Chapter 13
[In a kalpa, there is a moment, and within a moment, there is a kalpa. The glory of the Heavenly Emperor will shake the heaven and the earth.]
Beyond my hazy vision, a bright light falls upon my head.
Against the backdrop of the vast blue sky, something flutters its wings and descends in the bright light.
In this vast ocean-like wasteland, a white dove holding a single blue four-leaf clover in its beak.
As the bird flutters its small wings, its glowing white feathers flutter down and land on the bridge of my nose.
Then, as soon as they touch, they shatter into white light and disappear like waves.
This isn’t a real feather.
That bird isn’t a real dove either.
According to my memory of the original work… Could it be…
[Terrestrial Way descends. Synchronization initiated. Synchronization successful. Attempting to connect with the avatar.]
It’s a ‘Messenger’ that conveys the voice of celestial beings, or gods, to humans on the earth.
[The gods are paying attention to your actions that have changed the predetermined fate.]
“Gods… which ones?”
I murmured, dazed and forgetting that I had been crying in shock.
With my words, a white light completely enveloped me.
[Analyzing the matching rate between the god wishing to form a guardian star contract and the avatar.]
[This process will take some time, please wait a moment.]
[Analysis complete.]
[■ ■ ■ ■: 99.9999……%
■ ■: 99.9999……%
■ ■ ■ ■: 99.9999……%
■ ■ ■: 99.9999……%
Total matching rate: 99.9999……%]
[The god Indra calls you ‘The One Who Creates Cracks in Fate and the Universe’.]
[The supreme god Indra proposes a guardian star contract to you.]
“If it’s Indra…”
He had appeared in the original work too.
Anyone who has read ‘TOAA’ even once couldn’t possibly not know.
Asura is the leader of the evil gods, and Indra is the leader of the heavenly gods.
Known as Deva Raja in Buddhist terminology, the god of gods.
Below Indra are eight S-class gods known as the Eight Guardian Deities.
The guardian star of the protagonist Baek Yi-heon was the famous ‘Yaksha,’ one of the Eight Guardian Deities.
Thus, he boasted the highest combat power in the story.
But a god above them, Indra, would be an SSS-class god.
[The king of gods, the lord of heaven, the ruler of the celestial way, Indra solemnly commands you to become his avatar and save this world.]
[(Messenger) < Indra’s Contract Proposal >
Condition: Salvation of humanity.
Reward: Ability to manifest Indra’s divine power on earth.]
‘Save… the world? This humanity?’
Dumbfounded by the sudden situation, I burst into laughter.
In front of my mother’s grave who abandoned me.
In front of the collapsed air raid shelter where I thoroughly confirmed how low humanity could sink over the past week.
What are they asking me to do?
After giggling like a madman for a while, I finally opened my mouth.
“I don’t want to.”
What’s needed for a contract with a guardian star is a messenger, a matching rate, and the will of the contractor who will become the avatar.
I shouted roughly.
“You’re telling me to save them for the sake of humanity? Say something that makes sense!”
Then the tone of the god who was called the supreme god changed a little.
[(Messenger) Indra is surprised by your unexpected response.]
[Indra asks in a perplexed tone if you’re not honored that he’s personally proposing a contract.]
‘Not particularly.’
I retorted curtly.
No matter what anyone says, I’m glad this world is ruined.
While the protagonist Baek Yi-heon works hard to save the world, I can just go to a shelter and live comfortably.
‘Look for another avatar. Someone who’s not a psychopath this time.’
[(Messenger) Indra pouts, saying that no human other than you, ‘The One Who Creates Cracks in Fate and the Universe’, can handle him.]
Right. Come to think of it.
I fell into thought, thoroughly ignoring the dove chirping in front of me.
In the original story, the avatars of the supreme gods Indra and Asura didn’t appear.
It was mentioned that they couldn’t find avatars with appropriate matching rates, given that they were the supreme gods of each faction.
[(Messenger) Indra excitedly says that’s exactly what I mean!]
What?
No, more than that, hasn’t the character changed a bit from when you were speaking earlier?
Regardless of my bewilderment, the dove fluttered its wings and continued.
[(Messenger) Indra says that just now, by changing the future, you split the universe in two!]
[He explains that because of this, the matching rate has changed for ■■■ ■■ ■■■■■■■ reasons!]
[He passionately argues that the novel you know is the future of another parallel universe, and that from now on, you can lead to a different ending together with him!]
‘Ugh. How annoying.’
I swung my arm wide, intending to shoo away the dove.
[(Messenger) Indra asserts that if coffee, he’d be T.O.P, and rank-wise, he’s SSS-grade.]
But I was adamant.
“That contract condition of using your divine power is for the salvation of humanity, right?”
In short, it’s asking me to become his avatar and fight the evil gods on this Earth in his place.
I have absolutely no intention of becoming a long-term pawn in the dog fight of the high and mighty.
[(Messenger) Indra appeals to your worn-out conscience, saying that with you alone, he can change the ending of destruction.]
‘Ah, I said I won’t do it!’
I shouted wildly like a misbehaving child who had lost all manners.
My mother and step-sister just died.
And now, suddenly appearing, telling me to save humanity?
“I said I won’t do it!! Quickly let me out of this ball of light!”
[(Messenger) Indra says to please listen to some good words for a moment before you go…]
“You won’t let me out?! Then I really won’t make a contract ever? I said I won’t!”
[(Messenger) No, that’s…]
“I said I won’t!”
[(Messenger) Guardian Star-Avatar contract failed. Temporarily dissolving the contract area.]
In an instant, the space of light disappeared.
I blinked my eyes, feeling strange as if I had lost my sense of time.
I was still in the same place, with my head tilted towards the sky.
“How much… time has passed?”
As I muttered softly, a mechanical voice rang in my head.
[(Messenger) ‘A moment,’ Indra answers.]
This leech… no, seeing that the god hasn’t left yet, it obviously wasn’t a dream.
[(Messenger) Indra is shocked, saying ‘Leech? Surely not me?’]
From what I read in the novel, this status window called a messenger is to convey the god’s voice. Therefore, it disappears once the contract with the god is established.
‘Is it still visible to me because the contract failed? …Then what about others?’
I quickly got up and looked around.
Baek Yi-heon was looking down at his hand with a strange expression.
By the looks of it, he seemed to have successfully contracted with a guardian star as in the original story.
[(Messenger) Indra nods in affirmation.]
[He secretly suggests that if you want, he can let you take a peek at his guardian star contract stored in the Celestial Palace.]
“Oh, you can do that?”
[(Messenger) The one who proposed the contract to you is the king of all gods…]
“Then, show me now.”
While grumbling that it’s too much disrespect for a god, Indra faithfully responded to my request.
Suddenly, a bluish, opaque window appeared before my eyes.
[(Messenger) < Standard Avatar Contract >]
[Yaksha (hereinafter referred to as ‘Party A’) and Baek Yi-heon (hereinafter referred to as ‘Party B’) hereby enter into the following Guardian Star-Avatar contract.
Contract period: From 00/00/0000 until the salvation of humanity.
Place of work: Earth realm
Compensation: Ability to exercise Yaksha god’s power. In return, the avatar must work for humanity as a guardian of good.
.
.
.
Matching rate with Guardian Star:
Mercy towards the weak: 47%
Mercilessness towards evil: 74%
Vow for good: 84%
Karma: 44%
Ghost killing: 64%
Total matching rate: 94.4%
List of available powers that passed the causality review: ‘Yaksha’s Judgment’, ‘Execution of Punishment’, ‘Yaksha’s Claws’…..]
‘…This is a more formal contract than I thought?’
I didn’t know there was this type of contract, but anyway, he contracted with the Yaksha god without much change from the original story.
“…What’s this? An unknown power is boiling up.”
Yes, yes. Even that cliché line he’s muttering while clenching his fist is exactly the same.
“N-Noona…”
At that moment, a child stumbled out of the green SUV.
The child’s eyes were wide open.
“I, I just heard a strange voice.”
At those words, I was greatly surprised and inwardly exclaimed.
‘Could it be, this child too?’
✦
Thank you for reading! ♡
