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Chapter 425: Star, the Parallel Universe (10)

“Sean,” Crom Cruach said as he tightly hugged the Heavenly Dragon Emperor.

Less than one-third of the Heavenly Dragon Emperor’s body was left. His entire lower body had been torn away; his left chest, where his heart had been, was empty, as it had been blown up along with his left arm. The emperor’s eyes were blank as he stared at empty air, not Crom.

“...Is that you, Crom?” The Heavenly Dragon Emperor asked.

“Yeah...” Chrome replied.

“...I’m here too,” Xerxes said.

“You too, Xerx? Hahaha! I’m glad that I’ll get to say goodbye.” The Heavenly Dragon Emperor chuckled.

Xerxes clenched his teeth; Baek Gyeo-Ul caressed his father’s back, helping him to stand.

“Why did you jump into the fight all of a sudden? You didn’t have to sacrifice yourself...!” Crom exclaimed, pouring out her resentment with her fists clenched.

How many times had such a tragedy happened after Chang-Sun himself died? Losing her friends right before her eyes always broke Crom’s heart.

However, the Heavenly Dragon Emperor gently smiled and said, “I wanted to.”

“You...!” Crom exclaimed.

“You two have taught me the purpose of life, so I’m grateful to you. You two showed me what the feeling of fulfillment and happiness was. I used to be no better than a corpse, but you two brought me back to life. Even if I pass away right here, I’m simply returning to where I was.”

“I always had the impression... that you always acted as you pleased,” Crom grumbled with teary eyes.

“Haha! Like ‘Divine Twilight’?” the Heavenly Dragon Emperor replied with a laugh.

“...That’s not what I’m talking about!” Chrome protested.

“I know. You want to say that I’m myself and ‘Divine Twilight’ is ‘Divine Twilight’, but it’s also true that I resemble him,” the Heavenly Dragon Emperor said, laughing even more loudly.

He did not look like a person whose death was imminent, and seemed to be at peace. Looking at the Heavenly Dragon Emperor, Crom realized that he had put down the burden he had been carrying in his heart and finally gotten an answer to his long-held internal conflict.

The Heavenly Dragon Emperor had always agonized about his self-identity. He was neither Sean, nor an emperor, nor a Celestial. On top of that, he had discovered the existence of another ‘him’ named ‘Divine Twilight’, so he had undergone a severe internal conflict for a moment. In contrast to ‘Divine Twilight’, who was living his life to the fullest, the emperor had gotten nowhere no matter how hard he tried to be optimistic, so he could not define himself.

However, it seemed he had found an answer after contemplating and struggling with that conflict for a long time. The Heavenly Dragon Emperor was just himself. His life as Sean, his position as an emperor, the fact that he was a Celestial, his personality that resembled ‘Divine Twilight’ a lot... The emperor finally realized that all those elements made up the person named Sean li Arcadia.

The first choice the Heavenly Dragon Emperor made after accepting himself as Sean li Arcadia was rescuing his friends, so he seemed to have no regrets about his choice.

“Heh! I repaid the favor in my own way. That’s all, so you don’t need to hate yourself or be sad about my death. Besides...” The Heavenly Dragon Emperor paused and looked elsewhere.

His eyes and all his other senses were ruined, so he could not detect anything, but he had a strong impression that he was looking at someone he had been looking for. He was right, as that was where Chang-Sun was.

“I might be dying right now, but it’s not the end for me. I’m simply returning to where I was, so I’ll stay beside the two of you forever with that friend of yours,” the Heavenly Dragon Emperor continued.

“...Seriously. You and Twilight... You guys are selfish. This Great Universe would be a mess if there were more of you,” Crom said with a nod, biting her lower lip. The corners of her mouth trembled as she forced herself to smile.

“Hahaha, you may be right. Yeah, so...” The Heavenly Dragon Emperor laughed mischievously and wholeheartedly as Sean li Arcadia for the first time before asking, “...can you let me go now? It’s a little hard to stay like this.”

“Okay. Goodbye, my friend,” Crom said, then quietly extended her hand and closed the Heavenly Dragon Emperor’s eyes.

Sean’s panting fell silent soon. When Crom took away her hand, Sean looked peaceful, as if he had fallen into a deep slumber.

“Now you can finally sleep peacefully. You used to suffer from insomnia, as if you were being chased by something,” Crom said with a bitter smile. “I hope you can remain at peace there.”

It was the last prayer Crom could make for her friend.

Paaah...!

A pool of light enveloped Sean, dissolving him into particles. Some of them headed to Chang-Sun, but others...

“The particles are...!”

...flew toward Bel-Marduk as if that was where they belonged. Xerxes quickly tried to grab onto them, but the particles easily slipped through his fingers.

“...So that was what it was,” Crom murmured.

She now had an idea of what was happening. The encounter between Chang-Sun and Sean, Bel-Marduk’s secret... Those three people’s encounter had never been a coincidence, and Bel-Marduk had intricately orchestrated everything. That meant Crom needed to straighten things out.

“Sean wanted to be with Twilight, so let’s grant his wish,” Crom said, standing up with a solemn expression.

Xerxes nodded in agreement as he slowly activated his [Shadow Armor]. Kali quietly stood beside them, and Gyeo-Ul silently volunteered to be the spearhead. The four all turned to look at Bel-Marduk.

* * *

『It’s been a while since I was last here.』

Bel-Marduk smiled coldly, feeling the stinging pressure in the air. He looked surprisingly calm for someone who had flown into a rage when several <Horoscope> Star Signs criticized him. Was he just emotionally volatile, like the storm raging around him?

Tap!

Chang-Sun lightly landed on the flag, far away from Bel-Marduk. With a cold gaze, Chang-Sun observed his foe as he said, “Bel-Marduk.”

『Yes, Twilight.』

“Our bad blood runs deep, doesn’t it?” Chang-Sun asked.

『Hahaha. Yes, I guess you can call it bad blood. You were dedicated to saving Ithaca.』

“There is this question I always had, though,” Chang-Sun said.

『What is it?』

“At first, I believed without a doubt that you and the others were going after Ithaca’s <First Star’s Fragment>. You people needed complete control of Worldline #802, so I figured obtaining the fragment was a key part of your plan,” Chang-Sun continued.

A <First Star’s Fragment> was a soul fragment of a great being who had been a <First Star> and an Emperor. The one who held the fragment would obtain outstanding talent and reach <Heaven>, becoming a <Star>.

However, a <First Star’s Fragment> held an entirely different kind of value to those who traveled Worldlines. Such a fragment was an important key that could serve as an inflection point in a parallel universe. One fragment contained an astronomical amount of Causality, so possessing it alone would allow one to perform numerous miracles.

That was why the <Horoscope> Star Signs, those World Eaters who had devoured their world, had tenaciously tried to obtain the <First Star’s Fragment> in Worldline #802, constantly targeting Ithaca. After Chang-Sun inherited the fragment after her death, he had continued to fight against them.

“But you were a little different,” Chang-Sun said.

Come to think of it, too many things were strange. It was evident that the other Star Signs were going after the <First Star’s Fragment>, but Bel-Marduk always seemed to have had a different plan in mind. Despite how he constantly conspired against Chang-Sun, he had never interfered personally in the fights he orchestrated. That was why Chang-Sun could count the number of times he had directly fought against Bel-Marduk on his fingers.

“You seemed to have a secret design in mind.”

It was as if Bel-Marduk had been waiting for Chang-Sun to completely absorb the <First Star’s Fragment> and grow stronger...

“That reminds me. I do have some questions about them,” Thanatos blurted out.

“What questions?” Chang-Sun asked.

“After arresting you, they put you through a Divine Trial and sentenced you to death, but... they handed you over to us too easily.”

“...Elaborate.”

“I mean that literally. Although the <Underworld> and I paid a hefty price to those people, don’t you think it’s strange that they spared you?”

Some time ago, Chang-Sun and Thanatos had talked about how too many things about <Horoscope> did not add up, and Chang-Sun could not deny that.

“Besides, most of those people who put you through the Divine Trial didn’t know that you were sent back to Worldline #801.” Thanatos tilted his head.

After getting started on his revenge in earnest, Chang-Sun had also received the impression that many Star Signs were surprised to see his return. When he first revealed his identity, all of them had murmured about how he was supposed to be dead.

“That means...” Chang-Sun trailed off.

“That’s right. Someone made sure that you were extradited in utmost secrecy.”

‘Divine Twilight’ was a calamity for <Horoscope>. Even if the Star Signs had taken away his Divine Essence and caused him to be weakened, sparing ‘Divine Twilight’ was very risky, as he could always come back and bite them in the neck. Regardless, Chang-Sun had been spared, which meant one thing.

‘Someone has a plan for me,’ Chang-Sun thought. There were very few people who were capable of such a thing.

“Why in the world did you spare my life, Bel-Marduk?” Chang-Sun asked, his eyes gleaming.

『Haha. Hahahaha.』

Bel-Marduk burst into laughter, the sound reverberating throughout the divine ground.

『I was wondering what you were trying to ask, but your question is pretty useless.』

“Then are you not the one who spared my life?”

『I’m well aware of how skeptical and smart you are, but it doesn’t mean all your speculations are true.』

“You’re feigning ignorance,” Chang-Sun said, narrowing his eyes.

『There’s nothing to feign ignorance about.』

Bel-Marduk shrugged, and yet displayed a relaxed smile, just like when Chang-Sun had met him in the Nil Domain.

However, Chang-Sun continued to look at Bel-Marduk with a sharp gaze, saying, “My [Execution Sword] is blocking off any external connection, meaning other Star Signs have no way of peeking in this place.”

『...』

Bel-Marduk’s smile vanished, as if he were an emotionless doll. He took a look around, then slowly nodded.

『I can detect a faint trace of the King of the Underworld, but I’m definitely not sensing the trace of other Celestials and Star Signs.』

The mischievousness in Bel-Marduk’s voice was gone.

“So be honest with me. Are you the one who extradited me in secret?” Chang-Sun asked again.

『Haha. Hahaha.』

After laughing for a long time...

Flash!

...Bel-Marduk’s eyes blazed.

『And what if I did?』

A corner of Bel-Marduk’s mouth curled up.

『What are you going to do if I say I did it, Twilight?』

There was only one answer Chang-Sun could give to Bel-Marduk. “So that was what it was. I finally get who you are.”

『Who am I?』

Bel-Marduk smiled more crookedly, and Chang-Sun’s gaze turned sharper as he said, “You’re me.”