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Chapter 430: Star, Taurus (5)

Some time ago, in the Changgong Library, <Deus Ex Machina> once explained the mechanism of [Gaia’s Curse] to Chang-Sun.

“Many stories interpret Mother Terra Celestial as a benevolent mother, but... benevolent, my ass. Like some kind of predator, Terra gives birth to many lives, but she takes just as many!”

Mother Terra Celestial. Mothers were often depicted as benevolent figures, but they had more sides to them. They could be stern and even resort to physical punishment to educate their children[2]. Likewise, Mother Terra Celestial was the only one who could decide if her children needed punishment.

“The more civilizations develop, the less they worship her. With so many philosophical ideas and concepts being established, people learn to see the world from various angles.”

Civilizations that worshiped Mother Terra Celestial were usually considered primitive. The more advanced a civilization was, the more independent its people became, lessening their reliance on gods. That was exactly what enraged the Mother Terra Celestial.

“She couldn’t let that happen. A child leaves their mother’s arms upon reaching adulthood. Such is the natural flow of life. Unfortunately, that granny can’t wrap her head around it at all.”

‘And the stone is her wrath’s concentration.’ Jin Prezia quickly headed downstairs as he sorted out what he knew about the Nereid Stone.

Paah―!

“When she started all kinds of bullshit, she was shoved into somewhere hard to leave, but right before she was sealed, she made a frantic last-ditch effort that screwed so many things over—urgh! I’m sick of her!”

<Deus Ex Machina> and the others seemed to have sealed Mother Terra Celestial in a place that could stop her from going on a rampage again. However, she managed to leave quite a large mess all over the Great Universe before they succeeded, and the Nereid Stone was part of it. It was essentially one of her remains.

‘Master assumes that the Zodiacs can use [Gaia’s Curse] because of the Nereid Stone.’ Jin picked up the pace. ‘He’s probably right.’

Antares’ Divine Toxins, Sadalmelik’s <Myth> combustion potion... The Zodiacs could probably use [Gaia’s Curse] in their own ways. Considering their deep understanding of the Nereid Stone, Jin had to acquire it using any means necessary.

‘I should—’

Tap!

Jin stopped when he reached the lowest floor, getting goosebumps all over. His intuition, which he spent so long building up by living as a warrior, was warning him that going any further was dangerous.

‘... This is hard.’ Jin glanced past the corner of the wall.

Someone was swaggering down the hallway, letting out a long yawn and occasionally stretching. Jin couldn’t help chuckling. Although the person’s attitude seemed to be far from a guard’s, his eyes were undoubtedly sharp. Above all, Jin was too familiar with the person’s appearance. After all, he looked the same as his master, Sean li Arcadia, and Bel-Marduk.

Another Lee Chang-Sun was with him in that hallway.

‘Lee Chang-Sun can be replicated? Is this really okay? Countless Lee Chang-Suns... Is there even hope left for this Great Universe?’ Jin goofily thought but soon shook his head. He had to assess the difference between his level and the guard’s. ‘If I fight him head on... the most I can do is force a draw. I wouldn’t gain anything. What if I surprise him? Is that even possible?’

Jin’s mission wasn\'t to fight, and he was on the clock. If the guard captured him, he would be too ashamed to ever face Chang-Sun again.

‘I’ll attack him when he passes by...’ Jin tightened his grip on the [Winter King’s Greatsword].

Flash!

As he did, runes floated up from the greatsword’s surface. At the same time, a voice spoke in his head.

―Let me help you.

‘... Odin?’ Jin’s eyes widened. This was the last voice he expected to hear.

―Quite disrespectful of you to call me by my name. You’re technically my subject too. Even if you weren’t, have you forgotten who guided you down the path of a Celestial?

Jin felt wide awake. He remembered being right on the verge of <Exuviation> and <Transcendence> when he got stuck in a slump while his master and his other subordinates made progress every day. At the time, Odin was the one who led him to a new path. Since then, although his master was still Chang-Sun, he dedicated his Faith to Odin.

‘... Please forgive my rudeness,’ Jin apologized.

―That’s more like it.

Odin smiled in contentment.

―Use your divine power as I tell you to, and you’ll be able to remain undetected.

Having already personally experienced Odin’s miracle, Jin immediately circulated his divine power as ordered. After a while, he began to feel as if he was slightly levitating.

―Go now.

Unsure if it was okay, he cautiously took a step forward, and a guard passed by at the same time. Jin gulped as he locked his eyes with him.

Tap!

Fortunately, Odin’s instructions worked like a charm. As if Jin didn’t exist, the guard just narrowly brushed past him. Knowing how sharp Chang-Sun’s senses were only deepened his surprise.

‘How in the world did you do it?’ Jin asked Odin.

―We might be from different Worldlines, but Twilight and I have the same kind of souls. I can easily analyze the Codes that make up their divine power and devise a magic formula that would keep them from detecting me.

Jin felt a shiver run down his spine. Chang-Sun was an exceptional warrior and wizard, but he was no match for the depth of Odin’s skill. What in the world was a Celestial King? Was Odin special even among them or did he become a Celestial King because he was special?

―What are you doing? Hurry along now.

‘... Yes, sir.’ Jin walked across the hallway, doing his best not to ask the question in his mind.

Going further inside, he found all sorts of bizarre lab equipment and numerous body part specimens.

―He’s studying ■■■ by ■■■ with ■■■■ of ■■.

Odin observed the area with interest as he muttered to himself. However, Jin couldn’t understand most of what he said.

‘I’m not sure what you’re talking about.’

―I would guess so. Since you lack gnosis, the law of causality would censor a lot of things for you. How do I explain this? Hmm, to sum it all up... ah, it should be safe to think of this as a study of autonomy.

‘... Autonomy?’ Jin murmured.

A memory flashed in Jin’s mind. The <Transcendence> of Celestials and all the other transcendental beings was incomplete. They were still bound to their Worldline’s law of nature.

―To be more precise, the study is about disassembling several laws that restrict existing beings. I used to give the idea serious thought, but he seems to have applied ■■ ■■■ ■ using ■■■■ and ■■■.

Odin kept muttering to himself, finding everything around them quite interesting. Jin could make out some parts in the beginning, but when Odin went on, he couldn’t understand anything anymore. Hence, Jin stopped paying attention.

―I haven’t thought about using ■■■■ in reverse. It’s ■■. Backgrounds are the same even in different Worldlines, huh? For autonomy, one certainly has to defy the origin and ■■...

Odin’s mutterings at least taught Jin one thing: Bel-Marduk’s research was so exceptional that even Odin found it intriguing. Considering how deep Bel-Marduk’s knowledge was, Jin couldn’t help but feel as if Chang-Sun would have a tough time against him.

―I knew it. I was right to take a look at this myself.

Meanwhile, Jin reached the research wing’s innermost part. He ran into a couple of researchers and guards on his way, but no one detected him. Odin helped Jin pass through areas that required clearances.

Jin gasped when he arrived. ‘... You’ve got to be kidding me.’

―They’re the subjects of the experiment.

Numerous glass chambers were lined up on both sides of a relatively narrow, sealed room, and Lee Chang-Sun was in every one of them, connected to a hose from the upper part of the glass chamber. Some seemed to be at peace and in deep slumber, while others were grimacing in pain. Some were also missing limbs or covered in bizarre cell masses, making it hard for JIn to tell if they were Chang-Sun as well.

‘You’re telling me that they’re the guinea pigs for the autonomy research or something?’ Jin asked.

―Something along that line, yes. Obtaining autonomy and oneness through experiments hasn’t been explored yet, which means a lot of the necessary experiments haven’t been verified. Experimenting on himself would have been quite risky.

Jin thought about destroying all the glass chambers. These people were his masters but not his masters at the same time. They reminded him of his old self, the one who was trapped at the Changgwi Cave.

‘... I’m sorry. I’ll save all of you soon.’

However, Jin couldn’t just abandon his mission. As if he didn’t see them, he quickly walked past and reached the center of the room.

―Is the Nereid Stone this research’s main element? What is its mechanism? I don’t have the slightest idea about this one.

In the middle of it all stood a four-meter-tall monolith that was connected to dozens of glass chambers. It looked so grotesque that it seemed to have been made by compressing all sorts of monsters at once. Some of the monsters’ faces and limbs even bulged out and drooped down. However, its most shocking part was mind-blowingly ominous.

Oooooong!

―A mind curse that can even affect a Celestial? Ha! It’s the raw material for [Gaia’s Curse] for a good reason!

Returning to his senses, Jin realized that he was reaching out for the Nereid stone. He had no idea what would have happened if Odin didn’t use his rune magic to stop him.

―You better be careful. That monolith appears to specialize in manipulating minds, so don’t even think about touching it.

Jin nodded. ‘Yes, sir.’

―Proceed with the plan for now. Transfer it to [King’s Treasury].

As instructed, Jin installed the warp gate that led to [King’s Treasury] below the Nereid Stone.

Paah!

At the same time, a shadow loomed over the stone.

Jin quickly turned back.

“I was wondering why I kept feeling icky. It seems we have a rat here.”

With gleaming eyes, Lee Chang-Sun, the first guard Jin ran into in the research wing, swung his sword at him.

‘When in the world did he get here?’ Jin thought. He reached for the [Winter King’s Greatsword] to fight back, but he was too late. The guard was already about to hit the center of his forehead.

Claaang!

Before Jin could get injured, something flew up from below, deflecting the guard’s sword perpendicularly.

The guard’s eyes widened in surprise. “What—”

Snap!

His head violently twisted in the opposite direction. Seeing someone who looked like Chang-Sun hanging out his tongue shocked Jin.

Thump!

The guard lifelessly fell to the ground, revealing another Lee Chang-Sun behind him.

“Seriously. He’s cumbersomely sharp.” The new Chang-Sun brushed off the dust on his hands as he clicked his tongue. He then looked at the corpse, noticing its eyes were already so cold that they no longer had even a trace of emotion in them.

Jin quickly activated the installed warp gate to put the Nereid Stone in [King’s Treasury]. At the same time, he distanced himself from the new Chang-Sun and pointed the [Winter King’s Greatsword], which let out a clear echo, at him.

“What is the meaning of this?” the new Chang-Sun frowned, not liking what Jin was doing.

Unable to answer, Jin tightened his grip on the [Winter King’s Greatsword]. The suffocating tension created by the new Chang-Sun made it hard for him to collect his bearings.

Jin was scared. The new Chang-Sun terrified him far more than the Nereid Stone, which possessed [Gaia’s Curse]. What kind of choices would his master have to make to become like this new Chang-Sun? Even Bel-Marduk likely wasn’t comparable to him.

‘Who in the world is he? An experiment? Someone like him can’t possibly be artificially made! ‘Taurus’ would have already set him loose otherwise!’

Jin’s thoughts jumbled up, leaving him with only one plausible option in his fight against the Chang-Sun before him.

‘Sir, can you please help me? What should I do?’ he asked, hoping that the god he dedicated his Faith to would have a solution.

“Hmm?” The new Chang-Sun raised one of his eyebrows. He then suddenly chuckled. “I see. You don’t recognize me.”

―I see. You don’t recognize me.

The new Chang-Sun’s voice and Odin’s voice in Jin’s head overlapped. The new Chang-Sun then started to transform. His face wrinkled up, and his hair grew longer and turned gray. An eyepatch showed up in the air and covered one of his eyes. A large magic staff appeared as well, which he used to help him keep standing.

Paah!

A starry [Gnostic Eye] then appeared in the new Chang-Sun’s eyes, rendering Jin speechless. The abnormal turn of events made him blank out.

“Can you recognize me now?”

―Can you recognize me now?

Odin, the ‘Cane-Holding Father of Warriors,’ grinned.

1. Nereid is one of the children of the sea god Nereus in Greek mythology, but here it means wrath ?

2. The usage of physical punishment for children’s education was very common in Korea, but the practice eventually died out because it has been socially acknowledged that there is a very thin line between physical punishment and child abuse. ?