Return of the Shattered Constellation

Chapter 503: Star, Twilight (3)

Chapter 503: Star, Twilight (3)

『I can’t believe you actually got this far.』

Looking around, Thanatos quietly burst into laughter. The World's Navel, Omphalos... He was right where R’yleh slumbered! The and Star Signs had desperately wished to reach this place but ultimately failed in the end. It was also the place that Thanatos had asked Chang-Sun to guard. Now that Chang-Sun had actually reached it, Thanatos couldn’t help but laugh in amazement.

On top of that, Chang-Sun was at the Tower, the structure built in the form of a [Ruyi Jingu Bang] to serve as a path between Heaven and Earth and a prison for .

Finally getting to see his friend after so long, Chang-Sun chuckled. “I don’t even have to guard this place. Anyone would have been arrested as soon as they barged in.”

『The stronger the guards are, the deeper the ’ greed for R’lyeh.』

Chang-Sun nodded in agreement. Things left unguarded were often undervalued or perceived as a trap. High security made people believe that whatever was being guarded was highly important, which the in the Tower had fallen for. A double trap must be what Thanatos had been going for.

『Well, I doubt it’s necessary anymore.』

Thanatos grinned. Soon, his eyes narrowed.

『Anyhow, you’ve captured someone very interesting. Hahaha!』

Thanatos’ laughter loudly echoed as he stared at Richardus, who was constrained in the air. Chang-Sun could sense deep anger hidden in his laughter, which he thought was only natural.

Around the time Thanatos had thought that he had taken down , the ’s remnants began running wild again. Moreover, Richardus also had a history of disturbing the order of the , his home. Hence, Thanatos was understandably engulfed in fury.

『Defendant Richardus. Are you aware of your crimes?』

Richardus slowly looked up. Although half of his face had been gruesomely destroyed, he still coldly smiled. “If I’m guilty of something, it would be of weakness.”

『You’re right about that, alright. You are certainly weak. After all, that is why you have been captured,』 Thanatos scoffed, completely unaffected by Richardus’ taunt. 『However, that isn’t your only crime. Most people with power abide by rules for the order of their community instead of self-indulging like you do.』

After glancing at Chang-Sun, he looked at Richardus again.

『The judge will now pass out the sentence of Richardus the Defendant.』

Thanatos noticed emotions flashing in Richardus’ eyes.

『The defendant has a history of not only destroying numerous Worldlines but also contempting the court and breaking out of prison. Due to his heinous crimes, the judge sentences the defendant to dismemberment.』

Dismemberment was one of the ancient capital punishments. It would have a convict’s neck and limbs tied up with ropes and then pulled in five different directions until the convict had been killed[1].

Richardus had just been sentenced to annihilation. Considering Thanatos usually gave even the most nefarious criminals a life sentence, his punishment was quite severe.

『We have done a lot of preparations for this moment. You’ll find it hard to escape now.』

Thanatos wasn’t planning to immediately execute him. The Emperor’s Seat had to be treated first. Afterward, he would have to extract a lot of information from him about Sun Wukong. Nevertheless, he was determined not to let the execution be delayed any longer than necessary.

『Can I take him away now?』Thanatos asked Chang-Sun.

Swooosh!

The pulleys simultaneously turned, tightening the chains around Richardus.

“Wait. Let me ask him one question,” Chang-Sun requested. He then stepped forward. “Richardus.”

Richardus smiled crookedly. “Hahaha... What? Are you here to gloat about your victory?”

Chang-Sun was surprised. He was no longer affected by how twisted his old friend had become. Contrary to his expectations, he neither choked up nor felt refreshed when Richardus’ sentence was issued. Rather, he felt calm.

Observing Richardus, he easily deduced the reason.

‘He seems lesser than me.’

Now at a much higher league than Richardus, Chang-Sun saw the world differently from him. Just like how a person on top of a mountain couldn’t care less about what was going on at its foot, Chang-Sun couldn’t feel anything from Richardus’ actions.

The way Chang-Sun was looking at him made Richardus’ face crumple up. He was supposed to be the one standing above and looking down on everyone, not Chang-Sun!

“You know where my teacher is, don’t you?”Top novel updates at novelhall.com

“The famous, cocky Twilight calling someone his teacher. What happened to your pride? Have you admitted that you’re less skilled than your teacher?” Richardus sarcastically asked, attempting to provoke Chang-Sun and suppress his rising inferiority complex.

『They’re up to very weird things. Wait, I did hear about an Anomaly like that...』 Thanatos trailed off, realizing that this wasn’t important right now. Looking up, he said, 『Get going. Sun Wukong and the others must be going after Mephistopheles to upgrade their Central Processing Units.』

Chang-Sun nodded in agreement. Meanwhile, Richardus’ eyes lost focus, unable to pull himself together.

Swooosh!

As Richardus was locked up in the Bottomless Void, Chang-Sun prepared to go to .

[ has sent you a gift before your departure!]

‘A gift?’

Craaaaaack!

Paaah!

A pool of golden light spread all over the Tower’s inner walls. Soon after, its exterior also began to shine radiantly.

With an intense quake, the Tower, now void of prisoners, quickly shrank down and returned to its original form.

『That’s a [Ruyi Jingu Bang]...!』

When the Tower disappeared, a [Ruyi Jingu Bang] appeared in its place, hovering in front of Chang-Sun.

Chang-Sun clenched his fists.

[ tells you that he does not need it anymore so you can take it.]

[ adds that a ought to have the relic.]

Chang-Sun nodded. He then reached out for the [Ruyi Jingu Bang].

[You have obtained a ‘Ruyi Jingu Bang,’ a relic of !]

Badump...!

Badump, badump, badump!

Chang-Sun’s heart frantically raced. His [Ruyi Jingu Bang] shook profusely in response. He felt as if he had just recovered the lost part of himself.

[ says that it is time for his gift now.]

Chang-Sun’s eyes slightly widened. ‘Another gift?’

[ explains that it is preposterous for someone who is blessed by to only carry a relic of .]

[ has cut a part of his ring finger and sent it to you!]

[You have acquired a ‘Darkness Jade,’ a power extract of !]

A dark bead descended from the sky and landed beside where the [Ruyi Jingu Bang] had been,

The [Darkness Jade] possessed so much power that Chang-Sun’s responded to its presence the moment he saw it, requiring him to suppress his .

Chang-Sun bowed in the direction where he could sense . “Thank you.”

He then picked up the [Darkness Jade].

With the relics of two Emperors, Chang-Sun leaped into the spatial gap.

At the same time, a message popped up behind him.

[ is rooting for you!]

1. Dismemberment differs in each country. This kind of method is mostly used in Korea and China. ☜