Chapter 416 - The Final War (3)
# Sun God Combat Control Tower
In the distance, standing tall on the plains where the battle between Stardust and the Sun God would take place, people were frantically moving about inside the control tower.
"Yes! We'll immediately deploy some support to Mexico. South America will proceed with Plan C!"
"Currently, East Asia and the United States are holding steady. The western line in Europe is struggling a bit, so we'll pull forces from the east...!"
This was the command center, busy coordinating defenses against the angels' simultaneous assault that coincided with the Sun God's descent.
Though they appeared frantic... everyone was holding up better than expected. All civilians had already evacuated to underground shelters worldwide, so the surface could become a battlefield without concern.
And naturally, South Korea, which our Ego-stream colleagues were defending, was also holding steady.
[Haaaaaah! Come on, let's see your maximum output!]
Just from the images visible through my mask, I could see that Choi Se-hee, Seo-eun, and Uncle Desik were all holding their ground well.
'...Hmm. But.'
I definitely thought the Sun God would be weaker this time after launching that surprise attack last time. Yet the angels' worldwide assault matched the original story's scale exactly. Did they reduce the Sun God's main body's power instead?
Anyway, whatever the case, they were defending well. This wasn't something to worry about right now.
Naturally, after the situation was assessed, what everyone became interested in was:
"Wow..."
KWAAAAAAANG
The battle between the Sun God and Stardust.
From the large control center observation tower on the plains, through its large windows, flashes of brilliant light could be seen in the distance.
Those yellow and white lights, and the thunderous sounds that reached us despite the distance, gave a sense of the battle's scale.
For more detailed battle information, we could watch the footage from thousands of drones that continued filming even as they were destroyed.
"....."
I stood by the window, watching the holographic display of Stardust and the Sun God's battle.
Several minutes into the fight already.
Most people were watching in awe as Stardust, in a human body, fought equally against a god.
But I knew the truth.
Stardust had a divine nature within her, making this essentially a battle between gods.
And.
"...Ha."
I knew that in the original story, Stardust had defeated the Sun God.
'And now Stardust is...'
Thanks to my efforts, much stronger than in the original story.
In other words, this was a battle that couldn't possibly be lost.
So I watched calmly with inner reassurance, though not letting my guard down completely. I observed the battle with composure.
There was no more room for me to intervene in this fight. This was purely divine power against divine power.
'...'
And so, silently cheering inside,
I watched without blinking the battle that would determine everything.
***
KUUUUUUNG
"Hah..."
On the battlefield.
In the sky, Stardust was gritting her teeth as she faced the Sun God.
A scene that seemed like heaven itself, filled with sacred light all around.
...In the midst of it all, glowing with golden light, Stardust glared at Helios, the Sun God floating in the sky above.
"...."
Except for a slight smile, Helios showed no change in expression. Without saying a word, he simply floated in the sky.
And behind him.
[...........]
A giant faceless silver giant floated in the exact same posture as Helios.
That was the manifestation of divine nature—when Helios clenched his fist, it would clench its fist and attack in the same way, essentially moving like the human Helios's true form.
"...Ha."
Somehow instinctively realizing this fact, Stardust
clenched her golden glowing fist again with gritted teeth.
Stardust realized that the giant floating behind the Sun God was Helios's true form, and she needed to destroy it to win.
The problem was.
"Do you have time to think about other things?"
KWAAAAAAANG
"Kuhk...!"
That it wasn't going to be easy.
Barely blocking the silver giant's surprise attack with her crossed, golden-glowing arms, Stardust coughed up blood as she felt her internal organs twist.
...No matter how much divine power Stardust had received, her body was still human.
Although the star's power negated most of the attack, the Sun God was still stronger than any opponent she had ever faced.
So currently, Stardust was barely managing to block Helios's attacks.
PUEEEENG. PUEEEENG. PUEEEENG.
As she blocked Helios's attacks while bleeding from her mouth, Stardust couldn't help but wonder:
...Was victory really possible?
But.
'No, Ms. Stardust. You can do it.'
...At Egostic's words that seemed to echo in her ears,
Stardust unconsciously strengthened her weakening legs.
Yes. Egostic had said she could defeat the Sun God.
If she collapsed here... what would happen to Egostic, her friends, and this world?
That thought made Stardust's heart burn hot again.
And her will made the star's power within her blaze anew.
KUNG. KWAAANG. KUUUNG.
The pure power of the Sun God pounding her body.
And against it, the pure energy created to counter the sun's power—the star's power—began to pulse in response.
"...Seeing you standing still, I guess you've given up? Well then, farewell."
Just as the Sun God spoke in his refined voice, smiling slightly as he delivered the next blow.
-PING
HWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
KWAGWAGWAGWAGWAGWANG
"...."
With a golden light so bright it made the Sun God furrow his brow.
The star's power surged and flowed from Stardust.
And then, moments later.
"Heuuuu..."
As the light subsided.
In the midst of it, Stardust floated in the sky, calmly exhaling.
KUGUGUGUGUGUGUGUGUNG
Behind her shone a massive golden giant.
"Now, it's fair, isn't it?"
Stardust. Her manifestation of the star's divine nature.
Facing her as she smiled with blue eyes and spoke those words.
"...Ha. For a bug-like human, you're quite persistent."
Seeing this, the Sun God Helios smiled while speaking venomously.
"Fine. Let's see how far you can go."
With those words, he moved the silver giant once more.
And matching him, Stardust also clenched her fist alongside her giant made of star power.
And so.
The true mythical battle finally began.
The beginning of a long, long battle that would continue for hours.
***
A battle between this world's creator god and the hero who would save it.
That long, drawn-out fight was being shown to the entire world through countless cameras.
Truly a battle that everyone awake was watching, with their fate at stake.
Feeling the vibrations and attacks from the angels above their underground shelters, everyone was following the battle through war-situation TVs or at least radios.
And in the midst of anxiety and tension, after listening to hours of battle progress.
What they gained was.
"...Honey."
"Yes. Really... if things go well."
...We might actually win.
Hope.
While everyone was silently cheering for this battle,
In the midst of a fight that had gone on for dozens of hours, Stardust had experienced all sorts of things.
Generally, after manifesting her divine nature, she fought equally with the Sun God.
"Kuk..."
KUNG. KUKUNG. KUNG.
Of course, she was also hit and sent flying many times.
And that wasn't all.
"Kugh... you..."
"HAAAAAAA!"
She awakened once more during the battle, becoming even stronger.
Once more, once more.
And so.
Three days passed.
The wide area around the battlefield was completely destroyed, and the battle continued without rest for three days and nights without eating or drinking.
And the end was.
Naturally.
"...Helios."
"This is your defeat."
KWACHIIIIIIING
"Kuuugh...! Haa, haa..."
Stardust's victory.
After Stardust's divine manifestation finally shattered the Sun God's divine giant.
In the center of the massive crater formed by the battle's aftermath.
The Sun God knelt, parts of his body cracking with light leaking through.
Stardust was walking toward him with calm eyes.
And I was quietly watching this scene on the screen.
As expected...
"I knew she could do it."
As I finished speaking,
Behind me, the people in the control center erupted.
"Hurray!!!!"
"We, sniff. We all survived? Huuuk.."
"We're alive!!! Stardust won!!! Hurray! Stardust!! Stardust!! Stardust!!"
Amidst that commotion.
I smiled quietly to myself as I looked out the window.
Yes. I knew this would happen.
She won in the original story. How could she not win now?
Finally. It's over.
Although it took three days and nights, and Stardust awakened three or four times during that time... still. For a battle between a human and a god, it was a decisive victory without being anticlimactic.
Now finally, I, Stardust, everyone—we can all rest.
Just as I was thinking this.
The confrontation between Stardust and the Sun God was coming to an end.
"...You."
"Hehehe... Yes. Child of the stars. Kuk kuk. Truly, far beyond my expectations... you received much more divine power. Haha... this was not in my calculations."
Speaking with a strange laugh and a cracked voice.
And I, watching the entire scene through the hologram, knew exactly what would happen next from the original story.
Now the extremely weakened Sun God, knowing that continuing to fight would cost him his life, would give up and flee.
Of course, in the original story, he fled without regret after already annihilating almost all living beings... Well. This time he'd probably flee with regrets.
I thought this with absolute certainty.
Meanwhile, the dialogue between Stardust and the Sun God continued.
"...What will you do now?"
"Haha... Are you curious? Yes. As you can see, I've exhausted all my power. If I fight any longer, my body will perish... so I must give up."
Indeed. The exact dialogue from the original story.
I felt reassured seeing this.
...No, I had felt reassured.
Until I heard his next words, which were not in my expectations.
"...However."
"Why should I do that?"
"...Huh?"
And at that moment.
Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.
Feeling my heart pound stronger than ever before.
I realized then.
Something had gone terribly wrong.