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[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
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Chapter 235
“Are you saying this is a trace connected to the Earth God and the Celestial Demon God?”
She looked at the crescent-shaped gem in the Water God's hand.
Kaylen's Aura Sword drew closer to it.
“How can this gem serve as evidence?”
“It contains both of their voices.”
The Water God gently stroked the gem with her finger.
Then, the gem briefly lit up, and the voices of the Earth God and the Celestial Demon God began to echo.
—…So, what do you think? Will you join forces with me, Child of the Moon?
—Let me hear your proposal.
—Now that the Water God's power has weakened, the most troublesome being on this planet is the Six Sword.
—The Six Sword? You mean Kaylen? He's already in my hands.
—Heh. That’s merely a clone. His true body is elsewhere.
—…Don’t tell me. The Six Sword engraved upon the surface?
—Correct. The power he possesses is truly immense.
The Earth God, watching through Ederna’s eyes as Kaylen was newly reborn from the Six Sword’s emblem, had confirmed the true body.
He was passing that information to the Celestial Demon God.
—So that’s what it was. No wonder things got complicated.
—Heh. Indeed. We must not repeat that failure. Though the Six Sword holds great power… its true might only manifests when all six blades are together.
‘That’s definitely the Earth God’s voice.’
If only the sound had been heard, it could’ve been argued that the Water God fabricated it on purpose…
But within the voices of the Earth God and Celestial Demon God, there was a divine nature—something only true deities could possess.
Even the Water God wouldn’t be able to forge that.
—That’s why I opened the path to the moon, only to close it. To scatter the swords.
—Ho…
—No matter how powerful the Six Sword is, if the six blades are not gathered, it’s useless.
‘…Simple, but effective.’
Kaylen snapped to attention as he listened to the Earth God’s plan.
If, during the Six Sword’s transfer, the Earth God closed the portal—and only two or three swords made it through?
‘Then they wouldn’t be able to unleash their full strength on the moon, and they’d be taken down one by one.’
Of course, even if the Six Sword were dispatched on the lunar expedition,
they wouldn’t send their entire force.
Even if the swords were split, it didn’t mean they couldn’t use the Six Sword Technique on Earth…
But with only two or three blades on the moon,
the expedition would end in complete failure.
—A good plan. But I’m sure you’ll want something from me in return.
—Of course. That would be…
Before the Earth God’s demand was fully heard,
the crescent-shaped gem lost its light.
Whether the Celestial Demon God had deliberately controlled it or not,
their conversation ended there.
“This was… something the Celestial Demon God intentionally left behind.”
“That’s correct.”
“Also, judging by the timing of the conversation… it seems to have been after he was destroyed by the Dragon God…”
“That's right. While his influence in Earth disappeared after the Dragon God’s actions, the relics he left behind in the Celestial Realm haven’t disappeared…”
As she spoke, the Water God recalled the moment when she discovered this crescent-shaped gem.
“When I was sweeping through the Celestial Realm with the tsunami, this gem was found on the coastline of the Celestial Realm. It seemed to be asking to be discovered, floating above the shore and emitting a brilliant light.”
“The Celestial Demon God wanted this to be found.”
“Exactly.”
“Why…?”
What benefit could it bring to Kaylen if he learned of this?
Wouldn’t this just give Kaylen more time to prepare for it?
“It seems to be an attempt to keep the Earth God in check.”
“To keep him in check…”
“Yes. If everything had gone according to the Earth God’s plan, Kaylen would have lost much of his strength, and I would have been harmed as well. In that case, the Earth God’s weakened seal would have broken, and Earth would have fallen under his control.”
“The Celestial Demon God has no intention of letting this land fall.”
“Probably not. If the Earth God’s goal is to evolve into a higher being through Earth, the Celestial Demon God’s goal is to restore Theia, the moon's original form. Their purposes are completely different.”
Kaylen nodded.
In the end, the two had entirely different views on how to treat this planet, Earth, which was essentially a trophy to them.
Their positions were 180 degrees apart.
‘This situation has become rather complicated.’
The Earth God and the Celestial Demon God were colluding while also plotting against each other, a tangled mess of a situation.
Kaylen thought that this was precisely the moment when he needed to forge a solid alliance.
“Water God. Do you still view me with suspicion?”
When Kaylen asked bluntly, the Water God fell silent for a moment before slowly shaking her head.
“…It would be a lie to say I didn’t have any doubts. But not now. With the Earth God and the Celestial Demon God behaving like this, how could I still be wary of you?”
“And after they disappear?”
“Then, yes. I would be cautious.”
The Water God calmly spoke about what would happen after the two gods were gone.
“Earth is a blessed land, born from a series of coincidences. In this barren universe, how many planets can sustain such diverse life forms?”
“...”
“As the god of Earth, it is my duty to oversee the growth of life. And naturally, I must also be vigilant against any threats to that life.”
“So, after those two gods disappear, you think I’ll be a threat to Earth?”
“Because you possess the Star Extinguishing Sword.”
Transcendent Heaven's Annihilation.
With that sword, the Water God couldn’t help but remain cautious of Kaylen.
Though he wasn’t currently hostile to the stars, if he ever decided to point the sword in the opposite direction, this planet would not be able to withstand its annihilating power.
“I understand your position. But right now, we need trust. We can’t go on an expedition to the moon in a state where we don’t trust each other.”
“…That’s true.”
“So, let’s unite.”
“Unite… huh? Unite? W-What do you mean by that? Unite?!”
The Water God, now inside Violet’s body, trembled and then shouted at Kaylen.
“I… I may have lost much of my power and look like this now, but I am the god of this star. If you think about it, you’re practically like my child. But to unite like this…!”
“...I’m not sure what you think I meant, but what I’m asking is for you to enter the Sword of Power.”
“Sword of Power…?”
“Yes. Like the Earth God. No, I need to imbue more of your power into it than that.”
The Sword of Power, imbued with Kaylen's will, circled around the Water God’s body.
“Ah. What… what did you just say…?”
“What did you think I said?”
“Oh, it’s nothing…”
The Water God cleared her throat for a moment and then returned to her calm, composed expression.
“So, you want me to imbue my power into the Sword of Power. If it’s for trust… then, in the end, I’ll be like a hostage, won’t I?”
“No, the Sword of Power has a more important role than that.”
“What’s that?”
“The Six Demonic Path. You can manifest them, right?”
The Water God nodded with a slightly confused expression.
“It's not as strong as my original form as the Dragon God, but... I can manifest them. But can’t you do that too?”
“I can, but it’s not perfect. But if the original, you, help me, we can make use of it quickly.”
“What are you planning to use that for…?”
The Six Demonic Path were thought to be a superior version of the Six Swords Path.
But with the Six Swords Path capable of creating annihilation, the Water God thought that, unlike others, Kaylen would see the Six Swords Path as a superior version of the Six Demonic Path.
But now suddenly, the Six Demonic Path were needed.
And the Water God’s powers were also involved.
“The Earth God said earlier, the Six Swords Path needs all six swords to gather to unleash its true power.”
“Yes. That’s right.”
“That’s true. The Six Swords Path requires each sword's attribute... If all six swords aren’t gathered, its power will be greatly diminished.”
“But the Six Demonic Path didn’t have specific attributes.”
“Ah!”
It was at that moment that the Water God realized Kaylen’s intention.
Unlike the Six Swords Path, which was originally divided into six attributes, the Six Demonic Path had a structure where the golden star changed color according to the appropriate attribute.
And Kaylen intended to change the Six Swords Path in a similar way to adapt to special circumstances.
Even if only one sword were sent to the moon, it would not be limited to a single attribute but would be able to wield all attributes.
And this would allow the manifestation of the Six Demonic Path.
“So, Water God. I’ll need your help.”
“I understand. I will give you my full power to imbue the sword.”
A few days passed.
[Kaylen.]
Without knowing what conversation had transpired between the Water God and Kaylen, the Earth God calmly called out to him.
[The preparations to head to the moon are complete.]
“Good. Then... let’s make the final arrangements.”
In the capital of the Starn Empire, Alzass.
In the half-split imperial audience chamber, Kaylen sat on the imperial throne.
Below him, the nobles of the capital and the masters of the powerful mage towers were all gathered.
It was an extremely rare occasion for so many people to be assembled.
The people exchanged glances with each other.
‘Why has His Majesty called us here?’
‘We don’t know either… He issued the summons without any prior notice…’
“We’re ready.”
Perhaps because of the occasion, Johannes, the Grand Mage who normally spoke casually to Kaylen, spoke respectfully to him sitting on the imperial throne.
“Very well. Connect the communication.”
At Kaylen’s command, Johannes grasped the crystal orb and began to chant a spell.
Soon, screens began to rise in all directions.
“That’s…”
“The King of the Eldrin Kingdom?”
“I can see the King of the Rahendra Kingdom as well.”
Within the dozens of screens were the faces of kings from various countries.
To be precise, these were the kings of the countries who had pledged allegiance to the flag of Starn.
“The reason I’ve connected with the kings of the vassal states today is…”
Kaylen glanced at the faces of the nobles for a moment.
After a brief pause, he moved to the main topic.
“To dismantle the empire.”
[Your… Your Majesty…]
[You say you’ll dismantle the empire...?]
“Exactly as I said. The empire was originally founded to oppose the Geysir Empire. My personal desires had no part in it.”
At Kaylen’s words, the kings nodded. Kaylen, who had come alone on a Drake and subdued the kingdoms, had never made unreasonable demands of the kings who became his vassals.
In fact, aside from changing the flag to Starn’s, the rule of the kingdoms had not changed much.
“But the Geysir Empire was destroyed after the great fire, and the dungeon portals that posed a threat to humanity are no longer being created. So, there is no need to maintain the empire any longer.”
[Your… Your Majesty…]
[But how can you dismantle the empire...?]
The vassals tried to dissuade Kaylen from his decision.
[Yes, that’s true.]
[Your Majesty, dismantling the empire…?]
[Shouldn’t you continue to lead us?]
The kings exchanged uncertain glances and attempted to dissuade him from dismantling the empire.
They had initially accepted the sudden proclamation of the Emperor but were now concerned that it might cause them to fall out of favor with him.
However, Kaylen’s resolve was firm.
‘With no way of knowing when I’ll return from the moon, the empire cannot be sustained.’
The Starn Empire was a nation held together solely by Kaylen’s power.
Without him, it was better for Starn to be dismantled for the sake of the empire.
“My decision is firm. As of today, Starn will return to being a kingdom.”
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[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
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