CHAPTER 97: ANCIENT CONSTELLATIONS (8)

Park Geon-Woo stumbled backward, his face pale with shock.

“Y-You bastard...”

Before he could draw his mana, Kwon Oh-Jin lunged forward and thrust his spear.

Boom!

“Ugh!” Park Geon-Woo frantically raised his own spear to block the attack.

But there’s no way he can block it, Kwon Oh-Jin thought.

Even with a three-star difference, an Awakener who hadn't activated their Stigma couldn't possibly withstand an attack backed by Exceed.

Kwon Oh-Jin’s charged spear knocked Park Geon-Woo’s weapon out of his hand and carved a deep gash across his chest.

Slash!

“Agh! Kugh!”

Kwon Oh-Jin had aimed directly for his heart, but Park Geon-Woo had twisted just enough at the last moment to avoid instant death.

Kwon Oh-Jin clicked his tongue, disappointed by how quickly his adversary had reacted without any mana. Is he trying to show that he's got the skill to back up his philosophical nonsense? Not that it matters, though.

He smirked coldly, staring at Park Geon-Woo's profusely bleeding chest. The severe injury was nearly life-threatening.

Park Geon-Woo put his hand over his chest with ragged breathing.

“Haa, haa! Y-You lying piece of shit!The King’s Proxy forbade us from harming the Weaver's apostle...” Park Geon-Woo said, seething with rage. “But I can’t forgive you!"

His Stigma started to burn intensely.

Woong!

Kwon Oh-Jin scoffed in response. “Yeah, yeah. Do whatever you want, man.”

“Ugh!” Park Geon-Woo scowled as he kicked off the ground. The wound on his chest tore open further, causing more blood to gush out. “Argh!”

“What's wrong? I thought you said you couldn't forgive me.”

Park Geon-Woo bit his lip as he pressed his trembling hand on the gaping wound. If he kept going, the excessive blood loss would bring him down before long. There were only two options left: run away, or...

Thud!

He slammed his spear into the ground.

“Don’t think this is over yet. Star of the owls, Noctua! Grant your lowly apostle the blessing of the Black Stars!” he cried out loud, spreading his arms wide.

Crack! Crack!

The sickening sound of bones breaking accompanied the sight of Park Geon-Woo’s skin shriveling at an alarming rate.

“Argh! Kugh!”

His teeth turned yellow, and his skin wrinkled like old bark. In the blink of an eye, he looked decades older. Black mana erupted violently from him.

Noctua, the Celestial of Owl Nebula, Kwon Oh-Jin thought.

The transcendent entity known as a Black Star had raised Park Geon-Woo from his dying state.

“Ahh, thank you... Thank you, almighty Noctua,” Park Geon-Woo murmured, his head tilted back as he gazed at the ceiling. “In accordance with the will of the Black Stars...”

Black feathers shot up out of him through his skin, covering him entirely. Beneath the murky, feathered armor, only his dark, gleaming eyes were visible as they glared at Kwon Oh-Jin.

“I will bring down the star of the Weaver right here and now,” he declared before charging forward with tremendous speed.

“Tsk!” Kwon Oh-Jin barely managed to deflect the spear aimed at his throat before quickly retreating to create some distance. He then glared at Park Geon-Woo.

He's fast, incomparable to before. Did he exchange his lifespan for this blessing? No... Calling it a blessing doesn't feel right. It's more like a curse.

Regardless, the fight wasn’t over yet.

“That’s the spirit. It would’ve been too boring if it ended that easily,” Kwon Oh-Jin said, grinning as he spun his spear. The situation had worsened, but he felt more at ease than before.

It’s been a while since I faced someone worth battling. No way I’m wasting this chance.

Reflecting on his journey, he realized that his most explosive progress had come from moments of crisis rather than routine training.

“You seem to be enjoying yourself,” Park Geon-Woo remarked.

Kwon Oh-Jin burst into laughter. “Hahaha! Do I?”

“What are you finding so enjoyable?”

“You see, no amount of training gives me this thrill.”

It was like dancing on a razor's edge—the pounding of his heart echoed in his ears like thunder, sending chills through every cell in him. Only in a life-or-death battle could he savor such intoxicating exhilaration and pleasure.

Park Geon-Woo scoffed. “You’re out of your mind.”

“You’re one to talk.”

Rich, coming from the guy who rambled on about the universe and taiji.

Park Geon-Woo raised his spear and pointed it at Kwon Oh-Jin. “However, this is the end for you.”

Though the Celestial's curse had transformed him into a shriveled old man, he gripped the spear with a picture-perfect stance. “Die.”

“No thanks.”

Clang!

Their spears clashed in clangorous resonance.

Kwon Oh-Jin, empowered by Exceed, and Park Geon-Woo, backed by his "blessing," matched each other in both speed and strength.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Every clash of their metallic spears sent shockwaves reverberating through the entire high-rise building.

As the battle dragged on, Kwon Oh-Jin’s breathing grew more ragged.

“Haa, haa!”

He frowned and created some distance. My mana’s running low.

He had always prided himself on having a mana reserve comparable to high-ranking Awakeners, but Exceed and Lightning Flames consumed it at an alarming rate. The seemingly bottomless well of mana granted by his Stigma was now running dry.

This is like trying to fill a cracked bucket.

Both skills were beyond the ability of a five-star Awakener. Using such advanced techniques came with severe side effects.

“Haaa.”

“Tired already?” Park Geon-Woo asked, appearing perfectly alright.

Kwon Oh-Jin spat on the ground. “Don’t give me that bullshit when you’re relying on a blessing to keep you going.”

Even an eight-star Awakener like Park Geon-Woo should have run out of breath after such intense combat. The only explanation was Noctua’s blessing, which couldn’t even be considered his own strength.

“Khahaha! Then why don’t you also receive the Weaver’s blessing?” Park Geon-Woo asked.

“I’m not desperate enough to rely on my goddess just yet.”

“You’re not desperate?” Park Geon-Woo looked at him with a puzzled expression—his ragged breathing betrayed his claim. “You’re bluffing.”

“You can see for yourself.” Kwon Oh-Jin smirked as he turned around and sprinted toward the shattered window.

“W-What are you doing?!”

“Catch me if you can.” He leaped from the fiftieth floor without hesitation, turning briefly to flip the bird at Park Geon-Woo.

Whoosh!

A thrilling sensation coursed through him as the fierce wind scraped against his cheeks. Countless demonic beasts atop the battlefield of Guro-dong below came into view.

“Hmph!” Kwon Oh-Jin fired his wire shooters at the building walls.

Bang! Bang!

Like Tarsun swinging through a jungle, he zipped between buildings, using the wires to pace himself.

Getting up there would’ve been impossible without Riarc’s help... but coming down's easy with the wire shooters.

Swish! Swish!

He swung between buildings while scanning for his target.

There.

Spotting a mountain of monster corpses, he released his wires and spun gracefully in mid-air, landing with precision.

“Now then...”

He looked up at the distant skyscraper he'd jumped from. I don't expect him to give up the chase. Since he's already traded decades of his lifespan for the blessing, he’ll find a way to follow me. Shall I start with my preparations?

He scanned his surroundings and ensured no one was nearby, then climbed on top of the beast corpses. It was time to use the trump card he had thought of.

Will this actually work? It's possible in theory... The logic checks out. But can I pull this off?

He wondered if it was right to recklessly wield such a vast destructive power, which had once destroyed the entire world before.

He softly chuckled. “Since when have I cared about those things?”

A sly grin spread across his face as he opened his palm.

Just then, black feathers scattered in the air, and Park Geon-Woo appeared before him.

“So, all that bravado about you not being desperate, and then you turn tail?” he asked, his deep voice carrying an undertone of disappointment.

“If I was planning to run, I would’ve headed for where Lee Woo-Hyuk was instead, you stupid cunt.”

Kwon Oh-Jin laughed, pressing his outstretched palm against the sharp blade of his spear. His skin split open, and blood gushed out.

The blood of an Awakener carried the mana of their Stigma, but in Kwon Oh-Jin’s case, it also contained a different kind of power—

The Black Heaven.

Black smoke ceaselessly began to appear from where the blood had pooled, soon engulfing the mountain of demonic beast corpses like a dense cloud blocking out the stars.

“Come to think of it, I forgot to say this,” he muttered.

“Say what...?”

“Thanks for setting up an all-you-can-eat buffet.”

Kwon Oh-Jin's shoulders bounced as he laughed sinisterly. He had never utilized the Black Heaven’s power on such a large scale before.

But I know it'll work.

The Black Heaven didn't require skin-to-skin contact for absorption. If he could spread the black clouds wide enough, he could absorb the Starstones hidden within the pile of corpses all at once.

“Do you know how to fill up a cracked bucket?” he asked.

“... What are you scheming?”

The dark cloud crawled into each corpse, greedily devouring thousands of Starstones one after another.“You just need to chuck the entire bucket into a pool,” Kwon Oh-Jin said. His once-drained mana reserves filled right back up.

Ring!

[Kwon Oh-Jin has absorbed Starstones infused with the power of the Black Stars.]

[A quality adjustment has been applied to the Starstones.]

[The quest ‘The Star-Devouring Sky Demon’ has progressed due to Kwon Oh-Jin's absorption of Starstones.]

[Completion rate: 76.7%]

[Completion rate: 87.2%]

[Completion rate: 94.8%]

[Completion rate: 100%]

Black clouds erupted from the gashes in his hand, spreading outward like a thick fog.

Rumble!

[Kwon Oh-Jin has completed the quest ‘The Star-Devouring Sky Demon.']

[One of the Ancient Constellations stored within the Black Heaven has been randomly acquired.]

The vivid blue message window shimmered in the darkness like a twinkling star.