Chapter 375
Chapter 375
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 375
Chapter Title: Racial War (14)
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To be precise, it was fixed onto the 'Staff of the Beast Constellation' held in Adora's hand.
As if sensing the faint waves emanating from the staff, Sylphia's blue eyes trembled slightly.
"At first, I had my doubts. But seeing that staff... now I'm certain."
"......"
Adora remained silent.
It was indeed Park Chan-woo's staff, after all.
But she still couldn't figure out how Sylphia had connected the Staff of the Beast Constellation to Park Chan-woo.
"Don't be on guard. Our Windkin tribe received grace from 'Transcender Lil.' That staff originally belonged to her."
At Sylphia's words, Adora's red eyes deepened even further.
The Staff of the Beast Constellation.
Among the countless pieces of equipment Park Chan-woo had left behind, it was one he cherished above all.
For it to have belonged to 'Lil,' known as a primordial transcender...
Lee Hyuk-soo swallowed hard as well.
He had heard fragments of Park Chan-woo's past and the power he wielded through Adora, but he had never imagined a direct link to a being called a 'transcender.'
"Transcender Lil was one of the primordial 'Six Constellations,' so our Windkin ancestors served her more closely than any other."
"What does that have to do with him?"
"We have Lil's final words passed down to us: 'Someday, a star lost in the darkest despair will appear, gather the scattered light, and bring a new dawn.' We have guarded those words, waiting for the day her legacy would shine once more."
"Park Chan-woo... you're saying he's that lost star?"
"Most likely. But we've heard a 'prophecy' that someone named 'Park Chan-woo' inherited the legacy of the Beast Constellation. From what I see... you seem to share his will. A 'lost one' who stands with humans, despite not being human yourself."
"......"
Sylphia had seen through Adora's true nature.
At the same time, her final words stirred a strange ripple in the human representative team's tent.
A prophecy.
One involving the name Park Chan-woo and the 'Staff of the Beast Constellation' he possessed, no less.
Lee Hyuk-soo took a moment to steady his breathing.
His heart was pounding fiercely.
He instinctively sensed that Park Chan-woo's existence was entangled far deeper in the Abyss's profound history and fate than he had ever imagined.
"......You're right, Queen Sylphia."
Lee Hyuk-soo finally spoke.
There wasn't a hint of hesitation in his voice.
"I stand here carrying his will. I'm prepared to stake everything for what he sought to achieve... and what he aimed to reclaim."
Sylphia's blue eyes sparkled with satisfaction at Lee Hyuk-soo's resolute answer.
"A splendid resolve, human. Then our interests align clearly."
She elegantly folded her translucent wings and continued.
"Our Windkin tribe has made it our lifelong mission to uphold Transcender Lil's legacy, reclaiming her scattered relics and will. The 'Staff of the Beast Constellation' is one of the most vital sacred treasures among them. And the inheritor of that staff, Park Chan-woo, is described in the prophecy as the 'lost star that will bring a new dawn.'"
Sylphia's gaze lingered on Adora for a moment.
"You must carry her will as well. The power I sense from you is far from ordinary."
Adora remained silent, but her red eyes did not deny Sylphia's words.
"We wish to welcome the new dawn brought by that star named 'Park Chan-woo' alongside you. And if we uncover other legacies of Lil in the process, we claim priority rights to them. Of course, if you need our help handling those artifacts, we'll gladly assist. These are the terms of the alliance we propose to you."
Sylphia's proposal was far more concrete and clear than before.
It felt like a commitment to some grand fate, beyond mere greed for relics.
But.
"......He is not here right now."
Lee Hyuk-soo intoned heavily.
His voice carried regret, yet also an unyielding determination to carry on his will regardless.
The playful smile on Sylphia's face faded for a moment.
Her blue eyes peered deeply into Lee Hyuk-soo.
Within them flickered disappointment, mingled with a cautious reassessment.
The being the Windkin had awaited so long—the 'lost star' of the prophecy—was not here now.
"......I see."
Sylphia's voice was a tone lower than before.
Even the refreshing breeze swirling around her seemed to pause.
"In that case... perhaps we were too hasty in placing our hopes. If the 'lost star' hasn't appeared yet, what reason do we have to join you...?"
Before her words could finish, Adora broke her silence for the first time.
"He will come. Without fail."
Adora's red eyes met Sylphia's head-on.
There was no tremor in that gaze.
"Even if he's lost in the darkest despair, that star will rise again. And all preparations for that dawn... have already begun."
She lightly raised the 'Staff of the Beast Constellation' in her hand.
The gem at its tip began emitting a far more intense starlight, as if responding to Sylphia's gaze.
Sylphia's eyes lingered once more on the Staff of the Beast Constellation.
And in Adora's gaze, she read a profound conviction tied to the flow of a grand fate.
Adora herself might be another fragment of the 'lost star' mentioned in the prophecy.
"Intriguing."
Sylphia smiled faintly once more.
She was capricious and calculating, yet also a free spirit like the wind, unafraid to entrust herself to the currents of great destiny.
"Very well. Even if the 'lost star' hasn't fully revealed itself, you who bear its light are worth joining."
Her gaze shifted back to Lee Hyuk-soo.
"Warrior Hanshin, bearer of the Forgotten Queen's breath. Adora, inheritor of the star's will. Your human race clearly possesses something special. Our Windkin tribe will invest in that 'specialness.'"
She fluttered her translucent wings elegantly once more.
"Our conditions remain the same as before. In the 'Archipelago of Chaos,' we will be your eyes and wings. In return, we demand priority negotiation rights over all relics presumed to be Lil's legacy. And... when your star, Park Chan-woo, returns, you must arrange a meeting with our Windkin tribe. That is our second condition."
Lee Hyuk-soo pondered Sylphia's new terms briefly before nodding with a firm expression.
"Understood, Queen Sylphia. We accept those conditions. If he returns, I will ensure a meeting with you."
"Excellent."
A satisfied smile finally graced Sylphia's face.
"Then, once the details of the 'Archipelago of Chaos' are revealed in 12 hours, we'll meet again to discuss strategy. May the winds be with you."
With those words, Sylphia vanished like a gust of wind.
As her form faded, the mystical aura around her seemed to dissipate as well.
"......Park Chan-woo. What the hell kind of guy is he?"
Reaper Johnson finally broke the silence with a mutter.
His voice held awe, mingled with pure curiosity about a being beyond comprehension.
Lingling nodded with a similar expression.
The Park Chan-woo from the intel she knew had been utterly ordinary.
She never imagined he'd be entangled in the Abyss's deepest history and fate.
Now she somewhat understood why Lee Hyuk-soo called him 'master' and awaited him so earnestly.
"Isn't it about time you told us? We have a right to know too."
Adrianna said firmly.
Her eyes were resolute.
The others who didn't know Park Chan-woo stared at Lee Hyuk-soo with similar expressions.
Tell us in detail who Park Chan-woo is.
Through the conversation with Queen Sylphia, they vaguely sensed he was tied to secrets and fates far grander than imagined.
And demanding an explanation from Lee Hyuk-soo, who seemed at the center of it all, was only natural.
"......"
Lee Hyuk-soo fell silent for a moment.
The weight of his teammates' gazes was burdensome, but he understood their feelings.
They were comrades staking their lives in this hellish racial war.
As leader, withholding even basic information was unacceptable.
But how much should he reveal?
"......He is."
Lee Hyuk-soo finally spoke heavily.
His voice was low and calm, but the weight within it silenced the tent and seized everyone's attention.
He gazed into the distance, as if reminiscing on a far-off past.
Then, with unwavering conviction, he declared.
"He is a 'god.' The absolute being who will bring prosperity to our humanity... our one true hope."
Lee Hyuk-soo's voice of absolute certainty settled heavily in the human representative team's tent.
A word no one could have anticipated, impossible even to imagine.
God.
Complete silence reigned.
Everyone stared at Lee Hyuk-soo in dazed expressions, as if time had frozen or a massive hammer had struck their heads.
The first to react was, as expected, Reaper Johnson.
Absurdity and disbelief were blatant on his face.
"......A god? Are you serious right now? Do you think we're some cult? No matter how great Park Chan-woo is, god...?!"
"Not wrong."
It was then.
Adora stepped forward, affirming Lee Hyuk-soo's words.
"He was undoubtedly called a god. And if he even subjugated real gods, he might be something even greater."
Adora's quiet voice struck everyone with more impact than any thunder.
"......"
Everyone except one—Hanshin.