The Seven Stars (1)

The Martial Star stood alone in noble brilliance, and the magic of the Demon Star destroyed all.

Nothing could block the sword of the Sword Star, and the tongue of the Military Star submerged the land in blood.

The healing spell of the Benevolent Star revitalized weary allies, and the Wise Star was elusive as ever.

But there was one whom all the stars were reluctant to fight, thus called the Strange Star.

―Song of The Seven Stars.

Was it the heat emanating from the ground?

No, the aura here was that of a slightly chilly autumn.

Then what was it? What created the shimmering mirage?

A group of about 200 men stood against one man. Perhaps there were even more.

The tension from the standoff between one man and 200 was causing the cold ground to ripple like a spring day.

No, that’s wrong too. The tension was solely emanating from the group of 200.

The man… the man…?

“When are you going to start?”

The man was bored. His words, directed at the group that continued to just watch, carried no hint of tension.

Instead, the group was swallowing nervously in anticipation.

“Hoo… Then I’ll go.”

Flinch!

As the man took a step forward, the group of 200 simultaneously took a step back.

“Wh-why don’t we just go our separate ways?”

“…No. You started this, so it’s only right for us to finish it.”

“What nonsense… Gah!!”

The words meant to shout nonsense were cut off by a sword, entirely silver-gray in design, lodged in the man’s throat.

The man’s weapon. The only known Demi-God grade weapon, Variatio.

The man did not move from his spot. However, Variatio, as if connected by threads, swam through the air at the man’s gesture, piercing the necks and hearts of the group.

“Is it Air Sword?”

The man chuckled.

No way. It couldn’t be the pinnacle of martial arts he desperately wanted to reach. If it were, the divine power wouldn’t flow so faintly through the sword.

Variatio’s unique function. The function that could be controlled by thought caused all 200 of the group to be terrified.

Not a single step forward was taken. Everyone kept stepping back, one step, or two, or three steps.

It was then that the sword, which had been swimming through the air, began to waver. The wavering sword was no longer a sword.

Scythe. The silver-gray scythe, with a long handle and elongated, sharp blade like the one carried by the Grim Reaper, swept over the crowd like a storm.

What if even one person had attacked the man instead of the weapon?

But it was a futile assumption. They had all already fallen dead.

Variatio flew among the corpses. Like a skilled chef threading skewers, it began to pierce hearts and bring them before the man.

The man’s lips opened as he looked at the pile of blood-stained hearts.

“Absorb.”

*―*A battle at the entrance of the Northern ruins, on the icy land, unknown to anyone. From the ‘Incident Files Unknown to Most Gods.’

Before the regression, I was quite a famous representative in the ‘Battlefield of the Gods.’ I was called the Strange Star, and all representatives were reluctant to fight me.

Not because I was strong, nor because they thought they would lose if they fought me.

The main reason they were reluctant was because of my fighting style. In common terms, it was like a brawl, a rough fight.

It didn’t matter if it was the noble Martial Star, the Demon Star, or the Sword Star stroking his sly beard with a solemn air.

Everyone who faced me ended up battered, with hair and beard plucked out here and there. Their clothes became filthy with dirt.

However, with my monstrous regeneration and stamina, I neither tired easily nor died.

Anyway, I was called a freak, the Strange Star, or something like that. At least in my past life.

“So, what…?”

“They say you’re called the Divine Hero.”

“Who?”

“Gosh, how many times do I have to tell you? Kim Han. Kim. Han. Not you… but Kim Han.”

Yes, that’s me. It sounds impressive, but somehow it keeps reminding me of a bank with a blue and white sign.

Nicknames are always strange and cringeworthy, but how can I carry out all those planned schemes with such a nickname?

“No! Change it immediately! No, make them stop!”

“What? But the Emperor of the Darkness Empire and the Pope of the Holy Union already call you that? Divine Hero Kim Han.”

“Cr-crazy…!”

“Why are you like this? Isn’t it cool? A hero acknowledged by the gods!”

“Cool, my foot. It’s nonsense. I feel like I’ve become an ATM…”

“What?”

“No, I mean, now I have to pretend to be good! Even when killing those deputy bastards, I have to look around to see if anyone’s watching! I can’t use any of my planned sinister and wicked schemes!”

“Huh?”

“Ah! Damn it. Even if I don’t know about other guys, I really need to shove a huge, big fuck into the asshole of that Heavenly God representative bastard! I tried planning this and that!”

“Eh?!”

“Who added ‘Hero’ to the nickname?! Was it you? Was it you?”

“Uh, no, uh, Sir Kim Han?”

“Calm down.”

Just as my brain was about to heat up with anger, Lee Hyo-ju’s cold voice quickly cooled it down.

Come to think of it, Lee Hyo-ju was also there. Her presence was becoming fainter, giving off an assassin vibe unlike the previous Lee Hyo-ju.

“I heard from Aetas before that the punishment of the soul is extremely painful and that even if you die, it’s not really dying. Is that correct?”

“Yeah. Even in death, the gods play with the soul. Among the original human accessories, the soul has the highest durability. Until the high-durability soul wears out and disappears, they try this and that… Ah, I also try this and that…”

“In that case! There’s no need to worry. I don’t know who your target is, but even if you put that big fuck… again, in the asshole, the continentals, except for the representative, will think the opponent deserved it. And anyway, heroism and goodness are different. As an example, aren’t those two pieces of trash there?”

Lee Hyo-ju’s voice brought my mind back to its place as it tried to run away again. Just from the voice, it wasn’t different from the Military Star Lee Hyo-ju from my previous life.

“Hmm… Should I?”

“Yes, that’s right. We happen to have a good excuse to justify future actions and someone to practice with.”

“Huh?”

“Huh?”

“Have you forgotten? It’s Tess’s wife, Benefica.”

“Ah!”

“Huh?”

I was admiring Lee Hyo-ju, but seeing Arun next to me with a dumbfounded expression, still not understanding, made him seem increasingly dense.

Every time I look at this guy, I can’t shake the feeling that I’ve taken on a burdensome fool.

“Alright. Let’s get started then.”

“Yes, I’ll prepare.”

“Huh?”

“Phew… Just follow Lee Hyo-ju and help!”

Watching Arun follow Lee Hyo-ju with slumped shoulders, I felt satisfied thinking about how quickly Lee Hyo-ju adapts and changes.

In conclusion, Lee Hyo-ju’s prediction was correct.

After bringing Benefica to the square, even after listing her crimes and announcing an unspeakable punishment, no one frowned.

Instead, there were shouts of “As expected of the Church!” and people insisted they would carry out the punishment themselves, unwilling to stain their hands for such a trivial matter.

A thick stake was quickly erected in the square, and Tess’s wife was stripped and tied to it.

Passersby spat, and children threw stones.

The Exorsus guards supplied water mixed with potions once a day to keep her alive as long as possible.

Finally, mages from the Black Tower cast a curse, trapping her soul in a crystal orb handed to me, ensuring it wouldn’t reach the afterlife.

In short, she was left to wither away and wander in limbo even in death.

Despite this, all the citizens of Exorsus could talk about was how remarkable the Church was.

“Is this… really okay?”

A development that makes you wonder if it’s really okay.

However, there was no time to worry about reputation now. This was because the representatives were finally entering Exorsus one by one.

Until now, I had constantly revealed myself for various reasons, but now I need to gradually erase my presence.

Anyway, those who have come in will pay more attention to the Garden of the Gods or the registration card than to me.

After the ‘Three Gods Manifestation,’ Tess began to actively handle household affairs and other matters.

Tess took his son Miku along and started early education(?), teaching him tasks one by one.

The masters of the five towers voluntarily entered into soul slave contracts without any refusal. As a result, the affinity of all five changed to ‘Loyalty.’

The five elders, whose affinity turned to loyalty instead of trust, sometimes frowned at doing things they weren’t asked to do, but they voluntarily brought in the towers’ mages to assist with security, workshops, or to help Tess.

The number of mages belonging to the five towers was immense. Including those dispatched to branches, the number reached a staggering 2,000.

2,000 mages ready for immediate deployment. They all signed the contract of the covenant.

Some went beyond the contract of the covenant and wanted to swear by mana, but I prevented it.

Not because I pitied them or because, as rumors suggested, I was inherently chivalrous. The boundaries of the mana oath were somewhat ambiguous.

‘I, xxx, swear in the name of mana to serve and be loyal to the divine messenger Kim Han as my master.’

Let’s say there was a mage who made such an oath.

If this mage were to complain a little about excessive work one day, whether the mana’s oath would activate or not was a gamble.

There was no need to lose an immediate asset over an uncertain oath.

Additionally, the thought of having received grace boosted loyalty as a side effect.

Anyway, the contract of the covenant was a common ‘Legend’ grade in the ‘Battlefield of the Gods,’ but its effectiveness was clear.

Moreover, since the conditions were specified in detail, there was no need to worry about a mage losing mana over a random complaint, so the contract was sufficient.

Above all, mages who saw the Depratio and Depro scattered throughout the garden all wanted to work in the mansion, and there were young mages who asked to be called, even just to clean.

As a result, with one cheesy play, we deceived the gods, gained 2,000 capable and loyal slaves, and thanks to the tower masters and elders of each magic tower positioned throughout the house, even if Violentia at her current level attacked the mansion, she could be defended.

Leaving behind Lee Hyo-ju and Arun, who started focusing on ability development in earnest, I headed to the tavern after a long time, passing through the square of Exorsus.

One month since the ‘Battlefield of the Gods’ began.

Exactly one month later, starting at 7 a.m., messages and faces visible to all representatives and continentals began to appear and disappear in the sky of the ‘Battlefield of the Gods.’

This is one of the major rules applied to the ‘Battlefield of the Gods.’

On January 1st, by the ‘Battlefield of the Gods’ calendar, is the day the representatives enter the ‘Battlefield of the Gods’ according to the contract.

The ‘Battlefield of the Gods’ that begins in this way continues until the last day of each month from 7 AM to midnight, during which the names of the deceased or surrendered representatives and their respective gods will appear for about 20 seconds for all continents and representatives to see and then disappear, repeatedly. Endlessly.

For representatives, it’s the ‘Day of Remembrance.’

For gods, it’s the ‘Day of Shame.’

…This very day is today.

There are three types of representative deaths.

Killed, deceased, surrendered.

In the case of surrender, the representative’s head isn’t literally cut off, but from the perspective of the so-called noble gods, just the fact that their slave (representative) refused to fight is considered as the slave being dead.

Killed. As the word implies, it means being killed.

When killed by a competing representative, it’s recorded as killed, and most gods consider this death the most honorable.

Deceased. Any death not caused by a representative is referred to as deceased.

For instance, if killed by a monster, or died while exploring a dungeon to find relics, or starved to death after getting lost, all fall under deceased.

In the case of deceased, the entity responsible for the death is specifically mentioned. As mentioned above, if it’s a Black Orc, then a Black Orc; if it’s a dungeon trap, then trap; if starved, then starvation.

Surrender. As mentioned earlier, it’s when they surrender.

It doesn’t matter if there are many dead representatives.

However, for a god, having their representative die immediately upon starting is a humiliation, and in the society of gods, it is a disgraceful event that will be mocked and ridiculed until the next ‘Battlefield of the Gods’ opens.

I briefly mentioned the ‘Battlefield of the Gods’ earlier, but in the society of gods, this ‘Battlefield of the Gods’ is a part of politics, a power game, and a game that can elevate a god’s honor.

So no god wants to suffer such disgrace, and naturally, there is a way to avoid it.

This is to deposit a portion of the god’s power in the ‘Battlefield of the Gods’ and dispatch an additional representative before 7 AM on the last day of the month after the representative’s death.

Of course, in that case, the additional representative would not receive the 100-day preparation period and must enter with only the bestowed power.

There is no limit to the number of times an additional representative can be dispatched, and if the god is confident of complete victory, they can continue to dispatch them.

If their representative wins, they can retrieve the power they deposited in full.

The original intention of the Creator was to commemorate the deceased representative and spend the last day of each month without battle, but only the intention to cease battle was effective, and the commemoration flew far away from the gods.

Even now, it’s the same. I was wearing a robe and entering an inn when I heard the mocking voices of other representatives around me.

“Ha! Seriously. Black Orc? Got killed by a Black Orc?”

“Really? How weak can it be?”

“There’s already someone who got killed by another representative.”

“Indeed… How can you be killed by a representative who entered with the same power?”

“Stupid.”

“Or an idiot?”

“Hehehe.”

“Hahaha.”

The representatives mocked those who had risen to the sky, as if they wouldn’t do the same.

But they didn’t know. The monster that kills the most representatives in the Monster Belt is the Black Orc.

Black Orcs mostly live in tribes and wield divine power.

Among them are shamans, mages, warriors, and priests.

In other words, they can wield all four divine powers like humans.

This means they can face enemies with formations represented by warriors, mages, and priests, much like a skilled party.

In the Monster Belt, Black Orcs don’t just fight; they survive through hunting or warfare.

There are often representatives who, underestimating the Black Orcs, rush in only to be consumed by their antlion-like, sticky, and persistent formations.

And those who just laughed are weak enough to die immediately if surrounded by 50 Black Orcs.

The two representatives who died by my hand or others who died by other representatives are the same. They all come in with the same power.

Here, the standard for judging the same power mostly corresponds to divine power.

Of course, there are monsters like Violentia, but probably, due to her Dragonian race trait, the mana she originally possessed was at that level. You can’t just get rid of the mana you have.

Perhaps that was why the demon Serpens prepared such a fraudulent item for Violentia, who was incomparably stronger than existing representatives. Of course, I snatched it in the middle.

Anyway, divine power is one of the important factors for representatives, but it’s not everything.

Even I, if I launch a surprise attack, can quickly eliminate the four representatives giggling at that table.

So, there’s no need to mention if it’s the Strange Star or the Sword Star, who were called monsters.

Even before the regression, I didn’t really like this day.

Among our Legion members, there were those who died, and each time I had to see the faces of family floating in the sky.

On the way home after leaving the inn.

At some point, I had no choice but to stop walking. Because of the formidable Force emanating from the person approaching from the opposite side.