Chapter 163: Next (1)

Chapter 163: Next (1)

Ohjin moved to the promised location with Vega and Riak.

Following the long road made of starlight, they could see an incredibly wide plaza the size of four to five soccer fields combined.

"So there was a place like this in the sanctum."

It wasn't even on the map at the sanctum's entrance.

The scene of the spacious plaza looked like it was taken straight out of Greek mythology and overwhelmed Ohjin.

Just because it was a plaza didn't mean that there were stores selling various items or merchants wandering around.

There were statues that looked extremely realistic lined up on the wide road, and there was a circular building at the end that looked like a colosseum.

[Humans are essentially not allowed to enter this place.]

"Then do celestials meet up here?"

[Hmm. Not quite. There is another separate location celestials mainly use to gather.]

"Hmm."

'Then what is this place used for?'

Riak opened his mouth as Ohjin looked around with curiosity.

"This place is mainly used for when star spirits or celestials want to duel against each other"

"Celestials dueling against each other?"

Ohjin looked back at Riak with a surprised expression.

Celestials weren't some hooligans, but surprisingly, they measured their strength in single combat.

"Disputes amongst celestials are common occurrences, after all."

Well, even if they were celestials, their mentality wasn't all that different from a human's.

For example, even recently, there was friction between Deneb and Vega when they were supposedly grand beings called 'North Stars'.

Even so, Ohjin couldn't have imagined that transcendents like celestials would solve their disputes by duking it out.

"Eh, excluding celestials with low divinity, there are historically only a few cases of celestials fighting each other directly."

"Then...?"

"They normally use proxy matches. Each sends out a star spirit that has received a part of their soul to determine the victor."

"Oho."

'So that's why such an arena was made.'

As an analogy, celestials were like nobles in the medieval era. It was similar to how nobles would conduct proxy matches using their knights to solve disputes amongst each other.

"Then I guess you could also call my fight with Deneb's apostles a proxy match."

"That's correct."

It was quite an interesting fact.

Celestials solving disputes in the form of something called proxy matches...

'I never knew that celestials fought amongst themselves this much.'

Humans imagined celestials to be gods like Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades from Greek mythology. They thought that they normally laughed all day long in their peaceful sanctuaries. Never would they have imagined that they fought behind the scenes.

'I guess disputes amongst Greek gods were also quite common when I think about it now.'

Whether it was gods or humans, disputes were bound to happen when intellectuals gathered in one location.

"Looks like I won't have to worry about the arena breaking during the fight if celestials fought there."

"To be accurate, even if it were broken, it would recover instantly."

"Like when we fight in Vega's Sacred Ground?"

Riak nodded his head.

Translator - Maccas

Proofreader - ilafy

* * *

When they were chatting and headed to the arena—

Murmur, murmur—

—they could hear a commotion coming from it.

[Hm...?]

Vega narrowed her eyes.

Even if all of Deneb's twelve apostles were standing by in the arena, the commotion was too loud.

[What's going on?]

As Vega neared the arena's entrance—

"Big sis Vega!! Over here!"

—a clear voice came from within the arena.

"Big sis?"

Ohjin turned his head to face where the voice came from.

A woman with curly pink hair was quickly running to them from the building's entrance.

The woman emitted fresh and clean energy like a newly-budded sprout.

[S-Spica?]

"Long time no see! Has it been a year already? I was worried because you never contacted me after getting an apostle!"

The woman named Spica approached Vega with a sad smile.

'Spica?'

It was a name he had heard before.

Ohjin rummaged through his memories and was able to recall the owner of that name without much difficulty.

'She's the celestial of Virgo.'

It meant that the lively woman who gave off the aura of a university freshman was actually a celestial of one of the 12 Zodiacs.

[What are you doing here?]

Vega looked at Spica like she couldn't understand.

Instead of answering, she tilted her head at Vega's question.

"What am I doing here? I was selected to be the host of the proxy match."

[...Host?]

"Huh, you haven't heard? It's been a month since rumors spread about your proxy match with Deneb's apostles."

[Wh-What?]

Vega's mouth fell open.

She had never told any other celestial that there was a duel between Ohjin and Deneb's apostles.

The fact that rumors were going around when she never said a word could only mean...

[Deneb, you dare...!]

Vega clenched her fists as her expression heavily distorted.

"Huh, you've only just arrived. You're a bit late."

A boy's humorous voice came from the arena's upper section.

Deneb stood atop the wall's that were as high as a castle's.

Vega glared daggers at Deneb and shouted out.

[Explain!]

"Explain? Wouldn't it be a waste to have no spectators for a duel amongst North Stars' apostles?"

Deneb crossed his arms and smirked.

Even though he spoke of it that way, it was easy to notice his true intentions.

'So he wants to humiliate Vega in front of the other celestials.'

—The apostle the Star of the Weaver Girl obtained through several years of effort...

Deneb was trying to boast to other celestials by showing how Ohjin would lose miserably to his apostles.

'His thought process really is like a little child's.'

Ohjin let out a smirk.

It seemed that Vega was surprised, as she hadn't expected Deneb to go so far, but...

'It's just as I thought.'

As long as Deneb's goal was to humiliate Vega, Ohjin knew he would try to do something underhanded.

[...Deneb. No matter how shameless you are, I didn't think you'd fall so low.]

Cold killing intent started to leak out of Vega.

She grabbed Ohjin's hand and turned around.

[Let's pretend like the bet never happened.]

"Hmm. Are you running away? The great Star of the Weaver Girl?"

[Think of it as you will,] Vega answered coldly and faced away.

If the match was only about herself and Deneb, even if Ohjin lost, the matter would end with her having to endure a certain amount of disgrace.

However, with other celestials getting involved, both Vega and Ohjin would have to receive mockery.

'I cannot permit such a thing.'

Ohjin was the Heaven-defying Star. A hero born with the destiny to save the world.

When it was time for him to lead the charge against the upcoming doom, the frame of being a 'loser' would leave others with a negative image of him.

"Is it really okay for you to run? There are hundreds of celestials in the stands awaiting your arrival."

[...]

"I think the humiliation of defeat will be much better than running away."

[...You bastard.]

Vega chewed her lips with a nervous expression.

As Deneb said, the results wouldn't be all that different even if Vega took Ohjin away with her.

All that would change was the title of 'loser' turning into 'coward'.

"It's okay."

[B-But!]

"Didn't I tell you? I'm going to win."

[...]

Vega shut her lips tight.

Naturally, she trusted Ohjin's talent and abilities, but he was a sprout that had only awakened a year prior.

'Even if my child is a Regressor, having to face not one, but three of Deneb's apostles is...'

You couldn't solve an absolute shortage of time through 'Regression'.

Even if you were to remake an account on an RPG game you enjoyed, no matter how profound your knowledge of that game was, it didn't mean that you could achieve a high level right away.

"Hmpf. If you're that confident, don't run away and hurry up inside."

Deneb looked down from the top of the walls and beckoned Ohjin with his fingers.

[...Sigh.]

Vega sighed deeply and turned her body back around to face the arena.

"Um... it seems that there's something going on."

Spica scratched her cheek with an awkward look.

But soon after, her eyes sparkled as she looked at Ohjin.

"He's that famous Lightning Wolf, right? I've heard stories about him a couple of times from my apostles, but it's my first time seeing him like this!"

"Hello, I'm Gwon Ohjin."

"Yeah, yeah! I've heard! You're a lot more handsome than I thought."

Spica's eyes shone as she approached Ohjin, but Vega quietly stepped in and stopped her.

[Don't you already have an Awakener that you claim to be your 'destined person'?]

"Hm? Oh, my..."

Spica's eyes opened wide, and she alternated looking between Vega and Ohjin.

"N-No way, Vega...?"

[It's not the kind of relationship you're imagining.]

"Kyaa! No way! Are you really that stone-cold big sister?!"

[Didn't I say that that isn't it?!]

Vega blocked Spica's both with panic.

'Destined person?'

Ohjin tilted his head while looking at the two of them.

After barely escaping from Vega's hands, Spica had a thick smile on her face.

"Sorry, sorry. I was surprised since it's something I could've never imagined.

[A-Ahem.]

"Hmm. So big sis Vega got that kind of apostle, huh..."

Spica nodded her head like it was interesting.

She lightly tapped Ohjin's shoulder and smiled.

"I'll leave her in your care~! She isn't the best at expressing emotion, but that's also one of her cute charms."

[Be quiet.]

"Hehehe."

Ohjin was surprised by how close they were.

'I didn't think that Vega had a celestial she was this close with.'

It was something Ohjin never thought of, as Vega spoke of other celestials very rarely until then.

"I can't be on anyone's side since I'm the host, but I'll still be rooting for you in my heart!"

Spica, who had appeared like a storm, sprinted back into the arena.

[Haa. Seriously... why are there only beings that have no dignity as celestials.]

Vega sighed deeply and faced Ohjin.

[Ahem. Anyways, pay no heed to the words 'destined person' mentioned by Spica just now.]

"It's bothering me quite a lot."

[Didn't I tell you to pay it no heed?!]

"Haha. Alright, alright."

He laughed and went with Vega into where the match would take place.

There was an arena exceeding 100 square meters surrounded by grandstands inside of the circular structure that looked like a colosseum.

Murmur, murmur—

The spectators that were seated in advance started to make a commotion with Ohjin's appearance.

He could hear mutters such as, 'So he's that apostle of Vega,' and 'Looks like he'll get put in his place today.'

Ohjin leaked a chuckle while looking at the celestials filling the stands.

'Looks like everyone has nothing to do.'

Well, there wasn't much that a celestial could do inside the sanctum.

As they had their freedom taken away by the Commandment's Restriction, there was probably nothing more entertaining than 'proxy matches'.

'Even more so if that proxy match is a fight between the apostles of North Stars.'

Ohjin entered the arena while receiving the attention of hundreds of celestials.

"Thank you all for gathering in this spot here today!!!" Deneb shouted out while he got up from his high spot with the greatest view of the arena.

He spread his arms out as he looked around at the celestials that filled the stands.

"I'm sure everyone knows that Vega was recently able to finally find an apostle!"

Deneb smirked and looked at Ohjin.

"I'm sure all of you have been curious as to what kind of person Vega's apostle is. You'll be able to confirm it today on this spot."

He raised his hands up high.

"Now, everyone, please enjoy the show!"

Snap!—

With the snapping of his fingers, a huge hologram appeared high up in the middle of the colosseum.

The hologram displayed a close-up of Vega's stiff expression

"The show of Vega's hope getting crushed!!!"

Deneb's clear laughter rang out in the arena.