Chapter 382: Star, Purple Star Astrology (3)
『Jingwang will love it though.』
The Jingwang King was the First Elder, who had taught Chang-Sun how to obtain the [Impervious Body]. Right before Jingwang had been dragged to the <Underworld>, he had tragically lost his child to Antares, so Thanatos planned to leave interrogating Antares to Jingwang. Thinking the interrogation would yield very interesting results, Chang-Sun nodded.
『I’ll share any information when I get something good.』
Then, Thanatos slowly closed his eye, and the pressure he exuded also disappeared. Chang-Sun turned in the opposite direction and operated [Machina’s Clockwork] on his left wrist, [Naglfar] trembling in response.
[A part of ‘Machina’s Clockwork’ has been restored in accordance with the user’s request.]
...
[‘Machina’s Clockwork’ has been synchronized with ‘Naglfar’!]
[You have successfully located the frequency of the Artificial Intelligence ‘Wait’; connecting to the frequency.]
[The Artificial Intelligence ‘Wait’ has been appointed as the controlling Artificial Intelligence of ‘Naglfar’.]
Pzzzz!
『I was wondering who was suddenly calling me, and it was you, master. Where did you get this kind of stuff again?』
After a short mechanical sound, the voice of [Wait] echoed from the ceiling, tinged with surprise. It was likely because Chang-Sun had suddenly summoned [Wait] after ordering him to locate Peter the Apostle in the outer universe.
“One thing led to another,” Chang-Sun said with a shrug.
『Once you finish building it, I think it’ll be a piece of cake to bring down most divine grounds using this ship, but you’re just saying you got it after one thing led to another. You’re truly remarkable, master. On that note, let me adorably pay my respects...!』
“Shut up before I reboot you,” Chang-Sun said, scowling at [Wait].
『I feel really sad when you’re cold to me. Really sad.』
?;′?? ???`?
A large screen window suddenly popped up, and [Wait] began to print weird emoticons.
? @????????????????????????????????????@????????????????????????????????????
『I might cry, you know.』
?????
『Waaaaaaah.』
????*(>д<)*????
『My master is too cold!』
Although the never-ending parade of emoticons was problematic in its own way, where did [Wait] get the audacity to add commentary in his middle-aged man’s voice? [Wait] was never going to stop at this rate, so Chang-Sun brought his hand toward [Machina’s Clockwork] without saying anything else.
『Stop! Stooooop! Please don’t do that.』
=????(?•?д•??)
『I’ll do better, so give me one more chance!』
*(?o?╰╯o??)??
[Wait] was asking for forgiveness, but he was still printing emoticons and even sent a heart symbol. Chang-Sun was unsure what was up with that; however, [Wait] would still be the same even if Chang-Sun reproached him.
Chang-Sun just let out a sigh, thinking, ‘I’m not sure if I made the right call to bring him here.’
[Naglfar] was a mobile fortress, so controlling the ship, getting the necessary materials, and restoring the ship required a lot of calculations. Since Chang-Sun was getting ready to give <Purple Star Astrology> some bruises, he really had no time to attend to that. Simon Magus could have been suited for that job, but he was also very busy.
That was why Chang-Sun had brought [Wait], who had experience in controlling the [Heaven Link]... Still, [Wait] was too noisy, so sending him back to where he had been seemed like a good idea to Chang-Sun. But...
‘It’s too cruel to make him stay in that quiet place on his own,’ Chang-Sun thought, clicking his tongue quietly.
『You’re definitely the king of tsunderes, master. You may always grumble, but you’re the most warm-hearted person in the world.』
(•???•)
『Please accept my love, master.』
(???? ? ????) ??? ?
Wait blabbered after noticing what Chang-Sun was thinking. Without hesitation, Chang-Sun reached for [Machina’s Clockwork].
Beep!
[You have terminated the connection to the Artificial Intelligence ‘Wait’!]
* * *
At the ‘Evil Dragon Castle’, the temporary headquarters of the <Anti-Star Alliance>...
<Maleakhe> had sent Uriel to oversee the current war, and Uriel was having a meeting with Lahmu at that moment.
“What could the great enforcer of justice want with a loser like me?” Lahmu asked sarcastically as he glared at Uriel with his one remaining eye, which was covered in bandages.
Lahmu had been the mastermind when Ushumgalu had disgraced himself by pouncing on Chang-Sun without thinking it through. However, Lahmu, Kulullu, and Mushmahhu had been caught in the same explosion that severely injured Ushumgalu, and were thus also wounded. Although Lahmu was unsure how such a thing could even be possible, Chang-Sun had weeded out everyone who had plotted against him with one explosion.
Chang-Sun had proven to be much more skilled than his known level implied, thus earning recognition as someone qualified to be Tiamat’s concubine. After the incident, Lahmu’s faction had quickly and naturally lost their influence in <Nammu>; in contrast, Pabilsag’s faction had begun rising quickly. There was even an ongoing rumor that Lahmu’s faction would eventually crumble, as they had gotten on Chang-Sun’s bad side.
Lahmu had felt as if he was about to go out of his mind, seemingly forced to sit by and watch his own downfall. If he had been in better shape, he would have clung to his faction members’ clothes and tried to persuade them, but he was unable to. Even at that moment, Lahmu gripped his chest as he felt a strong pain in his heart. “Keough...!”
The explosions created by combining <Darkness> and supreme sacred light were not merely destructive; they also burst into fearsome fragments. Once the fragments entered someone’s body, they could corrode one’s divine power little by little, acting like a devastating poison. The reason for that was Chang-Sun’s [Blood Toxin]; the problem was that there was no definite antidote for it. That was why Lahmu and the other siblings were unable to get out of their sickbeds.
“Why don’t you have this?” Uriel replied as he handed Lahmu a glass bottle. However, Lahmu just glared back and forth between the glass bottle and Uriel with bloodshot eyes. With a half-smirk, Uriel added, “It’s [Nectar]. It’ll alleviate your pain, even though it’s not really an antidote.”
Despite Uriel’s explanation, Lahmu did not reach out for the bottle.
“You don’t have to worry about my motive. I can’t really benefit from scheming against a bedridden loser, can I?” Uriel remarked sarcastically.
Uriel’s words crushed Lahmu’s pride, but he was not exactly wrong. Lahmu finally snatched the glass bottle and drank it up. Then...
Paaah!
A cooling sensation emerged from his heart and spread all throughout his body.
‘The pain... miraculously disappeared,’ Lahmu thought, his eyes widening.
He had been drinking all kinds of miraculous drugs, including addictive narcotics, but they only worked temporarily. After a while, the pain always started up again. However, that did not happen with [Nectar]. In fact, he was so energized that he felt as if could get out of his sickbed after resting for a little longer.
Perhaps because Lahmu was staring at the bottle too hard, Uriel quietly burst into laughter, making Lahmu’s cheeks heat up in embarrassment.
“I can give you more if you want,” Uriel said, still smiling.
“...From what I know, not many crafters can concoct [Nectar] now,” Lahmu said. He could not distance himself from Uriel any longer due to the tempting [Nectar].
“And I’m one of those crafters,” Uriel replied.
“Tell me what you want,” Lahmu said.
“I believe my goal isn’t really different from yours, Sir Lahmu,” Uriel said, his gaze turning cold as he continued, “The demise of ‘Divine Twilight’.”
“...!”
“I’m the bringer of light and the enforcer who maintains the balance of <Heaven>, but ‘Divine Twilight’ is a sinner who will break the balance someday,” Uriel said. Despite the magnitude of his declaration, he exuded a holy and elegant aura, as if he had emerged from a sacred icon. “I believe that the <Anti-Star> Alliance punishing <Horoscope> represents the will of <Heaven> to continue its great history, so I won’t stand in the <Anti-Star> Alliance’s way. However, it’s different for ‘Divine Twilight’, as he’ll bring a catastrophe unless he’s punished now.”
Lahmu’s gaze turned sharp as he realized why <Maleakhe> was participating in this war, even though the <Society> usually talked about the balance of the world and was reluctant to intervene in the affairs of other <Societies>. There was something that had made the goal of <Maleakhe> align with Uriel’s own, causing the entire <Society> to take action.
‘What should I do?’ Lahmu thought as he began to make calculations. His head had cleared up after the pain disappeared, so he had a feeling that he would be able to come up with a decent plan now.
Perhaps because of that change, his tone became far more polite as he asked, “What do I need to do?”
* * *
The battle that had broken out between the <Anti-Star> Alliance and <Purple Star Astrology> in ‘Polaris’ was growing intense. Among the ongoing fights on the battlefield, the most intense battle took place where Tiamat exerted her influence.
[The Constellation ‘Black Tortoise’ has descended!]
[The Constellation ‘White Tiger’ has descended!]
In the north sky, the Seven Mansions of the Black Tortoise landed on the ground, transforming into a turtle with a snake head for a tail.
Roaaaar!
The Seven Mansions of the White Tiger took the form of a huge tiger in the south sky. Both the White Tiger and Black Tortoise roared at the sky, where Tiamat’s eyes filled the air. With two great demonic creatures by his side, Taeul held his cane high.
『You guys will do all kinds of things to kill me, huh? I’m just one person.』
“We just wish for our victory,” Taeul answered Tiamat, then tapped the ground with his cane.
Thump!
A ripple spread outward across the ground, powering up the Black Tortoise and White Tiger. As their <Starlight> became brighter, they grew dozens of times bigger, almost covering the entire divine ground.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...!
[The Seven Mansions of the North and West have begun to reveal their malice upon the command of the Celestial ‘Zi Wei Yuan’!]
The two great demonic creatures’ eyes turned completely black like ebony pearls, tinged with madness. Their aura surpassed the level of demonic energy, becoming filled with pure malice; it was great evil energy. By deactivating their reason, which had kept their instincts under control, Taeul had made both creatures’ animal instincts surface. Even Taeul had no way to control the two creatures until they used up their great evil energy and regained composure.
Boooom!
The White Tiger leaped high in their colossal form, aiming for Tiamat’s left eye.
Kyaaaaaaah!
Shrieking, the Black Tortoise opened the mouths of both their turtle and snake heads. They had lost one of their heads after being hunted by Chang-Sun, but their Divine Class had recovered to some degree with Taeul’s help.
Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh―
A long wave of freezing water soared into the air toward Tiamat’s right eye.
『You people are cute.』
Tiamat’s reptilian eyes took on curved shapes, then suddenly widened.
[The Celestial ‘Primordial Evil Dragon’ has activated the Authority ‘Primordial Ocean’!]
At that moment, black clouds filled the sky of ‘Polaris’.
Rumble, thud―!
Then, a great downpour started. The rain was highly acidic, as well as being infused with Tiamat’s divine power; it was no exaggeration to say that every last drop was highly poisonous.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
The ground cracked, and water rose up from underground and mixed with the downpour, drastically raising the water level and creating a great flood.
“Whoa. Damn. This is my home, but it’s hard to tell whose it is anymore,” Taeul said with a dry chuckle, noticing how quickly Tiamat was gaining control over ‘Polaris’.
Smaaaaack―!
Even before they could reach Tiamat’s left eye, the White Tiger was knocked away as if they had been hit in the waist by something invisible and colossal, rolling across the ground. The ice ray that the Black Tortoise had fired was weakened by the downpour, and died out even before it could hit Tiamat.
『Krrrrr!』
The Black Tortoise growled at the sky in discontentment, but they could not fly upward because of the powerful rainstorm that kept them trapped on the ground, crushing them little by little. Sturdy shell fragments flew into the air, and their flesh and muscles were ground to a pulp, making their body tilt to one side.
Thud...!
It was as if the demonic creatures were trapped in a robust and narrow metal cell. The White Tiger also struggled desperately to stand up, but was unable to move an inch; it was as if they were chained up by metal chains, their entire body turning bloody in a flash.
『Even though you talked all big, calling yourselves great demonic creatures or something, you’re all pathetic. Blame your misfortune for meeting the wrong master.』
However, just as Tiamat was about to deliver her sentence to the two great demonic creatures in a solemn voice...
“I heard dragons have something called a reverse scale, and it’s also why our Azure Dragon plummeted. Then, is it the same for you too?”
...a voice rang out ominously from behind Tiamat.
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