Chapter 63
Chapter 63
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 63
Chapter Title: Experimenting with the Power of Subordinates (2)
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3.
“Karlren, tell us more about that child.”
Laisabera, the administrator of Nowon-gu, said. Karlren was the administrator of Seodaemun-gu.
“There’s nothing more to report. There doesn’t seem to be any progress.”
Cathedral worship hall.
Pale smoke rose from every censer.
In the smoke, human shapes faintly appeared, all sharing a similar form.
Pure white robes.
Eyes blue like stars.
All four were Star Messengers, servants of the stars.
They managed Seoul in South Korea and communicated this way on a regular basis.
“Why would ‘that one’ leave behind another vessel?”
Biltanter, the lone male among the Star Messengers and usually the quietest, spoke in a confused tone.
“We had naturally judged the vessel to be Kim Baek-jun.”
“Your judgment is clouded, Biltanter.”
“Hmm?”
“Kim Baek-jun has never once used ‘that power.’ It’s possible the vessel selection failed.”
Laisabera smirked mockingly at Karlren’s retort.
“Failed? I’ve never seen anyone as meticulous as ‘that one.’ ‘That one’ served the absolute god. They’re on a different level from us.”
The reason they referred to ‘that one’ was because ‘he’ was a god stripped of his name. Biltanter said,
“Then one of the two is bait… or maybe both are bait, and the real vessel is still hidden?”
“We can’t rule that out either.”
A brief silence.
Tanteska, the administrator of Songpa-gu, spoke up.
“Either way, our mission is management and guidance… The great ones will handle this.”
“It’s already begun.”
Laisabera said.
“It seems the absolute god of Ikilas has sensed something. They’ve accelerated hunter training. They’ve already moved on to the fourth subordinate hunt.”
“Hmm. That one is always so hasty. We in Songpa-gu just finished conquering the second subordinate.”
“Oh dear, we’ve already been overtaken.”
Tanteska responded to Karlren’s leisurely laugh.
“You seem quite relaxed, Karlren.”
“That’s what makes it more fun. Hunts are always more thrilling in the second act than the first. It’s the pleasure only a spectator can feel.”
The Star Messengers all smiled with their eyes. A chorus of laughter that would send chills down any human’s spine.
“I’ll take my leave first.”
Finally, Karlren bowed politely to his colleagues.
“Our proxy has arrived.”
“You mean that hunter.”
“Yes. Then, brothers and sisters, may the Mother of Truth guide you.”
The other three Star Messengers chorused in response.
“Arita Beir. May the Mother of Truth guide you.”
4.
Before the Star Messenger arrived.
Choi Uk was devouring ancient tomes in the cathedral’s affiliated library.
Choi Uk furrowed his brow.
Untranslatable again. This was no small matter.
His unique skill should decode any language.
Which meant…
His contracted Holy Apostle, [Empress of Truth], didn’t want this passage read. But why?
- You must gather the fragments.
He had uncovered the goal of Kim Baek-jun’s backers.
Kim Baek-jun seemed to trust Choi Uk… but Choi Uk did not trust Kim Baek-jun.
More precisely, his backers.
Choi Uk was searching for his revenge target.
Nightmares. Holy Apostles. Radiance.
Who was the true culprit behind this tragedy?
Choi Uk sighed and rummaged through other books.
I need to uncover the stars’ purpose.
There’s definitely something hidden.
Something invisible.
His head throbbed, followed by a faint hallucination echoing in his mind.
“Daddy.”
Choi Uk clutched his chest. Choi Rin. His dead daughter.
“Daddy.”
He had to find them.
And… pay them back.
That was the final duty of a helpless father.
“You’re asking questions that need no water.”
A voice clear like a star.
He looked up to see the Star Messenger approaching silently. The long sleeves of her robe rustled softly.
“The stars bestowed their grace for one reason. To have you all transcend this apocalypse.”
Their eyes met, and the Star Messenger’s eyes curved like a crescent moon.
A strange tension contracted his entire body. Choi Uk closed the book and said,
“Boring lies.”
“Are they truly lies? Read it for yourself.”
It was blatant deception.
Choi Uk and the Star Messenger served the same god.
His unique skill 《True Sight》 couldn’t discern truth from falsehood.
“Harboring hostility toward me is pointless.”
“Because you’re just a mid-level manager?”
“Exactly. I merely follow orders.”
Choi Uk made a disdainful face, but Karlren pressed on undeterred.
“We too await only the day the hunt is complete. Only then can we return to the great one’s side.”
How much was truth remained unknown.
It could all be deception, with the Star Messenger pulling every string. Choi Uk changed the subject.
“Karlren, if memory serves, we agreed no contact outside the worship hall.”
“No hunters come here.”
“Not one?”
“There was one. But he died without achieving transcendence.”
Who could it be.
But he wasn’t particularly curious.
“Not interested. Get to the point.”
“The situation has turned urgent. The absolute gods have pinpointed the vessel’s location. The vessel’s early awakening is the issue. We’ll clash soon.”
The vessel.
Kim Baek-jun, or Do Ye-jin.
Either way, not welcome news.
Absolute gods.
Among Holy Apostles, the absolute seats. Far more divine than the Seven Star Apostles right below them.
“So?”
“Remember the final contract condition.”
As Choi Uk moved to leave the stacks, the Star Messenger drove in the wedge with a menacing smile.
“The contract you didn’t tell the vessel about.”
Choi Uk froze for a moment.
“The reason that child’s fragment dwells in that weapon is because you swore to fulfill it.”
Choi Uk’s hand trembled.
The hand cannon on his back, Rin, trembled with it. Since Rin’s soul was bound here, he naturally called the weapon after his only daughter.
“I haven’t forgotten.”
“Excellent. So here’s some advice. Head to the great library as soon as possible.”
“The great library?”
There was no great library in Paradise.
Which meant…
“You mean the Jongno Great Library?”
“I glimpsed the future in the starlight.”
Karlren’s eyes gleamed ominously.
“Do Ye-jin. That vessel becoming a subordinate… The catalyst for the power is hidden in the great library.”
“What’s your angle?”
Choi Uk narrowed his eyes.
Experiments with the subordinate weapon had repeatedly failed without answers. Would that problem resolve this easily?
“It’s advice to help you fulfill the contract. Let me explain more… You should keep this to yourself.”
The Star Messenger chuckled softly.
A monster whose laughter even carried the scent of starlight. By the end of the explanation, his head throbbed.
“Three for the sake of one…”
Choi Uk muttered the core of the explanation.
“To do that, we need to expand the board.”
“The world is forged in blood. A necessary sacrifice. Cheap compared to controlling the vessel of power.”
Choi Uk pressed his forehead with his hand.
His bangs had grown enough to bother him. He’d need to visit a barber.
“I really need to keep this to myself.”
“Execute it cunningly, so no one notices.”
“We’ll see.”
Choi Uk had no intention of playing along with the Star Messenger’s games.
Not yet, anyway.
“See you next time.”
As Choi Uk walked toward the exit, the Star Messenger smiled faintly.
“Arita Beir. May the Mother of Truth illuminate your fortune.”
“Spare me the prayers.”
Choi Uk just turned his head sharply and spoke in a dismissive tone.
“I’ve made my own luck. I have up to now, and I will from here on.”
5.
“Five minutes to Gate Opening.”
After the world ended, I realized.
Gods are cruel beings.
Beings who treat one person’s tragedy as mere entertainment.
“Target: Buam-dong, Jongno-gu.”
They called the lives they dictated fate.
“Upon successful real deployment of the subordinate weapon, First Hunting Squad proceeds with Plan A as planned.”
Humans are bound to fate from birth.
Does that make will and freedom meaningless for humans?
“In case of failure, Subjugation Squad proceeds with Plan B.”
No, I wanted to say.
I wanted to shout that it wasn’t true.
“Everyone, forward!”
In a world devoured by nightmares, I gripped my sword again today.
Six days since the founding of <Association>.
“Lure successful. It’s coming.”
Moon Ji-hyo said with her eyes closed.
Light pupils flickered on her round face.
Unique skill, 《Farsight》.
Moon Ji-hyo, the new nightmare hunter who joined <Association>, could see clearly even 300 meters away.
“Main containment operation? The subordinate weapon?”
Beside me, Jeong Ha-kyeong pressed urgently.
“The transformation itself seems to have failed.”
“Damn it.”
Jeong Ha-kyeong’s eyes flashed reproachfully at Do Su-jin.
“What? You threw Ye-jin in as an experiment anyway, right?”
“What the hell! That was the main op. We were backup for emergencies!”
“Enough!”
I stepped between the two famously hot-tempered women like a mediator.
“We just execute that ‘emergency backup’ Plan B.”
It echoed from afar.
Wingbeats shaking the ruined horizon. A transcendent roar making my whole body shudder.
“Target breached second containment line.”
It’s really close now.
It’s coming. I can clearly feel its presence.
Fwooooosh…
I exhaled long.
A thrill and tension like cold needles piercing my body.
“Su-jin-ssi. Signal the main force to assemble.”
Do Su-jin rang the bell three times.
Soon, responding bell tolls echoed from all directions, and Moon Ji-hyo opened her eyes.
“Third containment line broken. It’s coming!”
I drew Dawn Sword from my back. The blade scattered blinding rainbows of dawn in the air.
“Follow my signal. Five seconds.”
The edge of the ruined horizon began to darken.
First came the bizarre silhouette…
Before I could think that, the nightmare’s form sharpened into view.
“Three seconds.”
An oval, distorted human face.
A massive centipede body.
Vigorously flapping winged dragon wings.
“One second.”
Each flap of those wings shattered urban glass and whipped up gales.
Erzertra, the whirlwind of chaos.
We waited for it on the rooftop of a 38-story skyscraper. A blade wind stirring our bones.
“Subjugation Squad!”
Amid the flapping of coat tails, I shouted loudly.
“Operation start!”
Jeong Ha-kyeong drew a large-caliber rifle from the holster on her bag.
Her nickname, famous as the lead hunter’s combo partner, was ‘Aimhack.’ She hit 200-meter targets with 100% accuracy without a scope.
“You two, just throw off its balance. Hit the wings.”
Do Su-jin elegantly drew her curved sword.
Black water coiled around the emerging blade and began to dance fiercely.
Unique skill, 《Black River Dance》. A sword-drawing technique with unreal cutting power.
“3, 2, 1. GO!”
As Jeong Ha-kyeong’s rifle spat fire, Do Su-jin’s sword beam sliced the air.
The large-caliber bullet struck the right wing.
Do Su-jin’s sword beam hit the left wing dead-on.
Erzertra’s flight faltered slightly. Im Yong-gon, who had waited for that moment, hurled a boulder that way with all his might.
A hair’s breadth.
Erzertra dodged the boulder. But the original target wasn’t a hit.
It was to create a foothold.
For whom? For me.
“Now, Kim Baek-jun!”
“Go tear it up!”
Thump. I ignited life force in my heart for an instant.
My vision dyed gray.
The world slowed to a crawl, as if halted, growing silent.
The laws of spacetime bow to light.
I compressed space expertly. The gap between me and the boulder shrank to a handspan.
《First Liberation: Dawnlight Yeomyeong Sword》.
Next step.
I stepped forward.
My body turned to light for an instant.
The next moment, I stood atop the boulder. Right beside its massive body.
A grotesquely twisted face.
Was it startled? Those ugly eyes blinked, and a long tongue twitched from the vertically slit mouth.
In that instant, I wanted to ask.
What do you see us as right now?
I swept the blade up my palm.
Dawn Sword, reacting to the blood, blazed crimson and began to crack.
…Shuwaaaaa…
Threads of light rose from the blade’s fissures.
A crimson lotus blooming in black darkness.
A single dawn light piercing the dark horizon.
“Pierce through─────”
“─────Divinity!”
The blood-red dawn blade swirled into a vortex of light, impaling Erzertra’s enormous body.
In that moment, I prayed fervently.
Not to the stars’ existence, but to the light being called Geldharia.
May this feeble light of mine.
Pierce and pierce again this grand nightmare.
Someday, truly…
Open the path to dawn, I prayed.
The stars were truly delighted.
The creatures escaping the ■■ of desire and morality, the ■■■■ ■■■■ spectacle… and so… .