Chapter 469

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Chapter 469: The Meeting of Families (3)

“Huuh…!”

Yeongwoo’s heart felt like it was about to burst.

But it wasn’t because of the overwhelming presence of the Centauri brothers.

The reason his heart was on the verge of exploding was because he recognized the voice that had just sliced through the air.

“C… Chairman…”

Barely able to turn his stiff neck, Yeongwoo saw a massive grey greatsword piercing through the fabric of space.

It was the same sword that had just severed the Centauri’s fingers.

Crack!

The sword twisted to the side, and the chairman’s voice echoed once more.

—If there’s anyone else, move aside.

“...!”

The moment Yeongwoo hurriedly stepped back, the grey greatsword was swung wide, tearing through the air.

KWA-AAAH!

Beyond the ripped space, a multicolored hologram flickered into view.

‘Huh, that’s…?’

It was something familiar.

It looked strikingly similar to the relay zone he’d briefly passed through when entering the Chairman’s office on Earth.

And then, Chairman Dogo floated through the torn space with ease.

“Chairman…!”

Seeing this, Yeongwoo bowed low in greeting, and the chairman nodded, as if only now noticing him.

—Ah, Yeongwoo. So you were here.

But steam was rising from the surface of Dogo’s armor.

This was undeniable proof that he had raced across the galaxy at full force.

All to save some insignificant creature from the outskirts—someone about to have his head crushed by the Centauri brothers.

Of course, both Yeongwoo and the chairman pretended not to acknowledge this fact.

“Y-You came for the meeting of the families, Chairman!”

—...Meeting of the families? I see.

Could he even see what was around him?

Engulfed in smoke, Chairman Dogo slowly surveyed the surroundings.

When his gaze finally landed on the giant severed finger in the distance—

● Dogo…!

The eldest Centauri brother, Kentaurus, tilted his towering helmet and roared in fury.

Creak, crack, crick!

A sound like bending steel echoed from beneath Kentaurus’ massive cloak.

And yet, he still didn’t dare strike Dogo with his fists.

Even after losing his fingers, he couldn’t bring himself to retaliate.

Was it because he knew he would lose?

Or perhaps the strict cosmic order had classified Dogo as a higher being?

Whatever the case, the once purely malevolent Kentaurus now seemed quite reasonable.

● What is going on here?

Dogo looked up, his gaze reaching the sky draped in black mist.

—Only lowly creatures have reasons for their actions.

In short, he had no intention of answering a stellar entity’s question.

Kentaurus clenched and unclenched the hand missing its index and thumb.

● This is no place for you. Don’t disturb the balance!

Kentaurus pointed his broken index finger threateningly at the chairman.

But Dogo remained utterly unfazed.

—You are the ones who broke the balance, “unexpected variables.” You sure talk a lot.

Then he grabbed the greatsword still floating in the air.

Tap!

A clear signal that violence was coming.

Sure enough, the moment he grasped the sword, Kentaurus leaned his massive body back, and even Toliman, from behind the veil, twisted his face in fear.

Their infamous names carried no weight here.

And as expected—

—The scale is tilted, so a few weights must be shattered.

With that, Dogo began swinging his greatsword.

SWOOSH!

A grey streak cut through the dark void.

● This is going too far.

Watching this, Kentaurus reluctantly pulled out a hidden arm from his cloak.

Flash!

But this second "arm" looked more like a blunt weapon wrapped in chains than an actual hand.

‘What the heck is that? Didn’t he already lose that hand?’

Yeongwoo’s suspicion was spot-on.

Earth chimed in once again, explaining.

○ Correct. “Lost” isn’t quite the word. “Shattered” is more accurate.

‘What?’

○ That’s a scar from a stellar collision.

‘A collision? With what?’

○ Another star.

‘...Huh?’

As Yeongwoo tried to wrap his head around it, Kentaurus blocked Dogo’s sword with the “scar.”

KAAAANG!

‘Whoa.’

This was a completely different situation from when his fingers were easily sliced off.

Kentaurus had just blocked the chairman’s sword.

And once again, Earth elaborated.

○ It’s extremely rare for two stars to physically collide. That’s why such collision scars…

‘Such scars… what about them?’

Growing impatient, Yeongwoo urged Earth to continue.

○ The universe places great value on them. A mark from a star-to-star collision has immense durability.

‘…Enough to block an attack from a higher being?’

○ Surviving something like that means the star was exceptionally tough—a “tough star.”

A tough star.

A strangely human term—very fitting for Earth.

Just then, the second clash between the chairman and Kentaurus lit up the battlefield.

KAAAANG!

But clearly, Kentaurus—the “tough star”—was on the defensive.

Despite being five times larger, he kept retreating before Dogo’s onslaught.

‘But… isn’t everything except the scarred area still soft?’

Recalling the earlier moment when Kentaurus’ fingers were chopped off, Yeongwoo asked.

Earth responded with an affirming vibe.

○ Of course. Your chairman is a third-class entity. The Centauri brothers may be strong stars, but to Dogo, they’re like poking through tofu.

KAAANG!

The third clash already.

And Yeongwoo couldn’t help but wonder:

‘Then why doesn’t the chairman just finish this…?’

Was he simply enjoying the fight with a tough star?

Or was it…?

○ Justification.

‘What?’

○ Cosmic entities and noble houses are supposed to observe mutual non-aggression. So for the chairman to properly attack the Centauri brothers…

‘Ah, he needs a legitimate reason.’

So what was that reason?

What was the chairman waiting for?

Yeongwoo wouldn’t have to wait long to find out.

The anxious second brother, Toliman—who had been watching Kentaurus fall back—finally opened his massive mouth from within the veil.

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● Brother…!

The second Centauri brother, Toliman, joined the fray.

As the cloth covering Toliman’s back began to bulge grotesquely, Kentaurus instinctively sensed something and jerked his head up.

● You idiot, stop it!

The moment his younger brother joined the fight, turning it into a 2-on-1 situation, he knew this was no longer just “assault” — it had become a “duel.”

This would give Dogo the perfect excuse to officially break the rules.

● Toliman!

Kentaurus’s voice echoed thunderously from within his spired helmet — but it was already too late.

● GRAAAHH!

The cloth on Toliman’s back tore open, and pale, finger-like appendages burst forth.

‘Huh?’

They were definitely fingers, but with joints so long they looked like spider legs.

Moreover, each fingertip ended in a claw-like nail, sharp as swords, producing a slicing noise that poured down like rain.

Shraaaaaak!

A white bombardment shot directly toward Chairman Dogo from Toliman.

At that, Dogo calmly muttered a brief line, as if waiting for this very moment.

—Now, step down from the scales.

● …What?

No one saw the Chairman’s movement.

BOOOM!

The first thing anyone could register was the moment he swung his greatsword into Kentaurus’s shoulder, driving it deep.

Just a second ago, he had been clashing swords with Kentaurus — now, in the blink of an eye, he had moved 10 meters.

● You…!

Even the one being struck — Kentaurus — couldn’t react in time.

His shoulder was already being split by the ashen sword.

KRRAAAACK!

Like a steel frame collapsing, part of Kentaurus’s cloak caved in.

The Chairman’s greatsword had pierced straight through his body.

FWOOSH!

Then, Chairman Dogo released the sword and stepped back, spreading his hand toward the sword still embedded in Kentaurus.

‘W-what’s he trying to do…?’

Then it happened.

KRK-KRRK!

Kentaurus’s massive body lost its balance and began to tilt heavily in midair.

In other words…

‘Holy shit. He’s using him as a meat shield.’

Just as Yeongwoo’s eyes widened in shock, Toliman’s white bombardment crashed down on Kentaurus, covering the Chairman’s head.

KRA-KRA-KRA-KROOM!

● Huh? Brother?!

Suddenly finding himself attacking his own brother, Toliman hastily retracted his fingers.

But now, Dogo reached out a hand toward Toliman.

FWOOM!

—Brothers should be together.

And just like that, Toliman’s body was forcibly dragged toward him.

● B-Brother!

A panicked Toliman called out to the limp Kentaurus in midair — but the one who responded was Chairman Dogo.

—Now, tell me. What reason is there to spare a star that has no manners and no use?

With those words, the Chairman stomped the ground with his left foot, and from the earth beneath the dragging Toliman, countless weapons sprang up, spinning at high speed.

SHHHHIIING!

He was about to grind Toliman to pieces.

‘Hundred Thousand Swords Mountain…!’

Strictly speaking, it was only a tiny portion of the real Hundred Thousand Swords Mountain.

‘Come to think of it, the Chairman’s never really used Sword Mountain seriously before…’

In the meantime, Toliman was rapidly being sucked into what could only be called a stellar blender.

● A-AAGH…!

His scream, which was about to be split into tens of thousands of fragments, was thick with terror.

Then, just as part of Toliman’s cloth began to get dragged into the mass of swords—

● Wh… what do you want?

Finally, the limp Kentaurus in midair let out a faint voice.

As if waiting for this moment—

SHING!

The weapons that were just about to mince Toliman suddenly froze in place.

—What I want… Do you truly have anything worth offering?

The Chairman folded his arms and turned his helmeted gaze toward Yeongwoo.

‘……?’

The stage had been fully set — now it was up to them to name what they wanted.

However—

‘…Shit. I don’t even know what they have. It’s not like stars carry around cash, right?’

Yeongwoo’s ignorance about the stars left him visibly at a loss.

Then suddenly, from the back, someone shouted loudly.

—Have the Family Head slap the star’s cheek!

The bizarre suggestion froze the air with silence.

Even Chairman Dogo seemed momentarily stunned and couldn't respond.

—What did you say?

At last, the Chairman turned to find the speaker, and Yeongwoo also whipped his head around to follow the gaze.

There stood Maon, the head of the Tisef Clan, locking eyes with the Chairman with clenched jaw.

“C-Clan Head! Have you lost your mind? If you spout nonsense in front of the Chairman like that—!”

Worried for Maon’s life, Yeongwoo cried out, but Maon looked back at him with utmost seriousness.

—…Prestige.

“Huh?”

—Insulting two stars at once will greatly increase your prestige. Trust me.

“Ah.”

It felt like space-time was stretching away.

So what this meant was… this was the execution of the contract to raise his Prestige level by two ranks.

“If I slap two stars, my Prestige level goes up?”

Maon shook his head.

—One slap per star. Don’t be more disrespectful than necessary.

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