Chapter 165 – God of Infinity

Blink.

The moment all of Lee Hanseong’s spirits reached 6-Star or higher, Lee Hanseong’s consciousness naturally returned from history to his real body where time had stopped, marking the end of the sixth History Alteration.

Having reached a state where all possibilities could fully bloom, Lee Hanseong’s Innate Authority was finally awakening.

‘Ahhh…!’

Thump! Thump!

The seven myths he harbored linked with all the Authorities and Skills of his contracted spirits, containing a potential that surpassed the level of a typical True God’s Authority.

Just like Mirinae’s [Primordial Chaos], Möbius’s [Primordial Fusion], or Maya’s [Dream Chaos], an Innate Authority that rivaled Constellation Authorities—a higher-tier Authority—was being established in Lee Hanseong’s mind.

[Conditions met! Lee Hanseong’s Authority is Blooming!]

[Innate Authority, [Infinity], is being imprinted upon the world!]

[Achievement ‘Innate Authority Composition’ has been accomplished.]

[Sufficient Achievement has been acquired for Awakening. Awakening to 7-Star (True God).]

Whoosh!

Immediately afterward, the limits of the Vessel possessed by Lee Hanseong’s soul vanished.

Though he had become 7-Star, ordinary Star Ranks could no longer define him.

Infinity Stage 1. ‘Vessel of Infinity’.

It was a stage where an empty void, capable of being filled with anything, endlessly expanded the soul.

Feeling this, Lee Hanseong’s expression was dyed with joy.

Now, he no longer had to fear being unable to withstand a Constellation Descent.

“Mirinae…! I’ve finally come this far!”

―Truly a joyous day! But be cautious. The Authority you have created is a power as dangerous as it is exceptional. Like the Axis we have claimed, it is a power you cannot handle alone.

He quickly understood the meaning behind Mirinae’s warning.

As the domain of emptiness expanded, a sense of void gradually accumulated within him.

If this continued, he might be eroded by the Void and become a Void God.

“Dream Chaos Divine Realm.”

However, if something is empty, one simply needs to fill it.

He overlapped the three Divine Realms—Yeto Divine Banner, Steel Divine Beast, and Center Divine Bead—with Rough’s Dream Fantasy World to unfold the Dream Chaos Divine Realm, and through it, derived infinite possibilities to fill the Vessel of Infinity.

As new spaces were created within the soul’s Vessel, bubbles of Dream Chaos simultaneously filled them.

‘That takes care of the immediate crisis.’

But solving one problem didn’t mean it was over.

A soul’s Vessel, having approached literal infinity, naturally demanded a mind to match it.

Accordingly, Infinity advanced to the next stage.

Infinity Stage 2. ‘Mind of Infinity’.

Having erased the limits of the Vessel, Lee Hanseong’s [Infinity] now sought to erase the limits of his consciousness as well.

It was a sensation similar to, yet more transcendent than, Hyu’s All Phenomena before it was restricted.

Whoooosh—!

The domain of consciousness he perceived blanketed the Earth within the stopped time and expanded endlessly.

Countless pieces of information poured into his mind like a flood, and his consciousness continued to evolve to process such information.

This expansion and evolution continued without cease.

It showed signs of expanding to encompass the entire universe, the past and future, and even the diverged Parallel Worlds.

‘This is… a bit dangerous.’

His emotions were becoming dull.

To be precise, his humanity was fading.

Specializing in processing massive amounts of information, his mind was becoming mechanized.

Of course, if this too was considered a limit, Infinity could overcome it, but…

‘…The time required for that would be nearly immeasurable.’

Waiting for his mind to adapt to infinity and maintain his humanity within it would require an unfathomably long time.

And it was unknown whether the humanity that reawakened then would retain the Identity of ‘Lee Hanseong’.

Because the consciousness expanding through Infinity was breaking down the boundaries between self and others through the Primordial Divine Realm, connecting with all beings as one.

Therefore, the Identity that reawakened after an immeasurable amount of time might not be Lee Hanseong, but could be Park Seongcheol or Dokgowol.

Or it could be some nameless being who died in the distant past or will be born in the future.

‘To maintain the Identity of Lee Hanseong, I need the Authority of Primordial Fusion.’

A mere temporary effect would be insufficient.

He needed to occupy a Divine Realm that would permanently persist while Infinity was active.

However, of the four Divine Realms needed to create the Primordial Fusion Divine Realm now, he only had the North Pole Divine Realm from the North Pole Divine Hall and Blundell’s Dark Age, which manifested the Dark Divine Realm.

There was still no way to manifest the Divine Domain of Heaven-Slaying and the Lunar Divine Realm.

‘Ah, I see.’

But the moment he felt the need, his consciousness, nearing omniscience, discovered a way to obtain the two Divine Realms.

Infinity infused itself into Hyu’s records, and Skill integration proceeded.

[<Stealth Walk (Common)>+<Appraisal (Common)>+<Sleeve Insert (Rare)>+<Phase Shift (Unique)>=<Form Exchange (Legendary)>]

[<Interface Perception (Common)>+<Interface Design (Common)>+<Insight (Rare)>+<All Phenomena (Unique)>=<Universal Comprehension (Legendary)>]

Lee Hanseong recreated the higher-tier Skills he had created from combinations of various spirits’ Skills with new combinations formed solely from the Skills Hyu possessed.

[<Black shadow envoy (Rare)>+<Puppetry art (Rare)>+<Mask: Persona (Unique)>=<Black Shadow Clone (Legendary)>]

And Hyu’s remaining Skills were also combined into Skills similar to the Third awakening skill of the Mountain Hermit, whom Jin Yuseong had contracted.

Hyu’s Awakening Skills, due to the Omnipresent Star inherent in Infinity, were all transformed into Skills, followed by integration into myths.

[<Spatial Connection (Legendary)>+<Universal Comprehension (Legendary)>=<Crossroads of Time and Space (Myth)>]

[<Black Shadow Clone (Legendary)>+<Black curtain in the dark (Legendary)>=<Shadowless Divine Art (Myth)>]

[<Reverse World (Legendary)>+<Fate Direction (Legendary)>=<Theater of Fate (Myth)>]

Thus, the final completed myth, the Theater of Fate, was another form of the Lunar Divine Realm.

‘The essence of the world as interpreted by the Lunar Constellation is Causality. It emphasizes the changes from cause to effect and their probability.’

The reverse-side theater that directs fate was no different from the Lunar Purgatory where Karmic Retribution is clear.

Having thus obtained the Lunar Divine Realm, all that remained to complete the Dream Chaos Divine Realm was the Divine Domain of Heaven-Slaying.

However, in Hans’s case, since he had already obtained an Authority and even had a Stigma determined, he couldn’t create a myth equivalent to the Divine Domain of Heaven-Slaying through Skill integration like Hyu could.

But there was one way to manifest the Divine Domain of Heaven-Slaying: the Stigma of the Heaven-Slaying Fire Sword, which contained the aura of Heaven-Slaying.

Keeping that well in mind, he began to unfold the four Divine Realms to achieve the Primordial Fusion Divine Realm.

“Lead the way, North Pole Divine Hall.”

First, with the North Pole Divine Hall, the North Pole Divine Realm unfolded.

Sssssss—

Blundell’s Dark Age and Hyu’s Theater of Fate unfolded, overlapping it.

Sssssssssss—

And finally, within the domain where the three Divine Realms were unfolded, he filled it by scattering Heart Swords formed from Hans’s Heaven-Slaying Fire Sword like a mist.

Immediately after the Domain Formation of the Heart Sword, possible because it was a formless mind.

Clunk!

The four Divine Realms interlocked as one, completing the Primordial Fusion Divine Realm.

[Mission ‘Divine Realm Collection III’ has been resolved.]

[Möbius’s presence becomes clearer.]

As an unaccepted Constellation mission was resolved, the characteristic of Primordial Fusion, which seeks to maintain purity, naturally applied to Lee Hanseong’s mind.

Lee Hanseong’s humanity, which was on the verge of disappearing, revived.

Thus, Infinity advanced to the next stage once more.

Whoosh!

Infinity Stage 3, ‘Exuviation of Infinity’.

The stage of non-possession, transcending infinity, abandoning omniscience, and returning to being human.

Upon reaching this stage, the Vessel of Infinity and Mind of Infinity obtained in the previous stages separated from Lee Hanseong’s Identity.

What remained for Lee Hanseong was only a Vessel and mind at the level of an ordinary 11th Star.

Everything beyond that ascended to a higher dimension where Mirinae’s essence existed and merged as one with his Constellation.

[The presence of the Chaos Constellation has significantly increased.]

[The Chaos Constellation blesses the new Divine Spirit ‘God of Infinity, Lee Hanseong’.]

The Constellation Name of Mirinae, forgotten by consuming Causality, had now completely returned.

―Finally, we have a fourth.

―Huhu… With this, the conditions to completely Grasp the Axis have been met.

―I congratulate thee on thy myth.

The infinity he had abandoned was not lost.

As an existence equal to Möbius, Maya, and Mirinae, Lee Hanseong’s Infinity also became one axis of the Chaos Constellation.

Just as he had summoned Möbius and Maya through Mirinae, he could now summon Lee Hanseong’s Infinity through Constellation Descent at any time.

And that meant that Lee Hanseong’s consciousness, dwelling within Pheidippides, who was engaged in the Apostle Duel of the Sun Constellation, could also summon Infinity.

“Defeat Luke and become an Apostle. Pheidippides.”

The next moment, within the True Body of the Sun Constellation descended into the present world, the True Body of [Infinity] descended.

* * *

Meanwhile, Pheidippides, who was dueling Luke Meyer, was gradually approaching his limit.

With the addition of the support battle rule, the duel had shifted to a struggle for share of the Sun Authority, now tilted to about 9 to 1.

[“It seems I’ve seen almost all that can be seen through you… Let us end this.”]

[“……”]

Realizing that no new Authorities could emerge from those Pheidippides had occupied, Luke Meyer announced the end of the duel.

For a moment, Luke’s offensive subsided.

This was a preparatory process to seize Pheidippides’s share at once based on his overwhelming share.

Gooooooo!

It was like the calm before the storm.

Even if Pheidippides tried to interfere, the difference in scale rendered it almost ineffective.

Whoosh!

Lee Hanseong’s Infinity infused itself into Pheidippides, causing his Grade, which had been 11th Star, to soar to 12-Star.

While a Transcendent Star could not raise the Grade of a True God, Infinity, akin to a Constellation Descent, could elevate even a True God to the level of a Main God.

[“…What is this? How can an external power not belonging to the Sun Constellation be used in an Apostle Duel?”]

Luke doubted his eyes at the sight, which defied his common sense.

While a Divine Spirit contracted to an Awakened could accompany the Contractor’s consciousness in a duel, borrowing the Contractor’s power was a rule forbidden by the Constellation’s will.

Yet Pheidippides was clearly borrowing a power that appeared to be Lee Hanseong’s Authority.

[“Will of the Constellation. Isn’t this a rule violation?”]

[Zzzzt— Rule violation confirmed. Disqualification judgment— Failed. Confirmed: Entity: Pheidippides’s Grade is equal to this Sun’s. All types of restrictions imposed on the target are impossible. Recommending proceeding with unlimited duel.]

Luke Meyer tried to quickly eliminate the threatening-looking Pheidippides from the duel by protesting to the Sun Constellation’s will, but failed.

The Infinity infused into Pheidippides had made him transcend even the limits of the duel format itself.

[Now the situation has changed somewhat.]

Whoooosh— Kwagwagwagwagwagwa!!!

Pheidippides’s World Tree began to endlessly expand its roots stretching within the True Body of the Sun Constellation.

The lost share was rapidly recovered.

12%… 24%… 36%… 48%….

No, it didn’t stop at the previously Grasped level, but even seized the share of the Sun Authority that Luke Meyer had Grasped.

Luke Meyer tried to resist as Pheidippides had resisted earlier, but it was insufficient.

Pheidippides had been able to resist because his opponent was not a full Apostle Rank.

Pheidippides, having become a full Apostle Rank through Divine Possession of Infinity, was not at a level the current Luke Meyer could resist.

If their True Bodies, descended via Constellation Descent, had clashed outside, there might have been a contest, but even then, the victor would ultimately have been the True Body of Infinity.

60%… 72%… 84%… 96%….

“Such underhanded…!”

[When Jincheol and Hwanin were defeated by your schemes, they must have felt the same as you do now.]

As Luke Meyer’s share fell below the standard, the Constellation’s will no longer overlapped with his voice.

And the moment the Sun Authority completely passed into Pheidippides’s hands up to the final 100%.

Pssss….

The circle that had shone at Luke Meyer’s feet vanished.

Thus, Pheidippides became the only Divine Spirit within the Sun with a circle at his feet.

He naturally became the victor of the duel and obtained the qualification of an Apostle.

[The Sun Constellation selects a new Apostle.]

[The new Apostle is Pheidippides. Pheidippides.]

Amidst the echoing voice of the Constellation’s will, repeating Pheidippides’s name twice as if emphasizing important news.

Pababababat!

The duel arena vanished, and all the Divine Spirits who participated in the Apostle Duel returned to their original places.

Thus, having returned to reality, Pheidippides, with the authority of an Apostle, sent the True Body of the Sun Constellation, now completely dyed with Mirinae’s iridescent colors, back to the higher dimension.

Only after all factors that could reduce subordinates in reality had disappeared did Lee Hanseong resume the stopped time.

* * *

When time in reality began to flow again.

Dang— Dang— Dang— Dang—

Just like when the Authority of Primordial Fusion had been activated before, with four bell tolls, the four Divine Spirits from Parallel Worlds were all Promoted to Apostles.

[The Brilliance Constellation selects a new Apostle. The new Apostle is Seras.]

[The Golden Constellation selects a new Apostle. The new Apostle is Asta.]

[The Lunar Constellation selects a new Apostle. The new Apostle is Lycan.]

[The Darkness Constellation selects a new Apostle. The new Apostle is Gobhan.]

It was a permanent change due to completing the Primordial Fusion Divine Realm.

But this was the bell toll heralding the prelude to the Great War.

Srrrrrr— Clunk.

The scale holding the Otherworld and Earth on its two arms achieved balance, and the Law preventing Dimensional Shift by Apostles lost its power.

Immediately after, Lee Hanseong’s gaze turned eastward as if sensing something.

[They’re coming.]

The Apostles of the Otherworld who would trigger the Great War were crossing over to Earth.