Not A Regressor-Chapter 258: Interlude - Demon Of The Sky

With a sharp sound, the serpent shot forward.

Shhhk!

Its gaping jaws pierced the black cloud, which rippled violently.

“Why are there so many people pretending to be the Heavenly Demon these days?” Cassia frowned, visibly disgusted.

Now that she thought about it, the Bufo King Juan Sukhothai had done the same. He had claimed to be the Heavenly Demon and tried to force her into submission.

“I won’t be fooled anymore.”

Because now, she had found the real Heavenly Demon. A dark smile curled on her lips as she recalled a certain man with wavy black hair and eyes that exuded a dangerous allure.

She had no doubt as soon as she met Kwon Oh-Jin. He was the one she had been searching for all this time, the true Heavenly Demon.

“Those who dare to impersonate Lord Oh-Jin...”

Cassia would kill them all with her own hands.

“Haaa...” She exhaled slowly and raised her arms.

From the shadow beneath her, more shadow serpents cloaked in gloom slithered out. They prepared to devour all light in their path and charged toward the black cloud like a tidal wave.

A low hum came from within the cloud. “Hmm. I see, so that’s how it is.”

As if finally understanding the situation, the cloud quietly chuckled.

Shhhhk!

The shadow serpents instantly closed in and surrounded the cloud. It didn’t matter that the cloud had no physical form since the serpents didn’t attack flesh but souls.

However, the cloud ordered a single command. “Begone.”

With that single word, the serpents surrounding the cloud melted away like snow.

Cassia’s eyes widened in disbelief. “What...?”

Another low laugh echoed from the black cloud. “Just as I expected. Good thing I had backup.”

Backup?

An ominous chill ran down Cassia’s spine, and she instinctively stepped back.

“Come, Cassia,” the black cloud called out to her.

For some reason, she couldn't resist. Her legs moved on their own.

Cassia trembled as the cloud reached toward her. “A-Ah...”

Though it was a cloud without any hands, Cassia undoubtedly felt a hand reaching for her.

“Night has fallen,” the cloud said.

Click.

As if someone had flipped a switch, Cassia froze in place. Her pupils lost their light, and she stared blankly into space. Pitch-black darkness now shrouded the once-clear sky.

“Night brings many things to mind,” The Heavenly Demon, no longer just a cloud, softly said through the dark. “Repressed rage, buried sorrows, crushed desires, and memories you'd rather forget.”

A gentle touch brushed her cheek.

“Do you remember what happened that day in the snowy fields?”

Even in this dense tropical jungle, Cassia felt a biting chill. Her teeth chattered as her face turned pale.

Clack, clack, clack.

She curled up as the memories of that day resurfaced. She remembered lying on an endless white expanse of snow, or rather, being abandoned there.

“That night, I plucked stars from the night sky and gave them to you,” the Heavenly Demon said.

Right, how could she ever forget? The stars branded onto her left chest were all gifts from him.

“So, Cassia, what can you give me in return?” The black cloud gently wrapped around her.

In her fading consciousness, she felt the darkness enveloping her to be strangely comforting.

“All... of it...” Her flickering mind struggled to form the words. “I... offer everything... to you, Heavenly Demon...”

“There’s no need to give me everything.”

Like a flower blooming and withering all at once, the black cloud rippled gently.

“Just give me one thing,” the demon of the sky whispered to her, sweet as honey.

“Yes, Heavenly Demon...” Cassia’s consciousness completely sank into the dark cloud.

***

“We’re hooooome!” Song Ha-Eun kicked off her shoes, dashed into the living room, and leaped onto the couch.

The luxury couch, worth tens of millions of won, had been gifted to them by Isabella. Song Ha-Eun hugged the cushions and wriggled around like a happy larva.

Kwon Oh-Jin dryly chuckled and walked over to her. “Geez, anyone would think you just got back from military service.”

It had only taken three days to subjugate the Thousand Curses Dragon. They had stayed longer in Pyongyang to investigate whether Barbatos had stashed away any other monsters or Astral Relics.

Though we didn’t find much in the end.

They had literally dug through piles of crap, but came up mostly empty-handed. Well, even so, Barbatos’s corpse alone was more than enough of a reward.

“How’s your eye, Ha-Eun?” Kwon Oh-Jin looked at her left eye, hidden beneath the black eyepatch.

“Hmm. It’s not really hurting or anything.”

She removed the eyepatch. From behind it, a soft amber glow radiated from her left pupil. This change had occurred after she slew Barbatos. Something whitish and smoky had leaked from his corpse and seeped into her eye. According to Vega, her Draconic Eye had absorbed the dragon’s soul.

“Are you really okay?” he asked.

“Yeah, I’m totally fine.”

He felt worried about some kind of side effect from absorbing a dragon’s soul, especially the Thousand Curses Dragon. Thankfully, no negative signs appeared.

“If anything, I think it improved my performance.” Song Ha-Eun touched her left eye and widened it. “Maybe it’s because I reached ten stars or absorbed his soul. Either way, I can handle way more of the mana stored within the Dragon’s Heart, and my vision got super sharp too.”

“Your vision improved?”

“Yup. I can even see inside your nostrils right now.”

Kwon Oh-Jin reflexively covered his nose.

She burst into laughter and sat up. “Anyway! I’m super satisfied with this!”

She had overcome a traumatic memory, reached ten stars, and even strengthened her Draconic Eye. To her, this subjugation mission felt like a Christmas gift.

“That’s good to hear.”

Seeing her so genuinely happy made him smile too.

Isabella, who had just entered the house, nodded with a bright smile. “Yes, that’s truly a good thing. Oh, right, unnie, take a look at this.”

“Huh? What is it?”

“It’s Barbatos’s heart. Well, it’s not a real heart, but a Starstone.” Isabella pulled out a Starstone the size of an ostrich egg from her bag.

As agreed beforehand, the Colgrande Family would handle the disposal of Barbatos’s corpse. This Starstone was valuable loot from his body.

“You said your eye can now control dragon mana, right?” Isabella asked.

“Oh, yeah. Vega said something like that.”

“Then, don’t you think you could absorb the mana in this Starstone too?”

It sounded very possible.

“B-But...” Song Ha-Eun gulped at the Starstone in Isabella’s hand.

They had already signed over all the rights to Barbatos’s corpse since she had received Isabella’s help in getting new gear. Song Ha-Eun still owed her thirty billion won, so she couldn’t just take the Starstone too.

“Oh my, unnie. Why are you acting so distant now?” Isabella sat beside Song Ha-Eun with a deep smile and gently wrapped an arm around her shoulder. “We’re family now, aren’t we?”

“Huh?” Suddenly, Song Ha-Eun had gained a new family member she’d never asked for.

“What is it called again? Oh, right! Sister-in-law! You’re my sister-in-law now, right?” Isabella asked.

“I-I don’t think that’s exactly right...” Song Ha-Eun tried to object, but her eyes just couldn’t leave the massive Starstone.

Seeing her eyes glued to the Starstone, Isabella smiled even more. “Unnie, you may be a ten-star now, but you still have a long way to go, don’t you?”

Isabella was right. Even though Song Ha-Eun had finally caught up in terms of stars, a massive gap still existed between them.

For Awakeners, star ranks were like weight classes. Even if two people were in the same heavyweight class, an enormous difference still existed between a beginner who had just started training and a professional with a championship belt. That gap only became bigger the higher the star rank.

“If you had this Starstone, it would really help with your growth. Don’t you think, unnie?”

“Y-Yeah...” Song Ha-Eun trailed off.

Isabella smiled sweetly at her. “Unnie, I’ve never been to an amusement park before.” She gently brushed a finger along her lips and looked at Kwon Oh-Jin. “So I was thinking, maybe I could go with Mr. Oh-Jin tomorrow. Would that be okay?”

“Umm...”

There was no need to say, “Just the two of us,” as that part was already loud and clear.

“You didn’t forget the promise you made before, right?” Isabella asked.

Song Ha-Eun clamped her mouth shut and avoided Isabella’s gaze. She desperately glanced over at Kwon Oh-Jin and deeply sighed. “Fine. Go. Just the two of you.”

“Yesss!” Isabella leaped up with a small fist pump.

“Ah...”

As silence briefly fell, Isabella quickly cleared her throat. “I’m sorry, I just got a little excited.”

Her cheeks flushed pink as she sat back down.

Song Ha-Eun squinted at her with a sharp side-eye. “Don’t forget. Oh-Jin is my boyfriend.”

“O-Of course, I know that!” Isabella nodded frantically, trying her best to force her smiling lips down.

“Ugh, this is giving me a headache.” Song Ha-Eun deeply sighed again and glared at Kwon Oh-Jin.

She couldn’t bring herself to scold Isabella, not after everything she had received, so she redirected her frustration toward him instead.

“You’re the real problem here, you know that?” Song Ha-Eun reprimanded him.

Kwon Oh-Jin suddenly became the target, but he couldn’t deny it since he hadn’t exactly made an effort to draw boundaries with Isabella either.

“I’m fine with you two going out together.” Song Ha-Eun shot a look at Isabella’s soft, rosy lips. “But no kissing, okay?”

“Hehe. Of course not, unnie!” Isabella nodded eagerly and sprang to her feet again. She wrapped her arms around Kwon Oh-Jin’s and beamed. “You heard her, Mr. Oh-Jin. We’re going on a fun date tomorrow!”

“Yeah...”

How could he say no in this situation?

Kwon Oh-Jin quietly sighed at Isabella, practically buzzing like a kid before a field trip.

Still holding onto his arm, Isabella’s eyes sparkled mischievously.

I can do anything but kiss him, right?