Player Who Became A Constellation [EN]: Chapter 177

177

Inside the Cave.

The Black Arbiters sat in unnerved silence.

Even with lanterns in their hands, the darkness was so profound they had to touch the walls to navigate.

After the Constellation of Light faded, the lanterns and torches seemed to lose their effectiveness.

Was that the reason?

They were slow to react to the sudden shouts.

“What is it!?”

The Black Arbiters strained to see towards the cave entrance.

Soon, a blinding light sliced through the darkness.

The sudden brightness forced the Black Arbiters to raise their hands, shielding their eyes.

“My eyes, my eyes…!”

Then, they heard the thunderous sound of something heavy rushing towards them.

In moments, their heads were severed by swift sword strokes, arcing through the air.

“For Asgard!”

At the battle cry, the faces of the Black Arbiters, still struggling to adjust to the light, paled in horror.

“N, no way…!?”

“A, Asgard! The Asgardian subjugation force has attacked!”

“Everyone, take up your weapons!”

The Nord warriors surged forward, cutting down the Black Arbiters with brutal efficiency.

“Everyone, fall back!”

Among the Black Arbiters, a hulking figure swung a mace with desperate abandon.

Blinded, he seemed to be attacking first and asking questions later.

A woman, Cancun, darted forward.

She dove in, her sword flashing in an upward arc.

The man’s massive body split in two with a sickening thud.

Thud-!

The giant crashed to the ground.

“Hoo-!”

A shaman raised his staff high.

Magic crackled, and stone pillars erupted from the ceiling and floor, crushing the Black Arbiters in their path.

“Everyone, advance!”

Kudan stepped confidently forward, lightly swinging Mjolnir [Thor’s hammer, capable of controlling lightning] towards the wall.

The electric current surged along the rock face, electrocuting the Black Arbiters to a crisp.

Loki strolled leisurely along the path cleared by the Nord warriors.

In his grasp, he held the screaming face of Mercury.

“W, wait, I, I surrender!”

Some of the Black Arbiters, seized by panic, threw down their weapons and begged for mercy.

The Black Arbiters’ indiscriminate expansion of power had eroded the organization’s loyalty.

It was an inevitable consequence.

No amount of brainwashing could fully control individuals indiscriminately captured and granted immortality.

Their allegiance to the Holy King couldn’t have been that strong.

The Nord warriors stared at Loki, their expressions unreadable.

They hadn’t anticipated any of the Black Arbiters surrendering.

Loki examined the outstretched hand of the surrendered Black Arbiter.

The wounded hand was already being healed by swarming insects.

“He’s infected with the plague. Kill him.”

The Nord warriors, without hesitation, swung their swords.

From the beginning, becoming an immortal meant swearing unwavering fealty to the Holy King.

Those who rejected him inevitably degenerated into Wights [undead creatures].

Since their very bodies were living plagues, it was deemed necessary to eliminate them to prevent future outbreaks.

Bang-!

Flames engulfed the cave.

The shaman unleashed a torrent of fire from his staff.

The Black Arbiters were consumed by the inferno, collapsing in charred heaps.

The Nord warriors pressed forward relentlessly, leaving no survivors in their wake.

The path became a gruesome tapestry of slaughtered corpses.

Soon, they reached the end of the cave passage.

It opened into a vast cavern, its size defying the confines of the cave.

Loki, arriving at the giant cavern, tilted his head, a flicker of curiosity in his eyes.

An oppressive darkness clung to the area.

Loki raised Mercury’s head higher.

As the light intensified, the surroundings began to materialize.

The cave’s interior was illuminated by Mercury’s radiant glow.

There, a temple stood in stark relief.

It was a temple that had once served the ancient Azelan Constellation, and hundreds of Black Arbiters were gathered within its walls.

Angels with grotesque wings hung upside down from the cave ceiling like bats.

With grim expressions, they fixed their gazes on Loki and the Nord warriors emerging from the cave entrance.

“…D, damn it!”

At the top of the temple, Holy King Pharis stared at the cave entrance, his face a mask of rigid fury.

Loki raised his head, his eyes locking with those of Holy King Pharis.

“You look familiar.”

Loki had encountered Holy King Pharis once before.

He remembered him from the fierce battle against the giant Thrym.

A sly smile played on Loki’s lips.

John’s information had been accurate.

The leader of the Black Arbiters, Holy King Pharis, was indeed here.

“That’s Holy King Pharis.”

At Loki’s pronouncement, the Nord warriors turned their gaze towards the top of the temple.

Blue lights flashed in their eyes, and Pharis flinched, recoiling as they all stared at him with unnerving intensity.

The Nord people exuded a palpable aura of ferocity.

Their eyes burned with a fanatical devotion.

He had never witnessed such unwavering faith from his own followers…!

“Bring him to me.”

No sooner had Loki’s words left his lips than the Nord warriors roared and charged forward.

“P, protect His Holiness!”

The Black Arbiters formed a defensive line in front of the temple.

Holding shields and raising spears, they braced for the onslaught.

The Nord warriors and the Black Arbiters collided in a thunderous clash.

Bang-!

The Nord warriors surged forward, slamming into the shields with overwhelming force.

The Black Arbiters retaliated, thrusting their spears into the ranks of the Nord warriors.

“…John, that corrupted lamb has betrayed us!”

Holy King Pharis wanted to scream his frustration.

Despite serving the Azelan Church for centuries, that young king had forsaken the loyalty passed down through generations.

“Damn it…. Prepare the warp.”

Pharis whirled around and barked orders at the black monks.

The monks frantically began drawing a magic circle.

Warp magic was an intricate and demanding art.

It required considerable time to prepare and a significant amount of divine power to activate.

Moreover, even with meticulous preparation, they could only teleport a few hundred meters at best.

If the Asgardian army pursued, it would only be a matter of time before they were overtaken.

But even so, they had to attempt an escape.

“Capture the corrupted Holy King!”

The Nord warriors were motivated by the prospect of earning favor in the eyes of Constellation Loki.

That expectation fueled their morale.

The Nord warriors unleashed a series of battle cries and pushed back the Black Arbiters.

Before the angels flying in the sky could react, the warriors aimed the ballista they had brought.

“Fire!”

Bang-!

Bolts with attached chains soared through the air, piercing the angels and dragging them down from the sky.

The angels were powerless against the onslaught.

Despite being outnumbered, the humans were proving to be a formidable force.

「…T, these monster-like bastards!」

As the angels were pulled to the ground, the Nord warriors swarmed around them, hacking them to pieces.

Blood splattered, and the angels were mercilessly hunted down.

Cancun and Kudan surged forward.

They scaled the wall and leaped, attacking the angels still clinging to the ceiling and knocking them to the ground.

The shaman waved his staff.

Fireballs materialized in the air and hurtled towards Holy King Pharis at the top of the temple.

“……!”

As Pharis hesitated, the monks on his left and right waved their staffs.

A barrier shimmered into existence, barely deflecting the fireballs.

“…He’s no ordinary magician!”

“Y, Your Holiness… please go inside!”

Pharis reluctantly retreated inside.

The ancient temple began to echo with screams.

The Black Arbiters were beheaded to prevent their resurrection.

Their corpses were then impaled on spears and displayed as trophies.

The Nord warriors, having cleared the Black Arbiters outside the temple, prepared to breach the inner sanctum.

“Block the door!”

The steel door slammed shut, barring the entrance to the temple, but Kudan’s Mjolnir effortlessly pierced through it.

The Nord warriors surged into the temple like an unstoppable wave.

“…Where did it go wrong?”

Holy King Pharis sighed, his voice laced with despair.

The area around the temple was ablaze.

The Black Arbiters who had placed their faith in him were being slaughtered and impaled on spears.

The outcome of the battle was inevitable.

He knew he would suffer the same fate.

‘I shouldn’t have given the ancient scroll to Yuma.’

Damn it…!

Pharis cursed the former Black Arbiter leader.

He had been chosen as the leader because of his admirable loyalty and faith, but Yuma repaid that favor by warping the ‘giant’ and bringing in Asgard.

“How is it going?!”

Pharis turned his head and looked at the monks.

The monks who were preparing the warp were sweating profusely.

“T, that is, it needs more time.”

“…….”

Escape by warp was impossible.

Then….

‘Escape through the side path.’

Pharis approached the wall of the temple.

He groped the wall and opened a hidden door.

As he headed through the secret passage, the monks called out.

“Y, Your Holiness! W, we…!”

“You will be the bait.”

“…….”

“Can you do it?”

The monks stared at Pharis with stiff expressions, then nodded.

“I wish you safety. May the blessings of the Azelan Constellation be with you.”

At the monk’s words, Pharis scoffed inwardly.

Damn Azelan Constellation.

But he couldn’t voice those words.

“May the Azelan Constellation be with you.”

Pharis went straight into the passage, and the door slowly closed.

Bang-!

The Nord warriors stormed into the temple.

“B, block them…!”

“Protect His Holiness!”

Inside the temple, there were also many believers who had no weapons and were not infected with the Worm Pest.

They blocked the Nord warriors with their bodies, but the Nord warriors moved forward without hesitation, cutting them down.

They threw open the door to the last room.

The monks were drawing warp formations and chanting spells.

“…Did he escape?”

Kudan, who was at the head, had a hollow expression.

The shaman shook his head at the sight.

“No, the flow of divine power is ambiguous. The warp magic has not been executed. He must be somewhere in the temple.”

Cancun shouted to the Nord warriors.

“Find him! Find him and bring him to Loki!”

Everyone ran around.

Loki entered the room where Holy King Pharis had been.

“For His Holiness!”

The monks, who had exhausted their energy completing the warp magic circle, approached Loki with staffs and daggers and swung them.

Thwack! Thwack-!

The staff struck Loki, but did no damage.

The dagger also failed to pierce his armor.

Loki ignored the monks and turned his head.

His eyes turned blue.

He used search magic.

Then, footprints were engraved on the floor.

It could be seen that the footprints were heading towards the wall.

“Being a bug, he goes into narrow places well.”

Loki reached out and pierced the wall.

The wall collapsed, revealing a space.

Loki slowly walked towards the place where the footprints were.

At the same time, black beasts poured out from his armor.

“There will be prey.”

The heads of snakes and wolves looked at Loki.

“Eat their limbs.”

Accordingly, the heads of the beasts stretched out and extended into the dark passage.

***

“Hah! Hah!”

Pharis kept running.

His breath became rough.

In the darkness where he couldn’t see an inch ahead, he kept moving forward, touching the walls.

‘Damn it, am I going the right way?’

Clearly, the corridor should be brightly lit by the magic crystals placed there.

Even that light was being swallowed by the darkness.

The psychological pressure began to gnaw at his heart.

It was then.

Grrr….

Pharis stopped and paused.

He turned around.

He seemed to hear some sound in the darkness.

What is it…?

Pursuers?

But it wasn’t the sound of soldiers’ footsteps.

Rather, it was closer to the sound of a beast full of hostility.

…There couldn’t be a beast in a place like this.

It was then.

Beasts with eyes shining red as if to pierce the darkness attacked Pharis.

“……!”

What are those monsters…!

Those beasts with only heads and necks, with no bodies visible, were not of this world.

Pharis drew the sword from his waist.

“How dare mere monsters…!”

Pharis swung his sword.

He cut off the beast’s head.

It wasn’t just one or two. Hundreds of beasts filling the passage attacked Pharis.

“I am Holy King Pharis! This body is the ruler of the continent! Mere monsters…!”

Pharis focused on his sword.

His divine power manifested.

The surrounding air expanded and gathered.

A black space was created, swirling around his sword.

His [Divine Power] Space Distortion.

It had the power to cut anything.

Even angels couldn’t treat him carelessly in front of this power.

“Oooooo-!”

Pharis swung his sword.

In the blink of an eye. Space-time twisted, and the heads of the beasts were split into dozens, hundreds of pieces.

But before he knew it, new heads began to grow on the severed necks.

‘Are these guys Hydras or something?!’

It was like the legendary monster that regenerated even when its head was cut off.

Then, the beasts began to laugh as they looked at Pharis.

Kyahahahaha!

They were mocking him.

And heat poured out from the bodies of the beasts.

“Heo-eok-!?”

The surroundings melted.

Pharis felt like his whole body was being roasted by the heat that melted the walls.

“……!”

The ground Pharis was standing on also melted and became mushy.

It burned his legs as if he were standing on lava.

“Aaaaaaaack!”

As he lost his balance and staggered from the terrible pain, hundreds of beast heads attacked Pharis.