Player Who Became A Constellation [EN]: Chapter 191

191.

“The city currently known as the heart and center of the Underworld: Acheron. The Necropolis [city of the dead] is located there. Our ultimate goal is to conquer that place.”

Yura held up a candle and stepped forward.

The Revolutionary Army’s fortress teemed with countless wraiths [ghost-like beings].

A village of tents had formed, and even a market existed.

Thump! Thump-!

Wraiths building campsites.

Wraiths maintaining weapons.

Wraiths maintaining bone siege weapons, some playing cards in front of them, others walking the streets.

Though small in scale, they had created their own city and lived there.

“There are quite a few wraiths.”

Salad nodded in agreement with Loki’s words.

She watched the Revolutionary Army wraiths training in archery.

They were shooting arrows at a target.

“It took 60 years just to build this fortress. We rescued and gathered those who couldn’t adapt to the Underworld, those who were discriminated against, or those who were tricked by the ferryman and found themselves in trouble.”

Was she too engrossed in the Revolutionary Army’s fortress?

Salad didn’t hear those words.

But Loki heard them clearly.

’60 years?’

He had heard that it hadn’t been 60 years since the Demon King Kalibus died on the continent.

But it took 60 years to build the Revolutionary Army’s fortress?

Something didn’t add up.

‘…Did she misspeak?’

As Loki questioned this, Yura headed towards a cave with holes in the cliff.

The cave looked artificial.

Was it originally a mine?

Dwarf zombies wearing helmets and work clothes were busily moving, holding pickaxes.

The carts they were pulling were full of unknown ores.

“Is this a mine?”

“Yes, that’s right. We’ve renovated this mine to prepare an armory, a smelter, a food warehouse, a shelter, and… facilities for entrenchment.”

Loki picked up a jet-black ore from the cart and examined it.

“Oh ho.”

It was an ore that didn’t exist in the mortal realm.

When he applied force, a cracking sound was heard.

Yura knew what he was about to do and covered her mouth with her hand, laughing.

“No matter how strong you are, it’s impossible. That’s Darkstone, and it’s incomparably harder and more solid than the ores of the continent-”

The ore crumbled.

Yura paused at the sight.

“…I’ve never seen anyone crush Darkstone with their bare hands before.”

Even the Destroyer Turam couldn’t break Darkstone with his bare hands.

“Darkstone? I see.”

Loki turned his gaze.

Beyond the cave’s passage, a warehouse storing the ores could be seen.

“…Good.”

Loki’s eyes sparkled with interest.

In Asgard [realm of the Norse gods], dwarves process and fuse continental ores for use.

The resulting alloys are used to create the strongest weapons, unseen anywhere else on the continent.

If they could create alloys using this Darkstone from the Underworld, Asgard’s military power would increase even further.

“Is this common here?”

“It’s not that common. We were lucky to find it, so we built the fortress here.”

To fight the Constellation of Death, Natos, they needed weapons, and to secure those weapons, they had to control the mines around this bedrock.

“Please, follow me. I’ll show you to your rooms.”

Yura showed Salad to her room and then guided Loki to another room.

“I hope you rest comfortably here. There may be some shortcomings… but if you have any inconveniences, please let me know, as you are a friend of the young lady. We’ll take care of you as much as possible.”

Loki examined the cave he was shown to.

A single candle hanging on the wall.

A single shelf.

A single bed.

That was it, and the room’s door was made of iron.

“It’s like a prison.”

The thought slipped out.

Yura wore a bitter expression.

“This bedrock is so hard that it’s difficult to make the rooms larger.”

“I have a question.”

At Loki’s words, Yura looked at him.

“You said earlier that this fortress was built 60 years ago, right?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Demon King Kalibus. And how many years has it been since you’ve been in this Underworld?”

As if wondering why he was asking such a thing, Yura tilted her head.

But soon, she opened her mouth to answer Loki’s question.

“150 years. Roughly that much time has passed.”

***

Loki opened the book Ral had given him.

It was a record of those who risked their lives to investigate the Underworld.

There were many absurd stories, but some of them matched, including those about the appearance and laws of the Underworld.

Now that he saw it, it felt somewhat credible.

[The concept of time is drastically different in the Underworld compared to the mortal realm.]

“…….”

[One year in the mortal realm can be two, four, or even ten years in the Underworld. But it can also work in reverse. The latter would be a disaster for the living.]

Loki frowned and rested his chin on his hand.

[As it is another world, it is nearly impossible to observe its flow.

If you wish to return to the mortal realm-.]

Loki sighed.

[I hope you leave the Underworld as soon as possible.]

***

“…Let’s advance the timing of the revolution.”

A shining hall inside the cave.

There, the various races who had received key positions in the Revolutionary Army gathered for a meeting.

The meeting was led by the dark elf, Yura.

They didn’t have a good relationship with each other.

Their cultures were different, and their values were different.

From the beginning, there were minor conflicts in this Underworld, and as they built the fortress and shared goods together, the rifts of conflict deepened.

At least Demon King Kalibus had suppressed them with his charisma, but now that he only had a headless body, the representatives of each race were constantly slandering and criticizing each other to gain the upper hand.

Was that why?

Some people began to object to Yura’s words.

“What nonsense are you spouting!? Even if our Hanes Revolutionary Army has become stronger than before, it’s impossible to conquer Acheron, the city where the Constellation of Death resides. Above all, countless wraiths are gathering in the Necropolis. Do you think we can face them?”

Thump-!

A dwarf wearing jet-black full-body armor made of Darkstone slammed the table and shook his head.

His long beard fluttered, and he glared at Yura with fierce eyes.

“What’s the reason? You suddenly called a meeting… to advance the timing?”

The elf representative asked, and Yura said.

“Lady Salad has come to this stronghold.”

At those words, the representatives of each race wore surprised expressions.

“…The Demon King’s daughter?”

“Is the princess here?”

The human representative and the elf representative looked at Yura in surprise.

“We plan to rebuild the Hanes Empire in this Underworld, centered around her.”

The fact that she was Kalibus’s daughter would be a great help in gathering the scattered Revolutionary Army in the Underworld.

“…Even so, it will take great strength to break through Acheron’s walls and even subdue the Necropolis.”

The dwarf agreed with the elf’s words.

“Yes, even if the princess is here, how much power does she have? If you’re trying to start a war for such a trivial reason… I’ll pass. I can’t drag my people into a battle with no chance of winning.”

“What if Lady Salad defeated the Destroyer Turam?”

Everyone fell silent at those words.

“Also, among her companions, there is someone who even defeated Turam.”

The representatives of the different races wore dumbfounded expressions.

“What? That monster?”

“I heard he was called a ‘Constellation’ in the mortal realm.”

The representatives of the different races looked at each other.

Conflict was evident in their eyes.

They were people who had struggled to gain the upper hand.

They had wielded power since they were in the mortal realm, so they couldn’t put aside their pride even after coming to the Underworld.

But if someone with overwhelming power appeared before them, the story would be different.

“Then….”

The dwarf stared at Yura and said.

“You must have a plan?”

“Yes, our first goal is the closest city: Arata. We will conquer Kashar Kron, who rules that place.”

“Yes, we said we would prepare for five years to eliminate Kashar.”

Although they had the Destroyer Turam as a collaborator, Arata’s walls were strong.

In addition, there would be an army of thousands of wraiths and tens of thousands of slave soldiers.

To break through the strong walls that protected them, they would need twice as many troops.

Above all, the leader there, the noble of Arata.

The former emperor, Kashar Kron, was said to be a hero even in the mortal realm, so he would not be an ordinary opponent.

“We have Turam, and we have two people who defeated him. If we have enough troops… attacking Arata will be within half a year….”

He shortened the long period to just six months.

It was when all the representatives of the races were amazed.

Thump-!

The conference room shook.

As dust fell from the ceiling, the representatives of the different races raised their heads to look at the ceiling.

“What’s… going on?”

Bang-!

The conference room door was roughly opened.

A dark elf zombie shouted urgently.

“We’re under attack!”

“An attack?”

At Yura’s words, the dark elf zombie’s expression was terrified.

“The noble of Arata… has attacked.”

The representatives of the different races froze.

Before they could even raise an army, the enemy had made the first move.

***

A zombie climbed onto a sand dune in the desert.

He puffed out his chest and filled his throat with air.

He raised the huge horn he was holding and blew it with all his might.

Boo-oo-oo-oong-!

Red sand swirled, creating a sandstorm.

In that sandstorm-

“Kieeeeeeeeeeak-!”

Zombies and skeletons in tattered clothes charged forward.

The wraiths of Arata.

Their charge caused the wraiths heading towards the Hanes Revolutionary Army’s fortress to panic, scream, and start running.

“Aaaaaaack!”

“It’s the army of Arata!”

“They’re Kashar’s slave soldiers!”

“We can’t get caught!”

The wraiths headed towards the Revolutionary Army’s fortress.

If they were caught by them, it wouldn’t just end with their bodies being destroyed.

Their souls would be bound, and they would be forced to toil as slaves in the Underworld forever.

“Destroy the bodies! We can recover the souls later!”

Krrrrrrrr-!

A chariot pulled by a skeletal horse charged through the slave soldiers of Arata.

A slave rider was on top, and behind him, a masked trainer whipped the slave rider.

The slave rider howled and rolled his eyes.

The backs of the fleeing wraiths could be seen.

“Kuaaaaaack!”

To escape the pain of the whip, he had to sweep away the wraiths.

Bang-!

The chariot crashed into the fleeing wraiths.

The skeletal horse’s hooves crushed their bodies, and the blades on the chariot wheels tore the wraiths’ bodies to shreds.

“Come on! Hurry!”

The wraiths gestured from the fortress’s open gate.

They hoped to rescue as many people as possible, but they couldn’t because of the chariots quickly approaching right in front of them.

“D, don’t close it!”

The wraiths shouted, but the Revolutionary Army gritted their teeth and said.

“Close it!”

The pulley that secured the gate was released.

The gate fell roughly from top to bottom, closing.

“No-!”

The wraiths who couldn’t enter the fortress pounded on the door, but the chariots that had been running without slowing down crashed into them as they were.

Bang-!

The wraiths were shattered along with the chariots.

The chariots of Arata that appeared behind them quickly turned their reins to bypass them.

Behind them, the slave soldiers of Arata faced the fortress walls.

“They’re the slave soldiers of Arata! They only have numbers! Everyone, aim!”

On the walls, elves and dark elf wraiths aimed their bows in unison.

“Fire!”

They fired arrows.

The arrows rained down, hitting and knocking down the slave soldiers of Arata.

“Ladders! Bring the ladders!”

The slave soldiers of Arata brought ladders and placed them against the walls.

The zombie slaves staggered upwards, only to be hit by arrows and fall down.

“They only have numbers, it’s nothing!?”

The Revolutionary Army’s morale increased.

The reason they had feared Arata’s forces was because they had been hiding inside the walls.

If they didn’t just defend, the Revolutionary Army was overwhelmingly superior in terms of soldier quality.

That’s when it happened.

The slave rider who had been blowing the horn on the hill was knocked away by a huge hand.

Standing tall on the hill was the noble of Arata, Kashar Kron.

He looked at the Revolutionary Army’s fortress.

“The dead are full of energy. Very good!”

He reached his hand back, and zombie slaves staggered forward, bringing a heavy lump of iron.

“So it’s worth taking!”

Kashar gripped the lump of iron and glared at the Revolutionary Army’s fortress.

His muscles expanded and contracted.

He lifted his front foot, stepped on the ground, used his waist rotation, and threw the lump of iron in his hand.

Boom-!

The atmosphere exploded, and the lump of iron collided with the Revolutionary Army’s solid walls.

Bang!

The wall collapsed, centered on the pierced wall.

“Now-.”

Kashar Kron smiled.

“Collect the slaves!”

The masked trainer elite guard wraiths lined up behind him, their eyes gleaming.