Chapter 229

Chapter 229
## Chapter: 229
Chapter Title: Heavenly Demon Divine Art

Isabella von Dersian stood before the two gateways.

Ever since Randolph had first stepped through one.

“……Lord Randolph.”

She turned her thoughts inward, examining her own soul.

A life defined by perpetual flight.

She had drifted without purpose, unable to find a place to truly belong.

She had taken on the mantle of the Snake Princess, offered her strength to the Star Awakener, ascended as the Desert Queen, and then masked her identity as a daughter of the Dersian clan within their own walls, before eventually reuniting with Randolph as a novice knight in the Eight Families Knight Order.

Crossing paths with Randolph had finally brought clarity to her world.

“Lord Randolph. I realize now I have been pursuing a star.”

A celestial body in the distant firmament.

She understood that her journey had been a chase after a light she could never actually touch.

Amidst the infinite, teeming stars, she had convinced herself that her specific destiny was waiting somewhere in the vastness.

“Star Awakener. My mentor, my sovereign.”

Isabella reached out toward the entrance Randolph had used.

She felt a desperate urge to go inside that very moment.

To sprint through the threshold and stand by Randolph’s side.

“My true star is……”

It felt as though she had finally identified the genuine light of her life.

Her real star had been walking beside her since the very beginning.

Even though it was right there, she had been blind to it.

Was that not the very definition of being a fool?

Now that the realization had dawned, could she simply step forward?

No, the time was not yet right.

She required more power.

She refused to be a weight pulling down her star.

-Seeker of the star.

It happened in that instant.

With a heavy, grinding noise, the portal on the opposite side swung wide, and a silhouette emerged.

Hovering above the shadow was a solitary, massive eye.

-I am the herald of the celestial bodies. The Star Awakener.

-The sentry who shields the stars, and the lord who commands this void.

-Are you prepared to offer yourself for the sake of your king?

The voices shifted in pitch and tone.

A cacophony of men, women, and children all speaking as one.

“……I am.”

Isabella gave a firm nod.

There was no room for doubt.

The silhouette then gestured toward the other door.

The path Randolph had taken.

-Then proceed. If your king is to emerge victorious, he will require your presence.

-You shall gain that which you most fervently desire.

-However, the road will be treacherous.

The voices overlapped in a single wave of sound.

Yet the intent was unmistakable.

……She sensed no ill intent from the entity.

The claim that she was necessary for Randolph’s triumph weighed heavily on her.

It was a significant burden to carry.

Creak.

Isabella stepped across the boundary.

As she did, the shadow observing her shut its eye and began to weep.

-Ah, the wait has been truly agonizing.

-All for the sake of that solitary soul.

-For our sovereign.

Starlight of the Sole Emperor!

The title of a radiance that was not originally my own.

Contrary to what the Sunken Emperor had described, it was the designation of a concealed trait I didn’t actually have.

‘It appears that evolved or unique hidden traits function as outliers.’

There were very few specialized starlights marked on the map.

It seemed the objective of this game was to track down the one that resonated with me specifically.

Furthermore, it was a 5-star grade. Five stars.

I could only have one active, but the numerical bonuses were staggering.

‘I’ll keep this one active until I stumble upon a 5-star starlight that actually matches me.’

Equipped starlights could be swapped out at any moment.

That flexibility allowed me to organize their sequence as I saw fit.

However, unlike standard starlights, it seemed these special versions could not be simply ‘discarded’.

【‘Starlight of Dexterity’ has been unequipped.】

【The bonus from ‘Star’s Memory’ (All Starlight Slots, STR+1, VIT+1) has been revoked.】

【‘Starlight of the Sole Emperor’ has been equipped.】

【Current Combat Stats: Attack 76, Health 70】

……Just as I thought.

The synergies from the specific arrangement had vanished.

Nonetheless, the values were still superior to my previous attack and health totals.

The 5-star starlight’s raw power of nearly 30 attack and health points easily surpassed the Star’s Memory bonus for the time being.

‘In this environment, striking first is the ultimate benefit.’

Therefore, prioritizing attack power was the logical move.

The Starlight of Dexterity provided +2 attack and +8 health, which was hardly optimal for securing the initiative.

‘But is the turn order decided by chance?’

The two adversaries I had encountered previously didn’t even possess starlights.

They suffered an automatic defeat, so there was no need to determine who moved first.

Moving forward, however, the situation would change.

Contestants who understood the value of starlights would be hunting for them across the island with desperation.

I had to figure out the exact logic behind the first and second strike order.

【Processing the memory stored within ‘Starlight of the Sole Emperor’.】

It happened then.

A flood of memories rushed through my consciousness like a cinematic reel.

Abruptly, an entirely different reality began to manifest before my eyes.

-Execution to the Emperor!

-Slay the oppressor Reinhardt!

-The Insane Emperor!

-Destroy the unholy Emperor!!

Furious mobs and battalions of soldiers flooded in like a breaking dam.

For the grand residence of a ruler who had brought the entire continent under one banner, the amount of blood being spilled was excessive.

No one within the palace walls remained alive.

Every structure was splintered and ruined.

Not a single child or even an insect was spared.

A literal state of chaos.

If a version of the underworld existed on the surface, this was it.

-Follow the champion Malfiel!

-Malfiel is our guide!

-Ooooh, the lion of brilliance!

Standing at the heart of the surging crowds was one man.

The legendary champion Malfiel.

The continent’s premier master of the blade and an 8-circle archmage had both been brutally struck down by his hand.

With no obstacles remaining, he stood alone to confront Emperor Reinhardt.

-Oppressor Reinhardt. A ruler whose death is long overdue.

-……Just looking at your face makes my migraine worse.

The Emperor wore a look of intense irritation.

His expression was one of pure loathing.

-I would have allowed entry without a massacre, so why butcher everyone?

-No untainted soul would ever be found in this palace.

-Hah, quite the statement coming from a celebrated hero of the people.

-A thorough cleaning was required. To scrub away the filth of this decaying empire, and this world.

-……The records will blame me for the slaughter regardless, so you must feel quite relieved.

-The victors are the ones who write the history books.

Both men were killers, yet one was hailed as a savior while the other was branded a tyrant.

It was a farce.

But the greater irony was the Emperor’s own situation: he had successfully united the continent, yet found himself powerless to change it.

The world had not become a better place.

He had forged it into a single entity, only to see that unity was an impossibility.

In the end, was the vision merely a fantasy?

‘Visions are meant to be destroyed, or so they say.’

The archmage had been correct.

Visions exist to be shattered, and that was exactly what was happening.

As the Emperor gave a cynical smirk, Malfiel let out a laugh.

-How pathetic. A demise that no living soul will weep for.

Rumble!

Boom!

……A tempest of lightning erupted, and the vision snapped shut.

The abruptness of the memory left me feeling winded.

But one fact was now undeniable.

‘This is the history of the Sunken Emperor.’

What I had just witnessed was the past of the ‘Sunken Emperor’ standing right next to me.

A past that even the Sunken Emperor himself had likely lost to time.

Reinhardt, the ruler who unified the continent.

And Malfiel, the hero who ended him.

Forgotten and discarded by the world, he had drifted down into the dark corners of the abyss.

“Why do you look so different all of a sudden?”

“……It’s nothing.”

I gave a small shake of my head.

There were more pressing matters to consider.

‘If every unique starlight contains a fragment of memory……’

The true intent of this game was starting to crystallize.

It was a challenge to literally recover the ‘Star’s Memory’.

Perhaps it was designed to force participants to recall things they had long since buried.

Or maybe there were hidden narratives woven into the experience.

It filled me with a sense of intense interest.

‘What kind of history is stored in my own starlight?’

……Eternal Randolph.

That specific, unique starlight was hidden somewhere on this island as well.

Greed, the Heart of the Eternal Lord, the Great Nature of the Hydruide, the Eye of Truth, and even the burgeoning demon of the Demon Blood Clan.

They all carried histories and chronicles within them.

And those stories would serve as essential roadmaps for the journey I was on.

‘I need to approach this with more focus.’

My motivations for winning had just multiplied.

My reasons for holding onto what belonged to me had grown much stronger.

I reached out and tapped the shoulder of the Sunken Emperor, who was still looking at me with suspicion, and spoke.

“Visions are meant to be pursued, my friend.”

“……? Have you lost your mind out of nowhere?”

When the sun began to rise, the Sunken Emperor faded away.

It was likely because his primary self, held captive in the Star Prison, had been liberated.

Leaving without a proper goodbye was a bit unfortunate, but I didn’t let it bother me.

There was no such thing as a permanent companion in this place anyway.

Had he not admitted it himself?

That he would show no mercy if we met through his real body.

‘I gained a great deal of knowledge because of him.’

I finally understood the path I needed to take.

Without his guidance, I would still be lost in the dark.

Deep within the cavern, I tightened my grip on the Heavenly Demon Blade.

‘……Only those who cast aside their mortality and transcend to witness the Asura can hope to master the ‘Heavenly Demon Divine Art’. But building up unadulterated demonic energy through human meditation alone is an impossibility; one must merge with a more fundamental darkness.’

The Heavenly Demon Blade continued its whispered instructions.

It spoke of breaking through the limits of the self to reach a state of absolute power.

‘The Heavenly Demon became a creature of the void to truly command the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.’

One could not cling to humanity.

Human spiritual techniques could never create a supreme being, an Asura.

Therefore, the Heavenly Demon had plunged himself into the depths of the abyss.

He relinquished his human nature.

By shedding and purging his former self, he caught a glimpse of the Asura.

If it weren’t for the unique circumstances of this island in a direct fight, defeating the Heavenly Demon would have been an impossible task.

That thought fueled my ambition.

I am the one defined by greed.

I wanted to claim this power as my own as well.

In any case, unique starlights only appeared during the night.

I had already gathered everything available during the daylight hours.

I began to concentrate my spirit.

‘The Heavenly Demon Blade is effectively a manual for the soul.’

The physical sword was itself a guide for internal energy and martial mastery.

Now I truly grasped why the Heavenly Demon considered this blade his most vital possession.

He was undoubtedly hunting for me with everything he had by now.

Before he could track me down, I intended to internalize at least the core principles carved into the weapon.

‘The initial step toward the Heavenly Demon Divine Art is the rejection of humanity.’

I settled into a meditation posture, shut my eyes, and purged all distracting thoughts.

Naturally, I had zero intention of actually throwing away my humanity.

I am a human being, I am Park Hyun-myeong, and I am Randolph.

I would never abandon those three core identities.

Furthermore, it wasn’t even necessary.

‘An omen of disaster, the one who sparks the void, and the demon of avarice.’

I carried a darkness and a demonic essence within me that was more profound than anyone else’s!

I felt certain that not even the Heavenly Demon himself possessed a void as deep as mine.

-Have you lost your senses? Stop this!

Winter’s voice rang out with desperation.

She seemed to sense exactly what I was attempting.

-The binding on that sword is permanent! Even my influence isn’t enough to break it! Trying to overpower it with your own essence is total madness!

I’m aware.

I’m well aware.

Utilizing Winter’s strength to activate the eye of disaster and sever the bond wasn’t about trying to control this Heavenly Demon Blade.

-It will consume you. The entity sealed in that blade is not something you should wake up! What could you possibly hope to achieve by stirring that foul, twisted ancient deity……!

An ancient deity. Yes, that’s exactly what it was.

I could understand why Winter was so terrified.

But my objective was different.

The core of this island, this entire simulation, was the recovery of memories.

Everything here was a manifestation of a past thought.

It was entirely plausible.

It was something that could only happen here, and only in this specific way.

Just like calling back the memories of the Sole Emperor Reinhardt.

……So, Heavenly Demon Blade.

Reveal your history to me.