Chapter 190 – Arcadia Heavenly Realm

At the boundary of Dreamland, the heart of the Path of the Fairies.

There stood Henrietta, who had covered the Arpelgia Continent with Yeto Mansheng Palace, becoming an existence almost indistinguishable from the continent itself.

She was there to enter Dreamland, which had been bounced outside the records and its access blocked.

“Will you open the way for me?”

“Yes, Mother.”

As Henrietta spoke to the ground beneath her feet, Gobhan’s reply came from beyond the Yeto, and then.

Pop.

Gobhan, who had newly formed a body from the Yeto, sprang out.

As a member of the Legion who could wear and shed flesh like clothing, he could teleport by absorbing his existing body into the Yeto and reconstructing it from the Yeto at another location, making this appearance possible.

Clank— Swoosh!

The moment he emerged, Gobhan swung his Formless Sword, slicing through the boundary of Dreamland.

Through this, he connected Dreamland, which had been bounced outside the records, with the current records.

The path to Dreamland was opened.

“Thank you.”

“Please call upon my power whenever you need it.”

“I shall.”

After sending Gobhan back into the Yeto, Henrietta stepped into Dreamland.

In the place she passed, Yeto remained, serving to maintain the connection with the Yeto outside.

Through this, Henrietta could act within Dreamland while remaining one step removed from the Dream Stratum.

This meant that even if there were sudden, drastic distortions in the time difference between the inside and outside of Dreamland, as had happened to Non’s group who entered earlier, Henrietta could ignore such changes.

Step.

Step.

Step.

And Henrietta’s choice was a very wise one.

For neither Atlach-Nacha’s webs nor Yog-Sothoth’s spacetime bubbles could pose any significant obstacle to her.

“You were here.”

Thus, as Henrietta entered the spacetime barrier, her eyes fell upon Non and Mirkala, Yog-Sothoth and Atlach-Nacha, standing motionless.

Although Dreamland was now connected to Henrietta’s present, it was still straddling the outside of the records.

Therefore, until Dreamland’s inside and outside were fully synchronized or someone intervened, they could only remain in this suspended state.

Step, Swoosh.

Henrietta first walked to where Non was and overlapped her body with his.

As Spirit Overlay occurred with Non’s Heavenly Martial Sacred Body, the spirits accompanying Non returned within the records.

Moreover, with Henrietta joining, all four Divine Domains required to form the Dream Chaos Divine Realm were now filled.

Whoosh!

“By dominating the dream of Azathoth that constitutes Dreamland through the Dream Chaos Divine Realm, it should be possible.”

The Dream Chaos Divine Realm unfolded by Non moved Dreamland.

It was an authority equal to or surpassing that of Azathoth.

Gather, gather, gather!

The Seeds of Void, the original reason for heading to Dreamland, gathered before Non without a single one missing.

They were the nameless Divine Spirits who lived in Dreamland.

Chomp, chomp!

Though nameless, as they were all Divine Spirits of the Wind Constellation born from nightmares, they could be easily devoured by Rough’s Nightmare Gluttony and Blundell’s Void Gluttony.

With this, there were no longer any Seeds of Void in Arpelgia.

Of course, judging by the sensation felt through Void Detection, Seeds of Void likely existed in the remaining three continents as well, but those could be dealt with step by step.

Considering the point in time when the Historical Alteration of the remaining spirits ended, the next destination was the Arcadia Continent.

“We’re planning to go to Arcadia now. Will you continue to follow?”

“Arcadia, the continent where the Sun resides? Of course, this maiden will follow as well.”

And it seemed Mirkala intended to accompany that journey as well.

* * *

Vroooom—!

Having left Dreamland, Non, along with Mirkala, leisurely headed towards Arcadia aboard Utangka’s Spirit Ship.

More precisely, they were heading towards the Giants’ Sky Island located in the skies above Elysion in Arcadia.

Asta and Duren, Hanna and Beatus, and Dice, who had completed the Dragon Extermination Campaign and returned there, would be there.

“But is it alright to go this slowly?”

“The Arcadia side isn’t in urgent need of support.”

In Duren’s case, after the Dragon Extermination Campaign, he became a Giant, then accumulated new Achievements in reality through the Asura Three Thousand Gates, reaching True Godhood, so he could exercise the Authority of a True God immediately without any particular Historical Alteration.

This was thanks to Duren’s history being applied as if he had temporarily time-traveled to a future world to grow and then returned.

And Duren wasn’t the only one whose history was applied in such a manner.

Dice Ten’s record of slaying Qliphoth in a future world, ascending to True Godhood, and then unifying with the Formless Sword Demon Armor to become the Apostle of the Darkness Constellation would also be applied to the current records.

And Asta, who became the Apostle of the Golden Constellation, would also be an Apostle at this point.

It could be assumed that there were no beings threatening them on the Sky Island where Transcendent Species, Mythological Species, and Divine Spirits gathered.

Thus, Lee Hanseong set the Spirit Ship where Non was to move on its own and then shifted his consciousness towards Arcadia’s Sky Island with peace of mind.

* * *

Duren’s group, having returned near the Sky Island’s duel arena.

“Huh…!”

Among them, Beatus Bright, whose time had stopped since after the Dragon Extermination Campaign, couldn’t help but be astonished by the change in Grades that occurred.

“What on earth happened to you all in such a short time?!”

True to being a Pope possessing the Miracle of Revelation, he soon realized the answer and nodded.

“Ah, so that’s how it was.”

Having discerned that those whose Grades had increased had spent time unknown to him, Beatus’s gaze turned towards Hanna.

“Lady Saintess, you also seem to have experienced some growth, but unlike the others, it appears you haven’t fully digested the results.”

“That’s right.”

Within Hanna resided the record of her future self who had become a True God, akin to a Holy Spirit.

To digest it, a plausible process was needed.

However, Duren, for whom such a process was unnecessary, had the results applied immediately, causing rapid changes in the Hero’s Plate he possessed.

Clatter, clatter!

The Feats from the Dragon Extermination Campaign were settled, turning the Gold Plate into a Platinum Medal, then through Diamond to Mithril.

The Feats from passing through the Asura Three Thousand Gates were settled, turning Mithril into Adamantium, then through Orichalcum to a Golden Medal.

Just like Asta, who was Andrei reborn, his Grade had risen to the Golden Medal in an instant.

And his rank had risen to 2nd place, which was Asta’s rank.

“2nd place.”

It was a rank where he could immediately challenge for an Apostle Duel, but Duren was already in the midst of an Apostle Duel with Asta at the Crossroads of Ascension.

If he applied for an Apostle Duel within the Constellation’s records, their consciousness would simply escape the Historical Alteration and return to the halted Crossroads of Ascension.

But then.

[Ah, so this is how it’s done.]

Asta, who had been staring intently at Duren, muttered as if realizing something.

Rumble, rumble, rumble!

He began emitting a momentum surpassing that of an ordinary Apostle.

It was a momentum akin to an Apostle possessed by Infinity.

No, in fact, Asta was in a state of Divine Possession by Infinity.

‘Asta was me from a Parallel World.’

Lee Hanseong from the Parallel World also shared great commonality with Lee Hanseong who became the God of Infinity, so he could also connect to Infinity.

Thus, Asta, like Lee Hanseong, added Infinity to the Prerogative of Historical Alteration possessed by an Apostle, enabling him to pierce through even History Fixation and block his Historical Alteration.

Asta’s existence was a major variable that could ruin his plan to lead the Twelve Constellations’ Apostle Duel to victory through History Fixation.

Being able to pierce History Fixation meant he could also disrupt already fixed history.

[Don’t worry unnecessarily. I have no intention of interfering with your spirits’ history.]

As if reading Lee Hanseong’s thoughts, Asta spoke.

[I know that for us to defeat the Outer Gods, I must ultimately lose and hand over the Apostle position.]

“If you know that, why are you currently possessed by Infinity?”

[I too merely have a history I wish to change.]

Whoooosh—

Asta, answering with a distant look in his eyes, tore through the Constellation’s records where history was progressing and threw his body towards it.

The Historical Alteration infused with Infinity burrowed into the records of Asta, mingled with Andrei, heading towards the Parallel World that was the origin of those records.

Upon realizing this, one could understand what history Asta wished to change.

“I see. From Asta’s perspective, this place is ultimately just a Parallel World. So, the history of his original world is more important.”

This was likely the very reason he could easily yield the Apostle position.

Relieved by the disappearance of an unexpected variable, Lee Hanseong turned his gaze to the list of Golden Medal Heroes below Duren’s rank.

It was information visible upon attaining the Golden Medal.

3rd place: Atlas.

4th place: Zeus.

5th place: Cronus.

6th place: Uranus.

7th place: Giant Emperor.

8th place: Pangu.

9th place: Ymir.

And, as expected, a True God suspected of being a Seed of Void was discovered.

A True God who uses an epithet instead of a name, despite having risen to 7th place in the Heavenly Realm.

It could only be a Seed of Void.

“I want to duel the Giant Emperor.”

He immediately applied for a duel with the Giant Emperor through the duel arena’s guide.

With Asta gone, he intended to deal with the Seed of Void likely among the Heavenly Realm heroes.

* * *

Meanwhile, as Duren awaited the duel with the Giant Emperor,

One person came looking for the remaining Hanna and her group.

Flutter!

―This one descends.

A Giant appeared, fluttering massive angelic wings.

It was the Nephilim that the previous Pope had summoned during the Demon King Subjugation.

―Beatus Bright. I have come to take you.

He had come to take Beatus, the new angel who had ascended to the Heavenly Realm.

However, upon seeing Dice beside Beatus, the Nephilim’s eyes widened.

―Y-you are…! The Apostle of Darkness?!

Perhaps the problem was that it was the Darkness Constellation, contrasted with Radiance.

―Emergency!

Flash!

From the Nephilim’s hand, a white floral flash that dyed the area pure white erupted.

It wasn’t intended to attack Dice.

An attack from a mere 8-Star Nephilim couldn’t possibly affect Dice, who had become an Apostle, in the first place.

Whoosh!

The light erupted by the Nephilim headed not towards Dice, but towards the southern sky from which the Nephilim had flown.

Since the Sky Island was above Elysion, that southern direction was towards the Holy Land, Lumen.

Witnessing this, Hanna suddenly recalled how the previous Radiance Pope had made himself a pillar of light, becoming a passage connecting heaven and earth.

However, whereas that pillar extended vertically back then, the pillar of light erupted by the Nephilim this time was horizontal, so to speak.

‘The Radiance Heavenly Realm seems to be in the skies above the Holy Land Lumen.’

If the guess was correct, the Radiance Heavenly Realm would likely be at the same altitude as the Sky Island.

Hum.

And as if confirming Hanna’s recollection was correct, the light erupted by the Nephilim transformed into a kind of passage.

Gather, gather, gather!

However, since it wasn’t a descent to the mortal realm but movement between Heavenly Realms, the number of angels appearing through the passage was not small.

From 7-Star Angels to 8-Star Nephilim, to 9-Star Archangels.

Countless angels filled the skies around the Sky Island.

―This way!

―The Saintess of this era is here as well.

―Please evacuate quickly!

―This place is dangerous!

While the Nephilim, led by the Archangels, kept Dice in check,

Several angels quietly approached Hanna and Beatus, urging them to evacuate.

However, while it was merely a suggestion for Beatus, they seemed ready to forcibly seize and drag Hanna away if she refused.

Despite having the record of a True God within her, her original Grade was 6-Star, so she was apparently considered someone to be protected.

Whoosh!

Hanna, using the Stigma of Angelification to achieve Transcendence of Species to a 7-Star Angel, shook off the hands of the angels trying to forcibly take her.

“I can protect myself. And Dice is not an enemy! Everyone, please calm down…!”

She also pleaded that Dice was not an enemy, but persuasion didn’t work.

―The Saintess seems to have already fallen to that demon god.

―It can’t be helped. We must subdue the Saintess as well.

On the contrary, they regarded Hanna as a fallen angel who had succumbed to evil and became hostile.

―Beatus, which side are you on? Surely you won’t side with them, will you?

As suspicion of corruption seemed to have arisen towards Beatus as well, the previous Pope, who had become an angel and ascended, appeared before him personally, forcing a choice.

With the appearance of a figure almost like a father, Beatus seemed to waver, looking back and forth between Hanna and the previous Pope.

But that very hesitation seemed like corruption in the previous Pope’s eyes, as his gaze turned cold.

―It seems I taught you wrongly after all.

“…Dice is the Pilgrim Knight Commander! He suddenly rose to a powerful existence, but attacking like this without reason is not right.”

―I don’t want to hear it!

Though Beatus spoke the righteous argument, the previous Pope maintained an obstinate attitude as if he couldn’t tolerate Dice’s very existence.

―If you also possess the Miracle of Revelation, you should know that his existence is antithetical to ours, yet you speak like that!

“That is….”

In the Radiance Heavenly Realm, which designs the future based on revelations of Radiance, the existence of the Darkness Constellation, which reverts all foresight and design to the unknown and nothingness, could only be abhorred.

Perhaps they could think rationally as mortals, but from the moment they became the Transcendent Species of Light, that abhorrence was akin to instinct.

―Attack!

With the higher angels simultaneously unleashing miraculous light towards Dice as a signal, an unavoidable battle began.