Chapter 482

Zzzzz…

Seong Jihan stared at the screen displayed by the Dead Star Constellation, Karlein.

A cluster of light surrounding the dark-sealed red.

The colors flickered with alternating red and white light.

"You found out the red's location again?"

[Yeah, I tracked the Sun King's forces and followed their movements. They've concentrated all their power there.]

"Hmm… So that light cluster is the Sun King?"

[Correct. And among them…]

Zzzzz…

As the red and white lights alternated, a giant figure of light appeared within the cluster.

[That's likely the real form of the Sun King.]

"Hmm… That giant was originally white, but it's red now?"

[Yeah, it switches back and forth, but ever since it turned red, it seems to have grown stronger… I contacted you because you'd be the best at identifying that red light.]

"Identify, huh… Are you asking me to see if it's related to the Red Administrator?"

[Yeah. You're the one who is able to counter red, after all.]

Seong Jihan chuckled at that and closely observed the screen.

The red light emitted by the Sun King did indeed remind him of the Red Administrator's power.

"Hmm, just looking at it isn't enough."

[Yeah, I guess it's hard to determine from a video… Want to come over here and check it out firsthand?]

"How am I supposed to get there?"

[I'm already set up nearby. I can summon you here, Head!]

Summoning, huh.

'Well, if things go wrong over there, I can always return using the Golden Wheel.'

The total number of times he could use Golden Wheel was three.

It felt wasteful to use it here, but if the Sun King's transformation was due to the Red Administrator, it was crucial to confirm it.

'The Sun King taking control of Martial God… Honestly, that wouldn't be much different, but the Red Administrator controlling Martial God is another story.'

The Sun King positioned among the Great Constellations.

Considering how he had easily subdued the Dragon Lord, another Great Constellation, the Sun King wasn't particularly a threatening entity.

Thus, even if he seized control of the Martial God, it wouldn't drastically change the current situation.

However, the Red Administrator was different.

'If the Red Administrator harnesses the accumulated power of Martial God's infinite regressions, it would be much more troublesome than the current Martial God.'

Although the Red Administrator he had encountered wasn't particularly strong, he created considerable problems nonetheless.

Granting him more power could lead to an unbearable situation.

'If it's true that the Red Administrator has seized the Sun King, I must hinder him.'

With this thought, Seong Jihan accepted Karlein's summoning.

[…Uh, Head. It seems you can't be summoned because your rank is too high.]

But a problem arose.

* * *

"I can't be summoned because I'm an Administrator?"

[Yeah. Even other means of transportation like portals are restricted since Earth is a direct jurisdiction of an Administrator.]

Sometimes, being an Administrator seemed to work against him.

Seong Jihan brooded over Karlein's message.

'Can't I just use Warp?'

Even the lower-level Constellation Karlein had been able to cross vast distances using Warp and portals.

Being an Administrator, why wouldn't he be able to?

With that thought, he asked Karlein.

"Where can I learn functions like Warp for planetary movement?"

[High-level Constellations get that feature unlocked, you know.]

"I skipped straight to being an Administrator, bypassing the Constellation phase."

[Oh right~. Then yeah, you wouldn't have had the chance to use Warp. Hmm… I've never come across a case like this, so I can't say.]

Was this a side effect of jumping from a Constellation candidate to an Administrator?

Seong Jihan pondered alternative solutions.

'Ah, I could just ask directly.'

He opened the Administrator system and posed his question.

Then.

[Would you like to unlock the Warp function?]

For a change, the system seemed willing to comply.

"Oh… Doesn't this require special permission?"

[Warp is a basic function provided to high-level Constellations. It does not require Administrator privileges to unlock this function.]

"Great."

Had he known, he would have inquired about Warp sooner.

Seeing the cooperative system message, he intended to ask Karlein for coordinates, but.

[Unlocking the Warp function will take 100 days.]

"100 days?"

The time required to unlock the Warp function was no joke.

"Come on… Why does it take 100 days to unlock Warp?"

[That's the minimum time required to unlock the Warp function for an Administrator.]

"Can't I speed it up with my privileges?"

[Using temporary Administrator privileges cannot alter the duration.]

The Warp function, specific to Administrators, took 100 days to unlock.

But modifying the duration wasn't possible due to his temporary status.

'Normally, 100 days wouldn't feel too long… But the timing's bad this time.'

The Martial God had been sealed for three months already.

Most of the sealing period had already passed.

Waiting for 100 days would mean the situation would likely end by then.

'Looks like challenging the Sun King in person is too difficult.'

Seong Jihan observed Karlein's screen.

Thinking he couldn't make it across, the changing color of the Sun King seemed even more linked to the Red Administrator.

But leaving things be, was unsettling.

"Hey. Didn't you want to seek revenge against him? How about challenging him? Too tough?"

[Tsk… Honestly, before he turned red, I could have landed a blow. But since his color changed, his power's way too overwhelming.]

"You stand no chance at all?"

[Yeah… Even if I ambush him at full force, I feel like it wouldn't make a dent.]

Even Karlein, who burned with hostility against the Sun King, admitted defeat.

This definitely suggested a connection with the Red.

'…But do I really have to intervene personally?'

Seong Jihan pondered, watching Karlein's screen.

Shouldn't ongoing issues with the Red Administrator be handled by the permanent Administrators?

'If I chased him away from Earth, the rest should be Black and White's responsibility.'

Right.

An intern shouldn't have to travel for such a distant mission.

He addressed the Administrator system.

"Can I contact my superiors?"

[Sending a message is possible.]

"Attach that video and request an investigation, suggesting that the Red Administrator seems involved."

[Message sent…]

Being an Administrator sure made delegating tasks to the system convenient.

Feeling the pride of an Administrator, Seong Jihan awaited the response.

Soon,

[A response has arrived.]

[The matter is currently under investigation.]

[However, the Sun King's faction claims the red light is part of his abilities and refuses a thorough examination.]

[Unless clear traces of the Red are confirmed, permanent Administrators cannot intervene.]

They were investigating, but direct intervention was currently impossible.

'Permanent Administrators are surprisingly limited.'

Supposedly the overseers of the universe, they seemed quite restricted.

"Then can permanent Administrators Warp me there?"

[Warping is also considered intervention.]

So, nothing worked?

'…Are they deliberately blocking me from going?'

The lack of intervention from permanent Administrators felt intentional.

Should he just watch over things then?

'If the Red Administrator gains Martial God's power, this is terrible…'

Seong Jihan stared at the screen.

Desperately wanting to intervene, but utterly powerless.

Would he be left to just watch because of physical distance from Tuseong?

'Hmm… Are they aware of this within Tuseong?'

Seong Jihan focused on the inside of the light.

Where the Darkness-sealed red resided.

Those within the sealed compound might not even be aware of the Sun King's transformation.

'They might know the Sun King is waiting, but not about the Red Administrator.'

If the red's confinement obstructs their view of the outside,

they might be clueless about the Sun King's change.

'Worth a shot to inform them.'

Helping the Martial God seemed counterintuitive, but helping the Red Administrator take over would be worse.

Assessing the situation soberly, Seong Jihan decided to inform Karlein.

"Karlein, I need to stream this on BattleTube."

[This? Why broadcast it?]

"To inform those within Tuseong."

[Even if Martial God gets the info… the guy is the 17,777th child of the Sun King. Even if he knows, he can't respond.]

"There's someone else who can respond. Not just the Sun King's child."

[Oh, are you talking about the Cosmic Demon? He's strong, but just a standard Constellation. He wouldn't stand a chance.]

Evaluating Dongbang Sak from a normal perspective, the Dead Star Constellation underestimated him.

Seong Jihan smirked at those words.

"We'll see. I think he can handle it."

[If you say so, Administrator, I'll look forward to it. Use the footage however you like. I'll keep filming from afar.]

"Good."

With Karlein's permission, Seong Jihan immediately started streaming on BattleTube.

* * *

"And so, we cannot ignore the possibility that the Red Administrator has influenced the Sun King's transformation."

Seong Jihan's latest BattleTube stream.

Unlike his usual stimulating content, today's broadcast focused solely on the Sun King's siege of Tuseong.

But despite the lack of typical excitement,

– Oh no, did the Red Administrator resurrect again?

– Just seeing red gives me PTSD honestly

The viewers reacted strongly to the idea of the Red Administrator using the Sun King as a host.

– Why is the Sun King letting his body be taken over? Is being a Great Constellation that trivial?

– Well Dragon Lord was also shattered by Seong Jihan…

– Aren't they in Tuseong, the place that made Seong Jihan suffer when summoned? Isn't it good if they fight among themselves??

– They could fight hard, but if the Red Administrator absorbs Martial God, our foes will double.

Human viewers fully trusted Seong Jihan and believed the Red Administrator had invaded the Sun King.

– Just because the color changed doesn't mean the Red Administrator took over, right?

– Still, if the Blue Administrator says so, he must have seen something…

– If the Red was really involved, wouldn't Black and White have already intervened?

– But do they ever really get involved? Remember, the Arena Owner turned out to be with the Red anyway.

– Black and White would only act on solid evidence.

– They won't intervene based just on suspicion;

However, viewers from other worlds had mixed opinions.

On top of that,

[The Great Constellation 'Sun King' finds accusations baseless and offensive.]

[The red tint is due to reclaiming scattered abilities linked to the Red. I emphasize that I have no relation to the Red Administrator.]

Messages from the Sun King himself popped up, rebutting Seong Jihan's stream.

– If the Red Administrator had taken over, we wouldn't get messages from the Great Constellation 'Sun King.'

– Did the Blue Administrator make a mistake?

– Seriously… Perhaps it's spite due to some past conflict with the Sun King.

– But what conflict would there be? The Sun King only seemed to help the Blue Administrator in the end.

– If you only consider outcomes, the whole world aided the Blue. Still, the Sun King did cause inconvenience.

The Sun King directly countering Seong Jihan's claims swayed off-world opinions, making Seong Jihan appear rash.

If the Sun King truly was possessed by the Red Administrator,

there wouldn't be a message identifying him as the Great Constellation 'Sun King.'

'…Is that really the Sun King?'

Just as Seong Jihan pondered, suddenly unsure,

– Uh…? But now…

– Tuseong is glowing…?

Sealed in darkness, Tuseong began to change.