Return of the Shattered Constellation

“Huff, huff, huff…!” Antares the ‘Scorpio’ ran through an unknown place.

The surroundings were pitch-black and filled with impure energy. Even Celestials and Star Signs would be unable to escape that place, so they were reluctant to even enter its vicinity.

It was <Nihil>. Antares was running in the place that flowed between dimensions, universes, and Worldlines. There was no concept of space in <Nihil>, so it was difficult to tell how far he had gotten no matter how hard he ran. Nevertheless, he kept on running to avoid possible pursuers.

‘Twilight, Twilight, Twilight…! I’ll kill you! I’ll kill you at all costs…!’

Antares went through all kinds of humiliation in the <Underworld>. The Bloodless Hell was a place where the flow of time could not be sensed, and he was brought in and out of that place several times. Even when Antares was outside, however, Thanatos did not ask him any questions. Antares had a lot of information and knew many of the secrets of <Horoscope>, but Thanatos had stayed indifferent to him.

Instead of interrogating Antares, Thanatos continued to experiment on him to learn about [Gaia's Curse] using his [Impervious Body] trait. The scientist who introduced himself as Byeonseong creeped Antares out.

The Bloodless Hell was literally hell. It was a place of nothingness where Antares could feel or think about nothing. It felt as if the only thing he could do was fall endlessly into darkness. As a person who had spent his entire life reigning, staying in the Bloodless Hell was an unbearable punishment for him.

Antares would sell his own soul to escape from that place. Loyalty to <Horoscope>? Guilt? None of that mattered to him. The others in <Horoscope> would have done the same in his situation. If necessary, Antares could expose the secret of ‘Taurus’. The information about how ‘Taurus’, ‘Leo’, and the missing ‘Ophiuchus’ were the same people as ‘Divine Twilight’ would be worth a lot.

Nevertheless, Thanatos asked him no questions, so Antares burst into tears and gave up all the information he had prepared to strike up a deal.

“Is that so? It’s praiseworthy of you to tell me everything when I didn’t even ask. You’re an exemplary prisoner.” Thanatos nodded.

“Then let me…!”

“So…”

“…?”

“...what?”

That was the only answer Antares got from Thanatos, frustrating him to no end. The unceasing experiments on Antares continued afterward. That was when his grudge against Chang-Sun began to burn hotter than ever; he could never forgive Chang-Sun for shoving him into a place like this.

Someday. Someday Antares would break out from the < Underworld> and have his revenge…

Antares had unexpectedly received an opportunity..

‘He’s using me as bait to head to where the Mother Terra Celestial is sealed and deactivate all the traps in advance,’ Antares thought.

Half of his mind had collapsed after the long period of torture, but he still had a trace of rationality. That was why he decided to play along with Chang-Sun despite his own thirst for revenge. Chang-Sun was planning to use Antares as a pawn, but, well…

‘It’s not going to be that easy.’ Antares’ eyes gleamed sharply.

The place where the Mother Terra Celestial was sealed was like Antares’ front yard, so he knew how dangerous it was. Even though he did not know what Chang-Sun’s plan was, he believed it would probably not work out in Chang-Sun’s favor.

*

Meanwhile, Chang-Sun was quietly following Antares from not so far away, chuckling. ‘He still doesn’t know his place and tries to scheme.’

Although it was unclear whether Antares was aware of Chang-Sun, his thoughts and actions did not stray too far from the possibilities that Chang-Sun could see with his [Foretelling Eye]. Since Chang-Sun was not looking at Antares directly, it was unclear what Antares’ exact goal was, but it did not seem as if it would be a big threat to him.

‘In any case…’ Chang-Sun took a look around with his arms crossed. ‘...I didn’t know a place like this existed in <Nihil>.’

At one point, Chang-Sun found himself walking down a quiet forest trail. Nothing was supposed to exist in <Nihil>, but matter appeared, although they were very faint.

[You are currently walking in the shattered <Myths> of the ‘Mother Terra Celestial’!]

[<Myth> fragments contain many forgotten <Myths>, allowing anyone who walks through this place to know the universe’s secrets.]

[However, the <Myth> fragments could disintegrate at any moment, so be wary. Staying in disintegrating <Myths> can threaten your entire existence.]

‘The <Myth> fragments that spilled out of the Mother Terra Celestial after she was sealed for an eternity…’ Chang-Sun thought.

The Mother Terra Celestial was one of the Elder Celestials with the highest Divine Class. If she had not been split in two, the Mother Terra Celestial and Yog-Sothoth would have been the closest beings to becoming Emperors. Thus, the amount of <Myths> that the Mother Terra Celestial had released was massive. It was as if the Mother Terra Celestial had created a new world. In fact, Chang-Sun could feel the forest trail materializing more vividly as he walked along it.

[Warning! Poison has been detected in the air!]

[The poison is similar to ‘Gaia's Curse’.]

[You are advised to exit the area. Prolonged exposure to the poison can cause your Divine Class to collapse.]

‘This is what Antares is counting on.’

More vivid materialization of the Mother Terra Celestial’s <Myths> meant that her influence grew stronger. Of course, ordinary living beings and Celestials could not possibly withstand the environment due to the Mother Terra Celestial’s unfathomably deep resentment for living beings.

Antares was the only one who could freely move in the place. Of course, direct exposure to [Gaia's Curse] was also dangerous for him, but his tolerance and knowledge of how to deal with the curse were incomparably higher than that of other Celestials.

‘How long this will let me last in here is going to be the key.’ Chang-Sun pulled out the potion that Thanatos had given him. It could help him resist [Gaia's Curse] similar to a vaccine.

Whooosh!

When Chang-Sun drank the potion, a hot sensation surged within his body.

[You have consumed the ‘Temporary Antidote’, acquiring a powerful resistance for the effective duration.]

[Remaining time: 25 hours.]

One bottle of potion would allow Chang-Sun to stay in this place for about an hour. While counting the number of bottles he had, he came to a halt, because the forest trail ended and he saw enormous boulders on a hill amid a vast plain.

[You have succeeded in perceiving all the scattered <Myth> fragments, playing the paused <Myth>.]

[Playing ‘Γοργός, the Mother Terra Celestial’s shattered <Myth>!][1]

‘Γοργός?’ Chang-Sun’s eyes widened slightly after he saw the message that appeared in front of him.

[You have found a Hidden Piece!]

[Even long before the Mother Terra Celestial was sealed by <Dull Darkness> and <Deus Ex Machina>, she held a deep resentment for those ungrateful lives who tried to be independent from her, despite her giving birth to them.]

[In the end, her resentment caused destructive phenomena all over the world.]

[Γοργός is one of them. The petrification curse is leading this world to destruction.]

[Undo the curse of this place and save the petrified beings.]

[If you can do so, you will be able to disassemble the current <Myth> and receive a significant clue about ‘Gaia's Curse’.]

Chang-Sun’s eyes sparkled after receiving an impression that the petrification curse seemed to be connected to the item he had. He thought, ‘The Nereid Stone.’

Bel-Marduk had said that he brought the Nereid Stone from where the Mother Terra Celestial was sealed and recreated [Gaia's Curse]. In that case, this had to be where Bel-Marduk had gotten the Nereid Stone, as that had to be the same place Antares had been extracting [Gaia's Curse] from.

Paah!

Chang-Sun arrived at the biggest statue in the area. The statue was dozens of meters tall, and depicted a woman with snakes for hair. The woman had a scowl and seemed to be in grave shock. The statue was so lifelike that it looked as if it would start moving at any moment.

‘It sounds similar to the Gorgon Sisters’ legend.’

The legend of Medusa and her sisters turning those who looked at them into stone was very popular. Between her hair of snakes, her beautiful appearance, and her bare feet that almost led Chang-Sun to presume that she was a fairy… From what Chang-Sun knew, the statue looked very similar to the Gorgon Sisters.

‘So if I’m able to undo the petrification curse, I’ll be able to discover the secret of [Gaia's Curse] too... It’s hard.’ Chang-Sun poured out a drop of his potion just in case.

Drip―!

However, the drop simply rolled across the surface, and the statue showed no response.

‘The potion only increases tolerance, and won’t undo the curse itself.’ Chang-Sun touched the statue.

He observed every detail of the statue with his [Foretelling Eye], but he could see nothing, which meant he had nothing he could use right now.

“Should I catch Antares first and talk to him?”

Thinking Antares had to be close by, Chang-Sun was about to increase his range of perception; but just then, a shiver went down his spine. He quickly turned around and saw a knight in full armor swinging his greatsword downward. In response, Chang-Sun quickly drew the [Yuchang Sword].

Claaaang!

Sparks flew up as the two swords clashed.

‘He’s strong!’ Chang-Sun’s eyes gleamed coldly.

Although he had the Divine Class of Celestial King and Outer Celestial, the knight could still withstand his power. That meant the knight was a formidable opponent, and could not possibly be Antares. As Chang-Sun quickly scanned his opponent who had appeared out of the blue, the knight’s sword caught his eye.

‘No way.’

[You have found a Hidden Piece!]

[You have found the Shengxie Sword, one of Ou Yezi’s Nine Fine Swords!]

‘Why is this sword here?’

The Mother Terra Celestial had existed even long before the first Ou Yezi was born. It did not make sense for one of the Nine Fine Swords to be in her <Myth>, but there it was.

Swish, swoosh, swish―!

Without paying attention to Chang-Sun’s reaction, the iron-armored knight quickly swung his [Shengxie Sword]. Despite the sword being over two meters long, the knight’s attacks were as quick and sharp as those of any combatant who used a lighter sword to take advantage of their speed.

Chang-Sun decided to subdue the iron-armored knight first. The fact that the knight had the [Shengxie Sword] was one reason, but he was also a resident in the <Myth>. Thus, Chang-Sun would be able to get a lot of information from him. In addition, Chang-Sun’s desire to win was increasing after he encountered a skilled opponent.

Thus, Chang-Sun took a step backward and used the [Yuchang Sword] to parry the [Shengxie Sword] to the side. At the same time, he drew [Tiamat's Snaggletooth] with his left hand, immediately swinging it upward to slash the iron-armored knight’s chest.

Even after Chang-Sun suddenly drew a new weapon, the iron-armored knight remained completely unfazed. He calmly retreated backward and drew a tower shield from his back. After using the shield to parry away [Tiamat's Snaggletooth], the knight held it up and menacingly charged toward Chang-Sun like a tank.

Creeeeak―

Chang-Sun did not run away and crossed his swords to tackle it head-on. When it came to a battle of physical strength, Chang-Sun was confident that he would never go down easily.

Roaaaaar!

Right at that moment, the upper body of a Cataclysm Celestial appeared behind Chang-Sun with a roar. It raised its arm high in the air and struck the iron-armored knight with its ax. The attack caused the knight’s helmet to be destroyed, revealing his face.

Just then, Chang-Sun could not help but frown. ‘Not again. How many times has this already happened?’

The knight looked exactly the same as Chang-Sun.

1. The term here is most likely the Ancient Greek gorgós, which translates to ‘grim, fierce, terrible’ - the association will be made clear very shortly. ☜