Ch.147The Horn-Blowing Star (2)

“Did you say colleague, that person over there?”

Najin pointed at the headless knight wandering between the spits. Whether that thing could even be called a person was questionable, but since it was the Helm Knight’s comrade, Najin decided to maintain at least minimal courtesy.

“Yes. He was the deputy commander of the Golden Horn Knights.”

“I heard he broke that horn on your helmet? I thought you’d be enemies.”

“We are enemies in a way, but the horn-breaking happened after he changed into that.”

The Helm Knight leaned his head against a rock.

The helmet made a clattering sound as it touched the stone.

“I tried to stop him once. He was my deputy after all. What kind of commander can’t stop one of his subordinates from going astray? So I tried to stop him. But…”

“But?”

“Well, I failed rather pathetically. I told you before, didn’t I? To kill an undead who reached high levels in life, you need pure starlight.”

“You did.”

“My star is already tainted. No matter what I tried, I couldn’t kill him. Even if I cut off his arms, severed his legs, or pierced his body, he would immediately rise and charge at me like a beast. Eventually, I decided it wasn’t worth doing anymore.”

Tainted starlight cannot close the eyes of the undead. Overwhelming physical force might render them immobile after repeated mutilation, but that’s far from giving them peace. The soul resides even in the tiniest fragments, regenerating over decades or centuries.

Immortality. Undeath. Regeneration.

This land of the Outer Continent never grants peace to those who fled from death. You chose eternal life? Well then, try to endure eternity. Those who set foot on the Outer Continent had to prepare themselves to endure eternity.

Either shine forever.

Or lose your light and fall.

No other options existed.

“Moreover, that one is a Constellation.”

Bull Horned Star, a Constellation who once possessed six stars.

“When a Constellation falls and becomes undead, it’s no longer human. Flesh torn away? Arms severed? Body ground to pieces? Such physical means can’t even stop The Fallen, let alone kill it.”

The Helm Knight pointed at Bull Horned Star. Black blood vessels pulsated on his armor.

“The closer one gets to becoming a Constellation, the less the human soul is bound by the physical body. Missing parts can simply be filled with starlight. Unlike other undead, even the heart becomes meaningless.”

Najin looked at Bull Horned Star.

Six hearts existed in his body. Those were the stars he possessed in life. Having fallen, having lost their essence, those stars—now blackened and no longer shining—were embedded in his armor.

“Physical death doesn’t exist for The Fallen. The more their bodies are damaged, the more monstrous they become. Monsters that move without hearts, without heads.”

“……”

“The only thing that can give such beings peace is…”

The Helm Knight raised his finger.

The raised finger pointed at Najin.

“A new star with pure light, like you. Of course, the problem is that it’s nearly impossible for a rising star to face a Constellation that once possessed multiple stars.”

“But,” the Helm Knight continued, pointing to himself.

“With my help, things might be different.”

He shrugged his shoulders.

“Who am I? I was once a Sword Master, once a Transcendent, and the commander of the Golden Horn Knights, the Empire’s finest order.”

“That’s all in the past, isn’t it?”

“The experience remains. I wouldn’t lose to an average Sword Master, you know?”

“I’m not entirely convinced…”

Despite grumbling, Najin stood up.

“But well, as the victor’s request, the defeated must comply. Do you have a plan?”

“Of course. I was about to explain.”

Before that, the Helm Knight said.

“May I ask you something?”

“What is it?”

“What’s the name of your star? I never asked until now.”

“Morning Star.”

Najin answered.

“The star that announces the end of night.”

2.

Najin walked through the wasteland, the graveyard of stars. As always, a sword was tied at his waist, still undrawn from its scabbard. It wasn’t yet time to draw the sword.

Tap.

Walking forward, Najin looked straight ahead. There stood an undead who had missed his time to die. A forgotten star that no longer shone. Despite Najin’s approach, he showed no wariness, merely wandering between the spears.

Because Najin hadn’t yet stepped into his territory.

Bull Horned Star guards his territory. He indiscriminately attacks those who step into it. In other words, he won’t attack first as long as his territory isn’t invaded.

Thud.

Najin stopped at the boundary. The moment he crosses this line, he’ll be in Bull Horned Star’s territory. Bull Horned Star also stopped walking and turned toward Najin, as if ready to attack the moment he took a step forward.

And then, Najin.

Shing.

Drew his sword. Holding the drawn sword upward toward the sky, Najin closed his eyes. It was a brief sword ritual, a stance he learned from Ivan, and also a process Najin went through when strongly drawing out his mental image.

Sword energy rose from Najin’s sword.

The rising sword energy took the form of a constellation.

On this land where fallen stars are buried, where stars that can no longer shine are entombed, the sword energy the boy manifested shone brilliantly white. Holding his sword surrounded by the constellation, Najin took a step forward.

He crossed the line. He stepped into Bull Horned Star’s territory.

At that moment, Bull Horned Star moved. The black stars embedded in his armor pulsated like hearts, and a black star rose above his empty head. It was the moment he was about to blow his horn, true to his name.

————Buuuuuuuu.

The sound of a horn echoed from somewhere.

Bull Horned Star’s body briefly stiffened. He turned toward the source of the horn sound. There stood the Helm Knight, holding a horn.

“Hey, Krinbel.”

He waved the horn.

“Have you forgotten? Blowing the horn first is the commander’s privilege. Even cold water has its hierarchy, you insolent fellow.”

Boom! The Helm Knight struck down his spear shaft.

“Blow your horns, Golden Horns.”

Throwing the horn toward the sky, he shouted.

150 years ago, when he threw the horn into the sky, 12 different tones followed. The tones of horns blown by all members of the Golden Horn Knights, those vibrations filled the battlefield.

When the horn sounds echoed, the Empire’s enemies were terrified and the Imperial army was assured of victory. Blowing their horns, the Golden Horn Knights charged gloriously.

All of that is now merely the past.

Now, no one stands behind the Helm Knight. The 12 knights who should have stood with him have all become undead. The man who would have blown his horn most enthusiastically was not behind him but in front, pointing a spear at him.

However, that did not mean.

That silence fell over the battlefield.

Buuuuuuuuuu——————.

Just like 150 years ago, the sound of horns echoed across the battlefield.

As if answering the Helm Knight’s words, Bull Horned Star blew his horn. The horns embedded in his body all vibrated at once. Not because he understood the Helm Knight’s words. The Bull Horned Star, transformed into an undead, had no reason left. Only instinct remained.

His instinct called out.

Blow the horn.

Answer that tone.

Even if he had lost his reason, he was still the star who blew the horn. He had not forgotten that essence. And so, as the horn sounds echoed, the Helm Knight couldn’t help but burst into laughter. Even in that state, he hadn’t forgotten.

Thud.

The Helm Knight stood right beside Najin.

“Are you ready.”

“Is any preparation needed?”

“As always, you talented ones.”

The Helm Knight took his stance. Najin also bent his knees and pulled his sword behind his back. Simultaneously, Bull Horned Star pulled out a spear shaft and roared.

“He’s howling quite loudly.”

“Seems angry about someone stealing his spear.”

“I told you I didn’t steal it. I borrowed it. Borrowed.”

“But you said earlier you received it.”

“That’s just a minor detail.”

Despite exchanging frivolous jokes, neither of their stances wavered. Toward the roaring, charging Bull Horned Star, the two kicked off the ground and rushed forward. Turning and fleeing from a charging enemy was not something a knight would do.

3.

Blow your horns, Golden Horns.

Pierce through the Empire’s enemies.

Advance forward under the Empire’s banner.

We shall win gloriously and march with pride.

The sound of horns lingered in his ears. Scenes of galloping across plains while blowing horns flashed before his eyes. Though he had no ears, no eyes, and not even a head to recall anything, those scenes did not disappear.

Bull Horned Star blows his horn.

Because that’s all he remembers.

He cannot understand what meaning there is in all these actions. He doesn’t even know what he’s doing. Just as beasts don’t assign meaning to each of their actions, neither does he. There is no meaning to his actions. No value either.

Simply because that’s all he has left.

Bull Horned Star blows his horn.

While blowing his horn, he thrust his spear. Each time he thrust a spear, a “BOOM!” echoed as something burst. It was the sound of humans impaled on the spear shaft bursting from the impact. Flesh and blood scattered.

Crack.

The ground split and burst even without being touched by the spear tip, raising dust. Each time he moved his body, a hole formed in the ground. Even if he had forgotten himself, the techniques engraved in his flesh had not disappeared.

Bull Horned Star was once a knight who reached transcendence.

He reached the level of Master with a single spear and faced numerous stars with his spear. His technique of piercing even the stars in the night sky with a single spear had not been lost, even if his body was broken and his star had fallen.

Rumble, rumble, rumble!

When he moved his spear forward just a span, the ground within a radius of several meters split and overturned. The crude spear shaft in his hand couldn’t withstand his technique even once and broke, but that didn’t matter.

Thunk.

He simply had to pull out a new spear.

This was his sanctuary. All the spear shafts densely planted in the ground were weapons for him.

Kaaaaaaang!

When Najin parried the thrust spear, his knees almost buckled. Even blocking a single technique was arduous. Sliding backward, Najin caught his breath.

Indeed, a Transcendent is truly a Transcendent?

Although weakened from his fall, Bull Horned Star’s techniques were impressive even to Najin. Just by thrusting his spear, he gouged the earth and created storms. It wasn’t hard to imagine how powerful a knight he must have been in life.

‘But even such a knight fell.’

The Helm Knight had said that many heroes had fallen in this land. They met a fate worse than death, he said. This place was not where stars were born, but a graveyard where stars died and were buried.

While he understood why the Helm Knight described it that way.

Najin didn’t particularly like that expression.

In fact, he didn’t like the Outer Continent itself. Najin disliked how this land mocked human nobility, pushed them to extremes to corrupt them, and didn’t even allow death. Wasn’t this an insult to the heroes who set foot on this land?

Heroes deserve a fitting end.

At the very least, their final moments should be so.

Was it because a certain knight who showed him the stars shone in his final moment? Or because he grew up reading heroic tales? Or because he admired heroes? Or was it simply Najin’s nature?

It couldn’t be defined by just one reason.

Simply put, Najin wished for them to shine in their final moments. They deserved that much.

‘Therefore.’

Najin gripped his sword firmly.

While the Helm Knight, who had stepped forward as Najin retreated, bought him time, Najin caught his breath.

‘The same goes for you.’

Looking at the Knight of Silence, perhaps the Helm Knight, Najin spoke. Najin still didn’t know much about the star called Bull Horned Star who had turned into a beast. He didn’t know what achievements the Knight of Silence Krinbel had accomplished, or what process led him to become like that.

So, shouldn’t he find out now?

‘Only a pure star can bleach a fallen star.’

Najin closed his eyes and focused on his inner self. Flickering scenes of the underground city. Stars hanging low and stars hanging high. A blue star and a platinum star. Merlin, sitting there, smiled at Najin.

See, she whispered.

-I told you you’d get the hang of it quickly?

Dragging his sword tip low, Najin rushed forward. The constellation formed at his sword tip flickered. In the sky above, the two stars Najin possessed twinkled.

The seeds planted in the boy’s mental image were about to germinate.