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Chapter 316: Star, the Door (1)

[Your Subordinate ‘Sinmara’ is engaging in an intense battle against the Player ‘Munseong’!]

In the battle between Munseong and Sinmara, Munseong had the upper hand, as he had a higher Divine Class. However, Sinmara did not yield and continued to fight at close range against him.

Sinmara’s exceptional fighting techniques were what made it possible to resist in the first place; however, the most important thing was that her fighting spirit was blazing, and she never stopped attacking. Even though her arm was cut off, she leaned in closer to Munseong as if she was urging him to try chopping her head off. Even though her ax was smashed, she just headbutted him.

「Hahahaha! You’re really different from that idiot named Heoju! It’s like a cat gave birth to a tiger! It’s funny! So funny!」

Sinmara was bleeding profusely, and yet her eyes were filled with joy. Her ferocity in battle even managed to shock Munseong. Perhaps because of that, Jin Prezia had taken a step backward from the battle and begun acting as an observer. The only thing he did was sporadically assist Sinmara in deflecting attacks would put her in serious danger.

‘I’m weak,’ Jin thought, feeling that he had to admit his incompetence. Even if he joined the battle, he would only be a hindrance for Sinmara. It seemed as if there was nowhere he belonged. ‘Power! If only I were stronger…!’

Jin had a strong thirst for power. When he acquired the [Lion Demon Face], he had felt as if he could do anything he wanted, but now that he thought of it, he realized that he had merely been a big fish in a little pond.

Chang-Sun and Sinmara both had acquired Divine Classes in the past, so their Classes had increased—no, they had been quickly restored. However, Jin had been and was still a mortal. The whole situation frustrated him, and he felt as if he had run into a wall. Although he had come this far with a good master, he could not proceed any further. He had to take the next step on his own.

The problem was that Jin had no idea what to do, making angry. From now on, he and his group would run into much stronger enemies, but the fact that he could not help Chang-Sun at all made him anxious.

‘If only someone could show me the way…!’ Jin thought, his grip on the [Frost King’s Greatsword] tightening.

Kieeeeeeh―!

“…!” Jin hurriedly turned in the opposite direction after hearing a bone-chilling, ghostly wail. The deathly scream terrified him even though he was an Undead himself, and he had to turn back and see where it was coming from.

[A storm of Divine Class rages!]

At that moment, Jin saw a lightning storm containing countless contorted spirits, swirling around Chang-Sun—no, a monster who wore Chang-Sun’s face. The monster certainly looked like Chang-Sun, but Jin was certain that it could not truly be him. The insidious and ominous aura the monster exuded was indescribable.

Above all, the monster’s Divine Class was on another level. After recovering his Divine Name of ‘Divine Twilight’, Chang-Sun’s Divine Class was undoubtedly higher than that of most Celestials, but even that Divine Class was incomparable to this monster’s Class; it resembled that of a king who superseded the level of a Celestial and oversaw a world!

―Malefic.

It was as if that word had manifested above his head. Perhaps this was how it felt to meet a Conceptual Celestial, a being that represented a concept and was a law unto itself…

No, a Conceptual Celestial normally lacked a form, so it seemed the current Chang-Sun had to be called with a different name. What was it? What would be the most apt description of Chang-Sun?

At that moment, a phrase flashed through Jin’s mind. ‘A Celestial King…!’

Some time ago, Jin had heard the legend that once in a blue moon, a ruler was born in <Heaven> who reigned over deities. Such a ruler was a being not even <Stars> could dare to challenge. Thus, Celestials would call them ‘Celestial King’ in tribute, desperately wishing for them to reach the distant seat of a Celestial Emperor.

However, no such figure had been born in recent memory, so the legend was treated as an old wives’ tale even in <Heaven>. And yet, if a Celestial King truly appeared, they would look like the monster standing before Jin; merely looking at it made his skin sting.

Right at that moment, Jin, who had been enduring steadfastly out of pride and spite, completely succumbed.

―Praise!

―Surrender!

―Worship!

A king who had ruled over Celestials in the distant past was the epitome of arrogance. Such a being would feel no need to be associated with lowly beings, to the point of feeling disgust at even being in the same room with lesser creatures. No one would dare to meet such a king’s gaze, let alone stand at their side. That was why Jin was feeling such a rush of emotions.

「King…!」

Jin kneeled on one knee and bowed to the Celestial King who had descended on this land after an eternity. It was the best possible way to express his reverence and surrender. On the other hand, he felt frustrated once again after realizing that he was simply an inadequate soldier before such an insurmountably powerful Celestial King.

Swish, swoosh, swish…!

Whoosh―!

The storm of Class raging around Chang-Sun only intensified. Munseong shoved Sinmara away, looking at Chang-Sun with an even colder gaze than before.

[One of the severed Channelings has temporarily been restored.]

…

[The Celestial ‘Abyss-Chasing Great Devil’ observes his student with mixed emotions!]

* * *

『‘Abyss-Chasing Great Devil’, hm?』

Chang-Sun held his head high as ‘he’ spoke. Although the voice emerged from his mouth, it did not belong to him. It came from a higher-dimensional being deep in his soul. ‘Chang-Sun’ continued.

『I have heard of you before. In the first universe, a realm completely different from mine, there was a human who worshiped <Dull Darkness>. He ate an ancient devil and became an Outer Celestial himself to grow closer to <Dull Darkness>.』

The <Darkness> that had been leaking out of the gradually opening door dyed the world pitch-black. The mirror maze was gone, replaced by a night sky completely bereft of stars.

Meanwhile, many monsters prepared to rise into the world in pursuit of that sky, the <Darkness>. Those monsters had appearances and physiques that could not possibly exist according to the laws of this universe. Some had limbs in impossible places, while others resembled great, hundred-eyed spheres. Many of them resembled creatures from dreams born of the deepest slumber.

However, Chang-Sun—no, Odin in Chang-Sun’s body—paid little heed to those monsters, treating them as insignificant. His sole focus was on Mephistopheles, who was the only one observing this place from beyond.

[The Celestial ‘Abyss-Chasing Great Devil’ quietly observes his student.]

Mephistopheles barely noticed Odin’s reaction. As if he was urging Chang-Sun to fulfill the assignment provided by him and <Deus Ex Machina>, he continued to watch silently.

However, it did not seem as if Odin expected a response. Crossing his arms, he quietly chuckled.

『Well, there is no reason to bother getting on your bad side, as you seem to have no intention of interfering with my work here. Besides, you are one of the few people who are closest to the secrets of the universes. The more acquainted I become, the more gnosis I will be able to accumulate. I respect and acknowledge your power.』

Respect. Acknowledgment. Odin was famous for his arrogance, so he had rarely acknowledged a person so readily even during his prime. That indicated how highly Odin thought of Mephistopheles; perhaps he even saw the other as comparable to Bestla, whom he held in greater esteem than a teacher.

『On the other hand, a lowly bug down here dares to observe me.』

Odin slowly looked downward.

Indeed, Munseong was staying vigilant against Odin. As the door continued opening, he had been planning to jump directly into it at the right moment. However, the air around Chang-Sun had suddenly changed; thus, Munseong came to the conclusion that it would be difficult to proceed with his plan. Thus, he had started trying to anticipate Odin’s next move.

From within Chang-Sun, Odin, found Munseong’s attempt unpleasant.

『You don’t even recognize who I am. I think it’s better to pluck out your useless eyeballs here and now.』

At that moment, one of Odin’s eyes shone.

Paah!

[Your ‘Gnostic Eye’ has opened!]

Although Chang-Sun had only been using [Gnostic Eye] to find a solution in times of danger, that was actually not its only use.

[True Gnostic Eye]

An eye used by the old Celestial ‘Cane-Holding Father of Warriors’. He is the Celestial of magic and rapture, but he sacrificed one of his eyes to drink from the spring of wisdom guarded by Mimir. In return, the old Celestial can see all the laws of nature through his other eye. When he enters a trance by concentrating deeply, everything within his sight falls under his control.

“Do not dare to meet the old king’s eyes. The moment you meet his eyes, your soul will already belong to the king.”

· Type: Divine Authority. Signature.

· Effect: Area Control. Forced Submission. Law of Nature Manipulation. Magic Amplification.

A Signature was a Divine Authority that was created only after a Celestial successfully manifested their own concept by merging their Divine Rank, <Myth>, and Divine Class. [Gnostic Eye] was Odin’s Signature, which had the power to manipulate the laws of nature within his sight.

『I’ll have to get rid of these obnoxious vermin. Tear apart.』

The moment Odin said the phrase, the storm of his Divine Class raged everywhere.

The gray storm intensified and indiscriminately tore up everything in its path; the monsters and the <Darkness> haze were no exception.

Drip!

Only the scraps of flesh that fell to the ground indicated that the monsters had even been there before.

“…!” Munseong was shocked.

All the monsters that had emerged from the door were the emotional residue that poured out of the dreams of <Dull Darkness>, so every one of them was comparable to a Celestial. They were powerful enough to bring a civilization to <Extinction> with ease, but Odin had wiped them out with one command.

Munseong had a rough idea of what that was: An Absolute Command, a Celestial King’s power to manipulate the laws of a universe according to their will. Munseong had been more confident about his ability than anyone else, but that was no longer the case. [Monster Excursion] was going off like a siren in his head.

‘It’s dangerous!’

Munseong thought.

As such, he quickly activated [Windstalking Tiger] and retreated backward. Even though he could have a chance against ‘Divine Twilight’, Chang-Sun had become someone entirely new, who was far above Munseong’s level. The word ‘helplessness’ flashed through his mind.

Finding Munseong’s effort pathetic, Odin scoffed and spoke a new Absolute Command.

『Kneel.』

At that moment, the gray storm, which had spread everywhere, turned into a giant wall and fell on top of Munseong’s shoulders.

Thud…!

The Spiritual Pressure that emanated from it was indescribably strong. Munseong tried to hold out, but the pressure intensified; it felt almost as if Odin were laughing at him.

“Keough!” Munseong gritted his teeth, blood leaking from his mouth. Nevertheless, he swallowed it down and tried to escape from Odin’s attack range.

However, the problem was that Odin’s sight was completely different from an ordinary human’s. It extended to any area he could perceive with his senses..

『Whoa! So there really is a reason why you survived this long, huh?』

Odin stroked his chin as he made his remark, finding Munseong quite impressive. He had believed that Munseong would kiss the ground right away, but he had endured it longer than Odin expected. Odin changed his assessment of Munseong from a ‘pest’ to a ‘cockroach’.

『Then try enduring this too. Let’s see how long you can do this. Slam your head into the ground.』

Boom…!

As if someone had hit him in the back with a blunt weapon, Munseong fell face-first to the ground. However, he continued pushing against the ground, trying to avoid the humiliation of kissing the ground.

Of course, Odin would not sit by idly.

『You still have an attitude. Slam your head harder.』

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Thuddd!

The Spiritual Pressure multiplied, and Munseong was completely pinned down to the ground. Each and every joint in his body twisted at a bizarre angle, and he had to suffer the humiliation of prostrating on the ground. He wanted to scream or say something, but he could not; even his lungs and vocal cords were pushed down, unable to make a single sound. On top of that, his Divine Class was also restricted, so the only thing he could do was tremble.

『Hahahaha! You look like a frog thrown against the ground.』

Tap, tap―!

With his arms crossed, Odin slowly walked toward Munseong. The closer he drew, the more the Spiritual Pressure Munseong had to endure amplified. Now he and his Divine Class were practically being mashed to a pulp.

『Do you get it now?』

Tap!

As Odin reached Munseong, he raised his right foot and stamped down on the back of Munseong’s head.

Right at that moment, Munseong could not know the expression on Odin’s face as his head had been shoved into the ground, but he could vividly picture it without even looking at Odin. When he remembered Odin’s arrogance, a mix of emotions, including humiliation and shame, emerged from Munseong’s heart; however, there was nothing he could do. Odin was not an obstacle Munseong could surmount.

With his [Gnostic Eye] wide open, Odin arrogantly looked down at Munseong as he sneered.

『This is what you should do when you’re in my presence.』