[No one from Libra's side or the others is answering. Please, if not you, the Holy City!]
At those words, Lee Geon retorted.
"Then jump into the sea and die."
[......!]
The person on the other end seemed quite flustered. So much so that they were at a loss for words.
But only for a moment.
As if thinking the message hadn’t been conveyed, the other party changed their tune.
[There are a hundred million citizens in this Holy City. If not for you, they might all die...]
"That's none of my business. Become fish food together for all I care."
The other party fell silent, as if speechless.
And it was understandable, for Lee Geon had never once displayed such an attitude before.
It wasn't that he was a pushover, but he surprisingly disliked seeing ordinary people get hurt.
Why else would he have gone ahead and dealt with enemies without waiting for them to arrive?
Setting aside the fact that he would rescue hostages without a care for his own body breaking down.
They had thought he was the type of person who simply couldn't pass by when people were in danger.
But as if reading that thought, Lee Geon laughed.
"Back then, it was because I hated watching you bastards trade in human lives."
[......!]
"You should protect your own Holy City. Why ask someone else? I didn't take you for one, but you're a complete thug bastard."
[Ah, no...!]
"And I don't know what kind of case it is to call out of the blue and ask me to save your own family first."
At this, the other party seemed to flinch. Their voice immediately shrank.
"Geon-ah. I'm really sorry. It's just so urgent right now that I didn't realize I was..."
The moment the words fell, Lee Geon's eyes turned vicious.
"Geon-ah? Get lost. Who are you to call someone's name so casually? Am I your friend?"
The other party seemed taken aback by the murderous tone.
Come to think of it, Lee Geon really hated being called 'Geon' by others.
It was a way of saying, don't act like we're close.
So the other party promptly groveled.
[...Lee Geon, no, Lee Geon-nim. Please, I beg you. I apologize for not visiting sooner and for contacting you like this.]
At the same time, Lee Geon laughed as if disgusted.
He had no intention of dragging this out on the phone anyway.
"What are you offering in return?"
[I'll give you anything you want. Just say the word...]
"Your life."
For a moment, the sound of the phone dropping was heard.
But regardless, Lee Geon's eyes glinted.
"I've always been curious. Whether Saints can be used as weapon materials too."
[?!]
"Then it's accepted?"
[Ah, no, wait just...!]
Click.
The call was mercilessly cut off.
After the bloodcurdling call about finally grinding a Saint into a weapon ended, it was Hugo who spoke up in the frozen room.
"I'm not using that weapon."
"I'm not giving it to you, you bastard."
"......!"
At the same time, Hugo, who had entered his son's new room, asked.
"What's going on? That voice just now, that's the Pisces Saint, right?"
Pisces.
The Fish constellation was one of the two great magic zodiacs, rivaling Gemini, the Twin constellation.
And if Gemini had the feel of a scholarly engineering mage, Pisces had the feel of a druid-like naturalist.
Because of this, they were often called the science and liberal arts tracks of the magic world.
Their tendencies were so polar opposites that they were on incredibly bad terms.
The Twin constellation, symbolizing two faces, had a disposition for elemental domination and destruction, whereas the Fish constellation, like a fish that dies without water, had a disposition for elemental affinity.
It would have been abnormal if they got along.
Anyway, the Saint of the Fish constellation was a severe case of laziness and a recluse.
They never even showed themselves in public.
Lately, they had even gone completely off the grid for five years, causing their subordinate Ten Stars all sorts of hardship, or so they heard.
"So that guy called you directly? That's ridiculous!"
"Looks like the situation is that urgent."
Of course, it was unexpected.
The Fish constellation was famous as a transformation zodiac. But it was even more famous as a zodiac of powerful sealing and taming.
With potent taming magic and transformation magic, they could temporarily turn monsters into allies.
So it wasn't a zodiac that would normally suffer damage.
Yet they were so urgently calling upon him just because of a monster invasion.
It didn't matter.
"Good. I'll take the head and get a Holy City too."
At that, Hugo clicked his tongue.
"Will it be okay? Next to it is the territory of Taurus. You don't get along with the Taurus Saint, do you?"
Lee Geon sneered as if asking what that was supposed to mean.
"Doesn't matter at all."
"What? What does that..."
But instead of answering, Lee Geon used his skill.
[Using Propagation Skill]
[2 methods can be chosen]
[ , ]
[You have selected Normal Propagation]
Along with that voice, green light burst out inside the room.
At the same time, a scream came from the kitchen area of the new Holy City.
[Cheon Ji-woo has become a Holy Citizen of the Ophiuchus Holy City]
[Cheon Ji-woo: A+]
[Experience has increased by the value of Cheon Ji-woo]
Startled, Hugo rushed outside.
The light was spreading throughout the entire Sagittarius Palace, the new home of Ophiuchus.
And past the space used as the audience chamber, toward the kitchen.
There was Cheon Ji-woo, who had briefly left the hospital to see Lee Geon's forge.
And when her body began to shine, the Sagittarius Holy Citizens with her were shocked.
But only for a moment, as a tremendous light burst forth.
[Baptism complete]
[A baptismal name has been bestowed]
[Cheon Ji-woo has gained Ophiuchus skills and personal skills]
And upon realizing that this was an awakening, Hugo flared up in anger.
"Hey! You just suddenly--!"
But regardless, Lee Geon laughed.
[Level increased]
[Lv.13]
[3 Points obtained]
As expected, hunting monsters was good, but the best experience gain came from recruiting Holy Citizens.
'It varies depending on the target, but it can go up by as much as 70%.'
The Scribe wasn't a normal propagation, so experience didn't rise, but A-grade Cheon Seong-jae and Cheon Ji-woo gave this much.
If an S-grade could be accepted as a Holy Citizen, wouldn't a 100% experience boost be possible?
'As the level goes up, the number of points needed to raise skills also increases.'
Moreover, because it was a first awakening, the experience gain had slowed since the last trial.
Well, it was only natural that leveling up gets harder as the level rises.
It was then.
[System opened]
[From now on, you can lend the authority of Ophiuchus to those permitted, in exchange for specific prices]
[You can demand various things as payment: offerings, skill points, divine rank, food, experience, etc.]
At the same time, something fell before Lee Geon's eyes.
It was a scroll.
[Skill Lending Status: 0]
Lee Geon smiled with interest. But regardless, he pulled out his inventory book.
And as he opened to a middle page, a gift box appeared.
Lee Geon held it out to Cheon Ji-woo.
"A gift for becoming a Holy Citizen."
Cheon Ji-woo didn't know what to do.
"Oh my, to receive a gift from Lee Geon-nim, of all people...!"
Hugo pouted as he looked at his wife.
But only for a moment, Cheon Ji-woo's eyes went wide at the gift she received.
"A fountain pen...?"
Perhaps it was a holy artifact that could even become a weapon, given specially because she was a Scribe.
At the same time, Lee Geon smiled.
"From now on, you can fill the Bible of Sagittarius with this."
"Oh my. Is it really okay?"
Lee Geon nodded.
The Scribe was a specialized Holy Citizen among those with various roles: propagation, combat, support, education, cleaning, and so on.
"It's about time that little one grows up."
At those words, Cheon Ji-woo was deeply touched, thinking how generous Lee Geon-nim was, but Hugo burst out in anger.
"You're laughing inside right now, aren't you. You're mocking him, saying a dead-last guy like him needs a buff just to barely keep up with you! Huh?!"
Lee Geon dismissed him, acknowledging that Hugo figured it out well.
"Use this to grow Taeksu's Bible as well. You can even make up things that aren't there. For example, that all of Sagittarius surrendered to Ophiuchus."
"Yah!!!!!"
At those words, the Scribe who was listening sneered.
"Using that kind of ability won't leave that person's body intact. The Scribe ability's greater the lie told, the more internal injuries you receive."
Lee Geon sneered as if asking if that was the risk of the Scribe ability.
He had already guessed as much after seeing the Scribe's physical condition.
[God's Gaze (D) is active]
[At D-rank, the target's damage information is visible]
At F-rank, basic information was visible; at E-rank, faith information.
At D-rank, the damage information of creatures or tools became visible.
And the Scribe's physical condition was worse than expected.
It was certainly due to the risk.
But risk or not, it didn't matter.
Perhaps because she had become a Holy Citizen of Ophiuchus, her body was rapidly regenerating.
That was why Lee Geon looked at the fountain pen given to Cheon Ji-woo and smiled meaningfully.
"Just use that fountain pen. Then all external and internal damage will be transferred to this guy."
"?!!"
The expression of the targeted Scribe was a sight to behold.
"Ah, no, what kind of fountain pen is that--!"
"Be thankful I specifically slammed your data into it."
"Data? What data?!"
"Take Ji-woo-ssi's damage well. It's the price for trying to kidnap her."
The flustered Scribe hurriedly looked at Lee Geon.
"Hey! I'm your Holy Citizen!!"
At the gaze asking if it was okay to treat a Holy Citizen so roughly, Lee Geon's lips curled up as if it weren't a problem at all.
"An Ophiuchus Holy Citizen can regenerate no matter how injured."
That son of a bitch!
* * *
Meanwhile, it was around that time.
The main palace of Leo.
Leo Saint Stephen doubted his own ears.
"What did you say?"
He even dropped the pen he was holding.
His gaze was on Cheon Yu-ha standing before him.
"What did you just say?"
But towards the bewildered Stephen, Cheon Yu-ha spoke.
"The contract period is over, so I will withdraw from the Holy Order."
"What? Withdraw?"
"Yes, withdraw."
At those words, Stephen groaned in pain and pressed his forehead.
That's right.
Cheon Yu-ha had said she would leave Leo.
So Stephen had a headache.
'I wondered why she suddenly resolved all her overdue missions and came back.'
Of all things, a core force of Leo was saying she'd leave.
And indeed, Cheon Yu-ha was one of the Ten Stars. Her contribution to the zodiac was beyond imagination.
'The zodiac will waver immediately.'
But Stephen had nothing to say to Cheon Yu-ha, who was showing the contract.
There was no way to stop her from saying she would leave.
But it was right at that moment.
"You're leaving Leo?"
"!"
The one who sneered was none other than Oliver.
Leo's SS-grade. And the man who had lost the seat of the Ten Stars to Cheon Yu-ha because he wasn't chosen by the God.
And Oliver, who had entered Stephen's room, was looking at Cheon Yu-ha as if disgusted.
"Why. Are you leaving Leo to go join Lee Geon's zodiac?"
"!"
This time, Cheon Yu-ha's eyes also went wide.
And at those words, Stephen was startled.
"Lee Geon?"
But regardless, Oliver laughed.
"Go if you want. Leo has no need for a woman."
Stephen glared at Oliver.
"Hey!"
"I don't know how great a Saint Lee Geon is, but it's just a zodiac with no members anyway. Even if it's the 13th zodiac, a shabby zodiac that would never need Leo's help..."
But it was right at that moment.
Rumble rumble!
Suddenly, the floor of the main palace where they were split open and the ceiling collapsed.
"Aaagh!"
It was a tremendous earthquake.
Moreover, it made no sense for the main palace with the audience chamber to be shaken like this.
But those who looked outside were horrified.
"Monsters...!!"
It was a monster army. And not just one or two.
Hundreds of high-grade monsters were entering the Holy City of Leo.
At the same time, Stephen's eyes changed.
'That damned woman.'
It was unmistakable.
An invasion.
There had been speculation that an invasion from the unknown civilization would come soon.
And now it was entering this place.
As he wondered how this had happened, a report came in.
[Holy Lord! This is an emergency! The barrier of Leo has disappeared!]
At the voice coming through the frame on the wall, Stephen's face twisted.
'That crazy bitch.'
It was undoubtedly the work of Libra.
But only for a moment.
Stephen kicked off the ground and leaped up as if it didn't matter.
Boom!
At the same time, a golden light shot up through the ceiling.
"Such bastards...!"
Finally, Stephen landed on the roof.
But it was then.
Seeing the monsters surging forward, Stephen's expression hardened.
"......!"
Because a familiar face was visible among the monsters.
[Grrooooar!]
At that roar, Stephen's body froze.
At the same time, the Holy Citizens seeing the same thing stirred.
"I-impossible."
The nightmare from 20 years ago.
Red eyes were there.
(Continued in next chapter)