All of Western Europe was Virgo’s territory. France, too, belonged to Virgo.
“Find him!”
It was a small city on the outskirts of Paris.
Barely a hundred meters from Lee Geon, the place—serving as Virgo’s fortress—was in utter chaos.
That was because the other Star Signs were rampaging to kill Lee Geon’s Saints.
KABOOM!!
“Lee Geon’s an idiot too. Making kids like that his Saints.”
“Find the greenhorn Ophiuchus Saint!”
“Abduct the Virgo vassal gods!”
“Steal their supplies too!”
“Destroying a sanctuary gives power to the Star God!”
The Scions and vassals of Cancer, their eyes gleaming, razed the sanctuary.
[Seize the war-goddesses of the battle Star Signs too! War vassal gods are worth a fortune!]
[Now’s the chance, while they’re powerless!]
At last, an ominous orange glow set its sights on the Virgo goddesses.
Though their forms were indistinct, like mist, they were all hideous vassal gods of Cancer:
[Pretas] [Hungry Ghosts]
The mist shattered the Virgo sanctuary and coiled around the goddesses.
Cancer was a Star Sign optimized for defiling and weakening the power of other Star Signs.
[Ugh, my power is being drained…!]
The goddesses caught in the mist writhed in agony.
[Damn, Cancer really is a Star Sign you shouldn’t get close to… argh!]
As hundreds of goddesses were seized, Cancer’s vassals were deeply satisfied.
[Virgo and Sagittarius are famous for having beautiful vassals, gods and mortals alike. This’ll fetch a fortune.]
But it was then.
“You bastards dare try your tricks on my uncle’s vassal gods?!”
[!]
A scream erupted amidst green light.
[A sanctuary skill of Ophiuchus is activating in the designated area.]
[Heavenly Punishment]
– Punishment befalls those who insult the master of the sanctuary.
– Skill exclusive to Star Gods and Saints.
“Argh!”
Lightning struck down upon those who had insulted Lee Geon.
And at the sight of them turning to cinders, the Virgo vassal gods were utterly shocked.
“That’s…!”
[The vile servants of a criminal Star Sign dare covet the vassals under Ophiuchus.]
[Those under Ophiuchus are already part of Ophiuchus’s power.]
[Punishing intruders in the sanctuary increases the Star Sign’s renown and grants experience.]
Along with the lightning, a familiar face appeared.
It was teleportation.
But it was vastly different from the teleportation he usually used.
Whoosh!
It was like a burst of flame.
As if his very body had become a green phoenix, the blazing flames had become Cheon Seongjae.
His flowing hair, his clothes—all scattering green flames as he strode out.
And at his appearance, the eyes of every Scion and vassal shifted.
‘So he really did become a Saint…!’
His aura was indeed on another level.
The presence of a great apostle directly blessed by a god.
It was utterly different from ordinary Scions.
And so the Scions who had invaded the Virgo sanctuary, though they flinched, couldn’t help but smirk.
“I almost couldn’t believe it, but the moron really did become a Saint!”
“Lee Geon, that idiot, completely handed a bomb over to a brat!”
“That thing just now, that was a Saint skill too, right? Giving him a skill he can’t even control!”
“Right, kids’ mental strength can’t handle it. There’s no way a little runt like that can handle Saint-level magic power…!”
It was then.
Pang!
Cheon Seongjae’s body vanished into flames and reappeared before a man.
Fwoosh!
Then, like a blazing flame of life, Cheon Seongjae, who had appeared as fire, grabbed the man by the throat.
The man was nearly a head taller, but that didn’t matter in the slightest.
“Don’t worry, I can handle it a billion times better than you old farts.”
“……!!!”
Cheon Seongjae spewed flames.
“First, one down.”
“?!”
Before the words had even finished, the man was engulfed in fire.
KABOOM!!!
[You have dealt with an enemy who invaded the sanctuary.]
[The magic power of the defeated enemy is being drained to fill the Star Sign energy.]
The startled vassal gods tried to move.
[Using a sanctuary skill with Saint’s authority.]
Stage 1 [Natural Disaster]: [Earthquake] [Collapse] [Tsunami] [Storm] [Volcanic Eruption] [Heavenly Punishment]
In an instant, a storm swept in, and flames and lava erupted.
The vassal gods were thrown into panic.
They had no choice but to be.
[You young lunatic! If you use it like that, your Star Sign will go bankrupt!]
That was right.
A sanctuary skill was essentially an ultimate technique.
In other words, it used the
And
Simply put, it could be seen as the energy accumulated by a guild.
But.
[If you spam the sanctuary skill like that, the Star Sign Energy will run dry!]
[That’s right! Do you know how much Star Sign Energy a sanctuary skill consumes?!]
[Do you know how much time and labor it takes just to fill 1% of that?!]
But filling it was incredibly difficult.
Even Virgo, ranked second, had to struggle for a month to fill 1%.
Therefore, it was energy they usually didn’t use much because it was too precious.
[On top of that, it must be a burden on the Star God, who is one with the Star Sign…!]
Virgo had already become subordinate to Ophiuchus. They knew roughly how much energy the head Star Sign had.
So they quickly checked on Lee Geon.
[Why do you ask?]
[N-No. Something is strange about Sir Lee Geon.]
[Sir Lee Geon is perfectly fine!]
[B-Besides, looking at it now, Ophiuchus’s Star Sign Energy seems to be filling up instead….]
[What?! That’s absurd! Even while spending energy like this! At the very least, he should be tired….]
But Cheon Seongjae just smiled instead of answering.
“If you don’t get it, I’ll tell you one thing.”
[What?]
“An Ophiuchus Scion has a base of 100% or more Faith Power, so whatever they offer the Star God gets doubled.”
[…!]
“For reference, mine is 300%. You can basically figure it’s an extra 300% tacked on.”
“……!!?”
“So basically, while I’m cleaning all of you up, the Star Sign Energy just fills up to full, you idiots!”
An explosion erupted before he even finished speaking.
“And if you dared crawl into my uncle’s sanctuary, just die!!”
* * *
[Experience has increased.]
[Experience has increased.]
[Experience has increased.]
[Achievements are being inscribed in the Bible.]
[Cheon Seongjae (Saint 1) uses a sanctuary skill to strike down the intruders.]
[Cheon Yuha (Saint 2) took advantage of the chaos to capture a useful-looking vassal god.]
[Cheon Seongjae demands the intruders praise his uncle.]
[Cheon Yuha dealt with those who refused.]
[Cheon Seongjae’s sadistic trait is being displayed.]
[Cheon Seongjae attempts brainwashing once more.]
[Though the missionary activity failed, all became daily sustenance.]
At the screams ringing out from all directions, Lee Geon’s lips curved up.
And in contrast, there was one person with their head in their hands.
It wasn’t Zhang Lui, of course.
“Even their Saint is a fucking nutjob over there!!”
“Run away! Don’t get involved with Ophiuchus!”
“Damn it, what kind of nutcase Saint asks them to choose between dying and joining up through missionary work?!”
“Their power is no joke… argh!”
It was Hugo.
Hugo, who had followed along out of worry for Lee Geon, wore a grim expression at the shouts coming from everywhere.
What did it matter if he was relieved that Lee Geon seemed to have caught Zhang Lui safely?
What did it matter if he thought it was fortunate Kevin was unexpectedly safe?
“Sagittarius! How did you raise your kids! Argh!”
Hugo, atop the building, covered his face as if embarrassed.
His children had all been tainted because of Lee Geon.
“Ha, seriously, I should ask the Ophiuchus Star God to strike Lee Geon with heavenly punishment… No. That Star God bastard is him.”
Hugo despaired.
Well, it didn’t really matter.
This must have been one of the futures he had glimpsed.
A future where a sanctuary skill activated and decimated the intruders, but he never imagined the activator would be his own son.
And that wasn’t all.
He didn’t know why, but the sight of Kevin stomping around confidently was strange.
He wasn’t certain, but that feeling.
‘Could it be that Virgo has become subordinate to Ophiuchus?’
There was no doubt.
The presence he felt from Kevin was not only Virgo’s but also Ophiuchus’s.
That was why he was bewildered.
Well, he had guessed this situation the moment the sanctuary’s Seal was handed over.
‘He’s insane.’
Entering into subordination meant they had to serve the Star God of the head Star Sign.
‘In other words, he’s Geon’s underling.’
It was the worst.
He himself would never make such a mistake.
But that wasn’t the important thing right now.
‘Zhang Lui.’
It was about a hundred meters away.
Atop the building, Hugo aimed his bow toward Zhang Lui.
Though Lee Geon had Zhang Lui captured, the man would split and flee at any moment, so Hugo had deliberately taken a position far away.
So that even if a Star God appeared, he could immediately support Lee Geon.
With the eyes of the strongest long-range Saint, he could see at a glance whatever Zhang Lui tried to do.
And Zhang Lui, noticing him, gritted his teeth, while Lee Geon smiled.
“See that? How strong my kids are.”
Listening in on the situation with his hearing skill, Hugo pouted, muttering ‘Who are your kids?’
On the other hand, Zhang Lui was in a bind.
It was a critical situation, needing to soothe the Star Gods he had contracted with, and he had also arranged to pass Lee Geon’s information to the unknown civilization.
So he was troubled, but soon, as if giving up, Zhang Lui relaxed his body.
And then.
“I apologize.”
“!”
Kevin and Hugo narrowed their brows.
Zhang Lui looked at Lee Geon as if he were truly sorry.
“I actually didn’t want to trick you into a trap either. I had no choice but to follow Giselle’s orders… keuhak!!”
The Sky’s Judgment branded itself into Zhang Lui’s mouth.
His mouth and even his throat torn open, Zhang Lui looked at Lee Geon in pain.
“Ah, my hand slipped because it was too absurd. I meant to cut you clean in two.”
“Urp…!”
Gagging on blood, Zhang Lui had sustained a fatal wound so severe the veins in his neck were visible. But Zhang Lui didn’t die immediately.
[Amoeba Trait]
[Star God’s Blessing]
It meant he was the Saint of Division for nothing.
Having his neck blown off wouldn’t kill him.
Well, Lee Geon struck without worry knowing that tenacious trait.
“You’re not a pure-blood human, are you?”
“……!”
Zhang Lui was flustered, but Lee Geon ignored it and pushed up Zhang Lui’s sleeve.
There, a tattoo of unknown letters was engraved.
However, seeing it, Lee Geon’s lips curled up.
‘The Seals of the Star Gods.’
They were the seals of the Star Gods with whom Cancer had made business contracts.
Eyes turning more loathsome, Lee Geon asked.
“So, why did you try to kill me?”
His voice was chillingly murderous.
And Zhang Lui’s gaze, meeting Lee Geon’s, changed. Lee Geon’s eyes grew even more murderous in return.
After all, it was because of this bastard that he had suffered that mess in the Demon’s Tower.
As if on cue.
“Try blabbering. Even though the outcome won’t change no matter what you say.”
As Lee Geon tightened his grip, Zhang Lui spat blood.
And with all color drained from his face, he glared at Lee Geon, full of loathing and mockery.
Zhang Lui hated Lee Geon.
Setting aside the fact that Lee Geon always disrupted his plans.
‘A man whose very existence is revolting.’
No matter how many monsters swarmed, no matter how extreme the situation, Lee Geon was the symbol of indomitable will and justice, never crumbling.
All twelve Saints admitted Lee Geon was the strongest, even if they didn’t acknowledge it outwardly.
He was the man who would go alone and proudly rescue even the hostages everyone else had given up on.
Of course, up until now, he and Giselle had manipulated the testimonies, using the power of the Star Gods to spread the word that it was all possible because of them.
‘A man who could never be broken, no matter how much you tried to break him.’
And for that, he was even more detestable.
Perhaps that was why.
“Don’t act so high and mighty. Do you think this ends just because you dispose of me?”
“Oh.”
“This is not the end.”
Zhang Lui smiled with bloodshot eyes.
“The real culprits who locked you in the Demon’s Tower to die are the Star Gods. I merely received that commission and acted on it.”
“……!”
“The Star Gods are trying to kill you by any means necessary. Though I don’t know the reason.”
Zhang Lui smiled smugly, expecting to see a bewildered look in Lee Geon’s eyes.
“I wonder how long even you, as high and mighty as you are, can hold out against the Lords and true gods.”
But it was then.
“Is that all you have to say?”
“……!”
Lee Geon, instead, smiled sinisterly.
“Good to know.”
“Keuhuk…!!”
Grabbing Zhang Lui by the hair, Lee Geon held up his head.
He didn’t know why the gods were trying to kill him.
Nor why they wouldn’t acknowledge him as the Thirteenth.
But.
“Well, it’s fine if I don’t know. Because I can just ask them directly.”
“What?”
What did he mean by ask directly?
But instead of answering, Lee Geon raised the corner of his mouth and looked at Hugo.
“Taek-su, burn this.”
“……!”
Hugo, aiming his bowstring, was taken aback.
Burn it? That head?
That wouldn’t be a pretty sight.
But Lee Geon just shook the head anyway.
“What are you doing, burn it quickly.”
But it was right then.
Kung!
The ground shook.
And.
[The Dark Star says that is far enough.]
Lee Geon ignored it.
“If you don’t want to, I’ll burn it.”
Before the words had even finished, flames erupted from Zhang Lui’s neck.
It was the sun god’s data he had acquired when striking Hugo.
[Ember of the Sun (SS)]
Finally, in the intensely blazing flames, Zhang Lui screamed.
“Argh!”
“Don’t worry too much, I’ll send the other bastards along right away.”
“Keuk, keuhuk! …Argh! Lee Geon!”
And it was right at that moment.
A tremendous flash erupted before their eyes.
It was none other than the descent of the Star Gods!
[Warning. The Dark Star has descended.]
[Warning. By contract, the masters who contracted with Cancer are also revealing themselves.]
At the flash radiating killing intent, Hugo and Kevin were horrified, and Lee Geon’s eyes widened fiercely.
“The bastards are really coming in a horde.”
But he smiled as if he had been waiting for it. He had known from the start that he was under the Star Gods’ curse inside the tower.
He had confirmed it through the information after exiting the tower.
Perhaps that was why.
“Let’s see the faces of those who tried to kill me.”
Hugo and Kevin looked at Lee Geon in shock. But Lee Geon’s eyes gleamed sharply.
“Ah, before that.”
“!”
“The bald bastard who cast that curse that’s annoying to even speak of, show yourself first.”
(Continued in the next episode)