A cold silence fell in the room, and every uneasy gaze fixed on Kwon Oh-Jin.

He frowned as if to say, “What nonsense are you talking about?”

“What won’t happen?” he asked.

Song Ha-Eun shifted her head aside, mumbling awkwardly, “Well... it’s just, you know...?”

No way. Was she seriously worried he would try to seduce a married woman with a kid?

“Good grief, woman. What kind of nonsense is this?” Kwon Oh-Jin chuckled in disbelief and flicked Song Ha-Eun on the forehead.

Smack!

“Hey, why!? Isn’t it something to be at least a little worried about?!” Song Ha-Eun shouted.

“Do you think I’ve lost my mind enough to seduce a married woman with a child?!”

“But they said she’s widowed!”

“And what on earth does that have to do with anything?”

“Well... you know, you could ‘fill the void left by her late husband’ kinda thing!”

What, did she think he was starring in some cheap domestic adult film?

“Haa. I might have a past record, but I’m not the kind of lunatic you’re imagining. Stop worrying about that.”

“For real?”

“If I’m lying, I’ll cut it off.”

He didn’t specify what he’d cut.

“U-Uh, t-that’s...” Vega stuttered.

“From my perspective, that’ll be a bit of a problem, you know...” Song Ha-Eun said.

“Huh?”

Why are you making it sound like I am lying?

“Enough nonsense. Let’s get ready to head to the Sanctum.” Kwon Oh-Jin shook his head.

“You don’t need information on the other Seven Stars?” Cassia asked.

“I’ll hear it on the way.”

He already knew about Allen, Rebecca, and Baek Mu-Kang. The other two were Bianca Bennett, aka Alioth, and Edward Walton, aka Dubhe. Even if those two didn’t have the power to command entire armies, they were each incredibly strong as members of the Seven Stars.

I need to gather all the power of the Seven Stars together.

With the extent of Mobius’s power still unclear, he had to rally every force he could.

***

Normally, the streets would bustle with Awakeners and merchants catering to them in front of the Sanctum at Hongdae. However, it was now deserted and so quiet that an ant couldn’t even be found.

It must be cordoned off because of the Seven Stars Assembly.

Kwon Oh-Jin glanced at the Association staff stationed around the entrance and walked forward.

From afar, the gorilla—no, Han Jun-Man, came jogging over. “You’re here!”

“Yes. Is the Association blocking off the entrance?”

“It would be disastrous if a terrorist happened to appear where the Seven Stars are meeting.”

“Ah... I guess.”

The real disaster would be for the terrorists, not the Seven Stars. Either way, minimizing unnecessary noise during such a meeting was critical. They couldn’t afford any distractions.

“Let’s head inside, Oh-Jin,” Han Jun-Man said.

“Alright.”

“Um... Aside from Lady Vega, the others will need to wait outside during the meeting. Is that okay?” Han Jun-Man looked at Cassia, Isabella, and Song Ha-Eun.

Song Ha-Eun frowned at the idea of waiting outside. “What? We can’t even just watch quietly?”

“No. Given the importance of the matter... Even as Oh-Jin’s escort, I myself must wait outside as well.”

“Tsk.” Song Ha-Eun folded her arms, clearly displeased.

Meanwhile, Isabella narrowed her eyes in confusion. “You said aside from Lady Vega. What do you mean by that?”

“Oh, Celestials may attend as observers. Though they don’t have voting rights.”

“And why are only Celestials allowed?”

Naturally, it felt unfair that Celestials could attend but not escorts.

“Because they’re Celestials...” Han Jun-Man brushed the complaint aside with ease.

Isabella sighed and nodded. “Haa. Alright, we’ll wait outside.”

“I’m sorry...” Vega said.

“You don’t need to apologize, Lady Vega. Please help Mr. Oh-Jin get through the meeting,” Isabella said.

Vega nodded and puffed with determination. “Leave it to me!”

“Then, let’s head to the conference room.”

Led by Han Jun-Man, Kwon Oh-Jin’s group entered the Sanctum.

The conference room appeared to be a Celestial’s temple. Its pink outer walls shimmered with drifting light as if some special effect had been activated.

“This is Spica’s temple,” Vega said.

“Ah...”

That explained it. The dazzling atmosphere felt almost overwhelming. It turned out to be the Celestial of Virgo’s temple.

“Why did they pick this place for the meeting...?”

They chose to hold a conference about Mobius and the demonic beasts that destroyed Italy in a temple that looked like a princess’s castle. It felt as out of place as holding a court trial in an amusement park.

“Which Celestial would so readily vacate their temple just because the Seven Stars wanted to hold an emergency meeting?” 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

“Well, in that sense, Spica’s temple really does fit.”

Knowing Spica’s personality, she would never miss a chance at hosting such a spectacle. She probably happily lent them her temple. In return, she surely bargained for the right to attend the meeting as an observer.

“Well then, Lord Oh-Jin, we’ll wait here.”

“Do well in there, alright?”

“Good luck, Mr. Oh-Jin.”

The three women saw him off as he prepared to enter the conference room.

“See you later, Mom!”

“Didn’t I tell you to call me Commander outside?”

“Ah... F-Forgive me, Commander!”

Kwon Oh-Jin turned his head and saw a young man in a wheelchair. A short silver-haired woman accompanied the young man. Military soldiers stood in perfect rows and columns, lined up as if measured with a ruler, beside the woman wearing a pristine uniform.

“All salute Commander Alina Vladimir!”

“Salute!”

Their crisp movements could’ve been printed in a drill manual. Receiving their salute, the woman turned and entered the temple.

“So she’s Taiyi?” Song Ha-Eun asked.

“Looks like it.” Kwon Oh-Jin watched Alina’s back as she entered without sparing them a glance.

Then, his gaze shifted to the young man in the wheelchair.

The young man shared his mother’s silver hair. Unlike Alina, who radiated the air of a hardened warrior, he looked fragile as if a single push could topple him.

“That man in the wheelchair is the one I mentioned, Alina Vladimir’s son, Alphonse Vladimir,” Cassia said.

“He doesn’t resemble his mother much.”

“A few years ago, he fell ill with some unknown disease, so he can’t walk on his own anymore.”

“Hmm.”

An unknown disease.

Kwon Oh-Jin’s eyes instinctively moved to Cassia. Given her own past of once being confined to a wheelchair by an incurable illness, he wondered if she recognized what afflicted Alina’s son.

Cassia quietly shook her head. “It’s not the same as what I had. My muscles hardened until I couldn’t move, but Alphonse’s condition doesn’t involve that. He just can’t walk properly.”

“Really? And you don’t know what it is?”

“That... I’m sorry. Alina securely protects her son, so I couldn’t find much information on him.”

“No need to apologize.”

After all, thanks to Cassia’s research over the past three months, Kwon Oh-Jin now had enough information to shape a strategy. If anything, he wanted to thank her instead of blaming her for missing details.

“Thanks for everything. You’ve been a big help.” Kwon Oh-Jin faintly smiled and patted her head.

The moment his hand touched her head, Cassia flinched, and her cheeks flushed red. “H-Ha...”

The warmth spreading from his palm seemed to flow from her head to the rest of her body. Her smile seemed to melt as she basked in the warmth of his touch.

Isabella swatted his hand off her sister’s head.

Smack.

“That’s enough, Mr. Oh-Jin. Unless you want my sister going into heat right here.”

“Is this how you should act toward your older sister?” Cassia said.

“Was I wrong, though?”

The sisters began growling at each other.

Kwon Oh-Jin bitterly smiled. “Well then, I’ll be going.”

“We shall gather allies to rescue those taken by Mobius!” Vega said.

Kwon Oh-Jin and Vega headed into the temple together.

***

A woman wearing thick-rimmed glasses stood at the podium. “Before we begin, I thank you all, Seven Stars, for taking the time out of your busy lives to gather here.”

She was the same person who had explained the rules at Kwon Oh-Jin’s previous Seven Stars Assembly.

Adjusting her glasses, she tensely scanned the Seven Stars seated around the round table: Alina Vladimir (Taiyi), Allen Oskal (Mizar), Edward Walton (Dubhe), Rebecca Bell (Phecda), Baek Mu-Kang (Megrez), Bianca Bennett (Alioth), and Kwon Oh-Jin (Alkaid).

Even for her, who had overseen the assembly for many years, all seven had gathered in one place for the first time.

“My name is Olivia. I will be facilitating this meeting on behalf of the assembly.” She bowed at a perfect ninety degrees and set a transparent crystal sphere on the table.

From the Astral Relic, light flowed out and formed an image in the air like a hologram. The projection showed the streets of Rome, engulfed in flames. The Seven Stars' expressions froze at the horrific footage filled with screams and cries.

“The reason we’ve gathered you here today is to discuss the large-scale terrorist attack in Italy and to prepare countermeasures against Mobius, the suspected orchestrator of the attack. First, regarding the incident—”

“Wait.” Alina Vladimir raised her hand and cut off Olivia’s explanation. “Before we begin the formal proceedings, I need to make something clear.” She coldly gazed at the other Seven Stars. “I, Alina Vladimir, along with the China-Russia Alliance, will take no part in this terrorist incident whatsoever.”

Her declaration, sharp as a blade, dropped a chilling weight over the conference room.