Chapter 221: Star, the Fog of War (1)

Chapter 221: Star, the Fog of War (1)

The Nine Heavens Palace, the residence of many <Purple Star Astrology> Celestials, was mainly divided into three sectors—the Left Palace, the Center Palace, and the Right Palace. The Right Palace used to belong to the ‘Tian Shi Yuan,’ previously the strongest of the Three Enclosures.

However, the Right Palace changed ownership when, for the first time, a new victor—Richardus—rose up in the power struggle against one of the Three Enclosures. Richardus was more famously known by his divine name, the ‘Iron-Blooded Lion,’ which led to him now being called the Lion King.

“Father was really great at beautifying this garden,” Richardus muttered to himself.

Richardus was as bulky as most monster deities and had ragged hair that resembled a lion's mane, making him look feral. He also had a royal robe clumsily hanging on his shoulder, revealing various scars all over his tanned, muscular body whenever it fluttered in the wind like a cape. Something about him made people looking at him hold their breaths.

That man was smiling innocently while observing the garden that the Emperor’s Seat used to own. With his bear-like hands, he stroked the petals and carefully picked up a flower to smell it. In some ways, the sight looked harmonious and discordant at the same time.

“Hehehe! I knew you would be here.”

At that moment, Richardus heard bizarre laughter that seemed to come from neither a man nor a woman. It was somewhat lilting, yet it echoed so sharply that it could give anyone goosebumps. Turning his head, he saw a small man in peculiar clothing.

The man’s makeup was far from ordinary. He had thick eyeliners, black lipstick on, very rosy cheeks, and had powdered his face so white that it looked like a mask. All sorts of heavy-looking accessories hung from his neck and ears, and flashy bracelets and rings covered his fingers and wrists, making it impossible to tell what accessories he was wearing.

Named the Eunuch Star, this man and Richardus were the main perpetrators behind the uprising that caused the downfall of the Emperor’s Seat. The Eunuch Star also had bad blood with Chang-Sun in the past.

“Hey.” Richardus lightly waved his hand at the Eunuch Star. Richardus was a king now, but he still acted like a thug in the streets.

The Eunuch Star frowned. “I am your older brother—no, should I say sister? Anyhow, I am older than you, so isn’t it wrong to call me ‘hey’? I talk formally to you, you know.”

“You can talk to me casually if you don’t like it.”

“Hehehe, I cannot do that. Unlike you, my dear brother, I have manners.” The Eunuch Star dramatically giggled.

“Just as I told you before, I don’t want any of this. They’re all too bothersome, so take them if you need them.” Richardus was ready to hand the Eunuch Star his royal robe.

The Eunuch Star quickly waved his hands. “No, no, you should be the one who wears those clothes, brother.”

“So you can use me as your shield?”

“Nonsense. You are our symbol. My looks make people feel uncomfortable, and you look far more dignified than I do, brother. You are well suited to be king. Hehehe!”

The Eunuch Star knew how the others thought of him better than anyone else, which was why they had made Richardus the leader of the rebellion. Richardus possessed great dignity and came from a good family. On top of that, he was more talented than the Eunuch Star.

“Why are you here anyway? Didn’t I tell you that I want to take a break?” Richardus frowned a little.

“Even a lion, despite how powerful it is, has to take a break to save up its energy, huh? I had no intention to interrupt your rest, but I believe the matter I bring requires your immediate attention.”

“What is it?” Richardus asked.

“The ‘Tian Shi Yuan’ has just plummeted.”

“... What?” Richadus asked again in disbelief.

“Hohohoho! Congratulations, you are now the real ‘Tian Shi Yuan’!” The Eunuch Star giggled.

However, Richardus’ expression darkened.

Woosh!

[The ‘Lion’s Fighting Spirit’ is raging!]

Richardus’ divine class was unlocked at that moment, creating clouds of dust. Famous for being a germaphobe, the Eunuch Star’s smile disappeared as he wiped off the dust on his sleeves.

“My, my, did I not ask you repeatedly not to cause a mess without prior warning—!”

“Stop joking and start explaining,” Richardus instructed.

“It is just as I told you.” The Eunuch Star smirked. “Among the Stars that participated in building a World Net, three of them plummeted, and four of them frantically fled. From what I have heard, the Azure Dragon is gravely injured too, so people are in chaos.”

The longer Richardus listened, the more expressionless he became and the more the Eunuch Star’s smirk deepened.

“So you’re still his son after all, huh? Do you feel guilty that your father passed away?”

“... Who’s responsible for this plummeting? Those stars were trying to find out who was supporting that mortal named Lee Chang-Sun or something, weren’t they? Are the <Horoscope> Celestials behind this?” Richardus asked instead of answering the Eunuch Star.

Although the Eunuch Star knew what Richardus was doing, he let it slide and just answered, “Yes. Right now, we assume that they are behind this. Since those stars were led to the divine ground of a Celestial of <Olympus>, it seems like they do have something to do with this... Things are becoming complicated. Hohoho.”

Despite the Eunuch Star’s very casual tone, the <Purple Star Astrology> was in chaos right now. Even though the Emperor’s Seat had no longer been a part of the Three Enclosures, he still had influence within the <Society> when he plummeted along with Suo Chao, the Heavenly Spirit demonic deity. Considering a pillar of the <Purple Star Astrology> had been ripped out, this matter was incomparably more serious than Xue Yong’s disappearance.

The Celestial Fire of the ‘Gemini’. Xue Yong’s evil energy. Bo Du’s Martial Karma. Suo Chao’s Big Dipper Handle Light. And...

‘The Enclosure Element of the Emperor’s Seat.’

All those divinities were exceptional since they came from stars, but Chang-Sun desired only one of them: the Enclosure Element, which was the primordial substance that led to the founding of the <Purple Star Astrology>.

‘... I have to learn how to master this in the future.’

Chang-Sun didn’t intend to waste material that could be used to get an endless amount of power, so he decided to try controlling it somehow.

‘I can probably start by melting it in <Darkness>...’

Chang-Sun drew up the <Darkness> that had settled in the corner of his [Stigma].

Woosh.

He felt a navy-blue flame blazing up in his chest. At the same time, his [Stigma] and the core of his [Integrated Magic Circuit] also heated up.

[The Skill ‘Integrated Magic Circuit’ has been activated, converting your ‘Darkness’ into mana. Your HP is gradually increasing.]

[Your status has changed to ‘Severely Injured’!]

Chang-Sun slowly circulated his mana and got rid of his fatigue. His <Darkness> created mana, which then created <Dusk Lightning>, triggering his every electrical impulse. With his cells and nerves gradually recovering, he began to regain control of his body. He opened his eyes slowly when he felt the fog in his head clear up.

Woosh!

However, [Stigma] suddenly heated up further. Utilizing <Darkness> probably triggered the other divinities, which were running wild, especially the Enclosure Element of the Emperor’s Seat.

No, the Enclosure Element wasn’t just running wild. Its size had increased, and it was now quickly circulating inside [Stigma], absorbing other divinities. The divinities that Chang-Sun had absorbed from the <Purple Star Astrology> Celestials—the evil energy, Martial Karma, Big Dipper Handle light—were smoothly absorbed into the Enclosure Element. It was as if the people were having an audience with the king.

Chang-Sun didn’t expect this to happen. However, he could at least hypothesize the reason behind it.

‘Is it because they all originated from the Enclosure Element?’

All the monster and demonic deities in the <Purple Star Astrology> had to have complete authority over the Enclosure Elements that they had received from the Three Enclosures before they could shine on their own. Hence, it wasn’t surprising that these divinities returned to the Enclosure Element.

In the end, only the Enclosure Element and the Celestial Fire, which Chang-Sun had extorted from the ‘Gemini,’ were left within [Stigma]. However, despite its potential, the Celestial Fire was incomparably weaker than the Enclosure Element. Hence, even the Celestial Fire was eventually absorbed.

[The Divinity(Attribute: Enclosure Element) is shining brilliantly!]

[Stigma] was now full of the Enclosure Element, which was about to move to find another prey. Thinking he should subdue it if it tried to harm him, Kang Chan made preparations.

Paah!

However, the Enclosure Element completely vanished when it grew bigger again. Confused, Chang-Sun wasn’t sure about what was going on. However, messages soon popped up in front of him.

Paaaah!

[The Divinity(Attribute: Enclosure Element) has been absorbed into your Darkness!]

[The level of the Skill ‘Stigma’ has increased.]

[The level of the Skill ‘Stigma’ has increased.]

...

[Your ‘Ferocious Heart’ has transformed the absorbed Divinity and has merged it with your body.]

[Your body is changing.]

‘My body is changing how?’ Chang-Sun’s eyes widened.

He tilted his head in confusion, unsure what the messages that popped up before him meant. At that moment, he noticed Cadmus, who was sitting on the table in front of him and stuffing its mouth full with cookies. Cadmus met Chang-Sun’s gaze. Although Chang-Sun wasn’t sure what cookie or how many cookies Cadmus had eaten, its white belly had become really round.

Kiyoo?

Cadmus tilted its head, silently asking if there was any problem.

1. This constellation is part of the ‘Tian Shi Yuan.’ It’s known as Woman’s Bed in English. ☜

2. It’s the ancient Korean star map that was created in Joseon Dynasty. ☜