Chapter 192 – New Master of the Heavens

Grrrrrrrrrr!

Tetragrammaton, who had revealed its presence from the Lumen side, was clearly emanating an Apostle Rank aura.

‘Clearly, Tetragrammaton should have had its Apostle position taken away…?’

Since Seras had been selected as the Apostle of the Brilliance Constellation, the previous Apostles from the records could only exert power up to the Half-Step 12-Star level.

But to surpass that limit and still emit the aura of a peak Apostle…

‘There’s something more I don’t know.’

Whatever it was, it meant Tetragrammaton could become a threat to Hanna.

Therefore, Lee Hanseong moved Duren before Tetragrammaton could intervene in Hanna’s battle.

Since the Dark Tathagata Great Hand that had subdued the giants could be maintained even from a distance, he had room to maneuver.

“Stop right there. Adults shouldn’t interfere in children’s fights.”

First, he severed the light passageway in the sky above Lumen that allowed direct movement to the Sky Island.

However, even without the passageway, an Apostle Rank existence should be able to close the distance between the sky above Lumen and the Sky Island in an instant.

Whoosh!

Duren, who had scattered Great Sun Radiance to intercept during movement, soon felt puzzled.

‘Why isn’t it coming?’

Only a few angels on the Sky Island were attempting to create new light passageways, while Tetragrammaton showed no sign of moving directly.

It wouldn’t refrain from moving just because Duren, still at True God Rank, issued a warning.

“Is there a reason it can’t move?”

Tap.

Duren, narrowing his eyes, moved his body to the sky above Lumen the next moment.

It was the movement technique from the Vairocana Divine Art, ‘Lotus Platform Nine Grades’, which allowed instantaneous teleportation up to nine consecutive times to any place touched by Great Sun Radiance.

Having arrived in the sky above Lumen while ready to retreat to the Sky Island at any moment depending on the situation, Duren examined the state of the Sephirot and Tetragrammaton.

“A ring? No, a Ring of Light.”

Then, a part that couldn’t be seen from afar came into view.

Near the roots of the Sephirot, an enormous Ring of Light, as if magnified from an angel’s Ring of Light, was installed like a warp gate.

“It must have taken root somewhere beyond that enormous Ring of Light.”

No matter how much he looked around, there were no physical floating islands like the Sky Island in this vicinity.

Perhaps the place called the heaven of the Church of Radiance referred to the realm of truth beyond that enormous Ring of Light.

According to the interpretation of the Brilliance Constellation, ultimately, even this record or reality is merely a projection of truth.

Tetragrammaton, being closest to the truth, might only be able to use its Apostle power around here where the Sephirot, acting as a substitute for the Radiance Divine Domain, exists.

Thinking that way, it made sense why Tetragrammaton didn’t move directly to the Sky Island.

And he also understood why the angels kept trying to create new light passageways.

“The light passageways were branches of the Sephirot.”

[You’ve found out.]

They aimed to change the destination of the light passageways created by the angels to the Sephirot’s domain where Tetragrammaton could exert its full power.

[But even so, nothing will change.]

Tetragrammaton’s Innate Authority, not Radiance Authority, unfolded.

Authority [Light of Truth].

[Let there be light.]

Whoooosh!

It was a kind of verbal command.

Similar to Alter’s Providence Proxy, but a power closer to Providence itself.

At this moment, Tetragrammaton was Providence itself.

An absoluteness of ‘must be realized’ resided in its will and words.

However, that didn’t necessarily mean Tetragrammaton’s victory.

Tetragrammaton’s truth being absolute applied only within the Radiance Divine Domain.

All beings at Half-Step 12-Star or above who touched a Divine Domain, including Duren who recognized the Golden Divine Realm, could break that absoluteness.

Therefore, the battle between Tetragrammaton and Duren took on the aspect of a Domain clash.

[Explode. Burn to ashes. Pierce through.]

“Tathagata Great Hand!”

Kwa-rurururururung!

Every time Yahweh’s realm of truth and Duren’s mental image realm collided, thunder and lightning erupted continuously.

It was impossible to say which side had the advantage.

In terms of Grade alone, Duren was slightly lacking, but considering that the Spirits of the Golden Constellation were stronger than those of other constellations, their overall levels could be seen as similar.

However, one thing was certain: this meant Tetragrammaton no longer had the leeway to intervene on the Sky Island side.

Thanks to that, Hanna, who had become a Heavenly Emperor, could freely convert the Radiance angels into her Ring of Light Net.

* * *

The moment all Seven Star angels converted to Hanna’s Ring of Light Net.

The direction of the war unfolding on the Sky Island was decided.

With the miracles from the supporting angels below cut off, the Nephilim and Archangels fighting Dice could no longer quickly replenish their losses.

The number of Nephilim, who had been maintaining their numbers through Regeneration and resurrection, was rapidly decreasing.

If this continued, even their leaders, the Archangels, would soon meet their Absolute Fate under Dice’s sword.

“It’s over.”

“No. Not yet.”

Hanna denied Beatus’s muttering, who, in the midst of battle, no longer had to fight a father-like figure thanks to the previous Pope being incorporated into Hanna’s Ring of Light Net.

Even if the Nephilim killed by Dice’s sword couldn’t resurrect immediately, they could resurrect anytime Tetragrammaton’s influence reached this place.

So, they needed to act first before that.

Oooong.

First, she altered the Stigma of 《Reflection: Reflection》 to match Amitabha’s Identity.

After expanding it from simple damage reflection to the Law of 《Karmic Retribution》.

She also newly expanded its Reversal.

‘Originally, the Reversal of Reflection was Absorb: Absorption.’

Absorption, which used to absorb damage, was also expanded from simple damage absorption to absorbing causality itself.

Karmic Retribution Reversal 《Causal Absorption》!

What could be done through this was diverse.

She could take the cause of an opponent’s training and its result, their Skills, absorbing the opponent’s Skills.

She could take the relationships and human connections an opponent had formed, absorbing the opponent’s social position.

She could take the time of birth and its result, the four pillars of destiny, absorbing the opponent’s fate.

It was a myth beyond standard that could plunder everything an opponent had built up, but it wasn’t without limitations.

Whether Skills, relationships, or fate, there was a limit to what an individual could bear.

Causal Absorption could only be used within the limit of not disturbing Hanna’s own causality.

‘If I recklessly absorb multiple causalities, the very causality that allowed me to obtain Causal Absorption could disappear.’

In other words, it was better to use Causal Absorption only for things that could be done without it.

Keeping the limitations of Causal Absorption in mind, she unfolded Causal Absorption along with Conversion: Namaste towards the dead Nephilim.

Oooong!

She absorbed the causality of their affiliation with Tetragrammaton’s Ring of Light Net and converted them to her Ring of Light Net.

If not for Causal Absorption, she would have had to repeat the process of resurrecting and converting them one by one, but it was accomplished in an instant.

Absorbing another’s causality to pull a future she would someday reach into the present.

That was the correct way to use Causal Absorption.

“Resurrect them.”

Whoooosh!

She ordered the already converted angels to perform resurrection miracles towards the newly converted Nephilim corpses.

Meanwhile, Dice, who had fried all the Archangels to death with black lightning, tried to attack the resurrected Nephilim but stopped his sword upon finding no hostility from them.

[You have taken them in. Saintess.]

“Yes.”

In response to Dice’s question, Hanna answered while transcending her bell once more.

Thanks to taking in the Nephilim, she had transformed from a 9-Star Heavenly Emperor to a 10-Star ‘Heavenly Lord’.

“Let me also convert the remaining Archangels to me.”

She was about to unfold Causal Absorption and Conversion: Namaste once more towards the Archangel corpses showing signs of self-resurrection to convert them, but paused briefly.

She realized that unfolding Causal Absorption in her current state would cause problems.

‘I need to prove the ability to absorb Archangels even without Causal Absorption.’

It was time to unfold the Reversal of the final Stigma.

The Reversal of Sanctuary: Sanctuary, 《Ruin: Demolition》.

Pssssssss!

A Domain filled entirely with ashen gray unfolded where the Archangel corpses had fallen.

In contrast to the Sanctuary enhanced with all kinds of miracles, the Ruin, which forbade all miracles, erased the resurrection miracles that had resided in the Archangels.

Only after completely crushing the Archangels’ resistance could she use Causal Absorption without issue.

Oooong!

Soon, the moment ten Archangels converted to Hanna’s Ring of Light Net.

Paaaat! Click.

Finally becoming 11-Star, Hanna and the future record properly meshed, and Amitabha’s Identity melted into her.

Oooong.

And her change soon extended to the angels who had converted to her.

Matching Hanna, who had transformed from a Heavenly Lord to a Buddha of Immeasurable Light, the 7-Star angels became ‘Arhats’.

The 8-Star Nephilim became ‘Vajra Arhats’.

The 9-Star Archangels became ‘Arahats’.

At that moment, the connection between Tetragrammaton and the angels, which had remained to some extent even after their conversion to Hanna, was completely severed.

Now, the Arhats belonged solely to Hanna.

“Namu Amitabha.”

“Namu Amitabha.”

“Namu Amitabha.”

The Arhats, Vajra Arhats, and Arahats recited the mantra in turn, transformed into light, and melted into Hanna.

Through the mantra of conversion to Amitabha, they headed towards Amitabha’s [Paradise Pure Land].

Seeing this, Beatus unconsciously recited the same mantra.

“Namu Amitabha.”

Paaaat.

Then, Beatus also transformed into an Arhat and melted into the Paradise Pure Land.

With him as the last, the Transcendent Species known as angels no longer existed in Arcadia.

Naturally, the World Tree Sephirot, based on angels, could only become unstable.

And the realm of truth of the Radiance Divine Domain, which had been filled with Tetragrammaton’s truth, was also changing.

Smeul, smeul.

In one corner of the realm of truth, Hanna’s Paradise Pure Land was gradually expanding its territory.

Initially just a small area, but as Arhats, Vajra Arhats, and Arahats were added, the gradually growing area now occupied more than half of the realm of truth.

Moreover, within it also existed the Achievements of humans who had crossed over from Arpelgia’s Yeto.

They were the ones Henrietta had sent to Rebirth in Paradise.

* * *

[“In the end, it has come to this.”]

Meanwhile, as the influence of the realm of truth shrank, Tetragrammaton’s Grade, which had been fighting Duren, also decreased.

The fact that its words, which had only appeared through System Messages, began to mix with voice was evidence of that.

“Seems something went wrong, doesn’t it?”

Duren no longer moved only outside the Sephirot’s domain.

More than half of the Radiance Divine Domain manifested by the Sephirot had been dyed with the Paradise Pure Land, transforming into an area favorable to Duren, who possessed the Identity of the Great Sun Tathagata.

[“Now, I can cut it.”]

System Messages mixed with Duren’s voice as he drew upon the power of the Radiance path sent by Amitabha, following the existing Golden path and Sun path.

It seemed as if Duren’s Grade had risen as much as Tetragrammaton’s Grade had fallen.

You and I are not different (self and other are one).”]

Srrrrrr—

The Sephirot and the Great Sun Tathagata Sword mixed into one and were slowly swung towards Tetragrammaton.

It was a speed that could easily be avoided, yet Tetragrammaton could not avoid it.

Because Duren’s will acted as if it were its own will, erasing the desire to evade.

However, for Duren, cutting Tetragrammaton now was like cutting himself, so he needed a resolve akin to suicide to cut it.

He needed time to build that resolve, which was why the Great Sun Tathagata Sword was slow.

The unchanging ‘I’ does not exist (all phenomena are without self).”]

And, just before Tetragrammaton and the Great Sun Tathagata Sword collided, Duren, who had digested the enlightenment of ‘all phenomena are without self’, fully built his resolve.

He truly acknowledged that since ‘I’ does not exist, cutting ‘myself’ is nothing.

The moment his resolve was built, the Great Sun Tathagata Sword accelerated.

Swoosh—Ping!

Contrary to its slowness until now, a Slash that instantly surpassed its maximum speed cleaved Tetragrammaton.

Pibibibibibib!

One was not the end.

Countless Slashes followed, causing Tetragrammaton’s form to crumble and its Identity to be whittled away.

Soon, the moment Duren’s Great Sun Tathagata Sword came to a halt, Tetragrammaton’s truth no longer existed in the Radiance Divine Domain.

Only Hanna’s Paradise Pure Land filled the realm of truth.

If not for Seras, who had become an Apostle in the present outside history, it wouldn’t have been strange for Hanna to have become an Apostle.

Psssssss—

Perhaps it was the aftermath.

Not only the Sephirot that had melted into the Great Sun Tathagata Sword, but also the enormous Ring of Light that had enveloped near its roots began to collapse.

As particles of light scattered and the Radiance Divine Domain manifested by the Sephirot disappeared.

“Hey!”

From far away, someone shouting and approaching could be felt.

A Spirit Ship leisurely cruising through the sky.

Non and Mirkala, who had set out from Arpelgia, had finally arrived.