Chapter 351
Chapter 351
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 351
Chapter Title: Starlight (3)
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Krrrrrrrumble!
With a sound like thunder, Riak’s form shot toward Oh-jin like a bolt of lightning.
His speed was incomparable to the Riak Oh-jin had grown accustomed to in the Demon Realm.
Instinctively, he crossed his arms in an X to block his face, but Riak’s fist slammed right into them.
"Keuk!"
An impact strong enough to shatter bone sent his body flying into the air.
Oh-jin barely managed to break his fall, absorbing as much of the impact as he could as he landed.
Krrrrk!
Even after cushioning the blow, the force behind Riak's punch was so immense that the ground cracked beneath his feet.
*‘He’s completely different from how he was in the Demon Realm.’*
Back then, the laws of that place had restricted him from using his full power as a ‘Spirit,’ but this was the Sanctuary, not the Demon Realm.
Here, he could draw upon his true strength without any limitations.
"Grrrrrrrrowl!"
With a ferocious cry, Riak’s form vanished as if scattering into thin air.
Bzzzt!
A flash of blue lightning erupted, and in an instant, Riak’s massive frame was right in front of Oh-jin.
A fist swung.
Oh-jin drew Dantalion from his waist, forming it into a spear to block the attack at an angle.
Kra-kooom!
A powerful shockwave traveled up the spear’s shaft.
His palms tore, and red blood trickled down the shaft.
"Heup!"
The Stigma of Pyxis activated, and the tip of the spear moved with fluid grace.
The spear, wreathed in blue lightning, thrust toward Riak’s thigh.
"Too slow, brat."
Riak leaped lightly, landing on the shaft of the spear that was thrusting toward him at supersonic speed.
A dry laugh escaped Oh-jin’s lips at the almost acrobatic movement.
But only for a moment.
Leaping from the spear shaft once more, Riak performed a backflip and kicked Oh-jin’s chin upwards.
Thwack!
With a dull thud, Oh-jin’s head snapped back.
The chin was a critical weak point that sent shock directly to the brain.
His consciousness flickered white as a sensation like lightning striking inside his skull washed over him.
*‘The Stigma of Aquarius.’*
The Stigma, specialized in healing, protected his fading consciousness.
"Hoo."
He let out a short breath and glared sharply at Riak.
Riak’s eyes narrowed as he watched Oh-jin instantly heal his wounds.
"Is that the power of the Stigmas you’ve devoured with the Black Heaven’s power?"
"It is."
Just as Riak had been unable to use his true power due to the restrictions of the law…
…Oh-jin had been unable to fully utilize the Stigmas he had absorbed in battle, lest Vega discover his true identity.
*‘But.’*
That’s different now.
Bzzzzzzzt!
Feathers made of lightning formed around Oh-jin’s body.
Hundreds, thousands of feathers shot toward Riak like machine-gun fire.
"Tricks…!"
Riak moved swiftly in a Z-pattern, effortlessly dodging the incoming feathers.
Bzzzt!
A leap using Lightning Step.
With a phenomenal movement that seemed to mock inertia, Riak’s claws descended upon the crown of Oh-jin’s head.
"Grrrrrrr!"
Riak, who had been aiming for his head, slightly altered his trajectory and targeted Oh-jin’s shoulder.
His claws dug into the shoulder and sliced straight through, severing Oh-jin’s arm.
"It’s over, brat."
Riak scoffed, looking down coldly at Oh-jin as he collapsed, clutching his gushing shoulder.
Just as Riak turned to leave, as if there was nothing more to see…
"Hm?"
Riak frowned, looking down at his claws, which were completely clean of blood.
He had clearly felt the sensation of tearing through flesh and blood, yet not a single drop was on him?
Swoooosh!
"Keuk?!"
He twisted his body in an almost instinctual movement.
The blade of a spear grazed his chest.
Imbued with lightning, the spearhead slammed into the ground, causing a massive explosion.
The body of Oh-jin, who had collapsed with his arm severed, was swept up in the explosion and vanished like a mirage.
"…So he can even handle illusions."
Riak clutched his bleeding chest and glared in the direction the spear had come from.
"I’ve absorbed quite a few Stigmas by now."
Of course.
Compared to the Heavenly Demon, it was still just a drop in the ocean.
"Hmph, you’ve been feasting quite well behind Lady Vega’s back."
"…"
Oh-jin looked at Riak and let out a deep sigh.
"…Let’s stop, Riak."
"Stop?"
"I just came here to talk to Vega."
"Didn’t I tell you to defeat me first if you want to see Lady Vega?"
Riak radiated a violent killing intent, showing no sign of backing down.
"…Riak."
Oh-jin looked at Riak with a bitter expression.
Suddenly, the conversation he’d had with Riak in front of Horus’s tomb after the events in the Khan Kingdom flashed through his mind.
*—Th-Thank you….*
The image of the silver wolf expressing his gratitude in a voice as awkward as if he were wearing ill-fitting clothes.
"Raise your weapon, brat."
That version of him was nowhere to be seen now; the wolf’s eyes glaring at Oh-jin burned with rage.
"…"
The lies Oh-jin had repeated had ruined not only his relationship with Vega, but with Riak as well.
"I’m sorry."
"I don’t need an apology."
Riak scoffed and clenched his fists.
"If you’re a warrior, speak with your fists, not your mouth."
Kwang!
The clash began anew.
Thunderous roars echoed as shockwaves spread in all directions.
As the fierce exchange continued, wounds steadily accumulated on Oh-jin’s body.
Oh-jin wore a faint smile as he endured Riak’s ferocious onslaught.
*‘The first time I fought Riak, it was over in three seconds.’*
The fact that he could now engage in such a heated battle with Riak, who was using all of his true power, felt truly astonishing.
"Haa, haa, grrr!"
Riak’s ragged breaths escaped his lips.
Oh-jin was in no better condition.
Covered in blood from head to toe, the two of them created some distance and glared at each other.
"…Let me ask you one thing, brat."
Riak wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand and spoke.
"Go ahead."
"Back when we fought in Lady Vega’s Sanctuary, was it the power of the Black Heaven that let you keep getting up?"
"That… no."
After a moment of thought, Oh-jin slowly shook his head.
Being able to rise above the fear of ‘death’ wasn’t because he possessed the Black Heaven.
The Black Heaven didn’t have a function that erased fear like some kind of stimulant.
"…Is that so?"
After a brief silence, Riak clenched his fists again.
"If you’re done resting, let’s begin again."
"Wait, you call that resting?"
Oh-jin looked at Riak with an expression of disbelief.
Instead of answering, Riak kicked off the ground and charged fiercely at Oh-jin.
Once more, a bloody exchange ensued, and roars echoed through the air.
"Haa, haa!"
As he continued to fight Riak, he calmly observed his movements.
Before, he couldn’t have dared to imitate Riak’s phenomenal movements and mana control, but now the tables had turned.
*‘In terms of pure skill, I have the upper hand.’*
A clear picture formed in his mind of how Riak’s beast-like movements and the mana of his Stigma would move, and what results they would produce.
However.
*‘Even knowing, it’s hard to dodge.’*
While Oh-jin held the advantage in skill, Riak was far superior in power and speed.
*‘Just a little more.’*
If he drew upon the power of the Black Heaven, he should be able to handle Riak without much difficulty.
"Hnngh."
A thirst that felt like his throat was burning.
Gurgle, gurgle!
The black sky residing in his heart began to thrash violently, as if demanding to be released.
*‘Again?’*
Ever since he used Heaven’s Opening in the battle against the Heavenly Demon, the Black Heaven had occasionally run rampant like this.
As if pleading to be set free.
As if begging to be let out of this suffocating cage.
The violently churning black sky.
"…"
Oh-jin placed a hand over his left chest.
He didn’t even need to use Heaven’s Opening.
He was confident he could defeat Riak easily if he just drew out a little of the Black Heaven’s power, which had completed its tenth blossoming.
But.
"…You arrogant bastard."
"What did you say?"
"Ah, not you."
Oh-jin smirked and activated the Stigma of Lyra.
The star of Vega rose through the dark clouds.
The rampaging energy of the Black Heaven grew docile, like a beast hit with a tranquilizer dart.
Bzzzzzzzzzt!
Blue sparks shot out from Oh-jin’s body, spreading around him like a thick fog.
"…"
Riak watched the lightning enveloping Oh-jin’s body with deep, sunken eyes.
He didn’t need words to understand.
The power of Lyra flowing from Oh-jin’s body right now was a power unrelated to his possession of the ‘Black Heaven’.
It was a level the human named Kwon Oh-jin had reached through his own strength.
*‘You…’*
In truth, he had known even before asking.
The battle in the Sanctuary that had first seared the human named Oh-jin into his mind.
He had known that it wasn’t the power of the Black Heaven that had allowed him to stagger to his feet through dozens of deaths.
*—Because enduring it won’t solve anything.*
Ah, yes.
He had known.
He had realized.
He had simply turned away from the truth, blinded by the feeling of betrayal.
"…Brat."
Before he was the Star of the Heretic.
Before he was the master of the Black Heaven.
He was ‘Oh-jin’.
And that the conviction he had witnessed in him all this time was no lie.
"Let’s end this with the next blow."
A torrent of blue lightning raged.
Oh-jin’s and Riak’s bodies became a single bolt of lightning as they intertwined.
Krrrrrrrumble!
With a deafening roar, a terrifying force swept through the area.
The starlit ground was horribly distorted, as if a black hole had appeared.
"Cough! Keuh…"
Walking out from the thick smoke was Oh-jin.
Tattered and torn, Oh-jin looked down at Riak, who lay unconscious.
*‘I won.’*
He had fought and won against a Spirit using its true power—and a Spirit of the ‘North Star’ Constellation at that.
"Ugh, damn it. That really hurts."
Of course, Oh-jin was hardly in pristine condition himself.
Still, he couldn’t collapse and stop here.
"Vega…"
Oh-jin staggered past the fallen Riak, making his way toward Vega’s temple.
Just then.
"Brat."
"…!"
Oh-jin quickly turned back toward where Riak had fallen.
He could see Riak’s back as he lay on the ground, turned away from him.
Without turning his head, Riak continued in a low voice.
"Take care of Lady Vega."
Oh-jin’s eyes widened.
"You…"
Oh-jin, who was about to say something, instead let out a small chuckle and nodded.
He turned and forcefully pushed open the slightly ajar temple doors.
"Vega."
Inside the temple, which was so empty it felt hollow.
He saw the figure of a silver-haired goddess, her back to him, her hands clasped as if in prayer.