âIs this the doing of the snake god by chance?â
The civil servants of the Divine world clicked their tongues as they looked at the ranking board before them. The reason for their reactions was the update on the board, specifically Lee Gunâs rank.
<Serpent Bearer>
[Zodiac Ranking: 204989 (Low rank)]
This ranking was the Zodiac ranking, which excluded the Constructs. It basically listed the rulers who managed the colonies.
The ranking combined a variety of factors, including wealth, number of troops (Constructs), and power. The rank of a Zodiac could give a rough estimate of their strength.
âHe got rid of Olympusâs gods and made a mess of Olympus. Thatâs why I was looking forward to seeing it.â
âAt the very least, I expected him to be within a five-digit number.â
Other civil servants, on the other hand, were surprised and appalled.
âHis ranking is too high! For a newbie, itâs very high.â
âThatâs right. A new god usually starts at the lowest-rank groupâŚâ
âWait a moment! What caused Olympus to fall?â
âWhat else? It was probably Hadesâs Divine item. That Divine item is incredible if activatedâŚâ
âThen the Great Spiritâs power didnât cause Olympus to fall?â
âIf not, nothing else makes senseâŚâ
At that momentâŚ
âAh! Wait a moment! That ranking has an error!â
â!â
Another agent quickly came running toward them from far away. He was holding a tablet-like object.
âIâm sorry! The person in charge didnât put the Divine status assessment into the ranking!â
âWhat?â
âDoes that mean this ranking reflects only his wealth and Constructs?â
âYes! I re-entered it! The real ranking will show up when it is refreshed. It is coming up right now.â
âYou should do your work properly. Still, it shouldn't change the standing too muchâŚâ
Despite these words, odd expressions appeared on their faces when they checked the tablet.
âWhat the hell? Why did the snake godâs name disappear? It was over here.â
âDid it fall furtherâŚâ
âNo! Heâs over here!!!â
âWhat? Where?â
âHere!â
âWhere the hell⌠Kuhk?!â
The gods who had been looking at the ranking board couldnât believe their eyes.
âWhat the hell is this?â
They screamed when they saw the unbelievable ranking.
***
Around that timeâŚ
âShall we drag him out into the open?â
â!â
Two familiar gods appeared in front of Lee Gun. It seemed the two of them didnât want to draw attention to themselves, so they had covered their faces.
Lee Gun merely smirked at their appearance. He glared at them as if to say he knew what they were doing. âYou guys were nowhere to be seen when we were catching the pillar gods. Why are you suddenly appearing right now?â
âOf course, we were going around various places to help you.â
Lee Gun looked at the two of them in contempt. âAh! You guys were trying to help me by leading the Olympus gods to me? Is that why you were with them?â
â!â
Osiris and Anubis flinched when they saw his menacing smile.
Lee Gun looked at them with his red eyes as he squeezed Anubisâs neck. âA Zodiac knows the locations of their Constructs. I already know your faction met up with the Olympus gods. Did you think I wouldnât find out about it?â
âWhat are you saying? Weâ Kuhk! Huhk!!â
âI know where you ate, and I know where you took a dump. I can recite all your actions. Should I recite it to you in the form of a song??â
A normal Zodiac wouldnât be able to know their Constructsâ actions to that extent. However, Lee Gun was different since he possessed the independent twelve Zodiac system.
âDonât try any funny business with me. I know you guys donât harbor any goodwill toward me.â
Suddenly, the stubborn Osiris approached Lee Gun as if the remark had offended him. âWhy are you saying this? Of course, we want to help you since you became our new master.â
âOh, really? Then you wouldnât mind me revealing to everyone that you guys are my subordinates? Ok.â
â!!â
When Lee Gun headed toward the public bulletin of the neutral zone, the two gods reacted in fright.
âJust having Hercules under me created a big buzz! Do you realize how much they are willing to pay me for an interview on broadcast? Theyâll be shocked to find out that the pillar gods of Ennead or whatever are my Constructs.â
It seemed they wanted to avoid this at all costs. Anubis grabbed Lee Gunâs arm as he said, âWhy are you being like this? We merely have a big grievance against Sagittarius! Thatâs all!â
âGrievance?â
Lee Gun furrowed his brows as he turned his gaze. âYes. That bastard isâŚ!â
At that momentâŚ
[You canât, Anubis.]
â!â
Osirisâs strict voice rang inside Anubisâs head. Anubis flinched. They were using telepathy that could only be shared between the gods of Ennead.
[We cannot let him find out about that personâs story.]
Osiris was referring to the Great Spirit of Ennead, one of the top three figures in the Divine world.
âHe placed the bounty on Sagittarius.â
The reason for the crazy 65-billion bounty was the Great Spirit of Ennead. Of course, this amount was minuscule to a Great Spirit, who possessed great wealth. The Great Spirit had snorted at such a figure.
âHe already had a grudge against Sagittarius. The incident with the bomb made him angrier.â
The Great Spirit of Ennead wasnât like Zeus.
âHe was born alongside the Divine world, and he accompanied the Primordial god. He didnât inherit his power at all.â
He was the strongest amongst the Great Spirits and was considered one of the three pillars of the Divine world. It was said that if he raged, he was capable of destroying the Divine world.
Although he hadnât been hurt, Sagittarius had ruined something precious to the Great Spirit. This was the reason for the bounty: to bring Sagittarius in front of the Great Spirit.
[What would happen if the snake god learns that we are trying to catch Sagittarius using the bounty? What do you think will happen?]
The snake god had cheated the gods of Olympus. He was tricky.
[If the snake god gets a hold of Sagittarius, heâll try to negotiate with us.]
Anubis laughed in a knowing manner.
[Osiris-nim should be the one who should be mindful of not leaking your objective.]
Anubis was aware of it. He knew why a god of Osirisâs stature was trying to stay next to the snake god.
âHe is trying to steal the Divine status of the twelve Zodiacs from the snake god.â
Osiris specifically wanted the seats of Gemini and Pisces from the twelve Zodiacs. Those two possessed Divine statuses of gods that had originated from Ennead.
[Divine status: Isis]
[Divine status: Nefertiti]
Moreover, both Divine statuses had a connection to Osiris. The great magician of the Divine world, Aslan, had stolen those Divine statuses and given them to the twelve Zodiacs.
Originally, those two Divine statuses were noble powers of Ennead. They were Divine statuses that could have deepened Osirisâs internal energy.
âWhy the hell did he bring it with him to the Divine world?â
The snake god had voluntarily crawled into the Divine world with those Divine statuses! Osiris hadnât said it, but Anubis was sure Osiris was aiming for them.
âHowever, we have to escape being his Constructs first.â
This was why they looked at Lee Gun. âAs a Zodiac, you can go back to the earth only if you make changes to the Rule Book. Pushover is a Construct, so he can go back to the earth. However, he would have to pay a departure fee.â
âDeparture fee?â
âYes. Kunlun as well as the other forces want Pushover. Theyâll make sure he canât leave. At the very least, you need 10 billion Talents in bribe money for them to turn a blind eye.â
âTen billion?!â
When Hugo opened and closed his mouth, Anubis laughed to reassure him. âItâs fine. Sagittariusâs bounty has gone up again to 65 billion. We can use him to negotiate with the goddesses of fate, and at the same time, you can hand him over for the bounty. You can use him twofold.â
Lee Gun snorted as if he was trying to tell them to fuck off. âI donât need your help. You should summon him, Taeksoo.â
Since Sagittarius was Hugoâs Construct, Hugo should be able to summon him.
Flash!
â!â
Hugo summoned Sagittarius, but what appeared was the horse mask!
â!â
When their eyes became round, Anubis moved in close as if to say he had expected this. âSagittarius is a formidable god. He might not look like it, but heâs capable of killing several thousand gods.â
â!â
Pillar gods were such beings.
âHe is a cruel god who killed gods without a single trace of mirth on his face. His nickname is the White Reaper. He is famous in the Divine world for being cold-blooded. Heâs an elite.â
âSuch a god wonât be summoned through Construct Summons. No way!â
The expressions on the faces of Hugo and Lee Gun were a sight to behold.
White Reaper�
Cold-blooded�
âWho the hell are they talking about?â
It seemed Sagittarius had gone around making a lot of enemies.
Thinking that, Lee Gun grabbed Anubis by the throat. âYou call him here. Then Iâll believe you.â
âRelease my power. If you doâ Ggoo-ahhk!â
âSince youâre a dog, you should act like one. Use your nose to find him. If you donât, Iâll grind you up and turn you into a real dog.â
âGun, why donât you let Hercules train them?â
Osiris snorted. âHeâs a worthless fighting-type god who got blinded by a woman. Do not compare him to me.â
âYes. Trust us. It is advantageous for you to hand over Sagittarius for the bounty.â
âWhat are you talking about?â
âWhat else? For gods, colonies are considered their power and strength. Thatâs why gods must acquire colonies.â
Lee Gun possessed the earth, which was considered a very high-quality land.
âSince doing so is taboo, gods wonât openly try to take it. However, you have little backing, money, and Constructs. Do you really think youâll be able to maintain your colony? Youâll have it stolen in a fortnight.â
â!â
âNormally, you can donate money to the Divine world to protect your dimension, but can a poor god like you have the funds toâ Kuhk!â
âI donât give a damn about the donation. You can sell Duat and pay it off. This is an order from your Zodiac.â
ââŚ?!â
Osiris was taken aback, but Lee Gun took out something as if he just had an idea. It was a necklace used for communication.
Lee Gun manipulated the necklace, and a familiar figure appeared as a hologram. It was Kevin.
He got up as if he was glad to see Lee Gun.
[Lee Gâ Why is that woman there?!]
Lee Gun ignored Kevinâs irritated words. He got straight to the point. âI contacted you because I need to confirm somethingâ
[You want to confirm something? Ah! You did cut me off earlier and ended the callâŚ!]
âYou said some unknown beings appeared there claiming to be my friend. They are trying to swindle everyone?â
[Yes! They claim to be your Construct and say they will be managing the earth for you! They are asking for all kinds of tribute that they claim will be sent to you!]
Lee Gun smirked. Which gods were using his name to steal tribute from his dimension? That question was answered in no time.
[They said the goddesses of fate had sent them. They claim to be very close with you.]
Lee Gun was dumbfounded. They were carrying out such a plan while he was fighting Hercules?
Hailey immediately realized what was going on. âYouâre the Zodiac of the earth, yet youâre absent. They used this opportunity to send their Constructs.â
Osiris realized his plan was going awry, so he clenched his eyes shut. He had planned on somehow making Lee Gun negotiate with the goddesses of fate. It would give Osiris and Anubis the chance to secretly contact the goddesses. They would be able to broker a secret deal.
âThe goddesses of fate can free us from him if they change the rulesâŚ!â
After they would be released from being the snake godâs Constructs, they planned on completing their mission.
<You have to make sure the snake god doesnât go back to the earth. Keep him occupied.>
It was an order from their Great Spirit. When they asked why they had to do such a thing, the Great Spirit had given an unexpected reason.
- We cannot lose that precious Creator.
- What? What do you meanâŚ
The two gods of Ennead gulped as they recalled those words.
Lee Gun laughed while looking at Kevin. âEarth is fine since Sungjae is there. You should work with him. Donât get too involved.â
Kevin nodded.
* * *
After returning to the earth, Yeonwoo felt a grave energy.
âWhat? You canât get in touch with Sungjae?â
To inform her about Hugo, Yeonwoo had visited Chun Jiwoo. But she looked at her surroundings as if something was off.
âThatâs odd. Nothing too strange seemed to have occurred while I visited the Divine world.â
â!â
Yeonwoo had been walking toward the window when she lowered her head. She took a deep breath.
âThis energy isâŚâ
Murderous intent appeared in her eyes. It was to be expected since she had felt this ominous energy when the original owner of the Serpent Bearer temple had died. It was the energy of an ominous god that could be felt from the corpse of her owner.
At the same time, Yeonwoo heard a voice.
[My pretty Creator, where is the new child?]
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