The Divine Twilight's Return

Chapter 384: Star, Purple Star Astrology (5)

『No...!』

Boooom!

Taeul cried out as the explosion of <Darkness> and supreme sacred light instantly engulfed him. The explosion was hotter and brighter than Taeul’s sacred light, forcing him to use everything he had to defend himself. Of course, it was still not enough to nullify the shockwave, causing him to be catapulted away violently. Chang-Sun thus used the opportunity to his advantage and quickly made a move.

『Twilight...!』

Tiamat gasped, but Chang-Sun quickly gestured at her and said, “Follow me.”

Tiamat’s eyes widened slightly, but she soon nodded.

Paaah!

A pool of light spread out from Tiamat’s colossal true form, and a young girl appeared beside Chang-Sun. Tiamat looked noticeably tired, but Chang-Sun had a strong feeling that her fatigue was not due to the fight against Taeul.

‘Maybe it’s because of her children,’ Chang-Sun thought.

He had coincidentally overheard Taeul telling Tiamat that she should have been a better mother. Of course, such a remark would have hurt her even if she was a strict mother. Chang-Sun wondered what to tell her for a moment, but soon shook his head.

He too had been in conflict with his parents for a long time, and they had reconciled only recently. No advice from other people had helped him; family matters were best taken care of within the family. The only thing outsiders could really do was stay by one’s side throughout the process. Chang-Sun knew that the best thing he could give Tiamat right now was silent consolation.

[Activating a ‘Teleportation Rune’!]

Chang-Sun and Tiamat reappeared a vast distance away from the battlefield.

“Why don’t you rest here for now? I’ll deal with him from now on,” Chang-Sun said, quickly checking Tiamat’s condition using his [Gnostic Eye].

After seeing that she was okay, Chang-Sun was just about to head back to Taeul again, gripping his [Twilight Spear] in one hand, but Tiamat held up her adorable hand and grabbed Chang-Sun’s. Chang-Sun turned back to look at her and saw a hesitant look in her eyes, reminiscent of a child who wished for their parents not to go to work.

Only after a long time did Tiamat say, “...Be careful.”

Although she looked as if she had a lot to say, she kept it to herself. Chang-Sun nodded and patted Tiamat’s head. Upon feeling Chang-Sun’s warm hand, Tiamat’s eyes widened. Had she ever been patted like this before?

“Don’t worry,” Chang-Sun said nonchalantly, then vanished using the Teleportation Rune.

“...Rascal,” Tiamat muttered after staring blankly for a long time. She continued to pout, straightening her disheveled hair, but her smile did not disappear for some reason, as she still felt Chang-Sun’s warmth and scent.

* * *

[Activating the ‘Teleportation Rune’!]

[Activating the ‘Teleportation Rune’!]

...

Paah, paah, paah!

As Chang-Sun teleported to Taeul’s location, [Wait] apologized to Chang-Sun.

『I’ll never do such a thing again, so please forgive me... I don’t want to go back there! Ever!』

Chang-Sun had temporarily severed their connection due to the never-ending nonsense talk from [Wait]. It seemed his choice had overwhelmed [Wait] with utter shock. In any event, it was understandable; [Wait] had no doubt loved the taste(?) of the inner universe after wandering the empty outer universe, considering his talkative nature.

Chang-Sun thought to himself that perhaps he had found a way to threaten [Wait] if the artificial intelligence bothered him in the future. In truth, it was also hard for Chang-Sun to give up on using [Wait], but of course, he still had to make sure [Wait] gave his word.

Chang-Sun warned [Wait], “Try your nonsense one more time and I’ll make sure that the only people you’ll be able to meet until you malfunction are Outer Celestials.”

『Ha-Hahaha... I found Lady Tiamat’s location, you know!』

As [Wait] brought up his achievement, Chang-Sun nodded in agreement. The place where Tiamat and Taeul fought had been separated from ‘Polaris’, so it was very difficult to calculate the coordinates. Had it not been for [Wait], Chang-Sun would have been unable to save Tiamat from danger.

『Phew!』

[Wait] finally heaved a long sigh of relief before he continued.

『But you know...』

“...?”

『Is the relationship between you and Lady Tiamat... Arggghhhh! Stop! Stoooop! I’m sorry! My deepest apologies! Please don’t do that!』

Only after telling [Wait] that this was his final warning did Chang-Sun finish drawing his next Teleportation Rune.

Tap!

He came to a halt and looked up as a huge gate opened up in the sky.

Rumble...!

[The Hell Gate has opened!]

The gate of the <Underworld>, the realm that separated the lands of the living and the dead, faintly materialized and gradually opened up.

『W-What?! What in the world is going on...?!』

『Didn’t the <Underworld> guys withdraw from the <Anti-Star> Alliance?』

『Shiiiiiit!』

The monstrous and demonic Celestials of <Purple Star Astrology> were thrown into chaos upon the Hell Gate’s sudden emergence. Things had already been hectic due to the full-scale attack of the <Anti-Star> Alliance, so they had been glad for the absence of the <Underworld>. However, the <Underworld> had just rescinded their withdrawal and appeared again, leaving the <Purple Star Astrology> Celestials in shock.

[The Authority ‘Execution Sword’ has been activated, casting the Divine Ground ‘Twilight-Setting Battlefield’ over the Divine Ground ‘Polaris’!]

[Two divine grounds are colliding.]

[The domains of <Muspelheim> and Purple Star Astrology> have partially overlapped.]

...

[You have activated your ‘Khakkhara’ as the Ksitigarbha King, successfully summoning the army of the <Underworld>.]

[The connection between the <Saha World> and <Underworld> is unstable.]

[You have summoned only a part of the <Underworld> army!]

...

From the perspective of the <Underworld>, <Purple Star Astrology> was a criminal organization that had violated the <Treaty>, so it was technically possible to activate [Execution Sword] on a large scale. Of course, reality did not always work out in accordance with theory, so Chang-Sun could not install the ‘Twilight-Setting Battlefield’ with complete disregard for ‘Polaris’, the divine ground that had been installed in advance.

Even if that were possible, Chang-Sun would not have been able to invite the other Celestials from the <Anti-Star> Alliance to the ‘Twilight-Setting Battlefield’, so he would end up having to punish <Purple Star Astrology> on his own, repeating the events of the last <Myth War>.

As he had to avoid such an outcome, Chang-Sun had decided to take a different approach. While activating [Execution Sword], he had forcibly overlaid the ‘Twilight-Setting Battlefield’ onto ‘Polaris’, weakening Taeul, the ruler of the place, and...

‘Now I get to call reinforcements,’ Chang-Sun thought, smiling crookedly.

[The army of the Purgatory Plane has appeared!]

Clink, creeeeeaak―!

Kiyaaaaah!

Ominous ghostly wails and raging gales descended upon the ‘Twilight-Setting Battlefield’ as the battalions of the Purgatory Plane appeared one after another.

『On the Ksitigarbha King’s order, the envoys of the <Underworld> have descended here to punish the criminals!』

『Listen up, reapers and soldiers! Arrest all criminals in this place and transfer them to the Purgatory Plane!』

Jingwang and Chogang—the First Elder and Second Elder—revealed themselves first. Jingwang was leading the Purgatory Plane soldiers, who wore red masks and held bats and ropes in their hands. Meanwhile, Chogang landed on the ground astride his blue Dragon, accompanied by bizarre-looking monsters such as Yakshas and Rakshasas.

The door to the Purgatory Plane had not opened up completely, so Chang-Sun could only summon two of the Ten Purgatory Kings and a part of the Purgatory Plane army. However, they were already enough to turn the tide of battle in the <Anti-Star> Alliance’s favor. Besides, the army of the Purgatory Plane was not the only one to appear.

[The <Muspelheim> Giants are roaring!]

[The <Valhalla> warriors announce their entry into the war!]

Chang-Sun’s subordinates had also appeared and joined the battle against <Purple Star Astrology>.

“[Wait], I have to find out Peter the Apostle’s whereabouts, but...” Chang-Sun looked in a certain direction and continued, “...I’ll need some time first.”

Paaah!

『...Twilight.』

Just as Chang-Sun finished speaking, Taeul teleported in front of him. Even though he had previously been relaxed, Taeul’s voice was now filled with annoyance as he watched Chang-Sun in disbelief.

“What is it? Do you think it’s weird to see a person who should be stuck with the <Horoscope> guys here?” Chang-Sun asked sarcastically.

Taeul stayed silent, which meant Chang-Sun was right. Even though Taeul was completely engulfed in light, it would be odd not to understand his silence.

Chang-Sun smirked as he continued, “Seriously. There’s no one else as absurd as you people. You’re all hell-bent on killing each other, but you’re great partners in times like this.”

Rustle!

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

“Well, it doesn’t really matter though,” Chang-Sun said with a chuckle.

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

Surrounded by <Darkness> that was connected to the upper body of a Cataclysm Celestial, Chang-Sun started releasing supreme sacred light through his [Twilight Spear].

Pzzzz, pzzzzz!

The <Darkness> and supreme sacred light moved together in a whirlwind, but they did not mix with each other. They then turned into a pillar that soared into the sky. Chang-Sun seemed to have grown far more proficient at controlling both opposing Divinities at once.

Booom―!

Chang-Sun sprang forth and flew at Taeul.

『You’re such a pain in the ass!』

Taeul roared in anger, reaching out for Chang-Sun. He had been going through a great deal of trouble to build the <Myth> of Dragonslaying through his avatar, but Chang-Sun had crashed in and disrupted his entire plan.

‘He has no more avatars,’ Chang-Sun thought.

In other words, Taeul had no more means to kill Chang-Sun.

‘Then as long as I can maintain my Abomination, I can fight on even footing against him.’

Chang-Sun analyzed the difference between his and Taeul’s levels very rationally. Although it would likely have been different without [Prelati’s Spellbook], Chang-Sun deduced that his chances were good with the spellbook. If he used the explosion of <Darkness> and supreme sacred light in a timely manner, he had a real chance of victory.

‘Then... I’ll use what I learned just now here,’ Chang-Sun thought as he thrust the [Twilight’s Spear] forth, his <Darkness> and supreme sacred light gathering around the spearhead in a whirlwind.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...!

As the black and white lights blended with each other, purple light began to emerge little by little, resembling twilight. A pool of scarlet light spread like a fog, and purple spheres floated up and danced around Chang-Sun, looking like purple fairies delighted to meet him.

However, every one of those spheres was an atrocious and destructive weapon. The combination of <Darkness> and supreme sacred light was derived from a Signature that Chang-Sun had failed to create despite his efforts.

The centripetal force that had been built up through the whirlwind’s rotation pulled the <Darkness> and supreme sacred light inward, to prevent the explosions from taking place earlier than Chang-Sun intended. He could stop the spinning if necessary, or otherwise push the spheres from side to side to direct the explosions in perpendicular directions.

Just as Chang-Sun wished, the purple spheres turned into lightning bolts and poured down onto Taeul. His fierce spear thrust had made it look as if the sun itself was falling; that was why he had named it...

‘Duskfall.’

It was the technique that would become his Signature.

[You have acquired a new technique!]

Rumble, whoosh, whoosh―!

After dusk came the sunset. There was no better way than that to describe Chang-Sun’s technique. Wherever Chang-Sun tore through the world with the [Twilight Spear], purple lightning bolts followed, falling upon everything in their path.

Ripped, destroyed, exploded... Taeul’s limbs fell off every time, but Taeul did not bat an eye. In fact, Taeul actively used his limbs as they flew up in the air, commanding them.

『Explode.』

Boooom―!

It was as if Taeul was trying to show that his sacred light was just as destructive as Chang-Sun’s. The explosions from Taeul’s body parts not only deflected the explosions of Duskfall, but also overpowered them with sheer force.

‘His explosions... are stronger than mine?’ Chang-Sun thought, his expression darkening in surprise

Although Chang-Sun had restrained his explosions to maintain the form of Duskfall, he had not thought that Taeul would be able to create explosions of a similar level. Did Taeul have a similar technique that he could use to counteract the explosions of <Darkness> and supreme sacred light? That question crossed Chang-Sun’s mind for a moment.

‘No, it’s a little different,’ Chang-Sun thought, realizing that Taeul’s technique was not quite based on the same principles.

Swish, swoosh, whoosh―!

As Taeul swung his left hand, cold gales followed in its wake; when he struck with his right, hot storms raged. The moment those gales and storms met, immense explosions resulted. Yin and yang formed a taiji when they were in harmony, but created chaos otherwise; Taeul was using the very principles of the world as he pleased.

‘...Hup!’ Chang-Sun gasped.

At that moment, the world around Chang-Sun suddenly turned upside down, as if the sky and the ground had changed places.

‘What?!’ Chang-Sun thought as he came to his senses and straightened his posture.

However, Taeul swung his hand first, and was about to strike Chang-Sun from above.

[The Celestial ‘Zi Wei Yuan’ has activated the Signature ‘Heaven and Earth Great Shift’!][1]

1. The skill is originally from the wuxia Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber, written by Jin Yong. ?