Chapter 525: Star, Determination (5)

Chapter 525: Star, Determination (5)

Chang-Sun froze up, unable to maintain composure. ‘There are traitors within <Niflheim>?’

That was the last thing he expected to hear.

Chang-Sun was personally favorable to<Niflheim>. When he returned to Earth, Jörmungandr helped him out a lot, and he could get to where he was with Loki’s active cooperation in the United Army. Hence, Durga’s revelation sounded very abrupt to Chang-Sun.

‘Wait...’

A thought came across Chang-Sun’s mind, making his eyes turn cold.

“Kali and Gyeo-Ul. Leave us please,” Chang-Sun said.

“Twilight, I don’t know what’s going on, but we have to make my mother take back what she sa—!” Kali yelled.

Chang-Sun looked straight into her eyes. “This is not like you, Kali.”

Kali’s lips trembled. No matter how urgent the situation she found herself in, she would always analyze it with rational judgment. Chang-Sun seemed to be asking her to do the same right now. At the same time, he was also reproaching her. Even though she was too preoccupied with Durga’s condition, she still shouldn’t let her emotions sweep her away.

“Kali, I believe we should listen to him for now,” Baek Gyeo-Ul said.

As her hands trembled, Kali looked at Durga and Chang-Sun. She then left without saying anything. Crom Cruach followed her.

“I’ll try my best to console her, but... please keep your conversation short,” Gyeo-Ul requested.

Chang-Sun nodded. He knew Gyeo-Ul was simply asking him to let Kali be by Durga’s side during her last moments. Gyeo-Ul bowed at Chang-Sun in gratitude and then went after Kali.

“I’m not sure what conversation you guys are going to have, so I’ll also take my leave,” Loki said. He looked at Durga with plaintive eyes before he quietly disappeared.

As a member of the Nine Heavens and a renowned figure from the same generation as Durga, he likely found her death quite saddening.

Now left alone with Chang-Sun, Durga shook her head. “I know she’s my daughter, but she really doesn’t listen to me. Where did she even get her stubbornness?”

Despite what she said, she was smiling faintly.

Chang-Sun slightly bowed. “I haven’t introduced myself properly before. My name is Lee Chang-Sun.”

“Yes, it was too chaotic back then, so we didn’t really get to talk. After that, you were away for so long to track down Ubbo-Sathla.”

Chang-Sun nodded with a heavy heart. At the time, Chang-Sun had held off on the introduction because he had thought that it wouldn’t be difficult to have a proper conversation in the future. He never expected that he’d end up having to introduce himself in such a dire situation.

“I assume you’ve heard that I don’t have much time left,” Durga said.

“I have the antidote.”

“I know my condition the best. I doubt you have many of those bottles, so don’t waste it. Anyhow...” Durga flicked her fingers.

Flick!

A barrier was made around them to prevent their conversation from getting leaked. They should be especially careful to keep it from Loki, the ruler of <Niflheim>.

“... let’s talk about <Niflheim>.”

Chang-Sun shut his eyes. “Are you sure about what you just said?”

“Yes. They’re the reason the infected people in the prison and I ended up in this mess.”

Chang-Sun clenched his teeth. “Who... in the world are they?”

“I don’t know.”

“What...?”

“The situation wasn’t looking good, and I was too busy stopping Tiamat, so... I ended up getting ambushed and letting the curse get the better of me.”

“... Impossible.”

“Fortunately, I managed to pull out an arm of the person who stabbed me in the back before they got away. That’s how I found out that their divine power had the characteristic of <Niflheim>.”

“Does Loki know about this?”

Durga shook her head. “I didn’t tell him.”

Like the [Shengxie Sword], the [Yuchang Sword], [Zhan Lu Sword], [Chunjun Sword], and [Juque Sword] also began to shake.

“The sword brings out the hidden wishes of whoever holds it,” Durga explained.

Chang-Sun could tell what Durga was getting at. This was her test to see if Chang-Sun’s dream of a peaceful life with the people around him was real.

“You don’t have to grab it if you don’t want to, but I—”

“So I just have to grab it?”

Durga didn’t have much time left. Hence, instead of asking more about the [Shu Lou Sword], Chang-Sun reached out for it.

Durga’s eyes widened. She didn’t expect Chang-Sun to be so bold. Paying her reaction no heed, Chang-Sun grabbed the sword handle, causing the chains to be undone.

Hisssss―!

The wicked energy that rose from the [Shu Lou Sword] crawled up Chang-Sun’s arm and instantly reached his heart.

Badump...!

[Laevateinn] and [Fimbulvetr]—the divine swords in his heart—responded fervently. At the same time, the world around him changed.

Woooosh!

The next thing he knew, he was sitting on a bench in a park. ‘This place is...?’

The Second Lotte Tower could be seen standing tall in the distance, Chang-Sun seemed to be close to the Instance Dungeon—the first Dungeon he had ended up in. That would mean that he was back in Seoul. However, the city looked a lot different from how he remembered it, almost as if he was looking at its future...

‘Ah, my dream is being projected like reality.’

Upon realizing that the place was a mind palace created by the [Shu Lou Sword], he took a look around.

If the [Shu Lou Sword] had drawn out his hidden wishes like what Durga had said, then...

“Sun, what are you doing here daydreaming?”

Hearing a voice from behind, Chang-Sun quickly turned around and saw Cha Ye-Eun walking toward him with something in her arms. He instinctively realized that this was the future that he had seen before through omniscience and Sinmara’s ability.

Chang-Sun shook his head. “It’s nothing. What are you holding, though?”

She was holding onto something wrapped in a blanket so carefully that he thought it had to be very dear to her.

Ye-Eun tilted her head in confusion. “What are you talking about? He was having fun but fell asleep on his own, so I brought him here. Do you have any idea how long I’ve been looking for you? I called out for you hundreds of times, but you never answered.”

“S-sorry,” Chang-Sun unwittingly apologized, still puzzled about what to make of the situation.

When he slowly approached Ye-Eun, he saw a very pretty boy fast asleep in the blanket. He seemed to be around three years old and was the perfect mix of Chang-Sun and Ye-Eun.

‘Is he... my child?’ Chang-Sun wondered.

Someday, once he had returned to Earth, he wished to marry Ye-Eun and have children. That possibility seemed to be what the [Shu Lou Sword] was showing him right now.

Chang-Sun did wonder why his child was a boy when he wanted a daughter who resembled Ye-Eun. However, if he and Ye-Eun had another...

Thump!

His heart sank. ‘... A son?’

Chang-Sun felt dizzy. The memories hidden in the fog surfaced one after another. A son. Yes, he had a son. His son had been strenuously traveling to and fro the future and the past to save him and Ye-Eun, but everyone forgot about him.

He had been so determined never to forget about him... but he ended up doing just that in the end...

Drip!

Witnessing Chang-Sun silently shed tears, Ye-Eun floundered. “S-Sun.... what’s wrong? Is it because I nagged you? It’s not like I’m really angry... I-I’m fine, so don’t cry!”

At that moment, however, only one thought filled Chang-Sun’s head.

‘There you are, Peter. My son.’Vissit novelbin(.)c.om for updates