Return of the Shattered Constellation

Chapter 307: Star, the United Army (7)

Looking back at his two opponents, who seemed even more evil in that moment than the monstrous and demonic Celestials in <Purple Star Astrology>, Sangwon quickly tried to think of a plan. ‘...I should do something about them!’

However, those opponents were the King of the Underworld and ‘Divine Twilight’. The <Underworld> ruler was comparable to the Nine Heavens, and Twilight had caused numerous Celestials to plummet during the <Myth War>.

On top of that, Sangwon could tell from their exchange of attacks that the newly resurrected ‘Divine Twilight’ was definitely no weaker than him. Even a simple collision left his hands numb, forcing him to face the terrible reality before him. In the end, no matter how exceptional he was, there was no way for him to take on both of them at once, meaning he had only one option.

‘I tried so hard to avoid this…!’ Sangwon thought. His eyes turned bloodshot as he gritted his teeth.

The <Stars> in <Purple Star Astrology> were monstrous and demonic Celestials, who represented all sorts of abnormal phenomena such as superstitions, enigmas, and mysteries… In other words, they were Aberrations that had acquired Divine Classes after gaining Spirituality.

Of course, Sangwon’s human form had been artificially created so he could pretend to be a human. If he stayed in his Aberration form, it would be difficult to make rational judgments, and he would be overwhelmed by his instincts and greed. In order to maintain his dignity as the leader of <Purple Star Astrology>, Sangwon preferred to stay in his human form whenever possible.

No, he actually despised his Aberration form, and did not even want to admit that he had such a hideous side, but… He came to the conclusion that he would have to take on his real form, as there was no way he would be able to take on both opponents in his uncomfortable disguise. Just in case, however, he glanced at the sky.

[The Celestial ‘Taurus’ realizes your plan and lightly lets out a chuckle, saying that things are getting interesting!]

It seemed that <Horoscope> still had no intention of joining in on the fight. Perhaps those Celestials had even been responsible for creating the current situation, aiming for the mutual destruction of <Purple Star Astrology> and the <Underworld>. The truth of the matter was irrelevant, however, as it was clear that Sangwon had no opportunity to retreat. All those thoughts filled his mind in a few moments, and as he came to a decision, he no longer hesitated.

As things had turned out this way, Sangwon planned to shred those two arrogant bastards to death and eat them, becoming a brilliant <Star> in the sky. In any event, he had reached his current state by eating everything in his path.

That was the last rational decision Sangwon made.

Swish!

Even as the [Yuchang Sword] pierced into Sangwon, Chang-Sun noticed that he was trying to do something.

‘Anomaly!’

Sangwon was trying to reveal his true form, which meant that the area would soon be reduced to ashes. Chang-Sun had experienced a lot of trouble during the <Myth War> because of Sangwon’s true form.

『Thanatos! Retreat your army right now!』

Chang-Sun urgently sent Thanatos a telepathic message; Thanatos did not ask why and quickly waved his hand in the air.

[The Celestial ‘King of the Underworld’ has activated his Authority, retreating the army of the Purgatory Plane!]

Whether they were the Purgatory Kings or the Purgatory Plane soldiers, as long as they were part of the <Underworld>, they were the King of the Underworld’s subordinates. It used up quite a lot of Thanatos’ divine power, but he could freely move his subordinates to different locations.

Paah! Paah! Paah!

Jingang and Chogang had almost finished overpowering the Vermilion Bird, but a pool of light suddenly swallowed them and they were teleported to a distant location. The other soldiers who had been fighting against the <Purple Star Astrology> soldiers appeared behind Jingwang and Chogang one after another. Wondering what had happened, they observed their surroundings. When they looked in a certain direction, they understood the situation instantly.

Rumble―!

An enormous explosion took place where they had just been, a storm of heat spreading in every direction.

Kiyeeeh―!

Kyaaaaah!

All the remaining <Purple Star Astrology> monster Celestials were caught in the explosion, but their screams were soon muffled. It seemed that some of them did not even know why they were dying until the very end.

[The Celestial ‘Grand Monster’ has been devoured by the Explosion of Indulgence!]

[The Celestial ‘Wretched Monster Ghost’ has been devoured by the Explosion of Indulgence…]

[The Celestial ‘Glory-Seeking Plague’...]

[The Celestial ‘Curse of Evil’...]

…

『’Ta-Tai Wei Yan’!』

『Please calm…!』

『Save…!』

Even when they realized what was going on, nothing changed, and it was no different for the Seven Mansions of the Azure Dragon who were already bound up in their Divine Steel Shackles. The Horn, Neck, Root, Room, Heart, Tail, and Winnowing Basket Mansions desperately tried to talk Sangwon down, but he had long since lost his reason.

Pzzzz―!

Before a giant tsunami, the sturdiest sand castle would dissolve without leaving a trace. Just like that, the Seven Mansions of the East were caught in the explosion and disappeared in the end.

[The Seven Mansions of the East have been annihilated in the Explosion of Indulgence!]

…

And…

『Ah… ‘Tai Wei Yuan’...!』

…The Vermillion Bird was also helpless before the explosion.

An Explosion of Indulgence that spread in every direction and indiscriminately ate everything in the way… That was the true nature of Sangwon the ‘Tai Wei Yuan’. As the Vermillion Bird had been serving the Three Enclosures up close for a long time, they knew better than anyone else that however brilliant they were as <Stars>, they could never survive that explosion.

Whether it came to solid matter or a law of the world, it made no difference. The Explosion of Indulgence brilliantly burned up everything that came in contact with it, using all it touched as its fuel, and only subsided after a very long time. Even after that, Sangwon blazed brightly for a very long time before he finally came to his senses; only then was he able to control the fire and cause it to rise again.

After the explosion, Sangwon the ‘Tai Wei Yuan’ had gained a higher Divine Class. All the things he had swallowed during the explosion remained in his soul, becoming ingredients to elevate his Divine Class. The number of universes and planes Sangwon had devoured using that explosion was unknown, but the Vermillion Bird knew for sure that that number was not small.

However, right at that moment, the Vermilion Bird was also about to become an ingredient for Sangwon to grow stronger. The bird could not be sure of their own emotions. Were they supposed to be happy or scared? Regardless, the last thought they had was that perhaps they would have been able to flee if they had both of their wings—no, if they had not been trapped in Sanjiva…!

Crack―!

[The Constellation ‘Vermillion Bird’ has been destroyed!]

…

The explosion spread and spread, but it showed no sign of being extinguished, and its explosive force kept growing stronger.

[The Explosion of Indulgence is spreading all over Sanjiva!]

Eventually, the explosion came close to devouring all of Sanjiva.

* * *

‘Everything will be over if we get swept away by the explosion,’ Chang-Sun thought. He gritted his teeth, as he knew very well what the explosion Sangwon had created was.

The Three Enclosures were the epitome of mystery and could not be understood with common knowledge. In order to resist or overwhelm such a mystery, Chang-Sun needed more power.

‘I have no choice but to use it here,’ Chang-Sun thought as he pulled out the [Brilliant Jade Light], which was the reward he had gotten from the [King’s Treasury] after killing Heoju.

[Brilliant Jade Light]

One of the three primary color seeds. It harnesses a tremendous amount of energy.

· Type: Ingredients.

· Effect: Unknown.

Right before the explosion swept him away, Chang-Sun put it in his mouth.

[Absorbing the ‘Brilliant Jade Light’!]

Badump, badump―!

His [Ferocious Heart] also started to race.

[Quickly combining with your divine power.]

[Attempting to synchronize with the ‘Brilliant Vermillion Light’, which you previously absorbed. The two colors are mixing, creating ‘Brilliant Amber Light’!]

…

[Filtration rate: 98.6%.]

…

[The 1.4% of unabsorbed residue has been filtered once again.]

…

[The ‘Brilliant Jade Light’ has been completely absorbed.]

[The quantity of your divine power has significantly increased.]

…

[Your divine power’s characteristics have significantly changed.]

[Your divine power’s attributes have significantly changed.]

…

[Congratulations! The ‘Brilliant Amber Light’ has been created!]

[For a long time, vermilion has symbolized dynamism, while jade has signified creativity. Amber, the color that embodies these two qualities, will grant you a new power.]

[Your Class has increased!]

The moment the [Brilliant Amber Light] was completed, the vermilion energy around Chang-Sun combined with green, turning into amber. Additionally…

Badump, badump, badump―!

Due to the sudden surge in Chang-Sun’s divine power, his [Ferocious Heart] raced fiercely as if it would burst at any moment.

[Unable to absorb your increased divine power into your ‘Ferocious Heart’!]

…

[Looking for a new way to control your increased divine power using your ‘Ferocious heart’.]

[Attempting to change the characteristics of your ‘Ferocious Heart’!]

…

The [Ferocious Heart] was about to undergo a transformation. If the addition of new contents caused a vessel to overflow, that meant the vessel had to be changed too. As Chang-Sun had completed his resurrection, his [Ferocious Heart] was too small to embrace the new ‘Divine Twilight’, so it had to transform into something entirely new.

Chang-Sun’s heart cells were torn apart and became tattered, and small circuits split off from his [Magic Integrated Circuit], permeating every inch of those wounds. Then, a new outer layer formed… changing [Ferocious Heart] into something entirely different.

[Congratulations! The characteristic of ‘ferociousness’ has changed, creating a ‘Cataclysm Heart’!]

…

[The Celestial ‘Abyss-Chasing Great Devil’ looks at you with mixed emotions.]

Circulating his divine power, which had increased to far greater heights than before, Chang-Sun attempted to transform for the last time.

[The ninth chapter of ‘Prelati’s Spellbook’ has opened.]

Rustle―!

Chang-Sun could hear the sound of pages turning in his mind.

「...Finally, the last chapter!」

Simon Magus let out an exclamation.

[‘Atrox Immortálitas’ has been applied, overseeing all disasters!]

Kiyaaaah!

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh―!

Chang-Sun’s lightning energy, storms, and ghostly wails echoed more intensely than ever. Up until then, the Secret Darkness Techniques had been limited to amplifying and expanding his power to create natural disasters. However, they now focused on controlling all those natural disasters.

Any being that could artificially start natural disasters was usually called a fiend. However, a fiend would earn a slightly different name if they could control those natural disasters however they wished, dominate the area occupied by those disasters, and fill the world with calamity. They were called Cataclysm Celestials, beings that could summon disasters and misfortunes.

Chang-Sun thus became none other than a Cataclysm Celestial. His Inferno Sights flared up more brilliantly than ever, and his gray hair became more vivid, making him look even more ominous.

Thud…!

Chang-Sun held his foot high in the midst of the area and slammed the ground, activating [Landslide] and creating an earthquake that sent earth high into the air. Cracks spread everywhere, and Chang-Sun’s [Fiery Lightning Bolts] traveled through those cracks, resisting the explosion that had been about to sweep him away.

At the same time, Chang-Sun put down the swords in his hands and pulled out the Nameless Spear, which had been driven into the nearby ground. The moment he grabbed the spear with both hands and swung it fiercely, he activated [Black Tiger Celestial’s Claws], extinguishing the explosion that was said to never cease unless it was completely starved of fuel.

Rumble―!

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh…!

When all the fire from the explosion disappeared, a bizarre-looking, three-meter-tall monster stood where Sangwon had been, glaring at Chang-Sun as it tilted its head. The monster’s eyes were filled with such strong malice that merely meeting its gaze could make one feel light-headed and weak, to the point that one would collapse onto the ground.

The only term that could describe such a monster, that was filled with malice and an intent to destroy and devour everything in the world, was ‘Evil Celestial’.

Kekekekeke!

The Evil Celestial… In his true form, Sangwon laughed grotesquely and sprang forward, his eyes filled with greed and a desire to gain a higher Divine Class by eating the person in front of him.

Chang-Sun adjusted his posture and pointed his Nameless Spear downward. Unlike Sangwon, he did not run, indicating a sense of confidence that he would still be able to take on Sangwon even if he stayed where he was. And then…

Booom!

…They collided.

A Cataclysm Celestial and an Evil Celestial… It was a moment when two irreconcilable beings clashed.