Ch-233. **I Want to Kill You (1)**
—
*Use any means necessary.*
*Crush each other and climb upward!*
A being completely unlike anything in the previous Hall of the People had appeared.
But he could not be ignored.
The Constellation of Purityâ
He was one who had once become the *Highest Star*.
The one who had achieved the dream every Constellation longed for.
*âThe true competition has begun.â*
The Constellation of the Most Radiant Hero sensed it instantly.
The changes among the Constellations that began after the appearance of Purity.
They would no longer deal with humans lukewarmly as they had in the past.
*âAnd they must have realized through meâjust how overwhelming the benefits are when the human youâve chosen grows.â*
Every Constellation desired the author Randolph.
But at present, Randolph was subscribed to by the Constellation of the Most Radiant Hero alone.
Randolphâs growth had strengthened him, made him shine even brighter.
Among all the Constellations of the Hall, he stood unmatched.
All because Randolphâs story enriched him.
But Randolph had not always been this valuable.
*âA Constellationâs focused interest makes a human grow rapidly. So they must be thinking that creating a âsecond Randolphâ isnât impossibleâŠâ*
Most Constellations were now trying to create a second Randolph.
Choosing gifted humans, subscribing to them, and reinforcing them.
Some were even directly interfering with humans to encourage growth.
A behavior utterly unlike anything Constellations had displayed before.
A few even made âApostle Contracts,â openly revealing their divine names.
Turning humans into their apostles.
*âThis change isnât entirely bad. The problem is the overheated competition.â*
It was practically war.
Some tried to kill humans raised by other Constellations.
Others tried to steal them by force and contract them.
They seemed to have forgotten their awareness as glorious beings.
But at this rate, a second Randolph was unlikely.
Randolph had grown rapidly because of the attention of *all* Constellations.
âTo raise those with potentialâthat is the purpose of a Constellation. Randolph is remarkable, yes, but he has no room left to grow. Isnât it wasteful to cling to just him?â
The Constellation of Purity approached him, speaking.
His face full of question marks, unclear whether he was provoking or sincere.
âRandolph will become stronger.â
The Constellation of the Most Radiant Hero shook his head.
He had watched Randolph from the beginningâRandolph never stopped.
âYou truly believe that? Yes, he *might* grow stronger. But it is also undeniable that Randolph has reached his limit.â
ââŠâ
âAnd with your starlight, wouldnât it be far more efficient to raise a different human?â
âŠIt wasnât necessarily wrong.
Randolphâs level was 9.
Blocked by absurd amounts of required experience, leveling was impossible.
He still had room to grow in other ways, strengthening his combat powerâbut the most important growth, leveling, was stalled.
Nothing made a Constellation shine more than level-ups or transcendence events.
Thus, in terms of pure âefficiency,â Randolphâs story was atrocious.
Purity was asking: Wouldnât it be better to raise several other humans in that time?
ââŠGet lost. I have no words to share with you.â
The Constellation of the Most Radiant Hero cut off the conversation entirely.
He had no intention of being swayed.
The Constellation of Purity might be necessary for the Hall, but for himâhe was irrelevant.
âHm. I sincerely hope your choice proves correct.â
Purity shrugged and withdrew.
Perhaps he sensed the unshakable will of the Radiant Hero.
Truthfully, the Radiant Hero had many questions.
About Purityâs methods.
About the being Purity was raising.
About Purityâs true identity.
About the other Hall of the People.
But he dismissed his curiosity.
To him, Purity was no longer worth caring about.
There was something far more important.
*âHe said Randolph reached his limit?â*
âŠIf he had seen Randolphâs current stateâ
If he were watching Randolphâs storyâ
Would he dare say such a thing?
He shifted his gaze.
Then focused on Randolphâs unfolding tale.
This moment was more important than any before.
—
—
ăYou have found the Starlight of the Weapon Master.ă
ăATK +4, HP +4ă
ăYou have equipped the Starlight of the Weapon Master.ă
ăâMemory of the Starsâ has been completed.ă
ăATK and HP of all possessed starlights increase by 1.ă
ăTotal ATK 40, Total HP 40ă
ăHidden starlights begin appearing on the map.ă
After finding the final starlight, the Heavenly Demon tilted his head.
*âEven after collecting everything, it doesnât reach 60?â*
The attack and health of the Dreadful Ill Omenâ
The one who sent him to the Prison of Starsâwere both 60.
He assumed that if he gathered them all, he too would reach those numbers.
But even with all starlights collected, he only reached 40.
*âI possess eight hidden traits. Does that mean that creature possessed even more?â*
Back when heâd just arrived on the Island of the Godsâ
Before nightfallâhe had been unable to find hidden starlights.
Naturally, the Ill Omen must have also gathered only ordinary starlights with limited effects.
Which should have resulted in the same numbers.
Attack 60, HP 60âhe had seen it clearly during their duel.
No room for mistake.
*âMore hidden traits than meâŠâ*
The Heavenly Demon stroked his chin.
The Dreadful Ill Omen.
It was certain the creature possessed more hidden traits than he did.
But how?
Just in numbers aloneâ1.5 times more.
Meaning the creature possessed 1.5 times the hidden traits he had.
But could that be possible?
*âDoes it have at least twelve hidden traits?â*
âŠNo matter how he thought about it, it made no sense.
Excluding the Key, a normal person could possess up to twelve hidden traits.
Even then, that was only rumorâno one actually had them all.
He had never seen such a person.
And yetâŠ
The difference in stats was inexplicable.
*âIt must have satisfied hidden conditions.â*
He shook his head.
This island followed the path dictated by oneâs âMemory of the Stars.â
Complete it quickly, and defeat challengersâthat was the basic flow.
But that wasnât all.
There were hidden stars, hidden rules, hidden treasures.
Naturally, those who found these hidden things gained an advantage.
The Ill Omen must have found something hidden.
âTsk.â
The Heavenly Demon clicked his tongue.
He had tried to play along with the ritual crafted by the Hybrid of the Godâs skinâyet this was what happened.
*âWhen night comes, Iâll find him.â*
He had been thinking about it wrong.
At nightâ
Fights were forbidden by rule, yes, for the Night Wraith would appear if one fought.
But if he killed the Ill Omen **before** the wraith arrived and fled?
Easy.
This suited the Heavenly Demon far better.
*âThe Heavenly Demon Blade is mine.â*
Most importantly, he could track the bladeâs location in real time.
Only the Heavenly Demon could wield it.
So if someone else was holding it, they would surely pay the price soon.
Killing a deranged lunatic would be trivial.
The Heavenly Demon calmly waited for night.
And thenâ
ăNight has fallen.ă
ăThe transformations of the Night Wraiths have ended.ă
ăFour Night Wraiths remain.ă
He began to move.
—
—
Isabella approached the mouth of the cave.
Night had arrived.
ăYour transformation has ended.ă
ăYou have become a Night Wraith.ă
Fwooooshâ
Black energy surged across her entire body.
She had become a wraith.
Isabella slowly lowered her gaze to her hands.
Her palms were drenched in blood.
Her own blood.
âI am still⊠so weak.â
Shaken by a mere illusion.
Unable to suppress a momentary burst of anger.
The memories the starlight had shown herâ
There was no proof they were true.
This was the Abyssâ
And not just anywhere, but its deepest region.
So surely⊠it must be false.
Undoubtedly a trick to drive a wedge between her and Randolph.
âHow could that be the truth? That Lord Randolph controlled me⊠that he isnât even of this worldâŠâ
Isabella shook her head.
Since the beginning of those memories, her life had been hell.
How many agonizing hurdles had she survived before becoming the Snake Princess?
While others perished under the Desert Queen, she alone survived, grinding her bones against death.
Her body was never intact, her will erasedâliving a life worth less than a puppet.
Without even knowing why.
Each day pain.
Each day resentment.
And now she was supposed to believe it was all Randolphâs doing?
That Randolph wasnât even human, merely controlling that body?
âŠImpossible.
Even if she conceded a hundredâno, a thousand stepsâit made no sense.
Randolph had always been sincere.
Such sincerity was not something a mere puppeteer could imitate.
Noâthis was clearly a ploy of the Abyss to tear them apart.
Randolph was Wilhelmâs successor.
Serengeti had acknowledged him personally.
Therefore⊠Randolph could not be a harbinger of divine sickness.
*âDo not waver, Isabella.â*
To be shaken by something so cheap only proved she was still weak.
She shook her head vigorously.
She could not waver any longer.
Time passed.
ââŠWhy is a Night Wraith here?â
Someone appeared before the cave, frowning.
The moment Isabella saw him, her pupils widened.
*The Heavenly Demon!*
Night Wraiths could perceive basic information about challengers.
The man who appeared was unmistakably the Heavenly Demon.
âŠA perfect opportunity.
A chance to eliminate the Heavenly Demon!
Participants could not battle each other, but Night Wraiths *could*, even at night.
With overwhelming statsâATK 500, HP 500.
If she fought now, she would win.
Isabella gathered her resolve and prepared to moveâ
Rumbleeeeeâ!
Boom! Boom! Kuuurung!
Something massive crashed through the foliage.
Isabella froze at the sight.
*The Master of the Tomb!*
An ancient golem.
Ruler of the Abyss, an absolute being.
It appeared as if by arrangementâ
And with unmistakably hostile intent.
If not targeting the Heavenly Demon, then surely⊠Randolph.
Whom was it after?
âŠShe could not fight both simultaneously.
If the Master of the Tomb sought Randolph, this was the worst scenario.
If she attacked the Heavenly Demon, the golem would seize the opening and kill Randolph.
âYouâre not moving. Or⊠guarding the cave?â
The Heavenly Demon smirked and continued:
âDo you intend to remain there until morning? Surely you donât plan on being erased to protect whoever is inside?â
He did not know who the Night Wraith was.
But he sensed what her behavior implied.
Isabella bit her lip.
He was rightâ
If she stayed until morning, both she and Randolph would die.
The Master of the Tomb and the Heavenly Demon did not fight each other.
They only awaited Randolph.
Why?
*âThey must be the ones Randolph defeated!â*
Randolphâs two victoriesâ
They must have belonged to them.
Seeking to reclaim what they lost, they came at night to kill him.
Meaning the two would absolutely not fight one another.
Realizing this, Isabella grew frantic.
No solution appeared.
But she could not sit idle either.
*âWhat should I⊠doâŠ?â*
And thenâ
KWAaaaaaaang!
Like a bombardment, a massive sword fell from the sky.
It detonated directly atop the Heavenly Demon.
âGuhâ!â
Swallowed by dust, the Heavenly Demon coughed blood from the shockwave of unleashed energy.
His spine chilled.
Had he not instinctively wrapped his body in force-protection, he would have been cleaved in two.
His reinforced defense was pierced, and he still suffered internal wounds.
A monster of this caliber was rare even in the deepest Abyss.
The Heavenly Demon scowled and looked upward.
âYou⊠who are you?â
ClatterâClatterâ
A horse surged into view, wreathed in azure flames.
And upon itâ
A man in armor and helm engraved with the shape of a black dragon.
He floated leisurely in the sky, gazing down upon the Heavenly Demon as if surveying the world.
âAh!â
The moment she saw him, Isabella trembled.
She recognized him instantly.
And she knewâ
Just how monstrous he was.
âŠHe was the conqueror.
A unique, unparalleled sovereign.
One none could oppose.
*The Sunken EmperorâŠ!*
—