novelraw Chapter 159-2: Altar of the Stars, the Stargazer Who Gazes Upward (2)
Chapter 159-2: Altar of the Stars, the Stargazer Who Gazes Upward (2)
[You step forward slowly, ascending the stone steps at the altar’s edge…]
[You have entered the Altar of the Stars!]
[Several stars in the night sky suddenly magnify a millionfold, growing so large they feel within reach.]
[Your vision is overtaken by these massive celestial bodies. The colossal forms fill the entire sky. Whether you wish to or not, your gaze is drawn uncontrollably to the approaching stars.]
[A sudden sense of overwhelming pressure and insignificance grips you. Your chest tightens; you can barely breathe. A chill runs through your entire body. Fear strips away your outer defenses, leaving you exposed and naked before the stars that consume your vision.]
[…]
[A wrinkled hand pats your shoulder, pulling you back from the brink of drowning in terror.]
[You snap awake to find the solitary stargazer now standing before you.]
[A voluminous robe conceals its form, and the wide-brimmed, pointed hat obscures its face…]
[The Stargazer Who Gazes Upward asks if you, too, were awestruck by the power of the radiant stars.][You can’t help but nod.]
[Suddenly, it lifts its hat brim, revealing a terrifying monstrous face, with a single, enormous eye reflecting blinding starlight.]
[The stargazer demands to know, since you understand the greatness of the radiant stars, why did you betray them and become a fallen follower of the false god Omniscient True Knowledge?]
[Faithful apostle, how will you respond?]
[1. Speak with shame, “I was young and foolish back then, deceived by Omniscient True Knowledge. Now I’ve seen the truth and realize that the radiant stars are the true final destination.” Then ask whether you may rejoin the oath of the radiant stars.]
[2. Rebuke without hesitation, “Omniscient True Knowledge is the one true god. The radiant stars are nothing but heretical false gods, why else would they be imprisoned by the true god?” Then recite an incantation and attack to prove your loyalty.]
[3. Roll your eyes and respond, “Radiant stars? My god doesn’t care.”]
Lin Xun figured that most people who enter the illusion would be awed by the divine power of the radiant stars at the altar.
The stargazer before them would then likely use that moment to extend an invitation to join the radiant stars’ oath faction.
That’s probably what happened with the clinic’s previous customers, or with the President of the Multivision Association.
But he is an oathbreaker. After switching allegiance to the oath of Omniscient True Knowledge, he is no longer allowed to join the radiant stars, which is likely why the stargazer before him has become furious.
Of the three dialogue options, for the reason above, the first is already ruled out.
That leaves only the second option, confront it head-on, or the third… mock it?
It seems likely that either choice will lead to a fight.
Lin Xun’s thoughts raced.
Just how powerful is this Stargazer?
He only felt the divine might of the radiant stars after entering the Altar of the Stars. Before that, there had been no sense of overwhelming power.
Which suggested that the altar itself was the problem.
The Stargazer may simply be a missionary, using the altar’s projection of the stars’ power to convert others to the radiant stars’ oath faction.
As for whether it’s strong or not… there’s only one way to find out.
With that thought, Lin Xun immediately exited the Altar of the Stars.
[You ignore the Stargazer Who Gazes Upward’s interrogation and turn to flee from the Altar of the Stars…]
[The stars that were once within arm’s reach suddenly pull away, as if they had never drawn near at all, returning to their distant perch in the night sky. The cold, suffocating fear that engulfed you vanishes like a receding tide.]
“So it’s true!”
Lin Xun’s eyes lit up, and he quickly sprang into action.
[You raise two staves, and a pure-white Knowledge Barrier rises from the ground, locking you safely inside.]
[You lift your hand, and the two Stored Spell Treasure Rings on your fingers glow…]
[Pure white runes manifest in midair, forming two enormous lightning-wreathed spears that shoot straight toward the figure inside the altar!]
[The Stargazer Who Gazes Upward lowers the brim of his hat, a cold laugh following.]
[The glaring starlight above suddenly tilts and concentrates, coalescing into a dome of stars around the altar…]
[As the twin spears arrive, they collide with the Starlight Veil at the altar’s edge, which instantly disintegrates into countless tiny glyphs and dissipates like dust on the wind.]
[The Stargazer Who Gazes Upward mocks you loudly. Under the favor of the radiant stars, he wields power approaching that of a god.]
[And you, a mere mortal, dare defy the majesty of a divine?]
[He urges you to submit to the radiant stars. Perhaps the great gods will forgive your transgressions and grant you their favor once more…]
[Do you wish to accept his invitation to enter the Altar of the Stars and swear an oath to the radiant stars?]
“This guy’s that strong?”
Lin Xun suspected that starlight might counter knowledge-type skills, which could explain why his two Knowledge Spears failed to pierce the Starlight Veil.
Thankfully, he still had other offensive options.
The legendary skill Falling Starlight was also a starlight-based spell, and since it shared the same origin as the Starlight Veil, perhaps it could ignore its defenses and strike into the heart of the altar.
[You raise your staff and begin chanting…]
[…]
[Endless radiant starlight gathers before you, with golden lightning crackling and weaving around its edges…]
[The starlight, brimming with destructive force, rapidly compresses, then erupts in a burst of blinding light, like a supernova explosion, unleashing the annihilating power of a falling star!]
[The brilliant light sweeps across the land, and the ground around the Altar of the Stars fractures as if from a massive earthquake, leaving it riddled with craters and fissures.]
[Yet the veil of starlight at the altar’s edge, thin as a cicada’s wing, stands firm and intact, like an unbreakable iron wall.]
[The Stargazer Who Gazes Upward laughs loudly at your futile effort. With your meager strength, even if he stood motionless and let you cast freely, you still couldn’t break through the power of the divine.]
[Once more, he urges you to submit to the radiant stars…]
[Do you wish to accept his invitation to enter the Altar of the Stars and swear an oath to the radiant stars?]
“Even a legendary spell is useless?”
For a moment, Lin Xun didn’t know what expression to make.
Was the Stargazer truly that far beyond his reach?
He frowned and pressed ‘No.’
He still had eyeball-type special skills that hadn’t been used, maybe one of those could ignore the Starlight Veil’s defenses.
[You open a pink eye, fixing your gaze on the Stargazer Who Gazes Upward.]
[Special skill: Pleasure-Hazed Sight, activated!]
[The Stargazer Who Gazes Upward shows no reaction and continues urging your submission…]
[Do you wish to accept his invitation…]
“Damn it, is this thing an invincible boss? So this is just a forced-loss event…”
Lin Xun let out a helpless sigh.
He had thrown everything he had at the enemy, and still couldn’t defeat it.
Suddenly, his brow arched as a thought struck him.
“No… even a forced-loss event has to actually kill you. This guy just sits there inside the Altar of the Stars running his mouth, never coming out.”
This is a cursed game, and it never presents a truly unsolvable situation. The monster before him might be immune to all attacks while protected by the starlight, but it clearly had a weakness!