The fabric of reality unraveled like a moth-eaten tapestry.
Multiple cracks manifested themselves through the Demon Realm
As Kim Dokja, the Secretive Plotter, and Klein Moretti stepped through the final threshold of the dimensional rift, the sensory overload was absolute.
The "Lag" that had plagued the Star Stream during the maintenance period vanished, replaced by a clarity so sharp it felt like a blade against the soul.
[Welcome back to the Star Stream!]
[You have acquired a new Story!]
[The 'Star Will' is attempting to identify the starting point of the subjects...]
[Error. The starting point of the individual '■■■■■■' cannot be identified.]
[Error. The starting point of the individual is obscured by 'The Gray Fog'.]
Kim Dokja's eyes snapped open.
The first thing he smelled was ozone and the metallic tang of blood.
The second thing he saw was the Seoul skyline—or what was left of it. The skyscrapers were sheared like wheat, and the sky above was a fractured kaleidoscope of violet, silver, and blood-red.
He didn't even have time to steady his breath before the system window burned itself into his vision.
===
< Hidden Scenario – Astral Protection >
Category: Hidden
Difficulty: ???
Clear Conditions: Defeat the 'Outer Gods' and 'Outer Deities' that are currently attempting to shatter the Astral Barrier.
Time Limit: — Reward: ???
Failure: Collapse of Astral Barrier.
===
"We're cutting it close," a voice rumbled behind him.
The Secretive Plotter stood there, his scarred face illuminated by the flickering flashes of celestial combat in the upper atmosphere.
Beside him, Klein Moretti—in the guise of the cold adventurer Gehrman Sparrow—adjusted his top hat, his monocle reflecting the dying stars.
"The scale of this 'Probability' is insane. Who is attacking the barrier?" Dokja said , his hand gripping the hilt of the Unbroken Faith.
"The ghosts of the 999th round," the Plotter replied, his voice heavy with ancient regret. "In the past, I made a covenant with my 999th regression version. That Yoo Joonghyuk died to save his world, but his companions... they reached the end. They became Outer Gods. They seek revenge. I guess it took us longer than 'Corruption Alliance' to reach Star Stream. They have signed a contract. It's one of 'His' abilities."
The Plotter pointed toward the equator of the sky, where a massive crack pulsed with sickly light.
"They have aligned with the Mother Tree of Desire and the Indescribable Mist. Right now, Shakyamuni, the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, and the Seven Orthodox Gods are holding the line. But fate... fate is not on their side."
Kim Dokja opened a sub-channel.
He saw the Evernight Goddess weaving a shroud of twilight against a tide of reaching, wooden limbs, and Sun Wukong's Ruyi Jingu Bang shattering moons to repel the Mist.
[Warning!]
[You are currently being exposed to 'Corruption' from the Cosmos.]
"Their loss is being woven into the narrative," Secretive Plotter murmured, his spiritual intuition screaming. "It's as if the world wants them to fail. Someone is affecting the River of Fate."
Suddenly, a voice echoed—not through the air, but through the very logic of existence.
"The attack of the Indescribable Mist shall fail due to unforeseen interferences."
It was a Prophecy.
Beneath the cracked sky, a figure of light appeared—Adam, the True Creator, holding the First Blasphemy Slate. His words rewrote the probability of the moment. The Indescribable Mist recoiled as if struck by a physical wall.
Then, a door of light, constructed of shimmering gears and translucent maggots, manifested on the battlefield.
"Amon," Klein hissed, his grip on his cane tightening.
"We can't stay here," the Plotter commanded. "I will transport us to the outskirts of the galaxy. We need to intercept the approaching Outer Deities before they reinforce the Corruption Alliance and King of Outer Gods."
The world began to blur.
Suddenly, Klein felt a cold, slimy gaze fixate on the nape of his neck.
Zaratul.
The Attendant of Mysteries, the ancient leader of the Secret Order, manifested within the folds of the teleportation. With a flick of his wrist, Zaratul [Grafted] Klein's spatial coordinates.
Kim Dokja and the Secretive Plotter vanished, pulled toward the stars.
Klein, however, was jerked violently backward, landing in a pocket of the Fog of History.
The Fog of History was a gray, silent graveyard of moments.
Standing across from Klein was the tattered, hooded figure of Zaratul.
Without a word, Zaratul summoned a Historical Projection.
A figure in a flamboyant red coat and a triangular hat appeared: Roselle Gustav.
The projection of the Great Emperor opened his mouth, and instead of words, a torrent of "Knowledge" erupted.
It was an information attack—centuries of forbidden history, mechanical blueprints, and occult secrets slammed into Klein's mind, seeking to cause a mental explosion.
"Knowledge is power," Klein gasped, his brain sizzling, "but I'm a cheater now."
He didn't rely solely on his Beyonder sequence.
He tapped into the powers he had refined within the Tower of Wish.
[Lv.2 Controlled Spiritual Overflow is activated!]
[Overflow Purge is active!]
A brilliant burst of excess spirituality radiated from Klein's body, literally burning away the "Knowledge" contamination before it could root in his consciousness.
[Lv.7 Mysticism Stabilization is activated!]
[Cognitive Shield deployed!]
A thin, crystalline layer of spiritual logic surrounded his mind, reflecting the psychological pollution of Zaratul's presence.
Klein then closed his eyes, his mind working like a cosmic supercomputer.
[Lv.4 Tiresias Calculation is activated!]
"Bernadette," Klein whispered.
From the fog, he pulled a historical projection of Bernadette Gustav, Roselle's daughter. She raised her hand, and the knowledge attack from the projection of her father was suddenly neutralized, the information redirected back toward Zaratul.
Zaratul flinched, "His" hooded face twisting.
As soon as Roselle saw his daughter, his eyes returned its conciousness. The Emperor aimed all of his Knowledge onto Zaratul.
Klein didn't give "Him" a second to recover.
He reached into the void and pulled out an item that made the very air of the history fog groan.
An ancient, mottled stone clock phantom appeared behind Klein. Its face was separated into twelve segments of grayish-white and bluish-black.
GONG!
The second needle jumped. Time within the pocket dimension ground to a halt. Zaratul's body froze, "His" thoughts locked in a single millisecond.
Klein didn't hesitate. He discarded his human form.
His body exploded into a Vortex of Maggots—the Worms of Spirit. Thousands of slippery, translucent tentacles extended from the whirlpool, and in the center sat a glowing, silent Door of Light.
The suction force was not physical; it was a conceptual vacuum.
Using the method Pallez Zoroast had once used against Amon, Klein used his position as the owner of Sefirah Castle to forcibly gather the characteristics within Zaratul.
Sluuuuurp.
The Beyonder characteristics—the very essence of the 'Miracle Invoker' and 'Attendant of Mysteries'—were ripped from Zaratul's frozen form.
By the time Zaratul escaped the time-freeze, "He" was already hollow. "He" could only watch with wide, horrified eyes as "His" remaining spirituality was sucked into the dark, gloomy maggot whirlpool.
A few seconds later, the vortex collapsed back into the form of Gehrman Sparrow.
Klein landed softly on the gray soil of the history fog. He unleashed the status of Demon King from his cane to resist the loosing control that may occur after absorbing a set of Beyonder characteristics from Zaratul.
Zaratul's figure appeared one last time, flickering like a dying candle, before fading into the fog forever.
The characteristics were gone; "His" revival was now an impossibility.
The projection of Roselle Gustav remained for a moment, looking at Klein with a hint of lingering consciousness.
"谢谢," Klein whispered in Chinese, bowing slightly.
The Emperor smiled and dissipated into motes of light.
Klein turned his gaze upward. The gray fog of history dissolved, revealing the stars above Seoul.
The battle behind Astral Barrier reached its peak.
[Attention! Other Outer Deities are invading the 'Main Stage'!]
['Star Will' warns the intruders!]
[Many Constellations and Demon Kings are shocked!]
A large probability storm in size of the galaxy surrounded the Outer Deities.
The next second it simply vanished, or to be precise, was devoured!
[The Scenario is being updated!]
===
< Sub Scenario – Apocalypse Prevention >
Category: Sub
Difficulty: ???
Clear Conditions: Prevent the Outer Deities of invading the 'Hidden Scenario' stage.
Time Limit: Until 'Star Will' finds effective way of resisting and punishing Outer Deities.
Reward: ???
Failure: Absolute erasure of the 'Main Stage' (Earth)
===
Klein fixed his gaze on the cracked sky.
"Since the Probability allows... I think there won't be a better opportunity to test my Ultimate Skill."
He smiled.
[Lv. 0 The Once and Future King is activated!]