Return of the Sword God-Rank Civil Servant-Chapter 408

He hadn’t misread it.

Even on a second look, the system alert was brutally honest.

Su-ho knit his brows.

But no matter how hard he racked his brain, he couldn’t find an answer, and his gaze naturally turned back to Amaterasu.

“May I ask you something?”

As much as you like.

“It says the fragment of the Sun failed to take root in my body. Can I know why?”

At Su-ho’s question, Amaterasu was silent for a while.

Then she let out a faint sigh and said,

I wondered if that might be the case. It seems it truly couldn’t take root.

“What do you mean? Don’t tell me you knew it would turn out like this?”

I predicted it. Such is the order of things.

“What does that... mean?”

The sun and the moon cannot exist in the same sky at the same time. And yet your body already contains the moon. That’s why it couldn’t take root.

“......?”

That’s the reason?

For a moment, Su-ho was too dumbfounded to speak.

‘Order of things, my foot—if the conditions match, the system just works, doesn’t it?’

Isn’t that what a system is?

Like a vending machine—put in the proper currency, and the product clunks out.

And now she’s suddenly invoking cosmic order? Of course his brow would furrow.

Then a thought struck him.

‘What if it’s not “order,” but the setting itself is built that way from the start?’

He’d gotten carried away, caught on the word “order” she used.

But how could Amaterasu—who’s classified as an NPC-like entity—know all the system’s rules?

She was a plaything of the system, too.

Then there was no point getting heated.

After thinking a while, Su-ho narrowed his eyes and said,

“Then is there no way at all?”

If you insist on finding one, the fastest method would be to give up the power of the moon.

“Other than that? I want to possess both the powers of the sun and the moon.”

That... I don’t know. Unless you were born of the lineage of the Sun’s clan. Even then, it would be impossible. Because your body already holds the moon’s power.

“Then what about the Sun’s Seed I already swallowed?”

It will become one with you and sleep within your body for life. Of course it won’t harm you. It simply won’t bloom.

“What is that supposed to...”

Absurd.

To end it like this?

If he’d known, he would have... In that instant, another thought came.

‘Hold on. If Amaterasu knows this, doesn’t that mean that bastard Tsukuyomi knew it would end up like this, too?’

Su-ho narrowed his brows and asked,

“So Tsukuyomi tricked me, didn’t he?”

Pardon?

“Amaterasu-nim, if you knew it would be like this, how could the moon god Tsukuyomi not? I clearly told him why I wanted a small sun. And this is the result. If that’s not deception, what is?”

No. Don’t speak of Tsukuyomi like that.

“Then are you saying Tsukuyomi didn’t know what you know? He’s the moon god.”

.......

At Su-ho’s sharp words, Amaterasu fell silent.

When she didn’t open her mouth again, Su-ho spoke.

“I’ll ask one last thing. As his older sister... no, as a fellow god, will you resolve this on your brother’s behalf?”

.......

Amaterasu remained silent.

The longer her silence stretched, the colder Su-ho’s expression became.

‘Fine. Everything that happens from here on out—you brought it on yourselves.’

He was angry.

How could they deceive a person like this?

He was sick of being stabbed in the back.

Just as Su-ho was about to say something—

Wait.

The long-silent Amaterasu finally spoke again. But Su-ho’s face was still frosty.

“What is it?”

There’s been a misunderstanding.

“What misunderstanding?”

He says he wanted to tell you that fact, but he couldn’t say it all due to system restrictions.

“Hm?”

I asked Tsukuyomi directly.

“.......”

Of course.

The Amaterasu before his eyes was the true Amaterasu’s avatar.

And the real Transcendent Amaterasu would be watching the current situation in real time.

‘She kept quiet to talk with Tsukuyomi.’

Su-ho nodded.

“And?”

Tsukuyomi says he himself was uncertain. Though the order of things is as I said, that is the order of this world; the rules the system has created might apply differently.

“If so, he should at least have changed the order of his words. He could’ve given me a heads-up.”

He says that would also violate the rules, so he couldn’t advise you. In any case, providing limited information incurs the system’s punishment.

“.......”

Su-ho narrowed his eyes to slits.

Then he nodded.

Right.

In that case, it makes sense.

The system, at its core, is something that wants Players to struggle.

So it didn’t even permit Tsukuyomi to give him a hint.

‘Because if he told me beforehand, it wouldn’t get to watch me bust my ass.’

Hearing the story, everything clicked into place.

Either way, Tsukuyomi was desperate, and to secure the deal he had to offer whatever information might help Su-ho even a little.

‘I misunderstood.’

Still, the damn system is downright vicious.

Now that his anger was gone, Su-ho let out a sigh.

“Eh... then it can’t be helped.”

However.

“Hm?”

He says that in your case, it might be possible to possess the powers of the sun and the moon at the same time.

“Me? Why?”

That’s limited information... I’m sorry. But if you think carefully, the answer lies in the powers you possess.

“The powers I possess? Do you, Amaterasu-nim, agree with Lord Tsukuyomi’s view?”

At that, Amaterasu nodded.

Yes, fully. Of course, for reasons of restriction, I can’t tell you why.

Su-ho pondered for a moment.

Then he asked again.

“One last question—do you mean it?”

Yes, I do.

At her unhesitating answer, Su-ho nodded.

Her words were true.

After all, he had used the Ring of Joy and Sorrow to verify truthfulness.

Fortunately, the ring worked on monsters as well, and what he saw from her was white energy.

“.......”

Su-ho fell into thought.

‘What should I do?’

If he demanded an answer here, Amaterasu would surely incur the system’s punishment and end up like the Black Moon God Tsukuyomi.

That wasn’t an outcome Su-ho wanted.

‘If this were an ordinary monster, I’d handle it somehow, but if she darkens again this time...’

This time he couldn’t guarantee victory.

Because while the first time might be a warning and punishment, if it became a second and third time, the system might, as punishment, send an entity that absolutely couldn’t be killed.

‘The system hates breaking the lines it drew. I got away with it once, but from the second time, I can’t promise anything.’

Above all, Amaterasu had done everything within her duty.

She’d even asked directly to preserve Tsukuyomi’s honor.

And unlike Tsukuyomi, she had no reason to make a deal with Su-ho.

Then there was only one answer.

‘I should accept this and back off for now.’

It wasn’t a solution, but he’d received a hint instead.

Both Tsukuyomi and Amaterasu had done their best.

So there was no more reason to be angry—or to break his promise.

“Understood. I’ve got a hint, so I’ll find the way myself. That aside, what happens now? This is my last Gate. Don’t I have to kill you to exit the Gate?”

Correct. I am the last. But I cannot arbitrarily mark the Gate as cleared.

“Then what should I do?”

At Su-ho’s question, Amaterasu raised one hand.

Light gathered on her palm, and soon a golden sphere rested there.

“What is that?”

My heart.

Her own heart.

In other words, the Rune of the Sun.

She continued,

By principle, you must defeat me here for the clear to count, so you can destroy this.

Ah, right.

Looked at strictly, that’s true.

Had there been no deal with Tsukuyomi, Su-ho would have had to kill the tainted Amaterasu.

But that aside, it felt wasteful after all the effort he’d spent purifying her.

“Doesn’t that make my effort to purify you meaningless?”

Not at all. By purifying me, you allow me to end not as a tainted being, but in a liberated form.

“What does that... no, I understand.”

He stopped himself from asking for details.

If even Su-ho, veteran of the Cataclysm, didn’t know it, then it was another piece of high-tier information with viewing restrictions.

Su-ho immediately raised the blood sword.

And just as he was about to swing, he lowered it again.

“Can I borrow this for a moment?”

It is not something you can use.

“I know. But there’s no need to destroy it right here.”

That’s true... but you cannot take it outside the Gate.

“I won’t go far. I’m just stepping out front.”

Very well.

Without further questions, Amaterasu handed her heart to Su-ho.

It floated gently like a levistone and settled into his palm.

A solid feel.

The same feel as when he’d dug through Amaterasu’s insides and touched it directly.

No item info displayed.

No matter.

He hadn’t asked for it to do anything with it anyway.

Clutching it, Su-ho stepped outside Amano-Iwato.

Outside was exactly as it had been when he came in.

So exactly that the defeated Susanoo still stood there like a stone statue, rooted to the spot.

When Su-ho returned, Susanoo grinned.

Hey there!

He even lifted a hand, greeting Su-ho.

As Su-ho approached, Susanoo spoke in a bright, excited voice.

Looks like you handled Amaterasu well, huh?

“I handled it fine. Want a look?”

Look at what?

Instead of answering, Su-ho showed him Amaterasu’s heart he’d received from her.

In that instant, Susanoo’s face went rigid at the sight of Amaterasu’s heart.

You—how did you...!

“Tsukuyomi told me this: absolutely do not cozy up to you. Said it’d be a disaster.”

What?

“So I said okay. I don’t like punks, either. But don’t worry. The method you gave me wasn’t all that useful anyway. You can tell just by looking at this.”

When Su-ho held up the golden heart and gave it a shake, the light in Susanoo’s eyes swelled as if it would explode.

You...! I will remember you. I’ll make sure you learn just how terrifying the crime of deceiving me is...!

“Funny—people who say that are never actually scary. Anyway, I’ll take it to heart. Do that. No, do it twice. ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) But how are you going to take revenge when you couldn’t even secure an Apostle?”

You—!!

“I’m off. I came out here just to show you this. And listen, man, live with a little humility. Keep this up and one day you’ll meet your match and get stripped to the bone. I’m going.”

At Su-ho’s advice, Susanoo let out something between a scream and a roar.

But Su-ho didn’t care; he leisurely waved the golden heart in farewell.

Then, in one motion, he crushed the heart, and system alerts began to pour before his eyes.