★169
"What are you doing here, Paradys?"
Ton asked, his voice flat.
"He's here to check on Anta. On Sabaki's orders," Ela replied.
"Antares. It's nice to meet you. I'm Paradys of Apus, a Hypergod of Voltara."
He offered a warm smile.
Badum… my chest jumped. It wasn't fear or awe, It was recognition. A deep, inexplicable pull, as if something long forgotten had just surfaced.
'A Hypergod in flesh. Not what I expected.'
"Um... nice to meet you. I'm Antares of Scorpios."
"You're a star, you know that, right? Like a superstar, I mean a popular person."
"I know what it means."
I didn't turn fully, keeping my head tilted as I looked at him.
"So calm… So that's how the Scorpios Stars are. Fearless. I like you."
He said, letting go of me.
"Now that's a good one, I wouldn't mind."
Ela spoke. She's probably saying,'I'd rather choose Paradys than Errai'. I've made my choice, and Paradys can take the back seat.
"I feel like he's giving off a Cepheus vibe."
Paradys chuckled at my words.
"That's… demeaning. Comparing me to the Slothful King."
"Think of him as Errai as a Hypergod."
Ela interjected.
"They're identical in some ways, but Apus isn't a wasted potential like that toy."
Paradys sighed, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
"At least the Goddess thinks highly of me. I've seen enough already, and I'll be watching… sometimes."
He chuckled softly, then waved.
"You'll be one hell of a Star, Antares."
'That's an exit gesture.'
"Wait."
I said, calling out to the Hypergod.
"Huh..."
Paradys paused mid teleportation, the laws of instantaneous movement at his mercy.
"Here he goes again."
Ela said. Though I couldn't see her, I knew she was shaking her head. Not expecting me to ask them out.
"Can we be friends, Paradys?"
The question caught him off guard him.
He didn't answer at once. A few seconds passed as he turned the words over, like they were something fragile he wasn't used to holding. Then a smile spread across his face, slow but genuine.
"Friend… huh?"
He echoed, as though testing the sound of it. The idea clearly didn't belong to someone like him.
"No one has ever asked me that before."
He admitted.
"Sure. Let's be friends, Antares."
"One day you'll take me to Voltara, right?"
"With the Goddess's permission."
He said, nodding once.
"Okay. I'll see you around."
I gave a small wave. He returned it with a faint tilt of his hand, then vanished without a ripple, as if he'd never been standing there at all.
"I wonder if you'll befriend an Omni."
Ela added, stepping in.
"Paragons. You never said anything about them. Anyway, who crowned me Paragon of Paradox?"
These questions demand an answer. I can't let someone touch my tail.
"I did."
She answered.
"We haven't seen a noteworthy Star ever since Zhou. Given your nature and what you've shown us, Paradox is the best title for you."
"...putting me in another game of yours."
"You caught me."
She said, surrendering her hidden paln.
"These Paragons aren't mere titles. They're qualifications."
"Qualifications for what?"
"The Omni Tier."
She replied casually as if it were nothing. As if a Young Star like me could make an Omni.
"It's irrelevant, but considering Alter and Zhou are the only two competitors, we decided to add a simple and optional requirement."
'It's irrelevant. So it's really impossible for a Star to go Supernova. Either way, the Paragon are mostly likes those who've provided they're better than all Stars but the Omnis themselves.'
"So I can be qualified for the Omni Tier?"
I asked, even though I know it was impossible.
"Yes."
"I guess I have to start holding back because I'm not interested."
I replied plainly.
"So it's officially a Scorpios trait, huh?"
'Huh?'
I paused, what did I just say that highlights my Scorpios lineage?
"Anyway, get back to training. I think we've had a long meaningless break."
"Ok."
(From here on out, I think we all know how it'll end).
With the sole purpose of training and setting a record, I cleared the Space-Time Art and all its branches like Space-Time Teleportation, Thread Walking, and the rest that same day.
To be continued...