The Milky Way Spring glittered with starlight like the night sky itself. Black clouds spread across the water and blanketed the night sky.

Rumble. Rumble!

The storm of darkness churned as the vast mana filling the spring poured into Kwon Oh-Jin through the Black Heaven.

“Kugh!”

His mana circuits swelled like a balloon about to burst. The spring’s mana, condensed over an unthinkably long period, far surpassed anything Kwon Oh-Jin had ever imagined.

This is too much...!

The torrent of mana crashing into him made it nearly impossible to stay conscious. He bit down hard on his lip and desperately clung to his last thread of reason against the mana wave overwhelming him.

The Black Heaven in his heart greedily devoured Polaris’s mana as if it were some extravagant banquet.

Rumble, rumble!

“M-My child!”

“Stay back!” Kwon Oh-Jin shouted frantically at Vega, who had rushed toward him.

If she comes any closer, she’ll be swallowed up too.

Having found a supreme prey, the Black Heaven shook free of Kwon Oh-Jin’s control and rampaged. Black clouds expanded into a massive dome, consuming mana indiscriminately. A murky darkness, as if black ink had spilled in, now filled the spring that once sparkled with beautiful starlight.

It looked as if storming clouds had swallowed the entire space. As if the subconscious world where he had faced the Heavenly Demon had manifested in reality.

This is...

The subconscious world was invading reality. Fragments of thought, mere images, twisted the laws of physics and reshaped the world. Even after seeing it, this power was beyond comprehension. Still, Kwon Oh-Jin understood what was happening right now.

Sacred Ground Deployment.

He had been training this power more than anything else recently.

The Black Heaven is changing the environment into its own domain.

The dazzling spring had vanished without a trace, replaced by oppressive black clouds filling every corner. It seemed as if he had stepped into the sky without a single speck of light.

“A-Ah...”

Having dyed the world in its darkness, the Black Heaven lunged toward Polaris, who stood quietly with his eyes closed, waiting for his life to come to an end.

Stop.

Kwon Oh-Jin could instinctively tell that if the Black Heaven devoured the Stigma of Ursa Minor, he would never regain full control of the Black Heaven ever again.

Rumble! Rumble!

Like a beast straining at its leash, the Black Heaven writhed before Polaris.

Barely holding the reins, Kwon Oh-Jin gasped for breath and tried to forcefully control the rampaging dark clouds.

“Stop, damn it!”

As though displeased with the leash around its neck, the black clouds shifted its target. Instead of Polaris, they lunged at Kwon Oh-Jin himself.

Rumble!

It felt like sharp teeth were shredding his entire body.

“Ghhhk! K-Kugh!”

His mind blurred, and he staggered like grain stalks tossed in an autumn wind.

“Haa! Haa!”

In the raging storm of the Black Heaven’s assault, Kwon Oh-Jin clung desperately to his consciousness. It felt like standing alone against a massive flood. The black clouds seized and violently shook him as if mocking him.

It hurts.

It felt like sharp hooks were tearing through his veins.

It hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts.

The Black Heaven gnawed away at his flesh, tore apart at his mind, and was devouring his soul.

I’m gonna go insane.

Would this torment ever end? It seemed like time had stopped.

An endless black sky stretched above. From the clouds encircling him, he could hear mocking laughter echoing like a hallucination.

—Why don’t you just give up already?

—You’ve endured enough, haven’t you?

—If you take just one step back, you can escape this pain.

—Accept me.

Of course, the Black Heaven wasn’t really whispering those words. Kwon Oh-Jin knew better than anyone who that voice belonged to.

It’s... my own voice.

The echo in his ears came from himself, not the Black Heaven.

“Ah... ugh, ah...”

The unbearable pain tempted him to give up and throw himself into those black clouds. A part of him wanted to give in. No matter how accustomed he was to enduring pain, he was still human. Everyone had a limit to how much they could face.

Who could keep placing their hand on a searing hot iron while their flesh burned away? This wasn’t a matter of willpower or mental strength. Unless someone couldn’t feel pain itself, they could only endure so much.

Either way...

Even without him, Song Ha-Eun would remain safe since the Heavenly Demon was another Kwon Oh-Jin. He wouldn’t harm her, and if Song Ha-Eun convinced the Heavenly Demon well enough, perhaps even Isabella and the others would be spared.

That’s right. Everything will be fine.

If he just took a single step back, if he just stopped moving, this hellish torment would finally...

Then, the sudden thought struck him. What would happen if he gave up here?

It won’t kill me, right?

The Black Heaven would simply erode his consciousness, but it wouldn’t kill him outright. However, it would spread like poison once it sank its teeth into him and devour him little by little.

His memories would blur, and his past would fade. One by one, the black clouds would swallow the things he cherished. Nothing would remain but endless thirst, hunger, and a primal desire to devour every star in the sky.

Yes, just like—

That monster.

Kwon Oh-Jin clenched his fists tight.

Fuck that.

He cut out the weakness creeping into his heart. Biting his lip until blood welled, he glared at the black clouds surrounding him. If he gave up so easily, he never would have made it this far.

I said I was different from you.

Kwon Oh-Jin had sworn he would never become like the Heavenly Demon. Even if it was naive and just shallow pride, he promised to protect everyone. He had boldly declared that to the Heavenly Demon without any fear.

“That’s why...” Kwon Oh-Jin raised his head and stared at the sky, swallowed in black clouds.

The Black Heaven’s clouds continued to rage, threatening to tear him apart.

“Fuck off, you bastard.”

Rumble!

The black clouds split open with a deafening roar and crashed down as if the sky were collapsing. Kwon Oh-Jin stepped forward and crushed the clouds beneath him.

Polaris, waiting for death with his eyes closed, now watched Kwon Oh-Jin with sparkling eyes. “Haha... As expected.”

On top of that, he clasped his hands in prayer with a bright smile.

“Heaven-Defying Star... May this wretched starlight brighten your path, even just a little.” With those last words, Polaris threw himself into the sprawling clouds and vanished.

Ring!

[Kwon Oh-Jin has successfully absorbed the Celestial of Ursa Minor!]

[The Black Heaven has acquired the Foresight trait!]

[All conditions for the Black Heaven’s twelfth enlightenment have been met!]

Rumble!

The Black Heaven’s clouds, spread across the ground, began to writhe. Then, they surged back into Kwon Oh-Jin.

“Kugh...!”

He clenched his teeth and desperately held on to his consciousness as the torrent inside him grew violent again. The endless flood of clouds suddenly stopped as if it struck a barrier.

[Warning.]

[The Stigma of Lyra is not powerful enough to control the Black Heaven.]

[The Black Heaven’s power will be partially restricted.]

Along with the warning message, another message followed.

[Due to the immense amount of mana, the Stigma of Lyra has been promoted to eleven stars!]

The second message declared that the Stigma of Lyra had reached eleven stars.

Kwon Oh-Jin frowned as he recalled the first system messages.

Even the Stigma of Lyra at eleven stars still can’t control the Black Heaven?

Simply looking at the numbers, the Black Heaven had just undergone its twelfth enlightenment. Perhaps the Stigma of Lyra at eleven stars wasn’t enough to control it.

It’s been doing just fine until now.

The Stigma of Lyra was only at ten stars when the Black Heaven underwent its eleventh enlightenment. No message about the Black Heaven’s power resisting ever appeared.

Does that mean the twelfth enlightenment granted me that much more power?

Like the vast leap from eight to nine stars, the Black Heaven likely crossed a significant threshold and gained strength incomparable to before.

That’s why it went out of my control earlier.

Thinking about it this way, everything made sense.

As Polaris finished being absorbed, Vega rushed toward Kwon Oh-Jin. “M-My child! Are you alright?!” She looked at him anxiously. “To me, it looked like the Black Heaven was devouring you whole.”

“You’re not entirely wrong.”

He nearly lost consciousness from the Black Heaven’s sudden power spike.

“T-That’s—!”

“It’s fine now. I managed to calm it down for the moment.”

Strictly speaking, Kwon Oh-Jin had forcibly trampled it into submission. Either way, he had avoided the worst-case scenario of the Black Heaven consuming him.

I don’t know how long I can hold it off for.

He had managed to calm it down somehow, but it only ended with a partial restriction on the Black Heaven’s power. If he had failed to do so, it would’ve swallowed him completely.

I need to tighten the leash.

He had to strengthen the Stigma of Lyra to remove that restriction and fully master the Black Heaven.

The only way to do that right now was...

“Vega, this might not be the best time to say it, but... I want to ask you something.”

“I shall grant whatever you need! Go ahead. What is it?!” Vega pridefully pounded her chest as if to say he could trust her completely.

“Then...” Kwon Oh-Jin’s burning gaze fixed on her.

“Hmm?” Her shoulders flinched. “W-Why are you looking at me like that?”

A mix of anticipation and unease flickered across Vega’s face. Without realizing it, she took a step back from him.