[The ‘Stealth Blessing’ is active!]
[Concealing your presence.]
[Your senses are now sharper.]
...
“I’ve confirmed that the targets are in their locations.”
“I knew it. The death row convicts likely weren’t nourished properly, which means running away probably feels like hell for them. They couldn’t have gotten that far.”
Their target had twelve pieces of human luggage with him. No matter how great an inquisitor was, fleeing with so much dead weight would heavily limit them.
“Do we have to go this far? They don’t even know the basics of tracking.”
Perhaps that was why many of Chang-Sun and the others’ trackers were grumbling right now. The Ursa Shadow Syndicate, which meant the ‘shadow of a bear,’ were the shadows of the ‘Ursa Major’ Order. As the paladins increased the order’s influence and the inquisitors enforced its rules, they were left with no time to take care of what was happening behind the scenes. Hence, the Ursa Shadow Syndicate was formed. Their mission was to handle all of the order’s shady works, including incidents and information that the public shouldn’t know.
The syndicate was small but only because it only accepted extremely skilled people—ones that they could be proud of. Society was kept in the dark about their work, but these chosen elites and martyrs sacrificed themselves for the glory of the ‘Ursa Major’ Order.
Their characteristics made them reluctant to take on missions that they couldn’t comprehend the necessity of, and it was no different now. Being mobilized to track down ordinary death row convicts who had spent most of their lives in a remote village annoyed them. To make matters worse, they were using [Stealth Blessing] and all sorts of high-technology artifacts to track the escapees down, an approach they would normally only use against Grade 1 targets.
Wondering why they couldn’t just storm in and capture the convicts, The Ursa Shadow Syndicate’s Squad 17 looked at their squad leader in confusion.
Hidden in the bushes, their leader, Karpoor, shook his head. “We shouldn’t take the inquisitor lightly. He made quick work of four paladins and two hundred soldiers, all of whom were armed with magical guns.”
“Those soldiers and paladins were just idiots. We’re talking about Atran the Greedy here. He probably betrayed us for money, which isn’t really all that surprising.”
The Ursa Shadow Syndicate’s evaluation of Atran Euhanes couldn’t be any worse. Atran was the typical villain who bowed down to the strong and acted high and mighty to the weak. Considering everything that they had gone through to sort out what he had done, he shouldn’t have the right to complain even if they tore him apart.
“What if he’s just been hiding his true nature all this time? He knows what’s going on in Rabralta City better than anyone else. If he leaks what he knows to others, specifically the rebels, we’re going to be in a really messy situation,” Karpoor retorted. His subordinates’ expressions grew serious.
The rebels who called themselves freedom fighters were the Star Order’s most troublesome terrorists right now.
“Even if that isn’t the case, we still have to stop the ‘Canis Major’ minions from catching wind of this. We have to end Atran here no matter what. Have I made myself clear?” he turned to his subordinates.
At the mention of their Guardian’s rival, Squad 17 nodded and stopped complaining. Their business in Rabrala City should never be known to the public.
“Over there, sir!” Cerian, one of the squad members, pointed in a certain direction.
Karpoor’s eyes widened when he turned to where Cerian was pointing.
Tap, tap―!
A man was walking toward the bushes where they were hiding. Judging from the plain metal mask he was wearing, he seemed intent on hiding his identity, but his physique made it evident that he was Atran.
“Ha! What is up with that getup?”
“That’s quite the weird hobby to have.”
“What is he planning?” Karpoor frowned, unable to make sense of the situation right now.
Just then, Atran looked at them and waved his hand in the air.
[A Lightning Rune has been activated!]
‘Lightning?’ Karpoor wondered.
Rumble!
Before he could finish reading the message, a lightning bolt struck down from the sky.
“Arrrghhh!”
“Cerian, wake up! Cerian! Shit!”
The bolt hit and blasted Cerian away. He eventually rolled to a stop, his corpse scorched beyond recognition. Unfortunately for them, that was just the beginning.
[A series of Lightning Runes have been activated!]
Rumble! Rumble! Rummmble!
Thuuuud―!
Lightning bolts struck the squad members.
“Arrghhhh!”
“You bastard!”
“Get into formation before you move!” Karpoor commanded.
The lightning bolts directly struck and killed several of Squad 17’s members. Some managed to block the attacks using defensive artifacts, allowing them to retreat and assume a formation as ordered. Murderous intent blazed up in their eyes as they gritted their teeth, deciding not to spare Atran for daring to launch a surprise attack against them.
Taking the heretic craft that was used now into account, they believed that it would take a while for Atran to start his next attack. Contrary to their expectations, however...
“Ha!”
‘He’s... smiling?’ Karpoor thought, not missing the scoff. A shiver ran down his spine as he looked beyond the mask’s eye holes and realized that Atran was smiling. The sight instinctively made him realize that he shouldn’t go up against Atran.
Wooosh―!
Atran—no, Chang-Sun had already extended his hand in their direction. Karpoor could see a significant amount of mana whirling in front of his palm.
* * *
Viscount Chester’s office, Rabralta City.
“... That fucking ‘Ursa Major’ Order! They’re going to make me take all the blame for the shitty job they’ve done!” Chester paced back and forth in his office, his anxiety making it impossible for him to sit still.
His alliance with the ‘Ursa Major’ Order was a secret so well-kept that not even the Star Order and the Arcadian Empire’s Imperial Family knew. They joined hands in an attempt to change Eos by eliminating the remaining traces of pagan <Myths> and replacing them with the <Myth> of ‘Ursa Major.’ The casualties they made in the process were all supposed to be sacrificial offerings...
“Arghhh! Why am I even thinking about this?! None of this matters right now! Shit!” Chester tousled his hair. His eyes gleamed menacingly.
They offered him a Divine Rank in exchange for helping them turn Eos into the land of ‘Ursa Major.’ Blinded by his desire to be immortal, Chester accepted the job. However, keeping himself involved in this any further would be too dangerous.
“I’ll wait for the Ursa Shadow Syndicate to bring me Atran’s head before making a decision. If they succeed in carrying out their promise, then all of our problems will be solved. The Ursa Shadow Syndicate, the Ursa Shadow Syndicate...” Chester frantically repeated.
For as long as the Imperial Family and the other factions of the Star Order—like the ‘Canis Major’ faction—didn’t know about his alliance with the ‘Ursa Major’ faction, then he believed everything would be fine. Immortality and Divine Ranks were privileges that only the members of the Imperial Family could enjoy. Hence, Chester couldn’t let anyone know that he coveted those privileges.
He bit his nails as he waited for the Ursa Shadow Syndicate to bring him news. A moment later, an unfamiliar voice filled his office even though he disallowed anyone from entering it.
“Are you waiting for the Ursa Shadow Syndicate?”
Chester hurriedly turned his head in the opposite direction, finding a man with a metal mask leaning against the wall by the window. He immediately bolted for the door, realizing that the man was Atran Euhanes, the root of all his problems, and that Atran’s presence in the room indicated that he had already taken down the Ursa Shadow Syndicate’s members.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
[A Restriction Rune has been activated!]
However, an invisible whip wrapped around Chester’s ankle. He could hear quiet laughter from behind him.
“Let go of me! Let go!” Chester fell to the floor and was dragged toward Chang-Sun.
He desperately struggled to snap the invisible whip. As a Class 3 knight with advanced techniques of his own, he was capable of undoing most magic with brute force alone, but the invisible whip only got tighter the more he squirmed.
Soon, Chester found himself before Chang-Sun.
“Eeeek!”
Chang-Sun silently looked down at Chester, his gaze terrifying the noble.
‘Don’t you know who I am? I’m a noble of the great Arcadian Empire, the ruler of this galaxy! You’ll be severely punished if you don’t let me go!’ Chester had so many things he wanted to say, but he couldn’t voice any of them out. The navy blue flame in Chang-Sun’s eye overwhelmed him with so much terror that he trembled. He felt as if his soul was being endlessly stabbed.
“The leader of Squad 17 told me a lot of interesting things, but you know more than he does, don’t you? You’re the lord of this place, after all.”
“...!” Chester soiled his pants, realizing what awaited him.
* * *
“Urrgh! Arghh...” Chester groaned. His eyes had lost focus long ago. The torture he had gone through was so painful that he let out a thick, burning smell with each breath he took.
“You people are definitely up to something interesting.” Chang-Sun laughed lowly as he looked at Chester.
To erase Chang-Sun’s <Myth> as part of their <Myth> Manipulation, they even went through the trouble of disbanding a village. Finding it weird, Chang-Sun interrogated Karpoor and Chester and ended up gaining a lot of interesting information.
“‘Ursa Major’ is trying to make Eos his domain and use all of its inhabitants as sacrificial offerings...?”
Using humans as sacrifices was a very common practice in many civilizations because their soul was the most efficient source of energy. The more human souls available, the more effective they were in elevating a Divine Class. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that this was where the taboo Celestial Cannibalism started. Even so, many Celestials prohibited the practice.
‘The long-term decrease in their followers outweighs the short-term benefits they gain from it.’
Faith was essential for Celestials. To accumulate more of it, they would have to gain and retain more followers, not use them as sacrifices.
“If he’s trying to take over Eos for that reason even though he knows the risks that come with it, then he’s definitely aiming for something higher.”
Since Arcadia was the headquarters of <Horoscope>, a <Society> that would never tolerate the plan of ‘Ursa Major,’ this could only mean that he was moving behind the Zodiacs and other Star Signs’ backs. If they found out about this, he would be subjected to Celestial Cannibalism. What could be so important that he would be willing to risk his life to obtain it?
“The only benefit he’ll gain from this is the elevation of his Divine Class.”
Even if ‘Ursa Major’ succeeded, he would be making an enemy out of the Zodiacs as a consequence. Why would he make such a gamble? What could he be trying to achieve that required him to take his chances with something so dangerous?
‘Considering all the risks he’s willing to take, his goal is probably...’
Chang-Sun could only think of one answer. His eyes gleamed.
‘... to become an Outer Celestial.’
A being who observed all Worldlines in the outskirts of the Great Universe could protect him from the Zodiacs.
‘Doing something like this in secret is impossible without help.’
The many factions within <Horoscope> were formed according to the benefits they’d gain from each other. One of them had to be controlling ‘Ursa Major’ from the shadows.
‘If I were to guess, it’s probably Sadalmelik.’
‘Aquarius’ of the Zodiacs.
‘She’s trying to become an Outer Celestial.’ Chang-Sun smirked, having just deduced another interesting piece of information and coming across another question.
What if he took over Eos, the very place Sadalmelik was hoping to sacrifice to become an Outer Celestial?
Chang-Sun couldn’t stop laughing.
[The ‘Stealth Blessing’ is active!]
[Concealing your presence.]
[Your senses are now sharper.]
...
“I’ve confirmed that the targets are in their locations.”
“I knew it. The death row convicts likely weren’t nourished properly, which means running away probably feels like hell for them. They couldn’t have gotten that far.”
Their target had twelve pieces of human luggage with him. No matter how great an inquisitor was, fleeing with so much dead weight would heavily limit them.
“Do we have to go this far? They don’t even know the basics of tracking.”
Perhaps that was why many of Chang-Sun and the others’ trackers were grumbling right now. The Ursa Shadow Syndicate, which meant the ‘shadow of a bear,’ were the shadows of the ‘Ursa Major’ Order. As the paladins increased the order’s influence and the inquisitors enforced its rules, they were left with no time to take care of what was happening behind the scenes. Hence, the Ursa Shadow Syndicate was formed. Their mission was to handle all of the order’s shady works, including incidents and information that the public shouldn’t know.
The syndicate was small but only because it only accepted extremely skilled people—ones that they could be proud of. Society was kept in the dark about their work, but these chosen elites and martyrs sacrificed themselves for the glory of the ‘Ursa Major’ Order.
Their characteristics made them reluctant to take on missions that they couldn’t comprehend the necessity of, and it was no different now. Being mobilized to track down ordinary death row convicts who had spent most of their lives in a remote village annoyed them. To make matters worse, they were using [Stealth Blessing] and all sorts of high-technology artifacts to track the escapees down, an approach they would normally only use against Grade 1 targets.
Wondering why they couldn’t just storm in and capture the convicts, The Ursa Shadow Syndicate’s Squad 17 looked at their squad leader in confusion.
Hidden in the bushes, their leader, Karpoor, shook his head. “We shouldn’t take the inquisitor lightly. He made quick work of four paladins and two hundred soldiers, all of whom were armed with magical guns.”
“Those soldiers and paladins were just idiots. We’re talking about Atran the Greedy here. He probably betrayed us for money, which isn’t really all that surprising.”
The Ursa Shadow Syndicate’s evaluation of Atran Euhanes couldn’t be any worse. Atran was the typical villain who bowed down to the strong and acted high and mighty to the weak. Considering everything that they had gone through to sort out what he had done, he shouldn’t have the right to complain even if they tore him apart.
“What if he’s just been hiding his true nature all this time? He knows what’s going on in Rabralta City better than anyone else. If he leaks what he knows to others, specifically the rebels, we’re going to be in a really messy situation,” Karpoor retorted. His subordinates’ expressions grew serious.
The rebels who called themselves freedom fighters were the Star Order’s most troublesome terrorists right now.
“Even if that isn’t the case, we still have to stop the ‘Canis Major’ minions from catching wind of this. We have to end Atran here no matter what. Have I made myself clear?” he turned to his subordinates.
At the mention of their Guardian’s rival, Squad 17 nodded and stopped complaining. Their business in Rabrala City should never be known to the public.
“Over there, sir!” Cerian, one of the squad members, pointed in a certain direction.
Karpoor’s eyes widened when he turned to where Cerian was pointing.
Tap, tap―!
A man was walking toward the bushes where they were hiding. Judging from the plain metal mask he was wearing, he seemed intent on hiding his identity, but his physique made it evident that he was Atran.
“Ha! What is up with that getup?”
“That’s quite the weird hobby to have.”
“What is he planning?” Karpoor frowned, unable to make sense of the situation right now.
Just then, Atran looked at them and waved his hand in the air.
[A Lightning Rune has been activated!]
‘Lightning?’ Karpoor wondered.
Rumble!
Before he could finish reading the message, a lightning bolt struck down from the sky.
“Arrrghhh!”
“Cerian, wake up! Cerian! Shit!”
The bolt hit and blasted Cerian away. He eventually rolled to a stop, his corpse scorched beyond recognition. Unfortunately for them, that was just the beginning.
[A series of Lightning Runes have been activated!]
Rumble! Rumble! Rummmble!
Thuuuud―!
Lightning bolts struck the squad members.
“Arrghhhh!”
“You bastard!”
“Get into formation before you move!” Karpoor commanded.
The lightning bolts directly struck and killed several of Squad 17’s members. Some managed to block the attacks using defensive artifacts, allowing them to retreat and assume a formation as ordered. Murderous intent blazed up in their eyes as they gritted their teeth, deciding not to spare Atran for daring to launch a surprise attack against them.
Taking the heretic craft that was used now into account, they believed that it would take a while for Atran to start his next attack. Contrary to their expectations, however...
“Ha!”
‘He’s... smiling?’ Karpoor thought, not missing the scoff. A shiver ran down his spine as he looked beyond the mask’s eye holes and realized that Atran was smiling. The sight instinctively made him realize that he shouldn’t go up against Atran.
Wooosh―!
Atran—no, Chang-Sun had already extended his hand in their direction. Karpoor could see a significant amount of mana whirling in front of his palm.
* * *
Viscount Chester’s office, Rabralta City.
“... That fucking ‘Ursa Major’ Order! They’re going to make me take all the blame for the shitty job they’ve done!” Chester paced back and forth in his office, his anxiety making it impossible for him to sit still.
His alliance with the ‘Ursa Major’ Order was a secret so well-kept that not even the Star Order and the Arcadian Empire’s Imperial Family knew. They joined hands in an attempt to change Eos by eliminating the remaining traces of pagan <Myths> and replacing them with the <Myth> of ‘Ursa Major.’ The casualties they made in the process were all supposed to be sacrificial offerings...
“Arghhh! Why am I even thinking about this?! None of this matters right now! Shit!” Chester tousled his hair. His eyes gleamed menacingly.
They offered him a Divine Rank in exchange for helping them turn Eos into the land of ‘Ursa Major.’ Blinded by his desire to be immortal, Chester accepted the job. However, keeping himself involved in this any further would be too dangerous.
“I’ll wait for the Ursa Shadow Syndicate to bring me Atran’s head before making a decision. If they succeed in carrying out their promise, then all of our problems will be solved. The Ursa Shadow Syndicate, the Ursa Shadow Syndicate...” Chester frantically repeated.
For as long as the Imperial Family and the other factions of the Star Order—like the ‘Canis Major’ faction—didn’t know about his alliance with the ‘Ursa Major’ faction, then he believed everything would be fine. Immortality and Divine Ranks were privileges that only the members of the Imperial Family could enjoy. Hence, Chester couldn’t let anyone know that he coveted those privileges.
He bit his nails as he waited for the Ursa Shadow Syndicate to bring him news. A moment later, an unfamiliar voice filled his office even though he disallowed anyone from entering it.
“Are you waiting for the Ursa Shadow Syndicate?”
Chester hurriedly turned his head in the opposite direction, finding a man with a metal mask leaning against the wall by the window. He immediately bolted for the door, realizing that the man was Atran Euhanes, the root of all his problems, and that Atran’s presence in the room indicated that he had already taken down the Ursa Shadow Syndicate’s members.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
[A Restriction Rune has been activated!]
However, an invisible whip wrapped around Chester’s ankle. He could hear quiet laughter from behind him.
“Let go of me! Let go!” Chester fell to the floor and was dragged toward Chang-Sun.
He desperately struggled to snap the invisible whip. As a Class 3 knight with advanced techniques of his own, he was capable of undoing most magic with brute force alone, but the invisible whip only got tighter the more he squirmed.
Soon, Chester found himself before Chang-Sun.
“Eeeek!”
Chang-Sun silently looked down at Chester, his gaze terrifying the noble.
‘Don’t you know who I am? I’m a noble of the great Arcadian Empire, the ruler of this galaxy! You’ll be severely punished if you don’t let me go!’ Chester had so many things he wanted to say, but he couldn’t voice any of them out. The navy blue flame in Chang-Sun’s eye overwhelmed him with so much terror that he trembled. He felt as if his soul was being endlessly stabbed.
“The leader of Squad 17 told me a lot of interesting things, but you know more than he does, don’t you? You’re the lord of this place, after all.”
“...!” Chester soiled his pants, realizing what awaited him.
* * *
“Urrgh! Arghh...” Chester groaned. His eyes had lost focus long ago. The torture he had gone through was so painful that he let out a thick, burning smell with each breath he took.
“You people are definitely up to something interesting.” Chang-Sun laughed lowly as he looked at Chester.
To erase Chang-Sun’s <Myth> as part of their <Myth> Manipulation, they even went through the trouble of disbanding a village. Finding it weird, Chang-Sun interrogated Karpoor and Chester and ended up gaining a lot of interesting information.
“‘Ursa Major’ is trying to make Eos his domain and use all of its inhabitants as sacrificial offerings...?”
Using humans as sacrifices was a very common practice in many civilizations because their soul was the most efficient source of energy. The more human souls available, the more effective they were in elevating a Divine Class. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that this was where the taboo Celestial Cannibalism started. Even so, many Celestials prohibited the practice.
‘The long-term decrease in their followers outweighs the short-term benefits they gain from it.’
Faith was essential for Celestials. To accumulate more of it, they would have to gain and retain more followers, not use them as sacrifices.
“If he’s trying to take over Eos for that reason even though he knows the risks that come with it, then he’s definitely aiming for something higher.”
Since Arcadia was the headquarters of <Horoscope>, a <Society> that would never tolerate the plan of ‘Ursa Major,’ this could only mean that he was moving behind the Zodiacs and other Star Signs’ backs. If they found out about this, he would be subjected to Celestial Cannibalism. What could be so important that he would be willing to risk his life to obtain it?
“The only benefit he’ll gain from this is the elevation of his Divine Class.”
Even if ‘Ursa Major’ succeeded, he would be making an enemy out of the Zodiacs as a consequence. Why would he make such a gamble? What could he be trying to achieve that required him to take his chances with something so dangerous?
‘Considering all the risks he’s willing to take, his goal is probably...’
Chang-Sun could only think of one answer. His eyes gleamed.
‘... to become an Outer Celestial.’
A being who observed all Worldlines in the outskirts of the Great Universe could protect him from the Zodiacs.
‘Doing something like this in secret is impossible without help.’
The many factions within <Horoscope> were formed according to the benefits they’d gain from each other. One of them had to be controlling ‘Ursa Major’ from the shadows.
‘If I were to guess, it’s probably Sadalmelik.’
‘Aquarius’ of the Zodiacs.
‘She’s trying to become an Outer Celestial.’ Chang-Sun smirked, having just deduced another interesting piece of information and coming across another question.
What if he took over Eos, the very place Sadalmelik was hoping to sacrifice to become an Outer Celestial?
Chang-Sun couldn’t stop laughing.
