ραпdα nᴏνa| сom Darkness Sphere scattered in the air. Soon, Laplace appeared in front of the three.
『Ohoho, who is this? If it isn't my master's father and mother! Laplace humbly greets both…!』
Laplace threw his body onto the ground to respectfully greet his master's parents, but suddenly, the 'little wheel' turned, so he was thrown back in his standing motion. Laplace blinked his eyes. With a tired expression, Kronos spoke aloud while holding onto Scythe. "Stop doing that weird stuff! I saw you this morning, so you don't have to greet me like that!"
『Ohoho. As expected of our gracious master's father. You are too considerate and shy.』
"No, that's not it!"
If he had to pick the being who hated his bizarre behavior the most, Laplace would undoubtedly state Kronos. Ever since he was with Yeon-woo, Kronos wondered why Laplace acted so weird. But recently, it seemed that Laplace was acting more bizarre. And since Yeon-woo was the only one who could rein in Laplace, it seemed Kronos' son's absence had given Laplace confidence to act himself. Kronos seriously considered asking Yeon-woo to get rid of Laplace when he returned.
『Hahaha. Our Kronos-sama is just as kawaii as Sesha-chan.』 While saying this, Laplace gave a playful wink…
"Husband, stop! Calm down!"
"Let go of me! I'm going to kill that bastard today!"
Kronos lifted Scythe and acted as if he was going to strike Laplace. However, Rhea grabbed him before he could do anything. The more anger Kronos showed, the more Laplace winked, alternating between both eyes. Laplace also started speaking with a lisp.
『Ooh. I just adore strong men who act manly. Were you trying to run into my arms just a moment ago? Are you sure it's okay to do so in front of your wife, Rhea?』
"I'm going to kill you!" Kronos swung Scythe back and forth.
'…what a shit show.' Sesha pressed her temple with her index fingers. After meeting Kronos and Rhea, all the tension she had felt before was relieved, but because of Laplace, Sesha started feeling annoyed. It was always like this. Whenever Laplace appeared, it felt like something was being twisted.
"Ugh…! How did you come here anyway? What happened to the guy you were facing?"
Laplace had clearly been facing another being. Fearing that Earth might be adversely affected by their fight, Kronos and Rhea had rushed over to help him out. However, Laplace had come to them, so they wondered what had happened.
Laplace groaned as he tightened his pectoral muscles.『Ahem! I exemplified my greatness once more!』
"…Just state the truth."
『Hahaha! Was it that obvious?』
"Don't laugh like that. It's creepy."
『Fufufu?』 Laplace winked as he brought his index and middle finger up to the corner of his eye.
Sesha's eyes soon turned lifeless, like a fish's eyes. "…Grandfather."
"Yes?"
"Is it possible to kill him?"
"It is possible!" Kronos immediately lifted Scythe high above him and slammed it down on the crown of Laplace's head. But before the strike was completed, Laplace had zipped back into Sesha's shadow. Scythe swung harmlessly in the space where Laplace was just a moment ago.
Seeing her granddaughter and husband's defeated look, Rhea sighed. It was only then that Rhea noticed that Min Chae-young was blankly staring at Sesha and Kronos. 'Her gaze is full of envy. There are a variety of other emotions mixed in as well. Relief, anxiety, nervousness, concern… Although she feels relieved to have escaped the enemies' grasp, she seems worried that Kronos and I might blame her for what happened.'
'No one was injured. Thank goodness… But, all of this happened because of me, right? What will they do to me? I'm sure they're going to say something bad. A monster appeared and did all this. I had nothing to do with it. These people almost got hurt because of me, so they'll probably hate me… Probably more than hate. They'll detest and be resentful of me. They'll avoid me from now on, right? They'll probably scold me first. I was just getting to know the others and becoming friends with them… but I've lost everyone once more. Still, it's nice to see that they all have a good relationship with each other. Is that what it means to be a family? Only if I had such a family… That would have been nice.' Min Chae-young's vestige thoughts rushed out and were felt by the others.
As she looked at Sesha and her family with a somewhat jealous gaze, Min Chae-young belatedly realized Rhea's gaze. Min Chae-young was startled and hurriedly turned her head to the side to avoid eye contact. Trembling, as if she had made a big mistake, Min Chae-young cautiously glanced at Rhea.
'…This child.' Rhea seemed to understand why Min Chae-young was reacting as she was. Rhea bit her lower lip, quietly reached out her hand, and pulled Min Chae-young in for a hug. Min Chae-young was startled.
"It's okay."
「…!」
"It's okay, don't worry."
「…」
Min Chae-young soon regained her composure after being startled by Rhea's warm touch. Then, after a while… Min Chae-young pursed her lips. While carefully looking at Rhea, Min Chae-young asked,
「You're…not planning on scolding me?」
"Huh? Me? Why would I scold you?"
「Because, those monsters came because of me…!」
"Why is it because of you? If anyone is in the wrong, it's those monsters. You did nothing wrong. They were the bad guys."
「…!」Min Chae-young's eyes widened to the size of large saucers. She did not expect such a response. Min Chae-young had lived a life where she was always resented by her family members. She had always been told that everything bad that happened occurred because of her. Chae-young had never heard a response like the one Rhea just gave.
"You're so pretty, how can I scold you? Actually, I wanted to thank you for helping to protect my granddaughter."
Drop. Drop. Tears flowed down from the corners of Min Chae-young's eyes. As if the winter snow was melting in the spring, the tears that she had been holding back for so long rushed out. Empathizing, Rhea cried as well.
* * *
After Sesha's group left, a dark shadow quietly approached the school. Originally, it was a place that was almost destroyed by the three Stars' attack. But since Kronos rewound the 'little wheel' and restored the school to its original state, the school stood as if nothing had happened. The shadow stood at the place where a fierce battle had just taken place a few moments ago.
Sss… The shadow slowly took shape, Tigris. After quarreling with Laplace, Kronos and Rhea had appeared, and once Kronos had rewound the 'little wheel', he was rematerialized in this place.
"Stupid bastards."
Tsk! Tigris clicked his tongue. His mocking words were directed at the dead Southern Arrow and Solarium.
"I explained to them many times that this world line is dangerous. Well, their low intelligence was why they couldn't enter the top eighty-eight ranking Stars."
Multiple and parallel universes were not all the same. There were also ratings of world lines. Deus Ex Machina numbered the world lines according to the order in which each world line was differentiated or born, and the ranks tended to decrease as the number progressed. Of course, even in the latter numbered world lines, there were many cases where a special mutation occurred in that universe and outperformed the previous numbered world lines, but most of the time, the rating sequence usually corresponded to a world line's number.
Therefore, the place designated as '#0', which was the source of all world lines, was a place that even the Stars could not easily reach. This world line, otherwise called the 'original', was where the universe originally existed in the form of a 'wheel'. This '#0' world line contained the Tower, and the Heavenly Demon and Black King, who vied against each other over the control of the entire universe. It was also the place where the Black King took on his present identity and where the nonsensical being called Deus Ex Machina was born. Kronos and Rhea were the parents of two such twins.
"Even though I explained to them that it wasn't the time to reveal our identities to Deus Ex Machina… Did they think it would be easy to defeat Kronos and Rhea? What the hell happened to the Stars?"
Tigris marveled at the idiocy of the defeated Stars. The two stars went up against the parents who gave birth to the Black King and Deus Ex Machina. If one had any common sense, one would have avoided these beings. No, they probably did have such thoughts.
However, they had become drunk with the confidence of being a 'Star', so their pride blinded them from the obvious. In the beginning, the Stars were like that. They were beings who could not distinguish between bravery, generosity, and pride. Their confidence was a part of their being, as they grew up being victorious in all their pursuits, ever since they were mortals to their positions as Stars.
"Well, thanks to their idiocy, I was able to survive."
Tigris felt confident that, if the Stars could become more focused and discerning, they would have a chance to become greater beings. Even now, unexpectedly, he would be able to devour a delicious delicacy.
Sss…! Tigris waved his hand in the air. Then, a gust of wind blew and swept past the entire school, revealing various vestiges that were forced to reveal themselves as they slumped onto the ground.
'Tigris…! You're alive! Hurry! Come save us!'
Stars did not easily become annihilated. When their starlight dimmed, the sparks of their starlight remained. Thus, they could be resurrected at any time. It was because their foundation was rooted in the 'Star Fragments'. They shone light with those fragments. This was why they called themselves the Stars.
It was a different concept of existence when compared to gods, who derived their power based on faith. These gods were destined to disappear if there were no followers or believers remaining. Gods could not shine or exist on their own. This was why the Stars referred to gods and demons as parasites that lived trivial lives. However, if one's Star Fragments were taken away, the Star would disappear as well.
Tigris looked at Southern Arrow and Solarium, who were begging him to save them quickly, but did not respond to them. Tigris just opened his mouth wide. The corners of his mouth seemingly rose to his ears as he lowered his chin. His serrated, sharp teeth could clearly be seen.
'You… You…!'
'Ack! No… No…!'
Southern Arrow and Solarium's expressions turned pale. Belatedly, they realized what Tigris was trying to do. They tried to run away, but they could not. Kronos and Rhea had nearly snuffed out their starlight, so their ability to do something was greatly restricted.
Gulp! Tigris swallowed both at once. Tearing screams could be heard echoing in the background. Tigris could feel the two vestiges wriggling in his mouth, but he did not care. Tigris was just happy to have acquired two additional Star Fragments. Instead of immediately swallowing, he savored the Star Fragments in his mouth. Taste, satiety, and satisfaction… The Star Fragments fulfilled all these qualities.
For a moment, Tigris seemed to understand why the top eighty-eight ranking Stars devoured other Star Fragments whenever they had the chance. 'I think I may become addicted to this feeling… Hahaha!'
If one only devoured the Star Fragment, then only one's light would brighten, but if one devoured the entire constellation, as Tigris did, one would consume the legends that the constellation had developed and gathered over the years, so the feeling of euphoria was that much greater.
Currently, Tigris was peering into snippets of Southern Arrow and the Solarium's past experiences, and he started acquiring all the powers they had built up over the years. As their souls were assimilating into one… Tigris became the Southern Arrow and Solarium. And after returning to his state as Tigris, he became a Tigris with a higher rank. The present Tigris was a completely different entity from the Tigris of the past.
Tigris was now a Large Star. He had not become a Great Star, but he had now gained the capability to stand shoulder to shoulder with the top eighty-eight ranking Stars. He felt an infinite sense of omnipotence in his fingertips.
"The alliance sent us here to collect the Star Fragment, but they also wanted us to take a closer look at the state of the world line… I must fulfill my duty as a forward scout." Tigris did not allow himself to feel intoxicated with a sense of omnipotence. Instead, he tried to restrict the feeling as much as possible. It was because he did not know when Kronos and Rhea would appear, and it was still necessary to hide his newfound powers from other Stars. And, if possible… Tigris also wanted to somehow get his hands on the Star Fragment within this world line.
A Star Fragment from the original world line… If he could somehow get his hands on that, Tigris would almost certainly stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the other Great Stars. Perhaps, if he could somehow devour Kronos and Rhea as well, Tigris could aim for an even higher perch. Of course, this was just fanciful daydreaming, as Tigris did not intend to search for the two existences. However, that did not stop him from thinking of the 'if'.
In this respect, Tigris was a natural hunter who knew the importance of waiting better than anyone else.
Sss… Tigris seeped into the shadows again. Like a shark moving quietly from the depths to snatch its prey, he moved carefully under the shadows.
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