Chapter 351: Starlight (3)

Riarc shot toward Kwon Oh-Jin like a bolt of lightning.

Boom!

His speed had grown incomparably to what Kwon Oh-Jin had seen in the Demonic District.

Kwon Oh-Jin instinctively crossed his arms to guard his face as Riarc’s fist came crashing down on his arm.

“

Agh!

” The impact felt like it could snap his bones, and flung him into the air.

Twisting in midair, Kwon Oh-Jin barely managed to properly roll and soften the blow. Even though the impact had lessened, the sheer force behind Riarc’s punch cracked the ground as Kwon Oh-Jin landed.

Boom!

He’s completely different from when we were in the Demonic District.

Back then, the restrictions of the Law prevented Riarc from using his full power as a Star Spirit. They weren’t in the Demonic District anymore. This was the Sanctum, where he could draw on his full strength without any limitations.

“

Grrrr!

” With a vicious growl, Riarc shimmered and vanished like smoke.

After a flash of blue lightning, Riarc suddenly stood right in front of Kwon Oh-Jin.

Crackle!

Another punch came flying in.

Kwon Oh-Jin quickly drew Dantalian and transformed it into a spear, bracing it diagonally to defend.

Boom!

The impact blasted down the shaft of the spear. Kwon Oh-Jin’s palms split open, and blood streamed down Dantalian.

“

Hup!

” Summoning the Stigma of Pyxis, the tip of his spear danced in a fluid arc.

Blue lightning crackled along his spear as he aimed to pierce through Riarc’s thigh.

“You’re too slow, kid.” With a casual jump, Riarc landed on top of the spear shaft and dodged the supersonic strike.

Kwon Oh-Jin laughed in disbelief at his acrobatic movements.

That didn’t last long as Riarc jumped from the spear and flipped back, driving a kick straight into Kwon Oh-Jin’s chin.

Thwack!

A dull crack echoed as Kwon Oh-Jin’s head snapped back. The chin directly sent the shock to the brain. A lightning bolt of pain exploded in his skull, and his consciousness blanked out for a split second.

Stigma of Aquarius.

The Stigma, specialized in healing, shielded his fading consciousness.

“

Haaa

.” With a low breath, he glared sharply at Riarc.

Riarc narrowed his eyes at Kwon Oh-Jin recovering in seconds. “Is that the power of a Stigma you’ve devoured with the Black Heaven?”

“Yeah.”

If Riarc had been limited by the restrictions of the Law until now, then Kwon Oh-Jin had been limited from using the Stigmas he had absorbed, afraid of being caught by Vega.

But now—

Everything had changed.

Crackle!

Thousands of lightning feathers materialized around Kwon Oh-Jin and launched toward Riarc like a machine gun.

“Don’t give me your petty tricks...!” Riarc darted in a sharp Z-pattern and weaved through the barrage with ease.

Crackle!

Kwon Oh-Jin launched into the air using Lightning Steps. It looked as if he were defying gravity itself.

In a flash, Riarc’s claws came crashing down toward Kwon Oh-Jin’s crown.

“

Krrrr!

” At the last second, Riarc twisted.

Instead of Kwon Oh-Jin’s head, he aimed for the shoulder. His claws tore into Kwon Oh-Jin’s shoulder and cleanly severed the arm off.

“It’s over, kid.” Riarc scoffed and coldly looked down at Kwon Oh-Jin, collapsed on the ground and clutching his bloody arm.

He turned to leave as if there was no more reason to bother. Then, he glanced down at his claws and noticed that they didn’t have a single drop of blood on them.

“

Hmm?

” He had clearly felt the distinct sensation of tearing through flesh, so why wasn’t there any blood?

Shhhhhk!

Riarc instinctively turned as a spear grazed past his chest.

“

Kugh...?!

”

Charged with lightning, the spear stabbed into the ground and exploded. Kwon Oh-Jin also vanished like a mirage.

“You can use illusions too?” Clutching his bleeding chest, Riarc glared in the direction from where the spear came.

“Well, I have absorbed quite a few Stigmas by now.”

Of course, this was nothing compared to the Heavenly Demon.

“You sure managed to sneak around and stuff your face behind Lady Vega’s back.”

Kwon Oh-Jin deeply sighed at Riarc. “Let’s stop this, Riac...”

“Stop?”

“I only came here because I wanted to talk to Vega.”

“If you want to see Lady Vega, I told you to defeat me first, didn’t I?” Riarc radiated an intense, murderous aura.

He had no intention of backing down.

Kwon Oh-Jin bitterly looked at him. “Riarc...”

Suddenly, the memory of Riarc standing before Horus’s tomb in the Khan Kingdom flashed through his mind. He recalled Riarc awkwardly trying to express gratitude as if wearing clothes that didn’t fit.

“T-Thank you...”

Now, that wolf was nowhere to be found. All that remained were eyes blazing with fury at Kwon Oh-Jin.

“Pick up your weapon, kid.”

The lies Kwon Oh-Jin had told hadn’t just ruined his relationship with Vega. They had also destroyed his bond with Riarc.

“I’m sorry.”

“I don’t need your apology.” Riarc scoffed and clenched his fists. “If you’re a warrior, then speak with your fists, not your mouth.”

The fight resumed, and a thunderous roar exploded as shockwaves rippled in every direction.

Boom!

As the brutal fight continued, fresh wounds stacked up across Kwon Oh-Jin. While blocking Riarc’s attacks, he smiled faintly.

The first time I fought Riarc, I went down in just three seconds.

And yet now, he was locked in a fierce exchange against Riarc, who was using his full power. He felt amazed at how far he had come.

Riarc let out ragged breaths. “

Haa, haa, krrr!

”

Neither of them was in good shape. Blood covered both of them from head to toe as they kept their distance and glared at each other.

Riarc wiped the blood from his mouth with the back of his hand. “Let me ask you something, kid...”

“Go ahead.”

“When we fought inside Lady Vega’s Sanctum, was it the Black Heaven’s power that allowed you to keep getting back up?”

After thinking it over, Kwon Oh-Jin slowly shook his head. “No, it wasn’t.”

What had allowed him to rise above the fear of death wasn’t the Black Heaven. The Black Heaven wasn’t some stimulant that erased fear.

“I see...” Riarc fell silent for a moment. Then, he tightened his fist again. “If you’ve rested enough, let’s get back to it.”

Kwon Oh-Jin stared at Riarc with a dumbfounded expression. “That’s what you call resting?”

Riarc didn’t answer. Instead, he launched forward with a ferocious kick. Once again, they clashed.

“

Haa, haa!

”

As they fought, Kwon Oh-Jin calmly analyzed Riarc’s movements. In the past, Riarc’s almost magical movements and control over mana were beyond his comprehension. Now, the tables had turned.

In terms of technique, I have the edge.

He could clearly visualize Riarc’s beast-like movements, how his mana flowed, and what it would produce.

Even if I can see it coming, it’s hard to dodge.

He possessed superior technique, but Riarc still had the upper hand in raw power and speed.

Just a bit more.

If he drew on more of the Black Heaven’s power, he could likely overpower Riarc with ease.

“

Agh

.”

A parching thirst burned in his throat. The Black Heaven stirred violently inside his heart as if begging to be released.

Rumble! Rumble!

Again?

Ever since he used Open Heaven against the Heavenly Demon, the Black Heaven would sometimes lash out like this as if crying to be freed from its suffocating cage.

Kwon Oh-Jin placed his hand over his chest. He didn’t need to use Open Heaven. Now that the Black Heaven had undergone its tenth enlightenment, merely drawing a little more of its power would be enough to defeat Riarc.

“Cocky bastard...” Kwon Oh-Jin said.

“What did you just say?”

“

Oh

, not you.” Kwon Oh-Jin smirked and activated the Stigma of Lyra.

The Weaver’s light began to shine through the black clouds. Just like that, the raging Black Heaven quieted like a beast pacified by a tranquilizer.

Blue sparks burst from Kwon Oh-Jin and spread like thick mist around him.

Crackle!

With heavy sunken eyes, Riarc stared at the lightning that enveloped Kwon Oh-Jin. He didn’t need any explanation as he clearly felt the power of Kwon Oh-Jin’s Stigma of Lyra. This had nothing to do with the Black Heaven. Kwon Oh-Jin had reached this level of strength himself.

You...

In all honesty, Riarc knew that the fight in Vega’s Sacred Ground, when Kwon Oh-Jin kept staggering back up after nearly dying every time, wasn’t the Black Heaven’s doing. He could never forget that fight.

“Because it’s nothing if I can solve it by enduring.”

Riarc knew all too well, but feeling betrayed by the lies, he had chosen to look away from the truth.

“Kid...”

Before that kid was the Heaven-Defying Star, before he was the Black Heaven’s master—He was just Kwon Oh-Jin. The conviction Riarc had witnessed in him had never been a lie, not even once.

“I’ll end this with the next strike,” Kwon Oh-Jin said.

Blue lightning violently thrashed. Kwon Oh-Jin and Riarc blurred into a single flash of lightning as they collided.

Kaboom!

A thunderous boom shook the air. The sheer force tore through the land. The once-shining starry ground twisted and collapsed as if a black hole had opened.

“

Kugh! Hrk...

” Through the thick smoke, Kwon Oh-Jin walked out.

Tattered and barely standing, he looked down at Riarc, unconscious on the ground.

I won.

He had triumphed against a Star Spirit. Not just a regular Star Spirit, but one belonging to a North Star.

“Damn, that hurt like hell.”

Of course, Kwon Oh-Jin wasn’t in any shape to call himself unharmed either. However, he couldn’t afford to collapse here.

“Vega...” Staggering past Riarc, Kwon Oh-Jin made his way toward Vega’s temple.

“Kid.”

Kwon Oh-Jin spun around in alarm and saw Riarc’s back toward him on the ground.

Riarc didn’t look back. Instead, he just quietly said, “Take care of Lady Vega.”

Kwon Oh-Jin’s eyes widened. “You...”

He was about to say something, but simply nodded with a faint chuckle. Turning back around, he pushed through the slightly open temple doors.

“Vega.”

The temple was utterly silent and empty.

He could see the silver-haired goddess with her back turned and hands clasped as if praying.