Chapter 305: Sky Mountains (11)

He felt as though he were on fire. Every single cell in him seemed to tremble violently. With every heartbeat that pumped blood through him, he began to transform into something else physically.

The old, frail cellular structures vanished. New ones infused with his Stigma’s mana replaced them like renovating the interior of an old apartment. Little change could be seen on the outside, but everything had been rebuilt on the inside.

So, this is reconstruction of the body.

Kwon Oh-Jin realized the current phenomenon he was experiencing in reaching nine stars. The sensation of his body being remade cell by cell felt entirely unfamiliar.

A message floated before his eyes.

[The power of the Black Heaven has greatly increased due to reconstruction of the body!]

This significant power-up intrigued him, but he didn’t need to use the Black Heaven right now.

Kwon Oh-Jin lightly exhaled and clenched his fist. He drew back his right arm like a bowstring and swung it.

Crackle!

A torrent of blue lightning exploded from the single punch, crashing like a wave and sweeping across everything ahead. The lightning surrounded Behemoth, but the monster didn’t stop charging toward Kwon Oh-Jin.

“

Kraaaaaah!

”

It continued running toward him with unrelenting force. This terrifying figure truly deserved its title as the ruler of the Sky Mountains.

“Shall I try using my leg this time?” Kwon Oh-Jin raised his left leg, which had also turned into blue lightning, and stomped.

Like a boulder cast into a still lake, the earth rippled violently, and lightning burst up from beneath.

Perhaps charging in like a bull had backfired.

Behemoth, unable to evade the sudden eruption at its feet, shrieked as it flew back. “

Kuoooooo!

”

Felis gasped in shock. “B-Behiring?”

She thought that Behemoth would definitely tear him apart. Instead, Kwon Oh-Jin had transformed into lightning, and the fight had instantly reversed.

Felis turned to Vega with wide, accusing eyes. “W-What even is that,

meow

?!”

Vega had collapsed to the ground as all the tension left her. “My child...”

She wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, trying to calm her pounding heart.

Felis stared at her with disbelief. “Don’t tell me you knew this was going to happen?”

“I didn’t,” Vega answered quietly and shook her head. “I simply believed in my child.”

Kwon Oh-Jin, the Heaven-Defying Star that she knew, would always shine brightest even in moments of hopelessness.

“You always prove my faith right,” Vega whispered and smiled faintly as Kwon Oh-Jin pushed Behemoth back.

In a situation where most would have given up long ago, Kwon Oh-Jin had broken through the wall to nine stars and rose again. His display of strength and courage moved her deeply.

Now, her heart also pounded for another reason. With her face turning red, Vega stared blankly at Kwon Oh-Jin. Every time she saw him shining so brightly, an indescribable emotion filled her heart. No, that wasn’t true. She knew what it was, but simply refused to acknowledge it.

“Wait. Don’t tell me... ” Felis’s jaw dropped as she realized something. “A-Are you insane?! Are you really having those kinds of feelings for your own child,

meow

?!”

Despite her seemingly carefree nature, Felis clearly held some very strict principles. She glared at Vega like she had just discovered a worm in her food.

“

Ha!

All that talk about breaking the restrictions of the Law for your child, was it all because of some dirty feelings,

meow

?!” She scoffed and gave Vega a sharp, accusing glare.

Although perceptions had shifted in recent times, Celestials harboring personal feelings for their own child had been taboo in the past and akin to incest in the human world.

Of course, as someone who had been banished from the Sanctum ages ago, Felis had no way of knowing that times had changed.

“Maybe you’re right,” Vega murmured bitterly and placed a hand over her chest.

As a North Star Celestial, she was supposed to act for the fate of the world and serve the greater good. And yet, she had broken the restrictions of the Law for personal reasons before and even fully prepared herself to vanish from this world.

“How pathetic,

meow

! A Celestial having thoughts of being with her own child—!”

“I know it’s pathetic,” Vega responded quietly.

No one understood it better than she did.

“But emotions... aren’t something that go away easily just because we want them to.” Pressing a hand over her wildly beating heart, Vega looked at her child with burning eyes.

“Y-You’re insane,” Felis muttered and staggered back.

Vega turned to her with a faint smile. “One day, you’ll come to understand as well.”

Celestials lived a long time. Even if Felis had become a Black Star, a day could still come when she would comprehend such emotions.

“

Hmph!

That kind of thing will never happen in a world ruled by the Heavenly Demon,

meow

!” Felis snapped back and shook her head from side to side.

“No, such a world will never come,” Vega replied calmly with an unwavering certainty. “Because the Heavenly Demon will die by my child’s hand.”

Felis’s face twisted in disbelief. “What kind of nonsense are you—

Huh?!

”

She was about to bare her teeth in rage, but suddenly leaped up and turned toward Behemoth.

“B-Behiring!”

While she had been distracted by their conversation, Behemoth had collapsed, wheezing and sprawled across the ground.

“G-Get up, Behiring!”

A Star Spirit contained a fragment of its Celestial’s soul. If it died, it would deal a severe blow to the Celestial.

Despite Felis’s desperate shout, Behemoth couldn’t get up.

“

Haa, haa.

” With ragged breaths, Kwon Oh-Jin walked toward the fallen beast. “It’s over.”

Fierce blue lightning flared from his Lightning Form arm.

Crackle!

“Stop right there,

meow

!” Felis scrambled to block him, but Kwon Oh-Jin ignored her and walked on toward Behemoth.

“I said stop!!”

“Do you think shouting alone will stop him?” Vega flew to Felis’s side with her arms crossed and looked down at her. “If you truly wish to protect your child, then use your Sacred Ground again.”

“T-That’s...” Felis’s face went stiff.

Though the Heavenly Demon’s power could weaken the restrictions of the Law, using the Sacred Ground twice in a row was impossible. To be exact, it was possible, but doing so could mean her complete disappearance.

“Are you afraid of the restrictions of the Law?” Vega asked.

She smiled faintly as Felis angrily trembled in silence.

What had Felis said to her earlier? As she recalled the words, a cold smirk curled on her lips. “Your child must not be that precious to you after all?”

“Y-You—!” Felis gritted her teeth and sprinted toward Behemoth.

She positioned herself in front of Kwon Oh-Jin and fiercely snarled. “Don’t move,

meow

! One more step and I’ll use my Sacred Ground!”

Kwon Oh-Jin's steps came to an abrupt halt.

“You’d use your Sacred Ground to protect your child?” he asked.

“Yes, I would!”

“Even though it might erase your very existence?”

“

H-Hmph!

If I can save Behiring, that much is worth it!”

Kwon Oh-Jin quietly chuckled. “You should learn how to lie better.”

It didn’t take much to realize that Felis was bluffing from her wavering eyes, rising voice, and hesitant expression.

“I-I’m not lying!” she snapped.

“Yeah? In that case, do it.”

As far as Kwon Oh-Jin knew, the only Celestial crazy enough to risk their existence for an apostle was Vega.

A wave of blue lightning from Kwon Oh-Jin’s right arm headed straight toward Behemoth.

Crackle!

“N-No, stop!” Felis shouted in a panic.

In the end, she didn’t activate her Sacred Ground.

“

Krrrgh...

” Behemoth’s breathing grew fainter until it stopped entirely.

“B-Behiriiiiing!” Felis screamed and rushed to Behemoth’s side.

Perhaps it was the backlash from her Star Spirit’s death. Felis began to slowly fade away.

“J-Just you wait,

meow

! Servant or not, I swear I’ll kill you one day!” She hissed with murderous intent while glaring at Kwon Oh-Jin.

“Try it if you think you can.” Vega landed gracefully in front of Felis. “When that day comes, I’ll be the one to stop you.”

Even if she had to risk her existence.

“L-Lies! When the time comes, you won’t be able to do anything either,

meow

!”

“Is that what you believe?” Vega smiled faintly and placed a hand over the left side of her chest. “I swear by the name of Lyra, if my child is ever in danger, even if it costs me my very being, I will protect him.”

“D-Did you just swear on your star’s name?!”

A vow made in the name of a star was no empty oath for Celestials. If broken, the Celestial would lose a portion of their power and status.

In Vega’s case, she would no longer be a North Star if she ever broke this vow. No one understood that more than her, yet she had said it without any hesitation.

“Y-You’re both insane,

meow

!” Felis shook her head as though fed up with everything. “Let’s never see each other again,

meow

!”

So much for that dramatic vow of revenge she’d just made, Felis turned away without looking back. Her fading form finally dispersed and vanished completely.

As the tension left him, Kwon Oh-Jin collapsed to the ground.

“Ve... ga.”

“A-Are you alright?!” Vega quickly transformed into her true form and held him.

His injuries were less severe than expected thanks to the reconstruction of his body mid-fight. The gaping wound in his chest that had exposed his ribs already healed, and his limbs that had been torn off also fully regenerated.

“

Huh?

” Vega blinked in surprise as she stared at his fully restored limbs.

Even if Kwon Oh-Jin had reached nine stars and undergone body reconstruction, she had never heard of severed limbs regenerating like this.

“

Kugh!

”

“

Ah

, w-wait a moment. I’ll get you a potion.” Vega retrieved a potion from his bag and gently tilted the bottle to his lips.

“Thanks...”

The potion’s numbing effects kicked in as his eyes slowly shut tight.

With great care, Vega rested his head on her lap and softly stroked his hair. “Once again... I couldn’t help you.”

She laid her hand on his forehead with sorrowful eyes. Then, pressing her lips together, she placed her other hand over her chest.

Thump, thump.

Her heart pounded violently with uncontrollable emotions from deep within.

“Suppressing this feeling isn’t easy.”

Who would ever think that a North Star Celestial would one day feel heartache over a mere human? She could’ve never imagined something like this back when she was alone in her vast, cold Sanctum.

“My child,” she whispered to the sleeping Kwon Oh-Jin. “I love you.”

Those words carried the weight of the emotions she had been struggling to contain. Of course, they would never reach his ears, but that didn’t matter. Just letting them out and speaking them aloud made her heart overflow with happiness.

“Rest well, my child.” Vega leaned down to kiss Kwon Oh-Jin's forehead.

Suddenly, she froze just before her lips touched his forehead.

Her eyes darted around nervously.

Then, hesitantly, her gaze shifted toward his lips.