Chapter 151 – Apostle Duel

It is known to the world that the Heavenly Palace possesses approximately eighty-four thousand types of Authorities.

Since the Twelve Constellations divided them roughly equally, each Constellation held an average of about seven thousand Authorities.

Naturally, these included Authorities with effects such as ignoring defense, certain hit, or certain kill.

The Sun Constellation’s strike was an attack that the current Lee Hanseong could neither dodge, block, nor withstand.

‘Grrrr…’

However, Lee Hanseong did not die.

—Are you alright? Pull yourself together!

It was thanks to Mirinae, who resided within him, stepping forward despite the cost to causality during the critical moment.

Lee Hanseong quickly realized how Mirinae had withstood the Sun Constellation’s attack.

Flicker—

Star Constellation Authority [Chaos].

Through it, Mirinae borrowed Maya’s [Dreamy Haze] Authority and let the future where Lee Hanseong was annihilated by the Sun Constellation flow away as a Dream Thread.

Of course, it wasn’t something possible by simply letting one future flow away as a Dream Thread.

Bubble-bubble—!

To counter the over seven thousand Authorities contained within the Sun Constellation’s strike, over seven thousand bubbles were created, each individually nullifying one of the Sun Constellation’s Authorities.

Then, by gathering all the achievements reflected in other bubbles to the Branch Point where the current Lee Hanseong existed, the Sun Constellation’s strike was blocked.

‘Mirinae…?’

Even for Mirinae, who had been restored to a complete Constellation, exercising such an Authority would inevitably be a heavy burden.

If this had been possible, Mirinae, who had not fallen before the Regression, would not have needed to choose Regression while accepting Divine Fall.

As expected.

‘Th, the Constellation Name…!’

A portion of the Constellation Name Mirinae had just regained was fading from his memory.

Cha

os

Constellation….

—Do not worry. It is not as before, where I offered both my name and Grade.

Mirinae continued, as if to reassure Lee Hanseong.

Indeed, Mirinae’s Grade had only fallen to the level before Maya’s Aspect awakened.

It was likely thanks to Lee Hanseong’s Grade, which acted as a medium for her power, having already reached Quasi-Divine Grade from 6-Star, combined with the Blessing of Transcendence and Transcendent Star, making it almost equivalent to True God Rank.

—And, is this not a way to stay with the Steward longer?

‘Eek…!’

Struck right in the heart by Mirinae’s words, Lee Hanseong felt inwardly ashamed.

Outwardly, he pretended to worry about Mirinae’s lowered Grade, but inwardly, he was glad that the Constellation Descent could be maintained longer.

A Devotee rejoicing in a Constellation’s Divine Fall.

He was truly a disqualified Devotee.

But Mirinae, as if fully understanding Lee Hanseong’s heart, gave a gentle smile and then turned her gaze toward the Sun Constellation, who was preparing to launch another strike.

[This confirms it. You were the successor of the Ancient Gods.]

The Sun Star King recognized the Authority Mirinae had displayed and grew even more hostile.

Through the memories of the previous Sun Apostle ‘Ra-Horakhty’, with whom he had a Contract, he seemed to have realized that Mirinae was the former master of the Heavenly Palace, whom the Twelve Constellations had betrayed.

[The seat of the Ancient Gods has long since vanished, so I shall erase the traces of the Ancient Gods along with you!]

At the moment the Sun Constellation’s second strike was about to unfold.

—How amusing. You dare speak so boldly, unaware that a considerable number of your stars have already fallen into my hands!

Mirinae executed her move slightly earlier.

Oooooooom!

As the [Primordial Chaos] Authority unfolded, some of the stars forming the Sun Constellation’s Descent Body began to be dyed with the myriad colors of Primordial Chaos.

Thud.

The massive body of the Sun Constellation, which had raised a colossal arm of the galactic river to bring down its fist, halted its movement.

[What…! You’ve already corrupted this many of our stars…?!]

It was because the parts dyed with myriad colors no longer obeyed the Sun Star King’s Orders.

A new subset of stars within the collective forming the Sun Constellation had emerged, following Mirinae.

[…This trivial matter can simply be reversed!]

The Sun Star King, noticing the corruption, attempted to redye the stars influenced by Mirinae back to his own color.

—If you can, then try.

Oooom!

The [Pure Chaos] Authority Mirinae subsequently unfolded rejected the change.

The characteristic of Pure Chaos, which maintains purity, helped the stars belonging to it within the Sun Constellation resist being dominated by the Sun Constellation.

—But first, I must reclaim your Apostle position.

An Apostle is a being who represents a Constellation, and thus must dominate all stars belonging to that Constellation.

From the moment stars free from domination appeared, Luke Meyer was no longer the Apostle of the Sun Constellation.

Thus, all True Gods belonging to the Sun Constellation gained the qualification to challenge for the Apostle position.

Fwoosh! Fwoosh!

Changes also followed from Park Jincheol and Park Seongcheol, who were standing nearby.

Park Jincheol, a True God-level Divine Spirit who could maintain consciousness even within stopped time, and his Spirit Hwanin.

And Dice Ten, Park Seongcheol’s Spirit, who had been completed directly to True God Rank from 7-Star.

Those qualified to challenge for the Apostle position each became a strand of light and soared toward the Sun Constellation’s True Body, specifically the parts dyed with myriad colors.

A Constellation’s True Body is akin to a world.

Inside, all True God-level Divine Spirits belonging to the Sun Constellation—Luke Meyer and Ra-Horakhty, Park Jincheol and Hwanin, Dice Ten, and others—would likely gather and engage in duels to determine the Apostle.

Oom—

The moment he realized this, a resonance occurred within Lee Hanseong.

Pheidippides, who also belonged to the Sun Constellation, was expressing his will to challenge for the Apostle position, just like the others.

‘But Pheidippides is still only Half-Step 9-Star, right?’

—With the power the Steward possesses, can you not sufficiently grant the qualification?

Though briefly puzzled, he soon recalled his newly acquired abilities and nodded inwardly.

First, the Blessing of Transcendence settled upon Pheidippides.

Fwaaaat!

His Grade rose to Half-Step Ten-Star.

Since it was a permanent Promotion, not a temporary one like before, changes also occurred in his species.

Whoooosh!

A pillar of light erupted from the Halo above his head, which he gained upon becoming an Angelph, forming a massive trunk connecting heaven and earth, with roots spreading into the ground and branches reaching into the sky.

A form strikingly similar to the Sun Tree he had seen in Elysion of Arcadia.

Pheidippides, who had been a High Elf at 7-Star and an Angelph at 8-Star, had now become the Sun Tree, a Mythological Species of the Sun path corresponding to 9-Star.

Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh, swoosh—

And Duren’s Identity, the Great Sun Tathagata, which Lee Hanseong was already in Divine Possession of, aided the Sun Tree’s growth.

When the Transcendent Star, divided by Omnipresent Star, also settled upon the Sun Tree.

Fwaaaat!

Skipping Existence Reversal in one go, it seamlessly proceeded directly to the process of Synthesis of Opposites.

The nature of Taiji, transcending time and space, altered the Sun Tree.

The form of a colossal tree traversing dimensions overlapped above Pheidippides.

[Keyword ‘World Tree’ has been unlocked!]

[Conditions met. Pheidippides blooms an Authority.]

[Innate Authority, [Great Thousand World Tree] is imprinted upon the world.]

Fwaaaaaat!

Pheidippides, who ultimately became an 11-Star True Divine Being upon completing the Authority.

He too was granted the qualification to challenge for the Apostle, and the World Tree formed of immense light soared toward the Sun Constellation’s True Body, just like those who had gone before.

Along with one of Lee Hanseong’s consciousnesses, divided by Yang Will Divine Art.

* * *

Blink.

The next moment, Lee Hanseong realized he had possessed Pheidippides.

It felt similar to when he performed Historical Alteration, but he hadn’t performed Historical Alteration.

If he usually had Pheidippides in Divine Possession of himself, this time, conversely, he was in Divine Possession of Pheidippides.

Meaning, the subject here was not Lee Hanseong but Pheidippides.

All he could do was share Pheidippides’ senses and offer suggestions, which was the limit.

Thump, thump!

Amidst the Pulsation filling the entire space, Pheidippides, having taken human form instead of the colossal World Tree’s appearance, looked around.

A pitch-black universe, stars embedded within it, and a massive sun positioned at the center of the universe came into view.

“This place… is inside the Sun Constellation’s True Body.”

Step, step.

Instinctively realizing that the Apostle Duel would take place within that sun, Pheidippides advanced toward the sun, treading upon space-time with Space-Time Step.

He wasn’t the only one moving toward the sun.

Whoooosh!

Thump— Thump— Thump— Thump—!

From the far reaches of the universe, beings clearly True Gods were each approaching the sun in different ways.

Among them were also familiar faces.

‘Hwanin’, with snow-white hair and a long beard, wearing a traditional robe, folding space as he advanced.

Park Jincheol, riding a solar wind resembling the sun’s corona.

Dice Ten, advancing upon the Sword of Ten Thousand Thunders, cleaving the universe.

Even Mad Blood Duke Mirkala, the Singularity of Arpelgia collected during the fifth Historical Alteration, and others.

Not only those who had earlier headed toward the Sun Constellation’s True Body but also all Divine Spirits belonging to the Sun Constellation who had come under Mirinae’s influence were near Pheidippides.

Conversely, far away on the opposite side relative to the sun, Sun Star King Luke Meyer and the Spirits he had contracted with were moving without concealing their momentum.

Go, go, go, go, go, go, go!

Led by the previous Sun Apostle, the Egyptian sun god ‘Ra-Horakhty’ with a falcon’s head.

The Indian sun god ‘Surya’, the Japanese sun god ‘Amaterasu’, the Greek sun gods ‘Helios’, ‘Hyperion’, ‘Apollo’.

The Greek war gods ‘Athena’, ‘Ares’, the Indian war god ‘Kartikeya’, the Japanese war god ‘Takemikazuchi’.

The Indian fire god ‘Agni’, the Japanese fire god ‘Kagutsuchi’, the Chinese fire god ‘Zhurong’.

Thirteen True Gods, each representing the Divinities of sun, war, and fire.

Including Luke Meyer, a total of fourteen Spirits were the greatest obstacles in this Apostle Duel.

‘Since an Apostle’s Contractor can contract with all Spirits belonging to the Constellation.’

It meant that the Spirits Luke Meyer had contracted with were among the highest-ranking Spirits belonging to the Sun Constellation.

While advancing, briefly observing those he would face.

Whoooosh!

Before he knew it, the sun had drawn near.

Amidst the intense heat of the sun attempting to incinerate the approaching beings.

Whoosh! Whoosh-whoosh! Whoosh-whoosh-whoosh-whoosh!

The Spirits on Luke Meyer’s side threw themselves into the sun without hesitation.

Seeing this, the Spirits under Mirinae’s command, including Park Jincheol, also entered the sun without hesitation.

Whoosh— Whoosh-whoosh-whoosh-whoosh!

Pheidippides, though having become a World Tree vulnerable to fire, advanced without hesitation.

He was confident that the sun’s heat could not reach him before the Authority of the World Tree, which governed space-time.

It was the same principle as Footstep Heaven’s Edge.

Whooooooosh!

However, that was Pheidippides’ miscalculation.

The heat of the sun, symbolizing the Constellation Authority, could reach him regardless of distance as an obstacle.

Pheidippides’ True Body, the World Tree, began to burn.

“Gyaaaaaah!”

But even amidst the Scorching Pain, said to be the most agonizing, Pheidippides did not stop and continued forward.

He had no intention of giving up after coming this far.

And Lee Hanseong felt the same as Pheidippides.

‘If you can’t withstand this, becoming Apostle is impossible. So, just accept it.’

To become an Apostle, one must Grasp the Constellation Authority.

Following Lee Hanseong’s advice, Pheidippides stopped trying to block the sun’s heat.

There was no need to waste energy on something he couldn’t block anyway.

Crackle, crackle, crackle, crackle, crackle!!!

Instead, the sun’s heat diminished.

The cause was the change in Pheidippides’ mindset.

By not rejecting but accepting, the sun’s flames were being absorbed into the World Tree’s interior.

Lee Hanseong conveyed what he realized upon seeing this to Pheidippides.

‘The Sun Constellation interpreted the world as life. And interpretation is inherently connected to one’s own essence.’

“…So the sun is life itself.”

The realization contained within the Sun Divine Domain converted the sun’s energy into pure life force and accepted it.

The burning branches, having fully embraced the accepted life force, regenerated.

“I see. So that’s how it was.”

The moment a part of the sun completely settled within the World Tree.

Pop.

Instantly, the surroundings transformed, and a colossal Colosseum welcomed Pheidippides.

The Spirits who had entered earlier were also positioned, having embraced a part of the sun within themselves, just like Pheidippides.

A scene reminiscent of the Celestial Sky Path, the arena of the Heavenly Palace Tournament’s Main Tournament, and its participants.

Would the Apostle Duel proceed in a manner similar to the Heavenly Palace Tournament?

‘No, the opposite.’

It wasn’t that the Apostle Duel resembled the Heavenly Palace Tournament.

The Apostle Duel came before the Heavenly Palace Tournament.

It would be more accurate to say the Sun Star King and the Heavenly Slaughter Demon Lord imitated the Apostle Duel to hold the Heavenly Palace Tournament.

The moment he realized this.

[The Sun Constellation’s Apostle Decisive Battle shall now commence.]

Not Luke Meyer, but the Sun Constellation’s own will announced the start of the Apostle Duel.