Chapter 648: Speculations About Everything

Chapter 648: Speculations About Everything

The chaotic battle in the starry sky has drawn the attention of many Outer Gods from the past. However, they remain distant observers, with neither the Fallen Mother Goddess nor the two major factions of the stars intending to directly participate in this turmoil.

The fact that the Fallen Mother Goddess and other Outer Gods have joined forces with the Child of Chaos and the Mother of Desire against the Primordial Hunger has sparked widespread discussion and speculation across the cosmos.

The entity known as the Stars is now truly resonating throughout the starry sky. Previously, the cosmos was somewhat silent, and few Outer Gods truly understood the Stars. But now, with the starry sky shining brightly, the Fallen Mother Goddess and other Outer Gods are vying for the Hall of Stars, drawing more attention to the Stars.

Alongside the Stars, the Old One Hastur has also gained fame in the cosmos. However, Hastur, who claimed to be an Old One, quickly fell under the siege of the Fallen Mother Goddess and other Outer Gods. Hastur perished right before the Hall of Stars, with the final blow delivered by the Radiant Hunter.

"Hastur, the Old One? Is this all you amount to? I thought you could truly surpass the limits of this universe. How disappointing," the Lamp God mocked openly, watching the shattered starlight on the opposite side.

The Primordial Hunger has already fallen in the earlier brawl, with the tattered yellow robe reduced to ashes, the pale mask slipping off to reveal the writhing flesh beneath, and the entire body ultimately shattered beyond repair.

"Is it over just like that? Something seems off," the Supernova Dominator observed the scene with confusion, urging the allied Outer Gods like the Mother Tree of Desire to remain vigilant.

"Indeed, something is amiss," the Mother Tree of Desire also noticed the unusual situation. Logically, with Hastur, the Old One who occupied the Primordial Hunger's body, having fallen, everything should have ended.

Yet, the fusion between the Hall of Stars and the Black Devourer has not ceased but continues. The Hall of Stars, stimulated, shines brightly, guiding the power of the entire starry sky to protect this space, making it insurmountable.

The Fallen Mother Goddess merely watched, showing no intention to act further or seize the Hall of Stars, as if waiting for something.

Inside the Hall of Stars, Hastur is confined to his seat. Before him, a previously ethereal figure gradually solidifies, especially after the fall of the Primordial Hunger, accelerating the process.

This is the true Hastur, the Old One! The Hastur who fell earlier was merely a part of him. More precisely, it was the Primordial Hunger, influenced or partially altered in memory by Hastur, the Old One.

He was always just the King in Yellow, not the true Hastur, merely an avatar dominated by Hastur, the Old One. Until his fall, he believed himself to be the true Hastur, controlling everything, unaware that he was just one of Hastur's avatars, the King in Yellow.

It's akin to Amon creating an avatar, which then took over a body, only to have its memory altered to believe it was Amon himself. It's convoluted, but this is the truth of what transpired.

Hastur, seated within the Hall of Stars, observed everything happening outside. Upon his arrival in the starry sky, even before consuming the potion, the cosmos responded, and the distant Lord of the Deep Space Sea appeared as a vague shadow, restraining him and confining him to his seat.

This shadow emerged from the golden box. Hastur had considered whether to bring this box, possibly related to the King in Yellow, when leaving the real world. If he encountered danger, opening the box might offer a glimmer of hope. However, it was also possible that the danger began the moment he opened it.

Ultimately, Hastur chose to leave the golden box in the Yellow Robe Church in Backlund. Venturing into the cosmos to attempt ascending to Sequence 2, Star Attendant, meant only hiding within the Hall of Stars could offer survival. Bringing the golden box into the Hall of Stars would be akin to courting death.

Yet, upon reaching the cosmos, as the starry sky resonated with the Hall of Stars, the golden box, left in Backlund's Yellow Robe Church, silently arrived in the cosmos, entering the Hall of Stars and opening itself, allowing the true Hastur, the Lord of the Deep Space Sea, to appear as a shadow.

This was an unavoidable disaster. Once he stepped into the cosmos, the golden box would follow, no matter where he left it, arriving at his side. A gift from the cosmos, too heavy to refuse or escape.

While confined, Hastur pondered the reasons behind these events. The golden box, accompanying his birth, had a strong destiny bond with him. Combined with his name being Hastur, these coincidences became the key to replacing him and inheriting the Hall of Stars under the true Hastur's authority.

He speculated that the Hall of Stars might have originally belonged to Hastur, the Old One. However, when crossing the universe's boundary, the Hall of Stars became incompatible with this universe, forced into the initial barrier by the power of the original creator, while Hastur was isolated outside.

As for himself, he might be a fragment of a soul accidentally caught by Hastur, the Old One, while crossing the universe's boundary. Being insignificant and harmless, he followed the Hall of Stars through the initial barrier, becoming its new master.

This seemed the most plausible theory, as he remembered his previous life as ordinary, with nothing special. Unlike Roselle and Klein, who encountered mysterious items related to the Lord of Mysteries, he had no contact with anything related to the Stars.

Born ordinary, he became the protagonist of a story by sheer coincidence. Now, the Hall of Stars was returning to Hastur, the Old One, leaving him with only the fate of falling.

Would the story unfold this way? Hastur questioned himself repeatedly, contemplating other possibilities, trying to connect all the scattered clues to deduce the true truth.

He considered the Black Devourer, pondering its role in this story. Why did Hastur, the Old One, need both the Hall of Stars and the Black Devourer to control the Hall of Stars? Could the Black Devourer be part of the Hall of Stars, born from a series of incomprehensible coincidences during its crossing of the universe's boundary, developing self-awareness?

If so, it would explain the Black Devourer's childlike image and its attachment to the Stars. Hastur pondered this for a long time, sensing something amiss.

If the Black Devourer were truly part of the Hall of Stars, why did the Primordial Hunger, one of Hastur's avatars, recommend it to the Hall of Stars? Wasn't it afraid of unforeseen changes?

Something was indeed wrong. If the Black Devourer were part of the Hall of Stars, it would have had the power to seize the Hall of Stars when first brought there. After all, it was a part of the Hall of Stars, while he was merely an accessory. It was implausible for him to maintain control while the Black Devourer awaited his summons.

Unless the Black Devourer had no connection to the Hall of Stars, its attachment and goodwill were feigned, or there were other secrets unknown to him. It shouldn't be part of the Hall of Stars.

If so, why did Hastur, the Old One, want to refine both the Hall of Stars and the Black Devourer? Hastur glanced at Hastur, the Old One, whose body was almost fully solidified.

Since arriving at the Hall of Stars, Hastur had done nothing but confine him, not uttering a word, seemingly disdainful of conversation. The more he observed, the more suspicious it seemed.