Chapter 423 - Beyond The Horizon

"Hello. This is Egostic!"

"...Ms. Stardus. You can do it."

"With this... my debt, cough. It's repaid."

"Stardus. Haven't I always told you? You are my only hero."

"...I understand. From now on, I will never leave you again. I'll always be by your side. If that's what you want."

"Kuhak... cough, cough. Ha... haha..."

"...Haha. Ms. S-Stardus."

...Please.

Be happy until the end.

"Sniff..."

On the bed.

There, Shin Ha-ru opened her eyes with her face buried in the pillow.

Feeling moisture in her eyes without realizing it.

Wiping away the tears that had flowed while she slept, Stardus sat up with her blonde hair hanging loose.

...In the three months since Egostic's death.

She had always been like this.

She couldn't properly fall asleep.

When she lay down, she would think of him.

When she dreamed, his image would appear.

Always starting the day with red eyes without getting proper sleep had now become a habit.

She missed Egostic.

She couldn't believe his death. She couldn't accept it.

Without him, she couldn't live her life.

So.

She. She and everyone else decided to resurrect him.

Even if they had to pour everything into it.

And finally, the moment for that fruition had come.

Today was finally that day.

'...Right.'

I can do it.

Surely when he returns, I'll be able to see him again.

With that determination.

Stardus opened the door and went out.

The place where she was currently staying was one of the rooms in Egostic's mansion. A room provided by the Egostream members.

As she stepped into the corridor.

...Stardus could see someone else who had also opened their door and come out.

"...Ah. Unni."

It was Han Seo-eun.

...She too seemed to have cried in her sleep, greeting Stardus with reddened eyes while wearing pajamas.

Seeing her like that, Stardus gave a bitter smile and greeted her.

...Han Seo-eun.

Until now, Stardus hadn't known much about Han Seo-eun except that she was a hacker working under Egostic.

But living together recently, she had gotten to know her well.

Prickly on the outside, but inside, a girl with more heart than anyone.

...And she too. Like herself, had depended a lot on Egostic. They had known each other since childhood, hadn't they?

Perhaps because of that, Han Seo-eun had struggled the most.

...She had sobbed in the next room at night, to the point where Stardus had slept with her.

"Oppa always appears in my dreams..." she would say, crying heavily at dawn, and Stardus would wipe away her own tears while comforting Seo-eun.

In fact, the situation was similar for the others.

...Because of that, she had come to understand while living with everyone.

How much they all followed Egostic.

...And how broken they became without him.

Therefore.

They absolutely had to get him back.

And finally, today had come.

"Seo-eun, are you ready?"

"...Yes. Shortly after everyone washes up and gets their minds straight. We'll begin."

In response to Stardus's question, Seo-eun answered with a resolute expression and then moved on.

And a little while later.

Underground. In a spacious conference room where everyone had gathered.

There, Seo-eun declared firmly in front of the blackboard.

"Today, we're going to the afterlife."

The time had come.

***

Resurrecting Egostic.

...Bringing someone back from the dead was nonsensical by common sense, and naturally, such a thing had never happened before.

But.

Their obsession had succeeded in concretely planning for Egostic's resurrection.

And it all started with a small discovery.

"...This is strange."

After the Sun God's demise, while everyone's supernatural abilities were gradually weakening.

Celeste. They realized that her power alone was not disappearing, but rather growing stronger.

And not just her, Stardus was the same.

Even if Baek Eunwol didn't weaken because she used magic, an independent power unrelated to the Sun God, why was Stardus's power growing stronger?

To solve this mystery, they searched through information left by Egostic and ancient texts.

And thus, they were able to reach one conclusion.

"...It seems that with the death of a god, the divine status is being inherited by its successor."

The divine share that had the largest portion was being concentrated on one person.

...They didn't know how this would turn out or in what direction it would flow.

But separately from that.

Through a statement from Celeste, who had inherited the divine status, one fact was revealed.

"...For some reason, I can sense where people with the power of the sun are."

That she could sense those with the power of the Sun God.

Probably as the one with the largest share of divine status, she seemed to have the ability to sense her own power that had been distributed.

But then.

...If so.

Similarly, Stardus, who seemed to have inherited the Star God's status.

Surely she could sense souls with the power of stars in the afterlife?

When this fact was revealed, creating a hopeful atmosphere.

"...Of course, Unni Ha-ru. It will still be difficult."

Ha-yul, looking at a paper, had said with a gloomy expression.

First of all, the afterlife would be filled with all the souls that had ever lived in this world.

Among them, surely. There would definitely be those who had died in ancient times with the power of stars.

Even in modern times alone, there were several others that Celeste knew of, including Ex Machina.

Then surely, in that vast afterlife.

How would they search through all those souls, moving around to find those with the power of stars one by one?

To that question.

Stardus had answered as if it were nothing.

"We have to try."

We have to try. Because, I can't say I'm not afraid.

If there was any possibility of saving Egostic, they had to try any method.

Still, it wasn't all bad.

"I asked my father..."

Eun-wol, who had met with the Moon God.

...After learning how to go to the afterlife, Baek Eunwol had asked a few more questions she was curious about.

What she learned from that.

'...Yes. The afterlife is a space I created. There is no concept of time there. Probably, even if you return to reality after being there, no time will have passed.'

That the time in the afterlife does not share time with the time in reality.

That meant that the search time itself wouldn't be a problem no matter how long it took.

Of course, there wasn't only good news.

"...And, the Moon God said. The Star God..."

'The Star God... probably gave more power to him in the process of stopping the Sun God, and then perished around that time.'

That the Star God had perished after using up all his power.

...However, since Stardus had also anticipated this, the shock was less. After all, if the Star God hadn't perished, Stardus's power wouldn't have continued to grow stronger.

Anyway, to summarize their plan to resurrect Egostic:

Go to the afterlife, find Egostic using Stardus's ability.

Then amplify his divine status with Stardus's power, summoning Egostic to this world in the form of a divine descent.

And finally, after discovering the method to go to the afterlife.

With the secret help of Atlas, Katana, the Association, and others who had learned what they were doing, all preparations were completed.

And finally, that time had arrived.

Woooooooooong

A massive magic circle.

Above it, all the Egostream members stood with resolute faces.

"Now. Everyone has heard the plan, right? In a little while, we'll all enter the afterlife."

In front of the magic circle.

Standing there, Lee Su-bin said while reading a document.

A magic circle leading to the afterlife, created by Eun-wol after receiving the design from the Moon God.

...Everyone except a few for the Order was standing on the magic circle, waiting for the next moment.

Since they didn't know what would be in the afterlife.

For now, all those with abilities would go together to prepare for any possible dangers.

"Now. Everyone has the stones I distributed, right? If you crush them with force in your hand, you'll return to reality."

And just before departure.

Seo-eun was also giving the final briefing.

The small moonstone with a magic circle engraved on it in their hands.

That object, containing Eun-wol's power, was the key to return to this world.

And.

'...Remember. The magic circle heading to the afterlife uses the magic of this world to the extreme, so there is only one chance to activate it.'

Once they returned to this world, they could never go back.

So especially for Stardus, she absolutely must not use it until she found Egostic.

And so.

"...Let's depart."

With those words from Stardus, who nodded while wearing her suit.

"Hup....!!"

Baek Eunwol sat in front of the magic circle and infused it with magic.

And with that.

Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeng

The magic circle began to activate on an unprecedented scale.

With a feeling of nausea.

Everyone's vision changed.

And.

Wheeeeeeee-

"...Cough. Cough."

"Is everyone okay? ...Ah. This is..."

"Haah. Moon magic isn't easy. ...So, this is..."

With a chilling sensation.

Stardus and the others realized where they had arrived.

A place that looked like an empty cave.

...As soon as they arrived, they checked their bodies and realized there wasn't much difference. They were still wearing the same clothes they had on.

However.

...Somehow, they felt lighter.

According to the Moon God... they had all arrived in a soul state.

"...Let's go for now."

After everyone calmed down.

They decided to walk forward.

How long did they walk?

They finally reached the end of the cave.

And then.

"...Wow."

They finally arrived at the top of a cliff.

And what was spread out below that cliff was.

Sheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeng

Overwhelming.

A truly overwhelmingly open plain stretching to the horizon.

Under the black sky, on that open plain.

...Countless people were standing, filling the plain.

And such people were spread out in all directions, on a scale so vast that it was impossible to tell how far they extended.

"...All of them are souls."

Looking at that scenery.

As Su-bin murmured that.

Choi Se-hee looked at the scenery with a dejected expression and said.

"...For now, it seems there's no particular danger... Haah. If we search through each one of those, it would take thousands of years. Stardus, do you sense anything?"

To Se-hee's words.

Stardus, standing on the cliff with her eyes closed, said.

"...I can sense it."

At Stardus's calm words.

Those who had been watching her tensely immediately became excited and asked her.

"Really?"

"Really?? You can sense Oppa?"

"...Stardus. Is it true? Where, where do you sense him...!"

To their reactions.

Stardus slowly opened her eyes, shook her head, and said.

"...I can sense it, but there are too many. I can't tell exactly who is Egostic. But."

With those words.

Stardus clenched her fist.

...With a voice that trembled without her realizing it.

Looking beyond the horizon, her eyes shining, she said.

"Surely, he must be somewhere here."

"We'll be able to find him. Definitely."

Even if it takes hundreds or thousands of years.

Egostic. Da-in, she would find him.

Stardus was certain of that.