Chapter 770

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Chapter 770: A Great Story (10)

Parina.

The Princess of the Sun, and the spouse of Planet-Ship Master Jeong Yeongwoo.

Her status within the celestial hierarchy was that of a "Stellar Candidate"—quite literally, an entity possessing the potential to inherit that power and become a new star should her direct parents perish.

Befitting a Princess of the Sun, she could freely shift between the form of a four-winged magma dragon and a human, and her martial prowess remained unknown.

However, if there were one noteworthy fact, it would be that she had been in closed-door seclusion for a staggering three thousand years until she was forcibly summoned over the matter of her betrothal to Planet-Ship Master Jeong Yeongwoo.

In other words, unlike the countless stars content to live merely with the power granted to them by birth, she was an entity who had spent her entire life dreaming of something far greater.

"At last, I can fulfill the promise I made before our marriage."

As Yeongwoo spoke while stepping into the Solution, Parina looked at her husband with fiery-red pupils.

『What do you mean by that all of a sudden?』

"I told you before we got married, didn't I? That I would give you the vast universe as a gift."

『Well. I'm not so sure this counts as a gift.』

Yet, contrary to her words, Parina’s fists were repeatedly opening and clenching.

Despite speaking that way, she was actually in a state of immense delight.

Before long, once they began breaking the planetary seal on Pareshik, wouldn't she be able to test her martial might against the stars of the Hezara Galaxy?

To her, having lived her entire life confined to the solar system doing nothing but martial arts training, this was practically like a dream come true.

"You won't lose to the stars, will you? It'd be troublesome if you went and died. If I become unmarried again, there's no predicting what kind of changes might occur to the Earth-Ship."

『Unmarried? You are already wedded to this one. Even if I die, that fact will remain unchanged. In the unlikely event that I fall in battle against the stars, sing of my radiant moments for ages to come.』

"Sing? It seems you've watched a lot of things somewhere, but that's entirely the wrong genre for around here."

As Yeongwoo shook his head from side to side, Mushio spoke from the cockpit in an exceedingly cautious tone.

—We are scheduled to depart shortly. Please step inside the vessel.

A star… no, having a Stellar Candidate on board was a first even for Mushio, so he had been inwardly nervous.

Thud.

Following that, as Parina stepped inside the ship with a heavy presence, the outer plating made of Gordial armor began to close.

And soon, accompanied by the ferocious roar of an engine, the suicide craft Solution rose into the air.

Kugugugu……!

『To cross the cosmos aboard something this tiny… in a certain sense, it's brave.』

As Parina brushed up her crimson hair and surveyed the ship's interior, Yeongwoo scratched his cheek and spoke.

"It seems that once you become a Great One, you can cross the cosmos even with your bare body."

Truthfully, leaping bare-bodied from a ship to descend onto a planet was something even a Grade 4 could do.

Hadn't the Grade 4 prisoners of Pahalufe done just that before?

Of course, calling them Grade 4 made it sound simple, but in reality, they were big shots who held sway over entire regions of the cosmos.

『A Great One? That did seem rather cool.』

"It's more than just cool. It is, quite literally, greatness."

In the meantime, the Solution breached the Earth-Ship's atmosphere and soared into outer space, at which point Mushio projected holographic windows onto the Solution's inner walls.

Fafafat!

With that, the panoramic expanse of the cosmos surrounding the Solution unfurled.

"…Mushio, what is the meaning of this?"

Yeongwoo, sensing some kind of intention, furrowed his brow, to which Mushio in the cockpit cleared his throat and answered.

—In the conversation between the two of you, far from any affection, I sense a distance as vast as a galaxy. Isn't that a serious problem? Once we arrive at Pareshik shortly, who knows what kind of trials may fall upon the two of you?

"It was a business relationship from the start. It was a strategic marriage for the launch of the Earth-Ship."

At Yeongwoo's words, Mushio cast a subtle glance backward.

—Then try cultivating affection strategically as well. It may be presumptuous of me to say, but in order to survive in this harsh cosmos, there are times when one needs an ally who is more than just a comrade.

"And what about you? Have you ever had an ally who was more than a comrade?"

At Yeongwoo's question, Mushio turned his head back toward the front of the cockpit.

—It seems I have never told you why I chose to become Master Hizaki's navigator for life. I, too, have a wife and a child.

"What……?"

Astonished by the unexpected fact, Yeongwoo's eyes went wide, but Mushio seemed to have no intention of delving deeper into the story.

—A good sword is necessary to elevate one's martial prowess, but something else is required to hone one's will. In my case, that turned out to be family.

With those final words, he brought the conversation to a close as he rotated the control stick.

—We are now entering Pareshik.

Kwaaaaat!

Subsequently, the impact exerted on the Solution's armor was indirectly transmitted throughout the cabin, and the holographic windows filled to the brim with flames of every color.

Yeongwoo cast his gaze toward the land of Pareshik that lay beyond the flames and asked Mushio.

"How should we search for the heritage of the Yugui Moga Clan? Do you know of any usable methods?"

After all, Mushio was a navigator who had once served a Great One, so Yeongwoo figured he would know more than himself.

Soon enough, Mushio looked out the window and spoke.

—The probability is extremely high that the Solution is the key to opening the path to the heritage. Therefore, we will likely have to fly the Solution near the battlefield.

"Battlefield? You said this was also a historic site. Is there no chance it's buried beneath the ruins?"

—That historic site is likely the battlefield itself.

"What?"

—You will understand at once when you see it for yourself.

Together with Mushio's words, the flames outside the window cleared, and a vast battlefield unfurled before the eyes of Yeongwoo and Parina.

『Good heavens.』

The moment their vision cleared, a sound bordering on an exclamation escaped Parina.

Right in the middle of a battlefield where obsolete mechanical devices were buried here and there, steel-wrought giants could be seen tangled together, forming a colossal mountain.

To Parina, who had spent the vast majority of her life holed up in a training ground, it was an undeniably striking sight.

『The world is filled with curious things indeed. What in the world is that?』

When Parina asked with a surprised look, Mushio bowed his head backward and answered.

—They are the Colossi that were used in the war.

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『Colossi?』

—War machines, that is. It may sound presumptuous, but a Colossus is an object crafted to imitate the incarnation of a star.

『What……?』

—They crush mountains with their palms, trample cities with their feet, and discharge potent energy akin to the wrath of a star from their eyes.

At this, Yeongwoo could not help but feel puzzled.

"They made such things out of machinery? That must have cost an exorbitant amount of money… Was there really a need to go that far? Wouldn't it have been better to pay to hire cosmic experts, or commission more ships instead?"

Then, Mushio offered a reason that anyone would find convincing.

—It is because a Colossus is not influenced by Prestige.

"Ah."

—Even for one capable of bringing down ships, against a Colossus, they have no choice but to compete through sheer physical force.

"Yet in the end, they were all struck down by someone."

—That is how war is. One comes to witness the absolute limit of the powers that lay dormant within the universe.

"I see."

Yeongwoo could not help but nod as well.

A colossal machine whose crown must once have touched the sky.

He had never even imagined such a thing could exist.

"Then… war in the cosmos isn't simply supreme masters clashing against one another; it's also a battle against machines like that."

—Yes. However, the aspect of the war also changes drastically depending on which factions have joined each side. For instance, the Artari employ biological Colossi.

"Biological Colossi?"

—Yes. They are monstrosities raised by sacrificing countless Artari. It is also one of the reasons they do not lose in war.

"Just hearing about it sounds gruesome. Then is that biological Colossus stronger than those machines?"

—Physically speaking. Yes, it is.

"Mentally, though, it seems that isn't the case. Since it would be affected by Prestige."

—It is practically their sole weakness. However, because one must simultaneously break all the Prestige of the Artari who were sacrificed to raise the Colossus, the reality is that even Great Ones do not dare attempt to challenge it.

Kwaaaaaat!

Presently, the bizarre craft Solution began performing aerobatics between the mountain ranges formed of mechanical Colossi.

As it did, a red light could occasionally be seen flashing between the Colossi.

"What was that just now? There was something like a light."

—They are likely the denizens of the battlefield.

"Denizens? You mean there are bastards who eat and sleep on a battlefield?"

To call it a battlefield was one thing, but wasn't it practically a ruin?

However, Mushio's explanation was completely different.

—Scattered across the battlefield are countless pieces of scrap metal and masterless equipment. Thus, the denizens here make a living by salvaging such items.

Then, Mushio raised his index finger as he added.

—Of course, banditry is also one of their means of livelihood.

"Banditry? What banditry can there be in war ruins? There'd have to be visitors for them to rob anyone."

—Though it is a war ruin, it is a ruin large enough that the wreckage of Colossi still remains. Because of this, scions of major clans occasionally visit. The opportunity to witness even the remnants of a Colossus is not common, after all.

"Ah, that makes sense. But not only is the martial might of those prestigious clan bastards formidable, truly great clans like Salzeo would travel accompanied by escorts."

—In a battlefield of this scale, the caliber of the bandits is also far from ordinary. The majority of them would be participants of this war, after all.

"What? Bastards who fought in such a massive war are lingering here just playing bandit?"

—The defeated remnants are the most common case, but even those on the winning side remain here if they lost the place to which they could return in the aftermath of the war.

Mushio then lowered their altitude a bit more as he spoke.

—Therefore, you must exercise caution. For no one you encounter will be an easy opponent.

"They said the Hezara government washed its hands of Pareshik, but it seems that wasn't merely because they lacked military strength."

—If what has taken root here is on the scale of a warlord faction rather than mere bandits, the government side might actually welcome the destruction of Pareshik.

"As expected, the cosmos is complicated."

The moment Yeongwoo muttered these words, it finally happened.

Jjiiiiiing……!

From deep inside the mountain range of Colossi outside the ship, an exceptionally shrill signal sounded.

It was also at this moment that the interior of the bizarre craft Solution briefly glowed yellow.

Just as Mushio had surmised, the heritage of the Yugui Moga Clan had reacted to the bizarre craft Solution.

—The entrance leading to the heritage must be inside that mountain. Therefore, I shall land as close to that mountain as possible.

As Mushio spoke and began a circling maneuver, this time, a completely different type of sound came rocketing toward them.

Sshwaaaaat!

And soon after.

Peoooong!

With a loud explosive sound, the hull shook briefly.

"What's this? Don't tell me those bandit bastards are attacking?"

At that, Mushio checked the auxiliary screen in the cockpit and answered quite calmly.

—It is a mortar. There is no chance the Solution will be shot down, but you are certain to be ambushed on your way to the heritage.

Upon hearing this, Yeongwoo glanced at Parina, who was already loosening her shoulders, and said to Mushio.

"Maybe it's the bandit bastards who are about to be ambushed. In any case, drop us off. It seems to me that the inheritance trial of the Yugui Moga Clan has already begun."

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