Return of the Shattered Constellation - Chapter 246

Chapter 246

In the dream that Baek Gyeo-Ul repeatedly had, a man that looked exactly like him, whom he believed to be his father, always mentioned Twilight.

“I have to find Twilight.”

“Twilight will save everyone.”

“Twilight will come back someday…”

Whenever Gyeo-Ul’s father talked about Twilight, his voice would always be full of hope. That was why Gyeo-Ul instinctively knew that the Twilight his father talked about was Chang-Sun. When Chang-Sun told Gyeo-Ul that his father was Chang-Sun’s good friend, Gyeo-Ul didn’t pry into it any further. He thought the reason Chang-Sun hadn’t explained the whole story was that Gyeo-Ul wasn’t ready to hear about it yet.

‘Hyung becomes stronger every day. I have to always be at least good enough to fight alongside him… No, even if all I can do is stay behind him, I still have to be strong enough to fight for him. That’s my first goal.’

Gyeo-Ul tried excruciatingly hard to accomplish his objective. After merging with Bardiya, he focused on using Bardiya’s ability and becoming more proficient in using shadows. He believed becoming stronger in this way would someday make him Chang-Sun’s proper shadow, which should lead to him finally hearing the story about his father, whom he only knew by face.

However, Gyeo-Ul was now in the presence of a woman who introduced herself as another friend of his father Xerxes.

‘… I’m really weak,’ Gyeo-Ul thought, facing the limit of reality once again.

It seemed no matter how much effort he put in, he could never close and overcome the gap in power between him and his father’s friends. It made him feel powerless.

『Look at him. This is exactly what I was talking about.』

After listening to Gyeo-Ul’s story about his dreams, Kali sent a telepathic message to Chang-Sun with her eyes narrowed, rendering Chang-Sun speechless. Gyeo-Ul was emotionally wounded like a puppy in the rain right now, which finally made Chang-Sun realize his mistake: in his attempt to protect Gyeo-Ul, he ended up hurting him even more instead.

『It sounds like the boy received a part of Xerxes’ memory when he merged with Bardiya… That’s probably the reason why he became more impatient and put excruciatingly immense efforts into matching your level,』Kali scolded Chang-Sun, who couldn’t say or do anything but nod in silence. Chang-Sun shouldn’t have treated Gyeo-Ul like a child or protected him blindly. Gyeo-Ul should be in charge of his own destiny.

Kali’s next telepathic message brought him back to reality.

『But it’s not too late.』

『… What are you going to do?』

『Can I take him with me?』

『Take him with you…?』

Chang-Sun couldn’t understand what Kali was saying.

『I introduced myself as his future teacher for a reason. Let me train him. You and the others are already completed on some level, but this boy is a new sprout. I’m certain he can change if given the right nutrients, so leave him to me.』

『What are you going to do with him?』

『If this boy agrees, I’ll bring him to Himavat.』

Chang-Sun’s eyes widened. Himavat was Kali’s divine ground. It used to have everlasting snow and a Divine Tree, but it was now in ruins.

『Himavat is still intact?』Chang-Sun asked.

『Of course not. There is no way the ‘Gemini’ would have left the place in one piece.』

『Then…?』

『Although it is in ruins, its foundation likely still exists. If I cultivate the land again, the Divine Tree will once again grow and rally my scattered priests to me.』

『It’s the perfect place for Gyeo-Ul to focus solely on training.』

『Exactly.』Kali nodded.

Himavat the snow mountain was also known as Tribulation Mountain because the way up to the mountain was filled with trials and tribulations. Although it was a paradise for ascetics, it was hell for ordinary people. It forcefully eliminated desires and emotions that people had in the secular world.

『This boy is born with divine blood, so he’ll definitely bloom someday even if he stays by your side. However, that will take too long. His techniques have to be trained systemically, and his foundation could use some work, 』Kali said, having assessed Gyeo-Ul.

Having been trained by Kali in martial arts as well, Chang-Sun was quite familiar with how great a teacher Kali was. Hence, he couldn’t help but accept with Kali’s offer for the sake of the despairing Gyeo-Ul. However, her offer came with two problems.

『How will you avoid getting detected by the ‘Gemini’?』 Chang-Sun asked. Although the offer itself was good, the ‘Gemini’, the other <Horoscope> Celestials, and the <Purple Star Astrology> Celestials wouldn’t just leave Kali alone.

『I doubt I have to worry about that for a while.』

Why’s that?』

『She’s looking in this direction.』

Kali pointed beyond the curtain of <Darkness>, bringing to Chang-Sun’s awareness a familiar yet foreign presence.

[The Celestial ‘Wrath Incarnation’ wanders around your mind palace.]

Durga, Kali’s mother and someone whom she had cut off ties with long ago, was paying attention to Chang-Sun and the others.

『She didn’t really care about me until I ended up in this state, so I’m not sure why she’s acting like that now. Still, this is beneficial for me. I’m going to seek shelter from her before I get to Himavat.』

Durga was also known as the Nine Heavens’ Red Heaven, which was located southwest of <Heaven>. No matter how hard the <Horoscope> and <Purple Star Astrology> Celestials hunted Kali down, they couldn’t enter the Red Heaven’s territory with ease.

Fortunately, Chang-Sun knew the story between Kali and Durga.

『But if you did that…』Chang-Sun trailed off.

『I’ll have to yield to seek her protection,』Kali nonchalantly replied.

Chang-Sun bit his lower lip, knowing how difficult it had to have been for her to make such a decision.

Chuckling, she tapped his shoulder to reassure him.『Don’t think about it too hard. You have given up a lot in your own ways and have been running around all over the place to get some work done, so why shouldn’t I do the same for you?』Kali’s smile deepened. 『Besides, when I heard his story, I realized Xerxes is probably wandering around the Imaginary Plane again. I’ll be able to track him down while cultivating Himavat.』

『So you’re advising to tackle this on two fronts.』

『That is correct.』

『What about your priests on Earth?』

『Well, I’m sure you can save them,』Kali answered as if she had put her entire faith in him.

Realizing how much his friend trusted him made Chang-Sun smile bitterly. Thinking he should do his best to live up to his friend’s expectations, he finally reached a decision.

“Gyeo-Ul.”

“… Yes, hyung.” Gyeo-Ul slowly raised his head.

Looking at Chang-Sun in confusion, Gyeo-Ul was a little surprised to see Chang-Sun’s <Darkness> agglomerating on top of his palm and transforming into a mask.

“Catch.” Chang-Sun tossed the mask to Gyeo-Ul.

[The ‘Crow Demon Face’ has been created!]

[Crow Demon Face]

The secretive persona of the Player Lee Chang-Sun. Wearing the mask unlocks the wearer’s powers and talents for as long as the mask owner remembers them. It will also enhance related attributes and weaken the ones that are not.

“This is…?” Gyeo-Ul trailed off. A part of the description caught his eye. He knew the person that the mask owner remembered.

“You said you wanted to become stronger, right? That will change you,” Chang-Sun said.

“…!”

“However, if you wear this, there is no going back,” Chang-Sun continued.

The persona in the crow mask that Chang-Sun handed Gyeo-Ul was made based on his memory of Xerxes. Wearing it would allow Gyeo-Ul to use [Shadow Play] to its full potential as his shadow.

However, wearing it would turn Gyeo-Ul into a half-spirit again. The tight rope between a Celestial and a human—no, a human and a monster—that he had been walking on would be severed once he put it on.

“If you wear that, you will become more than just a half-spirit. You will reach a level where you can’t be called a human anymore. Monster, spirit, Mōryō… you’ll become one of them. Are you okay with that?” Chang-Sun asked.

He knew how much Gyeo-Ul had wanted to undo his curse as a half-spirit, so he wanted Gyeo-Ul to think hard about it. However, contrary to his expectations, Gyeo-Ul grabbed the crow mask without hesitation as he asked, “How do I use this?”

Chang-Sun was about to tell Gyeo-Ul to give it some more thought when he abruptly chuckled. He shouldn’t bother asking him that question. Gyeo-Ul was not a child anymore.

“No, don’t use it yet.” Chang-Sun shook his head. “Any power that you can’t control will harm you.”

“Then…?”

“Follow Kali first. She’ll guide you down the path that you desire.” Chang-Sun gestured at Kali with his chin.

Gyeo-Ul looked at Kali, who nodded silently.

“That path won’t be easy, however,“ Chang-Sun continued. “You’ll face tribulation after tribulation. There will be a lot more challenges than you can ever anticipate. You’ll find yourself wanting to give up, but you must never succumb to that thought. That’s all I can say.”

Gyeo-Ul nodded as he put the [Crow Demon Face] deep into his inner pocket.

“Kali,” Chang-Sun said.

「Haha! Don’t worry.」Kali chuckled. Although Chang-Sun wondered if she could move independently from him since she was his subordinate, he quickly stopped worrying. Kali would have already thought of that problem and come up with a solution like using her Divinity or Divine Class.

「Now, let’s go.」

Kali held out her hand to Gyeo-Ul. Gyeo-Ul stared at it for a brief moment. As he took it, he bowed to Chang-Sun to bid him farewell.

Paah!

[The Celestial ‘Wrath Incarnation’ has invited your Subordinate ‘Kali’ and the Player ‘Baek Gyeo-Ul’ to her divine ground!]

Gyeo-Ul and Kali disappeared in a pool of light.

* * *

After Kali and Gyeo-Ul left, Chang-Sun headed out to the front yard again and found Wojtek’s subordination process nearly complete. Fortunately, he succeeded in eliminating Xue Yong’s Divinity and embracing Chang-Sun’s <Darkness>.

Pzzzz―!

Black fog surrounded Wojtek. The fog had a tinge of purple—the color that symbolized Chang-Sun.

[The subordination process of the Player ‘Wojtek’ has been completed!]

[The previous Divinity in the Player ‘Wojtek’ has successfully been eliminated and replaced with your <Darkness>.]

[The Player ‘Wojtek’ has been selected as your Subordinate.]

[The race of the Player ‘Wojtek’ has been changed to Chooyi[1].]

[A Soul Link has been created between the Player ‘Wojtek’ and you, his master.]

…

[The other Players’ subordination processes have been completed. 49 out of 161 has succeeded.]

[You have successfully taken over the Clan ‘Crna Ruka’!]

[The Guardian of the Clan ‘Crna Ruka’ has been replaced by ???.]

[You have successfully built an <Order> that idolizes you. You can now acquire Faith through your <Order>.]

[The seed of your Divinity has sprouted. Expand your <Order> and recruit more believers by propagating and spreading your doctrines. The more Faith you have, the more your Divinity will grow.]

[Grand achievement unlocked!]

“Order Establishment.”

Reward: <Order> menu unlocked. Faith Creation. Level increase fo the Skill ‘Stigma.’

Pzzzzz―!

The [Stigma] on Chang-Sun’s chest began to transform, increasing in size and now reaching the part just below his chin. Feeling somewhat familiar with it, Chang-Sun quietly tapped his [Stigma] twice.

[Checking your <Order>!]

[Crna Ruka]

Rank: D―

Size: 49 members.

Leader: Wojtek the Thumb Finger.

Faith Level: 1.

Description: The Guardian of this newly created <Order> is a hero who has not yet acquired divine rank and essence, preventing him from blessing its members. However, the members harbor such intense fear of their Guardian that it is almost impossible for them to betray him.

The Crna Ruka’s rank drastically decreased when Chang-Sun replaced Xue Yong, but he paid it no heed since he couldn’t prevent it from happening.

‘I’m just getting started,’ Chang-Sun thought.

To Chang-Sun, the Crna Ruka was just another stepping stone toward Earth domination. He already had his next target in mind.

‘I have to take over the White Tiger Clan to do some proper work.’

Chang-Sun would become a cuckoo, a bird that takes over another bird’s nest by invading it and fooling the mother bird through brood parasitism. Sorting his plan in mind, Chang-Sun looked at Wojtek.

Chang-Sun’s <Darkness> had already devoured those who had failed the subordination process, so there were less than fifty assassins left in front of him. However, those who survived exuded sharp and strong auras beyond their cloaks, which had been dyed black with Chang-Sun’s <Darkness>, as they bowed to him.

Despite losing their power, these assassins were skilled enough to eliminate an entire Illuminati faction. Now that they had regained their power, they were once again full of potential. Still, despite being rulers of the criminal underworld, they couldn’t even think about defying Chang-Sun. Since they seemed to be waiting for his orders, he decided to give them one now.

“From what I heard, the Four Overlord Conference is taking place in the Illuminati headquarters,” Chang-Sun said.

Wearing [Swan Demon Face], Wojtek raised his head a little, then bowed again as he responded, “That is correct.”

“I feel like I should be at that conference. What do you think?” Chang-Sun asked.

“Those frauds failed to recognize the real ‘king,’ so they dared masquerade as one. They should be punished. We’ll prepare accordingly,” Wojtek answered. He and the other assassins disappeared, planning to follow and protect Chang-Sun from the darkness.

Chang-Sun left the safe house to claim the seat of a ‘king.’

1. Another supernatural enemy of a tiger. ☜