A dharmapala was usually a deity that recited Buddhist prayers to expel demons and protected Buddhist dharma, but the name occasionally carried a different meaning.
―An act of protection for a person who is lost in their own principles.[1]
A Celestial was the embodiment of a law of nature, so one could call oneself a dharmapala by protecting a Celestial. However, that also meant the Celestial had to trust their dharmapala, because the Celestial would be defenseless while immersed in their own law of nature.
“...No matter how hard I think, I have no idea what’s going on inside his head. Even if he can just trigger Rollback, he knows I have ways to nullify it and attack him back,” Bel-Marduk muttered to himself, narrowing his eyes as he looked at Chang-Sun, who was deep in meditation while sitting in the lotus position.
It looked as if Chang-Sun would collapse to the side with one tap, but he and Bel-Marduk were not exactly sure who else they could ever trust to be their dharmapala.
Bel-Marduk had killed Ithaca and tried to use Chang-Sun until the end, and Chang-Sun had gotten where he was for the sake of taking revenge on Bel-Marduk. If not for the enormous obstacle named Ubbo-Sathla, Chang-Sun and Bel-Marduk would never have joined forces. They were enemies who happened to be in the same boat. That was all.
However, Chang-Sun had suddenly changed after scanning many Worldlines, becoming somewhat mature and relaxed. Perhaps because Chang-Sun’s perspective had widened, it seemed his grudge against Bel-Marduk had waned, and Bel-Marduk could not get used to it at all.
“But I believe in what I saw.”
Chang-Sun’s remark weighed down on Bel-Marduk’s heart. As he knew what Chang-Sun meant, Bel-Marduk could not help but chuckle dumbfoundedly.
“What is your true intention?” J?rmungandr asked Bel-Marduk, narrowing his serpent eyes.
As he crossed his arms and legs, Bel-Marduk scoffed, replying, “Who do you think I am?”
“A guy who doesn’t hesitate to use immoral means to get what he wants?”
“Well, you’re not wrong,” Bel-Marduk replied casually.
In a sense, that was an insult to a Nine Heaven, but Bel-Marduk did not care. He actually took pride in it.
“I suppress and extort others for the sake of victory. If necessary, I partner up with my enemies and abandon my allies when they outlive their use. That’s how I’ve lived my life, and how I built ‘Babylonia’. What’s the problem with that?”
Bel-Marduk was not embarrassed. He had experienced the fear of the <Extinction> that Ubbo-Sathla brought, so the moment he had realized that he could never defy the <Fate>, becoming stronger became his only goal. That was how he had gotten to where he was.
“It’s the same right now. I saw a possibility, so I took Twilight’s hand, even though I never imagined I would. Is there something wrong with this? Technically, your <Niflheim> isn’t any different. I just pursue my interests.” Bel-Marduk’s sharp eyes remained glued to Chang-Sun. “On that note, don’t worry. It’s not going to happen. It’s true that there’s tasty prey right in front of me, but I know what’s best for me. I’m not foolish enough to follow my impulses and mess everything up.”
J?rmungandr scoffed in discontentment, but he had to agree because Bel-Marduk had a point.
‘No, there is actually one benefit Bel-Marduk can gain,’ J?rmungandr thought; he knew a little about the loop Chang-Sun and Bel-Marduk were going through. ‘If he tries to use Twilight to become the one and only...’
J?rmungandr did not know much about other Worldlines’ affairs. In contrast to Star Signs, Celestials were bound to their Worldlines and could not observe another Worldline. However, one thing was certain. Although Bel-Marduk had traveled countless Worldlines, he had never run into a wall like Chang-Sun. In terms of martial prowess, they were neck-and-neck with each other. No, perhaps Chang-Sun was superior in some ways, which meant Bel-Marduk had a reason to look for an opportunity to eat Chang-Sun.
That was how Star Signs got stronger in the first place, so it would hardly be odd if Bel-Marduk tried to eat Chang-Sun right now. J?rmungandr wondered why Chang-Sun was trusting Bel-Marduk with his safety, since Chang-Sun had to be more aware of that than anyone else. Although J?rmungandr was here, he would be helpless if Bel-Marduk initiated a fight here right now.
“You know, you may think of yourself as smart, but you’re an open book,” Bel-Marduk said with a half-smirk. “You’d better be careful. Not everybody in the world is as kind as me. Hahahaha!”
Bel-Marduk burst into laughter as he stood up, walking toward the door.
“Where are you going?” J?rmungandr asked.
“I’m going out for some air. Why? Shall we go together hand in hand?”
J?rmungandr frowned in disapproval, quickly looking away from Bel-Marduk, who chuckled and left the room.
Tap, tap...
* * *
“It looks very chaotic.” Bel-Marduk scoffed quietly, looking down from the castle’s roof.
Many people were busily coming and going amid the fog to transplant the trees of the ‘Iron Forest’ to 'Nastrond', just as Chang-Sun had told them to. However, it was also to prepare for an emergency meeting, as Ubbo-Sathla’s sudden arrival had brought mayhem to both the <Anti-Star> Alliance and <Horoscope>.
<Horoscope> in particular was on the brink of their fall, so the <Society> was in no condition to continue fighting. On the other hand, the <Anti-Star> Alliance had their own emergency, being forced to respond to Ubbo-Sathla’s arrival.
The news of Chang-Sun and Bel-Marduk, the centers of their respective sides in this war, arriving in 'Nastrond' together had suddenly spread throughout <Heaven>. Of course, the <Anti-Star> Alliance had been hesitant, unsure how to respond. On top of that, <Maleakhe> and <L’Infernal> had also requested an emergency meeting, complicating the situation. In the end, Tiamat, the <Anti-Star> Alliance’s leader, had made a statement after a brief period of contemplation.
[The Celestial ‘Primordial Evil Dragon’ proposes tat all Celestials and Star Signs in <Heaven> temporarily put aside their feelings and come up with a countermeasure for the imminent <Extinction>!]
[The <Anti-Star> Alliance has passed the proposal of the Celestial ‘Primordial Evil Dragon’, declaring an emergency meeting in the Central Divine Ground 'Nastrond' of the Society <Niflheim>.]
[The Society <Horoscope> agrees to the proposal, heading to the Central Divine Ground 'Nastrond'.]
[The Society <Maleakhe> agrees, announcing their participation in the meeting.]
[The Society <L’Infernal> agrees, informing the meeting host of their participation.]
...
[The <Central Management Bureau> is investigating the ongoing incident in Worldline #802.]
...
[<Deus Ex Machina> has authorized the creation of a neutral zone!]
...
[The Central Divine Ground 'Nastrond' has been selected as a neutral zone under the agreement of all Celestials and Star Signs.]
[A deterrent is active, forbidding all physical fights.]
[Violation may result in severe punishment, such as damage to the offender’s <Myths>!]
In other words, the biggest reason why people in 'Nastrond' were busy was to prepare for a general meeting of <Heaven>. From what Bel-Marduk had heard, the <Maleakhe> seraphim, who rarely took action, had arrived first. Since their priority was maintaining the integrity of the Worldlines, they had to feel very anxious right now. They had been treating ‘Divine Twilight’ as an evil who would bring <Extinction>, which was their pretext for going to war against him. And yet, it turned out that they were the ones who had instigated <Extinction>, giving them all the more reason to be anxious.
Meanwhile, Bel-Marduk was used to everything that was going on right now, as he had met more <Heaven> Celestials than the number of Worldlines he had been in. At first, those Celestials had made frantic preparations together as if their Worldlines would crumble at any moment, but when they had to fight together, they had always insisted on protecting their own benefits and died together. In their last moments, they had held each other’s hands and shed tears of regret, making them look like a bunch of idiots in Bel-Marduk’s eyes. Would it be different this time? freewebno(v)el.com
‘Well...’ Bel-Marduk was skeptical. At the same time, the thought that it could be different this time emerged from deep within his heart...
“Why aren’t you eating him?”
Just then, a familiar voice came from behind, and Bel-Marduk turned around to look toward the source. Someone wearing a mask quietly landed beside him; it was Nemea the ‘Leo’.
“I didn’t expect to run into you here.” Bel-Marduk chuckled.
“When you summoned us here, I thought it was to eat this Worldline and Worldline #801.”
Understanding Nemea’s reasoning, Bel-Marduk nodded, saying, “We certainly ate up a lot of Worldlines that way.”
A Worldline facing <Extinction> was bound to be filled with panic, so people in that situation usually held meetings to come up with countermeasures and ended up having their hands full with the matter of Ubbo-Sathla. That was usually the moment <Horoscope> used to raid a Worldline.
Nemea believed that now was their moment to strike, and wanted to attack ‘Divine Twilight’ in a similar way. Of course, it would cost them the forward base they had been planning to use in going after the Great Universe, so it was a bit of a shame. However, Bel-Marduk showed no intent to take action and seemed genuinely cooperative.
“I considered making that choice,” Bel-Marduk eventually said.
“So why aren’t we attacking?” Nemea asked.
“I changed my mind,” Bel-Marduk answered.
Click.
Nemea took off his mask, revealing a face that looked identical to Chang-Sun’s own, but his gaze was a lot different from Chang-Sun’s and Bel-Marduk's. While Chang-Sun had a sharp gaze, and Bel-Marduk’s was vicious, Nemea’s was belligerent.
His eyes blazing with anger, Nemea growled, “I don’t want to play games here, Marduk. “
Bel-Marduk uncrossed his arms and calmly met Nemea’s gaze, retorting, “Do I look like I’m playing games?”
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...!
The energy they subtly unleashed clashed and shook the castle. Physical conflicts were forbidden in 'Nastrond' right now, but neither of them cared.
“Ubbo-Sathla is here, meaning both Worldline #802 and #801 will be ruined in no time, but this Worldline is very resourceful. Are you seriously going to throw away a place like this? Do you know how much damage we’ve sustained this time?” Nemea exclaimed angrily.
“Recovering from the damage is nothing,” Bel-Marduk replied.
“That’s not what I’m talking about!” Nemea growled, striding forward..
Thump!
Lightning energy poured into the aura around Nemea, slowly taking the form of a lion.
“Don’t forget our promise. If you have no intention of upholding it...” Nemea muttered, turning in the opposite direction. “...I’ll have to find another way to survive.”
Whirl!
Nemea vanished the same way he had appeared.
Nemea was, of course, another Lee Chang-Sun. Bel-Marduk had coincidentally run into Nemea during his Worldline wandering, but Nemea’s goal was not stopping <Extinction> or saving Ithaca like Chang-Sun and Bel-Marduk. It was smaller and more personal, but it was tragic in its own way.
Regardless of everything else, <Horoscope> was ruined now, so Bel-Marduk was in dire need of Nemea’s help.
“...Nothing is easy,” Bel-Marduk muttered, sighing. “I have no idea what it feels like to have a child.”
1. This is not the actual meaning, but rather something derived from the word’s hanjas. 護 means protection, and 法 means laws. (Editor Felis: Chinese novel readers may be familiar with the concept of a ‘dharma protector’ - basically the same thing!) ☜
A dharmapala was usually a deity that recited Buddhist prayers to expel demons and protected Buddhist dharma, but the name occasionally carried a different meaning.
―An act of protection for a person who is lost in their own principles.[1]
A Celestial was the embodiment of a law of nature, so one could call oneself a dharmapala by protecting a Celestial. However, that also meant the Celestial had to trust their dharmapala, because the Celestial would be defenseless while immersed in their own law of nature.
“...No matter how hard I think, I have no idea what’s going on inside his head. Even if he can just trigger Rollback, he knows I have ways to nullify it and attack him back,” Bel-Marduk muttered to himself, narrowing his eyes as he looked at Chang-Sun, who was deep in meditation while sitting in the lotus position.
It looked as if Chang-Sun would collapse to the side with one tap, but he and Bel-Marduk were not exactly sure who else they could ever trust to be their dharmapala.
Bel-Marduk had killed Ithaca and tried to use Chang-Sun until the end, and Chang-Sun had gotten where he was for the sake of taking revenge on Bel-Marduk. If not for the enormous obstacle named Ubbo-Sathla, Chang-Sun and Bel-Marduk would never have joined forces. They were enemies who happened to be in the same boat. That was all.
However, Chang-Sun had suddenly changed after scanning many Worldlines, becoming somewhat mature and relaxed. Perhaps because Chang-Sun’s perspective had widened, it seemed his grudge against Bel-Marduk had waned, and Bel-Marduk could not get used to it at all.
“But I believe in what I saw.”
Chang-Sun’s remark weighed down on Bel-Marduk’s heart. As he knew what Chang-Sun meant, Bel-Marduk could not help but chuckle dumbfoundedly.
“What is your true intention?” J?rmungandr asked Bel-Marduk, narrowing his serpent eyes.
As he crossed his arms and legs, Bel-Marduk scoffed, replying, “Who do you think I am?”
“A guy who doesn’t hesitate to use immoral means to get what he wants?”
“Well, you’re not wrong,” Bel-Marduk replied casually.
In a sense, that was an insult to a Nine Heaven, but Bel-Marduk did not care. He actually took pride in it.
“I suppress and extort others for the sake of victory. If necessary, I partner up with my enemies and abandon my allies when they outlive their use. That’s how I’ve lived my life, and how I built ‘Babylonia’. What’s the problem with that?”
Bel-Marduk was not embarrassed. He had experienced the fear of the <Extinction> that Ubbo-Sathla brought, so the moment he had realized that he could never defy the <Fate>, becoming stronger became his only goal. That was how he had gotten to where he was.
“It’s the same right now. I saw a possibility, so I took Twilight’s hand, even though I never imagined I would. Is there something wrong with this? Technically, your <Niflheim> isn’t any different. I just pursue my interests.” Bel-Marduk’s sharp eyes remained glued to Chang-Sun. “On that note, don’t worry. It’s not going to happen. It’s true that there’s tasty prey right in front of me, but I know what’s best for me. I’m not foolish enough to follow my impulses and mess everything up.”
J?rmungandr scoffed in discontentment, but he had to agree because Bel-Marduk had a point.
‘No, there is actually one benefit Bel-Marduk can gain,’ J?rmungandr thought; he knew a little about the loop Chang-Sun and Bel-Marduk were going through. ‘If he tries to use Twilight to become the one and only...’
J?rmungandr did not know much about other Worldlines’ affairs. In contrast to Star Signs, Celestials were bound to their Worldlines and could not observe another Worldline. However, one thing was certain. Although Bel-Marduk had traveled countless Worldlines, he had never run into a wall like Chang-Sun. In terms of martial prowess, they were neck-and-neck with each other. No, perhaps Chang-Sun was superior in some ways, which meant Bel-Marduk had a reason to look for an opportunity to eat Chang-Sun.
That was how Star Signs got stronger in the first place, so it would hardly be odd if Bel-Marduk tried to eat Chang-Sun right now. J?rmungandr wondered why Chang-Sun was trusting Bel-Marduk with his safety, since Chang-Sun had to be more aware of that than anyone else. Although J?rmungandr was here, he would be helpless if Bel-Marduk initiated a fight here right now.
“You know, you may think of yourself as smart, but you’re an open book,” Bel-Marduk said with a half-smirk. “You’d better be careful. Not everybody in the world is as kind as me. Hahahaha!”
Bel-Marduk burst into laughter as he stood up, walking toward the door.
“Where are you going?” J?rmungandr asked.
“I’m going out for some air. Why? Shall we go together hand in hand?”
J?rmungandr frowned in disapproval, quickly looking away from Bel-Marduk, who chuckled and left the room.
Tap, tap...
* * *
“It looks very chaotic.” Bel-Marduk scoffed quietly, looking down from the castle’s roof.
Many people were busily coming and going amid the fog to transplant the trees of the ‘Iron Forest’ to 'Nastrond', just as Chang-Sun had told them to. However, it was also to prepare for an emergency meeting, as Ubbo-Sathla’s sudden arrival had brought mayhem to both the <Anti-Star> Alliance and <Horoscope>.
<Horoscope> in particular was on the brink of their fall, so the <Society> was in no condition to continue fighting. On the other hand, the <Anti-Star> Alliance had their own emergency, being forced to respond to Ubbo-Sathla’s arrival.
The news of Chang-Sun and Bel-Marduk, the centers of their respective sides in this war, arriving in 'Nastrond' together had suddenly spread throughout <Heaven>. Of course, the <Anti-Star> Alliance had been hesitant, unsure how to respond. On top of that, <Maleakhe> and <L’Infernal> had also requested an emergency meeting, complicating the situation. In the end, Tiamat, the <Anti-Star> Alliance’s leader, had made a statement after a brief period of contemplation.
[The Celestial ‘Primordial Evil Dragon’ proposes tat all Celestials and Star Signs in <Heaven> temporarily put aside their feelings and come up with a countermeasure for the imminent <Extinction>!]
[The <Anti-Star> Alliance has passed the proposal of the Celestial ‘Primordial Evil Dragon’, declaring an emergency meeting in the Central Divine Ground 'Nastrond' of the Society <Niflheim>.]
[The Society <Horoscope> agrees to the proposal, heading to the Central Divine Ground 'Nastrond'.]
[The Society <Maleakhe> agrees, announcing their participation in the meeting.]
[The Society <L’Infernal> agrees, informing the meeting host of their participation.]
...
[The <Central Management Bureau> is investigating the ongoing incident in Worldline #802.]
...
[<Deus Ex Machina> has authorized the creation of a neutral zone!]
...
[The Central Divine Ground 'Nastrond' has been selected as a neutral zone under the agreement of all Celestials and Star Signs.]
[A deterrent is active, forbidding all physical fights.]
[Violation may result in severe punishment, such as damage to the offender’s <Myths>!]
In other words, the biggest reason why people in 'Nastrond' were busy was to prepare for a general meeting of <Heaven>. From what Bel-Marduk had heard, the <Maleakhe> seraphim, who rarely took action, had arrived first. Since their priority was maintaining the integrity of the Worldlines, they had to feel very anxious right now. They had been treating ‘Divine Twilight’ as an evil who would bring <Extinction>, which was their pretext for going to war against him. And yet, it turned out that they were the ones who had instigated <Extinction>, giving them all the more reason to be anxious.
Meanwhile, Bel-Marduk was used to everything that was going on right now, as he had met more <Heaven> Celestials than the number of Worldlines he had been in. At first, those Celestials had made frantic preparations together as if their Worldlines would crumble at any moment, but when they had to fight together, they had always insisted on protecting their own benefits and died together. In their last moments, they had held each other’s hands and shed tears of regret, making them look like a bunch of idiots in Bel-Marduk’s eyes. Would it be different this time? freewebno(v)el.com
‘Well...’ Bel-Marduk was skeptical. At the same time, the thought that it could be different this time emerged from deep within his heart...
“Why aren’t you eating him?”
Just then, a familiar voice came from behind, and Bel-Marduk turned around to look toward the source. Someone wearing a mask quietly landed beside him; it was Nemea the ‘Leo’.
“I didn’t expect to run into you here.” Bel-Marduk chuckled.
“When you summoned us here, I thought it was to eat this Worldline and Worldline #801.”
Understanding Nemea’s reasoning, Bel-Marduk nodded, saying, “We certainly ate up a lot of Worldlines that way.”
A Worldline facing <Extinction> was bound to be filled with panic, so people in that situation usually held meetings to come up with countermeasures and ended up having their hands full with the matter of Ubbo-Sathla. That was usually the moment <Horoscope> used to raid a Worldline.
Nemea believed that now was their moment to strike, and wanted to attack ‘Divine Twilight’ in a similar way. Of course, it would cost them the forward base they had been planning to use in going after the Great Universe, so it was a bit of a shame. However, Bel-Marduk showed no intent to take action and seemed genuinely cooperative.
“I considered making that choice,” Bel-Marduk eventually said.
“So why aren’t we attacking?” Nemea asked.
“I changed my mind,” Bel-Marduk answered.
Click.
Nemea took off his mask, revealing a face that looked identical to Chang-Sun’s own, but his gaze was a lot different from Chang-Sun’s and Bel-Marduk's. While Chang-Sun had a sharp gaze, and Bel-Marduk’s was vicious, Nemea’s was belligerent.
His eyes blazing with anger, Nemea growled, “I don’t want to play games here, Marduk. “
Bel-Marduk uncrossed his arms and calmly met Nemea’s gaze, retorting, “Do I look like I’m playing games?”
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...!
The energy they subtly unleashed clashed and shook the castle. Physical conflicts were forbidden in 'Nastrond' right now, but neither of them cared.
“Ubbo-Sathla is here, meaning both Worldline #802 and #801 will be ruined in no time, but this Worldline is very resourceful. Are you seriously going to throw away a place like this? Do you know how much damage we’ve sustained this time?” Nemea exclaimed angrily.
“Recovering from the damage is nothing,” Bel-Marduk replied.
“That’s not what I’m talking about!” Nemea growled, striding forward..
Thump!
Lightning energy poured into the aura around Nemea, slowly taking the form of a lion.
“Don’t forget our promise. If you have no intention of upholding it...” Nemea muttered, turning in the opposite direction. “...I’ll have to find another way to survive.”
Whirl!
Nemea vanished the same way he had appeared.
Nemea was, of course, another Lee Chang-Sun. Bel-Marduk had coincidentally run into Nemea during his Worldline wandering, but Nemea’s goal was not stopping <Extinction> or saving Ithaca like Chang-Sun and Bel-Marduk. It was smaller and more personal, but it was tragic in its own way.
Regardless of everything else, <Horoscope> was ruined now, so Bel-Marduk was in dire need of Nemea’s help.
“...Nothing is easy,” Bel-Marduk muttered, sighing. “I have no idea what it feels like to have a child.”
1. This is not the actual meaning, but rather something derived from the word’s hanjas. 護 means protection, and 法 means laws. (Editor Felis: Chinese novel readers may be familiar with the concept of a ‘dharma protector’ - basically the same thing!) ☜
