Chapter 370
Chapter 370
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 370
Chapter Title: Secrets of the Celestials (2)
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“What is it you want to say to me?”
“Hmm, with so many ears around, is that alright?”
Rokan tossed the words indifferently toward Lafuge, who watched him leisurely with an inscrutable expression. It was a way of saying this was a highly confidential matter.
He didn’t know exactly how Lafuge interpreted it, but the man silently observed for a moment before gesturing for his subordinates to leave with a glance.
Everyone except the two most trusted ones was sent outside.
It was hard to say even those two couldn’t be trusted when he went this far.
Rokan’s mana was frozen, but he could still wield plenty of power. It was only natural for them to prepare for that, so he didn’t mind and continued.
“I want to help fulfill Lord Lafuge’s aspirations.”
“My aspirations?”
Lafuge feigned ignorance at Rokan’s words, but a subtle glint of anticipation lurked in his eyes.
Rokan slowly unspooled the story without reservation.
About a fact uncovered by a celestial archaeologist.
“I thought it was something major.”
“……?”
But upon hearing about the imperial clan, Lafuge’s face turned indifferent.
“Anyone in a position to know already does. Nothing new there.”
His expression chilled, as if it were an open secret by now. This wasn’t a test—he meant it.
“You seem to be misunderstanding something. The information I’m offering isn’t about the truth itself.”
“Then what?”
“I’ll leak that information. We’ll lure the Royal Guard and defense forces outside.”
“……!”
The imperial palace left empty in the pursuit of Rokan. What came next was up to Lafuge.
Kill the current emperor or drag him out for exile.
Of course, something merciful like that seemed unlikely.
“How can I trust you? What do you gain from this?”
As expected from a scheming celestial, his calculations were precise.
But in a deal, that was actually preferable.
“Your kin are about to be massacred. Does that sit well with you?”
So Rokan responded with a question that mixed answer and query, like a non-sequitur.
His own gain was slaughtering the pursuing Royal Guard and other celestials, plus claiming their spoils.
“Hmph, kin? Please.”
A flash of contempt crossed Lafuge’s eyes at those words.
Not toward Rokan, but pure-blooded celestials.
As a second-class celestial with demonic blood, he despised the pure ones who mingled with natives and shared blood.
In the end, the emperor and this guy were cut from the same cloth, but Rokan was just proposing a mutually beneficial exchange, so it didn’t matter.
Pure celestials weren’t much different toward other races anyway.
“Very well. Shall we discuss the specifics?”
Rokan grinned brightly and pulled out a contract.
He began writing down what he and Lafuge each wanted, point by point.
***
“Huh? What’s this?”
[Black Secret of a First-Class Celestial. I Know Your Innate Secret.]
It started with posters scattered everywhere. Eye-catching phrases were plastered across the capital to stir curiosity.
The back read D-3.
Alone, it was vague, but over two days, narrowing the content built a nuance that those in the know would recognize.
D-2, D-1.
As interest among celestials grew and the days ticked down, third-class and higher grew anxious.
Normally, it might take time to reach the nobles’ ears, but Lafuge had subtly pushed it into public discourse, so the imperial clan felt the pressure quickly.
“Find them. Track down whoever spread this and eliminate them. Tear their body to shreds, toss it into the 환마계, rip out their soul, and hurl it into the low realms!”
“Yes, sir!”
The sole first-class celestial, the emperor, couldn’t sit idle either. Just as he’d buried the archaeologist’s revelation before, he decided to smother this secret with force.
He mobilized the Royal Guard and every security force in the capital to hunt the culprit.
Phase one: success.
Rokan, informed by Lafuge, was already making final preparations.
“Weakling hoarded a fortune, huh.”
It meant taking out Taluba. Rokan had secretly slain the guy, who was barely high-master level, and was now polymorphed as him.
Snagging the wealth he’d thriftily amassed was a bonus.
Guilt? Pangs of conscience? As if. A quick check revealed it was all gained by selling his friend Motelon’s data.
So wasn’t it only right for Rokan, avenging that grudge, to take it all?
Having sold off even the house deeds, Rokan headed to the academy where Taluba served as chancellor.
He’d skipped out the past few days claiming illness, but today he summoned all trainees under the guise of a special lecture.
Only then would the emperor feel real urgency, right?
At the same time, he leaked info through Lafuge.
[Taluba’s movements are suspicious.]
[With Motelon gone, Taluba’s the only one who knows the celestial truth.]
[Taluba’s suddenly cleaning house and scheduled a mandatory special lecture for all trainees today.]
Suspicious details combined for the emperor to notice.
And the lecture title was blatant.
[The Birth of the Celestial God and the True History of Celestials]
It was an existing course, but couldn’t he veer off-script suddenly?
The moment word spread, the capital’s entire force mobilized.
To prevent Taluba from spouting nonsense, they surrounded the lecture hall, mingling guards among the regular celestials. Ready to arrest or eliminate him at a moment’s notice.
“Hey, you damned hypocrites! Today’s the day your secrets get exposed!”
But Rokan, disguised as Taluba, didn’t show at the lecture hall.
The city center.
Where pure celestials outnumbered regulars, he appeared clutching armfuls of flyers.
Flutter.
Papers scattered into the air like snow.
“There he is! Seize him!”
“We’ve been tricked! Request backup! Redirect forces here!”
The defense forces charged first.
Most had rushed to the lecture hall as capital defenders, so their numbers were few, but their skills weren’t to be trifled with.
Squad leaders were mostly level 400, underlings at the tail end of high-master.
But they were still far short of catching Rokan.
“Hmph!”
Rokan’s hands showed no mercy.
He whipped out his battle-axe and danced, sending limbs flying from charging pure celestials, turning them into experience points as their breaths cut short.
“He’s over there! Grab him!”
Yet he ensured his retreat path was secure.
He was ready for a real fight if needed, but not here.
Only by drawing them out as far as possible could Lafuge’s private forces infiltrate the palace and achieve their goal.
Spotting the Royal Guard arriving late from afar, Rokan began feigning exhaustion.
“He’s fleeing!”
“Don’t let him escape!”
Now came the crucial part: distance control.
Against foes unleashing master and creation skills to bind him, maintaining just enough distance to drag them without giving up was no easy task.
The key was luring them outside the city, to a point where they couldn’t casually turn back to the palace.
“Damn it!”
Rokan spammed mobility and evasion skills nonstop.
Even with his control, shaking hundreds of grand-masters was tough.
At least his vitality was overwhelming.
Without Storm Incarnation or Berserk, he tanked most attacks bare-bodied and vaulted the walls to flee.
Thanks to pulling nearly all forces to the lecture hall, close pursuers were limited—a stroke of luck.
After running endlessly in this tedious chase, as the end neared, Taluba’s body reverted to Rokan’s.
“No way!”
“It’s a fake!”
“That aura…!”
Divine Beast Hunter triggered instantly, goading their nerves. They realized it wasn’t Taluba, but he made sure they couldn’t ignore it.
“Storm Incarnation, Full-Body Peerless, Blood Awakening!”
Rokan went all-out from the start.
An overwhelming aura unimaginable for level 400 exploded, menacing the celestials.
But these were the Royal Guard.
All level 400 elites, squad leaders and above at a whopping 450.
They countered with divinity-infused creation skills.
“Reincarnation of the Celestial General!”
“Power of the Celestial God!”
True to celestials, most borrowed or mimicked the Celestial God’s might.
Pitifully weak, of course.
Assuming they couldn’t unleash full power with mismatched forces, Rokan activated his final trump.
“Soul Awakening.”
Woooong.
The skill awakening spirits and tales in gear.
But this time, the target was special.
[The Storm Relic Set’s souls awaken.]
Like the Lion King gear, he applied Soul Awakening to the entire Storm Relic Set.
Kwaaaaaang!
“Gasp!”
The gear’s roar froze the charging celestials stiff.
They couldn’t overcome the madness, the terror.
‘Perfect.’
Rokan paused too. First time trying Soul Awakening on Storm Relics.
He’d ditched awakening Celestial God or Demon God gear, betting it suited him best—and he was right.
Awakening Celestial God gear would grant them an edge against its divinity.
‘Turtling’ made that superior.
But Rokan sought more than endurance.
Total annihilation.
Smashing divinity and all, slaughtering them—that was the goal, making Storm Relics the divine move.
“Krraaaaaah!”
Gear madness fused with the master’s, multiplying beyond addition to dominate the area.
Even level 400s flipped eyes back, dazed in an instant.
Only 450s barely endured, and even they suffered stat drops without raising divinity.
Mere transcendents without bestowed worlds, yet in this moment, this domain became his world.
A realm of madness, death, and slaughter. The world of violence unfolded.