Not A Regressor - Chapter 162

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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I Am Not a Regressor Chapter 162
Cygnus Constellation (3)
“Heh.”
A voice far more subdued than before.
Eyes the color of deep blue-black—matching Deneb’s hair—turned toward me.
“Since you’re going to win anyway, there’s no need for me to tell you what I’ll demand when I lose, right?”
Grit.
He glared at me with bared teeth, his expression savage.
“Just as expected from that Constellation’s Apostle.”
It had always been this way.
Despite bearing the same title of “Polaris,” he had forever been scorned and mocked by others as inferior to Vega and Polaris.
But now, the situation had changed.
Polaris had entered a prolonged seclusion after making a “prophecy” for some reason, and Vega had wasted years unable to find a suitable successor to inherit Lyra Constellation’s stigma.
During that time, Deneb had discovered the most talented individual capable of brilliantly awakening Cygnus Constellation’s stigma and created twelve Apostles.
Of course, it was a woefully insufficient number compared to the other Constellations.
Yet because each of those twelve had demonstrated exceptional talent and grown stronger, his divine authority had risen beyond what it once was.
‘Now… I am the true Polaris.’
Deneb glared at Vega with burning eyes.
Across hundreds, thousands of years of distant time.
Memories of being mocked by other Constellations—that only Polaris and Vega were the true Polaris.
That bitter inferiority had crystallized into hatred, embedding itself deep within his heart.
“Just wait.”
Deneb bit his lip as he glared between Vega and me.
“I’ll make sure you all regret this!!”
Deneb snarled menacingly.
Yet with the appearance of a young boy, his ferocity came across as endearing instead.
It was like watching a hamster bare its teeth and squeak indignantly.
“Stop it, Deneb. You’re embarrassing me.”
“Huh?!”
Allen exhaled a deep sigh, then grabbed the scruff of Deneb’s neck as he stomped his feet and growled as if ready to pounce at any moment.
Deneb dangled limply from Allen’s hand, who possessed an impressive height.
The sight reminded me of Ha-eun teasing a miniaturized Vega, holding her on her palm.
“Let go! Release me, Allen!!”
“Only if you promise to behave.”
“Ugh! B-but did you hear what that bastard said?! He thinks he can beat my precious children without even thinking about it!”
“Yeah, yeah. I heard.”
Allen gently patted Deneb’s back as if soothing a crying child.
Deneb’s face flushed crimson.
“D-don’t!”
Deneb, who had been shrieking while pointing at me, now trembled with tears glistening in his eyes.
“If I do this, what will become of Polaris’s honor…?”
“Don’t worry.”
A faint smile bloomed across a face that had seemed devoid of emotion, mechanical in its coldness.
“You don’t need to concern yourself with honor—Deneb, you’re the greatest Constellation there is.”
“…Allen.”
Deneb sniffled and looked up at Allen with glistening eyes.
I swallowed a hollow laugh as I watched their little comedy unfold.
‘This isn’t quite what I imagined.’
I’d thought Deneb merely looked young in appearance, but watching his behavior now, there was no denying he was genuinely childlike.
When I turned toward Vega, a deep sigh escaped her lips.
[Sigh… No matter how much time passes, you never change, do you?]
“What, you have a problem with that?”
Deneb’s eyes narrowed sharply as he glared at Vega.
Vega shook her head firmly, waving her hand as if shooing away a fly.
[Enough. If we’re done talking, then go on your way.]
“Hmph! You’d better prepare yourself for humiliation a month from now!”
Deneb ground his teeth audibly as he turned to leave.
As Deneb departed, Allen’s cold gaze shifted toward me.
“You seem quite confident.”
“It’s better than whining about defeat before the fight even starts.”
“That may be true, but…”
A sharp killing intent so palpable it seemed to freeze the very air.
“I hope you can distinguish between courage and recklessness.”
“Whether it’s courage or recklessness will become clear once we see the results.”
“If you underestimate the Apostles of Deneb… you will come to regret it.”
With that final warning, Allen turned to follow Deneb out of the Divine Temple.
After Deneb and Allen had departed,
[Why did you accept such an absurd proposal!]
Vega’s rebuke came crashing down.
She grabbed my arm firmly and pulled at it.
[Don’t you know well how formidable the Apostles of Deneb are!]
“Either way, I’m not fighting Allen or the other Seven Stars.”
[Even so!]
Vega bit her lip anxiously.
I understood well enough what she was trying to say.
‘If we’re being honest about the odds of victory, they’re not very high.’
These aren’t just any awakeners—they’re apostles of Polaris, like myself.
This would be fundamentally different from how I’ve easily overwhelmed awakeners with stars one or two ranks higher than my own.
And worse, I need to defeat not one, but three apostles to claim victory.
It was only natural that Vega would be scolding me with such an anxious expression.
But.
‘There’s something Vega and Deneb don’t know.’
That I possess Heukcheon.
Of course, I had no intention of committing the madness of using Heukcheon during a duel that Vega and Deneb would obviously be watching.
But even setting that aside, I had the dragon vein’s mana and the vast reserves of power I’d absorbed through Heukcheon all this time.
Mana quantity, if compared to combat sports, is like basic physical conditioning.
Simply having more stamina doesn’t guarantee victory in a fight, but it’s true that it provides a favorable advantage.
And more than anything else.
“Lacking in divinity? Then I’ll have to fight and tear it away.”
This confrontation was something I couldn’t avoid from the start.
To restore Vega’s lost divinity, I needed Deneb’s divinity.
[That, that is not a matter for you to concern yourself with!]
“Then who should be concerned about it?”
[I shall handle matters regarding divinity myself, so you need not worry.]
“For someone saying there’s no need to worry, your expression looks quite dark.”
[That is….]
Vega’s golden eyes trembled slightly.
She must be searching for some excuse.
“Vega. You protected me before, even prepared to fade away, didn’t you?”
[…It was only natural as your Constellation.]
“Then this should be natural as well.”
If it’s natural for a Constellation to protect her Apostle, then it should be equally natural for an Apostle to protect her Constellation.
[My child….]
Vega trailed off, gazing at me intently.
The sound of my heart beating loudly echoed in my ears.
Fearing she might hear it too, I carefully pressed my hand to my chest, trying to calm my racing heart.
‘…Since when.’
Since when did my heart race at every word he spoke?
Since when did I laugh when he laughed, and cry when he cried?
Since when.
Since when did his image refuse to leave my mind?
[….]
At first, I was simply astonished.
At finding a suitable vessel I’d searched for over years, and at the fact that he was the ‘Star of Defying Heaven’ who could overturn destiny.
Then came admiration.
At the breathtakingly rapid pace of his growth.
At the sight of him struggling fiercely to overturn his fate.
It was like watching a child I’d given birth to grow up, and my heart soared with pride.
‘And then.’
After that.
[A sigh.]
The words Spica had spoken—”the person of destiny”—echoed in my mind.
Those words tangled my thoughts into knots.
Vega gazed at me with eyes brimming with complex emotion.
She exhaled softly and shifted the subject.
[So what exactly are you preparing that you need a month’s reprieve?]
One month remained before the duel with Deneb’s Apostles.
There was only one reason I had demanded this month’s grace period.
“Well, I thought I’d do some basic training in the meantime.”
Heukcheon’s sixth blooming had increased the dragon veins’ mana, and the power of the Lyra Constellation’s stigma had deepened—yet I hadn’t fully mastered either.
‘Even if I have to fight, I should be completely comfortable with this before I do.’
And there was one more thing.
-Crackle!
A blue spark erupted above my palm, taking the form of a dragon.
The dragon’s shape possessed intricate details as if sculpted by a 3D printer.
As I concentrated, the dragon’s form gradually shifted into Ha-eun’s face.
‘This actually works.’
The delicate mana control I had learned while crafting Adam’s Apple.
Using it, I could now shape the heavenly lightning into various forms, just as Vega had done before.
‘I need to find ways to use this in combat.’
With such refined mana control, the possibilities in battle would be limitless.
[When did you learn that?]
Vega’s eyes widened as she watched the heavenly lightning freely transform above my palm.
Instead of answering, I reshaped the lightning into Vega’s form and smirked.
[Truly… every time I see you, there is nothing but amazement.]
In terms of fine mana manipulation alone, I seemed to have already surpassed Riak.
“If you handle this well, you can do things like this too.”
I made the heavenly lightning in Vega’s form bounce in place, hopping repeatedly.
[Ah! W-what are you doing!]
The Vega-shaped lightning suddenly began windmilling and breaking into a dance.
[Do not play with me like this!!]
Vega’s face flushed red as she lightly struck my forehead.
I dispersed the Vega-shaped form in my palm and chuckled.
“Sorry, sorry. Don’t be so angry.”
[…You could stand to develop some reverence for Constellations.]
Vega crossed her arms and turned her head away with a huff.
I turned my gaze toward Riak while appeasing her.
“So, starting today, I’m planning to train intensively for a month—help me out.”
“Your head’s gotten a little bigger, and now your arrogance reaches the heavens, brat.”
Riak let out a scoff.
But that was only for a moment.
His lips curled upward, and a fierce fighting spirit blazed forth.
—Crack!
Riak transformed into his werewolf form in an instant, loosening his fists lightly as he wagged his index finger at Kwon O-jin in a taunting gesture.
“We don’t have time, so let’s start right away. But….”
Riak glanced back at Vega and continued.
“If you lose to that bastard Deneb’s apostle after I’m helping you like this, I won’t let it slide.”
“I’ll win, I’m telling you.”
Crackle, crackle, crackle!
Blue lightning enveloped Kwon O-jin’s body.
* * *
A month had passed since the deafening roars echoed endlessly from Vega’s Temple.
“Phew.”
Kwon O-jin emerged from the Pond near the temple, drying his wet hair with a towel.
“Is it today?”
A month had flown by while I was absorbed in relentless training.
It was a short period, but the results were not bad.
‘I’ve definitely grown more accustomed to wielding this power.’
Through the Awakening of Six Stars, I had become capable of skillfully controlling the strength that surged forth all at once.
Not only the power of Heukcheon, but my proficiency with the stigma of Lyra Constellation had also advanced.
‘Good.’
I turned toward my clothes laid out near the Pond, wearing a satisfied smile.
Then.
[My child! It’s time to depart!]
Vega emerged from the Divine Temple, rustling her silver dress.
And then her eyes fell upon the naked Kwon O-jin.
[Ah, ah!!]
Vega hastily raised her hands to cover her eyes.
[I, I’m sorry!!]
“….”
[I wasn’t trying to look on purpose!]
“…Yeah.”
[Absolutely not!]
Yet your eyes are clearly visible between your fingers, Goddess.
[You, you’re quite the specimen.]
What are you talking about.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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