Stardust

Chun So-yeon remembers that day fondly.

Her grandfather was a hero, and her father and mother were proud to follow in his footsteps.

A simple trip to Ulsan with a plan to attack the gates and enjoy a family vacation left an unforgettable scar on the girl.

"Daddy, please wake up!"

She looked up.

The aftermath of the gate, the raiding party, and the sword that fell like a meteor. Her father grabbed the sword like he was possessed… and killed everyone in the raiding party.

Even her mother, who tried to stop him.

[Ah…?]

That was the last memory she had of her parents.

That was the day she swore vengeance on her father.

* * * *

"Whoa...."

Chun So-yeon stood up in a cold sweat.

Her eyes blinking rapidly and her breathing quick but to hide it, she closed her eyes and steadied her breathing.

"...It's starting."

TTG Guild entry into Japan has been finalized. In other words, the Wandering Demon Sword campaign, led by Leon Dragonia Lionheart, begins.

'This is a chance.'

A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Even with her grandfather's help, the moment she thought would be impossible will be possible with the help of the TTG Guild.

[You're a bitch, bitch]

A breathy, eerie voice whispers in her ear and So-yeon stumbles out of the dormitory, holding onto her shivering body.

The lights flickered and the bugs swarmed. She descends the creaky dormitory stairs and walks down the dark sidewalk.

Only when she was sure she was completely alone did she speak.

"That was the deal."

[Yes, that was the deal.]

The voice affirmed her answer.

["My avenger has already taught you: 'Do not attempt to bargain with the divine.']

Do not try to bargain with the divine.

Only cultivate piety.

A simple lesson, but a difficult one to fulfill and she was not yet convinced of the teaching.

Then there was the god who offered her a deal.

[I will make you a bargain. Despite your distrust, I give you power. Do not take that good fortune lightly.]

"Mr. Ventasis."

Ventasis, god of darkness and vengeance.

As Leon connected the cadets to the gods, he whispered to Chun So-Yeon, and she connected to him.

"If I give you the tribute you want… Can I become a Holy Knight?"

-Ghhhhhhh....

Ventasis' gravelly voice fell heavily. Like a heavy heat sinking into the ground.

[Make no mistake, you think you can take the place of my Avenger, your paltry karma doesn't even reach the tip of the Lionheart King's ankle]

The Avenger.

Ventasis was obviously referring to Leon. Does that mean that Leon had also invoked Ventasis' power?

[I will aid you in your vengeance, but the price is as I said at the beginning]

"...."

Chun So-yeon is ready to pay the price of a miracle.

[When your vengeance is complete, your soul will be mine for all eternity.]

Ventasis is the most dangerous divinity in Leon's estimation.

He presides over the darkness of the world, the agent of vengeance and was the closest thing to an evil god.

* * * *

Apart from the arrival of the Ten Thousand Gods Guild in Japan, Yappy was busy moving his mechanical arms.

Yappy's workshop is a small one. The facilities are crammed so tightly together that Yappy's tiny body can barely fit through the narrow entrance.

This has been optimal in terms of confidentiality, so Yappy has refrained from expanding the workshop.

But even that has reached its limit. The TTG Guild had secured a rare mineral called stardust, and it needed to be mass-produced.

"Lord Yappy, are you in there?"

Beatrice came to Yappy workshop.

Yappy quickly stopped working and stepped out through the cramped cylindrical opening.

-What business?

"I was wondering if you had the equipment ready."

Since the comet hit, Yappy had been in a hurry to get to work.

One of the first things he rushed through was Leon's armor and his own platform upgrade, which needed more time than he thought.

They decided to start by crafting swords, spears, and armor for the knight cadets, which proved to be easier than expected.

The non-Grail Knight equipment had a relatively small amount of stardust in it.

-No problem. Three more sets to go.

"That's amazing. I can't believe you were able to craft so much equipment in such a short time."

Beatrice realized that the mechanical spider was working around the clock. But apart from that, the "machine" nature of its work meant that it repeatedly performed precise tasks, never deviating from the blueprints by a millimeter.

As a strong artificial intelligence, Yappy perfectly understands the knowledge and design ideas of Heto, the god of iron and blacksmithing, and implements them at 99.9%.

"What's with the 0.1%?"

-Don't know. A subtle error. The realm of the irreproducible.

However, even the most perfect mechanical operation could not reproduce Heto's knowledge perfectly.

The relatively unobtrusive knight's equipment is no problem, but it's Leon's armor that makes the difference.

-The reason for the delay in the production of His Majesty's equipment. A 0.1% error made all the difference.

"Divine power is a mysterious thing."

Even the mechanical spider admits it's impossible to replicate and Beatrice said.

"Lord Yappy, do you have any surplus stardust?"

With a six-kilometer comet, there was no shortage of material.

He had to filter out 99% of it, and then he had to filter out another 99% of the higher-grade stuff, and then the lower-grade stuff, but still, a six-kilometer comet was huge.

-Kiruk?

"If you don't mind, I have something I'd like to prepare for you."

The purple-eyed queen smiled brightly.

* * * *

The Demon Sword has been pushed back a bit to make way for the Initiation Ceremony. The Knights' Initiation Ceremony, to be exact.

Yappy, who has invoked the stars through a ritual and built a star iron forge with them, is tapping away at his equipment.

Leon's plan to create a Knight Order is almost buttoned up.

"You will be a legion, an arm of the Alliance. Those who are called will come forward to receive their supplies."

For this combined offensive, Leon summoned half of the 1,000 Man-At-Arms and all of the Knight Cadets. A reserve has also been formed in case of emergency, but with so many Hunters joining, the total mobilization is limited.

-Is the Hanbit Palace also participating?

-They're a separate force from ours.

But what they lacked in numbers, they made up for with the participation of the Hunters of the Hanbit Palace, including Lord Park Yong-shin.

They were veteran Hunters who regarded Leon, who had removed the demonic seed, as their new leader.

"As a servant of the Great Savior, I, Park Yong-shin, and the elite 1st and 2nd raiders' teams, will gladly support you!"

Being able to field two A-ranked raiding teams was a sign of the strength of a top ten guild.

"Ah… It seems that the direction of the fanaticism has changed."

Jae-hyuk clicked his tongue as he looked at Park Yong-shin and the Hunters from Hanbit Palace.

Ha-ri from the next seat said.

"Then it's fanatical in a good way, so it's okay, right?"

"Isn't it wrong because they're real gods?"

"That, that, that. And…I'm being weirdly supported over there."

"Still a priestess. I honor you."

The priestess of Poma, of the sea and waves, of Petos, of war and flame, is number four on this expedition. She's a knight of the TTG Guild who's been knighted and given a manor, only to have the ceremony postponed.

As a priestess, she was treated like a boss even though Ha-ri was merely a lowly representative of the Hunter's Association.

"That's why I'm so...."

Kim Jae-hyuk is also a knight who uses the Holy Law of Ultima, the God of Sky and Thunder. Although he was not comparable to the Goddess, he had his own rank.

"But Ha-ri. Is So-yeon's sword also participating this time? I heard that her grandfather was against it."

"Hmm, I asked him about that too, but… His Majesty said it's not his place."

"His Majesty?"

Leon didn't just say no, he said he didn't have the right… Who the hell could discuss the law with the Lionheart King?

"Han Ha-ri, Han Soo-ho, Kim Jae-hyuk and Chun So-yeon, come forward."

It was then. One by one, the people Leon had summoned stood on the dais. Leon took the throne, flanked by Beatrice and Yappy.

Ha-ri and Jae-hyuk dreamed that one day they would sit next to them, that they would become Holy Knights.

"Your accomplishments so far have been as I had hoped, especially Han Ha-ri."

"Ah, yes, Your Majesty!"

"The gods favor the pure, but you have proven your purity and talent, and you are worthy."

At Leon's words, Ha-ri's tense face brightened. There is no one in this place who does not admire the Lionheart King.

He exudes grace and authority, and his honor is beyond the cynical values of the modern world.

In spite of this, humans are bound to look up to heroes.

"I give you a sword and a spear, light and heavy armor. These have been custom-made by Lord Spinner to optimize the use of your natural powers."

On the other side of the room, the armor is brought in by none other than the Association's chief appraiser, Park Su-jin.

She brought a sword not unlike Ha-ri's, a jousting spear, and a pair of chainmail that looked easy to move around in.

"You can wear the armor under your clothes, and I've got your halberd waiting for you in the barn."

"Oh, oh...."

Ha-ri looked at the sword, spear, and chainmail with admiration. The armor, forged by Yappy using the Holy Law from stardust, was not ordinary, even by pretense, and the moment she accepted it──

[Fight! As this goddess of war, become a frightening fire that burns the enemy!]

Petos, the god of war and fire, blessed Ha-ri's sword and spear.

[Surrender yourself to the infinite; embrace a heart full of faith and trust.]

Poma, god of the sea and waves, blessed Ha-ri's armor.

Why is armor made of the god's metal called stardust? It was to be blessed by the gods, for the gods look after their favored children.

"The sword given to the goddess Han Ha-ri possesses the following powers."

[Flame-Blessed Starblade]

[Rank: Legendary]

[Description: A star iron blade blessed by Petos, the god of war and flame, imbued with the power of flame.]

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[Starplate Blessed by the Waves]

[Rarity: Legendary]

[Description: Blessed by Poma, the god of the sea and waves, this stardust armor is imbued with the power of the waves.]

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Chief Park Soo-jin is overwhelmed with emotion when he receives Ha-ri's armor.

The cadets and Man-At-Arms watching him are amazed.

A legendary item? An item blessed by the gods?

It was worth tens of billions…No, it was an incalculable treasure.

"Kim Jae-hyuk, come forward."

Kim Jae-hyuk also received a sword, a spear, armor, and halberd. The gods also appeared and blessed his armor.

[You will be endowed with the power of thunder. You will help the Lionheart King and become a judge to punish the wicked!]

Ultima, the god of heaven and thunder, blessed Kim Jae-hyuk's armor with the blessing of heaven and thunder, and the power flowing through it was awe-inspiring.

Han Soo-ho then received the blessing of Arianna, the goddess of light and justice, and his items also became Legendary. Finally, it was Chun So-yeon's turn.

"Chun So-yeon."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Leon looked down at the dark-haired girl. Unlike all the other Knight Errant's, the god within her was different.

"Your grandfather has requested that you be removed from the raid."

"...!"

There was no Korean who didn't know Chun So-yeon's grandfather.

The guild leader of the Divine Sword Guild, Chun Jin-soo, the strongest Hunter Berserker in Korea.

It's no wonder he's worried about his granddaughter's safety. Especially considering that this slaughter was to take down her father.

"What do you want to do?"

"I want to ... participate. No, I have to go."

"I see."

Leon stared at Chun So-yeon.

The divinity of darkness and vengeance gazing at this girl was....

"Then so be it."

Without hesitation, he whispered doom into the girl's ear.

Chun So-yeon was also given a weapon. Unusually, she was given a pair of twin swords, identical as if cut with a ruler.

[Avenger]

The Dark God appeared to bless her armament. He is clad in a robe of black smoke, with no eyes, nose, or mouth visible within.

All that could be seen was endless darkness. Ventasis' aura was very different from the other gods.

Unlike the other gods, who felt holy and warmed by the mere sight of them, Ventasis cast an ominous, cold power around him.

His voice is sinister and eerie, devoid of any love.

All he affirms is the cruelty of humanity… for there is no humanity in it.

[I affirm your vengeance; your gift will unite the darkness of doom; I alone will fulfill your wishes.]

Darkness envelops her sword, armor, and spear, and are darkened by it.

It was so ominous and sinister that it seemed more like a curse than a gift from the gods.

And just as the blessing of Ventasis was about to touch the last of the swords-─

"...!"

Leon grabbed it.