Chapter 92 – Gujiga

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Translated by Heavenly Cat

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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Gods were not as strong as expected.

They were far from being omniscient and omnipotent, and sometimes they were weaker than humans.

This was the reason why Dream-Shedding Eye believed he could become a star while he was alive.

This thought remained the same even after seeing the true face of the Sun God.

It was just that an exception called the Sun God had appeared.

The surviving gods were nothing but defeated soldiers.

In the first place, the war between heaven, the abyss, and the underground ended a long time ago.

Now, the victors were merely fighting over the spoils of war.

…That was how it was.

[A newborn god possesses this level of power?]

Dream-Shedding Eye was one who looked at the sky longer than any astronomer.

As long as he had served and understood the Pantheon, he also knew the providence of gods and heaven well.

What made a god strong was their flesh, the flesh formed by the souls and faith of their believers – Elysium.

Dream-Shedding Eye only now fully understood the desperate cries for salvation sent by his other compatriots.

The longing for light.

It was a wish that the survivors in this pitch-black world would have harbored more strongly than anything else.

There was no way humans of the present world would give up the lingering attachments that even Dream Demons could not discard while wandering the abyss.

Disgust surged toward the Great Demons who had already died.

Dream-Shedding Eye raised the usurped Elysium high and openly revealed his hatred.

[If so, I too can become great!]

– Exercise of Rights, Dividing Earth.

He was the one who understood the authority of Elysium more deeply.

He might be pushed back in pure miracles, but he could win in a fight governing believers.

Above all, Dream-Shedding Eye was someone who ruled as a king during his life.

There was no way a priest king, who hunted heretics by upholding the consensus of the Pantheon, would lose in a fight leading a horde.

Humans and demons.

For a Great Demon who enjoyed both lives, aiming for a weak point was easy.

An army of humans had to form a formation.

Because each individual was weaker than a demon, they had to clump together and bond to maintain their fighting spirit.

The authority of the Dividing Earth was a power prepared for this.

It divided, lifted, and dropped the earth that humans had no choice but to step on.

It wasn’t just people who lost their center of gravity and stumbled.

The army that had been reborn as a single entity also crumbled like sand.

No matter how strong the god who made stars was, he wouldn’t be able to cope with shallow experience.

However, just as Dream-Shedding Eye ignored the Sun God, he was also ignoring his opponent.

The price for that returned quickly.

The opponent of the Sun God, Star Creation, also had a usurped Elysium.

[What fills the torn flesh is bloody water.]

– Exercise of Rights, Surging River.

Then, a massive amount of water rose from deep underground.

The water rose faster than the speed at which the ground tore each other apart, and the water also salvaged those who had managed to fall.

He simply and swiftly destroyed the miracle caused by Dream-Shedding Eye with an attitude that it was nothing.

Seeing this, the Great Demon decided to pour out all his power.

[I overcame death, next I just have to overcome heaven! Young god, are you finally trying to stop me from returning to the place I deserve!]

– Exercise of Rights, Settled Night.

He inflated the sky.

To the extent that it would distort even that supposedly magnificent starlight.

There was no human who could maintain their sanity watching the sky collapse.

The holy knights might be fine, but ordinary people would definitely be terrified and flee.

However, Star Creation was not one to stay still.

[If you cannot see, you cannot fathom.]

[Nonsense.]

– Exercise of Rights, Accumulating Deception.

It was the moment Dream-Shedding Eye was confident of victory.

The miracle of Accumulating Deception could not stop the sinking night sky.

If he just crushed them as is, the victory was practically his.

…Or so it should have been.

“T-The sky was collapsing?”

“Was it an illusion?”

“Everyone is tense, that’s why. Everyone, keep your wits about you and block them!”

Was the authority destroyed?

Dream-Shedding Eye inadvertently turned his gaze, but the sky was exactly the same.

The sky was swelling up as if it would burst at any moment and slowly sinking.

Yet they were not afraid.

As if they had seen it wrong…!

The moment his thoughts reached that point, Dream-Shedding Eye shuddered.

Star Creation would not miss that agitation.

[Heaven is entirely the domain of the Sun God. The sky is a curtain that hides the mysteries of heaven and a window that allows a peek.]

The god made of a universe shining with starlight declared, looking at him as if piercing through everything.

[How dare you, who knows and fears the power of the Sun God, offend the Sun God and bring retaliation upon yourself.]

A chilling sensation stirred his spine.

Star Creation knew that he could not dare to break the sky.

Noticing that he was only trying to scare them with the authority of the Settled Night, Star Creation covered his people’s eyes with the authority of Accumulating Deception.

He was different from the other gods he had encountered so far.

Not a prey that desperately resisted and was helplessly murdered, but a being worthy of being called a god…

It was right then that Dream-Shedding Eye howled.

[No!]

Because he stole the flesh of the living, the senses he had forgotten for a long time were reviving.

Even the emotions he thought he had thrown away together while casting off his mortal destiny.

Dream-Shedding Eye shouted even more desperately to shake off the returning remnants.

[I was just waiting for the right time! If I kill you and take that power, I will be able to defeat the Sun God too!!!]

– Exercise of Rights, Crouching Vine.

The vines formed from Elysium willingly bound the victims.

And they tried all sorts of means to kill those armed with weapons forged from stars.

Somehow digging into the gaps of their armor, tearing their skin, and throwing them into the cracks of the split earth.

Dream-Shedding Eye was emitting light, covered in golden veins at some point.

However, no matter how much he put in his full power, it was meaningless to Star Creation.

[Bring your people who covet the lives of the living.]

– Exercise of Rights, Wavering Fog.

A water fog bloomed.

The fog thickly filled the surroundings of the human army, making Dream-Shedding Eye fully recall the emotions he had forgotten.

Frustration.

As the fog grew thicker, he felt the vines he had vigorously created drying up and dying.

The speed at which the fog spread was much faster than the speed at which the vines hid themselves.

The reason was singular, no matter how much he wanted to deny it, there was only one.

As a god…

[Together with them, I will send you back to where you belong.]

…Because the opponent was stronger.

Crunch-!

The single eye stuck to the living exploded from Dream-Shedding Eye.

It was because one of the golden blood vessels that had already filled up to the white of his eye could not withstand the load.

Drip, drip, drip.

Through the gap, golden bloody water dripped onto the city walls.

Dream-Shedding Eye glared at the distorting world and howled fiercely.

[Fine, I will do that. If I cannot win as a god, I will win with the military genius of a king!]

Hearing the mournful scream of the Great Demon, Star Creation quietly raised his hand.

Stars gathering at his fingertips.

The god was showing his right hand, which began to shine because of it.

***

Being a king’s military genius didn’t mean it was amazing.

No, he could be outstanding as a human, but the opponent had to be appropriate.

No matter how genius a military commander was, they could not overcome all the miracles that happened on the battlefield.

It was even more so for someone who fought wars under the full support of the Pantheon while alive.

Furthermore, I had the knowledge I gained from the game as well as the legacies generously bequeathed to me by the exchanged knowledge.

– Dream Demons could deform their bodies, but there was a limit.

– This was because if they deformed it beyond a certain limit, the flesh lost its physical shape due to the influence of the Dream Demon.

– Therefore, the attacks of Dream Demons were often carried out by deforming appendages like arms and legs.

– …It was also an attempt to create distance to protect the torso, which was still no different from a human’s.

Naturally, I had faced them several times.

They were terrible bastards, but once the distinction between friend and foe became clear, they were easy to deal with.

Easy enough to handle even with just ordinary people, without holy knights.

It was simple as long as there were enough supplies.

“Aim for the torso with crossbows. By doing so, they will also be driven into a defensive position. They won’t give up their lives easily, so focus on opening a path for the holy knights to advance.”

Where the voice of the god reached was the entire area where the influence of the god reached.

People flinched but faithfully followed my instructions.

Then the Dream Demons, who were rushing in with great momentum, had no choice but to awkwardly hesitate.

Even if they covered their torsos with tough leather, it was impossible to withstand all the penetrating power of blessed bolts.

Of course, the Dream Demons hesitating wasn’t simply out of fear.

“Form a spear wall while reloading to block their approach. Make them approach first.”

It was plainly visible that they were aiming for the reload timing, which could be considered the most critical moment.

Grinding their teeth and pacing around the split earth, there was no way I wouldn’t know.

They tapped with their elongated tentacles, trying to dig into weak spots somehow, but…

Every single one was an edged weapon forged with the power of the stars.

There were quite a few bastards who carelessly approached only to be pierced by the spearheads forming the spear wall and howled.

If there was an area that got breached by chance, I moved directly.

– Protective Miracle, Barrier.

“Uwaak! Ack! Aaaack, ack!”

“Pull yourself together, you didn’t die, punk!”

“H-Heo, heo…! T-This light.”

=Tsk.=

Even if the Dream Demons managed to dig into a weak spot, I was there as a reserve force.

Rather than recklessly overusing miracles, I stopped the attacks as a reserve unit intervening at desperate moments.

“As long as the starlight protects you, you will not be dragged into nightmares. Dream Demons are powerless once they lose their usurped flesh. In a war of attrition, it is none other than you who have the advantage.”

I soothed them so they wouldn’t be scared by the continuous attacks.

“Maintain formation. If the terrain changes due to the enemy’s authority, I will inform you.”

In the meantime, if there was any sign of Dream-Shedding Eye intervening, I immediately raised my hand.

So that I could counterattack with the usurped Elysium at any time.

“Squads relatively free from attacks, support the withdrawal and reorganization of other squads. I will open the path you will take.”

At the same time, I sought to regroup between separated squads.

By piling up soil step by step in the cracks of the split earth.

A human army was strong when united.

The enemy also knew that fact and attempted separation, but I could break through all of this.

And these measures slowly began to see the light.

“These bastards are nothing!”

“Shoo, shoo!”

=Aaaaargh! W-Why are you trying to drive us out?!=

=I don’t want to go back!=

Loaded crossbows were fired and spearheads were thrust out.

The Dream Demons were busy dodging the flying bolts and spearheads.

This was why an army was needed.

The demons and those monsters were strong, but not as strong as a human army under the protection of a god.

If an army properly equipped met them in regular warfare, humans would win.

Was it for nothing that the Sun God was extremely wary of organized human resistance?

I could be sure now.

No matter who looked at it, this side had the upper hand in the war situation.

Dream-Shedding Eye and the subordinate Dream Demons couldn’t even inflict proper damage and were just falling little by little.

Seeing this, someone who gained confidence shouted.

“We won!”

“Praise the Godfather of Stars!”

Cheers confirming victory were heard from everywhere.

Thoughts hoping I would declare victory were rushing in like a tide.

However, in the first place, this fight was not started just to defeat a single Dream-Shedding Eye.

I looked at the night sky swollen with distorted starlight.

“You’re not planning to just watch still, are you.”

Nebula Church.

It was a systematic organization formed by thousands of people in a dying world.

People gathered under my name to form an army, and right now they were slowly seizing victory against the forces of a Great Demon.

Yes…

Exactly as the Sun God had been extremely wary of.

“Come out, Sun God!”

A familiar gaze was felt.

Under the night sky that was merely distorted, a dark purple radiance began to spout from the horizon on the opposite side.

From the beginning, this fight was a holy war against the Sun God.

Dream-Shedding Eye and the Dream Demons were bait to draw out the Sun God.

“Or are you going to just let me take Elysium!”

At that moment, the control of the night sky was handed over.

Not to Dream-Shedding Eye, but to the true master of the sky.

The sky that had swollen up sank deeply.

Instead of the distorted starlight, a gloomy dark purple radiance filled the half of the sky.

In the middle of it was the celestial body that had hidden itself for a while.

The Black Sun.

At the same time, the momentum of the Great Demon noticeably weakened.

[T-This is. Wait, urgh…]

It was certain. The Sun God had descended.

And in an incomplete form at that.

Right. He had to be burning with anxiety if I had taken the night’s Elysium too.

This was what I aimed for when I moved the army.

When the Sun God still couldn’t overcome the aftereffects of the Sun Expulsion.

I had to draw out the Sun God and fight.