Return of the Shattered Constellation - Chapter 337

Chapter 337

Incheon International Airport, Republic of Korea.

“Are you sure this is where he’ll come out? If he’s using the VIP exit or something, then all of this is just a wild goose chase.”

“Ah, I’m telling you we’re in the right place. I know a guy from the airport, so I checked with him several times. The Tyrant is coming out soon.”

“What is he going to say this time…”

“He’s the type to just bulldoze through things, but I doubt he’d say something that would flip everyone’s lid off. He’s going to get criticized a lot.”

“Did the Tyrant ever care about that?”

“Good point… Still, this isn’t good timing.”

“You’re right.”

Although usually cramped with tourists from overseas, the airport today was packed with a wider range of people, including media staff and reporters from broadcasting and newspaper companies and rankers from the Council and major Clans in Korea. At one side of the airport, the Tyrant’s fan club members were waving their banners and flags.

― Our Chang-Sun doesn’t have to rinse his hair because he’s already a prince.

― What should I do? I feel attacked because of you, a heart attack.[1]

― Please don’t show up in my dreams, Chang-Sun. If you do, I worry I won’t open my eyes anymore because I’ll wake up.

The crowd shared only one thing in common: they were all waiting for Lee Chang-Sun the Tyrant. No, the public recently started calling him the Terrible[2] since he was now more than just a tyrant or an Overlord.

That man was about to make an entrance to the arrival hall.

The entire globe was paying attention to Chang-Sun right now. Although it had only been a year, he had already conquered Europe and the United States and become the best Player in the world. People firmly believed that he would bring down China and the Triad—the only walls left blocking his path—soon as well. As the most popular topic right now, many were interested in seeing Chang-Sun’s next move.

Korea was in chaos right now due to the monster wave that started from the ‘Den of the Evil Dragon.’ Failing to contain it could not only destroy the country but also put its neighbors, China and Japan, in a state of crisis, which was why the monster wave was beginning to attract even more attention. Everyone thought that the ‘Wuthering Stone Desert’ and ‘Doomsday City’ would remain uncleared for a decade, yet Chang-Sun managed to prove them wrong. Could he solve Korea’s imminent crisis?

“I seriously have no idea what’s happening now.” Park Sang-Ho, the leader of the White Tiger Clan’s Raid Team 1, stared at the arrival hall’s entrance door with his arms crossed.

Raid Team 3’s leader, ‘Homotherium’ Kang Seong-Woo, tilted his head in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“I just don’t know anymore. I thought I had everything figured out, but I was wrong. What in the world is going on… I don’t even know why I’m here anymore, Seong-Woo.”

Finally realizing what Sang-Ho meant, Seong-Woo smiled bitterly. Just as the White Tiger Clan and Jaynix Company seemed about to take over the world with their alliance, Munseong and Crimson Bromwell’s deaths sent everything crumbling down. As if the Council had been waiting for this moment, they then ordered their offices around the globe to conduct extensive search and seizure operations on the White Tiger Clan and Jaynix Company, revealing the two factions’ hotbed of crimes.

The once heroic White Tiger Clan’s fame hit rock bottom, and the Jaynix Company was torn apart. Several Jaynix employees were also prosecuted, making the White Tiger Clan employees feel as if they would be next. Unfortunately, the Council of Elders and all of their key forces were wiped out in ‘Doomsday City,’ leaving them with insufficient strength to fight back.

No, even if their members didn’t die, the White Tiger Clan would’ve still had a hard time functioning as a Clan now. After all, they could no longer receive any blessings from ‘Calamity Tiger,’ their Guardian. A Clan was a religious order—which meant one abandoned by their god no longer served any use. To that end, the White Tiger Clan seemed to be reaching its end.

Numerous Players had left, and only the weaklings had stayed behind. The only members that they could count on now were the loyal ones who had been with the White Tiger Clan from the beginning. Nevertheless, all they could do was wait for their end like prisoners waiting for guillotine blades to lop their heads off… until a miracle happened.

Executive Director Oh Shi-Hwan returned to Korea with Raid Team 2 leader Seo Jeong-Gwon. After sorting out all the confusion, Executive Director Oh made some sort of deal with the Council and successfully saved the Clan. He then used his accomplishments to earn the executives and major shareholders’ support, effectively making him the Clan Leader.

Clan Leader Oh Shi-Hwan then summoned all of his members to a general meeting and dropped a bombshell.

“From this moment forward, our sole Guardian will be ‘Divine Twilight.’ We will no longer serve ‘Calamity Tiger,’ who disappeared after his defeat.”

Many of the members became confused and wondered what was going on. ‘Divine Twilight’? Who in the world was that? The Celestial didn’t seem to have any outstanding <Myths>. They had never even heard of its Divine Name. When the members asked…

“Who is ‘Divine Twilight’? Are all your eyes just for decoration? You already know him quite well.”

… was the only response Shi-Hwan gave, which made the members want to rip their eyes out. After being driven to the edge of the cliff, Just as they started thinking they could finally pick up the pieces after being driven to the edge of a cliff, they suddenly had to serve this nobody Celestial.

Some of the members let go of all their lingering feelings and left as a result, but some still stayed under the assumption that things could work out anyway. Shi-Hwan didn’t bother stopping those who wished to leave. After all, his principle was to place new wine in a new bottle. He would rather see those with doubt mixed into their Faith leave.

Sang-Ho and Seong-Woo were part of the latter—no, they actually had no choice but to stay. As demonic beings who had walked down the wrong paths in the past, they were well aware that if they were to leave this nest named White Tiger Clan, they would end up in big trouble. Nevertheless, Shi-Hwan welcomed their decision since they were going to be the White Tiger Clan’s main force. He even told them who ‘Divine Twilight’ was in secret.

‘Lee Chang-Sun… really became a Celestial?’ Sang-Ho took a deep breath, still having trouble believing Shi-Hwan.

Sang-Ho knew what <Exuviation> and <Transcendence> entailed, so everything sounded far-fetched to him. He also learned that Chang-Sun was the one who killed ‘Calamity Tiger’ and brought one of the Three Enclosures of the <Purple Star Astrology> to their knees, which meant Chang-Sun was a Celestial killer. Sang-Ho didn’t know how he could believe all of this, but he chose to anyway since Shi-Hwan was the one who told him all of that.

‘He’s coming out soon. I’ll know when I see him…’ Sang-Ho glared at the doors of the arrival hall as he exhaled deeply.

“You know…”

“…?” Sang-Ho tilted his head in confusion, unsure what Seong-Woo was trying to say.

“What will you do if the Tyrant—no, the Terrible doesn’t live up to your expectation?”

“If he’s a Celestial, he’ll be better than us.”

“You know that’s not what I mean,” Seong-Woo said, his voice suddenly turning cold.

Sang-Ho quickly turned back to look at Seong-Woo, whose eyes were also fixed on the arrival hall’s entrance door. Among the four Raid Team leaders, Seong-Woo was known to be the smartest and most handsome, and he was well aware of it. It got him so absorbed in seeking personal benefit that he often incurred enmity from his acquaintances.

“Shouldn’t we look for another Celestial then?” Seong-Woo asked.

“… Seong-Woo, did you…”

“Haha, I was just joking. No need to take it seriously.” Seong-Woo waved his hands dismissively, then pointed at the door. “Ah, there he is.”

With a slight frown, Sang-Ho glared at Seong-Woo. ‘Come to think of it, I smell an unfamiliar scent from him….’

Sang-Ho finally realized why meeting Seong-Woo today made him feel uneasy.

‘He’s already gotten another Guardian’s blessing.’

To top it all off, Seong-Woo chose the Guardian of an organization that Sang-Ho knew all too well. After all, the White Tiger Clan had fought against it countless times.

‘The Green Gang… The Triad.’

Sang-Ho narrowed his eyes as Chang-Sun and the Team L members showed up, causing the murmurs around the entrance to become louder. Seeing them in person made him realize that Shi-Hwan was telling the truth.

[The Order ‘White Tiger’ has chosen the Celestial ‘Divine Twilight’ as its Guardian.]

[Your Faith has increased significantly.]

[Your Faith has increased significantly.]

…

* * *

In a suite of a seven-star hotel overlooking downtown Seoul…

Flash, flash, flash―!

… the TV played a live broadcast of a crowd swarming to take photos of Chang-Sun, who remained expressionless even as their camera flash went off countless times.

“The Terrible? The Terrible! Hahahaha!” A middle-aged man roared in laughter, seemingly finding the whole thing ridiculous. The ice cubes in the glass he was holding bumped into one another, causing them to clatter.

In a fit of rage, he threw the glass against the TV. His face crumpled up with annoyance. “That cocky bastard! I’m right here, so how can he be compared to an emperor?! He’s just a gaoli bangzi!”

Clang!

Crash―!

The man was so strong that he broke the TV and even destroyed a part of the wall it was mounted to. When the TV helplessly crashed to the floor, the door to the living room quickly opened. His subordinates rushed in, prepared to contain a possible enemy ambush. With sharp eyes, they looked around the room.

“Everything okay, boss?”

“Yeah, it’s nothing. Get out.” The middle-aged man shook his head.

The subordinates already saw what happened, though, so they didn’t believe that he was fine. Their Guardian was always in fury, so whenever their boss was angry, his fury was enough to work them to death. Hence, they learned to pacify him if they could. Their gang didn’t have a shortage of manpower, but they couldn’t just keep letting talented members go to waste either.

“We have made all the necessary preparations. Even if the people of that tiny nation praise themselves, they’ll soon realize that they’re nothing compared to a real great nation, so why don’t you let them delude themselves for now with your bottomless generosity?” one of the subordinates said as they all bowed.

The middle-aged man’s frown deepened. “Are you patronizing me?”

“I apologize if it sounded that way.”

The middle-aged man remained silent. After a while, he let out a sigh, his eyes becoming noticeably calmer. “… I’ve embarrassed myself again. I’m sorry.”

His Guardian, the master of all weapons in the world, had three heads and six arms, causing his personality to split into multiple personalities. Becoming his apostle made the middle-aged man emotionally volatile, which he hated. He had been working hard to change, but it was proving difficult.

“No, your fury was absolutely justified, boss. They’ve been running wild ever since they forgot their place. ”

“You’ve become a master in pacifying me, Chen.” The middle-aged man pulled out a new glass and put a couple of ice cubes in it.

Drip!

The sound of the yellow liquor being poured seemed especially loud.

“Want a glass?” he asked.

“I’m on duty today.”

“You’ll have to move out at dawn tomorrow, so you won’t even be able to catch a wink of sleep. It must be tiring.”

“I never feel tired when I’m serving you, boss.”

“You’re one hell of a smooth talker.”

“Please don’t put it like that. As an orphan, I survived off of grassroots until you took me under your wings. Ever since that day, my life has always belonged to you, boss. Everyone in the gang, the Asura League, feels the same way.”

The middle-aged man didn’t answer. he wanted to show his respect to them as well, but no matter what he said, it would just sound as if he was rejecting their loyalty and hurting them.

“You mentioned all the preparations are done? Does that mean the Korean government has given us an answer as well?”

“Yes. They say it’s fine if it’s in the form of volunteer troops. ”

“So they finally said yes after their anthem about the Terrible, huh.”

“The party put intense pressure on them using the protection of our people in Korea as a justifiable cause, and Japan used the notion of protecting Tsushima Island as a justifiable cause to mobilize its Self-Defense Forces. Hence, the Korean government was left with no other choice but to let us send thirty people as volunteer troops. They also gave Japan permission to send twenty.”

China and Japan were wary of the draconic troops pouring out of the ‘Den of the Evil Dragon,’ but this was the Triad’s golden opportunity to achieve their goal of solidifying their position in the world. Hence, Green Gang boss and Triad leader Jun Tao, the middle-aged man, personally came to Korea as the Divine Bell Overlord.

Jun Tao raised his glass. “Let’s show them who this continent truly belongs to and show the world who’s going to be the sole Celestial of this civilization and planet.”

The cubes in the glass melted a little, causing them to clatter.

1. The easy this kind of Korean joke works is to surprise someone with bad words and make them laugh by explaining it further. ☜

2. This title is made after Ivan the Terrible, the notorious Tsar in Russia. ☜