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Chapter 213: Star, the Illuminati (9)

Since the conflict between the ‘Gemini’ and Minerva could escalate into a war between their <Societies>, tension lay between <Horoscope> and <Olympus>. Meanwhile, the ‘Gemini’ and Minerva were still fighting so hard that they couldn’t afford to pay attention to Chang-Sun anymore.

However, to turn the Illuminati into his ally, Chang-Sun had to meet Minerva again. Fortunately, he had acquired a fine bait known as the ‘Tian Shi Yuan.’ If Chang-Sun could drop the ‘Tian Shi Yuan’ and his subordinates in the camp of the ‘Gemini’ and create chaos on the battlefield, Chang-Sun would be able to move more freely.

‘The <Purple Star Astrology> and <Horoscope> are already on bad terms, so there is no way the ‘Gemini’, who’s probably full of spite right now, would just leave them be. The ‘Tian Shi Yuan’ is also prideful, which means he’ll probably try to subdue the ‘Gemini’ before anything else no matter how confused he becomes,’ Chang-Sun quickly formulated a plan in his head. ‘Once the other Celestials in <Heaven> focus on their battle, I’ll be able to move in secret.’

Being able to move in a place where many beings were watching would be the perfect time to use the [Execution Sword] without anyone noticing.

‘I’ll be able to negotiate with Minerva afterward.’?

Chang-Sun would certainly benefit from this if everything were to go according to plan, but there was no telling if he could actually seal the ‘Tian Shi Yuan.’ Even as the ‘Divine Twilight,’ he couldn’t guarantee his victory against the Three Enclosures and Twenty-Eight Mansions. In fact, he ultimately lost against them. To make things worse, Chang-Sun still had a long way to go in recovering his Class. There was a high chance he would lose even if he used the [Execution Sword].

If the ‘Tian Shi Yuan’ managed to flee afterward, Chang-Sun’s true identity could be revealed, which would lead to the worst-case scenario. Moreover, the <Purple Star Astrology> could also interfere. However, despite all the risks, Chang-Sun concluded that he should still capture the ‘Tian Shi Yuan’ using any means necessary.

‘Richardus… I have to find him.’

Having found out that the ‘Tian Shi Yuan’ was chasing after Richardus, Chang-Sun couldn’t just let this opportunity go to waste.

Moreover, the Elfin Root had just sent him a report through a telepathic message, preventing anyone from noticing.

『I think I found other Branches.』

Kali’s priests called themselves Branches.

『How?』Chang-Sun asked.

『Someone I fought earlier recognized my skills and mentioned Elves. He also mentioned something about… enslavement.』 Elfin sounded quite melancholic.

There were many kinds of Elves. The ones who served Kali as their Guardian were known to be beautiful and nature-friendly. Even in Arcadia, some hunters specifically targeted those Elves…

‘They do the same thing here, huh?’

It was truly disgusting. Maybe humans were the same in every plane, or perhaps only the subordinates of the ‘Tian Shi Yuan’ acted this way. Either way, that just gave Chang-Sun one more reason to do whatever it would take to capture the ‘Tian Shi Yuan.’ If Kali’s other priests were on Earth and had formed a resistance, then Chang-Sun had to gather them up.

『Where are they?』Chang-Sun asked.

『When I interrogated him, he said they are in the Rocky Mountains in America.』

『Rocky?』

Chang-Sun’s expression subtly changed. From Canada to America, the enormous mountain range covered the western region of North America. Numerous Dungeons were hidden in that mountain range, which was why the Jaynix and other U.S. Clans often operated around it.

After announcing their MOU with the Jaynix Clan, the White Tiger Clan declared that they would try clearing the Dungeons in the Rocky Mountains too, which was the terrain Kali’s priests used for guerilla warfare. Considering the White Tiger Clan was also a minion of the <Purple Star Astrology>, could the White Tiger Clan’s next move just be a coincidence?

‘No way.’

Chang-Sun had a feeling he was missing the bigger picture. Hence, even if it meant having to take a gamble, he had to capture the ‘Tian Shi Yuan’ here to achieve his goal.

Chang-Sun’s plan rendered Simon Magus speechless. It took quite a while before he regained his composure. Blankly, he mumbled,「Seriously… you’re too good at coming up with ridiculous plans.」

Simon thought ending up as a mask became inevitable the moment he tried to pull the wool over the eyes of this lunatic. However, he was thrilled as well, thinking this would be fun. Simon used to be a demon king, so getting to screw those arrogant <Societies> over delighted him very much.

「Okay, fine, but we have a problem.」

Still, he couldn’t just start immediately.

「The ‘Owl’s Nest’ is a great Celestial’s divine ground… It’s bound to be somewhere very high in this universe. How will you get its coordinates and open it up?」

A divine ground was basically a Celestial’s mind palace that had been permanently materialized, so it could be considered a plane. Considering it was impossible to determine the location of a giant lump floating around the vast universe, a mere mortal couldn’t possibly hope to get the coordinates to a divine ground. Such a feat was even impossible for a demon king who was also a demigod that had mastered magic and Gnosticism.

Even if Simon could find its coordinates, how was he supposed to open it up? He could create a pathway, but opening up a gate required the owner’s permission.

Simon warned Chang-Sun not to take this matter lightly.

‘Don’t worry. I’ll tell you the coordinates, so all you have to do is install a gate. I’ll open it up.’

Chang-Sun didn’t seem the least bit worried, though. He had already been to the ‘Owl’s Nest’ before, so it was easy for him to find its coordinates. He also had no problem opening up the warp gate since he had a ‘master key.’

「… Well, do as you wish,」Simon reluctantly replied. He was still unaware of how Chang-Sun would solve the problem at hand, but he concluded anyway that his crazy master had a solution that would surpass his expectations.

‘How long will it take you to install the gate?’

「Hmph! Who do you think I am?」

The iron mask trembled faintly, looking as if it was laughing wickedly even though it was just a mask.

「I can open it up right now. Just tell me the coordinates.」

Woosh, woosh, woosh…!

Having studied [Prelati’s Spellbook] over the past several days, Simon accumulated more knowledge than he had for hundreds of years. When Simon used <Darkness> and detoured through the outskirts of the dimension, installing a warp gate became a piece of cake. The air around Chang-Sun shook, and the iron mask subtly gleamed.

* * *

『I’ll make you an offer, arrogant child,』 the ‘Tian Shi Yuan’ spoke using Nadine Azram’s body, making Chang-Sun snap back to the situation he was in. Right now, the ‘Tian Shi Yuan’ was having a severe internal conflict.

『Father, please give me a chance.』

『Please allow me to take the life of that mortal who dares to stay arrogant before you, Father. 』

『No, let me handle him, please.』

His four children yelled pleas at him. Sent down by the ‘Tian Shi Yuan’ to the Saha World for the World Net quest, his sons and daughters seemed especially eager to fight Chang-Sun.

The ‘Tian Shi Yuan’ also considered his Celestial subordinates as his children. Among them, the ones who had been bestowed with the title of ‘commander,’ like the four before him, were the most special ones. Bo Du Army>, which served the ‘Tian Shi Yuan,’ Bo Du was the tenth-strongest and was known for his absolute loyalty to the ‘Tian Shi Yuan.’

『Father, I have a bad feeling about this mortal. I’m sure he’s involved in Xue Yong’s disappearance somehow. Everything about him is suspicious, so you shouldn’t recruit him,』Bo Du pleaded desperately. Looking at Chang-Sun made him feel uneasy for some reason. Although Bo Du was sure that Chang-Sun was hiding something… he couldn’t tell what it was exactly. All he knew was that Chang-Sun instinctively got on his nerves.

‘I feel like I’m looking at Twilight…’?Bo Du narrowed his eyes.

That was why he suggested several times that the ‘Tian Shi Yuan’ should kill Chang-Sun. Chang-Sun was a bad seed that should not be left alone. Although Chang-Sun was a mortal, Bo Du had a feeling that he and the ‘Tian Shi Yuan’ could fall into a trap if they forced Chang-Sun to tell them what he knew.

The other children wanted to punish Chang-Sun for disrespecting their father, but Bo Du was saying that they should get rid of the potential threat completely. However…

『It’s okay. No matter how hard that pathetic mortal tries, he won’t be able to leave a scratch on me. The great will of the absolute evil… the Pale Star… I don’t know what his plan is, but it’ll be fine as long as I don’t harm that mortal, so don’t worry, everyone.』

The ‘Tian Shi Yuan’ rejected his children’s opinion. He didn’t like Chang-Sun either, but he concluded that Chang-Sun was invaluable and thought he could just figure out Chang-Sun’s secret later.

For now, he wanted to recruit him for his talent. Since early times, the ‘Tian Shi Yuan’ had never hesitated to recruit talented people after he concluded that they had potential, no matter how much they had challenged him or left a bad impression on him. Moreover, once he had taken them under his wings, he always gave them absolute trust.

When the ‘Tian Shi Yuan’ killed Bo Du’s family, Bo Du hid his identity and became his son. However, Bo Du became so mesmerized by him that he gave up on his revenge. He could still remember what the ‘Tian Shi Yuan’ had said when he confessed the truth.

“I’m sorry, my son. I can’t even begin to fathom how many hardships you’ve gone through or how much love you’ll no longer receive because of me. I know I can never make up for it, but I will still try my best.”

Afterward, the ‘Tian Shi Yuan’ visited the graves of Bo Du’s parents and bowed as he apologized…

In fact, the ‘Tian Shi Yuan’ also made the controversial ‘Divine Twilight’ his son when he first joined the <Purple Star Astrology>, although he disowned him soon after.

Bo Du tried to dissuade the ‘Tian Shi Yuan’ several times, but he insisted on making Chang-Sun his son. Hence, Bo Du eventually gave up, but he still glared at Chang-Sun, who made him feel uneasy.

『Join me—no, us. I promise to give you things beyond your wildest imagination. You’ll be able to transcend and become a god, and I’ll even train you myself so you can be a part of the <Purple Star Astrology>.』

The ‘Tian Shi Yuan’ himself promised Chang-Sun that he would become his patron and use his talent for the <Purple Star Astrology>. The offer was such an honor for a mere mortal that no mortal would’ve been able to turn it down. However, Chang-Sun just smiled crookedly and remained silent.

‘How dare he…!’

Bo Du felt displeased. He secretly thought of the ‘Tian Shi Yuan’ as the most powerful Celestial within the <Purple Star Astrology>, so he believed Chang-Sun should be punished immediately for disrespecting the ‘Tian Shi Yuan.’

[The Celestial ‘Fire Rat Under Broad Daylight’ angrily asks the Celestial ‘Tian Shi Yuan’ to let him gnaw at you!]

[The Celestial ‘Screeching Woman’ yells that the Celestial ‘Tian Shi Yuan’ should get rid of you quickly!]

[The Celestial ‘Iron-Pipe-Playing Sage’ mumbles that he is ready to play a requiem!]

…

Many of the Celestials that had to watch Chang-Sun annihilate their apostles were furiously requesting the ‘Tian Shi Yuan’ to kill him.

“I’m not sure you know this,” Chang-Sun broke his silence.

Although still annoyed at Chang-Sun, a shiver ran down Bo Du’s spine.

“But you already told me that long ago,” Chang-Sun said.

『Hmmm…? I already told you this?』

Nadine tilted his head in confusion. The ‘Tian Shi Yuan’ was really confused. Did he already meet Chang-Sun in person before? As far as he remembered, he definitely hadn’t. He only learned of the Player Lee Chang-Sun’s existence while hunting Kali’s old priests. Chang-Sun was the one who had recruited Kali’s priest that had dared attack the ‘Gemini,’ after all.

The ‘Tian Shi Yuan’ eventually found out that Chang-Sun could be involved in Xue Yong’s disappearance, which was why he initiated this World Net quest.

The ‘Tian Shi Yuan’ usually took on the job of eliminating potential threats to the <Purple Star Astrology> or turning anyone with talent into his child. That was also why he descended. He had no previous encounter with Chang-Sun, yet much to his confusion, Chang-Sun claimed otherwise.

“You told me to come into your arms and become your son, offering me to treat me like your real son, but…”

Paaah…!

At that moment, <Darkness> in the form of black fog swirled around Chang-Sun and slowly drew an enormous door underneath the ground where Chang-Sun was standing. On top of the door was an owl sitting on a book. It was <Minerva’s Owl>, the symbol of the Illuminati and Minerva.

Rumble―!

The passageway to the great Celestial was created, making the nearby area shake.

[The coordinates have been set.]

[A door has shown up!]

Having no time to warn his father to be careful, Bo Du threw himself at Nadine, whom the ‘Tian Shi Yuan’ descended in. He wasn’t sure what was going on, but he had a strong feeling that he and the ‘Tian Shi Yuan’ shouldn’t involve themselves in what Chang-Sun was trying to do right now.

“It was all bullshit. You pretended to understand everything, but you just needed a useful tool.” Chang-Sun locked eyes with Bo Du, who was standing between him and the ‘Tian Shi Yuan.’

Chang-Sun knew Bo Du very well. From his perspective, Bo Du was an idiot who had no idea that the ‘Tian Shi Yuan’ was just using him. All the ‘Tian Shi Yuan’ had done was drop a few crocodile tears in front of the graves of Bo Du’s parents, yet that was enough to make the idiot prepared to give the ‘Tian Shi Yuan’ everything.

It was for the better, though. In total, four of the Seventy-Two Fiends and one of the Thirty-Six Heavenly Spirits were present right now. With Chang-Sun’s fish net now full, he pulled out [Peter’s Key] and inserted it into the ground without hesitation as soon as the warp gate was completed underneath his feet.

Clunk!

「Ah… I understand now!」Simon exclaimed upon finally realizing Chang-Sun’s plan. With Peter the Apostle’s relic, anything in this world could be opened! The moment Chang-Sun turned [Peter’s Key], his vicinity shook even harder, and the sound of gears meshing together echoed.

[Unlocking the door.]

[The door has been forced open.]

[The Celestial ‘Fire Rat Under Broad Daylight’ takes a look around the surroundings in surprise.]

[The Celestial ‘Screeching Woman’ screams that something is wrong.]

…

『What are you doing?!』

The face of the ‘Tian Shi Yuan’ darkened as he felt extraordinary energy, which had been spreading around them ever since the warp gate opened up.

[The area has been overwritten by the Divine Ground ‘Owl’s Nest’!]

The nearby surroundings changed completely. An enormous hand, way bigger than most humans, fell on top of Nadine as if someone was swatting away a fly.

[The Celestial ‘Geminus’ wants to kick out a vermin that suddenly intruded on his territory!]

The warp gate at the side of the ‘Owl’s Nest’ opened up right in front of the ‘Geminus’ Castor, who was busy wreaking havoc.

Boom!

1. It’s the eastern constellation that is part of Tian Shi Yuan. It’s known as Textile Ruler in English./ref], one of the Thirteen Commanders, yelled the loudest. The ‘Tian Shi Yuan’ had hundreds of commanders, but the Thirteen Commanders were considered the best. Moreover, even in the <Emperor Seat[ref] It’s another constellation that is part of Tian Shi Yuan.