Chapter 164: Next (2)
A massive hologram floated above the vast arena.
Vega’s face appeared on the screen as she scanned the Celestials in the stands and coldly glared at Deneb.
Following Vega’s gaze, Kwon Oh-Jin also looked toward Deneb’s location.
So those are Deneb’s apostles.
Deneb sat in a luxurious chair with a line of ten men and women standing behind him. Of his twelve apostles, two belonging to the Seven Stars were absent. Whether they had other matters to attend to or simply thought this wasn’t worth their time was unclear. Among the Seven Stars, only Allen Oskal showed up.
Well, I guess everyone doesn’t need to be here.
After all, Kwon Oh-Jin only needed to defeat three of Deneb’s twelve apostles. Deneb had declared that he wouldn’t use any of the Seven Stars, so all twelve disciples didn’t need to be present.
Let’s see...
Activating the Stigma of Canes Venatici, Kwon Oh-Jin carefully examined the ten apostles behind Deneb. As expected of those who had inherited Stigmas of the North Star, they released an incredibly strong scent of mana that made his nose sting.
While Kwon Oh-Jin scanned them, Deneb’s apostles also eyed him with interest.
“Is that him? The Thunder Wolf?”
“He doesn’t seem all that impressive for being the Weaver’s apostle.”
“Right? His energy feels pretty ordinary too.”
Their expressions showed slight disappointment at Kwon Oh-Jin’s uncharacteristic appearance.
“Well, I heard he’s only been an Awakener for a year.”
“But is reaching seven stars in one year even possible? What if he’s lying about it?”
“Guess we’ll find out soon enough.”
Deneb’s apostles chatted while scanning Kwon Oh-Jin up and down.
“Silence,” Oskal ordered in an icy tone.
The apostles flinched and immediately fell silent.
“The match is about to begin. Stay focused so you don't bring disgrace to Lord Deneb’s reputation.”
“Y-Yes.”
Following Allen’s command, Deneb’s apostles sealed their lips tightly and focused on their mana.
As a silent tension built between Kwon Oh-Jin and Deneb’s apostles, a voice echoed out.
“Testing, testing. Can everyone hear me?”
It was Spica, the Celestial of Virgo. She soared into the air and twirled gracefully above the arena. Bringing her mouth close to the orb in her hand, she spoke in her characteristically lively voice.
“Hello, everyone! I’m Spica, your host for today’s proxy battle!”
Her frivolous tone made it hard to believe that she was a Celestial of the twelve Zodiacs. Her fluffy pink hair bounced up and down as she soared in the air, making her carefree demeanor even more endearing.
“Today’s proxy battle is between Lady Vega and Lord Deneb! It’s a match between North Star apostles!”
Her cheerful announcement was met with thunderous cheers from the Celestials. This was a proxy battle between Celestials of the North Star. There wasn’t a single Celestial who wouldn’t be excited by such a rare high-stakes match.
“The rules are simple! If Lady Vega’s apostle defeats three of Lord Deneb’s twelve apostles, he claims victory!”
Murmurs spread through the crowd after hearing the rules.
“Three of them?”
“Hmm... Isn’t that a bit too much? Taking down even one would be tough.”
Although they had all heard about the rapid growth of the Weaver’s apostle, the general consensus was that the Thunder Wolf was still no match for Deneb’s twelve apostles. To defeat not just one, but three of them in succession? That was an excessively harsh condition.
“It was decided in this manner to balance things out since Lady Vega only has one apostle!”
“Well... I guess the number of apostles does matter.”
“Even so, three seems a bit much, doesn’t it?”
While not entirely convinced, the Celestials hesitantly nodded. The number of apostles was a significant factor in determining divine power, so it couldn't be criticized as entirely unfair.
“Alright! Before we begin, would both Celestials please step forward?”
Deneb gracefully leapt from his seat and landed lightly on the ground. Vega, her silver dress shimmering, walked elegantly toward the center of the arena.
Spica, who had been speaking playfully until now, wore a serious expression as she looked at both of them.
“Please swear by the name of the stars that you will approach this proxy battle with a pure heart and accept the result no matter the outcome.”
“I swear.”
“I swear.”
A blue light emanated from Vega and Deneb, intertwining as they pledged.
Woong!
“Both of you understand that after this proxy battle, all lingering emotions between you must be put to rest, correct?”
Vega and Deneb nodded.
With a bright smile, Spica flew high into the air.
“Alright! Let’s not drag this out any longer and get started, shall we? First up, in the blue corner! Lady Vega’s one and only apostle! Known as the Thunder Wolf, Awakener Kwon Oh-Jin!”
Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap, clap, clap!
Amid the applause, Kwon Oh-Jin walked up onto the arena.
All the Celestials' eyes fixed on him, excited to see what kind of performance he would showcase as the Weaver’s apostle.
“Now, for the red corner! The youngest of Deneb’s twelve apostles! Famous for being known as the Silver Sword, Liu Yihao!”
A young man with snow-white skin lightly pushed off the railing and descended gracefully like a swan.
With his hand resting on the hilt of the sword at his waist, Liu Yihao slowly stepped onto the arena.
Once on stage, Liu Yihao shot a sharp gaze at Kwon Oh-Jin. “I heard that you’re a seven-star. Is that true?”
“Yeah. I reached it about a month or two ago,” Kwon Oh-Jin replied with a nod.
Hearing that, Liu Yihao quietly sighed in awe. “A month or two ago... That’s certainly hard to believe.”
It had only been about a year since news spread that Vega had gained an apostle, and yet he had already reached seven stars.
Of course, Kwon Oh-Jin had inherited a much deeper Stigma than others as her only apostle. Nonetheless, reaching seven stars within a year was a remarkable achievement.
“But you know, not all seven-star Awakeners are the same,” Liu Yihao said.
Liu Yihao had already reached seven stars quite a while ago. Naturally, a gap would exist between them, especially since both of them bore North Star Stigmas.
Kwon Oh-Jin smirked and nodded.
“Of course.”
Liu Yihao chuckled softly at Kwon Oh-Jin’s relaxed demeanor, not showing the slightest hint of nervousness.
“It seems you've grown quite arrogant after facing Awakeners with lesser Stigmas.” Liu Yihao nodded as if he understood that feeling. “I was like that in the beginning as well, filled with pride watching Awakeners with higher stars fall so easily.”
His gaze grew distant as if reminiscing.
Then, he deeply sighed and shook his head. “But, I realized there was another sky above the one I knew.”
“Are you a literature major or something?”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Nothing. Keep going.”
Slightly annoyed by the interruption, Liu Yihao frowned before continuing again. “I realized the truth when I met Sir Allen. Everything I knew until then had been nothing but a mere illusion.”
Liu Yihao’s arrogance had inevitably stemmed from possessing a North Star Stigma, but Allen’s incredible swordsmanship instantly shattered it.
“Soon enough, you will come to realize that as well.”
Liu Yihao looked at Kwon Oh-Jin with gentle eyes as if observing a child, and finally took a stance.
Spica descended to the center of the arena and asked brightly, “Alright! Are both of you ready?”
Kwon Oh-Jin took out a metal rod from his waist and transformed it into a spear, nodding in response.
Liu Yihao also placed his hands together in a respectful martial salute and bowed deeply.
“Great! Looks like you're both ready!”
Spica clapped and spread her arms wide. A pink glow emanated from her, spreading across the entire arena.
Woong!
“I’ve created a Sacred Ground just in case! But remember, there’s no healing effect. Keep that in mind!” Spica said with a bright smile. “The match ends when one of you loses consciousness or becomes unable to fight! Or if either of you admits defeat!”
Raising her index finger like a teacher explaining to her students, she emphasized the rules.
“Of course, since we’re inside the Sacred Ground, you won’t die... Still, you have to end it without killing each other, okay?”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Liu Yihao said.
“Alright,” Kwon Oh-Jin said.
Although this was a proxy battle meant to resolve conflicts between Celestials, a brutal bloodbath would leave behind unwanted animosity. To prevent such lingering grudges, they were encouraged to approach the battle as a spar rather than a fight to the death.
But who knows what will happen?
Knowing they wouldn’t die inside the Sacred Ground, it was impossible to predict how far they would actually go during the fight.
“Alright! Remember, the ultimate goal of this proxy battle is to settle the discord between the Celestials!” Spica flew high into the air once again. “Let the match begin!”
Pink streams of light shot into the sky like fireworks.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The Celestials in the stands burst into applause and cheers.
Liu Yihao slowly drew his sword from the sheath on his waist.
“Hmmm.”
True to his Silver Sword nickname, his weapon gleamed a graceful silver. The moment he unsheathed his sword, a frosty white energy swirled around him. Liu Yihao looked at Kwon Oh-Jin with a gentle smile.
“In matters of hierarchy between Awakeners, seniority may not be that important, but...”
He lowered his sword slightly.
“As your senior, I will allow you to make the first move.”
“Really?”
Offering the first move in a duel was a blatant display of disrespect toward the opponent, but there was no reason to refuse.
Kwon Oh-Jin smirked and crouched low.
“Well then, I’ll go ahead and attack first.
Lightning Charge.
Crackle.
Lightning concentrated around his legs so tightly that it gave the illusion of his legs themselves turning into bolts of blue lightning.
“Indeed, I can sense the powerful energy befitting the Stigma of the North Star.” Liu Yihao stared at Kwon Oh-Jin with shocked eyes.
Kwon Oh-Jin made eye contact with Liu Yihao.
You shouldn’t be surprised just yet.
Lightning Charge. Lightning Charge. Lightning Charge. Lightning Charge.
The lightning coiled around his legs condensed five consecutive times. With a bright smile, Kwon Oh-Jin sprang up from his crouched position, and a single streak of blue lightning sliced through the area.
Crackle!
Liu Yihao, who had been standing there with an arrogant expression, was in sheer disbelief.
“What the?”
Before he could even react, Kwon Oh-Jin had already appeared right in his face.
Grabbing Liu Yihao’s face with his right hand, Kwon Oh-Jin’s foot swept Liu Yihao’s back foot at the same time. As Liu Yihao’s leg lifted off the ground and he began to fall back, Kwon Oh-Jin slammed him straight into the ground.
Boom!
A thick cloud of dust rose. Within the shattered arena, Liu Yihao lay unconscious with his eyes rolled back.
The Celestials all froze, unable to grasp what had just occurred.
“What?” Even Vega felt stunned.
“W-What just happened?”
“What in the world...?”
Kwon Oh-Jin slowly stood up and turned away from Liu Yihao. He looked over at Deneb, whose mouth hung wide open in shock.
Casually, Kwon Oh-Jin flicked his fingers in their direction.
“Next.”