, the Ten Elders’ plan to make Chang-Sun stronger quickly, the mysterious Outer Celestial named Mephistopheles and his Secret Darkness Techniques… Chang-Sun had made several preparations to not meet the same end as ‘Divine Twilight’ ever since he had plummeted. Once he was done restoring his Divine Class and Name, all those preparations would serve as the foundation for him to reach a higher level.

Having regained his Divine Name little by little, Chang-Sun was already quite close to accomplishing his goal. Right now, he was exhibiting how powerful he would become after regaining his full Divine Name through the preparations he made!

[Lost letters of your Divine Name have been temporarily restored!]

[The restored syllable: ‘light’]

Paah―!

Chang-Sun broke through the cloud of dust and closed in on Perkwunos.

Swoosh!

Now equipped with the Nameless Spear, Chang-Sun thrust it forward and unleashed Atra Fulmen lightning sparks from it.

Just like the final syllable[5], the Nameless Spear became dark, chaotic, and opaque when wrapped with Chang-Sun’s Atra Fulmen energy. It was a sharp contrast to the white and cold energy of [Ten Thousand Year Ice Crystals]. Chang-Sun used the spear like the fang of a beast that was sneaking toward its prey from the darkness.

『It matters not how strong you have become!』 Perkwunos shouted. 『You won’t be able to defeat me!』

[The ‘Primordial Lighting Deity’ is unleashing thunder and lightning!]

With a swing of his hand, Perkwunos sent lightning crashing to the ground. The thunder that followed was so loud that it sounded as if the world was going to end. At the same time, lightning bolts formed in the air and clashed with Chang-Sun’s Atra Fulmen bolts.

Rumble―!

Chang-Sun and Perkwunos fought on equal grounds, each collision pushing them away and creating long furrows. The two quickly straightened up.

Perkwunos didn’t like what was happening. After eons, he was now nothing but a memory fragment. Still, he couldn’t help but feel disgusted that a greenhorn could stand toe-to-toe against him.

Not caring about Perkwunos’ emotional state, Chang-Sun looked for an opportunity to initiate his next attack. At the same time, Perkwunos drew up as much of his lightning power as he could in preparation to counterattack.

Pzzz, pzzz, pzzz…!

Ripples violently spread and surged below Perkwunos’ feet, seemingly about to turn into tsunamis. Right now, Chang-Sun and Perkwunos were powder kegs waiting to explode.

『Will you continue?』 Odin, who was watching them from afar, asked as he looked at Chang-Sun.

Just like in ‘Mimisbrunnr,’ Odin had long gray hair, two crows on his shoulders, and two wolves roaming behind him. Chang-Sun’s Atra Fulmen sparks circled around him, but he didn’t even blink. It was as if he could get rid of them with ease.

Although Chang-Sun’s [Cælo Fulgente] overpowered Balor and Tomte and he fought Perkwunos to a standstill, Odin remained unscathed. Whenever Chang-Sun’s lightning bolts flew toward him, a rune would float up and dissipate. At the same time, the lightning bolts would abruptly change course, making a sharp turn and crashing elsewhere.

Odin was obviously redirecting Chang-Sun’s attacks.

Little was known about rune magic, but Odin used it with ease. He even used it to avoid all of Chang-Sun’s attacks without breaking a sweat. It was as if he kept fading away like a ghost or wasn’t even in the area in the first place. Such was the mystery that shrouded him.

Moreover, Chang-Sun knew that Odin hadn’t even begun yet. After all, Odin hadn’t moved an inch since he stood up and equipped his staff.

“You were the ones who started this,” Chang-Sun growled.

『We were trying to make a deal with you.』

“By blackmailing me?”

『Not quite,』 Odin firmly denied Chang-Sun’s remark. 『If you didn’t have the power to back your stubbornness, we would have forced you to succumb to our wills. However, I decided to change my approach when it became apparent that you have become powerful enough to be treated as our equals.』

“In other words, you plan to persuade me instead now that you’ve realized that forcing me won’t work?”

『It may be interpreted that way.』

“You better think of another plan, then…”

Woosh!

Navy blue flames blazed up in Chang-Sun’s eyes.

[Your ‘Inferno Sights’ have opened!]

Badump, badump, badump―

His [Ferocious Heart] raced, and his Atra Fulmen energy took the form of a Jigwi’s wings.

“... because I’m not going to stop,” Chang-Sun said coldly.

『You’re a smart child, so I’m sure you know that accumulating gnosis will benefit all of us. It won’t have any bad effect on you.』

Caw! Caw!

The air grew heavier whenever the crows Muninn and Huginn crowed. It was as if they were summoning death.

『I am well aware of the reason you’re trying to save this opportunity for later instead of immediately gathering gnosis. You know that you would never get a chance like this.』

Ooooo―!

Spirits let out melancholic cries.

『However, your plan is foolish. Chances do not work that way. When you make opportunities wait for too long, they’re bound to disappear. You have to seize all opportunities as quickly as you can if you want to climb higher. It boggles me how you’re not aware of that,』 Odin’s eyes gradually began to resemble a rotten corpse’s.『So let’s make a deal. If you accumulate gnosis, we will all give you our techniques.』

His Divine Name, ‘Cane-Holding Father of Warriors,’ suited him perfectly.

『Balor will transplant his eye of death to you.』

Balor’s face crumpled up.

『Tomte will give you his wind magic, which should allow your lover to shine more radiantly.』

Tomte’s eyes filled up with murderous intent.

『Perkwunos will also hand you the essence of his lightning and thunder.』

The ripples around Perkwunos surged harder.

The others’ dissatisfied expressions seemed to prove that Odin made that decision without consulting the other three first. Nevertheless, none rejected his proposal. That alone showed who the leader among them was.

『And I’ll give you my primordial runes.』

Primordial runes were Divine Scripts. They were the original, simplest, and most destructive form of runes. However, having disappeared over time, only Odin remembered them now.

『How does that sound? If you put your anger toward us aside, you’ll realize that it’s not that bad of a bad deal for you as well.』

Chang-Sun remained silent for a moment, which Odin took as a sign that he was actually considering taking the deal.

Odin smirked. 『As a wizard, I’m sure you’re well aware of the level you would reach with the addition of gnosis—!』

However, Odin couldn’t finish speaking.

『You sons of bitches. Who gave you permission to steal books from the library?』

A loud voice thunderously echoed from above. At the same time, the clouds of dust that Chang-Sun and the four false Celestials had been kicking up disappeared, revealing a blue and clear sky.

Two spatial gaps opened in the blue sky, revealing two golden eyes that shone like suns. They appeared to belong to a dragon looking for its prey or the springs of a machine.

[The ‘Coordination Machine Eyes’ is observing this realm!]

The false Celestials froze up. They knew to whom those eyes belonged.

『Machina?』

『No! No way! This is our realm…!』

Even though <Deus Ex Machina> was the absolute being who oversaw and mediated the law of worlds, the false Celestials didn’t expect that he could enter a subconscious realm with ease.

The surprising turn of events shocked Balor and Tomte. Meanwhile, Perkunos grunted, having a rough idea of what happened.

『He can see hidden spaces because he oversees the law of worlds…? Well, this has become quite twisted.』

Even Chang-Sun and Odin held their breaths as they looked up at the two suns.

『The fact that you hauled ass without cleaning first alone pisses me off! You’re all dead meat!』

1. A group of creatures from Irish mythology that are hostile and monstrous. Representing the polar opposite values of the <Tuatha Dé Danann> ☜

2. The raw is 신(神). Chang-Sun’s Divine Name in Korean is 신들의 황혼. In English, Chang-Sun needs to restore the entire Divine part to mean god, but Chang-Sun needs to regain only one letter, 신(神), in Korean for his dignity as a Celestial. ☜

3. The letter that is restored right now is 들. The literal translation of 신들의 황혼 is Twilight of the Gods. 들 is the Korean word that is equivalent to the English letter s, which is used to indicate a word is being used as a plural. Plural(복수) and revenge (복수) sound the same in Korean. ☜

4. The letter that is restored this time is 황(黃). The letter also means sulfur. ☜

5. The syllable that is restored this time is 혼 (昏), which also means dark, chaotic, and opaque. ☜