The Divine Twilight's Return

Chapter 383: Star, Purple Star Astrology (4)

『My reverse scale? How are you going to find it? Hahaha!』

Tiamat quietly burst into laughter, but the effect of that laugh on ‘Polaris’ was far from subtle. An immense pressure spread throughout ‘Polaris’, causing the whole region to tremble. She was not even physically in the area and was only inflicting damage on ‘Polaris’ in her spiritual form, so the idea of finding her reverse scale from ‘Polaris’ was preposterous.

Even though the man was holding his sword against Tiamat’s nape, he was nowhere close to her real body, as it was just her spiritual form that she had manifested through her Channeling. What would happen if the man severed her Channeling, though? Let him! She could reform it over and over...!

Slash―!

Spuuurt!

The man’s sword moved audibly, and Tiamat felt a cold sensation as blood flew up high into the air from behind her.

『Whoa?』

Tiamat exclaimed in surprise, because even though it was miniscule, the man had managed to leave a scratch on her real body. She turned her head and saw the man, who seemed to be an assassin working for Taeul, watching her with a ferocious gaze; he was covered in Tiamat’s blood. Even though the wound was miniscule for Tiamat, it would definitely not be that for other people.

『I guess you had a reason for your confidence.』

Tiamat muttered, thinking that the assassin had to be capable of a magic spell or an Authority that could be used to inflict harm on one’s real body regardless of distance. Still, Tiamat grinned as she went on.

『You’re still a fly, though.』

Boooooom!

Something huge fell on top of the assassin’s head. The assassin tried to retreat backward in surprise, but the thing was much bigger and more destructive than he had expected. The space where the assassin had just been was ripped to shreds, creating a deep crater. Above the rising clouds of dust, the shape of a dragon’s huge front paw and claws became faintly visible.

Tiamat had really killed the assassin with her front paw as if she were killing a fly. Considering how the assassin was also a high-class Celestial who aided Taeul, the result was unbelievable.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...!

Then, Tiamat moved her front paw forward through the spatial gap it had emerged from. It alone was so vast that it could cover the entirety of ‘Polaris’. In fact, Tiamat’s paw even eclipsed the sun, and its shadow loomed across the ground.

“What are you all waiting for? We should teach our guest how scary a pack of flies can be,” Taeul commanded, still maintaining his composure even though the sight was emotionally overwhelming.

As Taeul tapped the ground with his cane again, the Evil Celestials on standby simultaneously flew at Tiamat. Just like the assassin from earlier, each and every one of them was one of Taeul’s vassals, whom he had trained by sharing his <Starlight>. That meant they were more outstanding than most Celestials.

Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh―!

Slash, slash!

Spuuuuurt!

The Celestials began with Tiamat’s front paw, then tenaciously went after the parts of Tiamat that were not even revealed, such as her arms, chest, and nape. Every time the Celestials slashed and stabbed Tiamat with their swords and spears, an enormous amount of blood splattered into the air.

『So you people aren’t flies, but rather mosquitoes?』

Tiamat muttered in annoyance, feeling hindered by the Celestials who kept coming after her, but she could not ignore them; no matter how insignificant a mosquito was on its own, an army of them was dangerous. Besides, there was no knowing what kinds of germs they could pass onto her through her wounds.

『Get out of my way!』

Krrrrrrr!

The area in front of Tiamat shattered once again. As fragments of space itself flew apart like shards of glass, Tiamat’s Evil Dragon mouth suddenly showed up and pushed away the bothersome pack of flies.

Crack!

Tiamat opened her jaws wide and ripped into them with her fangs

Crack, crack.

Whenever she moved her saw-like teeth, all the Evil Celestials within her reach were crushed.

“Arrrrghhhh!”

“Keough!”

“S-Save me....!”

The Evil Celestials inside her mouth writhed and screamed in pain, but those who survived continued to attack Tiamat, not caring about their colleagues’ deaths. Thus, Tiamat ramped up her countermeasures. She revealed her left front paw too, smashing many of the buildings in ‘Polaris’, and also occasionally used her tail to smash the Evil Celestials into a pulp.

At the same time, she strengthened the downpour, making it nearly impossible to even see past one’s face within the area. Floodwaters coursed rapidly, rushing forth like a roaring beast that would soon devour everyone in ‘Polaris’. On top of that, the waters were so acidic that the Celestials were likely to melt if they were swept away.

Thud, boom, thud...!

Parts of Tiamat’s real body emerged through spatial gaps whenever necessary, indiscriminately crushing everything in her way. The sight of her freely summoning rain and floods made it look as if Taeul and his vassals would be helpless even if they all continued to attack her.

[‘Polaris’ is crumbling devastatingly quickly!]

[The Authority ‘Primordial Ocean’ is active.]

[The Celestial ‘Primordial Evil Dragon’ is dominating the battlefield!]

Smack, smack, smaaaack―!

Crack, craaaack!

Countless Evil Celestials died, their blood turning the waters red as they were swept away. Their corpses melted in the acid, creating bubbles. [Primordial Ocean] was Tiamat’s Signature; it could return anything to its primordial state.

From the beginning, she had carried some of the Mother Terra Celestial’s characteristics, symbolizing the primordial ocean from which the first lives had emerged. In other words, all the creatures in Worldline #801 came from part of her, so she could return those beings to their primordial state as she willed.

Although the Evil Celestials in ‘Polaris’ were not from Worldline #801, they were living beings, so they were not completely free from her Signature. It was an overwhelming catastrophe started by an apocalypse-summoning monster.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...!

‘Polaris’ was simply crumbling too quickly.

“It’s a shame, a shame,” Taeul muttered, clicking his tongue. Looking at the being who could bring <Extinction> to this world if she wished, he continued, “Had she chosen to be a <Star>, she would be a matchless king and eventually an Emperor. Despite her potential, she refuses her destiny. How foolish is that?”

Taeul sincerely pitied Tiamat. If she wanted it, Taeul would be willing to hand her the entirety of Worldline #801 in spite of its value. However, Tiamat refused to walk on the path before her and continued to act stubborn, which Taeul found disappointing.

“If she has no intention to do so, I should set her straight as the Prophecy Star, who foresees the destinies people are born with,” Taeul said as he took a step forward for the first time. Even at that moment, his vassals were dying, but he did not even blink.

Just then...

Rooaaaar!

The space in front of Taeul shattered. Tiamat opened her draconic mouth and revealed her ferocious fangs, ready to shred Taeul, but she was stopped midway.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

The White Tiger and Black Tortoise had begun using all their power to push away Tiamat’s lower jaw. They were dying, but they were precariously holding back the Evil Dragon’s mouth, which was hundreds of times bigger than them.

“Tiamat, no matter how hard I think, it’s such a shame to give up on you like this. So let me make you an offer again. Do you really not want to join me?” Taeul asked.

『Do you know what my favorite line is among the things my husband candidate has said?』

Tiamat the Evil Dragon’s eyes gleamed coldly as she spoke.

『You can save your bullshit for someone else.』

Tiamat shoved away the White Tiger and Black Tortoise with her jaw, arriving right in front of Taeul.

Boom, booom!

[The Constellation ‘White Tiger’ has been annihilated!]

[The Constellation ‘Black Tortoise’ has plummeted!]

The two great demonic creatures’ blood turned Tiamat’s ocean even redder.

“Then you really leave me no choice,” Taeul said as he tapped the ground with his cane again.

Tap!

Right before Tiamat was about to crush Taeul with her saw-like teeth, a miracle took place.

[The Celestial ‘Zi Wei Yuan’ has activated the Authority ‘Starlight Retrieval’, withdrawing his <Starlight> scattered throughout the world!]

Swish, swoosh, swish!

<Starlight> rose up from the corpses of the Evil Celestials who had been swept away in the [Primordial Ocean] or had been ripped apart by TIamat’s teeth, and that included the <Starlight> of the White Tiger and Black Tortoise who had just died.

Then, it flew toward Taeul. The more <Starlight> he absorbed, the more radiant his sacred light became. By the time he finished absorbing the <Starlight>, he was able to let go of his cane and stand tall. His once curved back was now straight, and the wrinkles on his face were gone. After being rejuvenated, his eyes were sharper than ever.

Whoooosh!

A pool of golden light emerged from under his feet and soon engulfed him him, turning him into a figure of pure light. It was also around that time that Tiamat’s teeth were about to reach Taeul.

Boooooom!

Taeul merely held out his hand, but Tiamat could not move forward any further. A shockwave fanned outward from behind Taeul, destroying the remaining buildings.

Rumble...!

『You just asked if they were flies or mosquitoes, yes? Both answers are technically wrong.』

Taeul had begun speaking with his divine voice, making his speech sound more solemn.

『They’re neither flies nor mosquitoes, because they’re all my avatars. I can create and take their lives as I please, so all their achievements ultimately belong to me.』

Tiamat frowned, noticing how the air around Taeul changed as he continued.

『And those accomplishments become a <Myth> after accumulating to a certain level. That’s the countermeasure I developed for opponents who were tricky to deal with, and it’s also how I got to where I am now.』

Unlike the other two of the Three Enclosures, ‘Tian Shi Yuan’ and ‘Tai Wei Yuan’, ’Zi Wei Yuan’ had spent a great deal of time in seclusion; if that had been to control his avatars, it made sense.

After listening to Taeul, a question flashed through Tiamat’s mind. If it was possible to create a <Myth> by making one’s avatar earn accomplishments, what <Myth> had Taeul been trying to obtain through his avatars?

It did not take long to reach an answer, as Taeul spoke once more..

『And a new <Myth> has been created just now.』

『You...!』

As Tiamat’s eyes widened, Taeul continued.

『Dragon-slaying.』

Although Taeul was covered in light, it seemed as if he was smiling for some reason as he tightened his grip on Tiamat’s jaw.

Spuuuuurt―!

Tiamat’s wounds, which Taeul’s vassals had been creating with their weapons, burst simultaneously and died ‘Polaris’ red. Sensing danger, Tiamat, whose true form was hidden on the other side of the world, quickly retreated backward. Her image flickered within ‘Polaris’ as she repeatedly disappeared and reappeared, heading for the hidden side of the divine ground.

『It’s too late.』

Taeul spoke with a grin, drawing a diagonal line downward in Tiamat’s direction using his index and middle fingers.

Splatter!

An extremely deep wound appeared on the lower part of Tiamat’s nape as the line crossed it, bleeding profusely like a waterfall.

『Oh, my! You’ve managed to avoid it again. You’re truly remarkable, but I can just continue creating wounds.』

Swish, swoosh, swish―!

『If I cut you again and again... I’ll be able to find your reverse scale at some point.』

Slash, slash, slash!

Spuuuurt!

Taeul continued to move his fingers in the air, splitting space and inflicting large wounds on Tiamat’s real body. She continued retreating backward and flying away from Taeul, but she still sustained injuries. It did not take long for her to be covered in wounds.

For the first time, Tiamat sensed danger. Although she controlled her [Primordial Ocean] more actively and repeatedly struck Taeul, her rain and floods could not break through Taeul’s sacred light. The problem was that the waters sweptthe Evil Celestials to their deaths, making Taeul even stronger in the process.

『Wh... y?!』

Tiamat gritted her teeth. She already knew that Taeul was as skilled as her, but Taeul’s <Myth> of Dragonslaying put her at an absolute disadvantage. Thus, she intended to wait and use another method to turn the tide around. However...

『Ah! You’d better give up already if you’re waiting for your children to come and help you.』

Taeul spoke all of a sudden.

Tiamat blankly murmured in response.

『What...?』

『You know, you could have loved your children better. They were all full of grievances about you』

『...!』

Just as Tiamat was about to respond, Taeul drew a perpendicular line with his index and middle fingers, muttering as if he had come to a sudden realization.

『It looks like I found it.』

Slaaaaaash!

After Taeul’s onslaught, Tiamat had already been covered with hideous wounds. This time, however, the long wound revealed another scale that was hidden under the others; it was her reverse scale.

『I’ll take that as a trophy.』

Taeul held out his empty left hand, and Tiamat actually felt his touch on her reversed scale. Knowing that she would be in real danger if her reverse scale sustained an injury, Tiamat quickly fired her [Dragon Breath].

Crrraaaacckk―!

The skin around her reverse scale was shredded to a pulp as Taeul forcibly tried to pull the scale out. At the same time, [Dragon Breath] engulfed Taeul, and his sacred light started to melt. Both of them used their full power, as they instinctively knew that backing down was equivalent to death. Nevertheless, Taeul had the <Myth> of Dragonslaying, so he had the upper hand no matter how hard Tiamat tried.

‘At this rate...!’ Tiamat thought, fear appearing in her eyes for the first time.

“I think I’ll take your head as a trophy.”

At that moment, an ominous, cold voice emerged from behind Taeul. He turned back in surprise, only to see that Chang-Sun was already close to him. With a cold smile, Chang-Sun held out his hand, a sphere of <Darkness> and supreme divine light spinning at his fingertips.

“Explode,” Chang-Sun commanded.