Chapter 168 – Sabotage

Meanwhile, the Galaxy Guild members stationed at White Deer Lake and the promising candidates from the Heavenly Palace Tournament, along with Lee Hanseong, couldn’t comprehend what was happening at all.

Only An Gyeongseok, who could perceive the time stopped by Einstein’s Skill, had some grasp of the situation.

From the perspective of the others, it simply looked like Lee Hanseong’s Grade had suddenly risen to True God Rank immediately after returning to Earth from the Otherworld, and then he had transferred his party members along with Apostle-Rank Divine Spirits to various locations around the world.

If they had overheard the conversation between Lee Hanseong and his party members, they probably wouldn’t have even known where they had gone.

“What on earth is going on?”

“I don’t know either. What is that?”

“It seems Mr. Lee Hanseong is living in a different time from us.”

At least a few promising candidates, perhaps due to their broader insight, were speculating amidst the confusion that Lee Hanseong had been within a flow of time unknown to them, using time-based or other abilities.

“Guild Master! Watch out…!”

An Gyeongseok, who understood the situation more clearly than the others, suddenly shouted a warning towards Lee Hanseong.

Flicker.

Lee Hanseong, who had been focusing on Rough’s Authority Bloom, sensed a threat piercing through his senses and temporarily postponed the Authority Bloom to first deal with the threat.

Clang!

The Devour God Demon Sword appeared and deflected a beam of light aimed at Lee Hanseong’s heart.

‘Is this… Agneyastra?’

Looking in the direction the arrow came from, Luke Meyer, who had fallen from Apostle to Divine Fall, was hiding his presence and glaring at Lee Hanseong.

Come to think of it, that guy was here.

He had momentarily forgotten amidst the suddenly erupted Great War.

Even if he got hit, it wouldn’t have been fatal now that he had obtained Infinity, but it was unpleasant to have almost been hit by a loser.

Fortunately, An Gyeongseok had kept watching Luke Meyer, allowing him to receive a timely warning.

Lee Hanseong gave a slight nod towards An Gyeongseok and shouted at Luke Meyer in an irritated voice.

“Luke Meyer! Don’t you know what situation this is?”

“I know. It seems the time for the world collision has finally come, doesn’t it?”

“Even knowing that, you want us to fight among ourselves? You should know this isn’t the time for Earthlings to fight each other.”

“What does that have to do with me? Maybe if I were still an Apostle, but I’m not an Apostle anymore.”

Luke Meyer spoke disparagingly of himself for no longer being an Apostle, but in truth, he was not to be taken lightly even without being an Apostle.

Even though he had fallen to the 11th Star, the Spirits he had contracted were Divine Spirits that rivaled the previous Apostles of the Sun Constellation for top rank, and his Perception of the Sun Divine Domain, the Apostle’s Prerogative, likely still remained.

In a way, the current Luke Meyer could be called a Half-Step 12-Star.

And such a guy was saying he would ignore the Great War?

“…Are you planning to abandon the devotees of the Sun Church who followed you?”

“If they are no longer mine, is there any need for me to protect them? If you want them protected, you, their new master, can do it. Even if it’s not me, you seem like you’d protect them well, don’t you?”

“Then, what was that attack on me just now? According to you, I’m trying to protect those who were your devotees. You shouldn’t be interfering with me.”

“That’s one thing, and this is another. If you really don’t want to be interfered with, then return the Apostle’s Seat to me. Then I’ll do my best to help you too.”

Ah, so that was the goal.

Lee Hanseong understood Luke Meyer’s true intentions and sneered.

From the start, this wasn’t a worthwhile trade.

Even if Luke interfered with him, it wouldn’t cause any major problems.

His comrades who could stop the Apostles were already scattered across the world, and even if he was delayed by this guy, it would only postpone the time to steal the Apostle Seats from the Otherworld side by delaying the Authority Bloom.

“As expected, you don’t want that either, do you? Then I’ll do my best to interfere with you too.”

Whoosh!

Perhaps taking Lee Hanseong’s sneer as a refusal, Luke Meyer summoned all his Eleven-Star Divine Spirits at once and performed Spirit Overlay.

Immediately after, Luke Meyer’s Divine Form charged towards Lee Hanseong like a meteor, leaving a trail of light.

Boom!

Lee Hanseong lightly extended one hand to block Luke Meyer’s charge and opened his mouth.

“Is that so? Then, die.”

“…What?”

Slice!

The next moment. Following the pronouncement, Duren’s Great Sun Tathagata Sword erupted from Lee Hanseong’s hand and cleaved Luke Meyer’s Treasure Body in half.

* * *

Swoooosh!

Luke Meyer, split in half, emerged through Apophis’s Belly, his wounds healed.

This was already the dozens of time this recovery had occurred.

“What on earth is that Authority…!”

No matter how many layers of his contracted Divine Spirits’ Authorities he wrapped around himself, the Great Sun Tathagata Sword Lee Hanseong wielded cleaved his divine body without any issue.

This was because the Sun attribute itself held a hierarchical relationship over the Great Sun attribute.

However, this was something Luke Meyer also knew.

What he questioned was how a Divine Spirit possessing such an Authority was not affiliated with the Sun Constellation.

“How can a Divine Spirit of the Golden Constellation wield the Authority of the Great Sun Tathagata!”

It was only because he possessed Authorities of Fire and War, not just Sun, that he had been able to hold out until now, but clearly Luke Meyer was at a disadvantage.

Meanwhile, the Galaxy Guild members and Heavenly Palace Tournament promising candidates remaining at White Deer Lake were all witnessing this scene with disbelieving eyes.

“Is that really the Sun Star King? Not just someone who looks like him?”

“Look at the Divine Spirit and Authority he’s using. Could that just be someone who looks like him?”

“But Lee Hanseong is winning. Does that make sense? Even during the Hundred-Man Slaughter, he was barely at the Highest-Rank Awakener level, wasn’t he?”

“That’s right. But during the Unchain terror incident, he was at the Transcendent Awakener level, and now he’s at the Apostle level.”

“What kind of nonsense is this. If you told this on the Dark Web, they’d never believe it.”

“Huh, you use the Dark Web?”

“What’s wrong with that.”

As the fight between Lee Hanseong and Luke Meyer continued, the spectators truly felt Lee Hanseong’s power.

“Maybe the Sun Star King just weakened after losing his Apostle status.”

“Is that it? But even if he’s not an Apostle, the current Sun Star King should be stronger than the Ten Great Guild Masters, right?”

Someone pointed out that Luke Meyer was no longer an Apostle and argued that Lee Hanseong wasn’t Apostle-Rank.

But even if that were true, Lee Hanseong’s current level was more than sufficient to contend with the Heavenly Slaughter Demon Lord for the title of Earth’s strongest.

The Heavenly Palace Tournament promising candidates, who initially thought Luke Meyer would save them, were now satisfied that they were serving the Constellation of the Galaxy Guild.

“Maybe it’s for the best. Our Lord of the Throne must have contributed to Mr. Lee Hanseong becoming that strong. Won’t some crumbs fall to us too?”

“If crumbs fall, the kids already in the Galaxy Guild will get them first.”

“Then we just need to join the Galaxy Guild too. We can’t stay in our previous guilds anyway since the Constellation we serve has changed.”

“Shall we do that?”

“Let’s do it.”

Even those who couldn’t make up their minds about joining the Galaxy Guild before, due to loyalty to their former guilds or suspicion towards Mirinae, had now completely changed their minds.

Naturally, the guild members who had already joined the Galaxy Guild were in a state where dopamine was gushing out at the sight of Lee Hanseong.

Especially Kim Yul, who practically worshipped Lee Hanseong, was being particularly boisterous.

“Ahh…! That is our god! God is here, and his name is Lee Hanseong!”

With tears of emotion streaming down his face and a beaming smile, he knelt and prayed—there was no other word for it than a fanatic.

Previously, someone might have frowned at that sight.

But now, no one thought his behavior was excessive.

Lee Hanseong’s growth was so extraordinary that Kim Yul’s praises weren’t strange at all.

“As expected, he’s worthy of being our benefactor.”

“Yes. Oppa.”

Siblings Seo Minho and Seo Minah looked at Lee Hanseong with respectful eyes.

“Hyeonwoo, can’t you somehow get me into the Galaxy Guild? You joined right after the founding members, didn’t you?”

“Well… That’s not within my authority….”

Baek Woohyeon, who had been a fanatic of the Heavenly Slaughter Guild before changing his mind, was asking his cousin Baek Hyeonwoo to help him join the guild.

Crackle crackle.

“You don’t need to be afraid. That person is on our side.”

Next to Shin Gyumin, who was calming the thunderstorm hawk, Thunder, sparking and flashing as it was overwhelmed by the fight between Lee Hanseong and Luke Meyer, Do Junwoo tightly gripped his sword hilt and watched Lee Hanseong’s Great Sun Tathagata Sword with eager eyes.

Needless to say, An Gyeongseok had been watching Lee Hanseong and Luke Meyer analytically from the start.

All the spectators, with only differences in degree, held reverence towards Lee Hanseong.

Slice! Whoosh!

And that reverence reached its peak when Luke Meyer, slashed by Lee Hanseong’s Great Sun Tathagata Sword, ascended to the heavens without recovering again.

Thud thud thud!

“”Please accept us into the Galaxy Guild!””

The promising candidates from the Heavenly Palace Tournament all knelt towards Lee Hanseong at once, requesting to join the guild.

“Very well.”

Huuuum!

Sensing the sincerity in their words, Lee Hanseong nodded and bestowed the Blessing of Transcendence upon the 30 promising candidates who had newly become Galaxy Guild members.

Whoooosh!

Since all 30 promising candidates were Mid-Rank Awakeners at the 6-Star level, the moment they became 7-Star through the Blessing of Transcendence, they all became High-Rank Awakeners.

“Oooh!”

“I’m finally a High-Rank Awakener too!”

“So this is Spirit Overlay and Treasure Body.”

Leaving the new members behind, unable to contain their joy as they tested the new privileges of being High-Rank Awakeners, Lee Hanseong’s gaze reached the existing Galaxy Guild members.

“I should give you all something as well, for fairness’s sake.”

At Lee Hanseong’s words, anticipation filled the eyes of the existing guild members, including Kim Yul.

Huuuuum!

A portion of Infinity, divided by the Omnipresent Star, infused each of them through the Blessing of Transcendence.

“This is…?”

“It’s a part of my Authority. It will save you when you are in danger during the upcoming Great War.”

“Thank you.”

But then. Lee Hanseong, who had been smiling as he received the guild members’ gratitude, frowned.

“Luke… you’re determined to interfere until the very end.”

The reason was that Luke Meyer, now one of the Divine Spirits of the Sun Constellation after being killed by Lee Hanseong’s hand, had challenged Pheidippides to an Apostle Duel.

Of course, he didn’t think Pheidippides, who had already defeated him once, would lose.

The problem was that the moment the Apostle Duel began, Pheidippides, who had been summoned to Los Angeles, would be drawn to the higher dimension where the Constellation’s True Body resided.

Fortunately, just because Pheidippides ascended to the higher dimension, the World Tree imprisoning Prometheus in Los Angeles wouldn’t be released immediately.

It would be maintained until the scattered Starlight was consumed.

‘But I don’t have the luxury to wait until Pheidippides wins and returns.’

Given Luke Meyer’s personality, it was clear he would drag out the Apostle Duel to interfere, not ending it quickly.

It was highly probable that Prometheus would be freed by the World Tree being released faster than Pheidippides could return.

Therefore, he changed the order of the Authority Blooms slightly.

“No choice but to do Utangka before Rough.”

Fortunately, since Utangka had obtained the Identity of the Primordial Heavenly Lord, Skill integration shouldn’t take too long either.

* * *

First, he promoted Utangka to 7-Star with the Blessing of Transcendence, summoned him, and then proceeded with Skill integration.

‘Thunderfire Clone, Spirit Fortress, Thunderfire Heavenly Tribulation, Heaven-Human Unity….’

Since four myths had already been completed in Utangka’s Historical Alteration, only the final myth needed to be finished.

Click.

[<Spirit Awakening(Legend)>+<Primordial Heavenly Penetration(Legend)>=<Primal God Awakening(Myth)>]

A myth that compressed into one the process of awakening the Spirit as guided by the Identity of the Primordial Heavenly Lord and the process of sublimating him into a Primal God was completed.

With the Center Divine Bead, which had become Utangka’s Treasure Vessel, at the core, his myths were integrated, and finally.

Huuuum!

[Conditions met. Utangka’s Authority blooms.]

[The Innate Authority, [Primordial Heavenly Formation Tribulation], is imprinted upon the world.]

An Authority that created a Primordial Heaven filled with the Great Void was born.

It was an Authority that manifested the Formation Tribulation, the first of the four cyclical tribulations—Formation, Abiding, Decay, and Void—the tribulation of creation.

Correspondingly, the existing myths also became Stigmas, with some undergoing slight transformations.

The Thunderfire Clone and Thunderfire Heavenly Tribulation, which were composite attributes of lightning and fire, became the Great Void attribute’s 《Great Void Clone》 and 《Great Void Heavenly Tribulation》.

The Heaven-Human Unity became 《Primordial Heavenly Lord》, unifying with the Primordial Heaven.

Thus, having Transcended to the 11th Star as a True God, Utangka was immediately sent to challenge Prometheus to an Apostle Duel.

Whoosh!

The summoned Utangka became a streak of light and ascended to the higher dimension where the Epicenter Throne resided.

Simultaneously, Prometheus, who was just about to break free from the World Tree in Los Angeles, was also drawn to the higher dimension.

‘I leave that side to you, Utangka.’

Only after confirming this did Lee Hanseong let out a sigh of relief and resume Rough’s Authority Bloom.