Chapter 178 – Lee Hanseong's Arrangement

Lee Hanseong’s [Infinity Star] had become a Constellation.

Not a simple Lesser God under Mirinae like an ordinary 11-Star True Divine Being, but a Main God of Apostle Rank harboring the potential to become the fourth Aspect of the Chaos Constellation, bearing one axis of the Throne like Möbius or Maya.

That was the true form of Infinity Star, separated from Lee Hanseong.

However, even though they were separated, Lee Hanseong and Infinity Star were essentially an inseparable relationship.

Faith directed at Lee Hanseong could become devotion directed at Infinity Star.

Moreover, Lee Hanseong had accepted promising candidates from the Heavenly Palace Tournament into the Galaxy Guild and had distributed Fragments of Infinity Star to the existing guild members.

It was thanks to such devotion that Kim Yul, who had particularly revered Lee Hanseong, was the first to awaken the Fragment of Infinity Star.

Fwoosh!

As Kim Yul, who had swept away the Achievements of the Void Lords that erupted from the Great Rift, was Awakening to 9-Star.

Seo Minah closed her eyes and extended her will toward the Fragment of Infinity Star within her, responding to her faith.

‘Please grant me strength as well. …Hanseong-nim.’

In response to this prayer, unclear whether it was calling for Lee Hanseong or Infinity Star, the Fragment of Infinity Star reacted.

Gooooooo!

An unusual energy spread around Seo Minah, just as it had with Kim Yul, creating a connection with the main body of Infinity Star.

Chiiii—

Through the Fragment of Infinity Star as a medium, the Mark of Transcendence was engraved within her, and her Grade permanently rose by two levels.

She had gone from 3-Star to 5-Star.

Given her talent as a Five-Star Vessel, her Empty Stars had already far exceeded twelve.

Wooong—

Subsequently, just as with Kim Yul, a Contract with Lee Hanseong’s Divine Spirit was mediated.

Originally, her Aptitude was closer to the Darkness Constellation.

That was the case when she harbored a desire for revenge for Seo Minho’s death.

But after Seo Minho was revived, her Aptitude changed.

—You resemble me.

Perhaps it was because her history resonated with Henrietta’s history, who had harbored a deceased family member in the form of a Spirit and then revived them, and who had reincarnated the deceased Gobhan.

Henrietta formed a Contract with her.

Seo Minah had Bloomed her Clay Earth Aptitude.

Wooong—

Furthermore, as Infinity Star’s Primordial Chaos Divine Art raised her Heroic Spirit Synchronization to 100%, her Treasure Vessel also began to take form.

It was not the axe of Seohwang, her first Spirit, but a Banner Spear-shaped Treasure Vessel resembling Henrietta’s Extreme Banner.

It seemed that the Achievement of commanding the Galaxy Guild when dealing with Hollow Specters had, through the Contract with Henrietta, fixed her Treasure Vessel into a banner form.

“That… how did you do that?”

As Seo Minah, following Kim Yul, also formed a Contract with Lee Hanseong’s Divine Spirit, An Gyeongseok asked.

If it had been only Kim Yul, it might have been one thing, but two people experiencing the same phenomenon meant there was a method others could follow.

And since Seo Minah was the second, the probability that she knew the method was high.

“If what Mr. An Gyeongseok is asking about refers to the changes that happened to Mr. Kim Yul and me, I simply prayed to Hanseong-nim. I asked him to grant me strength.”

“Prayer… you say? Could you perhaps explain how the change occurred?”

“Since dealing with the Void Lords isn’t immediately urgent, of course.”

Seo Minah calmly explained the changes that had occurred to her.

Upon learning about the changes within Henrietta that he couldn’t see with his own eyes, An Gyeongseok realized that the core of the changes that happened to the two was a portion of the Authority that Lee Hanseong had distributed to them.

“Ah, then this kind of Mark Imprinting and Divine Spirit Contract must only be possible for the seven who received the Guild Master’s gift.”

An Gyeongseok’s gaze swept over those holding Fragments of Infinity Star, excluding Kim Yul and Seo Minah who had already awakened their Fragments.

Do Junwoo and Shin Gyumin, Baek Hyeonwoo and Seo Minho.

And including An Gyeongseok himself, five more people seemed likely to be able to form Contracts with Divine Spirits.

Of course, the situation wasn’t urgent enough to form Contracts with Divine Spirits immediately.

The Void Lords emerging from the Great Rift above White Deer Lake were at a level that could be handled by Rian’s 《Eternal Magic》, with whom Kim Yul had contracted.

Somehow, as the Void Lords died, the Rift was gradually widening, and the volume of Void Lords pouring out was increasing, but.

Since Kim Yul was also handling them and seemed to have grown accustomed to Rian’s Stigma, he reversed the Magic Workshop to unfold the North Pole Divine Realm and began implementing the Annihilation of the Void Lords, so it wasn’t a problem.

Pssssssss!

It was as if an invisible god of death was guiding the deaths of the Void Lords.

Magic that could have been avoided hit.

They were wounded by magic that could have been blocked.

Minor wounds became fatal.

The sight made it seem as if the Void Lords were deliberately throwing themselves into Rian’s Eternal Magic to commit suicide.

‘Except for one thing, it’s reassuring.’

Unlike when Hollow Specters died, it was worrisome that the Rift grew larger each time a Void Lord died.

“Could there possibly be an existence higher than Void Lords?”

The Star Rank of Void Lords was from 7-Star to 9-Star, so if there was an existence higher than that, it would be a Divine Spirit Rank of 10-Star or above.

For now, a single Divine Spirit could block the Void Lords, but if the Rift surpassed the Critical Point again and beings higher than Void Lords began to emerge, it would be difficult for Kim Yul alone to stop them.

If so, then while there was a brief respite, they needed to strengthen their forces as much as possible.

‘Guild Master. Please bestow a Divine Spirit upon me as well.’

Having reached a conclusion, An Gyeongseok prayed to Lee Hanseong to awaken the Fragment of Infinity Star he held, following the method Seo Minah had described.

But… Infinity Star did not respond.

It wasn’t just An Gyeongseok.

The other four also failed to awaken Infinity Star.

“Hmm…? Is the method you told us correct?”

Wondering if Seo Minah had omitted something in her explanation, he asked again, but there was nothing particularly special.

Praying was all.

“Why can they do it, and we can’t…?”

“What’s different? Was our prayer lacking sincerity?”

They pondered what difference existed between the two who had awakened Infinity Star earlier and the five who had not.

Then, as Kim Yul suddenly came into view, one thing occurred to him.

“Awe?”

Kim Yul had revered Lee Hanseong almost as a god even before he became a Divine Spirit.

Rather, it felt as if he worshipped Lee Hanseong more than his own Constellation.

That might be the difference.

To An Gyeongseok, Lee Hanseong was, despite possessing extraordinary talent, ultimately a human, merely the Constellation’s Proxy.

Even now that Lee Hanseong had become a Divine Spirit, the thought of him as the Guild Master was stronger than that of him as a god.

To verify the hypothesis he had thought of, he also asked Seo Minah.

“Ms. Minah, may I ask how you think of the Guild Master?”

“…Huh? Suddenly?”

“It seems that might be a big clue.”

“Uh… He’s the benefactor who revived my Oppa… an Adult who repaid enmity with grace, and now he’s even a god.”

“How do you feel about the Lord of the Throne who revived Mr. Seo Minho?”

“Is there a need to distinguish that?”

At Seo Minah’s counter-question, An Gyeongseok’s eyes gleamed with interest.

“Ms. Minah, do you think the Guild Master is the Constellation’s Apostle?”

“Well, isn’t he? Do you think the things he has done are things that can be done by someone who isn’t an Apostle?”

“But Apostle refers to a 12-Star Awakened, doesn’t it?”

“You still lack faith. Do ordinary Star Ranks apply to our Guild Master?”

“Indeed…”

From Seo Minah’s answer, An Gyeongseok gained conviction.

Her way of thinking differed from that of ordinary Devotees of a Constellation.

While most believers attribute all Achievements made by Apostles or other Devotees to the Constellation behind them.

Seo Minah seemed not to distinguish between what the Constellation did and what Lee Hanseong did.

“Now I understand. The reason we couldn’t, and the two could.”

“What is it?”

At An Gyeongseok’s muttering, Do Junwoo, who was listening nearby, asked as if urging him.

“Revering the Guild Master as much as we revere our Lord of the Throne is probably the key to awakening his Authority.”

“Revere the Constellation’s Proxy as much as the Constellation? You mean to regard him as an Apostle?”

Do Junwoo understood An Gyeongseok’s words but knew it would be difficult to put into practice.

Originally, Kim Yul, who had revered Lee Hanseong, was an exception, and Seo Minah seemed to have become an Awakened not long ago, so such thinking might be possible for her.

But this was, in fact, a way of thinking detached from common sense.

“Let me give it a try.”

However, Do Junwoo was also a person detached from common sense from the start.

If he had followed common sense, he would have become an Artisan in the Iron Guild, but he became a Swordsman, which was also not ordinary.

Perhaps that was why.

The third to awaken the Fragment of Infinity Star within was Do Junwoo.

Gooooooo!

The series of processes experienced by Kim Yul and Seo Minah followed.

Promoted from 5-Star to 7-Star through the Mark of Transcendence, becoming a High-Rank Awakener.

As the expanded Vessel connected with Infinity Star, a Contract was formed with Lee Hanseong’s Divine Spirit, Non Smith.

“A Martial God belonging to the Steel Throne!”

Non, who broke the mold of an Artisan and became a Martial God, and Do Junwoo, who deviated from the path of an Artisan and became a Swordsman.

The commonality between the two beings also influenced Do Junwoo’s Body Reformation.

Since it was still insufficient to contain the Heavenly Martial Sacred Body, the Heavenly Martial Sacred Body did not Bloom as it was.

But if it was specialized in martial arts limited to the sword, even the current Do Junwoo could accept it.

Srrrung!

A sharp, honed aura, like a keen blade drawn from its sheath, melted into Do Junwoo’s body.

It was the <Heavenly Sword Constitution>, a physique equal to the Heavenly Martial Constitution when it came to the sword.

“Very much to my liking!”

With Do Junwoo also awakening the Fragment of Infinity Star, the method was roughly outlined.

It seemed only a matter of time before the remaining four awakened their Fragments of Infinity Star.

An Gyeongseok thought so, but… contrary to his expectation, even after Do Junwoo contracted with Non, the remaining four failed to awaken their Fragments of Infinity Star for quite a while.

* * *

“The method should be correct, so why isn’t it working?”

“If I knew that, I would have already contracted with the Guild Master’s Divine Spirit.”

While they wasted time trying to awaken Infinity Star, the Great Rift continued to expand, gradually casting anxiety over them.

The expansion speed of the Great Rift at White Deer Lake was fast even compared to Great Rifts opened elsewhere.

Since the speed at which Eternal Magic dealt with the Void Lords was very fast, the Rift also expanded rapidly.

Thanks to this, the volume of Void Lords pouring out had already reached a level that could not be handled by Rian’s Eternal Magic alone.

This was because the size of the Great Rift had surpassed the range of the Magic Palace and North Pole Divine Realm unfolded by Eternal Magic.

Therefore, the other Galaxy Guild members couldn’t just sit idle either.

The four who failed to awaken the Fragment of Infinity Star devoted themselves to prayer in preparation for later.

But the rest had to deal with the Void Lords that Kim Yul couldn’t handle.

Still, most were being blocked by Seo Minah pouring out a legion of Monsters through Henrietta’s Cradle of All Life and Mythological Genealogy Tree.

The legion of Clay Earth, which infinitely adapted to and evolved against the opponent, continuously reincarnating into new bodies, and the legion of Void Lords mutually slaughtered each other.

As the Clay Earth Monsters adapted to the Void Lords and grew stronger, the Void Lords increased in number, maintaining a balance.

Fwoosh!

“Finally, I’m 8-Star too!”

“With this, everyone has been promoted at least once.”

The thirty High-Rank Awakeners, promising candidates from the Heavenly Palace Tournament, quickly accumulated Achievements by dealing only with suitable opponents.

Thanks to this, everyone had achieved promotion at least once, reaching 8-Star.

Do Junwoo, who had contracted with Non, was also gradually familiarizing himself with Non’s [Limitless Unfathomable] through actual combat with Void Lords.

So, it could be said there was still some leeway.

“Are you just going to pray indefinitely like this?”

But Seo Minho couldn’t bear the impatience.

Sitting still just praying made him restless.

“Then what do you intend to do?”

“Didn’t Hanseong-nim tell us when he bestowed a portion of his Authority upon us? He said this would save us from crisis.”

“You don’t mean…?”

“So, if we deliberately put ourselves in crisis, wouldn’t this Authority also awaken to save us?”

At Seo Minho’s words, the other three also showed signs of being tempted.

But soon, An Gyeongseok shook his head and dissuaded Seo Minho, who was about to rush toward the Void Lords.

“No, even if you deliberately cause a crisis against the Void Lords, the probability that the Guild Master’s Authority will react is low.”

“Why is that?”

“Because it would know that’s not a crisis.”

As long as Henrietta’s Clay Earth Reincarnation was unfolded on the battlefield, they couldn’t die even if they died.

A crisis on a battlefield where resurrection is prepared cannot be called a crisis.

“Then if I tell Minah not to resurrect me…”

“Would she listen?”

“…Probably not.”

It also seemed unlikely that Seo Minah, who had once lost her Oppa, would allow Seo Minho’s death.

Therefore, Seo Minho gave up on the trick of deliberately putting himself in crisis and immersed himself in prayer again.

In truth, his feelings toward Lee Hanseong were not much different from his sister’s.

The problem was that his feelings toward the Constellation who saved him were even greater.

Even though Lee Hanseong had called him from the past and revived him in the present.

He knew well that if the Constellation had not bestowed the Stigma of Singularity Manifestation, he would have been annihilated by the Backlash of Causality.

The reason the other three failed to awaken the Fragment of Infinity Star was similar to yet different from Seo Minho’s.

An Gyeongseok, with his North Pole Aptitude, couldn’t break common sense because he knew too much about Constellations.

Knowledge had become poison.

On the other hand, Shin Gyumin had enough faith to awaken the Fragment of Infinity Star if he were alone.

The problem was that Thunderstorm Hawk Thunder, directly connected to him, did not.

As a Tamer, both he and Thunder needed to believe in Lee Hanseong to awaken Infinity Star, but Thunder, being a Four-Star Beast that had not yet gained wisdom, was in a situation where it couldn’t harbor such complex devotion.

Finally, for Baek Hyeonwoo, the problem was that his innate Intuition made his belief in Lee Hanseong impure.

Since the reason he believed in Lee Hanseong lay in his own Intuition, faith directed at his Intuition was ultimately mixed in.

As things stood, no matter how much time passed, all four were in a state where they couldn’t awaken the Fragment of Infinity Star.

But at some moment, suddenly, the Fragments of Infinity Star of the remaining four awakened simultaneously.

Zzzzzzzzt!

The cause was that the Great Rift at White Deer Lake had once again surpassed the Critical Point and began pouring out Void Gods.