Return of the Shattered Constellation

Chapter 528: Star, the Celestial King Coronation (3)

[Announcement! The Celestial ‘Wrath Incarnation’ has just passed away.]

[All the Karma of the Celestial ‘Wrath Incarnation’ has been bequeathed to the Celestial ‘Goddess of Massacre and Destruction’…]

…

“They must have begun by now,” Vali said. “ You’ve been badly wishing for the arrival of a new era. How do you feel, Father?”

Vali genuinely believed that Loki, his father who had been disregarding him for a long time, would approve of him now. After all, he and the others had already arranged a coup all across ‘Nastrond’ that was to begin upon Durga’s death.

‘Divine Twilight’ was busy treating Durga, so he would no doubt have failed to respond to the dispersal of [Gaia's Curse] and would be eliminated by Narvi and her soldiers. There were other risk factors such as Neptune and Cernunnos, but of course, they were also bound to be stopped. The Three Demonic Creatures would be tragically found dead too, giving Vali the pleasure of not having to see those eyesores anymore.

Everything would soon be back to normal, but… Loki was looking at Vali with contempt, in contrast to his expectations.

“Idiot,” Loki murmured. His gaze had once been filled with sympathy and his voice full of mischievousness and coquettishness, but now all that remained was grave seriousness.

“Do you really not know what kind of consequences your wrongful actions will bring?” Loki asked solemnly.

Suffocating pressure fell upon Vali, to his shock. He murmured, “What are you talking about…?”

“You must be so delighted right now, thinking you’ve earned some grand accomplishment. Despite your expectations, however, you’ll be forever remembered as a traitor who ruined the independence of <Niflheim>. On top of that, you’ll be known as the idiot who caused your father to be dethroned when he previously had no trouble remaining in power.”

“N-Nonsense!”

“Phew!” Loki let out a long sigh. “Son.”

Vali unwittingly stumbled backward, feeling as if he was about to be crushed under the pressure Loki had exuded just then. However, his father was suddenly back to his old self the next moment, looking back with a sympathetic gaze.

“Did you seriously believe that I didn’t entrust you and Narvi with any important tasks just because you two weren’t Angrboda’s children?” Loki asked.

No, one more emotion was now present in Loki’s eyes—sadness.

“Jörmungandr has been the strategist of <Niflheim> for a long time. Do you think he never thought of a plan like yours?”

“…!” Vali’s eyes widened.

“He did, but he didn’t suggest the plan to me. Do you know why?”

“Well, he’s acquainted with Twilight…!” Vali protested.

“Is Jörmungandr the type who would let emotions get the way of his work, like you?”

Vali bit his lower lip.

“The reason why Jörmungandr considered the plan but discarded it in the end is that he knew how low the chance of success was. He realized that if it failed, it would not only cause the United Army to be destabilized…” Loki’s gaze turned sharp. “...but also turn it into Twilight’s private army.”

Vali’s mind turned blank when he heard that the plan to stage a coup within the United Army had already been considered and discarded. In addition, one of the reasons for that was that it would only benefit ‘Divine Twilight’.

Vali shook his head firmly and said, “…I really can’t believe you, Father. You made it sound so believable that I was almost fooled.”

Loki’s gaze turned sympathetic again, but Vali was convinced it was just another one of his father’s deceptions. It was a well-known fact in <Heaven> that Loki could fool other Supreme Celestials with his acting, so Vali had to avoid being tricked.

“But I can now tell why you couldn’t become the second Bestla, Father.” With a belligerent look, Vali continued, “It’s because of your indecisiveness. You’re always skeptical and worried about risks. That’s what has kept you in this mess for such a long time!”

“Son.”

“Watch me, Father. I’ll make sure you sit on the fancy throne of a Celestial King, and then you won’t be able to talk to me like this.”

Loki noticed how Vali’s eyes were gleaming with madness, and realized that [Gaia's Curse] was affecting his foolish son. Although only a small amount of the curse had permeated into Vali’s <Myths> and paralyzed his rationality, it was evident that he would lose control of himself if the curse became any more serious.

“You…!“

Loki could not finish speaking because of the new messages that appeared in front of them.

Ding.

Ding.

“Look, Father. You’ll know that I’m ri…!” Vali yelled in delight, but his expression soon darkened after realizing that the messages were not what he had been waiting for.

[The Celestial ‘Divine Twilight’ has granted the ‘Himavat Ascetics’ the title of <Alfheim>.]

[The <Alfheim> ascetics will preside over the Central Divine Ground 'Nastrond' under their new ruler’s command.]

After receiving the news about how ‘Divine Twilight’ was alive, Vali’s lip trembled. “W-What…?”

No, there was more to the news. The ascetics of Himavat the Snow Mountain were notorious, so much so that even <Purple Star Astrology> and <Horoscope> had been cautious not to turn them into enemies. And yet, those same ascetics were now under Chang-Sun’s command; everything Durga had once possessed was now Chang-Sun’s.

“I guess I’ll see another coronation of a Celestial King soon.” Loki smiled bitterly.

His foolish son had taken away the chance of reaching the seat he had wanted for a very long time—no, Loki had even lost his chance to stand by the new Celestial King’s side. Although it was not Loki’s doing, the coup had been staged within <Niflheim>, so it was clear that the people around Chang-Sun would not let him go. All his efforts to avoid having <Niflheim> be merged with <Muspelheim> and <Jotunheim> had been futile…

Loki shut his eyes. ‘Is it the time for a new generation?’

The only thing he could see was darkness, as if he was looking at his own future.

***

Cernunnos was dumbfounded to see the ongoing chaos in 'Nastrond'. He murmured, “Loki… I thought he had <Niflheim> under his control, but I guess I was wrong.”

“It’s the opposite. Loki was in seclusion for too long, and that caused the members of <Niflheim> to become restless. But they had no opportunity to vent their energy, so it’s all coming out like a burst dam now.” Neptune chuckled, piercing his trident through the neck of a soldier who attacked him. Five corpses were already dangling on his trident head like pierced fruits as he remarked, “But they’ve done a pretty good job in making preparations. I didn’t expect them to compress [Gaia's Curse] and detonate it like this.”

Neptune looked down at his left arm. The veins on it were swollen as if they were going to burst at any moment, and the arm was repeatedly fragmenting and recovering. He continued, “But they’re very short-sighted. How can they believe that we still haven’t come up with a countermeasure for this?”

Cernunnos nodded in agreement, looking at Serket. It was not just him, however. As Neptune and all the other Celestials at the site looked at her, Serket covered her face with her sleeves in embarrassment, but her reddened cheeks were still visible.

[Gaia's Curse] had been a problem for many Celestials for a long time. They lived for an eternity, but the curse was one of the few things that could put them at risk of death. As the world was on the brink of destruction after the recent incident of Tiamat losing control of herself, the curse’s danger was being taken a lot more seriously than before.

That was when Serket had come in. She had miraculously succeeded in creating a vaccine for the curse. Perhaps it could not detoxify the curse entirely, but Celestials could still remain safe from it on some level. The vaccine had only been shared with some Celestials as a contingency plan, particularly those who had been long acquainted with Chang-Sun. Even if such a contingency did not occur, they had believed that it could be used to their advantage; and yet this outcome had actually taken place.

“It’s allowed us to have another dream.” Cernunnos’ eyes gleamed.

Some of <Niflheim> had started a coup, but Cernunnos and the others were almost done subduing the soldiers who attacked them. This could be used as an opportunity to turn the tide and take control of the United Army, since they now had the justification and power. And Neptune had the same idea.

[The Celestial ‘Tsunami Bringer’ looks at someone who has a similar ambition as him!]

[The Celestial ‘Antlered Animal King’ is blazing with competitive spirit!]

“From the looks of it, both of us have similar goals, so why don’t we work together for the time being?” Neptune asked.

“Good idea.”

“The United Army… I guess chaos can create a new opportunity,” Neptune murmured.

Neptune and Cernunnos met eyes and chuckled.

[The Celestial ‘Plague Monarch’ is unsure what she should do.]

She felt that leaving Neptune and Cernunnos alone could cause division and infighting within the United Army. The only reason she had created a vaccine was to stop that exact internal division from happening, not to fulfill someone’s greed. Chang-Sun was going to return, so Serket was unsure where Neptune and Cernunnos got such audacity from. However, she did not have the courage or power to stop the two.

Even though they were aware of Serket’s reaction, Cernunnos and Neptune did not pay it much heed. They looked around the Celestials who were tensely standing around them, silently asking if anyone would challenge their decision. Due to their outstanding fame, no one dared to stand against them, but…

[The <Alfheim> ascetics are helping the United Army in the defense under their ruler’s command!]

When a new message suddenly appeared in front of her, Serket quietly lowered her sleeves a little and mumbled, “Mr. Twilight is back.”

“…”

“…”

“Anyone who tries anything funny might end up like <Horoscope> and <Purple Star Astrology>...” Serket continued as she glanced at Cernunnos and Neptune.

“What are you all waiting for? Let’s go and welcome Twilight!”

“Yes, our Twilight is the only one who can end this chaos! Yes, that’s right!”

Cernunnos and Neptune suddenly urged the other Celestials, who had been walking on eggshells around them, to go meet ‘Divine Twilight’ as if they had never revealed their ambition. The sight of Star Signs plummeting one after another had to have scared the two a lot.

Although Serket found them ridiculous, she quietly followed them without saying it out loud. She thought, ‘The two of you… are really great at choosing a side.’

***

The march of Chang-Sun and <Alfheim> proceeded quickly.

[The <Alfheim> ascetics are massacring their enemies!]

There seemed to be no better description of the ascetics right now. Contrary to their solemn looks, they were so merciless that even their allies found them intimidating.

“Arrrggh!”

“I-I can’t hit them at all!”

“S-Surrend… Keough!”

Without hesitation, the ascetics snapped even the necks of those who dropped their weapons and surrendered.

“We will accept no surrender. Atone for your sins with your death.”

“Your death will bring new life and vigor to the land of 'Nastrond'.”

The rebel soldiers finally realized that the <Alfheim> ascetics were people to whom they could never apply their existing knowledge and standards. The sight of the ascetics covered in blood, reverently introducing themselves with their religious names and reciting scripture, was horrifying. Kali and Baek Gyeo-Ul brought the greatest terror as they marched on the front lines and slayed any rebel soldiers in their way. Fury blazed fiercely within them, directed at those who had caused the death of Kali’s mother and Gyeo-Ul’s teacher, Durga. And…

[The <Muspelheim> Fire Giants, who have been fighting fiercely after being driven into a corner, let out roars after detecting their ruler!]

[The <Jotunheim> Frost Giants have begun to march, following their new comrades!]

As they had not been aware of Chang-Sun’s whereabouts, Sinmara and Jin had been unable to actively fight back, but they now joined the battle too.

Thud!

Thud!

Thud!

The entire divine ground shook with the Giants’ footsteps. Chang-Sun and his subordinates arrived at the central palace of 'Nastrond' in no time, leaving behind a trail drenched with blood. All the surviving rebel soldiers trembled in terror.

In their eyes, Chang-Sun, his Giants, and his ascetics were not Celestials just like them. They were war machines that had been created for massacre and destruction. A terror that greatly exceeded the time they had faced the Star Signs of <Horoscope> and <Purple Star Astrology> overwhelmed the rebel soldiers.

[The Central Divine Ground 'Nastrond' has been conquered!]

“Open it.”

Upon hearing Chang-Sun’s command, Sinmara swung her ax with the force of a lightning bolt and destroyed almost half of the central palace, revealing the inside. Loki was sitting on his throne, letting out a long sigh; Vali was standing beside him with a pale face, trembling violently. It was evident that Vali was terrified of meeting Chang-Sun’s gaze.

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