Chapter 143: Star, The Stigma (8)
Batu’s eyes widened. Although he didn’t naively think he could kill Minerva with just one blow, he didn’t expect that it would be deflected either.
Woosh!
Batu turned his head to see where the other blow came from.
Ooong, ooong―!
When he did, he saw the [Yuchang Sword] angrily roaring and Chang-Sun, who was the reason Batu—no, the being that controlled Batu had to come to ‘Owl Nest.’
“Lee Chang-Sun…!” Batu angrily mumbled.
[Your mana supply has gone below 30%!]
[You have fallen into the ‘Dizzy’ state.]
[You have fallen into the ‘Lethargic’ state.]
[You have begun to feel greatly fatigued.]
…
[Replenishing your mana is advisable.]
[Grand achievement unlocked!]
“A Mortal that Awakened to Divinity.”
Reward: Intelligence +30. Willpower +25. Partially unlocked Divinity attributes.
[You have partially learned to use Divinity!]
[You have learned the <Celestial Fire>.]
[You can now partially use the faint light of stars.]
[You have learned the <Darkness>.]
[You can now partially use primordial darkness.]
…
[The ‘other twin’s eyes’ are looking in your direction!]
“Huff…?Hufff…!” Chang-Sun panted hard while soaked in sweat. He used every bit of his strength since the Crushing Blow he had to deflect was strong enough to threaten Minerva. As a result, he was now overwhelmed with fatigue. To top it all off, he activated the stigma, which he had barely stabilized, so two different types of divinities were currently clashing inside him.
Pzz, pzzz―!
The golden divinity of the ‘Gemini’ and Mephistopheles’ black divinity sparked around him, and the [Yuchang Sword] began to smoke. He had used almost all of his strength with the attack he had just delivered.
‘I really can’t do that again.’?Chang-Sun frowned.
Mortal bodies were so weak that it was amazing he didn’t pass out.
[The ‘Divine Punishment of Promachos’ has descended!]
Rumble!
Minerva turned in the opposite direction and slammed her spear to the ground, summoning a bolt of lightning from the sky and hitting the area where Batu had been. However, Batu had already disappeared and shown up a distance away from it.
『You activated the stigma! You used my divinity to neutralize my Crushing Blow to some extent, then took care of the rest using the Pale Star’s, huh? Using one type of divinity alone would have been difficult already, yet you skillfully used two?』
Batu’s face flickered like a broken TV because another face kept changing places with it. Chang-Sun knew quite well whose face it was: Pollux, the younger of the ‘Gemini’ twins.
『You are a genius!』
Batu transformed back to Pollux, showing eyes filled with violent madness. He didn’t seem to have any intention of speaking using an actual voice anymore.
『When my brother showed interest in you, I wondered why he bothered, but it appears he had a legitimate reason.』
One end of Pollux’s mouth curled up.
『Killing you with this doll is impossible in the first place!』
[The Celestial ‘Geminus’ has descended!]
The beta star of the star sign ‘Gemini’ shot a ray of light from the sky to Pollux, forming a halo under him. His opaque body became more vivid, and he infused his divine power into the [Zhan Lu Sword] in his hand, making it tremble profusely.
Paah!
『Come here!』
Pollux reached out to Chang-Sun with his left hand and created a giant whirlwind. An invisible hand bound Chang-Sun up and dragged him toward Pollux.
‘Damn it!’?Chang-Sun was picked up three centimeters in the air.
Although he tried to resist, it wasn’t easy to break away from a Zodiac’s grasp. However, the whirlwind that had been dragging Chang-Sun abruptly dispersed.
『How much longer are you going to deceive me? Since when have you been hiding among my subordinates?』
Minerva angrily growled, having interfered and destroyed the whirlwind. She abruptly turned and launched herself at Pollux like a predatory bird dropping straight down from the skies to the ground to snatch its prey.
『Well, do I have a reason to tell you that?』
Castor shrugged, and Minerva gave him a death glare.
『If you’re not going to talk, then I’ll make you.』
『Do your best.』
Castor smirked as Minerva straightened her posture.
『You arrogant greenhorn! I’ll knock some sense into you.』
Rumble―!
Boom, boom!
The moment the two powerful Celestials clashed, each emitting different lights, blindingly bright brilliance spread over the entire castle—no, it wasn’t just the castle. It lit up the entire universe!
Their collision also created a powerful interstellar impact that made it difficult for Chang-Sun to even stand up. Castor was in the sky, and Pollux was on the ground. The ‘Gemini’ fiercely attacked ‘Owl Nest’ from both ends, putting it in a very precarious state. It was as if it would crumble down any minute.
[You have been blessed with the ‘Goddess Blessing’!]
The magic circle underneath Chang-Sun shone and created a barrier, allowing him to luckily protect himself during the fierce battle. Serena landed beside Chang-Sun and asked, “Hey, are you okay? Did you get hurt?”
Serena was as powerful as a low-level deity, but it seemed even she was having trouble resisting against the interstellar impact. She was too busy protecting Chang-Sun, opening up a portal to the Saha World, and casting multiple magic spells, so she paid relatively less attention to protecting herself.
“I’m fine, but I caused—!”
“What are you talking about? Those sons of bitches are the ones that committed this bullshit, so they’re the problem. You’ve done nothing wrong.” With a serious face, Serena stopped Chang-Sun from blaming himself, then put her hand up in the air and shot out rays of light from her fingers, forming a small magic circle.
Clank, creeaak!
She twisted the small magic circle, the sounds of gears meshing echoing from it, and the magic circle underneath Chang-Sun turned with it. He could feel this magic circle was connected to another world, so he thought the teleportation gate to Earth had been opened.
“Anyhow, it was fun meeting you! Let’s meet again if we can,” Serena said with a refreshing smile and activated the teleportation portal just as Minerva had requested.
[Attempting to descend!]
[Due to the set coordinate’s distance, it will take about 5 seconds to exit ‘Owl Nest.’]
[5.]
[4.]
Woosh, woosh, woosh!
As the teleportation gate shone, Chang-Sun looked at the battlefield. Castor soon noticed what was going on and reached out his hand toward Chang-Sun. Serena darted forward and bombarded Castor with magic spells in an attempt to stop him, but he wasn’t affected at all. He just opened his hand wide to grab Chang-Sun.
[The Celestial ‘Geminus’ is trying to capture the Player ‘Lee Chang-Sun’!]
Rumble―!
The entire magic circle shook when Castor shoved his hand into the teleport gate, distorting the light. It wasn’t destroyed, though, perhaps because Serena did an amazing job. Looking at Castor’s hand, Chang-Sun thought, ‘Is there any way to screw them over?’
The Zodiacs were already eyesores to Chang-Sun, so the fact they had pulled this stunt to capture him annoyed him very much.
‘I should probably at least take the [Zhan Lu Sword] to even the odds,’?Chang-Sun thought.?
However, he had used up most of his strength when he delivered the Crushing Blow just now, so he didn’t have many options. The teleportation gate was also about to be completed, so he only had seconds.
[3.]
Castor’s fingers, which were so big they were taller than Chang-Sun, were already right before Chang-Sun’s nose. If Castor pushed his hand in a little further, he would easily grab him.
[2.]
There was only one thing he could do in times like this. He still had too much energy from the two types of divinity he had released from his stigma, so he could just release them. Chang-Sun could also partially use <Celestial Fire> and <Darkness> now, which were types of different divinities. Among those energies, Chang-Sun had never used <Darkness> even when he was still known as the ‘Divine Twilight.’
‘The power that put the ‘Gemini’ on high alert…!’?Chang-Sun recalled.
Above all, the <Darkness> that Chang-Sun had acquired was from Mephistopheles.
[1.]
Chang-Sun put all of his focus on the divine powers clashing inside him. One of those two powers leaped upward powerfully, refusing to be controlled by Chang-Sun. Considering even the Celestials were reluctant to control <Darkness>, it was too much for a mere mortal to control. However, Chang-Sun had a countermeasure.
[The Skill ‘Kalokagathia’ has been activated, enhancing your ability to concentrate to the maximum in proportion to the resistance of the <Darkness>!]
Clank!
The violently heaving <Darkness> stopped for the first time, almost as if time itself had stopped around it.
.
‘Minerva told me that I’m similar to the person that Mephistopheles is looking for in many ways,’?Chang-Sun recalled.
“... you are very familiar with death and can control fire proficiently, and you’re so dark it’s as if you are made from darkness itself. Above all, you are a natural-born fighter,”?Minerva said.
‘Then…’ Chang-Sun reached out his hand in the air.
“He has been looking for that person for so long…”?Minerva trailed off.
‘... I’ll be similar to <Darkness> too!’
“... Moreover, you resemble the <Abyss> the most. That’s why Mephistopheles can’t stop himself from paying attention to you,” Minerva explained.?
After getting a hold of the <Darkness> using [Kalokagathia], Chang-Sun planned to release the <Darkness> again but in a way that differed from when he delivered the Crushing Blow earlier.
[You have opened the new bonus reward that had been given by the Celestial ‘Calamity Tiger’.]
[The Skill ‘Beast Senses’ has changed to Authority ‘Monster Excursion’!]
[Monster Excursion]
A new bonus reward given by the Celestial ‘Calamity Tiger.’ Like a monster that wants to destroy every law of nature with its fangs, ‘Monster Excursion’ will sharpen its user’s senses and give them an insight that transcends their perception. The sharper one’s insight is, the better they can rip apart their enemy and make escape impossible.
· Skill Level: 1
· Type: Authority.
· Effect: Sense Enhancement. Expanded Cognition. Insight Creation. Malefic Manifestation.
[Monster Excursion] was the bonus reward that Heoju had given Chang-Sun to cheer him on when he declared his future plan of becoming a ranker during an earlier dinner. The Authority not only enhanced Chang-Sun’s senses and expanded his cognition but also temporarily gave him insight. The moment he activated it, he felt all his senses becoming as sharp as a razor. The <Darkness> within him moved at the same time.
[You have learned a new way to use the stigma!]
[You have unlocked the <Darkness>.]
[A fire has ignited inside the small <Darkness>!]
Woosh!
Just like Mephistopheles, navy blue flames blazed up in Chang-Sun’s eyes, exuding the energy of the <Darkness>. The stigma, which was hidden by his top, shone more brilliantly than ever, making his clothes wave.
[Your Inferno Sights have opened!]
『This is… It can’t be!』
Castor, who was about to snatch Chang-Sun away, flinched. The current Chang-Sun faintly reminded him of someone that he desperately wanted to avoid. From his perspective, a mortal would never be able to control the <Darkness> this skillfully. He had already run into Mephistopheles this afternoon as well, so he was on high alert and constantly wondering if Mephistopheles would show up again. Pollux felt the same way, which was why he hurriedly turned his head toward the fight between Castor and Chang-Sun while he fiercely fought Minerva.
『What’s going on? The Pale Star surely wouldn’t care about what is happening here right now…!』
When Pollux dumbfoundedly muttered, Minerva sneered.
『You have the guts to be distracted even though I’m right in front of you? You are quite brave for someone so pathetic.』
『…!』
Pollux belatedly realized his mistake and hurriedly turned toward Minerva, but it was already too late. Suffering critical damage was inevitable.
Paah!
Minerva fired a beam using the Trident, cutting off Pollux’s right arm.
[The light of the ‘Trident’ devours the enemy!]
Woosh!
『Arrrgggh!』
Pollux’s arm, which had been holding the [Zhan Lu Sword], flew in the air. His blood splattered in the air like a fountain as he powerlessly dropped his weapon. Although Pollux wanted to catch the sword, Minerva had no intention of letting go of this opportunity to win this battle, so he really couldn’t afford to care about the sword.
However, Chang-Sun had been watching everything until the light from the teleportation gate covered him completely.
“Elfin!” Chang-Sun shouted, and the Elfin Root, who had been watching everything with the [Goddess Crown], moved through the passageway that connected the divine ground and the Changgwi Cave for a very brief moment.
Whirl!
Thick tree vines suddenly rose up from the ground and wriggled, successfully snatching the [Zhan Lu Sword] in the middle of the teleportation process.
『No…!』
『Stop…!』
Pollux and Castor loudly roared in their divine voices, having noticed it a little too late.
[0.]
[The waiting time is over.]
[Returning to the Changgwi Cave!]
Paah!
“I’ll put the [Zhan Lu Sword] that you gave me as a gift to good use.” Chang-Sun expressed his gratitude with a smirk and quickly disappeared from the divine ground.
Rumble…!
Castor tried to catch him again, but the only thing he caught was empty air.
Roar!
The roars of the angry ‘Gemini’ echoed throughout ‘Owl Nest.’
1. It’s Athena’s bronze sculpture located near Acropolis.
This 𝓬ontent is taken from fre𝒆webnove(l).𝐜𝐨𝗺