Chapter 407: Star, Conflicts (7)

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[The countdown has been stopped for an unknown reason! The previous order of has been canceled!]

The countdown stopped with seven seconds remaining, leaving the Star Signs who had been ready to launch a full-scale attack very perplexed.

W-What in the world...?

Canceled?

W-Why is Twilight being mentioned here right now?!

All the magic circles that had been about to fire attacks at Clio City were also deactivated, causing the Star Signs to panic. Meanwhile...

[The Divine Ground ‘Twilight-Setting Battlefield’ has opened!]

The scarlet sunset that was descending from the dome-shaped ceiling gradually grew more vivid, and the situation in Clio City completely turned around.

S-Shit! I should run...!

Some of the Star Signs realized that it was their turn for the infamous [Execution Sword] Divine Trial, so the moment they realized that, they immediately tried to flee from the city.

Thump, thump, thump!

However, they were soon stopped by an invisible barrier.

Open! Open it up!

Shiiiit!

Their attempts to teleport were also canceled, worsening their panic. In the meantime, the installation of Chang-Sun’s divine ground concluded, manifesting a wasteland.

N-No...!

[All of the criminals in the range of the Authority ‘Execution Sword’ have been forcibly summoned!]

[The Celestial ‘Hydrus’ has appeared in his true form!]

[The Celestial ‘Lacerta’ has appeared in his true form!]

...

Numerous weapons were embedded in the ground like tombstones, and a faded flag flew above them. There was something about the thick burning smell and stench of blood in the lonely battlefield that sent shivers down the Star Signs’ spines.

T-Twilight is really here...!

But he’s supposed to be with the Alliance now!

[The Celestial ‘Hydrus’ turns pale due to fear!]

[The Celestial ‘Lacerta’ scours the area to look for an escape route!]

The Star Signs realized that their connections to had been irreversibly severed, so they were noticeably taken aback.

“I see quite a lot of familiar faces.”

As a gale of sandy wind blew, Chang-Sun appeared with the metal mask on his face, watching the twenty-seven Star Signs who were forced to appear in their true forms. Each Star Sign had a distinct appearance that was similar to their Divine Name. Some of them looked like animals while some of the others resembled humans.

However, the looks on their faces were the same—terror. The Star Signs like ‘Hydrus’ and ‘Lacerta’ had almost been killed by Chang-Sun before, so they were especially terrified. On top of that, the news of Antares the ‘Scorpio’ was now well known within , so the name of ‘Divine Twilight’ was currently a taboo in the .

Maybe because Chang-Sun sensed their fear, he laughed quietly, but it sounded as loud as thunder to the Star Signs who were constrained in this place.

“Since you’ve all tasted the terror that you tried to bring to mortals. How does it feel?” Chang-Sun sneered, although it wasn’t the real reason behind his sneer.

Up until a moment ago, the Star Signs had been pompously enjoying how the citizens of Clio City had been struck with terror. When the Star Signs ended up in the citizens’ boots, they were trembling and begging for their lives, so the whole sight was ludicrous.

Since the Star Signs were aware of how pathetic they were, some of their faces reddened in humiliation, but no one could say anything back or react against what Chang-Sun said. If they came forward right now, they might end up being the first victim, so their eyes wandered as they read the air.

How... How did you avoid the other ‘eyes’ and get to Arcadia?

However, Alioth the ‘Ursa Major’ furiously cried out with a reddened face, realizing that Chang-Sun had been playing with him all this time. Alioth would either die here or be killed by Sadalmelik anyway, so the least he could do was make a last-ditch effort. Besides, he had an ace up his sleeve that he had not told the others about. He tightened the grip on the potion bottle in his inner pocket.

“Does it matter right now?” Chang-Sun asked, tilting his head.

It matters to me! Answer me! How did you get to Arcadia?!

“Well...” Chang-Sun began, his [Gnostic Eye] blazing brilliantly.

Whoosh!

“Why don’t you find out in the Bottomless Void?” Chang-Sun concluded as he drew [Balmung], which happened to be in close proximity to him.

At the same time, the black and white energies that had been circling around him flew up like lightning sparks and spread in every direction. Some of the sparks coalesced into the torso of a Cataclysm Celestial, a Giant that appeared behind Chang-Sun.

[The middle volume of ‘Prelati’s Spellbook’ has been opened!]

In the right hand of the Giant was a colossal spear of , and in its left was a huge sword of supreme sacred light. It let out a roar.

Roaaaar―!

[The third chapter ‘Jūs Postrémo’ has been applied, manifesting an Abomination!]

The energy that Chang-Sun unleashed spread outward, dyed in the color of sunset. It suffocated the Star Signs’ souls so thoroughly that they shivered. Chang-Sun then fiercely swung [Balmung] at them.

Rummmble!

The Giant crossed its spear and sword when Chang-Sun made a move. The mix of and supreme sacred light created Duskfall rays that struck where the Star Signs had been.

Run―!

The Star Signs hurriedly fled in all directions. Smiling coldly, Chang-Sun changed the course of his attack and swung [Balmung] downward; the Duskfall rays also fell at a perpendicular angle, striking the ground where Rakerta the ‘Lacerta’ was. Rakerta furtively looked behind him, and realized that a scarlet shadow had been cast over him.

N-No...!

Thuuuud!

Boom, boom, boom!

Rumble...!

Rakerta vanished in the Duskfall ray before he could even put up a fight.

[The Celestial ‘Lacerta’ has been arrested!]

At the same time, a pillar of fire rose from where Rakerta had been. A storm that kicked up clouds of dust raged across the entire space, and new lightning bolts struck the ground unceasingly.

Booom! Booom! Boooom!

The blindingly bright, continuous bombardment of sunset-colored rays was so destructive that the Star Signs could not even regain their balance.

[The Celestial ‘Hydrus’ has been arrested!]

[The Celestial ‘Pictor’ has been arrested!]

...

Ding!

Ding!

Notification sounds rang and messages appeared without end.

‘It’s like whack-a-mole,’

Chang-Sun thought casually; if they were to hear that, the Star Signs would no doubt be furious.

Chang-Sun drew [Nothung], which was close to his left foot. He remarked, “I haven’t even gotten started yet, so you shouldn’t be tired already.”

...!

...!

W-What...? This isn’t the end...?!

Chang-Sun paid no heed to their confusion and swung [Nothung] powerfully, intending to end things once and for all with this attack. The ground soared, burying the Star Signs in a tsunami of soil.

Arrgggh!

S-Save me...!

Rummmmble―!

[Many Star Signs have been arrested!]

Just then...

Paah!

[The Celestial ‘Ursa Major’ is going to resist the arrest by combusting his !]

Something flickered brightly from beneath the landslide.

Thuuuud―!

Alioth destroyed the tsunami of soil and threw himself at Chang-Sun, his shining brightly enough to fill the entire divine ground.

Thud, thud, thud!

His every footstep left a huge hole in the ground, causing it to tremble violently.

Watching Alioth charging at him like a violent bull, Chang-Sun’s eyes gleamed as he exclaimed in surprise, “Whoa?”

* * *

D-Don’t kill me...!

In the end, Alioth’s resistance ended without yielding any significant results. Even though Alioth had combusted his to go up against Chang-Sun, the difference in levels between him and Chang-Sun was not something that could be bridged just like that. Half of Alioth’s body was gone, emitting black smoke, but he grabbed onto Chang-Sun’s clothes desperately.

Of course, Chang-Sun remained indifferent. Regardless, he did not end Alioth right away because there was something that he wanted to know from Alioth. Thus, he let go of the two slayer swords, which were protruding from Alioth’s chest in a cross-shaped arrangement, and crouched down.

“You acted as if you were ready to give all your organs to Sadalmelik though. The fear of annihilation must have scared you a lot, huh?” Chang-Sun scoffed.

Alioth’s hands trembled. Although he thought he had embraced death when he drank the potion, the fear of imminent death was too strong.

P-Please...!

“I’m sorry to tell you this, but there’s no way for you to recover now,” Chang-Sun said with a shrug.

𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

N-No...!

“But if you’re fine with simply not dying, then there is a way,” Chang-Sun continued.

I’ll d-do anything...!

Alioth’s desperate plea to spare his life was laughable to Chang-Sun. Despite all their grand speeches about loyalty and trust, Chang-Sun saw once again that those qualities were meaningless within

“How did you manage to combust your ?” Chang-Sun asked.

Chang-Sun had immediately subdued Alioth, but the latter had been very strong after unleashing his dormant power, to a level that surprised Chang-Sun.

With the p-potion that L-Lady Sadalmelik...!

Chang-Sun’s eyes gleamed. He finished, “You were able to do it by drinking the potion that Sadalmelik gave you?”

Alioth nodded fervently.

“Does that woman still have the potion?” Chang-Sun asked.

A l-lo...!

“She has a lot of them?” Chang-Sun finished.

Alioth nodded frantically once again.

“I see,” Chang-Sun said with a cold smile, stroking his chin. It seemed that he had found a very useful piece of information.

‘Sadalmelik restored [Gaia’s Curse], huh?’

Chang-Sun thought.

Even Antares had failed in mass-producing [Gaia’s Curse], but Sadalmelik had succeeded, although her products were an inferior version of [Gaia’s Curse]... No, she was using her [Gaia’s Curse] for other purposes.

The potion Alioth had used was a modified version of [Gaia’s Curse]. The curse had originally been limited to disintegrating a Celestial’s , but Sadalmelik’s potion allowed the consumer to unleash their dormant power using the disintegrating as fuel. Its side effect was death, but it was perfect for self-detonation.

‘There are some flaws, which may be because it’s in the trial stage, but it’ll be quite dangerous if the flaws are fixed.’

Although Chang-Sun knew that Sadalmelik was a brilliant alchemist, he had not thought that she would be this good. If she completed the potion, she would be able to create an extremely powerful army, even though it would be disposable. Nevertheless, its mere presence would make a big difference.

‘Of course, her current forces are all gone now.’

How would Sadalmelik react after finding out that all her subordinates had been killed one morning? Chang-Sun hoped that she would not faint out of shock, because he had to shred her to death himself. With that thought, he looked up at the sky.

Rattle―!

As pulleys turned audibly, the tattered Alioth floated up into the air, bound by Divine Steel chains.

[A Divine Trial has begun!]

[27 defendants stand before the court.]

[The ‘eye in the darkness’ has opened!]