Chapter 240: Baptism Of The Stars (2)

Good times always flew by. While Kwon Oh-Jin waited for his baptism, he spent his days at home chatting with Song Ha-Eun. Before he knew it, a week had passed in the blink of an eye.

Kwon Oh-Jin stretched as he woke up early in the morning and gently stroked Song Ha-Eun’s hair. She was still breathing softly in her sleep.

With Isabella gone and Vega busy preparing for the baptism, the past week had given them a chance to spend more time together. They watched movies, went shopping, and enjoyed each other’s company in sweet peace. Just a year or two ago, he could’ve never dreamed of being this happy.

He deeply gazed down at her. Would he lose even these happy memories one day?

It’s okay.

Losing his memories was far less painful than losing someone dear to him.

Just like now, we can always make new memories.

With a faint smile, he gently caressed her cheek.

She curled up like a cat and rubbed her face against his hand. “

Mmm

.”

“Well, still, it’s best not to use Open Heaven.”

Kwon Oh-Jin stood up and began getting dressed.

He wouldn’t hesitate to use it in necessary situations, but he would try to avoid relying on Open Heaven as much as possible.

I really don’t want to lose my virginity a third time.

He faintly chuckled and stepped out the front door.

“Is it spring already?”

Winter had passed, and a warm spring breeze filled the air.

It had been about a year and a half since he entered the gate with Lee Shin-Hyuk and awakened the Black Heaven. Since then, his life had changed drastically for the better so far.

Now, it’s time to protect it all.

He had too much to lose now. To protect everything he held dear, he needed more power.

“Let’s go.”

As cherry blossoms fluttered like snow around him, Kwon Oh-Jin walked toward the Sanctum.

***

As soon as he entered the Sanctum, Vega greeted him. “You're here.”

“Why aren’t you at the temple?” he asked.

“

Hehe

. I simply couldn’t wait to see you, so I came out to greet you myself.”

With a warm smile like a spring breeze, Vega stroked his hair. By now, he should have gotten used to being treated like a child, but it still made him feel awkward. He scratched his cheek with an embarrassed smile.

“Are you shy?” Vega chuckled softly and stepped closer. “Come now. It’s been a while. I want to hold you.”

Just when she opened her arms to wrap him in a full embrace, a cheerful voice rang out as a pink-haired woman came running over.

“Hey! That’s not fair, Vega!”

It was Spica, the Celestial of Virgo.

If Vega was like a gentle spring breeze, Spica had the bright presence of a midsummer sun.

“It’s been a while! It's the first time we’ve met since the proxy battle, right?” Spica approached Kwon Oh-Jin. “

Hehe

, do you know how shocked I was back then? You just ripped that guy’s arm right off!”

Her bubbly chatter filled the air.

“

Huh

? Vega? What’s with that look?” she asked, flinching mid-sentence.

Vega had her back facing Kwon Oh-Jin, so he couldn’t see her expression. However, he could tell what kind of face she was making from Spica’s sudden nervousness.

“You’re still so talkative. Excessively so,” Vega said.

“

Ah...

s-sorry.” Spica visibly drooped and took a few steps back.

With a deep sigh, Vega took Kwon Oh-Jin’s hand. “Come, follow me. The Celestials attending your baptism are waiting.”

“

Huh?

I thought it was just you and Deneb?”

“

Hmm

. Many wanted to attend and see you, so I had to narrow it down a bit.”

“How many are there?”

“There are six.”

Depending on how one looked at it, that could seem like a lot or not many at all.

“Is there a reason for that number?” he asked.

“It’s part of the ritual. The Seven Stars imply seven individual stars. Therefore, gathering six Celestials to bless you symbolizes recognizing you as the seventh star.”

Kwon Oh-Jin nodded. “Ah, I see.”

“Oh, and by the way! Depending on which six Celestials are there, the blessing gets way stronger!” Spica chimed in enthusiastically from the side. “You’ve got Vega and even that Deneb participating in the ritual this time, so you can really look forward to it!”

“Who else will be joining us?” he asked.

“First off, me!” Spica pointed to herself with a bright smile. “Don’t be fooled by my looks! I’m one of the twelve Zodiacs, you know? My blessing will be quite sweet!”

The strength of the blessing depended on the status of the Celestials involved. With two Celestials of the North Star participating, this ceremony would definitely be something special.

“And the others?” he asked.

“

Hehe

, I’ll introduce them to you in person!” With a cheerful grin, Spica dashed ahead.

Following Vega and Spica, Kwon Oh-Jin soon arrived at a place where three other Celestials already gathered.

Deneb isn’t here yet.

𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

Kwon Oh-Jin looked around before approaching the three Celestials.

A boisterous middle-aged man heartily laughed and stepped forward. “

Hahaha!

So you’re that famous Thunder Wolf! I saw that proxy battle of yours, well done!”

His reddish skin and two horns made him look more like a demon than a Celestial. “I’m Aldebaran, the Celestial of Taurus! Congrats on being selected as one of the Seven Stars, human!”

“I’m Kwon Oh-Jin. Pleased to meet you.” Kwon Oh-Jin bowed and shook Aldebaran’s massive hand.

“By the way, I heard you’ve got ties with some of my apostles!” Aldebaran said.

“Are you talking about Han Jun-Man?”

“There’s one more in Japan too, right?”

He must be talking about Sakaki Ryo.

“Yes, that’s right.”

“

Hehe

. I have great expectations for those two, so please take good care of them!”

“Of course.”

He hadn’t spoken with Sakaki Ryo in a while, but he had made a quick call this morning to Han Jun-Man, who wished him well for the baptism.

Another man approached behind Aldebaran. He had a sharp and cold expression like a finely tempered blade. “Are you done introducing yourself?”

A long scar cut across his right eye, adding to his charisma.

“I’m Regulus, Celestial of Leo.”

The word Leo naturally brought Namgung Hui to mind, whom he had encountered not long ago.

“I heard there was some tension with one of my apostles recently,” Regulus said.

Kwon Oh-Jin shrugged it off with a nonchalant expression. “We just had a slight disagreement, that’s all.”

Regulus closed his eyes for a moment in silence. “A stigma is a seed. A seed that flies far from its tree finds its own soil and takes root, sprouting on its own.”

What was that supposed to mean?

“In other words...” Regulus trailed off, avoiding eye contact.

“What he’s trying to say is that he can’t do anything about the shit his apostle caused!”

“

Gah!

S-Shut up, Spica!” Regulus turned to her with a flustered expression.

Spica stuck her tongue out and giggled mischievously.

Kwon Oh-Jin chuckled and shook his head. “If this is about Namgung Hui, there’s no need for you to worry.”

He knew full well that a Celestial couldn’t be responsible for their apostle’s personality.

“Still, the parent is partly responsible when their child misbehaves. I apologise,” Regulus said.

“It’s alright. It’s not like I’ve had bad experiences with all your apostles,” Kwon Oh-Jin said.

“

Ah

, now that I think about it, that child has mentioned you a few times. That child, Lee Woo-Hyuk... will ascend to even greater heights.”

A gentle smile appeared on Regulus’s face as he thought of Lee Woo-Hyuk.

He looked like a father who struggled with a troublesome older son, but took pride in the younger one who just got into Seoul National University.

Seems like it's a common thing for Celestials to treat their apostles like their own children. Well, except for the Celestial of Draco, who didn’t give a damn about their apostle.

A woman who had been standing in the back stepped forward.

“So I’m the last one, huh?”

Her long golden hair cascaded to her feet. Though perhaps not on the same level as Vega, her stunning looks would draw any man’s gaze.

With a gentle smile, Aries approached Kwon Oh-Jin. “Nice to meet you. I’m Aries, the Celestial of Aries.”

Her dress looked like something that would be worn in ancient Rome. It revealed a generous amount of cleavage, enough to make Kwon Oh-Jin’s eyes wander.

“

Haha

. Where are you looking?” Aries smiled seductively and casually covered her chest with one hand.

Kwon Oh-Jin awkwardly cleared his throat and looked away.

“I’m just teasing. You’re welcome to stare as much as you like. Or maybe...” With a sly grin, Aries took his hand. “Would you like to touch?”

Vega slapped Aries’s hand.

Smack!

“Remove your hand,” Vega said.

“Oh my, it was just a little joke. No need to be so uptight—”

“I said. Remove. Your. Hand.”

Blue lightning crackled around Vega.

Crackle!

Her golden eyes glowed with a murderous aura, shaking the ground as if an earthquake had struck.

“L-Lady Vega?!” Aries said with a flustered look and quickly distanced herself from Kwon Oh-Jin.

Vega pulled Kwon Oh-Jin’s arm and glared at Spica and Aries with eyes full of suspicion. She looked like a mother kangaroo fiercely guarding her joey from a couple of alley cats.

Just then, a boy draped in expensive jewels from head to toe approached with a sigh. “Seriously... who's the one acting like a child here?”

“

Ahem

. D-Deneb, you’re here,” Vega said.

“Are you planning to keep him by your side for life or something?”

“Silence.”

Vega wrapped her arms around Kwon Oh-Jin with a pouty look in her eyes.

Deneb deeply sighed as if this was nothing new, and pulled out a blue gem from his pocket. “Let’s get going already.”

“Very well,” Vega said.

Deneb placed the blue gem at the center.

“We’re heading to the Milky Way Spring now?” Kwon Oh-Jin asked.

“Yes,” Vegar replied.

The six Celestials reached out toward the blue gem in the center, and the intense mana of their Stigmas entered the gem. The wind began to howl.

Woong!

A multicolored aurora spread across the sky, and a rift tore open.

Kwon Oh-Jin breathed out in awe as he looked at the beautiful rift that resembled a night sky filled with stars from the Milky Way itself. This rift could only be opened by the combined power of six Celestials.

“So where exactly is this Milky Way Spring that we need to go through all this trouble?” he asked.

“The Milky Way Spring is the place where the very first Celestial was born in the distant past,” Vega replied.

“The first Celestial?”

“That’s right.” Vega nodded as she looked into the rift filled with countless twinkling stars. “It is the birthplace of Polaris, the Celestial of Ursa Minor.”