Molting
The Hall of One Hundred Constellations.
The 101st Constellation had appeared!
An incomprehensible being, scattering brilliant starlight in its wake — every Constellation's attention was inevitably drawn to it.
"You…!"
The Constellation of the Most Brilliant Hero was no less astonished than the rest. Even for him, the emergence of a Constellation that transcended every law was something he had never witnessed.
But more shocking still was the 101st Constellation's identity.
"……A question mark?"
Its face was invisible — veiled behind a pale, murky fog. Above that obscured visage floated nothing but a single question mark (?).
None of them had ever seen a Constellation like this. Could a question mark even be called a Constellation at all?
Constellations were those who had attained lofty glory and become stars. A being as enigmatic as a riddle could not possibly be one of them.
"What is your true nature? How did you become the 101st Constellation?"
The Constellation of the Most Brilliant Hero could not help but ask. From the question mark, he sensed nothing at all. It possessed neither the glory of the other Constellations, nor any sacred quality. It was far too ordinary.
At last, the Constellation with the face of a question mark spoke.
"I am the one who opened the Gate of Truth and emerged from within."
"Wait. What did you just say?"
"The Gate of Truth?!"
The listening Constellations recoiled in shock. The Gate of Truth! They knew the name, yet none among them had ever confirmed its actual existence — and now this being claimed to have opened it and walked out.
At the same time, the Constellation of the Most Brilliant Hero's expression hardened as a related memory surfaced.
Could it be… the one I saw back then…
The moment he had spent every last shred of starlight and been stripped of his Constellation qualifications. Satisfied with Randolph's story, he had been smiling as he prepared to vanish. And then, from the other side, a presence had appeared — a single mouth emerging from the darkness.
— Do you have anything more to offer?
…The voice that had spilled from that mouth was identical to the voice of this question mark.
The mouth that had appeared when he wished to see more of Randolph's story.
— You said you wanted to see more. Then you must have something further to offer, no?
He had handed over everything he was to that mouth in the dark.
— The stories you've accumulated until now… interesting.
And so the mouth that had devoured every last "story" elevated the Constellation of the Brilliant Hero, raising his rank to the Constellation of the Most Brilliant Hero.
That was unmistakably the Gate of Truth.
He had been certain of it. And yet — one who had opened the Gate of Truth and come out? Moreover, this question mark was speaking in the exact same voice as that mouth from before.
Under the weight of unprecedented attention, the question mark spoke again.
"I am the Constellation of Purity. The first Constellation of the Hall of One Hundred Constellations, who existed before any rules were established — the one who became the Highest Star and was permitted to enter the Gate of Truth."
"The Highest Star…!"
"Then why have you come out again?"
The Highest Star. The seat every Constellation in the Hall of One Hundred Constellations longed for above all else — a position only the star that shone highest, outranking every other Constellation, could claim. And the Constellation of Purity was saying it had been the first to become the Highest Star after the Hall was created.
Then the Constellation of Purity answered.
"I was given one more chance — and I failed."
"You failed?"
"Constellation of Purity. Does becoming the Highest Star grant one such an opportunity?"
They asked with desperate urgency. Every Constellation gathered here had failed at least once. No beings in existence hungered more fiercely for a new chance.
The Constellation of Purity nodded.
"It does. And my appearance here means that the struggle for the Highest Star has begun in earnest. Constellations — with the lukewarm attitudes you have held until now, you will never become the Highest Star."
Step. Step.
The Constellation of Purity advanced, then came to a halt directly before the Constellation of the Most Brilliant Hero.
"Struggle. Gather the Golden Rule by any means necessary. Trample other Constellations, climb over them — only the one who completes the Most Brilliant Starlight of the Golden Rule shall become the Highest Star!"
"……Is this a declaration of war?"
The Constellation of the Most Brilliant Hero's expression hardened. Until now, the Constellations had never encroached upon one another's domains. They had followed established methods and kept as far as possible from anything that violated the rules. That entire approach was what this being dismissed as a "lukewarm attitude."
The Constellation of Purity was the complete opposite of every Constellation that had appeared before. There was nothing glorious about it.
Then the Constellation of Purity looked upon the Constellation of the Most Brilliant Hero and clicked its tongue.
"You are truly fools."
"……"
It kept crossing the line. The Most Brilliant Constellation's brow furrowed — yet the Constellation of Purity paid it no mind. Instead, it provoked them further.
"You foolish Constellations!"
As if demanding they finally open their eyes.
"Do you truly believe the Hall of One Hundred Constellations is the only one of its kind?"
I slowly opened my eyes.
Crack. Crackle!
I rolled my neck, working out the knotted muscles. I lifted my hands and flexed them, laced my fingers together and stretched — confirming that my body moved normally.
"Hmm."
This was my body. Nothing wrong with it. The Evil God's attempt to discard me as a worthless vessel had failed spectacularly.
"It ran."
In the end, the Evil God had fled into the Cheonmado. I still didn't know why it had specifically called me a "Demon of Greed," but I hadn't come away empty-handed.
Lines of text floated before my eyes. Looking at them, I allowed myself a faint smile.
You have acquired the skill Cheonma Shingong (Lv.1).
Elevated to Lv.2 by the Hidden Trait Handicraft.
Achievement unlocked: Successor of the First Heavenly Demon.
Honor doubled (3,000) by Great Dignity.
Honor has surpassed 40,000.
You may now acquire a Sacred Qualification at the Sanctuary of Honor.
You have been granted the right to enter Heavenly Mountain.
I had stolen the essence of Cheonma Shingong from the Evil God. I hadn't fully mastered it yet, but I had made it my skill beyond any doubt.
— Let us see whether you can perfect Cheonma Shingong without abandoning your humanity!
That had been the Evil God's final death cry. Afterward, it had sealed itself tightly inside the Cheonmado.
It was never my sword to begin with.
Still, this was enough. Unless I killed the Heavenly Demon — the Cheonmado's current master — I could never become its true owner anyway.
Of course, the title "Successor of the First Heavenly Demon" didn't sit well with me. The moment I saw it, I was speechless. Me, the Evil God's successor?
I shrugged and examined the information on the skill-form Cheonma Shingong.
◈ A discipline for becoming an Asura.
◈ Only those who possess a pure disposition of evil may learn it.
◈ Amplifies internal energy (divine power) and explosively increases the force of Strength.
◈ The magnitude of amplification grows with mastery of Cheonma Shingong, but resistance to Evil is lost in equal measure.
◈ Furthermore, as mastery increases, if the amplified internal power cannot be withstood, the Vessel shatters — and one becomes a cripple.
The listed information wasn't long. But the moment I confirmed it, I couldn't help uttering a single word.
"…Insane."
Because it truly was insane. A skill that amplified internal power? I had never heard of such a thing existing. Cheonma Shingong was a technique that crushed opponents through sheer, overwhelming internal force.
A function that rivaled Hidden Traits themselves. After all, even Heavenly Realm only raised the level-based stat ceiling by a factor of 1.2. Cheonma Shingong only increased divine power — but its amplification rate was anything but ordinary. Enough that the side effects barely registered.
No wonder my body felt overflowing with energy…
I took a deep breath, intending to check my status window and see just how much it had amplified.
But before I could even open it—
Evil Disposition stirs.
The Vessel of the Prepared One expands.
Molting is in progress.
My body went rigid. I couldn't move. Then the skin across my entire body rose, unraveling like spun thread, and began to form a cocoon.
Molting.
True to its name, the outer shell was being shed, and the body was beginning to reconstitute itself anew.
……
An unplanned, sudden complete transformation. The problem was that this was God's Island, and I was still a challenger. If more than seventy-two hours passed without an Expedition Duel, a Night Spirit would come. If anyone found me mid-Molting, my life was as good as forfeit.
So I couldn't help but deliberate. Should I stop it, or shouldn't I?
But if I let this opportunity slip, there was no telling when Molting would occur again.
The Vessel. Raising the body's capacity to hold internal power.
Moreover, if I didn't expand the Vessel this time, I could end up a cripple. Pros and cons. In the end, it came down to choice.
I squeezed my eyes shut — and decided to accept the chance at Molting.
"Ah…"
Isabella bit down hard on her lip. Starlight — Randolph of Eternity. She had realized that protecting it was no longer the issue.
The memory the starlight had shown her. If she didn't ask whether it was real, she didn't think she could bear it. Whether he had been toying with her all this time. Whether he had deceived everyone.
If the starlight's memory was true… that was something she could never forgive, no matter what.
……My body?
That was when it began. Her body started to stiffen, bit by bit. But right now she was not a Night Spirit — she was wearing the outer form of the Dreadful Omen. The Dreadful Omen. Randolph himself.
I think I know where Lord Randolph is.
At the same time, the form of the Dreadful Omen was calling her somewhere. Toward wherever Randolph was, most likely. She didn't know why, but it was something like instinct — the instinct to return to where one originally belonged.
Something has happened to Lord Randolph.
She didn't understand why this phenomenon was occurring so suddenly, but one thing was certain: something had happened to Randolph. So if she followed the instinct, she should be able to find him.
And yet she hesitated. If she faced Randolph, she would be annihilated. And even if she did face him, she couldn't be sure she would be able to ask for the truth.
"……Let's go."
Isabella forced herself to shake her head. She needed to confirm what this phenomenon was. Asking for the truth could come after. She could never forgive him — but if something had gone wrong with Randolph, she still wanted to see it with her own eyes.
Isabella moved as the form of the Dreadful Omen willed. How long did she walk?
A cave. Lord Randolph must be inside.
She found a cave set into the middle of a cliff face. From within, Randolph's presence radiated more intensely than ever. Isabella took a deep breath, then stepped forward.
And then—
"A cocoon…?"
At the far end of the cave, she confirmed the presence of a single cocoon.
Lord Randolph.
The instant she saw it, she knew it was him. For a moment, Isabella's gaze grew unsettled. She could roughly guess what state Randolph was in right now.
He was breaking through his limits. Reconstructing his body to go further. But no one could know when that reconstruction would end — and while the body was being remade, he could do nothing at all.
"Lord Randolph. Is the memory the starlight showed me truly real?"
Of course, no answer came.
Her fists clenched tight. Isabella trembled, gripping so hard her knuckles whitened.
Rage. Boiling, overflowing rage began to erupt like an explosion.
So this was an opportunity. The perfect chance to vent this rage that had nowhere else to go.
……If she wanted to kill Randolph, there would never be a better moment than this.