Chapter 25 – The Oath is Broken

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Translated by Heavenly Cat

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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In an era without convenient tools like phones or TVs, people exchanged news through people.

It was no different for an army driven into a battlefield.

Except for the point that it was more difficult than in peaceful times.

Because they naturally drew all the attention of enemies, the bravest and most outstanding person took on that duty.

They ran restlessly, disregarding how far it was, sometimes avoiding pursuing enemies, sometimes breaking through rough terrains.

Solely with the single-minded focus to convey someone’s words, or what had happened where.

Whether it was joyful news or sad news, to share it along with others.

And the time the star I made rose was right before the Black Sun set.

It was when the Dark Light that had seeped everywhere was showing its full ferocity.

It was to the point that people resigned themselves, thinking it would be a long while before the Black Sun set because the world was too dark.

To inform them of the fact that a star had risen in the thick and heavy darkness, it had to shine that brightly.

It was natural for this name to be attached to the star that shone the earliest and the brightest.

Herald Star.

The herald of the sky that would inform the whole world of the fact that a star had risen, and cry out that the tyranny of the Black Sun would end.

However, the Herald Star did not speak through letters or voices.

There was only one way to make the whole world know that the Black Sun was setting.

-Star Protection miracle, Flash of the Herald Star

The souls residing inside the Herald Star responded to my call.

Within the cozy bosom of paradise, looking at their compatriots beneath the sky who had not yet evacuated, they were overwhelmed with a sense of duty.

They collided with each other constantly and spewed out the most intense light they harbored.

A snug bed, warm bread, soup stirred with a ladle, the sound of firewood burning in a brazier….

It was a light meant to tell them that even as they longed for their lost daily lives, they could still regain them.

The world had not ended yet.

Even if all the stars in the sky had fallen, the stars on the earth remained.

The flash emitted by the Herald Star embraced the whole world like that.

Hwaaaaaang-.

The explosion of starlight salvaged the world from the Dark Light.

Although it was truly nothing more than a fleeting moment, although it was genuinely an instant, it was not an illusion.

Guh-heuk, guh-heuk.

It was to the extent that the dark purple halo of the Black Sun was entirely severed.

Only the Corpse Demons that luckily had hidden in the shadows of buildings or rubble remained alive.

The Corpse Demons that had been enthusiastically lunging forward relying on the Dark Light had already been swept away by the Flash of the Herald Star without even letting out a single scream.

“…H, how. How.”

“Did they disappear? All of them?”

“All those bastards. In a single blow, entirely.”

These were the words of the people who had been running away from the breached barriers.

The soldiers on the frontline, who had been crouching from the flash, opened their eyes and were left utterly speechless.

Belatedly, the Black Sun tried to stretch out the Dark Light once again, but.

“You must observe the penalty.”

If the Sun God were truly the only god, then who knows, but not yet.

The Sun God had not yet been reborn as the only god, and there was a limit to its authority.

I decided to trust the Herald Star and the stars I made.

-Exercise of rights, Penalty

“The Black Sun cannot drop a risen star.”

Since it was a penalty too strong, I had to bear a handicap as well.

Of course, what kind of handicap it was had already been decided.

“Until you defeat me.”

As soon as those words were finished, the Black Sun’s desperate struggle began.

Barely hanging on the horizon, it tried to withstand the weight of the turning sky.

Even if rotting, it was still the Sun God, so I couldn’t chase it away like the Holy Mother of Stillborns.

But it was obvious the guy was overdoing it.

The numbers of Corpse Demons vomited by the Dark Light it had barely reached out had noticeably decreased.

This time… I trusted the people.

“The Black Sun is setting. The Corpse Demons have been annihilated once. If you think it is still not enough, the stars shall be with you, so do not fear.”

Above all, I had two unnamed stars remaining.

A fragrance reminiscent of a sweet and fluffy cupcake surged from all directions.

Hope.

Those who looked up at the sky, those who witnessed the starlight, turned their gazes forward again.

“Did you see? The Godfather of Stars is looking down on us. The One who makes stars is with us, so what is there to fear?”

“The curse has been lifted! Even if our souls die, Star Creation will harvest them, not the demons!”

Hwen and Ryugen, who suffered a lot in this fight, shouted with slightly hoarse voices.

Those standing on the frontline firmly gripped their spears. The injured clenched their teeth. Those staying behind prayed for victory.

This is enough.

The starlights on the earth were something the momentum of the once-broken Dark Light dared not challenge.

Only then could I pour all my attention into the inner keep.

The place where the new demon that had just flinched due to the Flash of the Herald Star was staying.

I flew there.

***

The moment I flew over the gate, the ones who were guarding the chain voluntarily knelt down all together.

“O, O Great One.”

“Pray, for the victory of the light…”

A salty and bitter salt taste.

I could know what the survivors of the inner keep were wishing for as soon as I arrived.

The newly born demon looked surprisingly intact.

Because a somewhat stylish armor concealed the hideous appearance of a Corpse Demon.

But that didn’t mean it looked normal either.

A surcoat of a shield crest drawn with a lion.

The armor that once would have shone silver was dirtied with bloodstained rust.

What the chipped blade harbored were browned and stuck-on blood scabs.

It was bitter and astringent.

Beyond the gap of the lowered visor, there was only full of regret.

Because it was not long since it was born, traces of a human remained in places.

=…I am the loyal son who serves Mother.=

It was also a familiar face to me.

Moth-Eaten Armor.

It was the culprit that made the Holy Mother of Stillborns and survivors compete over who gathered stragglers faster.

As a demon originally of human origin, it was a demon that controlled the Lion Shield Fanatics.

No one knew how it had somehow fallen.

Because it was just one of the passing specimens of a fallen soldier.

=Scattering wicked light is useless. For life cannot live without sunlight.=

A sword where reddish-brown blood scabs were stuck densely like barnacles.

The Moth-Eaten Armor aimed the tip of that sword this way.

=Only entirely in Mother’s bosom shall you be able to enjoy time!=

Kicking off the ground, it flew over.

Of course, there was no reason whatsoever for me to face it in close combat.

The way to deal with the flying demon was simple. I revolved the stars inside my flesh.

-Punishment miracle, Crush to Death

Uniform pressure pushing in from both sides crushes it in a single breath.

…It should have done so, but the Moth-Eaten Armor gained an ability it didn’t possess before.

Tukwaaaaaak!!

It wasn’t some alien either, skinned arms popped out from its sides.

They stretched out long exactly as they were and grabbed the edges of the wall.

Instead of using a miracle, I gathered divine power.

If the opponent moved irregularly, I also had to adapt to circumstances.

I created hands made of divine power and twinkling with golden light.

Of course, the place to strike down with this was decided.

The guy’s arms that popped out from its sides!

=Hmm!=

Crunch!

The extended arms broke off.

However, the Moth-Eaten Armor didn’t fall to the ground.

Before its arms were completely shattered, it swung its sword itself and cut them off.

Taking only the repulsive force and rotational force, it soared up.

=You cannot save all of them anyway!=

It landed on the wall just like that.

Only now did I see the picture.

…It was purely aiming for people.

As soon as it realized the gap between me and itself, it made up its mind to attack the survivors.

=Then I must avoid the worst!=

At this rate, the guy would jump down.

And at the place the guy was heading, there were people busy blocking the surging Corpse Demons.

It was exactly at this time that I looked up at the sky.

It was a new star to replace the Herald Star, which was panting after vomiting out all the power it had.

No, strictly speaking, it was the eldest.

Even if it cannot shine the brightest, it is the star that illuminates the world the longest.

I realized what I should call this star.

-Unique Miracle, Naming

“Sentinel Star (把守星), protect the people alongside me!”

The blinking star twinkled as if responding.

The souls residing inside the star were swelling up with compassion.

Presently, the moment the star expanded as if it would burst any second.

-Star Protection miracle, Protection of the Sentinel Star

Chijijijijik-.

It couldn’t illuminate the whole world like the Herald Star.

Instead, the Sentinel Star concentrated its starlight onto a single point.

To someone, warmly and softly.

To the Moth-Eaten Armor, hacking it to pieces as if becoming a sharp razor blade.

The Moth-Eaten Armor raised its sword trying to block the starlight, but it was barely useful for an inch.

Thwack.

Eventually, unable to withstand the weight, it was pushed off the wall and bounced backward.

Then, from everywhere, be it its sides, thighs, or forearms, skinned arms popped out.

=O Legion!=

The Moth-Eaten Armor cried out thirsting for victory.

=I have not yielded to death yet!=

Thududududuk.

The arms of those offered as sacrifices were bizarrely twisted.

The arms stretching straight out reminded me of a spider.

The Moth-Eaten Armor supported itself with dozens of pairs of arms that popped out from its body.

Tabababak.

The sound of palms tapping the ground stimulated my ears.

The Moth-Eaten Armor glared at me instead of aiming for the people.

=The god who makes stars, Star Creation.=

Supporting itself with dozens of pairs of arms, that was.

=Do you not know that your stubbornness drives them to death?=

“And yet it is okay to serve the Holy Mother of Stillborns?”

=To challenge the Sun, the more demons you kill, the more the Sun’s penalties are released. Do you think life can live under a Sun where all penalties are released?=

It was a fact I knew.

It was the reason why the All Slayer ending was the hardest route.

It was a gimmick where if you killed all the demons, the difficulty of facing the Sun God went up by that much.

However, if all penalties are not released, the Sun God will resurrect again.

It was a journey that had to inevitably be passed to kill it completely.

The Moth-Eaten Armor hovered around, continuously searching for my openings.

=In a world that lost sunlight, I saw all sorts of deaths. There were even those who chewed and ate their own child’s flesh out of starvation.=

I fully understood. But the opponent was a demon that ate Elysium.

The spirituality dwelling in the popped-out arms was ceaselessly crying out.

=Now we do not starve. We do not catch diseases, nor do we hang ourselves on our own. We do not yield to death…=

Ansen.

The one who lost his life the moment his sword broke was continuing to wail.

As long as the envy towards the sky and the stars remained within people, I did not lose.

I prepared for the fight.

The opponent did the same.

=I’ll make you into a star, as long as it isn’t those words!=

Dozens of pairs of arms moved dizzily.

Even the attack it made now was a feint.

Its true intention was the people watching the fight from above the gate.

But I had an ally more reliable than anyone else.

Before I took action myself, the starlight in the sky twinkled.

-Star Protection miracle, Protection of the Sentinel

Crunch!

Euheo-eoa-a-a-a-a-.

Deflating groans leaking out from the extended arms echoed in all directions.

The starlight chopped the arms that were rushing towards the people into pieces simultaneously.

As if it was natural to be blocked, the Moth-Eaten Armor didn’t panic and rushed towards me.

…If I used too strong of a miracle, the humans who were still hiding would be in danger.

Bang!

The flesh of those who were eaten splashed in all directions.

A blurry boundary line containing a blue universe. My fist boasted outstanding power against a demon.

Rumble….

The rusted armors fell into pieces.

Beyond that, traces of a human filled with lingering regret and sorrow remained.

=…Behold, the end of the ones who swore the oath.=

I knew it the moment we met eyes.

The majority consisting of the flesh inside the armor were legionnaires.

Souls who had already died and were bound to the Holy Mother of Stillborns before I could annul the curse.

The flesh and spirituality of the legionnaires were protected inside the armor, all tangled up together.

=This time it is our turn to receive their protection.=

Only then did I realize.

The fact that the arms popping out until now belonged to the civilians they used to protect.