The Divine Twilight's Return

Chapter 378: Star, Open War (3)

[‘Valhalla’ joins the war!]

Led by Qi Gong, Shi Lou, Suo Guan, and their other siblings jumped into the fray. The other Zodiacs finished their descent and broke into the battle between Chang-Sun and Antares at the same time, causing them to inevitably collide.

Rummmmble―!

Intense battles began all over the battlefield.

* * *

Qi Gong’s opponent was Algedi the 'Capricorn.’ With, the man had a dark-colored face and sheep horns on each temple, making him resemble a devil. Befitting his appearance, he was also known to be the cruelest among the Zodiacs, which made him worthy to be Qi Gong’s opponent.

Qi Gong and Algedi remained silent as they fought. They had already fought countless times as <Stars> of <Horoscope> and <Purple Star Astrology>, so they already knew each other far too well.

Woosh, woosh, woosh―!

Qi Gong and his siblings weren’t the only ones who took action. Chang-Sun’s subordinates also showed up to fight the other Zodiacs.

「You people drove us into <Extinction> in the past. To revive the glory of <Muspelheim>, I will make sure you die by my hands today!」

Roaaaar!

Sinmara let out a loud battle cry as she raised an ax bigger than her own head.

Thump, thump, thump.

Each step Sinmara took as she fiercely fought Acubens the ‘Cancer’ caused earthquakes. Unlike the other Zodiacs, Acubens emitted very little light and had a red fog around him that made him look very bizarre.

For quite some time now, the humans who studied astrology considered Acubens as an ominous sign called Bier. Acubens’ red fog was known as necropile energy because it faded starlight away. Sinmara couldn’t help but agree. After all, she could feel herself getting sluggish and her soul gradually getting infected by Acuben’s energy.

Gritting her teeth, Sinmara raised her ax again. Her enemies right now killed Surtr, her husband and king of <Muspelheim>, so she wouldn’t accept it if she fell to her knees now. She swung her ax down, creating a pillar of fire.

Boom, boom, boom!

「We’re outgunned overall. What was my master thinking?」

Jin Prezia fought Spica the ‘Virgo,’ but he didn’t clash with her directly. He only acquired his Divine Class with Odin’s help, so he wasn’t skilled enough to fight the Zodiacs head-on yet.

As Chang-Sun’s Divine Class got higher every day, Jin’s level also drastically increased. Nevertheless, he still needed to gain more insights, which took quite a long time to acquire, to proficiently utilize his new power. Moreover, compared to other Celestials, Jin had only lived for a very short time, so he had to take a different approach in this battle.

Properly using his Frost Undead characteristics to his advantage, Jin created thick ice walls to block all of Spica’s attacks. He then built a forest of ice thorns and icy winds and threaded through it on his Wyvern, dodging his opponent’s offense.

“How long do you plan to keep running away, honey? I like that you’re playing hard to get, but it will become a turn-off if you do it for too long.” Spica laughed alluringly as she chased Jin.

The strong sensuality , she emitted, the [Soul-Bewitching Scent], occasionally clouded Jin’s mind. Her Signature befuddled her opponent’s rationality and turned them into her slaves.

「What? Do you seriously want to date a dead guy?」Jin grumbled as if he wasn’t in a dire situation. Contrary to his behavior, however, his expression was evidently grim. Every time he felt his mind muddling up, he bit down on his tongue hard to return himself to his senses.

‘I have to drive her into the trap. Until then… I have to hold out using whatever I can,’ Jin thought.

Even after the <Troop> joined the battle, <Muspelheim> was still behind the Zodiacs in terms of combat capabilities. Hence, Jin couldn’t help but be concerned about their current situation. Blindly hoping that Chang-Sun would come up with a solution, he planned to keep Spica busy until then.

Ice bushes rose up behind Jin as he rode his Wyvern.

Swish, swoosh, swish―!

「Hahahaahaha! I never knew I would fight <Stars>, let alone Celestials, but still…」

After transforming into his [Blood Golem] form, Simon Magus finished began fighting Zubenelgenubi the ‘Libra. The woman had her eyes covered with a white bandage and was holding a scale high, predicting Simon’s fate.

「How interesting!」

Simon used his magic with the gnosis he had accumulated through Chang-Sun as the foundation. Hundreds of big and small magic circles meshed up like gears and turned into one gigantic magic circle. The more he used his magic, the harder Zubenelgenubi’s scale shook. It was like a seesaw reacting against something.

With her [Judgment Scale], Zubenelgenubi could manipulate the law of causality by putting the shackles of fate on her opponent, allowing her to change and seal their fate. Her scale took quite a long time to activate whenever she had to circumvent causations, but once she had given her judgment, her opponent could no longer escape from the shackles.

Well aware of her abilities, Simon tried to extend the time Zubenelgenubi needed for her judgment by using a great magic spell to manipulate the law of causality. At the same time, he looked for an opportunity to deflect the effect of her judgment back to her.

Their battle eventually caused conflicts in the law of causality. Runes showed up in the air only to crumble down, the air condensed but immediately returned to its original state, and all sorts of light appeared all over the area. Looking for an opportunity to kill the other, they didn’t move an inch from where they were standing.

Drip!

After some time, blood dripped down between Simon’s mask and face, but he just nonchalantly wiped it away with the back of his hand, keeping his focus on manipulating the law of causality. Their surroundings shook as a result.

Woosh, woosh, woosh…!

Wearing his [Shadow Armor], Baek Gyeo-Ul fought Hamal the ‘Aries,’ and Kali fought Alrescha the ‘Pisces.’ Everyone fought against the Zodiacs with their lives on the line.

* * *

Pzzzzz―!

Meanwhile, Kali was also attempting a new change.

“The Kali over there is the one we heard from before…”

“Am I not real, then?”

“Don’t be ridiculous. You’re real, and I’m real. Everyone is the same Kali in the end.”

A while back, the <Troop> brought together Kali’s followers to revive and make her assist them in the Divine Class restoration plan. Unfortunately, although they managed to create several candidates, most of their attempts ended in failure. Hence, the candidates began to secretly fear their imminent future… However, as soon as they saw the Kali by Chang-Sun’s side, they realized that she had the qualifications to be the true Kali.

[The ‘8th Branch’ looks in a direction.]

[The ‘236th Branch’ watches someone in shock!]

[The ‘754th Branch’ is taken aback, having noticed someone’s presence!]

[The ‘420th Branch’ is having an identity crisis!]

…

She was not only fighting the Zodiacs on equal grounds but also heavily smelled of Durga, her mother.

[The ‘1111th Branch’ contemplates it for quite some time but finally accepts it!]

Learning the qualifications to be the main tree also taught them what their fate was.

[The ‘2402th Branch’ wishes to go back to the origin!]

[The ‘69th Branch’ hopes to join the source!]

…

They had to become the nourishment that Kali needed to return to her original state.

“Let’s go back.”

“Let’s help her become the Root.”

“Let’s reclaim our Divine Class.”

No one refused to go back. They were in the <Troop> to become a root and attempt to revive Kali in the first place, so they had no reason to hesitate if there was already a main root.

[Beginning the fusion!]

Like creating one tree by planting several saplings in one area, Kali’s priests and followers simultaneously stood up and ran toward where she was fighting Alrescha.

Paah―!

Paaaaah―!

Enveloped in a pool of sacred light, they were all absorbed by Kali. Whenever a Branch merged with her, a Root was added and her Class increased.

[The last Branch has merged with you!]

Paah!

A strong gale raged around her when the last Branch merged with her.

[The Celestial ‘Goddess of Massacre and Destruction’ has resurrected!]

Woosh, woosh, woosh―!

“Phew…!” Kali took a deep breath, washing out the impurities inside her.

When the Branches, which had been operating on their own, merged with Kali, a lot of foreign karma also entered her, making her feel sluggish. However, her mind was clearer than ever now.

‘A lot of experiences… are combining within me,’ Kali thought.

Her priests and followers had gone through all sorts of tragedies that even she wasn’t sure how they managed to overcome. That was how tenaciously <Horoscope> and <Purple Star Astrology> chased her priests down.

However, facing those tragedies allowed them to acquire experiences, which then turned into opportunities to learn new abilities. The insights they gained from conquering their tribulations helped widen their perspective on martial arts.

Merged into one, all their experiences and insights created an explosion of enlightenment in Kali’s head.

Just like one small dot turning into a universe, the stream of enlightenment continued endlessly. The knowledge she gained merged with other knowledge, and the insights interlinked with other insights. A new explosion of enlightenment flashed before her eyes, which blended with the previous one, creating yet another explosion…

The continuous explosions of enlightenment elevated Kali’s soul to a higher place—to Nirvana, the spiritual realm that all truth-seekers wanted to reach.

‘I see… Life and death are connected in an endless cycle,’ Kali thought, listening to all her priests and followers. ‘That is the truth behind life and the law of the universe.’

Each of the Branches had their own stories and different ways of thinking. Their foreign karmas would have only weighed down on her soul if she just held onto them, so she combined them into one instead and understood the truth behind life and death.

She herself was also revived from her death. Becoming destruction and creation herself, she went beyond being an ordinary Celestial and started on the great path of a Creator Celestial, which developed the world and conceived life. Considering she was already a Destruction Celestial, it was as if she had become the two sides of a coin.

[Congratulations! You have understood the cycle of creation and destruction. You can now materialize your enlightenment.]

Woosh, woosh, woosh…!

It only lasted for a split second, but it felt like an eternity to Kali. Over a hundred Branches whispered, “Thank you,” to her, their voices carrying their hope and resolve. She couldn’t help but enjoy the moment.

‘I…’ Kali slowly opened her eyes, embracing the afterglow. ‘... really am back to my former self.’

Just like Chang-Sun reclaimed his Divine Name, Kali also reacquired hers. As her priests and followers wished, she became determined never to lose again.

“Hup…!” Alrescha, Kali’s opponent, gasped and stumbled backward, seemingly feeling Kali’s resolve.

Watching Kali, Alrescha suddenly found her horrifying.

“Do I seem different to you?” Kali quietly chuckled, realizing what Alrescha was thinking. Getting to physically speak aloud instead of using her Spiritual Voice elated Kali.

Alrescha’s expression darkened. The sound of Kali’s breathing, her scent, her movement… Everything about her released an aura so menacing and destructive that it suffocated him. It was as if he just met Durga, Kali’s mother!

‘Unbelievable!’ Realizing that another monster equal to the Nine Heavens had shown up, Alrescha was struck with dismay.

“What… have you done?” he asked. He never wanted to admit the fact that a Celestial bound to one Worldline made him feel threatened, but this was not a matter he could overlook, There had to be another secret to her resurrection.

“Well.” Kali shrugged.

“I asked you what you have done!”

“Why don’t you figure it out yourself?” With a confident smile, Kali darted toward Alrescha instead of properly answering his question.

Paah―!

Alrescha quickly thrust his spear, which was covered with fish scales. Executing the [Divine Water Force], the area shook as he made a spray of water rise up and strike Kali. Capable of submerging even Celestials, the water poured down on her to restrict her movements.

Booom!

However, Kali punched and pulverized his spear first.

“…!” Alrescha’s eyes widened, thinking something was up.

Kali was already getting to her next attack. Pivoting on her right leg, she quickly turned and delivered a high kick, using her left shin like a sharp sword. The attack split the spray of water in half and cut deep into Alrescha’s chest.

Splassssh―!

Alrescha’s expression further darkened as blood fountained out of his wound. His face soon reddened, ashamed that he was wounded.

“How—!”

Before Alrescha could say how could Kali dare commit such an atrocity, she had already cut his left arm with another roundhouse kick.

Slash―!

Splash!

His left arm flew in the air, blood pouring out like a fountain once again. Alrescha fell into despair.

“What was that? I think you said something, but I tend to have trouble listening to losers. Can you speak up?” Kali smiled coldly at him.