Chapter 207
Chapter 207
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 207
Chapter Title: A New Hope (4)
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“The Heavenly Demon… isn’t human?”
If that’s the case.
Then what in the world is the Heavenly Demon?
‘A Constellation?’
No.
If he were simply a being revered by the Black Stars, one might think he was a Polaris-class Constellation like Vega.
But if he ‘created’ the Black Stars, that was a different story entirely.
Even a Constellation couldn't create another Constellation.
As far as Oh-jin knew, there was only one being capable of creating Constellations.
‘A Titan.’
The giants born at the dawn of time.
Beings who created worlds and the Constellations who managed them.
The closest image to a ‘Creator’ was a Titan.
‘The Heavenly Demon is a Titan?’
If so, does that mean his past self…
…had killed a Titan and taken the name ‘Heavenly Demon’?
“……”
“Oh-jin?”
He continued his thoughts without answering.
‘Something’s… wrong.’
It felt as though the puzzle pieces fit, but the completed picture was grotesquely distorted.
An unpleasant sense of dissonance spread through his body, starting from his spine.
‘What is it? Where did I… start thinking wrong?’
It was like walking down a pitch-black street without a single star in the sky.
He could instinctively tell something was amiss, but he couldn't pinpoint the cause.
“What’s wrong, Oh-jin?”
“Ah.”
Pulled from his thoughts, Oh-jin looked up.
Isabella was gazing at him with a worried expression.
“It’s nothing.”
He shook his head with a bitter smile.
It didn't seem like he'd figure it out just by wracking his brain right now.
But one thing was certain.
‘The Heavenly Demon.’
Who that being was, what his identity was.
He needed to find out.
“You don’t happen to know… where the Heavenly Demon is, do you?”
“I heard he’s in the Demon Realm.”
“The Demon Realm?”
The land of monsters, of which less than 5% had been explored.
“Yes. They say the Heavenly Demon is the master of that world.”
“The master of the Demon Realm…”
This confirmed a few things.
‘The Black Stars, the Heavenly Demon, and the Black Star Organization are all connected to the Demon Realm.’
To understand the relationship between them more clearly, the best way would be to go to the Demon Realm himself.
‘It’s dangerous.’
There was too much that was unknown about the Demon Realm.
The only things he knew were rumors steeped in a vague fear, describing it as a place no human could dare set foot in.
In any case, it wasn't a place Oh-jin could go to right now.
‘I need to get stronger.’
At the very least, 9-Star.
He needed to reach that realm where the reconstruction of the body caused a massive leap in power.
“By the way, Isabella, what Star are you at right now?”
“Oh, me? I’m 10-Star.”
10-Star.
“So you’re the same Star as Damian.”
“That’s right.”
Isabella nodded.
“Well… even though we’re both 10-Star, there’s a big difference.”
“That’s true.”
Oh-jin was well aware that the higher the Star level, the greater the disparity within the same level.
“If you were to fight Damian one-on-one, how do you think it would go?”
“Hmm. I’m not sure.”
Isabella gently pressed the corner of her full lips, lost in thought.
“I think I’d lose if it were day, and win if it were night.”
“Is the difference between day and night that significant?”
“It’s a characteristic of the Leech Constellation’s Stigma.”
“Hmm. I see.”
It was certainly an inconvenient restriction.
“But… it doesn’t matter anymore.”
“What do you mean, it doesn’t matter?”
“Because I have you, Oh-jin.”
Isabella smiled alluringly and gently wrapped her arms around Oh-jin’s arm.
Caught in an embrace as vast as the sea, Oh-jin found himself lost in an indescribable softness.
“What does me being here have to do with…”
“If I drink your blood, I can use my full power during the day, just like at night.”
“You can use your full power if you drink my blood?”
“Well… to be precise, it’s more than that.”
Normally, her power would grow stronger at night, but a powerful urge to drink blood would well up, making it difficult to maintain her reason.
But drinking Oh-jin’s blood completely erased that urge, allowing her to exert power even greater than her normal state.
On top of that, it even had the effect of deepening the mana of her Stigma.
“With your blood, Oh-jin, I think I could become something like a 10.5-Star, even if not quite an 11-Star.”
“Huh.”
Of course, a level like 10.5-Star didn't exist.
But it meant she would possess power at the upper echelon of 10-Stars.
‘Is this also thanks to the influence of Black Heaven?’
Since she said her power grew stronger at night, he thought Black Heaven might be involved.
Anyway.
“I’ve gained a reliable ally.”
With the day-and-night restriction, which was a penalty for her, now gone, it was like gaining a force greater than a thousand troops.
“Hmph… a reliable ally, you say?”
Isabella pouted with a disappointed expression and pressed her body even closer to Oh-jin.
She gently slipped her hand under his clothes and tenderly caressed the Stigma engraved over his left chest.
“If you wish for it, Oh-jin, I can be more than just a reliable ally.”
She whispered seductively, breathing hotly into his ear.
Just as Oh-jin’s expression was about to harden, Isabella beamed and quickly pulled her hand out from under his clothes.
“Whenever you need my strength, please let me know. I’ll put my all on the line… and fight for you, Oh-jin.”
Isabella spoke with a solemn voice, like a crusader heading off to war.
Seeing the intense emotion, almost bordering on madness, in her eyes, Oh-jin let out a short laugh.
“You don’t have to put everything on the line.”
“No. My body, my heart, even my life… it’s all for you, Oh-jin. Nothing else matters to me anymore.”
“Uh…”
What is this?
This is a little scary.
“You are my new hope, Oh-jin… no, my one and only hope.”
The way Isabella leaned her head against him as she said that felt somewhat precarious.
“So, do you have any plans for the future?”
Oh-jin quickly changed the subject.
The dangerous glint in Isabella’s eyes vanished, and they returned to their original blue.
“Let’s see… My faction will have to lie low for a while, and the Colagrande family has suffered immense damage.”
Isabella, who had been pondering, smiled faintly and took Oh-jin’s hand.
“I want to follow you, Oh-jin, and lend my strength to fighting the Black Star Organization.”
“You’re part of the Black Star Organization, too. Are you sure?”
“Well, we share the same name, but we’re practically different organizations anyway.”
That was true.
“Then should we start with the Cat Faction? You said you have their contact information, right?”
“Ah, the Cat Faction is fine.”
“What do you mean, fine?”
“They’re a faction that, much like ours, doesn’t do very ‘Black Star Organization-like’ things.”
Aha.
So that’s what she meant.
“I’ll introduce you to them someday when I get the chance, Oh-jin.”
“Alright.”
So, setting the Cat Faction aside for now.
That left the Fly and the Snake, just two.
“You said the Musca Faction is in South America, right?”
“That place… you shouldn’t go there now.”
Isabella shook her head with a stiff expression.
“I’ve never met him myself, but the King of Flies is famous for being one of the strongest among the Black Star Organization’s Executioners. And his personality… is said to be extremely twisted.”
“It’s not possible even with your help?”
“No.”
Isabella nodded with a heavy expression.
“Alright. Then let’s go there later.”
If Isabella, of all people, was saying this, then it was wise to avoid it for now.
‘And even if I go, it’s not like I can find them right away.’
The South American continent was massive; how could he find the Musca Faction with only the information that they were there?
“For now, I guess I need to focus on getting stronger.”
He had grown strong at a rate incomparable to others.
But considering the enemies he would have to fight in the future, this was far from enough.
“I’ll help you, Oh-jin.”
Isabella pulled on Oh-jin’s hand, her eyes sending a captivating gaze.
“Of course… I can help you with other things, too.”
She slowly guided his captured hand toward her chest.
Just before his hand was about to plunge into the vast sea.
*Slam!*
“Are you going to take all day to unpack?”
The door opened and Ha-eun walked in.
Ha-eun’s eyes narrowed fiercely as she looked at Isabella, who was clinging to Oh-jin.
“This wench said she was unpacking, but true to being a leech, she couldn’t wait and stuck herself to Oh-jin.”
“……”
Just as it seemed sparks were about to fly between the two again.
“I’m sorry, Ha-eun. You must have been tired cleaning up by yourself, right?”
“Huh?”
“Please, sit here.”
Isabella quickly stood up, pulled Ha-eun by the arm, and sat her down on the bed.
“Looking at you like this, Ha-eun…”
“W-What is it?”
“You’re so beautiful. This red hair… oh my, and your skin is so smooth.”
“Eek!”
Ha-eun recoiled like a cat caught by the tail as Isabella suddenly caressed her cheek.
“W-What’s with you! Why are you acting like this all of a sudden?”
“Fufufu. I just want to get closer to you, Ha-eun. We’re going to be family living in the same house from now on, aren’t we?”
Isabella smiled kindly and sat down, sticking close to Ha-eun’s side.
“Oh, by the way, how old are you, Ha-eun?”
“Me? I’m thirty… no, twenty-nine.”
Ha-eun added in a tiny voice, “Internationally.”
“Ah, then you’re three years older than me. Would it be okay if I called you sister?”
“Huh? S-Sister?”
“…Is that not okay?”
“It is, but.”
Ha-eun wore a bewildered expression at Isabella’s sudden change in attitude.
Isabella acted as if she was about to cheer with joy, then lightly kissed Ha-eun on the cheek.
“Thank you, sister Ha-eun!”
“Uh, uh-huh. S-Sure.”
“Oh, sister, do you use any lotion?”
“Me? I don’t really use lotion…”
“What? You don’t use lotion?”
Isabella raised an eyebrow as if she’d heard something utterly absurd.
She rummaged through her trunk and took out cosmetics that looked luxurious at a single glance.
“This is a product from a brand called Cosme Decorté. You should try it, sister.”
“Co… Consommé Teriyaki?”
“Cosme Decorté. It’s a brand I use often.”
Ha-eun took the cosmetics from Isabella and asked with a dazed expression.
“How much is one bottle of this?”
“Let’s see. I don’t know the exact price, but it should be around 3,000 euros.”
“Let’s see, 3,000 euros is…”
About 4 million won.
“What the hell? These fucking robbers are selling a single bottle of lotion for four million won?”
Ha-eun, who had checked the exchange rate on her smartphone, let her jaw drop in astonishment.
“Fufufu. This is nothing. Here, I’ll give you this mist and these mask packs, too. Oh, and sister, you smoke, don’t you?”
“Uh, yeah? I do.”
“Please wait a moment.”
*Trrr.*
Isabella took out her smartphone and made a call.
“Ah, Roberto? You said you were collecting Cuban cigars, right? Could you bring all of them to the house right away? Oh, why do you ask? Is that important right now? Bring every single one. Hmm? You say it’s a collection you worked hard to gather? Hmph. Since when did our Roberto become able to speak to me so insolently?”
Isabella’s eyes glinted coldly.
“Bring them all. Right now.”
…You have it rough, Roberto.
“Fufufu. If you wait a little, I’ll have limited edition Cuban cigars brought to you.”
Faced with the continuous barrage of gifts, Ha-eun fidgeted, not knowing what to do.
“Is it r-really okay to take all of this?”
“Of course. We’re ‘one family’ now, aren’t we?”
“R-Right?”
Ha-eun gulped, her eyes fixed on the cosmetics.
Though she hadn’t been interested in cosmetics until now, it seemed she wasn’t without desire, as her gaze on the products was burning hot.
“Here, everything here… is yours, sister.”
Isabella whispered in a sweet voice, holding out the expensive cosmetics she had taken from her trunk.
“……”
Watching this unfold, a memory suddenly flashed through Oh-jin’s mind.
—I’m fine with being second.
No way.
…She can’t be serious, can she?