Chapter 181 – Apostle of the Outer God

“That’s… me?”

“I’m there too.”

“My likeness is also there.”

The Ten Great Guild Masters muttered in apparent surprise as they looked at the Outer God’s twelve apostles.

But others seemed puzzled by their mutterings.

Because to everyone else’s eyes, the Outer God’s apostles had no visible faces or outlines.

Just like how the Outer God had appeared when handing the Crossroads of Ascension to the Twelve Constellations while Lee Hanseong’s group was being pulled into a higher dimension.

“What are you talking about now? Are you saying that to your eyes, those things look exactly like you?”

“It seems the appearance each sees differs depending on the person…”

Judging from their reactions, it seemed all Ten Great Guild Masters had seen their own likeness in the Outer God’s apostles.

And not just their likeness, but themselves at the higher Apostle Rank.

This meant the possibilities of them becoming apostles in parallel worlds had already been consumed by the Outer God.

“So that’s why I could never become an apostle no matter how hard I tried…?”

“The highest possibility I could reach is right there!”

Perhaps because they realized this fact.

The Ten Great Guild Masters’ reactions were strange.

They gazed at the Outer God’s apostles with dazed eyes, as if entranced by something.

“What’s happening now…?”

Pat!

Before Park Jincheol, who belatedly sensed something wrong, could block them, ten of the Outer God’s apostle phantoms possessed the Ten Great Guild Masters.

As if performing Spirit Overlay.

And following the rapid increase in Synchronization Rate…

Kugugugugugu!

Existence Theft through Synchronization Rate Overload was achieved.

[Ahh… Finally, I’ve obtained a body!]

[This was what a real body felt like. This sensation of overflowing starlight, it’s truly been so long!]

The Ten Great Guild Masters, whose bodies were stolen by Apostle-Rank Void Gods in an instant.

It seemed they were no longer judged as Void existences, as the new Law that rejected Void no longer worked on them.

Seeing this, Kim Yul muttered in a shocked voice:

“How can Void Gods possess the bodies of those belonging to Chaos…?”

Having contracted with Rian, who was close to being an apostle of the North Star Constellation, and worshiping Lee Hanseong while receiving wisdom about him, Kim Yul knew what just happened should have been impossible.

Originally, those not belonging to the Chaos Constellation would only have Void devour starlight to create identical Void existences if they entered such a Spirit Overlay state.

And if they belonged to the Chaos Constellation, they could adjust their Synchronization Rate through Primordial Chaos even if someone tried to devour their body through Synchronization Rate Overload.

[Let’s just say we also have countermeasures against Primordial Chaos now.]

To Kim Yul’s question, the Polaris Emperor—the parallel world’s North Pole Guild Master who had obtained the Polaris Guild Master’s body—answered kindly.

Beside him, the Dark Emperor—the parallel world’s Darkness Guild Master who had obtained the Abyss Guild Master’s body—and the Moon Shadow King—the parallel world’s Moon Shadow Guild Master who had obtained the Lunar Guild Master’s body—stood together, unfolding the Chaos Divine Realm.

Seeing this, Kim Yul instinctively understood the principle by which they had stolen the Ten Great Guild Masters’ bodies.

“The Outer God has grasped part of Primordial Fusion?”

The fact they could unfold the Chaos Divine Realm even without the Divine Domain of Heaven-Slaying meant they already understood Möbius’s Primordial Unity.

If the Outer God’s apostles had reproduced the characteristic of Primordial Fusion maintaining purity, then Synchronization Rate Overload succeeding was natural.

If both parties connected through Primordial Chaos’s link didn’t lose purity, then the difference in Grade would ultimately determine superiority.

‘But if that’s the case, why aren’t the remaining two moving?’

Kim Yul’s gaze turned to the two apostles besides the ten who had stolen the Ten Great Guild Masters’ bodies.

If the Outer God’s apostles corresponded to the Heavenly Palace’s Twelve Constellations, then the remaining two should be the apostles of the Sun and Heavenly Slaughter respectively.

‘Heavenly Slaughter aside, if it’s the Sun’s apostle, shouldn’t they steal Park Jincheol’s body since he’s True God Rank?’

Seo Minho of the Moon Shadow path could be excluded from Existence Theft targets since the Lunar Guild Master had a larger Vessel, but the fact Park Jincheol remained intact meant there were some limitations to their Existence Theft.

He carefully considered the differences between the Ten Great Guild Masters and Park Jincheol.

Both were 11th Star True Gods, with talent ranging from 5-Star to Six-Star Vessel level.

They also similarly belonged to the Chaos Constellation.

Then he suddenly realized one clearly strange point.

“Why am I only realizing this now?”

He couldn’t remember the Ten Great Guild Masters’ names.

Only titles like Polaris Guild Master or Shining Guild Master came to mind.

Even when recalling past records or videos, their names never appeared once.

Yet until now, everyone on Earth had never sensed anything strange about this.

“Does anyone know the Ten Great Guild Masters’ names?”

“Of course I know… Huh?”

Only when Kim Yul directly asked did other comrades realize the cognitive discrepancy.

[It seems you’ve noticed. But you realized too late. Our Creator has already sown not a few seeds in your world.]

At their belated realization, the Polaris Emperor sneered and waved his hand.

Jjeojeojeojeojek!

Immediately, the boundary of Eastern Heaven’s Blissful Land that Seo Minho had unfolded shattered like glass, revealing the real Earth’s White Deer Lake again.

The Highest-Rank Awakeners who had remained outside Eastern Heaven’s Blissful Land also entered the range of the Divine Domain unfolded by the Outer God’s apostles.

[The time of harvest has come. Offer up the starlight you’ve accumulated.]

At that moment, Kim Yul remembered there were other famous individuals whose names didn’t appear besides the Ten Great Guild Masters.

‘The promising candidates from the Heavenly Palace Tournament!’

All 29 Highest-Rank Awakeners except Baek Woohyeon were engulfed by Void as soon as the Polaris Emperor’s signal dropped.

Moreover, it wasn’t just them.

Among the Awakeners in Los Angeles and São Paulo, not a few were also tainted by Void.

Judging from calling them seeds, their very existence was likely the Outer God’s scheme.

‘What’s the purpose? Judging from saying harvest, do they want to absorb starlight? No, they wouldn’t go through such trouble for just that purpose.’

Unable to discern the Outer God’s purpose, his mind was in chaos when—

Kwaggwagwagwagwa!

The Awakeners corrupted as the Outer God’s Familiars gathered toward the Ten Great Guild Masters corresponding to their chosen paths, achieving Spirit Overlay.

However, those heading toward the Ten Great Guild Masters were only an extreme minority.

Most were Awakeners of the Sun and Heavenly Slaughter paths, so the majority of corrupted gathered toward the two apostles who hadn’t yet achieved Existence Theft.

Kugugugugugu!

As if achieving small-scale Constellation Descent, the overlapped existences of the corrupted were sufficient to substitute for True God-Rank Existences.

[Worship This Throne. This body is the Heavenly Killer Emperor who will slaughter all the heavenly constellations oppressing thou.]

[We are an Emperor surpassing Kings, so call us Sun Seonghwang.]

The remaining two Outer God apostles solidified into forms similar to but somewhat different from the Heavenly Slaughter Demon Lord and Sun Star King.

Like the other ten apostles who had stolen the Ten Great Guild Masters’ existences, they were reborn as existences freed from the influence of the Law rejecting Void.

Thus, the identities of all twelve Outer God apostles were revealed.

Sun Guild Master, Sun Seonghwang.

Radiance Guild Master, Bright King.

Golden Guild Master, Golden Heavenly Lord.

Wheel Guild Master, Wheel King.

Heavenly Slaughter Guild Master, Heavenly Killer Emperor.

Darkness Guild Master, Dark Emperor.

Moon Shadow Guild Master, Moon Shadow King.

North Pole Guild Master, Polaris Emperor.

Steel Guild Master, Steel Lord.

Epicenter Guild Master, Epicenter Heavenly Lord.

Yeto Guild Master, Netherworld Lord.

Wind Guild Master, Wind Lord.

As if witnessing mythological beings, their epithets and myths naturally flowed into minds the moment they were seen.

The moment such a connection formed between them and the Galaxy Guild—

[Accept the Creator’s will!]

The Prerogative unfolded by all twelve apostles together acted as the Outer God’s will.

Kwalkwalkwalkwalkwalk!!!!

Information forcibly poured into their minds surged dramatically.

Simultaneously, within that flowing information, the Outer God’s purpose could vaguely be discerned.

“Kuaaaa! …The existence enduring Void itself was the Outer God’s purpose!”

“Aaaa…!”

To the Outer God who had devoured countless worlds over near-eternal epochs, Void was merely an insatiable Source of Hunger it couldn’t handle.

Naturally, the Outer God also harbored a desire to fill the Void constituting itself.

“But simply devouring our world isn’t its purpose.”

“Originally, the Outer God already knows it can’t fill Void by devouring worlds.”

All who accepted the Outer God’s information thought as if connected into a single collective consciousness, mechanically reading the Outer God’s purpose.

“To the Outer God, Awakeners of the Chaos Constellation connected to Infinity and enduring Void must have been good Vessels.”

“Vessels that would lessen its own Void while fundamentally changing its existence from Void to Chaos.”

“So it deliberately sealed part of its Void in seed form and scattered them on Earth.”

“Having obtained Primordial Fusion, the closest to Void among Chaos.”

“Next, it must be targeting our world’s Axis.”

Stealing existences belonging to the Chaos Constellation to shake off Void and be reborn as a complete 13-Star Creator God.

That was the Outer God’s purpose.

“If the Outer God achieves its purpose, all existences in our world will be buried in Void.”

“Like the Hounds of Void the Outer God commands.”

“Conversely, the Hounds of Void the Outer God commands will replace our existences in our world where the Outer God occupies the Axis.”

“That’s… unacceptable!”

“Absolutely intolerable…!”

Within the overflowing flood of information, the Galaxy Guild’s consciousness—which had turned mechanical while reading desired information—regained humanity through rejection of the outcome caused by the Outer God’s purpose.

Uuuuung!

Their change, as if repeating Lee Hanseong’s transformation after overcoming Infinity’s second stage, resonated with Infinity.

The Outer God’s will pouring information beyond limits into them was temporarily blocked by Infinity’s Blessing.

But Divine Possession of power mediated through slight homogeneity couldn’t last long.

“We need time.”

An Gyeongseok found the best move possible while Infinity’s Fragment still resided in them.

“Rewind, Wheel of Tribulation Escape Net!”

Ddeuddeuddeuddeuddeu!

Small-Scale Regression was exactly the answer he found.

It wouldn’t have worked if the Outer God’s apostles were still Void existences transcending spacetime.

But now that they had become Existences of Providence belonging to spacetime through Existence Theft, it was sufficiently applicable.

Ddeu… ddeu… ddeu…

However, the weight of existence possessed by the twelve apostles interfered with time rewinding.

Even with Infinity residing in him.

‘The Infinity residing in me alone isn’t enough.’

An Gyeongseok shared the Wheel of Tribulation Escape Net’s effect with the remaining Galaxy Guild members.

He planned to regress together with everyone by combining the Infinity power they harbored.

Uuuuung!

His thinking was correct.

The Infinity Fragments each harbored resonated together, gathering enough power to surpass limits.

Ddeureureureureureuk!!!!

Jörmungandr’s Illusory Form swallowed all Galaxy Guild members and Molted into a past Timeline.

Completely shaking off the weight of existence emitted by the Outer God’s twelve apostles.

The destination was the exact moment the Outer God’s apostles appeared.

* * *

Blink.

“That’s… me?”

“I’m there too.”

“My likeness is also there.”

The Outer God’s twelve apostles revealed themselves, and though the Galaxy Guild members had returned to just before the Ten Great Guild Masters were stolen from—

Even having turned back time, nothing changed.

Pat.

Before they could stop it, the Ten Great Guild Masters had their existences stolen by the Outer God’s apostles.

And they couldn’t prevent Seo Minho’s Eastern Heaven’s Blissful Land from shattering, nor the existences of corrupted around White Deer Lake from being stolen.

After the twelve apostles’ Existence Theft ended, just as before time rewinding, the twelve apostles gathered their Prerogative to act as the Outer God’s will, pouring vast knowledge into the Galaxy Guild.

‘It seems they don’t have memories from before time was turned back.’

Thanks to that, they could activate the Wheel of Tribulation Escape Net again through a similar process.

.

.

.

Only the same situation repeated, with nothing changing, the Loop continued.

But An Gyeongseok didn’t lose hope nor stop regressing even within the unchanging Loop.

Because he knew that while time inside the world repeated certain intervals, time outside the world where the Chaos Constellation’s True Body and Outer God’s True Body struggled continued flowing.

‘…I’ll leave the rest to you. Hanseong-nim.’

If they endured like this, eventually Lee Hanseong—who overcame all obstacles—would return and completely deal with the Outer God and twelve apostles.

That belief was precisely the source of hope harbored by An Gyeongseok and the Galaxy Guild members.