Chapter 170: Interlude - Atonement of the Goddess (2)

“What are you talking about?” Kwon Oh-Jin asked.

“I meant exactly what I said.” Vega clenched her fists tightly with a determined expression. “When one commits a foolish act, one must atone for it.”

Her gaze burned with intensity.

“I deserve to be punished by you,” she said.

Kwon Oh-Jin looked bewildered by the unexpected request. “What kind of punishment are you talking about?”

Spica set her mic down and carefully approached him.

“

U-Um!

”

Drawing closer, her eyes twinkled like stars as she tightly grabbed Kwon Oh-Jin’s hands. “Would you like to visit my temple sometime?!”

“

Huh?

”

What is she talking about now?

“It’s not a big deal. I’m just asking because watching you fight earlier kinda sparked my interest, you know?”

Spica’s cheeks flushed a rosy pink as she nervously squirmed. She said it wasn’t a big deal, but her heated gaze made her look as if she were eyeing a feast.

Spica wasn’t the only one interested in Kwon Oh-Jin. Before he knew it, a flood of Celestials had descended from the stands and surrounded him, each lining up for a handshake.

“

Um...

if possible, could you stop by my temple as well?”

“

Kahaha!

I admire your courage! I’ll grant you entry to my temple!”

Spica stomped and shouted in frustration, “

Ah!

W-Wait! I called dibs first!”

Kwon Oh-Jin glanced at the crowd of Celestials around him and chuckled.

I didn’t expect them to react this well.

His performance in this proxy battle had left quite an impression on the Celestials. He had been too excited to notice at the time, but looking back at it now, he had pulled off some crazy stunts.

Still, this is a bit unexpected.

Honestly, considering the way he had fought, he expected them to either keep their distance or regard him as a lunatic. Instead, they enthusiastically befriended him.

Vega frowned at the Celestials surrounding Kwon Oh-Jin. “What is with the commotion?”

Her icy tone immediately cooled the heated atmosphere.

“You should ask me directly if you wish to invite my child to your temples.”

The Celestials awkwardly stammered.

“

Uh...

”

“

Uhm,

well...”

Moments like this made it clear just how high a North Star Celestial ranked among the others.

“Is there no one?” Vega asked with a sharp glare, seemingly ready to rip apart anyone who dared to say yes.

The Celestials who eagerly approached Kwon Oh-Jin smiled awkwardly and stepped back.

“Then we’ll be leaving now.” Vega turned abruptly and pulled Kwon Oh-Jin along.

“Vega, wait—”

“Come quickly.”

She clearly had no intention of stopping. Hence, he just quietly sighed and followed her.

“You’ve certainly made an impression on the Celestials, kid,” Riarc said.

“It’s a good thing, I guess.”

Kwon Oh-Jin had worried that he’d gone too far in the heat of battle, but that didn’t seem likely considering everyone’s reactions.

“You’re going to be dealing with a lot of hassle from now on.”

“Yeah, I know.”

With all the attention he’d drawn, whether good or bad, he was bound to attract some annoying situations. Still, that was better than hiding his strength and living in the shadows.

“By the way, Vega.”

“What is it?”

“Earlier, when you said you were sorry for doubting me. Can you tell me exactly what that was about?”

“Let’s talk about it once we’re back at my temple.”

Kwon Oh-Jin nodded. Even though he still ached all over due to his still-healing internal injuries, he still picked up the pace.

I have to get this straight.

He had to know where things had gone wrong.

***

Once they arrived at the temple, Kwon Oh-Jin finally heard the full story from Vega.

“So that’s what happened.”

After being freed from the restrictions, fragments imbued with the Black Heaven’s energy had been left behind in the room. She naturally grew suspicious since only Kwon Oh-Jin and Riarc had entered that room.

Damn it...

Cold sweat trickled down his spine. He did recall hearing something break while using Open Heaven, but he never expected it to be fragments tainted by the Black Heaven.

“Do you have any idea how this happened?” she asked.

Kwon Oh-Jin slowly closed his eyes. How could he possibly cover up such a fatal mistake? Only one solution came to mind: make up a story that forced mismatched puzzle pieces to fit together.

“The Adam’s Apple.”

“The Astral Relic you used to break me free from the restrictions?”

“Yeah. It seems like the Heavenly Demon... No, to be precise, the Serpent had gotten their hands on it. I found it while dealing with the Seahorse faction.”

He pulled out a round token with a sinister serpent engraving.

“

Ah

, that’s what you showed me back then,” Vega said.

“Yeah. Considering a Black Star Society executor had this, that means the Serpent’s influence has reached Japan as well.”

“Are you saying they might have also tampered with the Astral Relic you obtained?”

“That’s right.”

It was a rather flimsy excuse. Considering the Heavenly Demon actually existed, it wasn’t a stretch to assume that the Serpens Queen carried the energy of the Black Heaven.

“I see, so that’s what happened.”

Vega sighed in relief as she patted her chest.

Though she didn’t look entirely convinced, her suspicion of Kwon Oh-Jin seemed to have disappeared for the most part.

I barely managed to get past that for now.

He felt as though he was hanging off the edge of a cliff, clinging to a tree root for dear life.

Vega looked at him with a guilty expression. “I’m sorry. I should have talked to you right away.”

She firmly grabbed Kwon Oh-Jin’s hands as if she had made up her mind about something.

“As I thought! I should be punished!”

Here we go again.

“Punished? What are you talking about?”

“I doubted you when you needed my trust, didn’t I?” Vega looked at him with fiery eyes. “You must severely punish me so that I may atone!”

Her golden eyes gleamed so brightly. She wouldn’t let this go easily.

He looked at her with a troubled expression. “What exactly am I supposed to do?”

He had no idea what punishing a Celestial would even look like.

“First, slap my cheek as hard as you can!”

“That’s a bit...”

Even if he put all his strength into it, it wouldn’t leave so much as a scratch.

Still, I don’t want to.

Just the thought of hitting Vega’s cheek made every cell in his body scream in protest.

“The cheek is a bit much.”

“

Hmm...

I see.”

Vega fell into deep thought. She paced around the temple, her expression growing more serious. Suddenly, her eyes lit up with an idea.

“In that case... my bott...”

“Bott...?”

“A-Ah, no. Wait a moment.”

Vega cleared her throat awkwardly and calmed her breathing.

“R-Riarc.”

“Yes, Lady Vega?”

“Leave us.”

“Sorry?”

“I-I said leave us!”

Vega hurriedly kicked Riarc out of the temple. Poor Riarc had no choice but to leave without even knowing why.

What is she planning now?

Kwon Oh-Jin cocked his head as he looked at Vega, who had a determined expression.

She scuffed her feet on the temple floor and said, “Y-You know... that thing... when a child makes a mistake... and gets their bottom spanked.”

Vega?

“S-Since I failed in my duties as a Celestial and acted immaturely... w-wouldn’t it be fair to say I’m no different from a child?”

Uh, that logic seems a little flawed, my goddess.

“You’re not suggesting...”

Vega’s cheeks turned red as she averted her gaze. “

A-Ahem!

”

It wasn’t hard to imagine what kind of punishment she was talking about.

Did a transcendent being born from the stars, one of the most powerful Celestials of the North Star, just ask me to spank her ass with my bare hand? Ooh. Wait, not ooh. What the fuck?!

“I don’t think I can do that...”

“You’re refusing again?” Vega sadly looked at him. “Will you deny me even the chance to atone? Do you intend to let me suffer a lifetime of agony, consumed by guilt?”

With her hands clasped together before her chest, her eyes glistened with tears.

That’s not...

“Alright, if that is what you want, then I shall accept it.”

𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

Kwon Oh-Jin pulled his hair and twisted and turned.

What the hell am I supposed to do?!

Spanking Vega’s butt? Just imagining something so absurd made his head heat up.

If this were Song Ha-Eun, he could just brush it off as one of her usual jokes. However, Vega was being painfully serious, which made it all the more difficult to refuse.

If I’d known it’d come to this, I would’ve just slapped her cheek!

He briefly considered changing his mind, but slapping her face didn’t seem right when she was making such a pitiful expression while on the verge of tears.

Vega cautiously looked up at him.

“My child?”

Her slightly fearful gaze, her flushed cheeks, and her hesitant movements—all of it gnawed at Kwon Oh-Jin’s conscience.

Damn it.

If she had actually committed some unforgivable sin, maybe this would’ve been easier. Here she was, asking for punishment because she felt guilty about doubting him when he was the one deceiving her. The sheer guilt was enough to make his brain feel like exploding.

“Is it really... not possible?” Vega pleaded with teary eyes, oblivious to his inner turmoil.

He squeezed his eyes shut. There was no way out of this now.

“O-Okay.” The word was almost being wrung out of his throat.

Vega’s face immediately brightened. “T-Then, I’ll leave it to you.”

She carefully turned around, placing her hands against the temple wall. With a slightly awkward posture, she shyly pushed her butt out. The graceful curve of her backside could clearly be seen beneath her silver dress.

Kwon Oh-Jin swallowed dryly, feeling parched.

Gulp.

His hand trembled as he raised it.

Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!

His head felt as though it was being stabbed by a hot iron. Reason and instinct clashed violently, grabbing each other by the throat and throwing his thoughts into chaos.

As he stood there, locked in a fierce internal battle, Vega gently wiggled her hips with her hands still pressed against the wall.

“Are you... not going to hit me?”

Something in Kwon Oh-Jin’s mind snapped. He could feel that instinct had won over reason, emerging with a victorious grin.

Screw it, goddamnit!

Kwon Oh-Jin raised his hand high as if he had made up his mind. With a firm palm, he glared at her butt with wide eyes.

Here we go! It's spanking time for the silver-haired goddess!

Words too vulgar to be considered part of any civilized language ran wild in his mind as he swung down.