novelraw Chapter 25 : Chapter 25
Chapter 25 : Chapter 25
Chapter 25. 2-Star Awakening
Lee Han-seong delved into the concept of formations he had understood from Chungmugong's Naval Formation.
The origins of Eastern formations can be traced back to the Eight Trigrams Formation.
The four orthodox formations of Heaven, Earth, Wind, and Cloud, and the four unorthodox formations of Dragon, Tiger, Bird, and Snake.
‘Orthodox refers to confronting the enemy, establishing a position, and engaging in close combat, while unorthodox refers to using deception such as ambushes or raids.’
The eight formations of the Eight Trigrams Formation each correspond to the eight trigrams.
The Heaven Formation is the Qian trigram and the Open Gate.
The Earth Formation is the Kun trigram and the Death Gate.
The Wind Formation is the Xun trigram and the Delusion Gate.
The Cloud Formation is the Kan trigram and the Rest Gate.
The Flying Dragon is the Zhen trigram and the Harm Gate.
The Tiger Wing is the Dui trigram and the Fear Gate.
The Soaring Bird is the Li trigram and the Scene Gate.
The Coiling Snake is the Gen trigram and the Life Gate.
Thus, the eight formations become the eight gates, and the changes of these eight gates are called the Art of Qi Men Dun Jia.
By dividing the starlight flowing in his body into the eight trigrams and designating the eight gates according to the principles of Qi Men Dun Jia, he could draw out the latent power of the small universe within him by opening them.
Click- Clank! Rumble!
With the sound of the chains that had been blocking the eight conceptually existing gates in his body being released.
[
[The principles of Qi Men Dun Jia unlock Pheidippides' Eight Gates Locked Formation]
[Synchronization rate increases.]
[101%… 112%… 153%… 200%]
“Eight Luminaries' Silent Extinction.”
Paaaaat!
A powerful torrent of starlight surged forth, just like when the blessing of a constellation acted at the moment of awakening.
A synchronization rate that exceeded the limit of 100%.
The starlight flowing from the four stars Pheidippides held instantly doubled, taking the form of eight shining gates.
A majestic flow that completely filled the vessel of the body with starlight and forcibly expanded its rank.
‘Ugh.’
Naturally, it was bound to put a strain on the body.
The body, feeling a burden as if a synchronization rate runaway had occurred, screamed.
No, it was actually close to a synchronization rate runaway.
It was different from when he had been promoted through Transcendence.
‘…My body is breaking!’
A temporary promotion due to Transcendence was when both the vessel and the starlight that filled it were promoted by one stage.
On the other hand, the Eight Gates Dun Jia only amplified the starlight while leaving the vessel as it was, so the vessel was inevitably bound to break.
He was barely holding on by constantly changing the position of the eight gates and precariously controlling the overflowing starlight.
‘If I lose control for even a moment, my body will explode.’
A life-or-death tightrope walk continued, but he couldn't turn back.
He still lacked the understanding of Qi Men Dun Jia to close the already opened eight gates.
To stop on his own, he had no choice but to increase his proficiency in the Eight Gates Dun Jia as it was.
‘Can I really not make a mistake?’
The answer was no.
So, he unfolded No Retreat in the Face of Battle so that even if he made a mistake, it wouldn't end there.
Wooooong!
[Due to 《No Retreat in the Face of Battle》, as long as the will to fight remains, the body will continue to fight in any state.]
At least until this battle was over, the vessel would not be further damaged.
Even if his whole body exploded and he lost his form, he would be able to hold on in his original spirit body state until the end of the battle, just like the Destiny Awakening Skill 《The Battle Is Urgent, Do Not Announce My Death》.
Lee Han-seong, while dedicating most of his attention to controlling the starlight, looked for something he could do.
‘Chungmugong is already dominating the battlefield, so all I can do is save our allies.’
The over 1,000 ships of the Persian fleet were being crushed, five or six at a time, each time the blood dragon showed its form, and now a three-digit number of ships had disappeared.
“…….”
At the overwhelming sight, the allies could only stare blankly at Chungmugong floating in the sky.
Even those who had been prepared for death had their fighting spirit dampened, as Chungmugong's martial prowess was so unrealistic that they forgot about death.
The blessing of "He Who Seeks Death Shall Live, He Who Seeks Life Shall Die" was no longer given to the allies whose fighting spirit had waned.
Splash! Splash!
He rescued allies who were swept away by the large waves created each time the blood dragon fell and fell into the sea, or those who were already in the sea dying.
Pheidippides' will wished for it.
Fwabababababat!
As if pouring out the overflowing starlight, he used Shortening Miles to an Inch dozens of times in an instant, moving to the side of allies who were in danger of dying if left alone.
He repeated the process of returning them to a safe place.
Originally, others could not be the target of Shortening Miles to an Inch, but fortunately, they were connected as one mind, one body under Chungmugong's command, so it was possible to transfer allies as well.
Moreover, the more starlight he consumed, the easier it became to control, so Lee Han-seong did not stop the rescue.
“Th-thank you, Lord Pheidippides.”
“Thanks to you, we were saved.”
Thus, while Lee Han-seong saved the allies and Chungmugong killed the enemies for some time.
“Uwaaaah!”
“We're all going to die….”
“Oh gods. Please forgive us!”
The enemies, who had finally realized that this situation was real, began to show reactions filled with fear.
Those who laid down their weapons and bowed their heads.
Those whose legs gave out and collapsed.
Those who jumped off their ships and fled into the sea.
The enemies' will to fight had long been broken in the face of an irresistible disaster.
Even those who had been trying to muster their fighting spirit while denying reality accepted defeat.
‘No matter how brave a man is, he wouldn't think of fighting a natural disaster like a typhoon or an earthquake unless he was insane.’
And, around the time the duration of Transcendence was about to end.
Chungmugong's gaze shifted from the enemies to the allies.
The allies stirred at having drawn the attention of an incomprehensible being, but it wasn't as if Chungmugong was trying to attack them.
Lee Han-seong had saved everyone he could, but there were many wounded who would not have been strange to die if the buff of the three-foot sword was lifted.
Chungmugong's gaze was fixed on those wounded.
“Only at the end of death do I now know that there is life.”
Wooooong!
The blood-red three-foot sword, which had poured out countless blood dragons and slaughtered thousands of Persian soldiers, now turned transparent.
The energy the sword held seemed to have been completely reversed.
“Polarity Reversal, 《One-Sweep Revitalization, Graceful Mountains and Rivers》.”
Swish- Whoooosh!
The transparent three-foot sword swung towards the allies, and from its tip, the breath of life poured out.
A wind dragon, which appeared instead of a blood dragon, circled the entire allied force and healed their wounds.
Even those who had died could be seen regaining a breath of life and waking up again.
‘So that is… Polarity Reversal.’
The ultimate skill of a high-ranking heroic spirit that replaced the awakening skills that disappeared from 7-star onwards.
It was a technique that was activated when the proficiency of an awakening skill learned as a legendary skill was raised to its limit and then reversed.
What he had just used was the reversal of "One-Swing Sweep, Blood-Dyed Mountains and Rivers".
Of course, as its activation process was more complex than a normal awakening skill, the amount of starlight consumed was at least twice as much.
Zzzzt-.
Perhaps because it had become difficult to maintain the original spirit body due to the extreme consumption of starlight, Chungmugong's figure became blurry.
But it was not a futile consumption.
“Oh oh! My wound!”
“I was definitely dead…?”
“He saved us!”
“He is the incarnation of Athena!”
“No, he must be the incarnation of Ares!”
Chungmugong's image, which had been skewed towards a disaster of terror while slaughtering the enemies, changed to the image of a god of war as he saved the allies.
The soldiers of Athens and Sparta cheered, each calling out the name of the god they believed in.
That was the final piece for Chungmugong's 7-star promotion.
The fear of the enemies and the reverence of the allies combined to form awe.
[You have achieved the accomplishment, ‘The God of War of Salamis’.]
[Having acquired sufficient karma for awakening, the 6-star heroic spirit Chungmugong Yi Sun-sin awakens to 7-star.]
[The Sun Constellation records Chungmugong Yi Sun-sin's accomplishment and the altered history.]
The message confirming Chungmugong's 7-star promotion appeared.
And perhaps because of the release of tension.
Pop.
In the end, a mistake was made.
Pheidippides' body exploded from the uncontrolled starlight, leaving only his original spirit body made of starlight.
But since the battle was also coming to an end, No Retreat in the Face of Battle was also ending.
Fsssss.
The original spirit body scattered, and just after the familiar sensation of death came, the blessing of "He Who Seeks Death Shall Live, He Who Seeks Life Shall Die", which still remained on the battlefield, revived Pheidippides.
It was then that a message related to Pheidippides appeared.
[You have achieved the accomplishment, ‘Eight Gates Opening, Eight Luminaries' Silent Extinction’.]
[The Sun Constellation records your accomplishment and the altered history.]
[The Destiny Awakening Skill 《Eight Gates Dun Jia》 blossoms.]
[Pheidippides' 4-star promotion is complete.]
[The History Alteration will end shortly.]
An accomplishment completed through one death and revival.
A message announcing the end of the long second History Alteration.
My eyes closed.
***
When I opened my eyes again, I was at the dungeon's Midpoint.
The moment the stopped time began to flow again.
While time had not yet regained its proper flow, I quickly checked the new message that had appeared before my eyes.
[You have achieved the accomplishment, ‘Joint History Alteration’.]
[You have achieved the accomplishment, ‘First Consecutive Heroic Spirit Promotion’.]
Perhaps it was because Pheidippides, who was 2-star (★☆), had risen to 4-star (★★★★) in an instant in real-time.
The accomplishment of achieving consecutive heroic spirit promotions was achieved.
Moreover, that accomplishment, which was a first, was enough to awaken to 2-star even after consuming several accomplishments to continue the History Alteration.
[Having acquired sufficient karma for awakening, you awaken to 2-star.]
[The twelve supreme constellations of the Heavenly Palace bless your accomplishment!]
[The Destiny Awakening Skill 《Transcendence》 changes to a normal awakening skill.]
[The Destiny Awakening Skill 《Consecutive Transcendence》 blossoms!]
A new awakening skill that could be used on top of the 1st awakening skill, Transcendence, to perform a 2-stage transcendence, had blossomed.
Although it was a Destiny Awakening Skill, there was no need to risk my life.
If I temporarily promoted to 3-star with Transcendence, Consecutive Transcendence would also become a normal awakening skill.
Just as Pheidippides had, it was possible to be promoted by 2 stages from 2-star to 4-star at once.
‘And the Swarm is still in effect.’
The other party members, who were still 1-star, could also be promoted to 3-star.
The moment I confirmed that, time regained its proper flow.
At the same time, the duration of Transcendence, which had been nearing its end, ended.
Sssss.
The shadows of Jin Yu-seong and Yoo Se-hee, who had raised their specs with Transcendence, disappeared.
No sooner had the nuisances disappeared than Kang Min's 7-star heroic spirit swung a sharp blade in a trajectory that would cut both Park Seong-cheol's and Lee Han-seong's necks at once.
Chwaak- Thud!
But the opponent's attack did not achieve its goal.
Chungmugong Yi Sun-sin, who had suddenly appeared in front of Park Seong-cheol, had deflected the blade with his three-foot sword.
“What?!”
Kang Min couldn't hide his bewilderment at the appearance of the summoned Chungmugong.
“Chungmugong is supposed to be a 6-star heroic spirit, so how can he summon a heroic spirit?!”
“Well. I don't think I need to tell that to an enemy.”
Taking advantage of the opponent's surprise and momentary pause in attack, I activated Transcendence again.
Paaaat!
Then, I temporarily promoted to 3-star and activated Consecutive Transcendence, which had changed to a normal awakening skill.
Paaaat!
Lee Han-seong, who had reached 4-star, confirmed that the other three party members had risen to 3-star, and adjusted their synchronization rates with Overmind.
When he raised them to the 3-star limit of 40%, Jin Yu-seong and Yoo Se-hee had unlocked up to their 4th awakening skills, excluding the Destiny Awakening Skill.
And Park Seong-cheol, the 7-star contractor, had unlocked all of his skills up to the 6th awakening skill.
“Ah… you really are the best, Han-seong.”
The moment Chungmugong became a 7-star heroic spirit, his existing 1st and 2nd awakening skills had become legendary skills.
The 3rd awakening skill was unlocked at 10%, the 4th at 20%, the 5th at 30%, and the 6th at 40%.
But there was something more important than that.
-Nyananyanyat!
[The Unnamed Constellation's presence becomes more distinct.]
[The Stigma 《Myriad Forms Transformation》 blossoms.]
His follower, him and Park Seong-cheol, had each been promoted by two stages, and in this History Alteration, the three stars of Pheidippides, over which the constellation's influence had been cast, and the one star of Chungmugong.
And even the stars of Jin Yu-seong and Yoo Se-hee, who were connected by the Swarm and treated as temporary followers.
In proportion to the rapidly increased power of the constellation, the Unnamed Constellation had also regained its rank and blossomed a new Stigma.
Gurgle gurgle!
The projection, which had been in the form of a cat, reappeared before his eyes and at the same time, distorted like kneaded clay, and then transformed into a different form.
The form of a girl with cat ears, wearing a classical dress.
Her hair was like ebony that had been painted with the night sky, and her profound eyes, which mixed the innocence of a child, the passion of youth, and the wisdom of an old man, drew one's gaze even in the midst of a fight.
What was disappointing was its size.
Perhaps because the projection, which was the size of a normal cat, had transformed, the humanoid projection of the constellation was only about the size of a forearm-sized doll.
“……?”
Park Seong-cheol, who had also become a follower, seemed to be able to see the constellation's projection as well, as he looked puzzled by the identity of the suddenly appeared girl.
Swoosh.
The constellation, floating in the air, landed on Lee Han-seong's shoulder, crossed its legs with a haughty expression, and opened its mouth.
-Make those who dared to touch this one's attendant pay the price.
“As the constellation wishes.”
Hearing the constellation's will in a clear language instead of a cat's cry as before, my heart swelled with emotion.
I feel a desire to surely fulfill that will.
This was a holy war.
Slither slither!
As if responding to his and the constellation's will, the clones of Jin Yu-seong and Yoo Se-hee, who could use Shadow Clone again, reappeared here.
The party's full strength was gathered, but Lee Han-seong felt that the members of the holy war were not all here yet.
‘A follower cannot be missing from a holy war for the constellation.’
The heroic spirits within Lee Han-seong had also been promoted by two stages due to the influence of Consecutive Transcendence, so he could use all of their Destiny Awakening Skills without consuming his life.
“Lycan. You fight with me too.”
Crack.
When I activated 《Subspace》 and opened a rift, the Dire Wolf Lycan, who had been waiting inside, jumped out.
Perhaps because he was the second follower to join before Park Seong-cheol.
Sizzle!
A Stigma that had not been seen before was being engraved on Lycan's forehead.
The 《Myriad Forms Transformation》 Stigma that had just blossomed.
Gurgle!
The wolf's form transformed into a bipedal werewolf.
Only then were the preparations for battle complete.
It was time to begin the holy war.