Chapter 199 – Ascension

A silence fell over the Steel Holy Land.

Because no sense of grade could be felt from Lee Hanseong, who had manifested within history.

Rather, precisely because of that, Deus Ex Machina, who had become free after Rian was removed, Tiamat, who had gained a new body, and Shiva, who had appeared sensing Harahara’s annihilation, all had no choice but to be tense.

[……!]

It meant that the Lee Hanseong existing before their eyes had reached a level even Apostles could not properly perceive.

In reality, Lee Hanseong had filled not only the Dream Chaos Divine Realm but also the spirits of Constellations belonging to the Primordial Divine Realm and the Chaos Divine Realm, thus seizing all three Divine Realms of Chaos.

It was no different from the return of the Chaos Constellation in its prime.

“Good. Stay just like that.”

Even though his voice held no grade, an irresistible majesty rendered the three Apostles unable to move.

Having subdued the three Apostles with a single word, Lee Hanseong no longer paid them any mind and began what he intended to do.

“From now on, all nameless ones shall be given names.”

He had created a new law through Alter’s [Wheel of Tribulation Escape Net].

Previously, if his consciousness, which had transcended beyond history as an Enigma, had personally bestowed names upon each nameless one one by one.

From now on, the newly created Naming Law would automatically bestow names upon all existences.

Uung—

If it were only Alter’s [Wheel of Tribulation Escape Net], the scope of the law would have been limited to the Ardenia Continent.

But thanks to linking the laws of all four continents through the Primordial Divine Realm, the Naming Law encompassed the entire Otherworld.

Because of this, the naming process, which originally would have taken much longer, was quickly completed.

“No, one still remains.”

Even after bestowing names upon all existences belonging to the Otherworld, the naming was not finished.

Because a new authority had arisen only after naming all existences belonging to one world.

“The authority to name the world….”

The authority to name the world called the Otherworld or Origin World had been granted.

Upon learning that the Otherworld’s name was blank, he realized why Outer Gods could interfere with the Otherworld.

Just as the Seed of Void had been, the Otherworld, broadly speaking, was also a nameless existence, which allowed Outer Gods to play their tricks.

Having grasped the situation, Lee Hanseong did not hesitate and immediately decided on the Otherworld’s name.

“Mirinae. This world’s name is Mirinae.”

He made the name of his Constellation, Mirinae, who was originally the master of the Heavenly Palace, the name of the world.

Clank!

As the world’s name was decided, it could be felt that the influence of Outer Gods was completely falling away from the world: Mirinae.

“Hmm. Earth is separate from Mirinae.”

However, only the world: Mirinae became untouchable by Outer Gods.

Earth, connected to this place, remained in a state where Outer God influence could still penetrate as much as they wanted.

Although connected, the Otherworld and Earth were separate worlds.

Only by bestowing a separate world name upon Earth as well could the influence of Outer Gods be shaken off.

“Well, there were those on Earth who also needed new names anyway, so this works out.”

But he couldn’t head to Earth immediately.

There was still history left to fixate in the Otherworld.

In fact, from the moment he bestowed names upon all existences in the Otherworld, even without his separate intervention, history had no choice but to flow as he desired.

Because the world: Mirinae could be said to be Lee Hanseong’s Familiar.

However, even the current Lee Hanseong could not ignore historical probability.

“First, I’ll leave it to the natural flow.”

To prevent the present outside history where he existed from diverging into a branch, too great a change had to be avoided.

Thus, he did not greatly interfere with history up to the time when the Great War between Earth and the Otherworld would erupt.

After all, even the Apostles who had been hostile were now essentially his Familiars again through the bestowal of names.

There was no need to agonize over who to kill or save separately.

He simply let time pass, continuing to fixate history so that other Apostles from the future could not intervene in history.

However, he did not completely withdraw his hand from history.

“But still, it’s Rian’s era, so it would be strange if Rian suddenly disappeared….”

He created avatars to take the place of Rian and Alter and proceeded with the revival of the Neo-Ardenia Empire.

Originally, a complex process of gathering talent and building power would have been necessary, but.

Kugugugugugu!

He abbreviated the process by using Pheidippides’ [Great Thousand World Tree] to bring Utangka’s Kingdom of Arpalgia, hidden in a certain Eastern Heaven of Arthalia, directly onto the Ardenia Continent.

Since Lee Hanseong was both Utangka, the Primal God of the Kingdom of Arpalgia, and Rian, the Emperor of the Ardenia Empire, the unification proceeded without major opposition.

.

.

.

Hundreds of years passed after that, but to Lee Hanseong, it was no different from an instant.

Up to the time of the Great Cataclysm when Earth and the Otherworld were first connected.

* * *

“Is it now? Hmm? Someone’s been up to something?”

When the Twelve Constellations of the Heavenly Palace crossed over to Earth, Lee Hanseong also headed to Earth following them.

Earth at a point before Lee Hanseong was born.

Someone was attempting to change the unfixated history there.

It was the trick of an Outer God who, realizing that the Key of the Seat Mirinae had stolen was Lee Hanseong, sought to seize the key itself before his birth.

“That won’t do.”

Lee Hanseong’s gaze, having crossed over to Earth, found his father Lee Hyeonseong in his younger days, having just Awakened to face the Great Cataclysm.

Beside him was Lee Hanseong’s mother.

The moment he saw his mother, he instantly knew she carried the Seed of Void.

‘Come to think of it, I never heard my mother’s name.’

The two were caught up in a Dungeon that had appeared by chance, and among that Dungeon’s rewards was hidden the Key of the Seat.

Zziing—

The All-Seeing Eye briefly glimpsed the history of the original World Line.

According to the original history, his father Lee Hyeonseong would absorb the key, and later the absorbed key would be born as Lee Hanseong.

But with his mother infected by the Seed of Evil, he couldn’t be reassured that history would proceed as is.

His mother might try to absorb the key instead of his father.

While Lee Hanseong was in the womb, an Outer God might use the Seed of Void to steal the key and cause a miscarriage.

The Naming Law had not yet taken root on Earth.

“My mother’s name was… Yoo Eunhye.”

Before a variable could arise in the past history, he reflexively bestowed the name of his mother that came to mind.

Then, something that wasn’t visible before became visible.

‘…She resembles Sehee?’

It seemed no coincidence that his mother was also from the Yoo clan like Yu Sehee.

Tracing the Flow of Causality to confirm, she was the sister of Yu Mirae, Yu Sehee’s mother.

However, her fate was twisted as she lost her name due to the Seed of Void, and she grew up as an orphan separated from her original family before meeting Lee Hyeonseong.

‘That would make Sehee and me first cousins once removed, wouldn’t it?’

No wonder, after regressing, he wanted to change the future where Yu Sehee died; he must have unconsciously seen his mother’s image in her.

As his mother gained a new name and escaped the Seed of Void, history flowed without any major issues.

As per the original history, his father absorbed the Key of the Seat, and later the key grew well in the womb of the pregnant Yoo Eunhye and was born as Lee Hanseong.

“Now I can relax a bit.”

From birth onwards, since Mirinae was fixating Lee Hanseong’s history, there was no great need to worry.

And while watching his own birth, he had also spread the Naming Law to Earth.

Not only his mother but also other nameless ones like the Ten Great Guild Masters who would have been infected by the Seed of Void would also escape the Seed of Void.

However, to avoid contradicting the fact and probability of the Seed of Void appearing in the future, he slightly delayed the manifestation point of the law until the time when the Outer God’s Apostle appeared.

The changes would be applied after the History Fixation ended.

Pararara—

The history of Earth after Lee Hanseong’s already fixated birth flowed rapidly.

He, revealed to be a Great Vessel of 12-Star, grew up mingling with Kim Jinho.

After becoming an Adult and forming a Spirit Contract, he was replaced by his future self who had regressed.

‘As expected, the regressed history was also fixated.’

He resolved a Sudden Rift at the Training Center and passed the Awakened Qualification Exam.

‘At this time, I became friends with Jincheol and Yuseong, and also with Sehee.’

He conquered the Dungeon [Crossroads of the Scales] and realized the truth of the world collision.

‘Here, I killed Kim Jinho. And I also obtained several pieces of Legendary Equipment as Dungeon rewards.’

He passed the Heavenly Demon Medallion Trial with Hundred-Man Slaughter and gained the recognition of the Heavenly Slaughter Demon Lord.

‘Thanks to that, I made known the value of the name to expand the Galaxy Guild.’

He prevented the terror attack by Unchain targeting the Heavenly Palace Tournament and became their master.

‘At this time, I realized Möbius, another Aspect of Mirinae.’

He Dimensional Shifted to the Arthalia Continent to avoid an Apostle’s attack, grew up, and returned.

‘I realized Maya, yet another Aspect of Mirinae, while passing through the Asura Three Thousand Gates.’

He stopped Luke Meyer, who had performed a Constellation Descent, and later stopped the Great War that began.

‘It was thanks to realizing the Authority [Infinity].’

And after all Apostles and Contractors were drawn to the Crossroads of Ascension.

The moment Earth’s Awakened, who had been fighting the Hounds of Void, finally faced the Outer God’s Apostle.

The fixated history finally reached the present.

Clank!

From the Galaxy Guild’s perspective, it was a point where several Loops had already progressed, but unlike before, a Loop with the Naming Law applied began.

Kugugugugugugu!

The Outer God’s Apostle appears.

But unlike before, the figures of the Ten Great Guild Masters could not be seen among them.

Because the Ten Great Guild Masters already had new names bestowed by the Naming Law.

“My name was… Alexander!”

“I was Chris.”

……

It wasn’t just them.

Whether they carried the Seed of Void or not, all existences were newly bestowed names by Lee Hanseong and escaped the influence of Outer Gods.

Because of this, before the Outer God’s Apostles, who could no longer absorb the Awakened’s Starlight, Lee Hanseong revealed himself, having manifested through a Stellar Body overlapped by twelve spirits.

“History Fixation ends here. From now on, it will be the present, not past history.”

“Hanseong-nim!”

“You’ve come!”

Amidst the Galaxy Guild members discovering Lee Hanseong and welcoming his appearance.

“I am the world. I shall name Earth Lee Hanseong.”

Lee Hanseong used the authority gained from bestowing names upon all existences on Earth to attach his own name to Earth’s name.

“Therefore, vanish from within me.”

Earth, which gained a name, i.e., the world: Lee Hanseong, like the world: Mirinae, escaped the influence of Outer Gods.

Pabababat!

Naturally, the Hounds of Void, including the Outer God’s Apostle, were also expelled from Earth.

Thanks to this, at the point where time had been rewound each time, the moment he crossed over the Loop without using the Wheel of Tribulation Escape Net.

With History Fixation ended, the present time, which had been stopped, began to flow again.

* * *

Simultaneously with the end of History Fixation, Lee Hanseong, who was on Earth, disappeared.

Because the twelve spirits constituting him split off to the Crossroads of Ascension where Apostle Duels were in progress.

As the history where those who had died in the original history and become spirits changed to existences who had lived until the present was fixated, the stalled Apostle Duels were also having their results decided one by one.

[The Epicenter Throne selects a new Apostle. The new Apostle is Utangka.]

[The Steel Throne selects a new Apostle… The new Apostle is Non Smith.]

[The Wind Constellation selects a new Apostle… The new Apostle is Rough.]

[The Darkness Constellation selects a new… The new Apostle is Blundell Violet.]

[The Clay Constellation selects… The new Apostle is Henrietta.]

[The Golden Constellation selects… The new Apostle is Duren Spirit.]

[The Brilliance Constellation selects… The new Apostle is Hanna Bright.]

[The Lunar Constellation selects… The new Apostle is Hyoo Guild.]

[The Heavenly Slaughter Constellation selects… The new Apostle is Hans.]

[The Wheel Constellation selects… The new Apostle is Alter Goulds.]

[The North Star Constellation selects… The new Apostle is Rian Shin.]

Amidst all those who lost the Apostle Duels returning to Earth.

Except for Pheidippides, who was already the Apostle of the Sun Constellation, the Apostles of all other Constellations were filled by Lee Hanseong’s spirits.

And the moment he was reborn as the Contractor of the twelve Apostles as intended.

Paaat!

The constellation created by the Innate Authorities of the twelve spirits that had resided within Lee Hanseong was joined by a constellation gathering the Constellation Authorities of the Twelve Constellations, expanding the Vessel.

Lee Hanseong alone achieved the grade of a 12-Star, no different from a Constellation, becoming an existence that could be called the Infinite Constellation without exaggeration.

―You succeeded, Steward!

―The time for Ascension has come.

―Huhu….

Kugugugugugugu!

Amidst the congratulations of the three Main Gods belonging to the Chaos Constellation, including Mirinae, Lee Hanseong exercised the newly granted authority.

[I will challenge the Imperial Seat of the Chaos Constellation.]

Unlike the Twelve Constellations, which were at the 12-Star level, the Chaos Constellation, which encompassed them all, was 13-Star, so only by reaching 12-Star could one challenge the Imperial Seat corresponding to an Apostle.

As Lee Hanseong, who was at the Crossroads of Ascension, reached 12-Star and exercised his authority, the Crossroads of Ascension, which had been creating a dimensional distance between the Twelve Constellations and Earth, was judged to have achieved its original purpose and began to collapse.

Ddeuddeuddeuddeu— Paaaaat!

Soon, along with the True Bodies of the Twelve Constellations that had been trapped at the Crossroads of Ascension, Lee Hanseong was shot as a giant pillar of light into the interior of the Chaos Constellation’s True Body.

Finally, it was the Ascension towards the Imperial Seat.