Chapter 451: Star, Peter (1)
[The Celestial ‘Black Forest Hunter’ slowly opens her eyes!]
Little by little, Skathi regained consciousness.
“Can you see me, Skathi?”
The moment she heard the voice, Skathi realized that she had escaped from death’s grip once again.
“...I’m too ashamed to face you, my Celestial King,” Skathi said, bowing on her one knee.
Before her stood [Hlidskjalf], Odin’s Argentum Throne; his nine other subjects were also present.
Vili and Ve were Odin’s brothers, who had helped him kill Ymir the Giant and create <Asgard>. Frigg, Odin’s wife and queen, weaved the threads of human fate. As Odin’s son, Baldur dreamed of light and glory, while Hordur, Baldur’s twin, was a blind man who wandered in darkness. Heindall was the gatekeeper of <Asgard> who also looked over the <Saha World>.
Under Odin’s command, Tyr the War Celestial led the invincible army called the Einherjar. Thor the Lightning Celestial was known to always bring victories and glory, and Sif, who was Thor’s lover and Aesir’s chief warrior, was there too...
As Skathi was also present now, all the <Ten Knights>, who had contributed the most to enthroning Odin as a Celestial King, were present. However, Skathi kept looking at the ground, too ashamed to see Odin and the others.
“Look at me, Skathi,” Odin said as he gestured at her.
“But I disgraced you, my Celestial King, so how could I dare...!” Skathi protested.
“I decide whether or not you disgraced me, so look at me,” Odin repeated.
Skathi finally looked up and saw the various looks on her comrades’ faces. Thor and Sif sought honor and pride as exceptional warriors, so they did not hide their sneers at Skathi. On the other hand, Tyr and Heimdall nodded at Skathi reassuringly. Vili and Ve looked nonchalant, acting the same as ever; they saw it as a matter of a mere subordinate.
“Although it’s a shame that we didn’t get to retrieve Teacher’s poem verses in <Jotunheim>, we shouldn’t have counted on it when Twilight showed up there,” Odin said.
Skathi bit her lower lip. Odin was trying to console her, but the attempt only weighed down on her heart. Just like Odin said, Chang-Sun was too strong. Even though Skathi was one of the <Ten Knights>, she held the lowest rank among them, so she was helpless against Chang-Sun. His spear skills, magic, ability to play mind games, tactical acumen... Chang-Sun was a replica of the young Odin. Yes, Chang-Sun resembled Odin.
“Perhaps it’s for the better that he acquired Teacher’s poem verses. It would have been very frustrating to retrieve them if the verses ended up in random strangers’ hands.” Odin nodded, arrogantly sitting on his throne.
The similarities between Chang-Sun and Odin were evident even in that moment. The way Odin looked over the world, his way of speaking in which he did not tiptoe around others, his indifferent gestures, his charisma unknowingly overpowering everyone around him... Chang-Sun was just the same. In fact, Skathi felt as if perhaps she would have served Chang-Sun as her master if she had not met Odin first, but...
‘That’s all,’ Skathi thought.
She concluded that Chang-Sun had not surpassed Odin’s level yet. Chang-Sun resembled the young Odin, who had walked down the path of a merciless overlord, but the current Odin was masterfully experienced after going through samsara countless times. The comparison could not be made in the first place.
“So don’t blame yourself any further, Skathi. Use this moment as an opportunity to improve yourself. That’s all you need to do,” Odin said.
“...Yes, my king,” Skathi said as she bowed lower.
Odin looked elsewhere, asking, “Heimdall, how far are we away from <Vanaheim>?”
Heimdall was currently piloting [Hringhorni], the enormous battleship and carriage that Odin and the others were in. After observing the Milky Way through a window for a moment, Heimdall answered, “I believe we’ll arrive in a day.”
“It’s been a while since I met Freya,” Odin said, smiling crookedly.
The field of magic had not been properly established in the past, but Freya was the woman who had taught Odin magic for the first time. She was also the queen of the Vanir, the race of gods who had been in conflict with the Aesir for a long time. After her defeat against Odin, she had suffered the humiliation of becoming a hostage of <Asgard> but had safely returned to <Vanaheim> after the fall of <Asgard>.
After her return, Freya had been lying so low that barely any rumors circulated about her, so many of the Celestials in <Heaven> forgot about her or thought that she was dead. However, Odin knew very well that Freya had never been the type who would actually lie low. She had a strong desire for power and was competent enough to make her ambitions come true, and that was why Odin had held her hostage in the past to stop <Vanaheim>.
Freya had to be looking for a chance to rise again and strengthen <Vanaheim>. Perhaps she had already created something more advanced than rune magic. Above all...
‘Freya must have collected quite a lot of Teacher’s poem verses.’
<Vanaheim>, <Asgard>, <Alfheim>, <Jotunheim>, <Svartalfheim>, <Niflheim>, <Helheim[1]>, <Muspelheim>, and <Ginnungagap[2]>... Bestla’s death had affected countless realms and <Societies>. While <Vanaheim> was in Bestla’s grace, Freya herself had been a fervent follower of Bestla, so Odin assumed that many verses of [Bestla’s Poem] were there. Of course, it was unclear whether Freya would readily hand the verses to him...
‘I’ll have to crush her again if she doesn’t.’ Odin smiled coldly.
―Conquest.
Endless battles and an insatiable desire to conquer were why Odin had been able to solidify his footing as a Celestial King and bring terror to Worldline #801. Odin was now starting a new conquest of his own, but it would be very different from his previous ones, in which he had continuously made new enemies. Any forces he suppressed with pure power would stab him in the back if he showed any vulnerability even for a second.
Thus, Odin planned to proceed with his conquest so quickly that no one would see him coming, and others would never be able to catch up with him. His goal was no longer to become a Celestial King. He intended to go beyond Worldline #801 and the Great Universe, reaching the edge of the universe.
‘<Vanaheim> would be a good place to lay low,’ Odin thought.
After going through samsara countless times, Odin had finished formulating his plans, leaving him confident about his victory. As his eyes gleamed coldly...
Neigh!
Clip-clop, clip-clop―!
...Sleipnir, the divine horse that had been pulling [Hringhorni], neighed loudly and moved faster, leaving behind footsteps that were more vigorous than ever along the Milky Way.
* * *
[You are currently in synchronization with the Dungeon ‘Iron Forest’!]
[You can use the following abilities as the ruler of the Society <Jotunheim>.]
...
[Omniscience: You have acquired the right to read all information about the Dungeon and can observe the Entropy of its energy consumption.]
[Omnipotence: You have acquired the right to manipulate the Dungeon’s every law of nature, able to control its Entropy that you have observed.]
...
Chang-Sun had become one with the ‘Iron Forest’ and was able to observe everything going on in the Dungeon. No, it was more than observation, because he could sense everything, from the resolve, thoughts, and behavior of the people in the Dungeon to the changes in the Dungeon’s environment after the use of divine power.
That was how Chang-Sun had been able to help Jin and Sinmara reawaken as a <Jotunheim> chief warrior and a <Muspelheim> shaman respectively. At the same time, Chang-Sun had also been guiding the other subordinates in their transformation... but he had not expected one person to show up at all.
‘...Why is Bel-Marduk here?’ Chang-Sun wondered.
It was true that he had expended a lot of effort to make Bel-Marduk his ally. As far as Chang-Sun was aware, Bel-Marduk had the most experience dealing with Ubbo-Sathla and knew the most about the Outer Celestial. However, Bel-Marduk had sunk deep into a swamp of despair in front of the enormous wall named Ubbo-Sathla, so he had demanded Chang-Sun to bring hope about their future as a condition for offering his help. That was why Chang-Sun had needed to change his plans and visit <Jotunheim> first so Sinmara could recover her last face.
And yet, here Bel-Marduk was. Chang-Sun wondered for a moment what in the world had changed Bel-Marduk’s mind, but he knew that now was his chance.
“Marduk,” Chang-Sun said quietly.
Paah! Paah, paah!
As the four protectors of ‘Babylonia’ flew out one after another, an annoyed voice emerged from the sky city high in the air.
『Is there something you want to say?』
When he heard Bel-Marduk’s answer, Chang-Sun chuckled, saying, “You acted as if you weren’t going to help until I met my end of the deal.”
『Ha! Do you think I came here for you? It’s because everything I’ve done until now will become meaningless if Worldline #802 is destroyed.』
Rumble, rumble―!
The storms around ‘Babylonia’ spread to the entire Dungeon, lightning bolts striking the ground. They seemed to convey Bel-Marduk’s anger, but Chang-Sun had a feeling that Bel-Marduk felt embarrassed for some reason.
『So you’d better show me what you promised.』
“I will.” Chang-Sun nodded.
『You’re one hell of an annoyingly smooth talker.』
Bel-Marduk quickly mobilized ‘Babylonia’ toward Ubbo-Sathla, not wishing to talk to Chang-Sun any further. Breaking through the sea of clouds in the sky, sharp gales mixed with lightning energy struck down Ubbo-Sathla’s tentacles.
Chang-Sun quietly closed his eyes. If he and his subordinates had been the only ones who had to deal with Ubbo-Sathla, Chang-Sun would have been unable to afford to continue using omniscience and omnipotence, but Bel-Marduk had joined in on the fight at the perfect time, allowing Chang-Sun to focus on what he was trying to do.
What Chang-Sun was attempting was very difficult even for a Supreme Celestial. There was the risk of his mind breaking down due to the intake of too much information, but it was essential to stop Ubbo-Sathla.
“Sinmara,” Chang-Sun said.
『...Are you really going to do this, Master?』
Sinmara responded telepathically.
“Of course.”
『It’s very difficult to see future timelines, even for me, but you don’t have the Divine Rank of time either. It’s very dangerous for you!』
Sinmara knew very well what Chang-Sun was trying to do. Chang-Sun planned to use her Future-Seeing Eyes. In the beginning, she had been tasked with finding a method to go up against Ubbo-Sathla, but there was a problem. The task was too complicated and extensive to do on her own.
Ubbo-Sathla was an Outer Celestial among Outer Celestials, who had strayed far from the law of causality. It had the capacity to be an Emperor, while Sinmara was bound to one Worldline. Naturally, it was too hard for her to assess the Outer Celestial on her own. Even right now, Sinmara was shaking because she could not handle the astronomical intake of information about the future. At this rate, her Divine Class would eventually collapse.
Although Sinmara had insisted on doing this on her own at any cost, Chang-Sun could not burden her any longer. Fortunately, Chang-Sun was in perfect synchronization with the ‘Iron Forest’ after becoming the <Jotunheim> King, allowing him to use Sinmara’s ability to the fullest.
[The Title ‘<Jotunheim> Ruler’ has been applied, enhancing omniscience and omnipotence!]
[The Title ‘<Muspelheim> Monarch’ has been applied, activating the Authority ‘Future-Seeing’ of your Subordinate ‘Sinmara’!]
Chang-Sun saw the world around him change from the inside of the Dungeon to another world beyond it.
“[Wait]!” Chang-Sun shouted.
『I’ve been wondering why you didn’t call me for so long. Hehe! A job like this is my specialty!』
[The ‘Heaven Link’ has been activated, quickly processing all the perceived information!]
Like a video on fast-forward, the world quickly spun, and numerous images appeared below Chang-Sun. Resembling a film made up of a line of countless photos, the images split apart into different paths over and over... Chang-Sun saw numerous future timelines like a tree branching out.
[Processing.]
[Scanning a total of two future timelines.]
[Scanning the next future timeline, as the expected result has not been found.]
...
Two future lines became four, eight, sixteen, thirty-two, sixty-four... The number doubled every time, and all the information about those Worldlines flooded into Chang-Sun’s mind.
[Processing.]
[A total of 1,048,576 future timelines have been scanned.]
...
A soul-crushing pain struck Chang-Sun, and his eyes turned bloodshot as he observed the future timelines. However, he never looked away. In one future timeline, Chang-Sun saw himself committing suicide in despair after failing to overcome Ubbo-Sathla in the end; in another, he was watching his Worldline crumble as he held Cha Ye-Eun’s hand. In yet another timeline, Chang-Sun was eaten after an endless war against Ubbo-Sathla.
[Processing.]
[A total of 274,877,906,944 future timelines have been scanned.]
...
All those future timelines were filled with anguish and pain, but Chang-Sun could see himself surviving and fighting until the end in some of them. Of course, most of those future lines still ended in a bad way. Still...
[Processing.]
[A total of 549,755,813,888 future timelines have been scanned.]
...
...Chang-Sun kept on searching.
[Processing.]
[A total of 562,949,953,421,312 future timelines have been scanned.]
...
As Chang-Sun lost count of how many future timelines he had scanned, he slowly started to lose hope... but there was one faint future in the distance. Compared to the others, the timeline was so faint that Chang-Sun was unsure if it actually existed.
『...It’s really tiring. I’ve been repeating everything meaninglessly, so I was thinking about giving up now.』
Chang-Sun could see someone fighting neck and neck against Ubbo-Sathla in that timeline. The person looked like Chang-Sun, but had an aura and energy that were totally different from his. He was an Outer Celestial, who fought Ubbo-Sathla after nearly reaching the zenith among Outer Celestials.
『I hadn’t expected to see you at this turning point.』
The Outer Celestial spoke after suddenly turning in Chang-Sun’s direction, pushing away Ubbo-Sathla.
At that moment, Chang-Sun unwittingly stumbled backward in surprise. Of course, it was incredible enough for the other figure to look right at Chang-Sun despite the gap in time, but the Outer Celestial’s eyes shocked him the most. The Outer Celestial did not have any emotions; they seemed to have faded away after an eternity.
“You... are...” Chang-Sun muttered blankly.
『Are you asking my name? I forgot long ago, but if I had to name myself... Yes, you would be more familiar with this name.』
The version of Chang-Sun with emotionless eyes answered.
『Hsan.』
He was another Lee Chang-Sun, the owner of the [Seven Cryptical Books of Hsan], who had sent Ithaca back to the past to create a turning point.
『Call me Hsan.』
1. More commonly known as Hel, after the ruler of the realm. ?
2. This place is more of a primordial void than a realm. ?
Follow current nov𝒆ls on freew(𝒆)bnov𝒆l.(c)om