Chapter 156
Chapter 156
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 156
Chapter Title: Adam's Apple (3)
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“Ve, ga…?”
I called her name, my voice trembling.
[M-My child!]
Seeing Oh-jin stagger as if he would collapse at any moment, Vega rushed to support him.
The deep, dark circles under his eyes, his face gaunt as if he hadn't eaten in days.
Vega’s heart ached at the sight of his wretched, tattered state.
[What in the world… what happened?]
She held onto Oh-jin, looking around.
She rummaged through the drawers of her memory amidst her confused consciousness.
Ha-eun being kidnapped, Oh-jin driven to the brink of death by the King of Owls.
She recalled manifesting in person to kill the King of Owls, only to be reverse-summoned before she could finish the job due to the restriction of the Laws.
[That man! What happened to that wicked old man?!]
Vega asked, her face pale.
What terrible things must have happened to Oh-jin in that desperate situation?
Just imagining it felt like her heart was being scorched.
“Cheon Do-yoon is dead.”
[D-Dead?]
Vega’s eyes widened.
Oh-jin’s condition back then was, by any measure, not one in which he could fight and defeat Cheon Do-yoon.
[How did you defeat him?]
“It was thanks to you, Vega.”
[Thanks to me?]
What did he mean?
Even if she had succeeded in defeating the Owl Constellation, she had failed to finish off the crucial target, Cheon Do-yoon.
“The shock of Noctua being reverse-summoned created an opening. That’s when Noona ascended to 9-Star.”
[Ha-eun became 9-Star?]
Vega asked, her eyes wide as a rabbit’s.
[B-But even if she just reached 9-Star, she couldn’t have defeated him….]
“He must have been completely focused on you. He couldn’t dodge Noona’s attack and took a direct hit.”
Indeed.
Vega knew all too well the incredible power of the ‘Dragon Orb’ that Ha-eun had created.
‘If he took a direct hit from that.’
Even if it wasn't an instant kill, he would have sustained at least a near-fatal wound.
“And right then, I happened to reach 7-Star, too.”
Oh-jin slightly pulled down the collar of his shirt, showing Vega the Stigma engraved on his left chest.
Next to the Stigma of Lyra were seven clearly etched strokes.
A gasp escaped Vega’s lips.
[Does that mean you and Ha-eun both ascended a Star at the same time?]
“It’s a bit of a comic book plot twist. But… it’s not unheard of to level up in a crisis.”
[That may be so, but….]
Vega stared at the Stigma on Oh-jin’s left chest in disbelief.
[A year? No, has it even been that long?]
It had only been about a year since Oh-jin had awakened as an Awakened.
To be precise, it hadn't even been a full year.
To ascend to 7-Star in just a year after receiving the Stigma of Lyra, one of the North Stars, of all constellations?
[You truly are… an unbelievable being.]
After the gate to the Demon Realms opened.
She had wandered for years, searching for a human who could accept the Stigma of Lyra.
But no matter how hard she looked, she couldn't find a human capable of accepting the Stigma of Lyra.
Oh-jin was not only able to accept Lyra, but he was also growing at a speed that astonished her.
‘It’s as if…’
Yes, as if.
As if he were born with the destiny to accept the Stigma of Lyra.
[…….]
Vega stared at Oh-jin silently, her lips pressed firmly together.
Come to think of it, she had heard something like this from Spica, the Constellation of Virgo, long ago.
That among Awakeners, there were extremely rare individuals who grew their Stigmas so quickly it was as if they were fated.
And that some Constellations considered such Awakeners their fated partners and took them as their companions.
‘When I first heard it, I scolded her for speaking such nonsense.’
A Constellation taking their Apostle as a partner.
She had thought it impossible.
‘Could it be that my past self and this child had such a relationship….’
Gulp.
A dry swallow went down Vega’s throat.
She stared intently at Oh-jin’s face, her cheeks blushing a rosy pink.
“Vega?”
[I-It’s nothing!]
Vega shook her head vigorously with a startled expression.
“Um… anyway, Noona and I took down that bastard Cheon Do-yoon.”
[So you came to me right after defeating Cheon Do-yoon?]
“No.”
Oh-jin gave a bitter smile and recounted the events that had transpired.
How Vega was sealed, bound by the restriction of the Laws.
How he defeated the Black Star Society faction controlling Japan, found the Divine Tree, and obtained ‘Adam’s Apple’.
As Vega listened to Oh-jin’s story, her eyes trembled.
[No wonder… I didn’t feel the restriction of the Laws and was wondering what happened. So you were the one who saved me.]
“Well, I wouldn’t call it saving you. The restriction would have lifted on its own in fifty years anyway.”
Fifty years was a long time for a human.
But for a Constellation, fifty years was not so long.
[No.]
Vega slowly shook her head, a faint smile on her lips.
[While under the restriction of the Laws, a Constellation’s soul continuously diminishes.]
So there was another penalty like that.
[Perhaps… after fifty years, I might no longer have been worthy of the name ‘North Star’.]
“Then freeing you quickly was the right call.”
[Fufu. And in fifty years, wouldn’t it be the time when Black Heaven has swallowed the world, according to the prophecy? If it weren't for you, I would have died without even knowing when it happened. So it is true that you saved me.]
“Well… if you put it that way.”
Speaking of prophecies.
Who on earth made a prophecy that a top-tier Constellation like Vega would believe so firmly, without a shred of doubt?
“By the way, who was it that made that prophecy?”
[You mean the prophecy that Black Heaven will be resurrected?]
“Yeah.”
Vega nodded slightly and answered briefly.
[It was Polaris.]
Polaris.
One of the North Star Constellations, like Vega and Deneb.
No, it wouldn’t be right to say they were exactly the same.
Polaris’s title was ‘The Most Brilliant Star.’
Among the North Stars, no, among all the hundreds of Constellations, Polaris was the one who existed at the highest position.
‘But I’ve only heard about it. They say no one even knows what the Stigma looks like.’
Unlike Vega, whose Stigma’s appearance was at least known, almost everything about Polaris was shrouded in mystery.
Since Polaris never even attempted to create an ‘Awakened’, there was no way for any information to exist.
‘It’s different from Vega.’
In Vega’s case, she couldn’t find someone to bestow her Stigma upon, whereas Polaris didn’t even think to look.
There was a massive difference between ‘couldn’t’ and ‘didn’t’.
[Polaris has the power to glimpse the future.]
“Is that how they prophesied the resurrection of Black Heaven?”
Vega nodded.
[But there is one thing that even Polaris could not prophesy.]
“What’s that?”
A faint smile appeared on Vega’s lips.
She slowly reached out and gently stroked Oh-jin’s hair.
[You.]
“…Me?”
[According to Polaris’s prophecy, the Star of Revolution was not supposed to rise, yet you appeared, did you not?]
“Uh…”
Well, about that.
That prophecy wasn't exactly wrong, you see.
[Your very existence is proof that a set destiny can be overturned.]
Vega said, her voice filled with conviction, a bright smile on her face.
‘You’re wrong.’
Outwardly, Oh-jin smiled back as if nothing was wrong, while clenching his fist tightly.
The prophecy of the Most Brilliant Star, Polaris.
So far, events had unfolded according to that prophecy.
‘Because the bastard called the Star of Revolution died the moment he appeared.’
In that case, was he destined to destroy the world in the future, just as Polaris prophesied?
‘No way.’
No matter how he thought about it, he had no reason to destroy the world.
Of course, if he failed to protect Ha-eun, and all his loved ones died and disappeared, he wasn't confident he could maintain his sanity, but…
‘That’s a matter of protecting them.’
Oh-jin nodded as he sorted through his complicated thoughts.
“Yeah. You’re right, Vega.”
[Fufu. With you, it will be possible to change a set destiny.]
Vega smiled gently and pulled Oh-jin’s head into a soft embrace.
[By the way, you look very tired.]
“I am a bit tired.”
He hadn't slept properly for the past two weeks, and he had even used Heaven Unfolding.
He was trying his best to act fine in front of Vega, but it was true that he was so tired he could collapse at any moment.
[Then you should go in and rest.]
“What about you, Vega?”
[I, too, feel tired, perhaps because my seal has just been broken. I will rest a bit and come find you tomorrow.]
“Alright.”
He had achieved his purpose for coming here, so it was okay to rest now.
“I’ll head back first, then.”
[Rest well.]
Vega gently cupped Oh-jin’s chin with both hands and lightly kissed his forehead.
Oh-jin touched his forehead with an awkward smile.
“See you tomorrow.”
Oh-jin went outside.
[Hoo.]
Left alone, Vega took a deep breath to calm her trembling heart.
‘A Constellation and a human forming a bond, huh.’
Spica’s words kept echoing in her head.
[Ugh! This is no time to be thinking about such things!]
Wasn’t Oh-jin undergoing grueling training every day even now to stop the Heavenly Demon?
Instead of helping him, she couldn’t afford to be distracted by useless emotions.
“La-Lady Vega!”
Not long after Oh-jin left.
Riak rushed into the room like a hawk.
“Y-You’re truly free from the restriction of the Laws!”
[Fufu. Were you very worried?]
Vega smiled faintly and gently stroked Riak’s fur.
“Ahem! I was worried the ritual might go wrong…”
[Ritual? What ritual do you speak of?]
“He said a special ritual was needed to use Adam’s Apple and told me to stay outside.”
A ritual.
‘What kind of ritual is he talking about?’
When she opened her eyes, there was nothing around that looked like a ritual had been performed.
No ritualistic formula, not even any other tools.
[—Wait.]
Just then.
A single fact flashed through her mind.
‘D-Didn’t Oh-jin say he used something called Adam’s Apple to free me from my bondage?’
If that’s the case.
Gulp.
Vega asked Riak cautiously.
[Riak. That thing called Adam’s Apple… what did it look like?]
“It was an apple that shone with a brilliant golden light.”
[……!]
Vega’s eyes widened.
If Adam’s Apple truly took the form of an ‘apple’.
‘Th-That ritual, could it be…?’
That he put the apple in her sealed mouth.
She probably couldn’t chew it, so he would have had to chew it into fine pieces so she could drink it down.
And that.
[W-With his mouth… Hyaaaaaaah!!]
Vega covered her cheeks with her hands and kicked her legs.
[W-What a lewd thought!!]
“Lady Vega?”
[Ah. A-Ahem!]
Vega, who had been writhing as if bitten by a bug, let out an awkward cough and sat up.
[I-I am very tired. I will rest for a while, so you may leave.]
“Understood!”
Riak quickly closed the door and went outside.
[Hoo.]
Left alone, Vega wiggled her legs as she imagined what the ‘ritual’ Riak mentioned could have been.
[This is no time for such lewd thoughts… Huh?]
As she writhed on the bed, something touched her side.
‘What’s this?’
A miserably crushed fragment of light.
Stained on the tip of that fragment.
An infinitely black.
An endlessly dark.
And an eternally suffocating aura.
[Why is this here…?]
It was distinctly different from the aura felt from the Black Star Constellations.
An aura that was incomparable to theirs, one that could strike fear into even a North Star Constellation.
Yes.
This was, without a doubt.
[The aura of Black Heaven… h-how is there a trace of it here?]
It was a fragment of the catastrophe prophesied by Polaris.