Lee Geon suddenly clutched his stomach as if in pain.
[A portion of the devoured god’s power is being recreated.]
Lee Geon grabbed his chest and collapsed.
“Urgh.”
“Geon-ah!”
Startled, people rushed to him.
“Lee Geon!”
“Geon-ah, are you okay? Geon-ah!”
Those who caught him were completely flustered.
Especially Hugo, whose heart sank.
For good reason—it had been a very long time since he’d seen Lee Geon in such pain.
Right before they went to the Devil’s Tower, back when he’d lost most of his body’s functions and only cried out in agony like a terminal cancer patient.
Wasn’t this a similar situation?
He’d simply stopped worrying because Lee Geon had looked so healthy when they reunited after twenty years. But now that he thought about it, Lee Geon had originally been a patient on the verge of death.
So, in that instant, Hugo’s heart lurched, and he checked Lee Geon’s condition.
“Geon-ah, are you okay? Do you need medicine? Heart medication? Should I get your anesthetic?”
Hugo frantically rummaged through his pockets. Whenever Lee Geon was in pain, it had always been his job to give him medicine.
But then.
“I’m full. Feels like I’m going to burst.”
“What?”
“I need the bathroom.”
“What???”
“I think I’m going to throw up!”
“……?!”
Just as they wondered what nonsense this bastard was spouting.
[Danger. The body cannot withstand the absorbed god’s power.]
Along with that voice, Lee Geon’s body flashed.
“Geon-ah!”
Hugo, who had been holding Lee Geon, let go in surprise.
‘He’s hot.’
This was not a normal state.
At the same time, Lee Geon bit his lip. He wasn’t sure, but it felt like a snake was thrashing around in his stomach.
And that snakelike thing was undoubtedly the power of Libra.
Pretending to be a holy god’s power again, it was trying to destroy his body.
Sure enough, an urgent voice followed.
[The act of a god devouring another god is a grave sin.]
[At your current level, you cannot digest a god’s power.]
[Before recreation, you will be consumed by the power of Absolute Order.]
With those words, Lee Geon’s body began to tear apart. Then a yellow glow seeped out, trying to erase his existence.
“Urgh.”
“Geon-ah!”
Skill.
He’d tested it because it seemed like he could eat anything, but apparently, devouring a god was a high-difficulty act.
He had an upset stomach, and a serious one at that.
This was why hygiene was important.
Just how rotten was that woman to cause this much trouble?
Then.
[The Absolute Order is too powerful.]
[To avoid being eroded by that power, a strong divine authority is required.]
[Compared to the Absolute Order’s , Ophiuchus’s is significantly lower.]
Lee Geon frowned.
Divine History?
He wasn’t sure, but didn’t it mean that compared to Libra, Ophiuchus was a tiny little constellation?
Of course, the opponent was, by reputation, the number one constellation.
In terms of followers, scale, divine history carved into myth, and every other measure, it was overwhelming.
It couldn’t possibly compare to a newborn constellation.
Perhaps it felt like a newborn baby snake trying to swallow a giant crocodile, causing its stomach to burst.
And sure enough.
A subordinate god of Virgo spoke.
[Ophiuchus is a newly formed constellation, so it cannot swallow the vast power of Libra.]
[As you are a fledgling holy god with weak divine history….]
At the goddess’s words, Hugo screamed.
That was only natural.
.
It referred to the origins of gods, woven from faith and legend.
The deeper the history behind an object or figure, the more depth its story gained.
And that was the power that allowed that god to exist and be sustained.
At the same time, was a scale, a size, and a measure of a holy god’s power.
Simply put, the more achievements, the more renown, the more records and faithful followers a holy god had, the stronger they became.
For a god could not exist without human faith.
That was why saints endlessly proselytized and seized followers for their holy gods.
The weaker the divine history, the weaker the power and defense of that holy god.
So offering a strong holy god as tribute to one with weak divine history?
Hugo erupted in fury.
“Hey! There are other things to offer! Do you want to kill your kind holy god!! That’s why I said not to pick up weird things and offer them!! I told you not to eat just anything! Aren’t you saying your great holy god is a newborn god?! A baby snake!!!”
At that, the beautiful subordinate gods of Virgo glanced sideways at Lee Geon.
A baby snake?
‘Well, a baby snake is a baby snake.’
The problem was that this was a species harboring a venom that could even destroy gods.
But whether he knew that or not, Hugo raged on.
“Is that how a saint who serves a holy god acts?!”
Either way, this was dangerous.
“Geon-ah, spit it out! Ptoo! Ptoo!”
Hugo patted Lee Geon’s back worriedly.
He wasn’t entirely sure, but Lee Geon’s skill from earlier was surely a skill to offer tribute to the holy god.
And before the tribute reached the holy god, Lee Geon—the saint—had gotten sick.
So he said.
“Throw it all up! Don’t kill your magnificent holy god!”
Could he get away with smacking this guy once?
Eventually, as Hugo was about to even use his fingers, the flustered subordinate gods of Virgo stopped him.
[Sa- Saint of Sagittarius! We do not recommend that method!]
[Yes. The holy god Ophiuchus has already absorbed the power!]
The Virgo goddesses watched Lee Geon’s reaction.
[Though just absorbing it alone is impressive….]
Normally, a god trying to devour another god was an unthinkable act of madness.
It was not just taboo, but impossible from the start.
[To begin with, there is a better method than vomiting it back up.]
Hugo looked up in surprise.
“What method is that?”
[Raising the holy god Ophiuchus’s divine authority to swallow Libra’s power whole would be more beneficial.]
“!”
Divine authority was the god’s majesty, the very power they wielded.
And what they were saying, in short, meant becoming stronger than the power he had swallowed.
[Normally, a holy god’s divine authority maxes out at 90%.]
[Even if momentarily explosive, 100% is very difficult to create.]
[So at 100% divine authority, you would be able to dominate most powers instantly.]
Then the swallowed power could also be converted into Ophiuchus’s power.
[If so, your divine history would also increase.]
Moreover, Libra was the number one ranked constellation.
If absorbed, it would return as a tremendous power.
Thus, the subordinate gods of Virgo, who were favorable toward Lee Geon, spoke.
[The fastest way to raise a holy god’s divine authority is through proselytization and achievements.]
At those words, Kevin immediately moved.
“Proselytization is easiest. I’ll gather people.”
Then Hugo flared up.
What? Proselytization is easy?
“Hey! It’s easy for you because all you have to do is sign a vow contract!”
Virgo’s condition for proselytization was to impose .
Of course, the specific restrictions varied by person—some had to abstain from food, others from lust, or from certain actions or clothing.
But the basic format was the same.
Do not betray the holy god, and abstain from lust.
For Virgo, the key was maintaining those after becoming a follower, so proselytization itself wasn’t difficult.
But for them, it was different.
Even Sagittarius’s proselytization condition was appearance-based, making it quite difficult.
However, Ophiuchus was even more extreme than the already strict Sagittarius.
“Geon’s side has the condition of 100% faith!”
“?!”
The expressions on the Virgo goddesses were a sight to behold.
They looked like they were asking if such a condition was even possible.
That was why they stared at Lee Geon in shock.
[Why did the Ophiuchus lord set such a condition?]
[Isn’t the condition set by the holy god themself?]
Unless one was a considerable masochist, it wasn’t a condition anyone would impose.
Of course, the harsher and more nearly impossible a constellation’s proselytization condition, the greater the proselytization experience. And the followers awakened even stronger.
So, while 80% of the condition was based on the holy god’s taste, some holy gods deliberately twisted the conditions.
It was a choice between making it easy and fighting with quantity, or deliberately making it difficult and competing with quality.
[Still, 100% faith—is that even a possible value?!]
[W- Wouldn’t it be possible? If one prioritizes the holy god above their own life…]
[?!]
Amidst the commotion of the subordinate gods, Kevin narrowed his brow.
‘Well, it’s probably not a condition Lee Geon set anyway.’
No matter how notorious a masochist Lee Geon was, he wouldn’t impose such a condition to suffer.
Just as he had unwittingly become the 13th constellation, the proselytization condition had likely been set automatically.
And perhaps.
‘It might be so that Ophiuchus never accepts a traitor.’
Since Lee Geon had awakened as Ophiuchus after being betrayed, after all.
Well, it didn’t matter either way.
“If the proselytization condition is like that, we have to raise the divine authority through achievements.”
Hugo looked troubled.
That was only natural.
“It would be hard to establish achievements with just Seongjae…!”
Indeed.
Achievements.
Simply put, it meant having followers hunt monsters or spreading rental skills far and wide to let humans accomplish great deeds.
In other words, having them establish merit in the name of the holy god.
But he knew his son’s abilities all too well.
Even if his son hunted monsters, he didn’t know if it would be enough to be recognized as a feat for the constellation.
‘Unless it’s saint-level.’
At the very least, it had to be a feat worthy of being recorded in the Bible.
Only then would it become the holy god’s power.
And it was at that moment.
As if reading his thoughts, Lee Geon wiggled a finger at Hugo.
Wiggle, wiggle.
Surprised, Hugo approached, and the dying Lee Geon whispered something like a last will and testament.
But upon hearing the whisper, Hugo exploded in rage.
“What? You want me to leave Sagittarius and become your follower?! Are you insane!”
“Why!! Then pray for me or something!!”
“Are you crazy!! Don’t you know what a saint’s prayer means! Why would I do something that would deplete Sagittarius’s power! What if something goes wrong with you…!”
“I don’t care, just pray!! They said they’ll count it as an achievement!”
Judging by the nonsense he was spouting, he still seemed full of energy.
Just as Hugo was looking at his reddened eyes, as if searching for a solution.
[Danger. The power of Absolute Order is gnawing at Ophiuchus’s body.]
[Danger. Ophiuchus’s physical body is collapsing.]
Lee Geon’s body stiffened like stone. And cracks began to form on his arm.
Startled, Kevin clasped his hands together.
“Move aside, Sagittarius! I’ll do such a trivial prayer for him!”
“?!”
Hugo looked at Kevin in horror. The subordinate gods of Virgo also screamed.
That was understandable, as saints were the proxies of the holy gods.
And a saint’s prayer, simply put, was pouring out the constellation’s power.
Naturally, it drastically reduced the constellation’s contribution points.
Therefore, it was something they dared not even think of lightly, nor use for anything other than the work of their own holy god and constellation.
But what?
The subordinate gods of Virgo grew angry.
[Apostle of the Goddess! Are you saying you would use Virgo’s power on him now?]
“What’s it to you, don’t you think I know that your god has just been watching Lee Geon this whole time!”
[?!]
“Shut up. Tell your god to just keep watching Lee Geon!”
[Kevin!]
In the end, Kevin knelt on one knee and drew a holy sign with his remaining arm.
And in that instant, something amazing happened.
Flash!
[The effect of a saint-level prayer is incoming.]
[The vast power of Virgo flows into Ophiuchus.]
[An achievement has been accomplished.]
[Ophiuchus’s divine authority and divine history increase.]
[A portion of Virgo’s power is received.]
With that, Lee Geon’s body stopped splitting apart.
But.
[Divine authority has risen to 15%.]
[Current divine authority: 40%.]
Kevin was horrified.
“This much isn’t enough?”
It seemed Lee Geon’s constellation had a larger vessel than expected.
Indeed, even the subordinate gods of Virgo were shocked.
‘This is the power of the 2nd ranked constellation…!’
And then.
Perhaps thanks to having contacted Seongjae, contribution points came in for Lee Geon.
[Cheon Seongjae has achieved an accomplishment, raising divine authority by 15%.]
The magical power flowing from Lee Geon’s body exploded.
And perhaps Seongjae had contacted others, because contributions came in from other followers as well.
[Cheon Jiwoo has achieved an accomplishment, adding 10%.]
He didn’t know what achievements they had accomplished to bring in power rivaling the prayer of the 2nd ranked constellation Virgo, but it didn’t matter.
‘As expected, with their high faith.’
It seemed he would soon have the power to recreate Libra’s power as his own.
However.
[Obtained 0.00000001% divine authority from the scribe.]
Hearing that, Lee Geon’s face contorted.
It looked like he would need to discipline that scribe of his.
And then.
[Proselytization successful. A new follower has been added, greatly increasing divine authority.]
[Current divine authority: 85%.]
[15% remaining until 100% divine authority.]
At the unexpected notification, Lee Geon narrowed his brow.
Proselytization?
Who?
But that was only for a moment.
“Ah, shit.”
Perhaps worried about his friend’s suffering.
[The vast power of Sagittarius flows into Ophiuchus.]
[Divine history increases.]
As if giving up, Hugo had knelt on one knee and was offering a saint’s prayer.
[A portion of Sagittarius’s power can be used.]
[Divine authority has reached 150%.]
“!”
[The power of Libra can be recreated.]
At the same time, a massive light accompanied a change in Lee Geon’s body.
(To be continued in the next chapter)