I'm not a Regressor

Chapter 243: Baptism of Stars (5)

Ohjin turned and exited the spring that flowed with starlight instead of water. Still naked, he quickly put on his clothes and looked back at the Milky Way Spring. I absorbed so much, but its not even noticeable.

Both his body and soul (even though he hadnt been responsible for the soul part) had absorbed the mana within the spring, but it still shone as brilliantly as when hed first seen it. Just how much mana did it contain? Even for him and his power of the Black Heaven, it was simply overwhelming.

Will I be able to absorb that much mana fully if I completely awaken the Black Heaven one day? I guess everyone would know I have the Black Heaven if I did something like that, though.

He made a wry smile and shook his head. Maybe it was because he hadnt encountered something he couldnt absorb with the Black Heaven so far, but he felt oddly competitive. Ohjin tried to push those useless thoughts away and swept his hair from his eyes.

Polaris raised his head and looked up at the sky. [Now it's time.] The celestials body gradually faded and melted back into the Milky Way Spring as his voice faintly resonated through the area. [May your road be filled with bright stars.]

The other celestials silently looked at Ohjin. After learning of his identity as the Heaven-defying Star and hearing his title of the Star of Twinkling Brilliance, they couldnt help but feel awkward.

Everyone looks confused. Vegas calm voice broke the awkward silence, and she looked at the other celestials as she continued to speak. First of all, I hope you keep the things that happened here a secret.

"Didn't you say something about revealing yourself?" Deneb looked grim, his arms crossed.

Nothing good can come from revealing it to everyone, Vega replied.

"That's that's true," Deneb agreed. Even if others knew Ohjin was the Heaven-defying Star, there was no need to try spreading the information. "The baptism is over, so I'm off." He turned and trudged over to the exit fissure, giving off an atmosphere of heavy emotion from the shock of what hed learned.

Spica hopped over and poked Ohjin on the shoulder. "Hey, hey, can I ask you a question?"

Ohjin, who was drying his water-soaked hair, nodded.

"Do you know what will happen to me and my children in the future?"

Vega frowned and tried to pull Spica away. Stop it.

"Oh, why?! I'm curious!" Spica shouted.

Meanwhile, Regulus, Aldebaran, and Ari also gave Ohjin curious looks. They wanted to know what the future held as well.

"A-ahem

Im also quite curious.

There was only one thing Ohjin could say in such a situation Everyone was eaten by the Heavenly Demon. He didnt know if it was true or not, but it wasnt hard to imagine what the future held if the first time around had gone according to prophecy.

The celestials frowned at his answer.

"Oh well, I see."

"Hmm. My children are one thing, but even I was eaten by the darkness?"

It was quite a shocking revelation. If someone had told Ohjin he would die soon, he wouldve probably responded similarly.

"It will be different this time," Ohjin said, looking back at them. "Ill make sure of it."

"Oh, my." Ari approached him with a deep smile across her face. "I thought you were a cute puppy, but you were a reliable wolf!" As she got closer, she gently embraced his arm.

Squish

Something pressed against his arm. For a moment, he looked down and saw two soft mountains enshrouded in fields of fluffy wool.

Ahem! Vega pulled her away. Aren't you tired?

Ohjin tried to respond. "I'm not very ti

The baptism of stars is physically and mentally tiring. She dragged him by the arm back toward the fissure. Realizing what was happening, he gave her a bitter smile and followed her. After some time, Vega looked back behind them to see if any of the others were behind them. Spica is one thing, but dont get involved with the Celestial of Aries.

I wasnt planning on doing so, Ohjin said. What makes you say that, though? Was there an unsettling rumor or something? Has she been secretly communicating with the Black Star Celestials? Such a thing wasnt impossible. No matter how transcendent celestials were, they werent much different from humans when it came to their emotions.

Conflict, rejection, reconciliation, love The transcendents' sanctuary was like a miniature version of human society. That being the case, it only made sense for traitors to also exist. He gave Vega a nervous look.

In response, Vega desperately shouted, A-arent they big?!

What?

Vega put her hands to her waist and gave him a stern look. Anyway! You can't talk to the Celestial of Aries!

"I will obey your order, Lady Vega." Ohjin smirked and turned away. If thats all, then Ill be going now.

Get home safely, she said.

After their brief goodbye, he found himself on a familiar, gray street.

* * *

* * *

Onlookers and reporters gathered like clouds around the entrance, perhaps due to the rumors that Ohjin was being baptized.

"I heard the Lightning Wolf is going to be baptized today."

"Whats his title going to be?"

"Wouldnt it be something like Dog Star?"

"Man, that's not part of the Big Dipper."

Black Curtain. Ohjin hid his presence and escaped through the crowd. It wouldve been better for him to agree to a light interview to bolster his image as a hero, but he had more important things to do.

Taang!

He quickly returned home using his wire shooters and opened the front door. Since the living room was empty, he had no clue where Ha-eun was.

"Haa" Ohjin sat in the center of the living room, took a deep breath, and slowly closed his eyes. It said the transmission was delayed due to the overflowing mana. If that was the case, then things would probably proceed once his mana calmed down.

He turned his attention inward and felt the mana from his stigma surging through his mana circuit like a river on the brink of flooding. For the next two hours, he calmed the raging river by guiding the overflowing mana into the Black Heaven.

-Tiring!

[Awakener Lee Shinhyuks memory has been successfully inherited.]

His vision twisted as he saw the message he had been waiting for.

* * *

Haa, haa! Shinhyuk was panting hard, and the ground shook as rocks cascaded like rain.

This Ohjin has seen the place before. Isnt this the Dragons Resting Ground? It was the dungeon hidden in Mount Baekdu where Cheon had tried to obtain the Dragons Heart,

D-damn it! Shinhyuk cursed when he came to a crossroad, and the cave continued to crumble around him.

"Shinhyuk! We're running out of time! We have to go save the guild leader!" Kim Sunyoung, the vice-leader of Valhalla, urged from the side.

B-but my n-noona!" he tried to argue.

"Its too late for Ha-eun! The Pseudo Star Organizations officers are already at the resting ground!

"That's" Shinhyuk's eyes shook.

"We have to hurry and get out! The guild leader is alone, holding off both the owl and the seahorse factions!" Sunyoung, who usually led the Valhalla guild with cool judgment and instructions, had devolved into hysterical shouting.

"But b-but." Shinhyuks eyes trembled as he looked down the path toward the resting ground. If he ran to Ha-eun, then maybe just maybe even if it was a one in ten thousand chance Wouldnt he be able to save her?

Couldnt he protect her?

"Shinhyuk!" Sunyoung shouted.

Shinhyuk remained stopped in front of the crossroads, unable to move his trembling legs.

Slap!

His cheeks throbbed with a hot pain.

"Why are you hesitating?" Sunyoungs eyes blazed in anger. "Hes your younger brother! Your only family! She grabbed Shinhyuk by the collar and screamed at him. "How much did Woohyuk sacrifice to protect you?! Are you going to betray him now?!"

"It's because of Ha-eun, right?!" Sunyoung's eyes were filled with contempt. "You know what? Even if you run after her your whole life, Ha-eun will never fall for you."

Stab

The words pierced Shinhyuk's chest, and he silently opened his mouth, unable to come up with an argument. It was just as she saideven though hed gone after her dozens of times, Ha-eun had never even looked at him.

When he borrowed money from Woohyuk and bought her the Dragons Cursed Eye, when he threw himself into the gray to save her from the Pseudo Star Organization, and even when he mustered the courage to confess to her

No matter what he said, no matter what he did, she only had eyes for that guy.

'Why why isn't it me?' He clenched his fists and gritted his teeth.

Creak

That guy, who he didnt even know the name of, passed through his head. That bastard even though he abandoned her and joined the Pseudo Star Organization, she cant stop thinking of him! In exchange for them healing his crippled body, that guy had become the enemys dog and attacked the Guardians.

Of course, even though hed joined them, he was the lowest of the low ranks without a position, but he was undeniably involved with a worldwide terror organization. Wasnt Ha-eun only in danger at the moment because shed left camp to find that guy?

I He was at a crossroads, both physically and metaphorically. The left led to Ha-eun; the right side led to Woohyuk. I! Shinhyuk forced his eyes shut and took a step to the right. "I'm sorry."

As he raced through the crumbling tunnels, he remembered the first time hed met Ha-eun and recalled her reddish-brown hair blowing like a flame in the wind. He remembered how shed hunted monsters without being able to see or use her stigma.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry." He had vowed to protect her, but despite that vow

"I'm sorry noona." Shinhyuk ran toward his brother, leaving Ha-eun to fend for herself.

His apology never reached the person it was meant for.

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