Kwon Oh-Jin took a deep breath in. Mana flowed through his entire body as he activated the Stigma of Canes Venatici and scanned the vast temple around him.
A faint light glowed, and a silver werewolf was standing at the center.
Riarc growled, “Grrrrr!”
Streaks of blue lightning viciously flared across his silver fur.
“Here I come, kid.” The source of this content ɪs novel·fire·net
The temple quaked as Riarc shot into the air.
A powerful sonic boom erupted, swallowing the space around them.
With a sharp inhale, Kwon Oh-Jin thrust his spear forward.
They collided, and he slid back.
A tingling shock traveled through his palm.
“This is just the beginning!” Riarc continued to attack.
His muscles swelled, threatening to burst, while his sharp claws ignited with blue flames.
Simultaneously, Kwon Oh-Jin’s spear also flared with blue fire.
Lightning Flames clashed with Lightning Flames.
If Riarc’s flames were a monstrous blaze that threatened to consume everything, Kwon Oh-Jin’s were razor-sharp and precise.
“Is that all you’ve got?!” Riarc flicked away the flame-covered spear with ease and lowered his stance.
Spinning full circle, he lashed out with a powerful back kick like a rearing stallion.
Kwon Oh-Jin shot toward the temple ceiling like an exploding cannon.
Deploying his wires midair, Kwon Oh-Jin twisted himself and planted his feet against the ceiling upside down.
“Still scurrying around like a rat!”
Riarc looked up and drew back his hind legs far. He crouched low like a sprinter at the starting line and slammed his feet down, launching into the air.
Before Riarc could reach him, Kwon Oh-Jin fired his wires at the ceiling and swung along the temple wall.
“You know that won’t work, right?” Riarc said.
Riarc twisted in midair toward Kwon Oh-Jin, running along the wall. Blue lightning crackled beneath his feet.
Stepping on the lightning, he redirected himself in midair and leapt straight at Kwon Oh-Jin.
Kwon Oh-Jin clicked his tongue at Riarc freely maneuvering through the air with Lightning Steps.
“That is such a cheat.”
The moment one mastered Lightning Steps, battles shifted from a two-dimensional plane to a full three-dimensional battlefield. It literally brought combat to another dimension.
In the past, I would’ve been helpless. Now...
Kwon Oh-Jin’s eyes gleamed sharply. Kicking off the wall, he dropped back to the ground and glided smoothly across the floor.
Riarc stopped running through the air with Lightning Steps and plunged toward Kwon Oh-Jin, swinging his claws.
The Stigma of Hourglass radiated a bright light, and time slowed.
His mind started running. Riarc’s movements had been too fast to track before, but now he could analyze and dissect every motion.
Lightning gathered in his right hand.
Kwon Oh-Jin compressed the lighting three times.
He dodged Riarc’s deadly slash with the minimum amount of movement required. Then, he spun around and drove his lightning-charged fist at Riarc.
It was a perfect counterattack.
Riarc flew back from the punch, but Kwon Oh-Jin shot a wire that coiled around him before he could crash.
“Haaaaa!” Kwon Oh-Jin roared and widely swung his arm.
Bound by the wire, Riarc slammed into the temple walls and floor in rapid succession.
Kwon Oh-Jin’s eyes gleamed sharply.
The wire contracted abruptly, pulling Riarc toward him at high speed.
Brilliant blue flames blazed.
The silver spearhead pierced through Riarc.
Even though the spear had struck precisely through Riarc’s stomach, it didn’t sound like flesh being pierced but thick metal being struck.
Riarc staggered back and spat out a bit of blood.
It wasn't fatal, but an undeniable wound. Kwon Oh-Jin had injured an opponent he couldn’t even last five seconds against just half a year ago.
“Khahaha! Good work, kid! Now you’re worth fighting!” Riarc heartily laughed and stomped.
An even denser blue lightning surged around him, incomparable to before.
Kwon Oh-Jin's face twisted at the overwhelming force radiating from Riarc.
A crushing pressure weighed down on him. His consciousness flickered for an instant at the unfamiliar and overwhelming sensation.
Kwon Oh-Jin stared at Riarc in disbelief.
Riarc’s true power, which he had kept hidden until now, felt suffocating. The sheer force made it difficult for Kwon Oh-Jin to even stand properly.
But it's not unbearable.
Kwon Oh-Jin took a step forward and raised his spear.
Riarc curled his lips into a grin as he looked at Kwon Oh-Jin.
“Grrr! That’s right! If you went down just from this, you wouldn't be worthy of being called the Heaven-Defying Star.”
He's growing terrifyingly fast.
When they first fought, Kwon Oh-Jin had collapsed in just five seconds. Now?
If I don't use my full power, I can’t even fight him properly.
Riarc dryly chuckled. He could only describe Kwon Oh-Jin as a monster.
This is embarrassing as a Star Spirit.
Star Spirits had inherited a fragment of a Celestial’s soul. The restrictions of the law bound them too, but not as severely. In other words, Star Spirits were transcendent beings just like Celestials, and Kwon Oh-Jin had forced such a transcendent being to use his full power.
It won't be long before he catches up to me.
Kwon Oh-Jin was growing at a truly astonishing pace.
“Grrr!” Riarc growled and lowered his stance.
Raging blue lightning swept across the surroundings.
“I won't just let you catch up!”
Lighting exploded, and a silver streak covered in blue flames ran across the temple.
In the blink of an eye, Riarc appeared before him.
A massive fist came crashing down toward Kwon Oh-Jin’s head. He quickly tilted his spear to deflect the blow, but the overwhelming force blasted him back into the temple ceiling.
Kwon Oh-Jin bounced off the ceiling and fell to the floor, only to rebound violently again.
He had put all his strength into deflecting the punch, yet even the leftover impact sent him ricocheting between the temple floor and ceiling like a rubber ball. If it weren’t for Vega’s protective barrier, he would have been reduced to a pulp by now.
He desperately tried to stabilize his posture while being tossed around.
He activated the Stigma of Hourglass once more. Within the slowed time, he swiftly reorganized his mana.
He released mana from the Dragon Vein, and deep blue lightning coiled around him like a snake. The lightning began to condense.
Three times isn’t enough.
Even five times wouldn't cut it.
But anything beyond that will put a strain on my body.
Kwon Oh-Jin hesitated for a moment, then smirked.
“Since when did I ever care about that?”
The temple was protected by Vega anyway. A little overexertion wouldn’t matter.
A terrifying amount of lightning condensed in both hands.
The chilling sound of bones grinding echoed from his hands, sending waves of sharp pain through him.
Riarc’s eyes gleamed with exhilaration as he stared at Kwon Oh-Jin. “Kahaha! Good! A true warrior never spares his body in battle!”
Every time Kwon Oh-Jin surpassed his limits, something stirred deep within Riarc. His chest swelled, and he felt a fighting spirit he hadn't experienced in hundreds of years.
“Alright. Here I come, you bastard!”
With deafening roars, Riarc and Kwon Oh-Jin launched forward at the same time.
Just before the violent currents of blue lightning collided—
Vega lightly snapped her fingers. Just like that, the fierce storm of lightning vanished like dust.
Kwon Oh-Jin and Riarc blinked in confusion and turned to Vega as their power suddenly disappeared.
Vega sighed and stepped between them. “You two got too heated for a mere sparring match.”
She placed her hands on her hips and glared at Kwon Oh-Jin with a stern expression.
“It hasn’t even been that long since you’ve recovered. You're pushing yourself too hard.”
Kwon Oh-Jin scratched his head awkwardly. “Sorry, I got carried away.”
She was right. He had gotten too riled up toward the end.
Vega sighed and gently caressed Kwon Oh-Jin’s cheek.
“Haa. What will I do with you? It’s nice that you've been staying in the Sanctum recently, but you’re pushing yourself too hard.”
“Well, Ha-Eun’s working hard too. I can’t just sit around and do nothing.”
It had been a week since he returned from Paradise. He disliked being alone in the house without Song Ha-Eun, so he had moved into the Sanctum.
Besides, I was planning to focus on training anyway.
He had drawn too much attention after taking down the Black Star Society’s sixth and seventh-ranked executors in just a month. Sasaki had been publicly credited with killing Sosuke, but Kwon Oh-Jin couldn't let his guard down.
If I don’t want the Serpens Queen to notice me, staying in the Sanctum is my best bet.
Until he could figure out the Black Star Society’s next move, he planned to hide in the Sanctum and concentrate on training. There wasn’t a safer place than the Sanctum where Vega could use her powers freely. Besides, he had to get used to his newly gained power since the Black Heaven underwent its sixth enlightenment.
And I have Riarc as a great sparring partner.
Kwon Oh-Jin was about to wipe away the sweat from his forehead when Vega flew closer and placed her hand on his cheek.
Tiny sparks crackled and wrapped around him. In an instant, all the sweat drenching him evaporated.
Wait, you can do this sort of thing with lightning?
Kwon Oh-Jin’s mouth fell open in shock. He couldn't even fathom the level of control needed to remove only the sweat on his skin without harming him.
“Now, lie down and rest.” Vega sat on the floor and patted her thigh.
Whenever he finished training to the point of exhaustion, she would always offer her lap as a pillow.
As he hesitated, Vega spoke in a firm tone. “Come on now, hurry up.”
He faintly sighed and reluctantly rested his head on her lap.
Vega smiled gently as she stroked his hair.
Suddenly, her expression stiffened as if something came to mind. He couldn’t see her complicated expression from where he lay, but her hand stopped caressing his hair.
Just as Kwon Oh-Jin cocked his head and prepared to sit up, a cheerful voice rang out through the vast temple.
“Hahaha! Wow, you two sure are close! Is that how you treat him since he’s your only apostle?”
The youthful voice belonged to a boy with dark blue hair. He wore an outfit so extravagantly decorated that it bordered on bizarre. His six layers of necklaces were made from various gemstones, and he wore two massive gemstone rings on each finger.
As the saying went, even the most expensive jewelry looked ugly when worn in such a clueless manner. However, the boy’s perfectly sculpted face erased any trace of vulgarity.
Vega's eyes widened in shock as she muttered the boy’s name, “Deneb?”
He was the Celestial of Cygnus, one of the three Celestials known as the North Star.