Player Who Became A Constellation [EN]: Chapter 162

162

“There are many talented individuals.”

Loki wore a satisfied smile.

Though there are still shortcomings, they are indeed cadets selected and trained by Cancun.

They are quickly regaining their composure amidst the chaos and responding well.

Loki shifted his gaze.

A man with a massive build emerged from the bushes.

He was clad in armor, wielding a large mace, and a pair of wings were visible on his back.

Loki burst into a hollow laugh at the sight.

“An angel… is it?”

“You seem surprised, human.”

It was no wonder he was surprised. Was the Holy Emperor now relying on angels?

Otherwise, there was no way a Black Inquisitor and an angel would appear simultaneously.

However, the angel seemed to have interpreted Loki’s surprised tone differently.

‘He must be terrified now that I have appeared.’

The angel smirked.

He recalled the man who had approached him while he was secretly building his power in the forest.

It was Palas, the Holy Emperor, once the ruler of the Holy Order.

‘Angel, I wish to wage a holy war with you. I implore you to lend me the power to punish the heretics who defy the Constellation’s will and to subjugate the demons!’

The angel had thought as he looked at the Holy Emperor.

‘A dog is barking.’

He couldn’t help but think that way.

It was laughable that a mere insect would come to him and speak to him.

However, he couldn’t bring himself to refuse his offer.

The Holy Emperor Palas was stronger than he had expected, and the number of Black Inquisitors he led was substantial….

Above all, many of his brethren seemed to be responding to him.

A cooperative relationship was established, where the angels lent him their power in exchange for prey.

In any case, he had nothing to lose.

That’s why he followed the Holy Emperor and came to the island of Asgard.

‘Very satisfying.’

The more he devoured the strong, the more divine power he could obtain.

And the prey before him was something even his brethren would covet.

That’s what he thought.

“How sweet will your blood be…”

As the angel spoke, he met Loki’s eyes and froze, unable to move.

“…Huh?”

Only then did the angel realize something was wrong.

“Perfect timing.”

Loki approached the unmoving angel, wielding his greatsword.

“I have much to investigate about you as well.”

Loki stood tall before the angel.

Even though he was right in front of him, the angel couldn’t move.

Cold sweat poured out.

Fear paralyzed his reason.

To him, the one before him was not an insect with blue hair and eyes.

It was some being with a vast and grotesque aura.

“…Co…Constellation.”

As the angel muttered, Loki lifted the flat side of his greatsword and struck the angel’s legs.

Crack-!

“Aaaaaaagh!”

The angel screamed and collapsed. Loki grabbed his hair and lifted him up.

‘Th-This monster!’

The one before him was an existence beyond common sense.

Not just in terms of power.

“Good item material.”

…His thoughts themselves were not normal.

***

The Black Inquisitors had devised a plan.

They infiltrated the island of Asgard, divided into three groups: the first group would raid Valhalla Academy to draw attention.

Simultaneously, the second group would ambush the academy cadets as soon as the Oracle disappeared, killing them.

And the third group’s target was the ‘assassination of the Pope.’

The angels and Black Inquisitors sped through the forest.

On a hill slightly away from the capital.

A small chapel built for the followers of the Azrael Order.

The Pope resided there.

“Who are you people!?”

“Intruders!”

Paladins in white sacred robes stood in their way.

The Pope’s direct unit, the White Inquisitors.

The Black Inquisitors drew their swords and faced them, clashing.

Clang-!

Swords collided.

“Now!”

“Go, angels!”

Three angels soared into the sky.

They flew towards the windows of the monastery, shattering them.

Colorful stained glass shattered, scattering fragments everywhere.

The angels descended as if they were descending from the heavens.

A figure in sacred robes stood before the quiet monastery altar.

A figure with their face covered by a white veil.

It was the Pope.

「Found you!」

The angels licked their lips.

「Are you the Pope?」

「This immense aura of divine power, a good prey!」

None other than the Pope of the Holy Order.

Tearing apart his flesh and blood would grant them immense divine power.

‘Well, the fact that it’s an old man’s flesh and blood is a bit concerning.’

The angels landed and stared at the Pope.

They paused in their steps, startled.

The Pope took out a mace from within his sacred robes.

「What, are you going to resist?」

The angels sneered.

They heard that the Pope had spent a considerable amount of time in the Holy Order.

The Holy Emperor Palas had also grown up seeing the Pope when he was young… In human terms, he must be an old man on his last legs.

「It reminds me of the old days.」

「What?」

The Pope, Jaus, turned around.

Behind him, the stained glass sparkled.

It depicted numerous angels, and a being in white sacred robes was striking those angels with a mace.

「In Genesis, the Holy Father created you.」

The Pope stepped towards the angels.

「The Father loved the angels and entrusted the earth to them.」

The angels frowned.

Father probably meant the Constellation Azrael.

The angels felt unpleasant.

「But the angels betrayed the Father’s grace, stabbed Him in the back with spears, and feasted on His flesh.」

The Pope tore off the veil.

「At that time, I and my brethren were born.」

The angels felt chills.

As the veil was torn away, a pure white skull was revealed within.

「Li…Lich?」

「…No.」

One of the angels turned pale.

He knew that face!

Long ago, when numerous angels and Constellations rebelled against Azrael, he was the one born to judge them.

「You, Sin of-!」

The Pope, Jaus, lunged.

The mace was raised and struck the angel’s head.

Crack-!

The skull shattered cleanly.

The angels on the left and right who were watching the scene widened their eyes.

「I shall judge your sins.」

Fast!

But… not so fast that they couldn’t follow with their eyes.

「…Ha, haha! The prophecy was true!」

「He doesn’t have the same power as before! Kill him!」

The angels on the left and right swung their spears at Pope Jaus.

Jaus opened his jaw and exhaled.

Divine power erupted from his body, and light flared.

Soon, the inside of the monastery exploded.

“Yo, Your Holiness!!”

The White Inquisitors who had subdued the Black Inquisitors looked at the monastery.

Soon, when the Pope’s back came into view, the White Inquisitors quickly lowered their heads.

Pope Jaus bent down and picked up the veil that had fallen on the floor, covering his face.

“…They weren’t just targeting the nobles.”

The light in Pope Jaus’s eyes shifted as he looked at the person at the entrance of the monastery.

「Kuh-ugh….」

An angel bleeding with his head grabbed.

And the person who grabbed that angel.

「Brother.」

“Let’s talk for a moment.”

Loki approached Pope Jaus.

***

When he first heard the news of the angels’ appearance, Loki thought he would be spending his days as usual.

But reality was not so easy.

The appearance of numerous angels threw the continent into chaos, and he even met the Constellation of the Sea, who sought to control the monster legions and establish a nation by corrupting humans.

Numerous humans were sacrificed, and a tidal wave was unleashed, threatening Asgard.

‘Now those angels have joined hands with the Black Inquisitors.’

The angels began to show ‘organized’ movements.

Loki sat on a chair placed in the chapel.

Thud-!

He held a glass of wine in his hand.

It was wine made by cultivating Salads [a type of plant] using Minotaur dung, and Ruran personally aged it in oak barrels.

It was potent but had an addictive bittersweet taste, and it had become a specialty of Asgard before he knew it.

‘Not bad.’

Loki savored the taste and looked ahead.

Thud-!

The sound of meat being minced echoed.

Before Loki, Pope Jaus was hanging an angel from the ceiling with chains and striking him with a mace.

…Striking an angel in the chapel?

It was not a good sight at all.

“Why don’t you rest for a while with some wine? Pope. It’s a precious liquor made with the blood and sweat of my servants.”

「Brother, I cannot drink wine.」

“Hmm… I thought wine was known as the drink of the gods in the Azrael Order?”

「You seem to know a lot about us.」

“If they’re the enemy, shouldn’t I know at least a little about them?”

「So you caught this one?」

Pope Jaus pointed to the angel.

He was being minced, and blood was gushing out. But thanks to his excellent regenerative abilities, the wounds were quickly healing.

「To interrogate and find out?」

“That too, but I was also going to use him as a punching bag.”

A living angel would be a good training target for the cadets.

Loki took a sip of wine and looked at the mace Jaus was holding.

“…Don’t you usually use whips in a religious sense?”

「That’s too weak, so I don’t use it. There’s nothing like a mace to kill an enemy in one blow. Also, if you control your strength well, it’s also useful for interrogation like this.」

In short, it was a good means of communication?

What a truly merciful Pope.

Loki shrugged.

「So, brother, why did you come to me?」

“I want to know about me and those guys.”

「Are you finally interested? I thought you dismissed what I said before as nonsense….」

“Yes, I’m interested. They keep bothering me when I want to live quietly, so I can’t just stand still.”

…Of course, Asgard was the first to start hunting angels.

Under Loki’s command, the Berserker warriors captured angels, and they used their corpses to make weapons and armor, focusing on making money and strengthening their forces.

But like the Constellation of the Sea, Kalib, he openly revealed himself and threatened Asgard, so Loki couldn’t just stand by.

‘Besides, now the angels have joined hands with the Black Inquisitors.’

According to reports from the Berserkers who had been sent to hunt angels, the angels were living independently.

With their power, no ordinary army could stop them, so they didn’t need to travel in groups.

But when the Berserkers appeared, the situation changed.

Rumors began to spread across the continent that angels were being hunted and that even the Constellation of the Sea had died.

The angels who obtained that information felt threatened and began to use their wisdom.

Forming groups, or luring human forces….

“The number of angels is increasing. How many are there?”

「Very many. Hundreds, thousands.」

…This was an unexpected answer.

Hundreds, thousands?

If those guys traveled in groups instead of living alone, Asgard would have no way to stop them.

“…That’s quite a lot.”

「But they won’t be threatening. They are arrogant, so if they gather in groups, they will be busy tearing each other apart.」

“…….”

「It is rare for the hundreds or thousands of angels you imagine to unite.」

“Is that so?”

「Unless there is someone to control them.」

“……”

「The fallen Constellations. They can control the angels.」

Loki would have dismissed it as nonsense before.

But after the Constellation of the Sea, Kalib, Loki realized that the existence of a real ‘Constellation’ existed on this continent.

Not just a story in folklore, but reality.

Angels and Constellations had begun to descend.

Accordingly, a question arose.

“Just one question, Pope.”

「What is it, brother?」

“You.”

Loki tilted his head and narrowed his eyes.

“Are you the Constellation of Sin?”