The Divine Twilight's Return

Chapter 391: Star, Arcadia (3)

『Oh.』

The unexpected turn of events noticeably perplexed Satan. Getting the opportunity to eat someone like Uriel, the proud seraph of <Maleakhe>, was rare. Although the treaty between <L’Infernal> and <Maleakhe> prohibited them from inflicting harm on each other, it didn’t say anything about those who had changed their <Societies>.

Satan exploited that loophole to make this opportunity only for Chang-Sun to suddenly show up and snatch his tasty prey right in front of him. He couldn’t help but feel dumbstruck. After all, he thought all he had to do now was eat Uriel.

Chang-Sun provokingly scoffed, seemingly finding Satan’s death glare meaningless. He extended his hand in Satan’s direction in an attempt to give him something, but Satan didn’t feel good about this.

“You look disappointed. Let me give you a gift in return,” Chang-Sun offered.

『... I refuse.』

Getting an ominous feeling, Satan quickly retreated away. Considering what he had seen so far, he thought it was safe to assume that Chang-Sun was up to something hideous whenever he looked like that.

Right before the portal closed up, Chang-Sun used [Wordwielding] and sent an attack right into it. “I refuse your refusal. Explode.”

Chang-Sun’s <Darkness> and supreme sacred light created a Duskfall explosion. He then used [Avatar’s Descent] to compress it and [Heaven and Earth Great Shift] to increase the damage it could cause. A pool of sunset-colored light then spread, and the intense gale of heat stopped shortly after.

『What the he—!』

The portal closed up before Satan could finish what he was saying, making it impossible for Chang-Sun to know what he was trying to say. Fortunately, it didn’t take long for him to learn that his gift for Satan was perfect.

[One of the heads of the Celestial ‘Malignity-Drinking Saturn’ has been blown away by the explosion!]

[The Celestial ‘Malignity-Drinking Saturn’ writhes profusely!]

[The sorrowful roar of the Celestial ‘Malignity-Drinking Saturn’ is reverberating throughout the universe!]

[The grudge-filled influence of the Celestial ‘Malignity-Drinking Saturn’ has reached you!]

...

Satan was likely in horrible pain, considering he was sending a flood of messages to Chang-Sun.

[The Celestial ‘Malignity-Drinking Saturn’ has cast numerous curses on you!]

[The Effect ‘Thousand Toxin Immunity’ has been activated, nullifying the curses.]

[The Celestial ‘Malignity-Drinking Saturn’ has unleashed murderous energy, revealing his desire to devour you!]

[The Effect ‘Thousand Toxin Immunity’ is nullifying the energy around you.]

[The Celestial ‘Malignity-Drinking Saturn’ says in resentment that he will have his revenge for what you have done today!]

[The Effect ‘Thousand Toxin Immunity’ is nullifying the energy around you.]

...

[The Celestial ‘Malignity-Drinking Saturn’ becomes even more furious upon realizing that none of his curses worked on you!]

[The Effect ‘Thousand Toxin Immunity’ is nullifying...]

‘[Thousand Toxin Immunity] works like this now?’ Chang-Sun couldn’t help smiling. Its Effect making him immune to curses was great news.

『Hahahaha! What? After all the showing off, this only serves him right! Good riddance!』

Simon Magus burst into laughter, having his fair share of grudges against Satan. Chang-Sun nodded and quietly chuckled with him.

* * *

“What is <Memphis> going to do?”

“We haven’t decided... on anything...”

“From what I heard, many of the Celestials are reluctant to continue fighting.”

“I don’t know. I...”

Celestials had flocked to the Zi Wei Palace, which was located at the center of ‘Polaris,’ since it was still relatively intact compared to the other central regions. The twelve delegates who represented the most influential <Societies> in the <Anti-Star> Alliance sat around the table in the main palace, where Taeul held his meetings with the <Purple Star Astrology>’s monster and demonic Celestials.

Neptune, Cernunnos, Serket, J?rmungandr... those who had gathered here made great contributions to this war. Nevertheless, the head and second head of the table, which Taeul and the prime minister used to occupy, remained empty. Although they were very confident of both themselves and their <Societies>, they couldn’t bring themselves to sit on those seats. After all, their owners were as good as decided already.

Glancing at the two seats every now and then, the delegates had several discussions about their plans to re-establish order in <Heaven> and sort out the aftermath of their war. Neptune, who was leaning back on his chair with his arms crossed, soon sensed a presence. “... She’s coming.”

Detecting it as well, the others also stopped talking and turned to the entrance door.

Creaaaak...!

The door swung wide open, and an adorable girl slowly walked in with a lollipop in her mouth.

[The Celestial ‘Primordial Evil Dragon’ has unlocked her Divine Class!]

The energy that she exuded wasn’t as cute as her appearance, however.

“Hup...!”

“Keough! Cough, cough!!

“Hmmmm!”

The twelve delegates broke out in cold sweat. Some cleared their throats to mask their uneasiness, while those who had relatively low Divine Classes grew pale.

As if to show her vexation and dignity as the absolute being of this universe, Tiamat of the Nine Heavens continued to exude energy. Neptune and Cernunnos were just as arrogant as her, but even their faces were darkened. Chang-Sun, who was walking behind her, was the only one who was unaffected.

‘Did she exclude Twilight from the area of her influence...?’

‘No, that’s not it.’

‘Her influence isn’t enough to pressure him.’

‘The news that he defeated ‘Zi Wei Yuan’ on behalf of Tiamat must be true!’

The delegates didn’t witness the battle between Chang-Sun and Taeul, so they couldn’t help but be astounded. Defeating Taeul, the Clear Heaven of the Nine Heavens, only meant one thing.

―The Nine Heavens have a new member!

No one could tell what butterfly effect would start once <Heaven> learned of this. However, one thing was sure. They should watch their mouth in this meeting.

Although it was unclear if Tiamat was aware of the delegates’ mixed feelings, she was pondering how she should climb up the too-high throne.

“... Let me help you,” Chang-Sun offered.

“No. I’ll lose my dignity.” Tiamat refused.

“I think you’ll lose far more of your dignity if you struggle to get up there.” Chang-Sun picked her up and seated her on the throne, choosing not to listen to her.

Tiamat scowled at Chang-Sun, disliking how he was treating her. “You’ve been treating me weirdly lately, you know.”

“I’m the same as usual.”

“No, you’re weird. You’re a concubine, yet you treat me like a child,” Tiamat grumbled.

Chang-Sun quietly smiled and sat on the prime minister’s seat, making Tiamat sulk even more. She knew that his reaction wouldn’t be any different even if she continued arguing, though, so she just gave up and looked at the people in front of her.

A child acting serious wasn’t usually scary, but the wave of Tiamat’s energy showed no signs of subsiding. When she met each delegate’s eyes, they all furtively turned their heads to the side or looked down to avoid having eye contact with her. Only then did she finally smile in contentment.

[The Celestial ‘Divine Twilight’ has unlocked his Divine Class, decreasing the Spiritual Pressure in the room!]

Chang-Sun dissipated Tiamat’s energy with a wave of his hand, allowing the delegates to heave a sigh of relief. Tiamat scowled at him again, though, silently asking him what he was doing, but he pretended he didn’t see anything.

‘She has really become childish,’ Chang-Sun thought.

Perhaps it was because Tiamat had gone through a severe emotional change after the fight against Taeul, she had changed quite a lot from her usual mature self. Chang-Sun thought about it a little more and finally decided that the most accurate way to describe it was that she was seemingly playing baby by throwing more tantrums than before.

‘It’s a good change in a way. This means she feels comfortable around me now, after all.’

Chang-Sun understood why she was different now, though. Many of her children betrayed her and put her in a kill-or-be-killed situation, causing her a lot of emotional shock. Although she always seemed to rule with an iron fist, she probably wanted to depend on someone at least once. She chose Chang-Sun to be that person.

While Chang-Sun was lost in thoughts, Tiamat lightly tapped the throne’s armrest.

Tap!

Wooosh.

The image of the vast Worldline #801 showed up below the delegates’ feet. The land of <Purple Star Astrology> was in the middle of it.

“We can divide up our shares according to our prior agreement,” Tiamat said.

The delegates’ eyes sparkled.

Serket slightly raised her hand and cautiously asked, “Does that mean... you’re going to keep your promise... Lady Tiamat?”

Her gaze fell to the floor when the other delegates scowled at her due to her possibly provocative question.

Tiamat tilted her head. “Were you expecting me not to?”

“Well... yes.”

“To be honest, I did consider the option. After all, <Nammu>, <Muspelheim>, and the <Underworld> have done all the heavy lifting in this war,” Tiamat commented brutally honest.

“...”

“...”

“...”

All the delegates looked uncomfortable, but they couldn’t argue against her since she wasn’t wrong. If Tiamat and Chang-Sun partnered up and attacked them now, they wouldn’t be able to fight back.

“But I keep my promises. I promise on my name that the land of <Purple Star Astrology> will be fairly distributed to everyone in the <Anti-Star> Alliance,” Tiamat solemnly announced.

The delegates heaved a sigh of relief. However, Serket’s eyes were still glued to Tiamat, thinking that couldn’t be all.

“However, we have an agenda to discuss before the distribution.” Tiamat smiled, causing everyone to look at her again. For a brief moment, suffocating silence filled the room. “Are we going to go on a bigger conquest or stop here?”

The Celestials quickly exchanged glances. They weren’t sure how to answer.

“Frankly, I want the seat of a Celestial King.”

The word ‘Celestial King’ left a strong impact on the delegates’ hearts.

“Since I have already started my journey anyway, I want to keep marching until I have the entire universe in my hands. I’m going to make all the arrogant members of <Horoscope> plummet from the sky and stand at the zenith of the Great Universe.”

Suffocating pressure enveloped the Celestials once more. Considering Tiamat wasn’t exuding her Divine Class, it served as a testament to the weight of her declaration. Standing at the zenith of the Great Universe was the life-long dream of Celestials who ruled over their Worldline and all creation in it. If they could leave their marks in the history of the Great Universe by joining and providing their support to this legendary journey, they would be proving themselves to all Worldlines.

Tiamat also claimed that she would transcend the narrow Worldline #801 and go for the Great Universe, which incorporated countless parallel universes and multiverses. With two of the Nine Heavens in the <Anti-Star> Alliance, they had a strong feeling that their organization would succeed.

Badump.

Badump.

It was unclear whose heart started to throb first, but it made the hearts of those next to them people resonate and beat harder.

Badump...!

Badump...!

“I’m saying that I don’t want this to be the end of the <Anti-Star> Alliance. I wish to use it as a stepping stone to a bigger dream. However, it isn’t a decision I can make on my own. For that reason, I would like to hear about your opinions,” Tiamat requested.

The delegates couldn’t bring themselves to answer.

Smiling bitterly, J?rmungandr fixed his glasses, which were resting on his nose bridge. “We all seem to be having a hard time answering. This is all too sudden. I request that we resume this discussion after we are given the chance to contact our <Societies>.”

“Is that so?” Tiamat looked around the room, smiling enigmatically.

Although their hearts still raced hard, the delegates found Tiamat’s reptile eyes terrifying. They felt as if she could see right through them.

‘We...’

‘... are already in this Evil Dragon’s hands!’

‘Escaping her grasp won’t be easy...’

They didn’t really have to leave the meeting now. They already knew what their answers would be.

“Ah, we should listen to our other guest’s opinion for reference first before we adjourn this meeting,” Tiamat looked at the door.

Someone else was joining this meeting? Tiamat’s unexpected remark made everyone follow her gaze.

Thump!

Soon, the door opened.

[The Celestial ‘Sky-Resemble’ proposes to the Celestial ‘Primordial Evil Dragon’ to join the meeting as an audience member on behalf of <Maleakhe>!]

A gorgeous man with waist-length red hair, white skin, and six sets of wings entered.

“Michael?”

“What is <Maleakhe> doing here?”

Michael was the last person the delegates expected. They couldn’t help but frown due to their prior incident with Uriel. However, Michael arrogantly held his head high as if he were encouraging the delegates to come at him

“I permit it.” Tiamat nodded.

[The Celestial ‘Primordial Evil Dragon’ has accepted the proposal of <Maleakhe>, allowing the Celestial ‘Sky-Resemble’ to speak. However, he does not have a vote in the <Anti-Star> Alliance’s affairs.]

“First of all, I would like to apologize for what happened with Uriel. <Maleakhe> is at fault for not properly keeping our member in check.” Michael slightly bowed.

“I accept your apology.”

“Thank you.”

“Now, let’s get down to the business,” Tiamat replied curtly.

“A moment ago, <Horoscope> requested the intervention of <Maleakhe> and <L'Infernal> to stop the war between them and the <Anti-Star> Alliance.”

The Absolute Good Faction and Absolute Evil Faction. <Horoscope> involved the enforcers who maintained the balance in <Heaven>?

The delegates’ expressions turned grim. The goal of <Maleakhe> was to keep the peace of the universe, so they would cause a lot of problems if they used the intervention request to meddle in the <Anti-Star> Alliance’s work.

“As the enforcer of this world’s balance, <Maleakhe> and <L'Infernal> found the request of <Horoscope> to be reasonable, so I’m here to officially request you to stop the war now, Lady Tiamat.” Michael was polite, but his voice was as emotionless as a doll.

“What if I don’t want to?”

“If you don’t want to...” Michael paused and took a deep breath for a moment. It was as if everything he had done here was just preparations to emphasize what he was going to say now.

Woosh!

He spread his six sets of splendid wings, his radiant and sacred white light filling up the room. At the same time, a heated gale rippled. With eyes blazing up with fire, Michael met Tiamat’s gaze. “Have you heard of the story about the person who plummeted from the sky because she couldn’t satiate her greed despite having become a Celestial King? She tried to take over this universe, just like you’re trying to do, Lady Tiamat.”

Badump!

Chang-Sun, who was quietly listening to their conversation, felt his heart pounding and his subconscious realm shaking so hard it was as if it was about to gush out.

“I was there when this universe began. Do you seriously think that I wouldn’t know about it?” Tiamat tilted her head, expressing her discontentment.

“I’m sure you’re well aware of it. After all, you were right by her side. Let me ask you another question. Do you know why the Celestial King plummeted?” Michael asked.

Badump, badump, badump―!

Chang-Sun’s heart frantically raced. He heated up, and his subconscious realm started to overflow into his conscious realm. Having a difficult time trying to stop it, he realized who Michael was talking about.

“It’s because <Maleakhe> and <L'Infernal> took action. Are you really going to make the same mistake as that Celestial King, Lady Tiamat?”

The moment Michael mentioned Celestial King Bestla, who was also Odin’s teacher and the progenitor of all Giants...

―That vermin!

... Odin rushed out of the subconscious realm, revealing his fury. The blue lightning that surged out of their heart shredded Michael’s heated gale.

Rumble!