Chapter 367
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 367
Chapter Title: The Constellations of the Black Star (3)
“Hahaha! Isn't Brother Oh-jin a brother who's shared a drink with me? The Oyabun's brother is an Oyabun himself!”
In front of a large, traditional Japanese house, Sakaki Ryo was waiting to greet him, having been led there by members of the Kurōshi.
His build was so massive you could believe a bull had donned human skin.
Sakaki Ryo, who held the title of Japan's strongest Awakened, now exuded a heavy, oppressive aura that was on a completely different level from when Oh-jin had first met him.
“It’s been a while, Mr. Sakaki.”
“Hey now! Why be so formal between us, Brother Oh-jin? Drop the stiff title and just call me brother!”
Oh-jin nodded with a wry smile.
Although it had been quite some time since they had last contacted each other, making the term ‘between us’ a bit of a stretch, Sakaki’s characteristically cheerful demeanor made it feel not so awkward.
“Alright, brother.”
“Uwahahahat! Have you been well, brother?”
Sakaki burst into hearty laughter and waved at Oh-jin.
“I’ve heard so much about your exploits it’s made my ears ring! You went to the Demon Realm this time, didn't you?”
“Yes, that’s what happened.”
“Hahahat! To think you’d go all the way to the Demon Realm! I knew from the moment I first saw you that you were no ordinary man!”
Sakaki, belying his huge frame, made a fuss and slapped Oh-jin’s back with a hand the size of a wok lid.
*Thump! Thump!*
Though he was clearly patting his back lightly, a sound like a drum beating echoed as a heavy impact shook Oh-jin’s insides.
‘As I thought.’
He had felt it when he first saw Sakaki, but…
“It seems you’ve made some progress in the meantime.”
“Hm? Hahahat! Well, this is embarrassing. It’s nothing compared to your achievements, Brother Oh-jin!”
Despite his claims of it being ‘nothing,’ the mana flowing from Sakaki was as fierce and powerful as a raging bull.
‘At least 9-Star or higher.’
When he first met Sakaki, he was an 8-Star Awakened, so it was entirely possible for him to have reached 9-Star.
After all, Sakaki Ryo was a rare talent within Japan, a country known as the ‘land forsaken by the stars.’
“Japan finally has a high-ranking Awakened now.”
Although the exact correlation was unclear, countries like Japan, which had no gates leading to Sanctuaries, tended to have fewer Awakened and a lower average ‘Star’ rating.
Because of this, Japan had never before possessed an Awakened who had surpassed the 9-Star wall—a so-called ‘high-ranking Awakened.’
But now, the great tree known as Sakaki Ryo had firmly taken root and sprouted in this barren land.
“Huhu. I’m not the only one who became a high-ranking Awakened.”
“Pardon?”
Was there another Awakened in Japan besides Sakaki who could have reached 9-Star?
“Koshirooooo! How long are you going to hide like a rat?”
*CRASH!*
Sakaki stomped his foot violently and shouted, turning around.
A young man who had been keeping his head down among the yakuza in black suits flinched.
The syndicate member who had once betrayed Sakaki after his younger sister was taken hostage.
It was Koshiro, who had left saying, ‘I’ll come back as a real man this time.’
“L-long time no see.”
Koshiro walked out hesitantly.
“You foolish idiiooot!”
*WHACK!*
Sakaki’s palm struck Koshiro’s back with a satisfying thwack.
Koshiro’s body went flying in an acrobatic spin, shattering the hard marble floor as he tumbled across it.
Sakaki looked down at Koshiro with eyes that burned like fire and yelled.
“What kind of voice is that for a man! Didn't I tell you that a real man must always speak in a loud, booming voice!”
“I-I’m sorry, Oyabun!”
Koshiro, who had been rolling on the floor as if hit by a truck, sprang to his feet without a single scratch on him.
Oh-jin let out a chuckle at their exchange, which felt like watching a skit from an outdated comedy show.
‘Looks like he’s back in the organization.’
No matter the circumstances, it couldn't have been easy to accept a traitor back into the fold.
Well, considering Sakaki’s personality, he probably would have laughed it off as a trivial matter.
“By the way, was Mr. Koshiro the other high-ranking Awakened you mentioned?”
“Hahaha! That’s right! I hadn't heard from him in so long I didn't know if he was dead or alive, and then he comes back as a high-ranking Awakened!”
Though he added remarks like ‘foolish oaf,’ Sakaki’s eyes, as he looked at Koshiro, were filled with the pride of a father watching his son get into a prestigious university after much hardship.
“Haha… I had a debt to repay.”
Koshiro scratched his cheek with an awkward smile.
He clenched his fists, his eyes sparkling.
“In any case! I will repay the kindness you both have shown me, even if I have to throw my own body on the line!”
Koshiro exclaimed with a voice full of firm resolve.
Given that he, a wielder of the defense-specialized Scutum Stigma, had declared he would repay them even at the cost of his own life, one would normally feel reassured.
‘I’m not sure if he can withstand the Constellations of the Black Star, though.’
In this case, the opponent was just too formidable.
‘Well, a high-ranking Awakened of Scutum should have reliable tanking abilities.’
Stigmas with abilities that were extremely skewed toward one area, be it offense or defense, tended to possess unparalleled power in that specific field.
Just as Ha-eun’s Draco Stigma displayed firepower that surpassed even the Lyra Stigma in sheer destructive force, Koshiro’s Scutum Stigma exhibited a defensive power that was even stronger than Polaris’s Stigma in the realm of ‘defense.’
“Ah, and there’s one more person I’d like to introduce you to, brother.”
“Who is it?”
Who could it be that Sakaki, the boss of the Kurōshi, would use honorifics for?
“Wait just a moment.”
Sakaki touched the prayer beads around his neck.
*Vwoooom!*
A red aura flowed from the beads, gathering in the air to form a palm-sized figure.
Red skin, two horns sprouting from its forehead.
A being whose entire body was covered in muscles that looked ready to burst, like armor.
[Uwahahahat! It’s been a while!]
The Constellation of Taurus, Aldebaran, beat his chest with a clenched fist and let out a hearty laugh.
[Ho. So you’ve descended to Earth as well?]
[I found a fellow I quite like.]
Aldebaran grinned and glanced back at Sakaki.
[Hmph. Like father, like son. You’ve brought another one just like you from somewhere.]
[What’s that?]
The gazes of Regulus and Aldebaran clashed.
A sudden argument began, with Aldebaran pointing at Lee Woo-hyeok and Regulus pointing at Sakaki Ryo.
[Who are you to talk, you who took a pretty boy who looks like he’d break with a single touch as your Apostle?]
[What did you say?]
[Compared to your child, look at mine! These broad shoulders and chest! Can’t you feel the spirit of the bull!]
[What nonsense. Where do you see my child as frail? You should see the look in his eyes, like a beast hiding its claws, before you speak!]
Are you two having a Pokémon battle?
Oh-jin let out a disbelieving laugh as he watched the two Constellations raising their voices.
[What do you think you’re doing!]
Vega’s thunderous roar echoed.
[Have you no shame, squabbling in front of the children when you call yourselves Constellations!]
[Ugh.]
[A-ahem!]
Regulus and Aldebaran, who had been shouting, cleared their throats awkwardly.
Oh-jin looked at Vega, who had instantly silenced the two Constellations, and nodded.
Right.
There was a reason Vega was called the Constellation of Polaris—
[And no matter how you look at it, my child is the most handsome of all!]
Vega declared confidently, hands on her hips.
[This handsome face, this gallant physique! He’s different from the very start compared to your children, who are either a mindless brute or a pretty boy!]
[…What did you just say?]
[Even if it’s you, Lady Vega, I cannot let that remark slide!]
Now, with Vega added to the mix, the Constellations began to raise their voices at each other again.
“Uh…”
“Uhm.”
Lee Woo-hyeok and Sakaki watched the bickering Constellations with expressions of bewilderment.
Oh-jin pressed a hand to his forehead as if a headache was coming on.
‘What is this, a meeting of overzealous parents?’
A sigh escaped him as he watched the Constellations passionately arguing over whose child was better.
“Wow… a person without a Constellation would feel pretty left out here, huh?”
Ha-eun, who was witnessing the stars’ intense… no, petty argument firsthand, shook her head and chuckled.
Should she consider this fortunate or unfortunate?
The Constellation of Draco, Eltanin, was currently in a deep slumber, so he couldn't participate in the face-reddening debate.
Ha-eun playfully raised the corners of her lips and tugged on Oh-jin’s arm.
“Oh-jin, I’m sad.”
“About what?”
“I don’t have a parent to brag about me like that.”
“You should be glad you don’t have parents.”
Now that he said it, it sounded like a terrible insult about her parents.
But his words perfectly represented the feelings of Oh-jin, Lee Woo-hyeok, and Sakaki, who were witnessing the Constellations’ argument up close.
“Haha… I didn’t know Sir Regulus had such a side to him.”
“Ahem. I, too, was unaware that Lord Aldebaran thought of me so highly.”
Lee Woo-hyeok and Sakaki Ryo cleared their throats with awkward expressions.
Though they were shaking their heads, faint smiles lingered on their lips.
Well, to be honest.
It was embarrassing, but it wasn't an entirely bad feeling.
It showed just how genuinely the Constellations cared for their children.
‘It’s much better than them looking down on humans as transcendent beings.’
Oh-jin, too, shrugged as if he couldn't help it.
Just as parents couldn’t control their children, it wasn’t easy for children to control their parents.
‘Well, it’s not like they’re actually fighting. Just raising their voices won’t cause any real trouble.’
As he thought that and was about to turn away.
[Hmph! A man is all about strength! Speaking of my child, he already has three children of his own!]
Aldebaran proudly puffed out his chest, holding up three fingers.
Seriously, was he now bragging about having more children?
[Compared to him, those two look too frail to even perform their nightly duties!]
That damn bull really has no filter.
Hey, for your information, I have three girlfriends, you old coot.
[Hey! What do you know to be making such crass remarks about my child!]
Right, right.
What does he know to be making such crass—
“…Huh?”
An ominous premonition shot down his spine.
“Wai—!”
[You can’t even begin to imagine how skilled my child is at night!]
[Hm?]
Aldebaran looked between Vega and Oh-jin with a bewildered expression.
[How would you know how skilled your child is at night, Lady Vega?]
[Because, of course, I experienced it firsthand… Ah.]
Ah.