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Chapter 464: Star, Identity Establishment (2)

“You can’t enter without permission.”

“Anyone who wishes to enter the castle has to prove themself.”

The guards’ voices were emotionless, and there was no trace of fear as they watched Chang-Sun with sharp gazes. Judging from each one’s single gleaming eye and the lightning sparks flying up from their armor and spearheads, they seemed to be quite high-ranked within the castle.

Chang-Sun could not help but chuckle.

“Why are you laughing?” one of the guards asked as he glared at Chang-Sun, perhaps because his pride was hurt.

“It’s ridiculous,” Chang-Sun replied.

“Ridiculous?”

“You don’t know who I am?”

“Of course not. You’re Lee Chang-Sun and have the Divine Name ‘Divine Twilight.”

“But you still stopped me from entering the castle.”

“No one can pass without proving themself.” The guard shook his head.

“You opened the gate for me last time.”

“It’s different now.”

“How so?” Chang-Sun raised a brow.

“You were invited by the Four Kings at the time.”

The Four Kings seemed to refer to the Past Life Castle’s four rulers—Odin, Balor, Tomte, and Perkwunos.

“But you don’t have an invitation this time, so of course, I can’t open the gate,” The guard continued.

“Balor died in a fight against me. So can’t I be considered one of those Four Kings or something?”

“It’s none of my concern. Prove yourself,” the guard repeated.

Chang-Sun briefly considered wreaking havoc right then and there before concluding, ‘No, not yet. I need to talk things out first.’

As someone who was trying to enter the castle, he had to follow their rules on some level. Thus, he asked, “Fine. How do I prove myself?”

Schwing, schwing!

The guards pointed their spears at Chang-Sun.

“The castle’s entrance trial consists of three stages. The first stage is to prove your martial prowess by defeating us.”

Just then...

Ding!

[A Scenario Quest (Identity Search Ⅰ) has been created!]

[Identity Search Ⅰ]

· Type: Scenario.

· Description: You are currently witnessing your soul’s secrets in your subconscious realm, but you are an uninvited guest. Your past reincarnations wish to test you with three trials.

From now on, you must pass all three trials to prove yourself and face your soul’s secrets. If you succeed, you will be able to awaken to your complete self as your soul’s true owner.

The first trial is to prove your martial prowess. The castle’s two guards happen to be your second and third past reincarnations. Win a victory against them.

· Time limit: Until one party wins.

· Quest Failure Penalty: Mind Incarceration.

· Quest Reward: The Scenario Quest ‘Identity Search Ⅱ’.

Chang-Sun’s eyes sparkled after reading a part that he had never expected to see.

‘My second and third reincarnations?’

From what Odin had told Chang-Sun, their soul had a long history that had started from primordial times.

―Don’t you want to know why all our past reincarnations and versions of us from other Worldlines are far from ordinary? What secrets can our soul possibly have?

“Well, you’re right. All of us are extraordinary, like Hsan, you, and Perkwunos, so I’m curious about it,” Chang-Sun replied to Odin.

―We’re one of the souls that existed before the creation of the Great Universe.

“The Great Universe’s creation...” Chang-Sun murmured.

―Eros began with <Supreme Light> releasing a burst of the first light into the void, but most of the First Matters from the light were eliminated over time. Fortunately, some of them survived and managed to join samsara.

“And we’re one of them?” Chang-Sun asked.

―That’s right. In other words, we’re the chosen ones, who are comparable to Ancient and Outer Celestials.

Odin was an elitist and tried to instill the same pride in Chang-Sun too, claiming that their origin was a spark of the <Fire of Origin> that had been lit by the Big Bang, the start of Eros.

―The lightning energy that we all harness is the fruit of the spark, and our magic is the result of the gnosis we’ve accumulated over time. How can we not be great or fail to escape from our shackles? Only the universe far beyond our own can be the palace we deserve to stay in.

Chang-Sun was not actually sure about the true reason behind Odin’s elitism, but he could understand Odin’s thinking to an extent. It also provided a clear insight into how Perkwunos the ‘Primordial Lightning Deity’, Chang-Sun’s first past reincarnation, had been born.

The guards standing in front of Chang-Sun were the next two reincarnations of Perkwunos. They came from a time before their soul’s identity was properly established, which meant their spark of the <Fire of Origin> was still strong at the time. Thus, the guards had to be a lot more powerful than most of the other past reincarnations.

Whoosh, swish, swoosh―!

Just as expected, the moment the guards unleashed their Classes, fierce storms began and blew away the sandstorm that had been filling the air, replacing it with blindingly bright and hot lightning clouds. As dozens of lightning bolts fell from the clouds and rainstorms raged, the realm shook violently.

‘Perhaps they’re even stronger than the Four Kings,’ Chang-Sun thought as he unleashed his lightning energy, holding the [Yuchang Sword] in his right hand and [Tiamat’s Snaggletooth] in his left hand.

Schwing!

Just as Chang-Sun had utilized both divine and demonic energies at the same time in the past, he released brilliantly white supreme sacred light through the [Yuchang Sword] and pitch-black <Darkness> through [Tiamat’s Snaggletooth].

Rumble―!

By using supreme sacred light and <Darkness> together, Chang-Sun pushed away the chaos caused by the guards’ lightning rain, revealing the torso of a Cataclysm Celestial. He sprang forward, his [Gnostic Eye] blazing with Inferno Sight.

[The middle volume of ‘Prelati’s Spellbook’ has been opened!]

[The last chapter ‘Orígo Speciéi’ has been applied, starting an Anathema!]

The guard wearing blue armor thrust his spear toward Chang-Sun first.

Rummmble!

Lightning sparks that were as blue as the guard’s armor fiercely flew up from the spear, but Chang-Sun deflected it using the [Yuchang Sword] and closed in on the guard; the blue lightning raked across the ground and castle walls instead.

Swoooosh―!

Chang-Sun swung [Tiamat’s Snaggletooth] quickly to drive the sharp fang into the blue lightning guard’s neck.

Claaaang!

The guard wearing red armor suddenly intervened and parried Chang-Sun’s sword upward.

Ziinnnng―!

[Tiamat’s Snaggletooth] disliked how the red lightning guard dared to stand in its way; it growled, ready to slit the guard’s throat. However, the red lightning guard released red lightning sparks, showing no intention to let the sword get what it wanted.

Creeeeak!

Chang-Sun tried to overpower the red lightning guard by enveloping his spearhead with <Darkness>, but the guard quickly pushed the <Darkness> away and burned it away with his lightning energy instead, forcing Chang-Sun to quickly distance himself from the guards.

‘He pushed away supreme sacred light and <Darkness>,’ Chang-Sun thought as he looked at the guards in disbelief.

From what he knew, those Divinities were the origin of origins that superseded everything, since they were the powers of <Supreme Light> and <Dull Darkness> respectively. On top of that, Chang-Sun had used the two Divinities to create a new type of energy called <Duskfall>.

Using that energy required a lot of calculations, so controlling it was not easy. Regardless, Chang-Sun had been confident that it was matchless when it came to destructive power... but his attack was blocked for the first time, which was a great surprise even for him.

“I’m sure you know who we are through the Quest description,” the blue lightning guard said as his sapphire eyes gleamed coldly. “We’re the guards who have been protecting this realm while watching you reincarnations run wild like mad dogs, all because you people think you’re the best.”

“Those reincarnations usually look down on us. But protecting this castle is our duty and we’ve gotten used to the contempt, so it means nothing to us. But we still occasionally get annoyed once in a while,” the red lightning guard added, revealing his sharp canines.

The guards looked like twins, even their auras resembling each other.

Chang-Sun came to a realization. ‘They weren’t alike from the start. They took after each other in both appearance and techniques over time.’

Before their deaths, the two guards had to have had unique personalities and characteristics of their own, but that distinctiveness faded over time, as they had upheld their duty for so long. Their job was simply too monotonous, so they could not fulfill it without a strong sense of duty, deepening their bond.

‘They watched most of the reincarnations\' entire lives,’ Chang-Sun thought, then changed his assessment of the guards completely. ‘They’re clearly stronger than Balor.’

Chang-Sun had to forget about the Four Kings, since those titles were created by the most presumptuous reincarnations to assert dominance. These guards were the true warriors in his soul, so earning their recognition was a threshold he had to pass in order to become the true owner of his soul.

‘I didn’t think I would immediately run into a problem in my first trial, though.’

Still, Chang-Sun felt good about the fact he had past reincarnations, aside from Odin and Perkwunos, that were as powerful as those guards.

‘It might have been boring if I conquered the realm without a hitch.’

Before resuming their fight, Chang-Sun wanted to know exactly who those guards were. He asked, “What are your names?”

It was an ancient ritual, where warriors who recognized each other’s skills introduced themselves to commemorate their deceased opponents after the battle.

“Let’s see...” the blue lightning guard trailed off with a shrug.

“Do you remember your name?” Chang-Sun asked.

“No, I don’t. I haven’t thought of such a thing for a very long time.”

“Me too.” The red lightning guard looked at Chang-Sun. “Well, we forgot our names long ago.”

The guards exchanged glances and shook their heads; Chang-Sun chuckled. The guards had forgotten about their names, rather than losing them. People on their level were usually very prideful, but that did not seem to apply to them. They were pure martial artists—no, Martial Celestials. In that case, Chang-Sun needed to pay them the respect they deserved.

“I’m Lee Chang-Sun. My Divine Name is ‘Divine Twilight’. I’ll never forget about you two after defeating you,” Chang-Sun said with a smile.

Not expecting Chang-Sun’s response, the guards looked at each other with wide eyes, then chuckled.

“We did think that you were cocky, but your arrogance is beyond our wildest imaginations.”

“You believe that you can not only pass the trial, but also kill us, huh?”

“Okay, then.”

“Let’s see what you’ve got.”

Booooom!

The guards simultaneously sprang forward.

Paaaah―!

Swooosh―!

They turned into blue and red lightning rays respectively and attacked Chang-Sun from both sides.

Rummmmble!

At the same time, the guards unleashed a rain of blue and red lightning bolts. In response, Chang-Sun leaped high in the air and leaned forward, spinning as he clawed the ground with the [Yuchang Sword] and [Tiamat’s Snaggletooth].

[The Authority ‘Avatar\'s Descent’ has been activated, securing the area!]

[The Authority ‘Dream-Eating Beast’ has been activated, firing the first and second claws!]

Slaaaash―!