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Chapter 426: Star, Taurus (1)

A Milky Way slowly opened up above Bel-Marduk, slowly revealing a colossal sky city with a Babel Tower in the center. It looked like an impenetrable fortress.

“The Hyades[1]... It’s been a while since I last saw them.” Kali uncharacteristically, nervously gulped. The others tensed up as they silently nodded.

The Hyades, the army under Bel-Marduk’s direct command, was the most direct subject of their anger. They were the reason Bel-Marduk was still the Zodiac\'s leader—the reason he managed to trample over almost a hundred Worldlines.

They were so skilled that Tiamat and <Nammu> failed to put an end to them despite engaging in a long battle against them. Moreover, they also served as the insurmountable wall that Chang-Sun and the others ultimately failed to destroy.

That very army stayed in ‘Babylonia.’

Oooooong!

[‘Hyades,’ the army of the Celestial ‘Taurus,’ has appeared.]

A pillar of light struck down from the sky city to the ground, causing strong turbulence. One after another, the soldiers descended, emitting a faint glow.

Clink!

At the same time, the northern gate, one of the fortress’ four gates, swung wide open—a clear indication that the four protectors of Bel-Marduk’s city were about to roll in as well.

[The Subordinate ‘Enemy-Loathed Gate’ has appeared!]

Urash, the protector of the northern gate, was the first to head out.[2] Judging from her lethargic eyes and long yawn, the small woman seemed discontented to be here. Unbefitting her size, she was holding a huge, menacing scythe against her shoulder.

“I’ll handle her,” Kali immediately volunteered, fueled by her long history with Urash.

When the others nodded, she used Space Folding and reappeared before her opponent.

Paah!

Urash brightened up when she saw Kali, her lethargic appearance vanishing. As if genuinely glad to finally meet an old friend again, she sheepishly smiled. “Is that you, Kali? Woah! I heard you woke up again. It’s been such a long time.”

“Yeah, it’s been too long,” Kali replied, her expression remaining cold.

“Come on. You look too serious for someone claiming they’re glad to see me. You should smile more. Your smile is beautiful, Kali.”

“Unfortunately, I lost my smile for a while thanks to a certain someone.”

“You’re still living the hard life, huh?”

Kali nodded. “Of course.”

“I told you to stop with your asceticism. It’ll ruin your skin.” Urash wagged her index finger and clicked her tongue. “That’s it. You’ll keep ruining that beautiful face of yours if I leave you be. I’ll chop up every piece of you and use you as decor in my home. That should make it easy for other people to see you, which in turn would also stop you from getting lonely. What do you think?”

“I think you’re still a nutjob who can talk about batshit crazy things with ease.” Kali clenched her fists, getting ready to deliver her first attack, as her glare on Urash sharpened.

“You’re too mean. I said all of those things out of goodwill and as your friend. It’s an excellent deal if you really think about it. In fact, thanks to me, Chahen is still very beauti—!”

Slash―!

Something sharp cut Urash before she could finish her sentence.

Drip―!

Urash touched her left cheek with her fingers, smearing it with blood from a deep cut. If she didn’t instinctively turn her head to the side to dodge the attack, Kali’s swift attack could have cut through her entire face.

Kali sneered. “Bummer. I was going to chop you up nicely and make a necklace out of your skull.”

Urash smiled coldly as she tightened the grip on her large scythe. “If you want to die again, then I’ll make your wish come true. Once I have your head, I’ll pack your body and send it to Teacher. It’ll be perfect.”

Paah―!

Claaaang!

The two disappeared for a moment, then reappeared in the center again with Kali blocking Urash’s large scythe with a left knife-hand strike. The collision sent a shockwave sweeping through the area.

Creeeak―!

As the scythe slid down and pierced the ground, Urash closed in on Kali and threw a left jab. Kali ducked, dodging the attack, and pushed toward the pit of Urash’s stomach.

Thud!

Like a battering ram hitting a castle gate, Kali sharply thrust her elbow forward.

Booom―!

Craaaash!

Urash quickly pulled out her large scythe and tried to defend herself, but the attack shattered her large scythe as if it were made of glass, its fragments flying all over the place.

She couldn’t help but be shocked.

‘She’s stronger now!’

Kali wasn’t just physically stronger. Compared to who she was before her death, her martial prowess, techniques, efficiency... everything about her was a lot more advanced. It was as if she had gained a new, deep insight.

‘This is...’

Urash knew Kali very well—no, she could even say too well. They were taught by the same teacher and were close enough to call each other sisters. She knew everything about her, including her habits, preferences, and personality, and even her exact level. However, the Kali before her wasn’t anything like the one she used to know. It was as if she was now an entirely different being... like Durga, their mother and teacher!

‘... impossible!’

Paying Urash’s shock no attention, Kali continued her elbow thrust, finally hitting the pit of Urash’s stomach.

Booom!

The shock was so powerful that Urash felt as if it would destroy or pierce through her.

“Keough!” she groaned as she flew into the air.

Using this opportunity to further back her into a corner, Kali turned half a circle and tried to hit her temple with a knife-hand strike from the side. Every move she made was precise and efficient, something only a martial arts expert of her caliber could do.

However, Urash was a force to be reckoned with. Pushing through the immense shock coursing inside her, she grabbed Kali’s wrist and turned in the air. Like a snake climbing up a tree, she then jumped onto Kali’s arm and tried to kick her in the head.

Sensing that the incoming attack could snap her neck, Kali stomped on the ground with her right foot to catapult Urash away. Thick clouds of dust rose as the floor cracked, the sudden shift causing her to lose her balance and fall to the floor.

When Urash clung to her sleeve, Kali dug into the opening and struck her with the blade of her hand again. Urash quickly turned her head to the side to dodge, but before she could, Kali grabbed and pulled her hair, which was swaying in front of her.

“Ahhhhhh!” Urash shrieked as Kali kneed her in the face.

Crack!

With her face now caved in, Urash tried to run away. However, Kali tightened her hold on the back of her head and hit her face with knee after knee.

Smack, smack, smack!

Smaaaaack!

Smack, smack, smack―!

Horrible sounds echoed on the battlefield with each knee that hit Urash’s face. By the time she finally managed to look up, she was already a mess. Her nose bridge was broken, and most of her teeth were destroyed, completely erasing her lethargic yet subtly sexy appearance.

“Y-you crazy bitch!” Urash spitefully cursed at Kali after finally managing to pull herself together. Her mouth looked empty when she spoke.

Kali remained emotionless. “You still have the energy to talk, huh.”

She firmly grabbed Urash’s hair with her left hand and slapped her in the face with her right.

Slap, slap, slap!

Slaaaaaap!

Blood splattered as Urash’s broken teeth rolled on the ground.

* * *

Slap, slap, slaaaaap!

“Urgh! Urghhhh!” Xerxes flinched every time he heard Kali skillfully slap Urash. It was as if he was the one getting slapped.

Baek Gyeo-Ul, who flinched at the same time as his father, quietly turned back to Crom Cruach. “... Is she normally that terrifying when she fights, noo-nim?”

Gyeo-Ul thought that going through Durga’s training together with Kali taught him a lot about her, but this was his first time seeing this side of her.

Unlike the flinching father and son, Crom just calmly nodded. “She’s a lot more menacing right now, though. After all, Urash was the one who killed her sister.”

“Really?”

“Yes. You wouldn’t know about them, but Kali, Urash, and Chahen used to be known as Himavat’s Three Sisters.”

“I’ve heard about them,” Gyeo-Ul answered.

“Huh? You have?”

“I heard the story from the other ascetics during my training under Lady Durga,” Gyeo-Ul replied. Recalling what he heard little by little, he continued, “The reason Kali noo-nim stormed out of Himavat was to find the one who killed her sister... who was like her other half.”

“The one she was looking for was Urash.” Crom slowly pulled out a crystal ball that was as big as her head from her inner pocket.

The sky city’s eastern gate was beginning to open as well. Another one of its protectors was about to join the fight.

“Kali hunted down Urash as hard as she could, but when Urash became a subordinate of ‘Taurus,’ things became even more complicated. That was when Kali met Twilight,” Crom explained.

Gyeo-Ul nodded, watching Kali. “I see.”

He now felt as if he didn’t know much about Kali anymore. He wasn’t aware of what she had to go through in exact detail, but the fact that he failed to notice and console her despite being by her side for so long still weighed down on his heart.

Crom smiled mischievously as she looked at Gyeo-Ul from the side. ‘Is this... Is this what I think it is? My, my. It’s always the quiet ones!’

It was love! Kali was quite cunning. Despite showing no interest in romance, she got herself a tall and handsome younger man—no, Gyeo-Ul wasn’t just younger than her. He was young enough to be her nephew!

Moreover, he was gentle, and as Durga’s student and Xerxes’ son, his Divine Class was bound to reach great heights in the future. Even if Crom scoured the Great Universe, it would be very difficult to find another man like him.

‘Kali hit the jackpot.’ Crom grinned.

Unfortunately, Kali didn’t seem to have even an inkling about what was going on because she was only interested in her cultivation.

‘Hohohoho! Whoa, whoa. This is going to be so fun,’ Crom thought, realizing she made the right choice to wake up now. After all, it gave her the chance to witness a rosy romance on a battlefield filled with the smell of blood and ashes.

“That aside, can you repeat what you said earlier?”

Gyeo-Ul tilted his head in confusion. “... Is she... normally that terrifying when she fights...?”

“No, the one you said after that.”

“... Noo-nim?”

“Yes! That one! Can you say it again?” Crom asked with sparkling eyes.

“Noo...nim?”

“Hahahaha! That’s very pleasant to hear!” Crom beamed. “I like you! Keep calling me that.”

“Okay...” Gyeo-Ul nodded in bewilderment, unable to understand Crom’s reaction.

“... Noo-nim?” Xerxes questioned, finding the way Gyeo-Ul referred to Crom awkward.

Crom looked at Xerxes. “Why? Is there a problem? I like him calling me that.”

“... He should call you auntie[3].”

“Xerx.”

“Hm?” Xerxes answered.

Crom brightly smiled. “Would you like to go to sleep?”

“...”

“Shall I put you to eternal sleep myself?”

“... I’m sorry.” Xerxes bowed.

With the way his father reacted, Gyeo-Ul made a mental note never to get on Kali and Crom’s bad side.

1. A star cluster. ?

2. Although Urash\'s avatar was referred to with male pronouns in the Apostle Battle arc, she uses female pronouns. ?

3. This is about Gyeo-Ul using a name that is used for younger people. Although Koreans also like to emphasize how old they are to show their wisdom, they also like to be viewed as younger than their actual age. ?