The Divine Twilight's Return

Chapter 509: False Celestial, the Mother Terra Celestial (3)

Chang-Sun remembered the moment he had met Tiamat for the first time.

『Oh my, what has my troublemaker made me do?』

When Chang-Sun first fled from the <Star Grave>, Tiamat had arrived with Pabilsag and rescued him and his people. From their encounter, Chang-Sun had received two impressions. One was that she was large, and the other was that she was...

『Hahaha, you’re very wily. Rescuing you wasn’t enough?』

...cool. Yes, Tiamat was cool. She had a humble side when it came to teasing her troublemaker of a youngest daughter, but she also had the guts not to blink in front of numerous Celestials threatening her. Although protecting Chang-Sun could put her in trouble, she had paid no heed to that, and showed confidence and pride in her every action. She never compromised on what she believed in and always seemed relaxed. Chang-Sun had lived his entire life on the edge, so Tiamat was a complete shock to him.

『You’re already the king of <Muspelheim>. Although that plane has already met <Extinction>, Celestials used to live there, which means you and I already have the same status. Kings shouldn’t act submissive. After all, kings represent their people.』

『So you shouldn’t ask me a favor. You should demand or negotiate with me.』

Tiamat had taught Chang-Sun the mindset that a ruler was supposed to have.

『I see you as the king of <Muspelheim>, an equal of mine.』

In contrast to other Celestials, who had viewed Chang-Sun as a mere mortal or a follower, Tiamat was the only one who had recognized him as an equal to her.

『Do you want to become my husband?』

Although Tiamat had said so very jokingly, she still expressed her affection for Chang-Sun, which he was grateful for. They had almost grown estranged after Tiamat became a Celestial King, but Chang-Sun still respected Tiamat and wished to help her any way he could.

Let. Go. Let. Go. Stuffy. Outside. Kill.

As Tiamat continued to release menacing energy, Chang-Sun infused his energy into her. Half of him was an Outer Celestial, so it was not difficult to communicate using his energy.

Whooosh!

The moment Tiamat’s energy mixed with Chang-Sun’s, the world around them changed, and it felt as if they were both sucked into somewhere. When he opened his eyes again, he saw a swamp in which his feet kept sinking.

Swish―!

The swamp was boiling as if it could explode at any moment, emitting the foul stench of poisonous air.

‘This seems to be the embodiment of Ubbo-Sathla’s remnant. Is Loki and Durga’s help what‘s allowing Tiamat to hold out here?’ Chang-Sun took a look around with his [Foretelling Eye] wide open.

Except for the parts where their cores were, Outer Celestials did not have definite forms and usually took the form of energy masses. Thus, Tiamat’s personality had to be where the core was.

Kieeeeh!

Keeeeeeeh―!

However, it looked as if finding Tiamat’s personality would not be easy. Trying to stop Chang-Sun, monsters jumped out from everywhere in the swamp.

‘The Eleven Demonic Creatures... No, those monsters are stronger than them.’ Chang-Sun frowned slightly as he looked at them.

Tiamat’s Eleven Demonic Creatures had been born incomplete, because she had conceived them alone to get revenge for her deceased husband. Nevertheless, the Eleven Demonic Creatures had been the renowned executives of <Nammu> for a long time.

However, the various bizarre-looking monsters that had appeared just now seemed to be stronger than the Eleven Demonic Creatures, and there were far more than eleven of them. The problem was that these monsters were more vicious due to the lack of intelligence.

‘Will I be able to absorb them?’ Chang-Sun pondered for a moment.

He was also an Outer Celestial and had committed Celestial Cannibalism on Ubbo-Sathla’s core, so absorbing her remnant seemed possible.

[The Authority ‘Foretelling Eye’ is displaying the most probable outcome!]

Making a decision was not difficult. Multiple scenes briefly played before Chang-Sun’s eye.

―As soon as Chang-Sun absorbed the monsters, his insided began to boil, and the upper body of a Cataclysm Celestial ran wild. Chang-Sun tried to control the power, but Ubbo-Sathla’s personality slowly awoke from his <Myths>...

In that vision Chang-Sun was the final victor in the fight; he succeeded in defeating the monsters and put Ubbo-Sathla’s personality to sleep again. However, he remained inside Tiamat, meaning new dangers could occur.

‘I don’t think Loki and Durga would be able to stop me too if I also lost control of myself. No, it’s a no-go.’ Chang-Sun shook his head.

Perhaps it would have been different if Chang-Sun had only swallowed Ubbo-Sathla’s core, but he was also a <Supreme Light’s Face>. It was completely different from the time he had absorbed the Incendiary Burial Whale, so he decided to burn all the monsters up.

“Explode,” Chang-Sun commanded concisely using [Wordwielding].

At the same time, a pool of sunset-colored light flashed amid the monsters. Chang-Sun not only used <Duskfall> in the form of lightning bolts, but also formed it into large masses that he dropped in the center of the enemy group.

Rummmmble―!

The explosion not only swept away the monsters, but also burned up the swamp. After the stinking, poisonous air dissipated, Chang-Sun slowly walked forward.

Boom! Boom! Boooom!

Rummmble―!

New monsters were created, but their heads immediately exploded even before completion.

Rummmble...!

Following the guidance of his [Foretelling Eye], Chang-Sun went further inside. Eventually, he saw a girl who was sitting on a boulder looking fatigued; it was Tiamat in her polymorphed form.

“I was wondering what those noises were all about. Haha. It seems trouble always follows wherever you go.”

Chang-Sun quietly let out a sigh. Why did everyone tell him that disasters and troubles followed him?

‘I should really sort out that misunderstanding someday,’ Chang-Sun thought.

He firmly believed that he only happened to be in the wrong place whenever incidents happened, not that he was responsible for creating disasters.

“You look tired,” Chang-Sun said.

“It’s because of this damn poison.” Tiamat frowned at the vines tying her up like chains.

Hissss―!

The vines were corrosive and were melting her skin. With her inherently abundant mana, Tiamat recovered as soon as her skin melted, but it was causing her to become more fatigued over time. Whenever she severed the vines using a knife-hand strike, more flew up from the ground to replace them.

“As you can see, no matter how many times I cut them off, they continue to bother me. My legs have already merged with this place, so I can’t even feel them.” Tiamat tapped her legs in annoyance.

Chang-Sun frowned slightly, as he was actually unable to see Tiamat’s feet anymore. More vines were climbing up Tiamat’s legs and were trying to take over the rest of her.

“Why did you do it?” Chang-Sun asked.

“What do you mean?” Tiamat replied, tilting her head.

“I’m asking about the reason why you went out of your way like this. You didn’t need to take this kind of risk. It didn’t matter what anyone said. I was going to continue supporting you, Tiamat.”

The position of a Celestial King was not enough for Tiamat. She had wanted to become the Mother Terra Celestial, her origin, and then the <Great Mother>, their archetype.

Was Chang-Sun the reason behind Tiamat’s choice? He was getting stronger incredibly quickly, so had she believed that he would be discontented with being a second-in-command and eventually come after her position? Perhaps Tiamat’s risky decision had been to stop Chang-Sun from reaching a similar level as her and prevent anyone from doubting her ability.

Chang-Sun knew Tiamat very well, so he could be certain that her affection for her was genuine. Perhaps Tiamat had been trying to secure her standing by becoming stronger instead of turning her back on Chang-Sun, not wanting to forsake her affection for him. If Chang-Sun’s speculation was right...!

“Nonsense!” Tiamat’s gaze turned serious as she roared, “You’re insulting me right now. I indeed have a soft spot for you, but do you really believe I’m a person of such small caliber that I would fail an important task for such a trivial reason?”

Chang-Sun felt overwhelmed by the energy in Tiamat’s voice for a moment.

“It’s true that I felt threatened by the progress you’ve made, since there are many precedents of a second-in-command coming after a ruler’s seat. But you’re less than one thousand years old. Have you ever seriously thought that the standing I’ve built until now is so weak that you’d be able to knock me off my throne? How rude of you! Have you really thought so little of me all this time...?!“

Tiamat was genuinely angry, her face reddening. With her Dragon eyes, she looked at Chang-Sun, continuing, “My dream isn’t this flashy throne anyway! It’s a place everyone looks up to but no one can approach! I’m going to rise above the ground and fly so high in the sky, I’ll even have Emperors at my feet!”

“...!”

“Dominating and conquering to reign is the only thing I want. This thing with the Mother Terra Celestial and <Great Mother> is just something I have to dominate too. I thought that I was so close to achieving what I wanted for a long time... but that damned Odin screwed everything up in the end. Of course I’m angry!”

Tiamat gnashed her teeth violently in her fury. Meanwhile, Chang-Sun blankly watched her.

“So if you ever insult me like that...!”

Chang-Sun chuckled unwittingly.

Tiamat raised one of her eyebrows. “Is what I’m saying funny to you?!”

“No, it’s not.”

“Then?”

“You look cute.”

“...What?” Tiamat gaped dumbfoundedly, not expecting such an unexpectedly nonsensical answer.

“You know, you look like a girl who’s less than ten years old right now. Pounding a boulder in anger like that... I apologize for my rudeness.”

Tiamat finally noticed her adorable hand and realized how she had to look from Chang-Sun’s perspective. However, Tiamat being in her girl form was nothing new, and all her children and subordinates still trembled in front of her because of her [Dragon Fear]...

That was how the thought that Chang-Sun’s Divine Class had reached a level similar to hers crossed her mind. In that case, she could understand why Chang-Sun perceived her the way she looked.

Tiamat’s face reddened for a different reason. “W-Why are you laughing?!”

Chang-Sun could not stop laughing after seeing Tiamat floundering for the first time. Only after Tiamat gave him a scowl did he stop laughing and bow, saying, “I was too arrogant. I would like to apologize for that, Lady Tiamat.”

“...Hmph. If words were enough to be an apology, everyone would just say sorry and be done with it.”

“Then what should I do to earn your forgiveness? Anything.”

Crossing her arms, Tiamat held her chin high and said, “Become my husband.”

“No, I can’t.”

“You said you’d do anything.”

“That’s still a no.” Chang-Sun shook his head again.

“You’re impossible. I’ve always told you that playing hard to get makes you lose your charm.”

“It’s fine as long as my lover finds me charming.”

“You’re one hell of a devoted husband,” Tiamat grumbled.

“I can get you really good snacks though.”

“Do you really think I’m a child just because I look like this? It’s not...!”

“You’ve heard about Baal, the legendary patissier of <L’Infernal>, yes? How does his afternoon tea party dessert set sound?”

“...Hmm?”

Chang-Sun did not miss the way Tiamat unwittingly leaned closer to hear him out.