âIs the Expert of Twisted Hallucinations really like that?â
Choi Yeonseung was puzzled. Considering what he had seen and heard, it seemed unlikely to him that the hallucination constellation would be so easily intimidated.
Wasnât he one of the greatest evil god constellations out there? There was no way would be scared by Choi Yeonseungâs declaration of war.
-Maybe heâs just flustered...
-What do you mean by that?
-The Expert of Twisted Hallucinations doesnât know much about you, Successor. Itâs only natural that he feels intimidated by an opponent he doesnât know anything about.
The explanation of the goddess of sloth seemed plausible enough. Indeed, there was a lot of information out there about constellations like the Expert of Twisted Hallucinations, but information about Choi Yeonseung was still scant.
Thus, it wouldnât be strange for the hallucination constellation to feel uneasy about facing him.
âI see... Is he overestimating me? I like that.â
Of course, Choi Yeonseung was glad that his opponent viewed him like that and flinched. He had been prepared to face some consequences for getting involved in this constellation battle, but he hadnât expected this outcome.
âThen it wouldnât be a bad idea to confuse him a bit more.â
***
[The âUndefeated Incarnation of Trainingâ sends a gift to the Warrior Stained with Madness and Blood.]
[He says that we mightâve grown apart due to the accumulated misunderstandings, but he has always respected the âWarrior Stained with Madness and Bloodâ, one of the best warriors in the Abyss.]
!
Deep in the fortress, the Warrior Stained with Madness and Blood was dipping in a pool of boiling blood, and he jumped at the unexpected message. He couldnât help laughing.
Kuhahahaha!
-Whatâs the matter, Master?
One of the subordinates suddenly knocked on the door.
The Undefeated Incarnation of Training has just sent me a gift. What does this mean?
-???
-Wh-who knows...?
Much like their master, the minions of the berserker constellation didnât really use their brains. If anything, the berserker constellation would actually be suspicious if any of his subordinates said something smart.
None of his minions were even remotely smart.
-Isnât he finally frightened by your greatness, Master?
You-!
-!
Everyone was frightened by the shout of the berserker constellation. Were they wrong?
...are exactly right!
-Thank you! Thank you!
-Hey, youâre amazing! How did you guess it?
The other warriors murmured among themselves and praised their comrade. Having provided an answer that satisfied their master, it was clear that this warrior was the most intelligent creature in the Abyss.
Angels, demons, and elves all took pride in their intelligence, but they couldnât hold a candle to this warrior!
Heâs finally scared of me. I knew it would become like this.
Recently, the Warrior Stained with Madness and Blood had been quite bored. He had always been a constellation without any real companions, and this was especially true recently.
The constellations who at least pretended to be friendly with him had either falled, disappeared, or just lost contact with him. As for the evil god constellations that had recently emerged on Earth, they had arrogantly tried to bring the berserker constellation on his knees and surpass him on the ladder.
In all honesty, the berserker constellation wasnât in favor of this invasion.
The evil god constellations had initially come to him and humbly asked for advice, but now they were running wild on Earth by themselves without saying a word to him.
Those days, evil god constellations had no respect for their superiors...
[The âUndefeated Incarnation of Trainingâ says he wants to learn a bit about the strength of the âWarrior Stained with Madness and Blood.â]
[He asks you to send your household members to teach him how to fight.]
Of course, Choi Yeonseung didnât think the berserker constellation would readily comply with his request. After all, what constellation would instantly agree to something like that?
Surely, the berserker constellation would find it suspicious at first...
Okay!
[The âWarrior Stained with Madness and Bloodâ says he will send his household members.]
[He says he will show the weak what true strength is.]
â????â
What?
Why didnât this guy suspect anything?
Choi Yeonseung was shocked that the berserker constellation had no doubts about this.
-Did he notice that there was no trap?
-How could he know that?
-Uuh... Yeah, youâre right.
-I guess thereâs nothing in his head.
-Surely, thatâs not the case. After all, could a stupid constellation maintain such a high status?
***
Since then, Choi Yeonseung kept interacting with constellations.
[The âUndefeated Incarnation of Trainingâ sends a gift to the âChef of Endless Gluttony.â]
[The âChef of Endless Gluttonyâ is puzzled.]
[He asks why youâre doing this when the other constellations can see it.]
At first, Choi Yeonseung was taken aback when the chef constellation contacted him out of the blue, and now, it was the complete opposite.
The constellations beaten by the chef constellation were still quite angry with him, so the chef constellation hadnât thought that the incarnation of training would ever contact him like this.
[The âUndefeated Incarnation of Trainingâ says he doesnât care about such trivial public evaluation.]
[He says he would like to teach his household members some new recipes, so please send some to him.]
[...The âChef of Endless Gluttonyâ accepts.]
Just like that, the household members and minions of the evil god constellations kept going to the incarnation of training, and this naturally caused the Expert of Twisted Hallucinations to be apprehensive.
I didnât expect him to attract other evil god constellations... Besides, the Warrior Stained with Madness and Blood and the Chef of Endless Gluttony both have a grudge against me! So cunning! As expected, he had a plan!
The Expert of Twisted Hallucinations was indignant when he heard the rumors.
Those like the berserker constellation generally didnât have much of a say among the evil god constellations.
Evil god constellations generally didnât get along with each other, but the berserker constellation was even worse in that regard.
To a natural-born schemer like the Expert of Twisted Hallucinations, those like the berserker constellation were like rabid beasts spinning around to bite their own tails.
The Chef of Endless Gluttony was also a violent and unpredictable individual... It was definitely a problem that such dangerous constellations had joined forces with the Undefeated Incarnation of Training.
Why were they doing this at a time like this? There was only one explanation.
It was to absorb some of the attacks from the Expert of Twisted Hallucinations!
In a battle between constellations, the more opponents there were, the more uncertain things became. The Expert of Twisted Hallucinations wouldnât like this one bit.
-Donât worry, Master. In any case, the Undefeated Incarnation of Training canât win the constellation battle. Your household members have never been defeated. At the end of the day, itâs all about strength, Master.
The household members tried to assuage their masterâs anger, and he nodded at their explanations.
Youâre right. Even if he tries stupid tricks, he wonât be able to beat my household members. Yes, tell them to keep going with their silly tricks! the Expert of Twisted Hallucinations shouted firmly.
No matter how much trickery was used, in the end, raw strength would decide the outcome. The other constellations could scheme all they wanted, but they certainly wouldnât emerge victorious from this battle!
***
[The âWarrior With a Hammerâ tells you to beware of the strength of the âExpert of Twisted Hallucinationsâ.]
The other constellations were more familiar with the Expert of Twisted Hallucinations than Choi Yeonseung. Apparently he was especially formidable in the traditional six-on-six constellation battle.
âIs he that strong? I wonder how he compares to the angels led by Adaquaniel?â
[The âGoddess of Balance Who Walks Aheadâ appreciates your high evaluation of Adaquaniel, but the household members of the âExpert of Twisted Hallucinationsâ are so strong that not even Adaquaniel can guarantee victory.]
-Is that so? Still, if itâs Adaquaniel...
[...]
The Goddess of Balance Who Walks Ahead seemed upset with Choi Yeonseungâs words. He didnât believe her...!
Of course, she was glad that he fully trusted her household member, but sometimes, she seriously wondered if he thought more highly of Adaquaniel than of herself. The saddest part was that she was too scared to ask.
There were times when the goddess genuinely felt like that was the case.
âThis is very annoying.â
Choi Yeonseung frowned when he heard the details from the other constellations.
The main tactic of the hallucination constellation during constellation battles was to gradually fill the entire area with gas and smoke. Naturally, household members had all kinds of protection and were stronger than other mortals, so they didnât immediately succumb to this.
However, the more they fought, the more poison would accumulate and the more hallucinations they would see.
The household members of the Expert of Twisted Hallucinations were well aware of that and always dragged out battles to maximize the efficiency of this tactic and achieve victory.
The Expert of Twisted Hallucinations had won hundreds of times in this type of constellation battle, so it was only natural that he was confident.
[The âWarrior With a Hammerâ says he will send a household member if you want.]
[...]
[...]
The other constellations also declared that they would participate in the constellation battle, since they had promised to support the incarnation of training.
Choi Yeonseung was glad to hear that, given that he had only had a few members in his household.
[The âGoddess of Balance Who Walks Aheadâ says it would be better to recruit the âObserver Who Returned From a Cold Place.â]
The Goddess of Balance Who Walks Ahead foresaw the future and identified what strategies could be used. No other constellation could make such predictions.
-Iâm sure the power of the cold air can stop the poisonous clouds. Whatâs more, a constellation would be more resistant to the hallucinations than any mortal.
Choi Yeonseung nodded.
There was only one reason he was confident in this upcoming battle against the Expert of Twisted Hallucinations.
...It was the fact that he himself would fight in this constellation battle, and the hallucination constellation would never see it coming!
âIn fact, Iâm in no position to criticize the Expert of Twisted Hallucinations for his tricks.â
Inciting the evil god constellations to launch an invasion on Earth and spread chaos was nothing compared to pretending to be a mortal and participating in a constellation battle!
However, if there wasnât one, but two constellations getting directly involved...
-Thank you, Goddess. Sounds like a great plan. The Expert of Twisted Hallucinations will probably not expect that.
[The âGoddess of Balance Who Walks Aheadâ is delighted!]
-By the way, I would like to discuss strategy with Adaquaniel. Can you contact her for a moment?
***
Uranta, the household member of the Warrior With a Hammer.
Barbagi, the household member of the Arrogant Light Elf.
Illaphael, the household member of the Six-Winged Angel Who Hunts Dragons.
Choi Yeonseung had worked with them in the last battle in Japan, so it was easier to fight alongside them than to find new allies.
However, the household members looked at Adaquaniel with skepticism.
Choi Yeonseung had already proven himself, but Adaquaniel was different. Of course, they were aware of the reputation of this elder angel in the Abyss. Many people called her an undefeated strategist.
However, they wouldnât believe it until they saw it for themselves.
âAre you really good enough to participate here?â asked Illaphael, her tone tinged with suspicion. âIâve heard a lot of rumors, but Iâve never seen you fight. In fact, I havenât seen you in any recent constellation battles.â
The other household members nodded.
âHow can you say such rude things?!â
â!?â
However, someone else shouted at Illaphael.
It was Choi Yeonseung.
âI can attest to her skills.â
âAh... A-alright, then I trust her as well.â
âHmm, if Choi Yeonseung says so...â
â...â
Tears welled up in Illaphaelâs eyes.
She had become the only bad angel out there!