Cheon Yuha approached the armless Leo Constellation Lord.
And Steven was glad to see her coming.
No matter what, Yuha was a key asset of Leo.
"Yeah, Yuha. Good. Help me up a bit."
To be precise, he meant he wanted to borrow her strength.
In fact, losing an arm as a Combat God Seat was fatal—just like the Virgo Saint.
But Leo was a bit different. Leo was a God Seat of beasts.
They were warriors who transformed parts of their body into beasts to unleash powerful strength.
And that was thanks to the beasts parasitizing their bodies through contracts.
In other words, done right, they could create a prosthetic to replace a hand.
Why?
'Just transform the parasitizing beast into an arm and attach it to my arm. Done.'
Of course, in Steven's case, his contracted beast was his very own Divine Beast.
He could transform the Divine Beast into an arm and attach it…
"But I can't turn a great Divine Beast into something like my prosthetic."
That meant it was better to transform another beast into a prosthetic, but to replace the arm of a Saint, he needed a beast of at least a high rank.
A low-ranked beast wouldn't withstand the Saint's magic power and would fall off.
And though its identity was unknown, the beast parasitizing Yuha's arm was of the highest rank.
'A Divine Beast level, rivaling a Holy God.'
Just like the Gemini fairies, Leo also had ranks for its parasitizing beasts.
[Divine Beast Level]: Highest, calamity beast, danger group
[Fierce Beast Level]: High, combat group
[Wild Beast Level]: Mid, combat group
[Herbivore Level]: Low, special ability
Most of the Constellation leaders had Fierce Beast level parasitizing them, and their offensive power was considerable.
And the Divine Beast level was a very rare fantasy species, with only one or two in the past.
But the one parasitizing Cheon Yuha's arm was that Divine Beast level.
That was why Steven had abducted(?) Cheon Yuha.
It didn't matter.
"With the power of the beast on that arm, making a prosthetic is nothing."
Of course, the beast in Cheon Yuha's arm was something with the aura of an evil god.
It couldn't be extracted from her arm, but they could separate part of its power to create a prosthetic.
They had trained enough manipulation for that.
"The Constellation will give you plenty of compensation. So just lend me your arm until I find a new one…"
But then.
*Thrust!*
"!?"
Instead of answering, Cheon Yuha's spear was aimed at his neck.
Suddenly threatened, Steven was bewildered.
"Yuha?!"
He wondered what was going on, but Cheon Yuha spoke calmly.
"I'll continue what I was saying before."
"Wh-what? What you were saying before?"
"I'm leaving the Leo Constellation. I've finished all long-term missions under my name, and there's no issue with the contract."
"Ah, no!"
It seemed she was continuing from their conversation before the red eyes appeared, when she came to his room.
But now wasn't the time.
"Don't you know what's happening with the Constellation right now? No, I already told you you can't leave! The Divine Beast won't permit it!"
"The Divine Beast?"
"Yeah. The Leo Divine Beast really… No, is this something to talk about while pointing a spear? You think I won't listen if you don't do this?"
No matter what, he wasn't that much of a fossil.
But at those words, Cheon Yuha's black eyes glinted.
"Oh, not that. It's for a different reason."
"A different reason?!"
Right after that, a voice sounded in Cheon Yuha's ear again.
[Apostleship Mission has commenced]
[Upon completing this mission, you may become a disciple of Ophiuchus]
[Mission: Defeat a Saint-level]
[However, Sagittarius is excluded (Reason: too easy)]
Cheon Yuha's eyes flashed at Igeon's voice.
And in an instant, magic power surged into the spear!
The spear became a flash of light from the sky and struck down between Steven's legs.
*BOOM!!!*
"Aagh!!"
Steven, who almost lost something important, was horrified, and the nearby disciples were even more terrified.
They only managed to speak after Cheon Yuha's polite words fell.
"Lord, I'm sorry. And thank you for everything so far."
"!!!"
"You've swindled me a lot, but let's call it even. I also deliberately skipped some missions."
"What?! Yuha! No, wait, put that down and talk…"
But the vicious attacks continued. Worthy of a Ten Star level attack, brutal blows rained from the sky.
*BOOM! BOOM!*
"Aaagh! Lord!"
Even at full power from the start.
Perhaps because of who she was facing.
Magic power that could only be seen in the Red Zone was surging.
The disciples turned pale.
"Aaaagh! Yuha! What are you doing!"
Steven, dodging Cheon Yuha's attacks, was dumbfounded.
With both arms gone, he couldn't muster his full strength.
Flustered, Steven raised his voice.
"Why are you really doing this! No matter how much you want to leave, this is too much!"
"I'm truly sorry. But to go to my uncle's Constellation, I have no choice."
"Wh-what?"
Cheon Yuha set her spear with a hunter's gaze.
"It's that kind of mission."
The disciples wondered what she meant, but Steven cursed.
Because there was no way he didn't know what meant.
'Could it be a Mission Apostleship!'
It was undoubtedly that crazy Apostleship, which no Saint or Divine Beast would ever choose because the risks were too great, even if the rewards were beyond imagination.
And if you fail to fulfill the conditions of a Mission Apostleship, you can never enter that Divine Seat again.
That meant high risk, high return.
'Of course, if a Constellation leader is taken in through a Mission Apostleship, the Divine Seat's level rises like crazy.'
And the disciple undertaking the mission would undergo reawakening with tremendous stat growth.
In fact, Cheon Seongjae also grew greatly from A-rank.
Of course, if you were S-rank or above, growth was nearly finished, and there was no way to raise stats except through Mission Apostleship.
But even with exceptional rewards, they gave it to Cheon Yuha?!
'A Ten Star level!'
If Yuha failed the mission, they could never bring her back into the Constellation.
'I knew he had guts, but!'
Did he trust Cheon Yuha that much, or was he enjoying high risk, high return?!
No, that wasn't what mattered now.
"Lord, I'm sorry to ask this as I'm leaving, but please be defeated by me once."
Once he realized the nature of the mission, Steven was beside himself.
"Hey! No matter what, these conditions are insane!"
"It's fine. He didn't say to kill you."
"No, that's not the problem… Aagh!!"
*BOOM!!*
With that merciless blow, Steven's neck bulged with veins.
Because right now, he couldn't attack Cheon Yuha.
Lacking arms was an issue, but that wasn't really important.
Even without arms, he wasn't the head of the Combat God Seat for nothing.
Subduing one S-rank was enough with just his feet.
But.
"Hey!!! You can't do this! I made a contract with your dad, so I can't hurt you!"
"!"
At those words, the cautious look in Cheon Yuha's eyes changed.
"Oh, really?"
She even smiled as if relieved.
"Thank you. I didn't know that."
"......!!"
Seeing Cheon Yuha take a completely different stance, Steven turned pale as if he'd made a mistake.
'That's a perfect attack stance.'
She had been extremely tense and had taken a defensive posture since her opponent was a Saint.
But now that she knew Steven couldn't attack, she could focus solely on attacking.
Sure enough.
'Damn. I messed up.'
Cheon Yuha was already strong.
The fact that she could stand against a Saint as an S-rank spoke volumes about her combat sense and abilities.
Her reaction speed and battle sense were considerable.
And she inherited her father's blood, so her accuracy was top-notch.
Honestly, she was such a precious talent that it was a waste to send her to Igeon, and other Divine Seats coveted her as well.
But.
"Hey! You have to show some respect to your superior! No matter what, you think you can handle me?!"
Cheon Yuha's eyes flashed.
Of course, she had never once thought she could presumptuously defeat a Saint-level.
After all, the twelve Saints were heroes who once shared the battlefield with Igeon.
But when she was about to transfer to her uncle's Constellation, such weak thoughts were of no help.
Her uncle must have given her this mission thinking it was possible.
And if she couldn't clear one mission, she had no right to become Igeon's disciple.
Sure enough.
"As long as I just defeat you, there's no problem, right?"
*THUD-BOOM!!!!*
At the same time, a voice echoed.
[Apostleship Mission 20% progress]
[The Divine Throne is being transmitted to the Divine Beast]
The tone was different, but the voice was Igeon's again!
This must have been what his little brother mentioned.
And at Igeon's voice, Cheon Yuha's attacks gained strength.
[Scarlet Flash]
*KWA-GWANG!*
"Ah geez!!"
Because of that, Steven gritted his teeth as he dodged.
He wasn't sure if he was imagining it, but Cheon Yuha's attacks felt even stronger than usual.
'Damn. And I'm stuck in a contract with the Divine Archer so I can't even attack!'
The day they had abducted Cheon Yuha into the Leo Constellation.
Hugo had suddenly barged into the Constellation alone, threatened his life, and demanded a contract.
He didn't like it, but since it might be needed for his daughter, he would allow her to become a disciple, but never to harm his daughter.
It was a blood contract rarely made because it risked his life.
Of course, he had agreed since he only intended to use Yuha's power without harming her.
It was better than having the crazed Hugo overturn Leo. He wasn't a Saint to be taken lightly.
Instead, Hugo set the contract condition that he could never interfere in Leo's affairs.
Well, it didn't matter.
"Sis!! Good job!! Just kill that jerk! Let's offer him as a sacrifice to uncle!"
That peanut-sized brat!
Steven cursed as he dodged Cheon Yuha's attacks.
Cheon Seongjae was cheering for his sister with fire in his eyes.
"If you can't attack sis, isn't that a total jackpot?! Cut off his head! He's the one who insulted uncle anyway! If we catch that guy, maybe both sis and I can reach Saint-level!"
Indeed, it might not be impossible.
Because the moment Cheon Yuha's Apostleship Mission was activated, he also heard Igeon's voice.
[An Ophiuchus-wide mission has been added]
[Find a Saint to serve the Divine Beast]
[Any SS-rank Saint is eligible]
[With this mission, a disciple mission has been added for Cheon Seongjae]
[Promote to SS-rank (Saint-level)]
Then Cheon Seongjae summoned his magic power.
And at Cheon Seongjae's momentum, the Leo disciples grew furious.
"You think a Saint is some kind of monster? You!"
"Why! It's not impossible under Leo's rules! Anyway, it's for uncle! I'll help you too!"
But then.
"I can't let you do anything good for Igeon."
"!!"
Other disciples appeared in front of Cheon Seongjae.
"!"
They were none other than the Gemini Constellation members and the Leo SS-rank, Oliver.
Having teleported Oliver, the Gemini Constellation's eyes flashed as if aiming for Cheon Seongjae's life.
"Finally found you. Cheon Seongjae."
And along with him, Oliver suddenly attacked Cheon Yuha.
*BOOM!*
"!!"
Cheon Yuha's attacks on Steven stopped.
The Leo disciples breathed a sigh of relief.
"Sir Oliver! Welcome! Please stop Yuha! She was saying she wants to leave the Constellation…!"
"Why? That's good. Let her go."
"Pardon?!"
"But I can't sit by and let a wench take down a Saint."
At that, Steven laughed as if it were ridiculous.
"Yeah. Even with all his complaints, at times like this, he's loyal…"
"The one to take down Leo is me, not you!"
"?!"
Perhaps Oliver thought this was his chance now that Steven had lost his arm.
Oliver drew his sword.
He intended to cut down both Cheon Yuha and Steven.
"Rather than see you get beaten by a wench, I'll defeat you myself."
"Oliver!"
"It's fine. By Leo's rules, if I defeat the Lord, I can take over that power. You'll need a proxy until you find your arm anyway, so don't worry."
"These bastards really!!"
Sparks flew in Leo's eyes.
No matter if his arm was gone, there were limits to what could be said.
"You're treating a Saint like a complete joke."
With a menacing voice, golden light rose from Steven's body.
[Semi-Deification]
The overwhelming magic power made it impossible for anyone to stay put.
Both Yuha and Oliver were pushed back by the tremendous force.
But then.
A ferocious energy surged from Oliver's body.
"!"
Cheon Yuha and the disciples were startled.
'That's not Leo's energy.'
It felt more like something from an unknown civilization.
And at that moment.
The golden lion light and Oliver's strange black tiger-like light clashed.
And just as Cheon Yuha was pushed back by that ferocious energy.
*BOOM!*
A powerful green light also came crashing down above Cheon Yuha's head.
(To be continued in the next episode)