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[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
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Chapter 242
The Earth God, who had been compressed inside Kaylen’s sword, felt joy for the first time since arriving on the moon.
‘The Celestial Demon God... It’s definitely Krugen.’
The massive sunstone the Celestial Demon God had mobilized to suppress Kaylen—
It was something the Earth God had created when he was the god of Theia.
‘Even if the method for creating sunstones was passed down to later generations—’
No one but the Earth God could have made that sunstone.
It was a masterpiece crafted with a special divine power, infused into a colossal meteor that had fallen onto Theia.
‘Heh heh...’
The Earth God recalled the distant past, the days of Theia.
‘To crash Theia into Earth, energy was required.’
Altering a planet’s predetermined trajectory was no easy task, even for ‘Theia,’ the ruling god of the planet Theia.
Furthermore, after colliding with Earth, the god of Theia had to conserve power in order to devour the planet.
So, he had to find a way to minimize energy consumption.
That solution was the sunstone and the solar energy plant.
By gathering mana from the light emitted by the sun, they would generate enough energy to move a planet.
To fulfill this goal, the planetary god Theia entrusted the task to the clan he trusted most—Krugen of Theia.
[We thought the solar energy plant was lost due to the planetary collision...]
[I don’t know what you’re talking about.]
[Heh heh heh. Krugen... Even after hearing this. Can you really pretend not to understand?]
With a voice full of certainty, the Earth God spoke.
[Eiojaf.......]
He spoke in a new language.
Kaylen couldn’t understand what was said, but it sounded eerily similar to the language used by the hellspawn.
［Mmm...］
And upon hearing those words—
The Celestial Demon God's voice began to tremble noticeably.
［You think such a divine tongue can bind me? I am the Celestial Demon God, who rules both sky and demon... That language means nothing—］
［I am the one who created your existence, Krugen. Obey my command. Eiojaf.......］
The Earth God continued to recite the divine language meant to bind the Celestial Demon God.
[No, this can’t be...]
[This is impossible...]
[I have ascended to godhood. I cannot be dominated by a ghost of the past...]
The Celestial Demon God struggled repeatedly to resist the divine language of Theia.
[It’s useless to resist.]
The divine language weakened him further with every word.
Meanwhile, Kaylen watched from the side, waiting to see how the situation would unfold.
‘The Earth God within the Six Sword can be subdued at any time.’
Transcendental Realm — Moon Slayer .
This ultimate sword that surpassed the Six Sword consumed an immense amount of mana.
Especially here, not being on Earth, he couldn’t draw mana through Infinity like before.
‘Moon Slayer... can probably be used just two or three more times.’
Which meant he had to wield it with utmost care.
Though the Crescent Moon had completely overwhelmed the Celestial Demon God’s attack—
Kaylen still couldn’t determine where his true body was located, so if it turned into a battle of attrition, the odds would be against him.
‘If the Earth God can use such a method to reveal the Celestial Demon God’s location… that, too, could be useful.’
With that thought, Kaylen chose to watch silently as the Earth God continued to speak freely.
[Reveal yourself, Krugen.]
And the Earth God’s commands only grew stronger.
Pouring out divine power, he had reached the point of directly ordering the Celestial Demon God—whose position remained unknown—to show himself.
[Gruuuugh... How could a being like me, the Celestial Demon God, respond to a mere wraith like you…….]
[You’re not the Celestial Demon God. You’re just Krugen, the director of the solar power plant.]
[No. I am… the one who will restore Theia and rule over the planet as a god. The name Krugen has already been cast aside!]
[Krugen. If you had truly discarded that name, you would have resisted the divine word already. Isn’t that right?]
As the Earth God’s voice grew more confident, the darkness over the land gradually lifted.
Even the distant sunstone floating far above, outside the reach of the Crescent Moon, lost its light.
Now even Kaylen could clearly feel that the Celestial Demon God’s divine power was weakening.
[Follow me once again, as you did before, Krugen. You are… yes. Strictly speaking, you’re practically my great-grandson, are you not? Huhu.]
[…Great-grandson, you say? How easily those words leave your lips.]
[Isn’t it true? Tch. If you had confessed your identity when you came looking for me on Earth, things wouldn’t have turned out this way.]
[Do you really have the right to say that?]
[Of course. I am Theia’s god. More than anyone else, I have every right to speak these words.]
[You’re the one who abandoned us.]
Srrr.
From the gray land where the darkness had receded, the Celestial Demon God revealed himself.
With wings of light.
A strange being, his face hidden in shadow.
Even after being struck by Kaylen’s Crescent Moon, he displayed a transcendent power where the mana of light and darkness coexisted.
[Yes. You…]
Chiiiiiik.
The darkness covering the Celestial Demon God’s face burned away on its own and disappeared.
His appearance slowly emerged.
‘That is…….’
On his cheeks and forehead, where skin should be, sunstones were embedded.
At the center where the eyes, nose, and mouth should be, different individuals’ features were fused together.
It wasn’t a complete being, but rather a face crudely stitched together from many others.
The Earth God looked at that face and burst into laughter.
[Krugen. So it wasn’t just you. The priest’s and the king’s faces are there too. Not just my great-grandchildren—my own grandchildren are mixed in as well.]
[Even after seeing this face… is that all you have to say?]
[No. Eiojaf. Elana……]
As a new divine word was spoken, the Celestial Demon God’s stitched-together face twisted grotesquely.
The left eye and right corner of the mouth grimaced.
But the right eye, nose, and left corner of the mouth drooped, unable to even look at the Six Swords.
Kaylen, seeing the Celestial Demon God’s revealed face, noticed that half of his face was now subject to the Earth God’s divine word.
‘But…’
Kaylen felt uneasy.
No matter how powerful the divine word was as a means of control, how could the mighty Celestial Demon God submit to the Earth God’s fragments like this?
Though the outward appearance seemed this way, the situation could change at any moment.
Kaylen maintained his vigilance, continuing to watch the Celestial Demon God.
[How did you survive and gather power to become a god?]
The Earth God, now fully at ease, casually asked the Celestial Demon God about the past.
Then, the right corner of the Celestial Demon God’s mouth slowly began to move.
“That…”
The solar power plant floating above Theia’s sky.
There, Krugen, the plant manager from royal blood, bit his lip.
‘To think the god would truly push for the collision of the planets...’
The collision of Theia and Earth.
Although he had heard that the god governing Theia was planning something like this, he never imagined it would actually happen in reality.
“Krugen. What in the world is going on?”
The king and princess of Theia urgently came to find him.
The planet had deviated from its designated orbit and was heading toward Earth.
The sun didn’t rise when it was supposed to.
As the sky and earth shook, severe abnormal conditions were rapidly unfolding.
The source of all these changes was the solar power plant, which the god had directly created.
The king had no choice but to come to this place.
“It was the god… who did this.”
“The god? What exactly did he do?”
“He says he plans to make Theia and Earth collide.”
“What?”
The face of the blue-skinned king quickly turned pale.
Collide two planets?
Was this even possible?
“Why... Why didn’t you report this sooner?”
“The god forbade us from speaking of it.”
Thud.
The king sank down into his seat.
From the moment they had mobilized all of Theia’s resources to create the massive sunstone, he had a bad feeling.
‘Why? Why…?’
Why would they make Theia, a planet under good rule, collide with a much larger planet?
As a king who did not understand the god’s desire for “growth,” the current situation was completely incomprehensible.
“...Is there no way to stop it?”
“It’s impossible. The mana of the solar power plant is already under the god’s control.”
Ah…
Living for centuries, even a thousand years.
Ruling over the mana of darkness, and even attempting to control the mana of the sun—Theia’s clan.
This great race, because of a mere god's whim, was on the verge of destruction overnight.
“...Somehow. Our clan must find a way to survive.”
The king, who had been sitting down, stood up.
Unlike before, he had regained his composure.
“The solar power plant... it has an Absolute Barrier installed, capable of withstanding external shocks.”
“Yes. But the god has drained all the mana needed for the barrier.”
“If it’s mana, we can supply it.”
Despite the sudden threat of destruction, the king of Theia chose the best path to preserve his clan.
“How many can the power plant accommodate?”
“About 1,000 people can be housed.”
“...We’ll select the clan members as quickly as possible.”
The work proceeded swiftly.
Among Theia’s clan, the elite 1,000 were chosen.
They entered the solar power plant and reactivated the Absolute Barrier, which had been deactivated due to the depletion of mana.
“Ugh... The mana is insufficient. At this rate, all our mana will be depleted.”
“Then pour all your mana into it, and die. If we can’t reactivate this barrier, our clan will be wiped out. Think of it as a sacrifice to save your family and comrades.”
“...Yes.”
Even among the 1,000 elites, those who were lacking in mana died while reactivating the Absolute Barrier.
“Now, the collision is becoming visible.”
“Yes. Terra is now large enough to be seen with the naked eye.”
Krugen, the plant manager, looked up at the sky.
The planet Terra, which used to be just a star in the night sky, now loomed large, revealing its presence.
“The Absolute Barrier... I believe everything is ready now.”
“Yes. Even the Dark Fortress, which will maintain the clan's bloodline, has entered the shield.”
“Good... Now, activate the barrier.”
The king bit his lip and gazed at the land below the solar power plant, where Theia’s clan lived.
‘I’m sorry. There’s no way to save all of you…
With so little time to respond to this unprecedented event caused by the god of Theia, I couldn’t save everyone.
For now, I must focus on the 725 survivors remaining in the solar power plant.
While maintaining the clan’s bloodline, I’ll have to find a future solution.’
The king, thinking this, looked at the brilliantly shining silver barrier that enveloped the solar power plant.
He felt a slight sense of relief.
[Ho... here. Mana. As expected, you are my loyal clan. Then, as a god, I must harvest.]
The god of Theia, having discovered the Absolute Barrier, began to chant the hateful divine language.
[Erder.]
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[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
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