Chapter 532: Star, the Beast (3)

―How could ‘Divine Twilight’ hack our Main Cloud Server?

Richardus and the other members of the Grand Heaven League all had the same question in their minds. Avalokitesvara and the many other Worldline #801 Celestials who held a grudge against the Grand Heaven League had been searching for them, but they had always ended up empty-handed. On the other hand, Chang-Sun easily tracked down their Main Cloud Server and Sun Wukong’s location.

They could only think of one possible answer.

―We might have a traitor among us.

The Grand Heaven League knew that Chang-Sun was now a Celestial King. After all, the spies that they had planted in the United Army had been delivering them reports in real-time. What they didn’t know was that Chang-Sun had a [Foretelling Eye] and that [Wait], his subordinate, operated in the Outer Universe.

Unaware that Chang-Sun could mimic omniscience using his [Foretelling Eye] and [Wait]’s calculation abilities, they naturally doubted each other. They were even ready to attack each other if necessary. However, they did have a prime suspect.

Richardus gritted his teeth.

‘Not this again.’

Some people had the decency to only subtly glance at him, but the others didn’t even try to hide the fact that they were keeping an eye on him, doubting him for formerly being a close friend of Chang-Sun.

‘They still see me that way even though I took out the heart of the Emperor's Seat in the myself?’

Richardus was naturally annoyed. Due to his past, whenever something happened, he was always everyone’s prime suspect. That was even more evident now that Chang-Sun had become the Celestial King. From their perspective, Richardus would have no problem betraying the Grand Heaven League since he had already done the same to Chang-Sun and the Emperor's Seat.

Hoping to avoid the risk of his colleagues betraying him before they could rescue Sun Wukong, Richardus tried to say something to them. However, before he could say anything, Eunuch Star sent him a telepathic message.

『

Hohoho

, why don’t we keep quiet for the time being?』

Richardus raised one of his eyebrows.『What?』

『Whatever you say will just make them more suspicious of you. Let them believe whatever they want to believe.』 Eunuch Star giggled. 『

Hohoho

! They aren’t entirely wrong anyway, are they?』

Eunuch Star’s laughter unusually got on his nerves today. Nevertheless, Richardus chuckled. 『Well, you’re right.』

Richardus joined the Grand Heaven League after betraying Chang-Sun and the Emperor's Seat for a very simple reason. The Grand Heaven League’s ideal? Their goal? Although they believed themselves to be noble, they were just a group of terrorists in his eyes. He only joined them because they were quite strong.

When Richardus stormed out of his family, he realized that the only thing he could rely on in this world was his own power. That was why he had been wishing to reach the highest level and searching for the quickest way to become stronger.

Richardus was a lion, the king of animals, and he needed a power and class that were worthy of him. For that reason, he had been using the Grand Heaven League as a stepping stone to rise higher.

Not long after, he concluded that if chaos were to take place here, then he would still benefit from it. After all, he could use it as an opportunity to reach higher.

With that in mind, Richardus now felt much calmer than before.

‘If they still annoy me after all this...’

He smiled crookedly as his eyes gleamed with madness.

‘I’ll just eat them all.’

The lion within him was as hungry as always, but his fangs shone especially vicious today.

Looking at Richardus, Eunuch Star quietly laughed. However, his eyes were colder than ever.

‘He has outlived his use now.’

Eunuch Star had once thought that Richardus had the potential to be a ruler. Recently, however, he had been getting the impression that the potential he had seen before was disappearing.

Ever since Richardus had plucked out and eaten the heart of the Emperor's Seat, he had been obsessing over power. It only worsened when Chang-Sun defeated his Replicate before he could even put up a decent fight.

The composure Richardus had in the past was long gone. Now, he was constantly on edge, acting belligerent to the slightest hint of doubt or insult. It was obvious how he would have reacted if Eunuch Star hadn’t talked him down.

‘He would have ripped the one in front of him to shreds, yelling that they were judging him unfairly,’

Eunuch Star bitterly thought.

If he had let Richardus run rampant, they would have had to forget rescuing Sun Wukong. After all, Richardus’ actions would have triggered a fight within the league and ultimately turned them into Tiamat’s prey.

‘Who would have thought that the Main Cloud Server would be infected with [Gaia's Curse] when we came for the curse...? We can’t even use our Replicates anymore because of the infection. What a disaster.’

Chang-Sun had not only located the Grand Heaven League’s base and pulled out Sun Wukong. He had also dispersed [Gaia's Curse] in their base, preventing them from ever using it again.

It wasn’t out of loyalty that their members refused to give up on Sun Wukong and were trying to descend to Worldline #802. Rather, it was because the restoration of the Cloud Server was only possible with Sun Wukong!

‘Twilight... I know you want us to die in a fight against Tiamat, but it’s not going to be that easy.’

[... trying to descend...]

[... trying to descend...]

...

One after another, Grand Heaven League members showed up in the sky, forming an army large enough to turn an entire Worldline upside down. Since they had brought all their surviving clones with them, many of them looked alike.

‘With this move of yours, Tiamat, whom you’re trying to save, will end up getting hunted. I’ll also be taking Grand Heaven’s [Ruyi Jingu Bang],’

Eunuch Star thought.

Once he had thrown Richardus as bait to make the imminent disaster even more catastrophic, he would be taking Sun Wukong’s [Ruyi Jingu Bang], the Main Cloud Server’s key. If he couldn’t find a ruler to serve, he would simply have to become one.

‘You’re actually giving me a new opportunity... Hohoho!’

Eunuch Star sneered at Chang-Sun, who wasn’t around. However, as he did, he sensed something unpleasant rising from the ground.

Frowning, he looked below him. “

Hmm

...?”

Richardus and the other Grand Heaven League members, who had begun to fight Tiamat, felt the same way.

Ooooo―! Oooooo―!

Kieeeeeeeeh!

Ghost wails then echoed, surprising Eunuch Star. At the same time, the ground—no, the bottom of the Worldline, which was where Tiamat and the Divine Tree were rooted, began to shake violently.

Hissss, hissss―!

Sensing that something was off, Tiamat quickly looked up.

What. You. Do―!

The black fog circling her trembled as the space it occupied began to distort.

[The Celestial ‘Divine Twilight’ is using the ‘Small Wheel’ and his power as a Celestial King to establish a direct link between the Server of Worldline #802 and the External Server.]

[The exact coordinates to the External Server have not been found.]

[Warning! The External Server has not been verified. Unforeseen danger might be lying within it!]

[Proceed with the process?]

...

[You have chosen to proceed. Establishing the link by force.]

[You have insufficient resources.]

[You have used all your Causality to expedite the process.]

...

[The exact coordinates have been set! Initiating the link!]

The space distortion all over the fog spread and connected, creating a whirlpool that traveled downward.

Swoooosh!

Like water in a tub flowing into a drainage hole, the space was separated and sucked into the Worldline’s underground.

Where. Go.

Considering the space distortion swept away the Divine Tree, Tiamat, and even the black fog—which was heavily infused with [Gaia's Curse]—Sun Wukong and the Grand Heaven League members were naturally affected as well.

“Twilight...! What are you trying to do?!” Richardus muttered.

His experience told him that whenever Chang-Sun was up to something, disaster would always follow. Hence, he tried his hardest to find Chang-Sun. However, detecting his presence amid all the chaos proved impossible.

[Evicting all the targets outside Worldline #802 using the link!]

In the end, Richardus and Eunuch Star were also caught in the space distortion before they could even do anything.

[The Celestial ‘New Tian Shi Yuan’ has been sent to an unidentified world.]

...

[The world is a Solitary Dimension that has not earned the acknowledgment of Eros and Nyx.]

...

Richardus quickly looked up.

‘Solitary Dimension...?’

Solitary Dimensions didn’t belong in the Great Universe or anywhere else for that matter. Most of them originated from the leftover eggshell pieces that had been used for the universe’s creation. They were essentially hypothetical worlds or highly unstable dimensions that were bound to crumble down someday.

The Grand Heaven League’s Cloud Server was the Outer Universe’s Solitary Dimension, and it was made in the same way. However, it seemed there was another dimension apart from theirs.

Richardus found himself in a world where everything was turned upside down. Almost as if he was in a world of mirrors, the sky and the ground had switched places, and various-sized buildings were hanging above him. He could even see people walking between them. In this world, even right and left seemed to have been swapped.

Richardus, the Grand Heaven League members, and Tiamat the Beast soared from the ground—or the underground, according to this world’s perspective—and began falling to where the sky was. Considering everything was in reverse here, it could certainly be called the Mirror Dimension.

Richardus’ jaw dropped.

‘The Imaginary Plane! Am I in Star Signs’ home?’

The Imaginary Plane was the antivector world where all worked oppositely from those of the Great Universe. Actually being in this place, which he had only ever heard of, sent a shiver down his spine.

‘The reason he evicted us out of the Great Universe and sent us here is...’

Richardus finally understood Chang-Sun’s plan.

『Aren’t those people from the Great Universe? How did they get here?』

『What do you think you’re doing here?!』

『I don’t know how you got here, but you’re definitely not leaving this place unscathed!』

Pools of twinkling light showed up in the sky as numerous Star Signs flew toward Richardus and the others like reverse shooting stars. Taken aback by the sudden invasion, the Great Universe’s invaders quickly tried to stop Richardus and the others.

Regaining his balance proved difficult since this place’s functioned in the opposite way from the Great Universe. However, Richardus knew that failing to gather his bearings right now could kill him.

Before he could succeed, he clashed with a Star Sign aiming for his nape.

Booooooom!

The Imaginary Plane was swiftly engulfed in chaos.

Roooooar―!

At the same time, Tiamat began to respond to the turmoil.

***

As the Beast, Star Signs, and Grand Heaven League engaged in a melee, Chang-Sun approached his target—Richardus.

Chang-Sun’s eyes gleamed.

‘You won’t be able to escape this time.’