Chapter 153 – Dice Ten vs. Ra-Horakhty

Just as Lee Hanseong’s consciousness resided within Pheidippides,

Inside Dice Ten, the consciousness of his Contractor, Park Seongcheol, was also present.

‘Will he be okay?’

Park Seongcheol expressed unease over Dice choosing Ra-Horakhty as his duel opponent.

Ra-Horakhty, the Apostle of the previous generation, Luke Meyer, had a presence distinct from ordinary Divine Spirits.

If an ordinary Divine Spirit was a 1 and an Apostle was a 10, Ra-Horakhty had reached a level of about 5.

“Don’t worry. No matter how strong the opponent is, in the end, I’m the one who will win.”

Yet Dice confidently declared victory.

Having accepted his talent through Historical Alteration, Dice overflowed with confidence to the point of seeming arrogant.

He had the talent to be that arrogant.

Kwa-rurururung!

As if intending to go all out from the start, the moment the Mu-Geuk Manroe Sword unfolded from Dice’s hand—

Flash!

Dice, transformed into a thunderbolt, pierced through Ra-Horakhty’s Divine Form.

However, the expression on Dice’s face as he returned from lightning to human form seemed somewhat dissatisfied.

He had intuitively sensed that even with the strike that had finished off Qliphoth, he hadn’t killed his opponent.

“As expected. This much won’t work, it seems.”

The figure of the opponent, who had been defenselessly pierced by the lightning, was nowhere to be seen.

Instead, the Illusory Form of a giant coiled serpent appeared in his place.

Everyone who saw that form naturally came to know the name of that being.

‘Apophis!’

The serpent that swallows the sun and brings night. Apophis.

A serpent-type Divine Beast known as Ra’s adversary.

Myths related to him and Ra flowed into their minds.

Parararak—

Scenes of Ra and his guardian deities fighting Apophis during the day.

A scene of Ra, exhausted from fighting, splitting Apophis’s belly and entering it to recover swiftly.

A scene of night descending upon the world while Ra recovers.

A scene of Ra, recovered, emerging from Apophis’s belly and fighting the serpent again, bringing back the day.

‘If it’s a myth describing the repetition of day and night…’

The Illusory Form of Apophis that appeared now was a Stigma derived from such a myth.

Stigma 《Apophis’s Belly》.

Swoooosh!

Before they knew it, Apophis’s belly split open, and a perfectly restored Ra-Horakhty sprang out.

However, the head of the one who sprang out again was not that of a falcon like before, but shaped like a dung beetle.

‘Khepri.’

A name known as naturally as Apophis.

It was another name of Ra, symbolizing the sun at dawn.

Crackle, crackle.

Khepri, with the dung beetle head, was carrying part of the sword lightning from the Manroe Sword that had pierced him, transformed into a spherical form.

“Are you lightning that seeks to become the sun?”

“The sword lightning…!”

But the transformed lightning sphere was no longer Dice’s.

Skritch-skritch-skritch-skritch—

From inside the lightning sphere, a sound like insects gnawing could be heard, and then…

“If you wish, I shall place you within the cycle of the sun.”

Boom—

From the lightning sphere, a single dung beetle made of lightning sprang out and began to fly.

Dice’s sword lightning had been reborn as a scarab.

It was the effect of the Stigma 《Dawn of Khepri》.

Khepri showed off such a scarab as if boasting, then continued.

“Become my scarab.”

“Get lost. I have no desire to become a bug.”

“I refuse your refusal. I have already resolved to bestow my favor upon you.”

Rejecting Dice’s refusal, a second scarab sprang from the lightning sphere from which the first scarab had emerged.

Then a third, a fourth… there was no end.

Boom-boom-boom-boom-boom-boom—

Perhaps due to the Mu-Geuk Manroe Sword’s characteristic of being endless, scarabs of lightning continuously sprang from the lightning sphere.

No matter how many scarabs emerged, the lightning sphere did not shrink in size at all.

“Go forth.”

The scarabs, now increased like a swarm, flew towards Dice.

Kwa-rururururung!

He tried to shake off the swarm of scarabs by scattering Man-Geomroeha, but it was useless.

Since they were born from his sword lightning, the scarabs were immune to it.

Like salmon swimming upstream against a river of lightning, the scarabs approached Dice.

Some of them attempted to scrape together the sword lightning imbued in Man-Geomroeha to create new lightning spheres.

“You think I’ll just let that happen?”

An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.

For quantity, quantity.

Dice evolved the Stigma that was 《Knight Order Assembly》.

He referenced Hwanin’s [Heaven] Authority, which had created meteorological weapons during the fight with Park Jincheol.

Stigma 《Heavenly Thunder Legion》.

Jing-jing-jing-jing-jing-jing-jing—

The ten thousand strands of sword lightning composing Man-Geomroeha gathered by the thousands and transformed into the forms of Pilgrim Knights.

However, their number was not ten.

Just as scarabs endlessly emerged from the lightning sphere, projections of Pilgrim Knights were continuously generated from Dice’s Man-Geomroeha.

Clang-clang-clash-clang!

A state of stalemate ensued, with one Heavenly Thunder Knight attaching to each of over ten scarabs, neither side able to defeat the other.

Meanwhile, scarabs and Heavenly Thunder Knights continued to increase, gradually filling the duel arena with lightning scarabs and knights.

The aspect of the duel changed into a territorial struggle, like playing a kind of Go.

The problem was that the rate of increase in both sides’ forces was equal.

‘At this rate, there’ll be no resolution.’

The moment Park Seongcheol thought that, perhaps Khepri thought the same, as his head changed again.

It didn’t revert to the falcon head like before.

This time, it was a human face.

‘Atum.’

The third name of Ra, symbolizing the setting sun.

He was a sun god, a creator god, and a god of abundance.

“Be abundant.”

Atum fattened the scarabs by expending his own power.

Stigma 《Atum’s Abundance》.

The scarabs, once fist-sized, grew as large as humans.

Their claws and jaws became sharper and harder.

The lightning composing them transformed to be more intense and violent.

—Kerrurururuk!

—Keshaaaak!

Now, a single scarab was on par with a single Heavenly Thunder Knight.

Of course, perhaps as the price for expending too much power, Atum fell into a near-death state, but Dice did not consider that an opportunity.

Swoooosh.

Just like when he was first wounded, the Atum-projection entered the belly of the projected Apophis.

Since recovery was possible anyway, he had expended his power without reservation.

“It’s difficult to increase the Heavenly Thunder Knights faster here. So each one must move a little quicker. For that…”

Dice pondered countermeasures while watching his Heavenly Thunder Knights, who were beginning to be pushed back.

Muttering his thoughts as he sought an answer, his consciousness touched upon 《Relative Time Acceleration》.

He had already been using 《Relative Time Acceleration》 since earlier, but like with Knight Order Assembly, a myth that had become a Stigma had another chance to evolve in line with an Authority.

“…An attack that starts later than the opponent’s must arrive first.”

Stigma 《Counterattack First Strike》.

The myth, evolved in a way that better suited Foresight Before Pain, imbued the Heavenly Thunder Knights.

Clearly, the speed of the Heavenly Thunder Knights was the same as before.

Yet, against the strengthened scarabs, the Heavenly Thunder Knights were once again matching them in equal numbers at a 1:10 ratio.

Their skill was different.

Countless Sword Principles—Swift Sword, Strong Sword, Illusory Sword, Fast Sword, Heavy Sword, etc.—meshed exquisitely, finding the optimal path to victory.

Watching this, Park Seongcheol felt a sense of familiarity.

‘Is this Chungmugong’s [Victory] Authority?’

Whether he referenced the [Victory] Authority or not, it felt similar to when he elevated Chungmugong to Divine Spirit Rank.

‘So this is why Dice was confident of victory.’

Seeing the path leading to victory and advancing, Dice prepared his final move.

《Tenfold Lightning Sword Art》 transformed like the other Stigmas.

The ten Sword Principles gave rise to countless new Sword Principles, becoming something that could no longer be called “Tenfold.”

Moreover, Dice, having reached Divine Spirit, had gained the Identity of being both a Thunder God and a Sword God.

It was only natural that the swordsmanship representing him would change accordingly.

Stigma 《Thunder God Sword Dance》.

“I cut.”

Sslice.

A scarab that should have been immune to sword lightning was bisected and killed by the sword Dice swung.

Sslice-slice-slice-slice!

Starting with Dice, his Heavenly Thunder Knights also began cutting down the scarabs.

As if performing a group dance, Dice and the Heavenly Thunder Knights performed the sword dance with the same rhythm, same movements, and same flow.

Dan-da-da-dan da-ra-ra-ran!

With each swing of sword lightning, the echoing thunderclaps evoked harmonious melodies like music.

Swoooosh—

Ra-Horakhty, having finished recovering inside Apophis, revealed himself again.

This time, he had the head of a falcon.

“Khepri Ra Atum.”

The moment Ra-Horakhty recited the three names like an incantation—

“…!”

The victory that had approached before Dice’s eyes suddenly vanished.

Just as the Chaos Constellation achieved Trinity through the three Aspects of Mirinae, Möbius, and Maya,

Ra was a being who achieved Trinity by absorbing and integrating Khepri and Atum.

Ziiiiing—

The Illusory Forms of Khepri’s dung beetle face and Atum’s human face melted into Ra’s falcon face, and the attributes of the sun he contained reached their extreme.

The three Divine Names, unified around the name Ra, meaning the hottest midday sun.

And the solar Authority manifested through it.

“Halt.”

Stigma 《Ra’s Sun》.

Whoooosh!

All space bathed in sunlight submitted to Ra’s Authority.

Dice, and even the hundreds of Heavenly Thunder Knights, unable to resist, all halted simultaneously.

“Ra-Horakhty.”

Pat!

Above Ra’s eyes as he recited his own name, the Eye of Horus pattern sprang forth.

Stigma 《Eye of Horus》.

Ziiing.

The Eye of Horus, the origin of the All-Seeing Eye, pierced through and saw Dice.

Simultaneously, the Divine Names of Ra, who had achieved Trinity, and Horus merged into one.

Horus became one with Ra through similarity in form and Authority, absorbing his Divine Rank as his own, becoming the sun god Ra-Horakhty.

That was precisely why Ra-Horakhty was more powerful than ordinary Divine Spirits.

‘Not one, but a god formed by the fusion of multiple Divine Spirits.’

Park Seongcheol had a premonition that the being who added one more to the Trinity, obtaining a fourth, was extremely important.

It seemed as if he saw the future Lee Hanseong must advance toward.

The Chaos Constellation they served was originally a Primordial Beginning Axis that could only grasp one Axis by achieving Trinity.

It was no exaggeration to say it possessed a Grade beyond 12-Star, that of 13-Star.

But what if Lee Hanseong ascended to True God Rank and absorbed a Constellation that had achieved Trinity, like Horus?

It might not be impossible for him alone to occupy an Axis originally meant to be grasped by three.

And if Lee Hanseong reached that point, his Grade could ascend to 13-Star without needing a method like the Crossroads of Ascension, like the Twelve Constellations of the Heavenly Palace…

“That shall not come to pass.”

At Ra-Horakhty’s following words, Park Seongcheol could no longer focus on his realization.

The Eye of Horus pierced through Park Seongcheol’s thoughts.

Naturally, Dice’s thoughts were also clearly visible to the opponent’s eye.

Sslice.

Though Dice began to move again, cutting through the Authority of Ra’s Sun shining upon him—

“I see it.”

The Thunder God Sword Dance simply could not reach Ra-Horakhty.

Every time he envisioned the path to victory, the opponent would leisurely step out of that path.

Authority [Solar Barque].

The Authority in the form of a boat carrying Ra-Horakhty was the cause.

The solar barque created by weaving together the four Divine Names of the sun god he contained.

A spaceship that carries the sun and sails the celestial Milky Way.

“Your victory is impossible.”

Uuuuuuung— Flash! Flash! Flash!

Ra’s Sun, the core of the Solar Barque, concentrated the sunlight it would normally scatter in all directions onto a single point, firing rapid beam bombardments.

Each beam possessed power comparable to the Star-Shattering Fist that shatters stars.

Attacks that were difficult to evade followed, as they read his evasion thoughts and predicted his movements.

Sslice! Slice! Slice!

Even before that, Dice unified all his Heavenly Thunder Knights,

and concentrated the power of the Mu-Geuk Manroe Sword onto a single point, deflecting the beams to buy time.

He sought the path to victory without giving up until the end.

“If he reads my thoughts, then I just need to conceive of a victory he cannot stop even if he knows.”

Foresight Before Pain glimpses the next realm beyond the present.

Going beyond gaining sight into the Apostle’s domain of the Sun Divine Domain, it brings a future where he has grasped the solar Authority.

Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa!

The Fragment of the Sun contained within Dice amplified in an instant to the level of a complete solar Authority.

[Warning! Unauthorized access!]

The will of the Sun Constellation warned against his access, but Dice did not stop, stepping into that future realm for a moment.

Fwaaaat!

“Solar Mu-Geuk Manroe Sword.”

“Halt! If you do such a thing, even if you win, you will not be able to participate in the next duel!”

Ra-Horakhty, having realized the power Dice unleashed was not permitted to him, urgently shouted.

But as expected, Dice did not stop.

Even if he stopped now, being expelled from the Apostle Decisive Battle was unavoidable.

“It doesn’t matter. As long as I take you down, it’s a gain for us.”

“No…!”

Immediately after, Dice’s Mu-Geuk Manroe Sword, containing the sun, cut down Ra-Horakhty along with the Solar Barque.

It was an absolute single sword strike that made even revival and recovery within Apophis’s belly impossible.

Flash!

[Winner. Dice Ten… Error! Unauthorized access confirmed. Expelling target.]

The next moment.

Fwip.

Ra-Horakhty, who had been in the duel arena, lost the Fragment of the Sun and was moved to the spectator seats,

while Dice vanished from within the Apostle Sun.