Not A Regressor - Chapter 163

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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 163
What Comes Next (1)
I headed toward the meeting place with Deneb, accompanied by Vega and Riak.
After walking for some time along a lengthy path illuminated by starlight, a vast plaza appeared—easily the size of five or six football fields combined.
“I didn’t know a place like this existed in the Star Palace.”
It was nowhere to be found on the map at the entrance.
The sprawling, majestic vista of the plaza—the kind that might emerge from Greek or Norse mythology—overwhelmed me.
The plaza wasn’t filled with shops and merchants hawking wares, as one might expect.
Along the broad avenue stood vivid sculptures in perfect rows, as if they might spring to life at any moment, and at the far end loomed a vast circular structure reminiscent of the Colosseum.
[This place is fundamentally forbidden to humans.]
“So it’s a place where only Constellations gather separately?”
[Not quite. The Constellations have another primary gathering place elsewhere.]
“I see.”
Then what purpose does this place serve?
As I gazed around in puzzlement, Riak, who had been following behind, spoke up.
“This place is typically used for Holy Spirits to test their strength against one another, or for Constellations to measure their power.”
“Constellations measuring their power against each other?”
I turned to Riak with astonished eyes.
Surely Constellations weren’t common street thugs settling disputes with one-on-one brawls?
“Conflicts between Constellations arise fairly often.”
Fair point.
Even among Constellations, their mental nature differed little from humans.
Take Vega and Deneb, called the “Polaris”—hadn’t friction arisen between them just recently?
Yet despite that, I never imagined these transcendent beings would resort to what humans call a “direct confrontation” to settle their disputes.
“Well, direct combat between Constellations is historically rare, unless one has a significantly lower divine rank.”
“Then?”
“Usually they conduct proxy battles instead—pitting Holy Spirits who have inherited their souls against one another to determine the victor.”
“Ah.”
So that’s why an arena like this existed.
It was comparable to medieval nobility, in a sense.
When conflicts arose between nobles, they often settled matters through proxy battles fought by their knights.
“So this battle between me and Deneb’s Apostles is also a kind of proxy war?”
“You could say that.”
It was quite fascinating.
Constellations resolved their conflicts through proxy battles.
‘I never realized there were so many conflicts among Constellations in the first place.’
From a human perspective, the image of Constellations was precisely that of gods from Greek and Roman mythology—Zeus, Poseidon, Hades.
I’d assumed they dwelt peacefully in the magnificent temples within the Star Palace, yet here lay such intricate machinations.
‘Then again, Greek and Roman mythology itself was rife with conflicts among the gods.’
Whether divine or human, conflict was inevitable wherever intelligent beings gathered.
“Anyway, if it’s an arena where the Constellations fought each other, we won’t have to worry about it getting destroyed.”
“To be precise, even if it does get destroyed, it’ll be restored immediately.”
“Like fighting inside the Sacred Domain?”
Riak nodded in agreement.
We were heading toward the Colosseum Arena while exchanging such casual remarks.
-A distant murmur of voices.
A commotion echoed from inside the arena.
[Hmm…?]
Vega’s eyes narrowed.
Even if Deneb and all twelve of his Apostles were already waiting in the arena, the noise seemed far too great.
[What is this?]
Furrowing my brow, I approached the arena entrance.
“Vega! Over here, over here!”
A voice as clear as morning dew called out from inside the arena.
“Sister?”
Kwon O-jin turned his head toward the voice.
A woman with fluffy pink hair came rushing from the arena entrance.
She radiated the fresh, innocent charm of a newly sprouted seedling.
[S-Spica?]
“It’s been so long! Has it really been a year? You never contacted me after getting an Apostle, and I was so worried!”
The woman called Spica approached Vega with a gentle smile on her face.
‘Spica?’
It was a name I’d heard somewhere before.
Rummaging through my memories, I quickly identified who bore that name.
‘The Constellation of Virgo.’
So this woman, who currently radiated the fresh charm of a freshman college student, was one of the Constellations belonging to the Zodiac Twelve Palaces.
[What brings you here?]
Vega regarded Spica with an expression of incomprehension.
Rather than answering her question, Spica tilted her head in confusion.
“What brings me here? I’m the one hosting this proxy battle.”
[…Hosting?]
“What? You didn’t hear about it, sister? Rumors have been spreading for a month now about how your Apostle and Deneb’s Apostle are having a proxy battle.”
[W-What?]
Vega’s lips fell open in shock.
I had never mentioned to any other Constellation that this duel between Deneb’s Apostle and Kwon O-jin would take place.
The fact that rumors had spread among the other Constellations without my saying anything meant—
[Deneb, you bastard…!]
Vega’s expression twisted as she clenched her fists.
“What, you’re just arriving now? You’re a bit late, aren’t you?”
A mischievous boy’s voice reached my ears.
Above the Colosseum Arena.
Deneb stood atop the outer wall, towering high like the Sacred Wall itself.
Vega fixed him with a sharp gaze and let out a sharp rebuke.
[What in the world is the meaning of this!]
“What do you mean? A duel between Apostles of Polaris like this—it would be such a shame to proceed without a single spectator, don’t you think?”
Deneb crossed his arms and let a faint smirk play at the corners of his mouth.
Even without him spelling it out, it wasn’t difficult to discern the true intent behind his words.
‘He’s trying to humiliate Vega in front of the other Constellations.’
An Apostle that the Constellation of Lyra had painstakingly acquired after years of searching.
He intended to satisfy his own vanity by displaying my crushing defeat to his Apostles before the other Constellations.
‘How childish of him.’
I let out a soft chuckle.
Vega seemed taken aback, as if she hadn’t expected Deneb to go this far.
‘It’s exactly as I predicted.’
If Deneb’s true purpose was to humiliate Vega,
then I had anticipated he would resort to some scheme.
[…Deneb. For all your recklessness, I never imagined you would lack such basic decorum.]
A chilling killing intent emanated from Vega.
She grasped my hand and turned her body.
[Let us call off this duel.]
“Hmm. Running away? Our oh-so-great Constellation of Lyra?”
[You are free to interpret it as you wish.]
Vega answered coldly and turned her head away.
If this duel had remained solely a matter between her and Deneb, then even if I lost, she would only need to endure some ridicule.
But if the other Constellations learned of this fact,
then the mocking gazes would not be directed at Vega alone, but at me as well.
‘That is something I cannot permit.’
I am the Star of Reversed Fate. A hero born with the destiny to save this world.
If the frame of ‘loser’ were to be affixed to me, who must lead the charge against the coming catastrophe more than anyone else, it would undoubtedly become a grave flaw in my future endeavors.
“You’re fine with running away? Right now, hundreds of Constellations are waiting in the stands for you to arrive?”
[….]
“Even if you suffer humiliation, losing in battle seems far better than fleeing, wouldn’t you say?”
[…You wretch.]
Vega bit her lip with an anxious expression.
Just as Deneb said, even if I left with her now, the outcome would not change much.
The frame of ‘loser’ would simply transform into ‘coward’.
“It’s fine.”
[But… but!]
“I told you, didn’t I? That I would win.”
[….]
Vega pressed her lips firmly together.
Though she trusted in Kwon O-jin’s talent and abilities.
He was still a mere sapling, having been an Awakener for only just over a year.
‘No matter that my child is a Regressor, facing not one but three of Deneb’s Apostles….’
The absolute shortage of time could not be resolved by “regression” alone.
When a carefully leveled RPG game account is lost and you start over, no matter how extensive your knowledge of the game is, you cannot immediately reach a high level, can you?
“Hmph. If you’re so confident, stop running and come in quickly.”
Deneb, looking down from atop the Sacred Wall, let out a scoff and gestured toward Kwon O-jin.
[…Sigh.]
Vega turned her body back toward the Colosseum Arena with a deep exhale.
“Hmm… It seems something happened after all.”
Spica scratched her cheek with an awkward smile.
But only for a moment.
She shook her fluffy pink hair and her eyes gleamed toward Kwon O-jin.
“Is this the famous Noe-rang? I’ve heard my Apostles talk about him a few times, but this is my first time seeing him in person!”
“I am Kwon O-jin.”
“Right, right! I heard! He’s much more handsome than I expected?”
Spica’s eyes sparkled as she approached Kwon O-jin.
Vega quietly stepped in front of her.
[Do you not already have an Awakener who boasts of being your “fated one”?]
“Huh? Oh my, what?”
Spica’s eyes widened as she looked back and forth between Kwon O-jin and Vega.
“Wait, could it be that Sister…?”
[It is not the relationship you are imagining.]
“Kyaaah! That can’t be! That cold, wooden sister actually…?!”
[Did I not say it was not?!]
Vega covered Spica’s mouth with a flustered expression.
‘Fated one?’
Kwon O-jin tilted his head in confusion as he looked at the two of them.
Spica, barely escaping from Vega’s hand, wore a mischievous smile.
“Sorry, sorry. I was just surprised since I never expected this.”
[Ahem, ahem.]
“Hmm. So our sister has an Apostle like this.”
Spica nodded as if intrigued.
She lightly patted Kwon O-jin’s shoulder and smiled brightly.
“Please take good care of our sister~! She’s a bit awkward with expressing emotions, but that’s also her cute charm.”
[You’re noisy.]
“Hehe.”
Watching the two converse so familiarly, Kwon O-jin wore an expression of surprise.
‘I never knew Vega had a Constellation this close to her.’
I had never spoken of other Constellations, so it was something I hadn’t even considered until now.
“As the moderator, I can’t take sides, but I’ll still be cheering for you in my heart!”
Spica, who had appeared like a storm, rushed into the Colosseum Arena alongside me.
[Sigh. Really… how is it that only those without any sense of dignity as Constellations gather here?]
Vega let out a deep sigh and turned her head sharply toward me.
[Ahem. In any case, don’t mind what Spica just said about the ‘person of destiny’.]
“That’s very hard not to mind?”
[Didn’t I tell you not to mind it!]
“Ha ha. Got it, got it.”
I laughed lightly and entered the Colosseum Arena with Vega, where the match was being held.
In the center of the circular structure that resembled the Colosseum, there was a vast arena over 100 meters on each side, and spectator seats lined it all around.
-Murmur, murmur.
The Constellations who had arrived early and occupied the spectator seats began to stir at my entrance.
I could hear whispers like, ‘So that’s the Constellation of Lyra Constellation’, ‘I wonder if he’ll get beaten badly this time?’
I let out a hollow laugh as I gazed at the Constellations filling the spectator seats.
‘They really have nothing better to do.’
Well.
What could Constellations possibly do within the Star Palace?
For those bound by the constraints of Divine Law with limited freedom of movement, there was no spectacle more entertaining than a ‘proxy battle’.
‘Especially if it’s a proxy battle between Constellations of Polaris.’
I entered the arena, drawing the attention of hundreds of Constellations.
“Thank you all so much for gathering like this today!!!”
As I entered the arena, Deneb, who had quickly claimed the best seat for viewing the match, sprang to his feet.
Deneb spread his arms wide as he looked around at the Constellations filling the spectator seats.
“You all know that Vega finally got an Apostle recently, right?”
Deneb grinned wickedly as he looked at me.
“Everyone’s curious about what kind of human Vega’s Apostle is, and you’ll be able to see for certain here today.”
Deneb raised his hand high.
“Now, everyone watch and enjoy!”
Snap!
With the sound of his fingers snapping, a massive hologram screen appeared above the Colosseum.
The screen displayed a close-up of Vega’s rigid, hardened expression.
“Watch as the star of Lyra Constellation falls!!!”
Deneb’s clear laughter echoed throughout the arena.

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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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