Chapter 166 – Prelude to the Great War

Over the skies of Los Angeles (LA), California, in western North America, the territory of the Solar Guild.

There, a massive dimensional rift opened.

Though a sudden rift, its size was enough to blanket the entire sky.

“A large-scale rift like that, of all times, when His Majesty the Holy King is away!”

“Evacuate the citizens immediately!”

“With that size, at least a million monsters will emerge!”

The bishops and priests of the Sun Church, responsible for the Los Angeles diocese, hurriedly guided evacuations and prepared for the monsters that would emerge from the rift.

But all their actions were meaningless.

Thud.

[Is this place Earth?]

Contrary to their expectations, what emerged from the massive rift was only a single humanoid shadow.

However, the Sun Church bishop could not rejoice at this fact.

“An Apostle…-level being emerged from the rift?”

The grade emanating from the being that emerged from the rift was a grade one could only sense from the Sun Star King or the Heavenly Slaughter Demon Lord.

[My name is Prometheus. I am the Apostle of the Epicenter Throne, who will herald the beginning of the world collision.]

Swish.

As soon as Prometheus raised his arm, the entire sky from which he emerged was dyed blood-red.

[The weight of the blood you shed shall lead us to ascension.]

And as Prometheus’s arm fell downward once more, a rain of blood began to fall from the sky.

An inevitable disaster, pouring down drops of blood each imbued with the Authorities of other Divine Spirits through the Epicenter Authority!

In response, the Awakened of the Sun Church sporadically attempted to intercept to protect the fleeing citizens, but…

Splatter splatter splatter splatter splatter!

“Kyaaaaak!”

“Ah… O Sun.”

“Please save us… Gurgle!”

The result was annihilation.

It wasn’t called an inevitable force for nothing.

Unless one was a Transcendent Awakener capable of using Authority, one couldn’t even block a single drop of blood.

And even if one was a Transcendent Awakener, blocking the blood drops was limited to one or two times.

KWA-BOOOOOM!

If the baptism of blood drops concentrated, even a Transcendent Awakener would have their Immortality shattered and meet death.

No, it didn’t even end with death.

Awakened who died by the Primordial Blood were soon resurrected as Nosferatu, becoming Prometheus’s Familiars.

[My children, more blood! Offer it to me!]

As Prometheus’s Order fell, the Nosferatu, who were once Awakened of the Sun Church, began to scatter in all directions across Los Angeles.

This was what happened less than a minute after Prometheus crossed over to Earth.

* * *

Similarly, in New York City, New York State, eastern North America, also within the Solar Guild’s domain.

The sky over the metropolis known as America’s largest city was dyed in pastel hues.

“Huh, was the sky always that color?”

“Why? It looks exactly the same as usual.”

“Must be my imagination.”

However, this was a change only a minority with special senses could perceive.

Because it was the color of dreams encroaching upon reality.

And within such a dream, a Great Rift of similar scale to the one that opened in Los Angeles was opening.

However, as it was a phenomenon occurring within a dream, none of the Awakened present in New York could detect it.

Only Lee Hanseong, who had Grasped the Dream Chaos Divine Realm, noticed through information flowing along the Dream Thread that the Apostle of the Wind Constellation had crossed over to Earth from the other side of the planet.

[Zzz….]

The Apostle of the Wind Constellation, as if lost in sleep, did not move as boisterously as Prometheus.

Instead, he himself became a dimensional gate, summoning the fairies under his command to Earth, and through them, gradually and steadily expanded the domain of dreams encroaching upon reality.

Creep creep—

The Seven-Star Transcendent Species Nightmare of the fairies laid down the Dream Fairy Path, forming a road network to expand the dream.

Scrape scrape scrape scrape—

Then, a massive monster in the form of a Subterranean Squid from the Cthulhu Mythos gnawed at the earth beneath the Path of the Fairies, expanding the dream domain even deeper underground.

The Nine-Star Mythic Species of fairies, ‘Chthonian’.

A race whose name meant ‘subterranean dwellers, monsters, fairies’.

Whoooooosh—!

And once a sufficient dream domain was secured, ‘Shud Muel’, the god of the Chthonians and an Eleven-Star Divine Spirit belonging to the Wind Constellation, descended.

As Shud Muel possessed the powerful [Mental Domination] Authority to control humans, from the moment he descended, the fairies no longer hid within the dream.

—We are all humans. Are we not?

Instead, they brainwashed all the Awakened and citizens of New York to perceive them as humans, and naturally began to stroll through New York City, mingling among the humans.

Since Chthonians had the characteristic of being able to disguise themselves as other races, it would have been difficult to discover them even without the brainwashing.

The reason they went so far as to thoroughly brainwash was simply for the sake of their Apostle.

—Commotion is forbidden. Father detests being awakened from his sleep.

The influence of the Apostle of the Wind Constellation and the supreme god of the Cthulhu Mythos, ‘Azathoth’, was planned to encroach upon Earth in this stealthy, quiet manner, step by step.

* * *

The next place a new Apostle appeared was also within the territory of the Solar Guild.

Unlike before, it was not the North American continent but São Paulo, the largest city on the South American continent.

Crrrrrrrrrrk—!

Grrrrrrrrrrr!

A massive rift occurred underground there, causing a great earthquake.

However, the earthquake was merely a precursor.

Sluuuuurp.

The properties of the earth and metal deep beneath São Paulo, densely blocking the rift, were Refined into steel through atomic-level fine manipulation.

Clank clank clank clank—

The steel was then divided into various parts and assembled into Mechanical Automatons resembling Dwarves.

The assembled Mechanical Automatons then transformed again, becoming a single part each, merging into a giant Armored Soldier.

Swallowing underground resources and repeating mergers, the mechanical device grew increasingly large and complex.

Eventually, when the size of the steel machinery finally grew large enough to reveal itself above ground.

Keeeeeeeeeng!

Over 90% of the buildings forming the city of São Paulo and the living beings residing there were disassembled at the atomic level and reduced to parts of the steel machinery.

“What in the world…!”

“Honey…? Amy?”

“Waaaaaaaaah!”

Only High-Rank Awakeners and above, who could form a Primal Spirit God and escape the limitations of a physical body, could escape such a catastrophe.

But the probability that their families or friends would also be safe was extremely rare.

Most lost their loved ones before their eyes, went berserk, and searched for the cause of the disaster.

And they could see it.

Wheeeeeeng! Clank— Keeeeng!

The steel fortress rising from beneath the earth, devouring the city of São Paulo.

[Confirmation of sufficient acquisition of material resources required for activity. Will now commence activity.]

[‘Deus Ex Machina’ download complete.]

The Apostle of the Steel Throne, the god of mechanical devices ‘Deus Ex Machina’, had manufactured a new mechanical body for use on Earth.

“Because of you…!”

“Die!”

KWA-BOOOOOOOOOM!!

Instinctively certain that the opponent was the root cause of the disaster that befell São Paulo, the High-Rank Awakeners attacked Deus Ex Machina with all their might.

However.

[Hostile entity attack confirmed. Will commence countermeasures.]

[Analyzing hostile entity… Identified as Spirit Particle Body composition. Will add Spirit Particle Capture function.]

Wheeeeng— Clank, clank!

Deus Ex Machina, who withstood the baptism of mythical-level Awakening Skills and Polarity Reversal through sheer scale, calmly added a new form of mechanical arm structure and began to counterattack.

It was a mechanical arm that materialized the Steel Divine Realm.

“Dodge!”

“Kyaaak…!”

Shooooorp— Pashhhhh!

The Primal Spirit Gods of the Awakeners touched by the mechanical arm were torn apart, disassembled at the Spirit Particle level, just like the previously atomically disassembled materials.

This was because the Law of the Steel Divine Realm recognized even Spirit Particles as matter.

The lucky ones, thanks to being grazed, could Regenerate the lost parts with their remaining Starlight.

But the unlucky ones had their entire bodies disassembled, died on the spot, and became the opponent’s resources.

“We’ll all die like this! We have to run!”

“Fighting here is just a pointless death, let alone revenge! We should rather request salvation from the Sun Star King…!”

Those who regained their senses under that overwhelming Authority suppressed even their desire for revenge and attempted to flee.

Deus Ex Machina did not bother to catch those moving away.

Even without them, there was plenty of material around to become resources.

Crunch— Crunch— Crunch— Crunch—

With the disruptors gone, Deus Ex Machina, now a sinkhole, began to devour the land around São Paulo without hesitation, relentlessly increasing its size.

This resource absorption was expected to continue at least until it had devoured the entire South American continent.

* * *

The fourth Great Rift occurred in Shanghai, the Heavenly Demon Divine Nation, the territory of the Heaven-Slaying Guild.

Although news of the events in Los Angeles, where the first Apostle appeared, was spreading worldwide at the time.

The Heavenly Demon Divine Cult followers looking up at the rift spreading as if to cover the sky were not anxious at all.

“O Heavenly Slaughter Demon Lord.”

“The Demon Lord will Bless us!”

Because the Heavenly Slaughter Demon Lord happened to be residing there at the time.

There were some who suspected the Demon Lord might have already left the city.

Tap!

However, not long after, when the figure of the Heavenly Slaughter Demon Lord, who had ascended to the sky where the Great Rift occurred using Void Step, was revealed, the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult followers abandoned any thought of evacuation and focused solely on praying to him.

A Mad Faith swirled among them that whatever being emerged from beyond the rift, the Heavenly Slaughter Demon Lord would deal with it.

BAM!

[Don’t dawdle and come out already. Are you scared because This Throne is here?]

The Heavenly Slaughter Demon Lord struck the void, enlarging the rift to make it easier for the opponent to cross over, provoking the Apostle beyond the Great Rift.

The opponent did not avoid the provocation.

Swish.

Without delay, the Apostle of the North Star Constellation, the Destruction God Shiva, crossed the Great Rift, faced the Heavenly Slaughter Demon Lord, and smiled.

[How fortunate. The death of an Apostle should tip the scales significantly.]

[Hah, you’re the one who will die.]

While each was confident of their own victory.

CLANG!

Shiva’s Divine Artifact Trishula and the Heavenly Slaughter Demon Lord’s Divine Artifact Three Calamities God-Slaying Sword clashed.

It was the moment the first battle between Apostles from the Otherworld and Earth began.

* * *

Over the Babel Tower in London, England, Europe.

From the fifth Great Rift, which occurred almost simultaneously with the fourth, the fifth Apostle from the Otherworld had already emerged.

[KRRRRRRAAAA!]

The Apostle of the Wheel Constellation, the Divine Dragon Tiamat, soared into the sky and roared.

Just before a future arrived where all beings below 7-Star within the range of the Dragon Fear imbued with the Apostle’s grade would meet death, and even Transcendents below 10-Star would faint.

Pat pat pat pat pat—!

Ten pillars of Starlight rose up, surrounding Tiamat.

Pillars of Starlight that constricted Tiamat’s body like chains.

“Fortunately, all the Guild Masters of the Ten Great Guilds were able to gather within the time limit.”

“With the Great War with the Otherworld we were warned about beginning, who among us could refuse the Demon Lord’s Command?”

“But why isn’t the Holy King moving?”

“For now, let’s focus on the Apostle before us! Cough!”

“Kgh! Even if the opponent is an Apostle, for ten 11-Star Transcendent Awakeners to only be able to buy time…!”

It was the Guild Masters of the Ten Great Guilds, forcibly mobilized under the Heavenly Slaughter Demon Lord’s Command.

If the Sun Star King had been fine, some of them would have been mobilized to stop the Apostles that appeared in the Solar Guild’s territory.

But because he lost in the Apostle Duel and all contact was cut off, they all gathered in London, the territory of the Heaven-Slaying Guild.

The problem was that even with them, holding Tiamat in place was the best they could do.

“We must hope the Demon Lord fighting in Shanghai wins and comes to support us quickly.”

For the Ten Great Guild Masters, who spewed blood-colored Starlight from their mouths every time Tiamat struggled, waiting for the Heavenly Slaughter Demon Lord’s support was their only hope.

* * *

Sydney, Australia, Oceania continent.

Step.

The final Apostle from the Otherworld quietly set foot.

A method of movement that naturally passed through the dimensional Boundary Layer without causing a rift like the other Apostles.

This was possible because the Apostle of the Clay Constellation was human.

“This place where humans like me live is also Yeto. I shall embrace the filth you have accumulated.”

The complete human and the human archetype, ‘Adam Kadmon’.

As his muttering, unheard by any of the numerous passersby around him, scattered in the wind.

Sluuuuuuurp—!

Centered on Adam Kadmon, the Achievements accumulated by the humans nearby began to be sucked into Adam Kadmon.

As the Achievements accumulated as an Awakener disappeared, their Star Rank lowered.

Bloomed Skills vanished, contracted Spirits departed.

Even the memories and bonds accumulated throughout their lives were gradually stolen.

The very lives that defined them were being absorbed as part of Adam Kadmon.

Thus, as the exercise of Authority continued, leaving behind only pure humans with minds like newborn babies.

[Stop.]

As soon as someone’s voice suddenly resounded, the humans around Adam Kadmon instantly regained the Achievements they had lost.

It was Lee Hanseong’s intervention.

It wasn’t a complete recovery.

It was merely that all those who had their Achievements stolen formed some kind of connection with Adam Kadmon, making it feel as if they still possessed the stolen Achievements.

If this connection were severed, they could return to their previous powerless state at any time.

But that didn’t matter.

“This is… you’ve merged me and those children into one? Who are you?”

[No need to know. This timeline will become something that never happened.]

While the Apostles from the Otherworld invaded separately, the new Authority of Alter that Lee Hanseong had Bloomed, backed by Infinity, was rewinding time.

Drrrrrrrrr—

Thus, time returned to just before Prometheus appeared.