A tide of silver light rose majestically.

Unlike Kwon Oh-Jin’s Milky Way, no raging waves or streaks of blue lightning flashed between the silver particles. Instead, it was calm like a windless lake.

Like a drizzle falling at dawn, the land around them slowly became bathed in silver.

Mobius faintly laughed as he gazed at the silver waves blanketing the ground. “You actually deployed your Sacred Ground.”

The Black Heaven allowed him to resist the Law’s restrictions to some extent, but Vega had no means of escaping it. Though the Law’s restrictions had weakened compared to before, a Celestial still couldn’t just deploy their Sacred Ground without any consequences.

“You know very well what price you’ll have to pay, don’t you, Lady Vega?”

“Of course, I do.”

Her very existence could be annihilated. Even if she avoided disappearing completely due to the weakened restrictions, she would suffer irreversible damage to her Stigma. Her rank as a Celestial would permanently fall.

For beings whose very bodies were made of their Stigma’s mana, such a loss was equivalent to a human losing their limbs. It was possible that she would never be called a North Star Celestial ever again.

“You would give up the seat of the North Star for a mere human?”

Vega smiled faintly and nodded with a bittersweet expression. “That’s rich coming from someone who sacrificed everything for a mere human. Or perhaps, that’s exactly why you can question it.”

With gentle eyes, she placed her hand on Kwon Oh-Jin’s slumped shoulder.

“Being a North Star means nothing if I can’t save my child.”

Even if it meant the complete annihilation of her existence, she would gladly disappear for Kwon Oh-Jin.

Struggling to suppress the raging mana tearing through him after using his Sacred Ground, Kwon Oh-Jin staggered to his feet while panting heavily. “Ve... ga...”

Simply standing caused his battered mana circuits to scream as a searing agony flooded through him.

Kwon Oh-Jin couldn’t just stand by and let Vega sacrifice herself. “No... Don’t...”

He was about to use Open Heaven and risk everything rather than let her disappear from this world.

Vega’s warm hand rested gently on his forehead. “My child, I am sorry for making you bear this burden alone until now.”

Thinking of the crushing pressure and responsibility he had carried as the Heaven-Defying Star made her heart ache.

“Don’t... say... nonsense...”

“Rest for a bit,” Vega said.

She softly flicked his forehead. Kwon Oh-Jin, who had been barely standing, collapsed to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut.

With eyes full of compassion, Vega looked down at him, passed out on the ground, before slowly turning away.

“I shall share the burden you carry.”

She had no grand intention of fulfilling a Celestial’s duty or responsibility. She simply couldn’t bear to watch Kwon Oh-Jin suffer alone any longer.

It wasn’t a decision born out of reason or logic, but emotion and impulse. If her past self could see her now, she would surely click her tongue at her own foolishness.

It doesn’t matter.

This was happiness beyond comparison compared to those lonely, statue-like years spent in the vast temple because she had met the person who taught her what love even meant.

For his sake, she would pay any price.

“Come forth, Serpent,” Vega said.

Within the calm silver waves, blue lightning began to flare.

Mobius dryly laughed, “Ha... haha.”

Would things have turned out differently if Vega had been there that day when he lost Eve?

“It’s all meaningless speculation...”

The Black Heaven’s clouds spread violently and tore through the silver waves.

Rumble!

“In the end, you’ll understand too... The pain of losing a child right before your eyes. The wretched, helpless despair of being unable to do anything. Just as I did.”

Mobius stomped forward with a thunderous step and launched himself ahead.

Boom!

White serpents slithered up his raised arm, coiling together and merging into a dazzling white sword. The sword, over a hundred meters long, settled into his grasp. The Black Heaven’s clouds gathered around the blade raised toward the sky.

Rumble, rumble!

The blade shone proudly like moonlight in the foggy sky. That brilliant blade of white light cleaved through the silver wave and came crashing down.

Vega smiled faintly as she gazed at the descending white blade cutting through her silver waves. “What a beautiful sword strike, but...”

She snapped her fingers.

Blue lightning flared between the silver waves and instantly consumed the white blade. Even the black clouds surrounding it dissolved into mist from the searing lightning.

“It would have been even more beautiful without those dark clouds,” she said.

The lightning traveled up the blade and struck Mobius. “Kugh...!”

He laughed in disbelief. Even under the Law’s restrictions, which prevented her from unleashing her full power, she was still this strong?

As expected of a North Star Celestial.

That didn’t mean he was out of options.

“Sacred Ground Deployment, Dark Moon.”

Mobius redeployed the Sacred Ground that Kwon Oh-Jin had torn apart. The shadow beneath his feet spread out like a curtain, blanketing Vega’s silver tide. On top of that, dense black clouds poured out from the shadows.

Rumble.

The Black Heaven’s clouds surged forth like ravenous beasts, devouring the silver tide and consuming Vega’s Sacred Ground. His Sacred Ground had fused with the Black Heaven just as Kwon Oh-Jin had infused his lightning with the Black Heaven’s power.

Mobius pressed down on Vega’s Sacred Ground. “No matter how powerful you are, Lady Vega, even you won’t be able to withstand this.”

The Black Heaven’s clouds could absorb mana and was practically poison to any Celestial.

Now that he had combined that power with his Sacred Ground, capable of altering space itself, its destructive potential went beyond comprehension. To a Celestial, this shadowed Sacred Ground of his was like a roaring inferno, inescapable and agonizing.

“You’ll vanish from this world right before your child—Agh!”

Of course, infusing the Black Heaven’s clouds into his Sacred Ground did not come without a cost. Those same clouds devoured his own Stigma’s mana, tearing apart his Sacred Ground from within as well.

“Haa... haa!”

Mobius was burning his own body as fuel like a madman feeding the fire with his soul. As big as the price was, his power was undeniable.

The black clouds pouring from the shadows swallowed the silver tide, making it all the way to Vega.

Just then, Vega commanded, “Be gone.”

The silver tide blazed brilliantly. The waves of light, which had been consumed by the Black Heaven’s clouds, erupted through the darkness.

Vega hadn’t used a special technique nor some grand spell. She had merely released more power. That alone completely burned away the black clouds devouring her Sacred Ground.

Mobius could only hollowly laugh.

“Ha...”

He knew North Star Celestials were incredibly powerful, but this was on another level.

“You’re insane.”

To repel the Black Heaven, a power completely opposite to hers, with just her Stigma's mana was like trying to extinguish a wildfire with dry straw. A reckless act like that could have easily made the Black Heaven’s clouds even stronger, yet she had done it effortlessly.

The overwhelming sight could smother even the deepest vengeance.

Vega’s expression twisted in pain as she drove out the clouds through her Sacred ground. “Urgh...”

She had managed to dispel them with her overwhelming power, but the Law’s restrictions struck her like chains dragging her down.

“You’re reaching your limit, aren’t you, Lady Vega?”

The Law’s restrictions bound her while Mobius was free of it. She would obviously fall first if their battle dragged on.

“I will... trample on your noble sacrifice.”

Though Mobius had also overextended his power and couldn’t immediately attack again, he wasn’t fighting alone. He had allies, devoted Celestials who would burn their own Stigmas to deploy their Sacred Grounds if he commanded it.

Mobius snapped his fingers. “Now, grant this suffering goddess her rest.”

The Black Star Celestials, who had been fighting the other Awakeners, all turned toward Vega.

Rumble!

Black clouds poured out from them toward Vega.

“Argh...!”

As the other Black Star Celestials joined in, the once-radiant silver tide began to fade.

At this rate...

Even as a North Star Celestial, she couldn’t hold back their combined attacks while bound by the Law’s restrictions.

Vega’s gaze turned toward Kwon Oh-Jin. “My... child.”

She bit her lip as she looked at him, unconscious on the ground.

I’m sorry.

Taking a step forward, Vega drew out every last drop of her Stigma’s mana. Just as the storming Black Heaven’s clouds were about to completely engulf her, a fierce blizzard swept across the battlefield and scattered the black clouds.

“Sacred Ground Deployment, Snowfield.”

“Deneb...?” Vega asked.

The Celestial of Cygnus stepped forward. “Hmph. You always have to be the main character, don’t you?”

Spica, the Celestial of Virgo, flew in with a bright smile. “Sorry! I was a bit late getting the others to safety!”

The Celestial of Leo and Taurus walked up, their Stigma glowing brilliantly.

“Woo-Hyuk, that’s enough.”

“Hahaha! That’s a fight worthy of a man, Sakaki!”

The Celestials who had kept their heads low and eyes averted followed behind them. One by one, they all gathered around Vega.

“Lady Vega is right.”

“Just as we have changed, so should the Law.”

“We can’t just stand by and watch again like last time.”

Vega’s eyes trembled as she looked at the Celestials surrounding her. “You all...”

Deneb chuckled and patted Vega’s shoulder. “What, you think you’re the only one willing to sacrifice for your child?”

“‘If you truly cherish your bond with your children, then please stand with me.’ Wasn’t that what you said? You think we can just sit back after hearing that? What would our own children think of us then?”

Deneb continued expanding his Sacred ground even as the Law’s restrictions took hold, and his face twisted in pain.

“Come on, let’s show our children clearly...”

Brilliant starlight burst forth from the gathered Celestials.

“The reason we are called Celestials.”

The surging starlight tore through the dark sky.