An enormous light spread across the sanctuary.
And seeing that light, the citizens of Sagittarius recalled.
It must have been a short while ago.
[Hugo Otterus, Ophiuchus' power manifested]
[Will the Saint of Sagittarius leave?]
[Or will they come under Ophiuchus' wing?]
When articles like that came out.
The executives and citizens of Sagittarius all asked with one voice.
'Lord, my lord. Then are we going to come under your wing, Igeon-nim?'
Of course, Hugo, who received the question, just snorted.
'Under Igeon? Be realistic.'
Even though they were called last-place, Sagittarius had stood firm even when the giant constellations like Leo or Taurus offered huge sums for a merger.
Though a small constellation with only 50 elite citizens, their combat power didn't fall behind Virgo's billion citizens. So they had never considered subordination.
Let alone under Igeon?
'Are you crazy? Me, under that guy!'
So Hugo had been disgusted, swearing he'd burn his own hand on a fire if that ever happened.
Anyway, that's how it was.
[Ophiuchus gives orders to the Scorching Blaze Lord]
[The Scorching Blaze Lord says he'll accept, so please just put away this contract.]
And when the content of it drew reactions like "what is this garbage," Igeon sneered.
"What's he saying, it's cheap for killing my kids. And Sagittarius should hand over all their skills, sanctuary, and subordinate gods to us, shouldn't they?"
At those words, the citizens of Sagittarius were shocked.
Wait, at that point, isn't it not a merger or subordination, but completely being devoured?
As if to confirm that.
Perhaps the Scorching Blaze Lord was angered by the excessive demand.
[It would be wise not to anger a god too much.]
The Scorching Blaze Lord, crossing his arms, flashed his eyes.
And a raised index finger!
At that moment, Igeon flinched.
Thud!
As the finger rose, the Scorching Blaze Lord's eyes blazed and a crimson light erupted fiercely.
[Warning. The Scorching Blaze Lord unleashes divine might.]
[Warning. The Scorching Blaze Lord attempts to use combat deity instinct.]
He wasn't a higher god for nothing.
The emitted divine might, his divine status, surpassed imagination.
And if the Scorching Blaze Lord had manifested without using Hugo's body, it was a power that would surely have wiped out several nations.
Knowing that, the notifications urgently sent warnings.
[Warning. The Scorching Blaze Lord is a god of very high divine status.]
[You may burn and be annihilated in that solar flame.]
Scorching Blaze (射).
Originally meaning "shoots scorching fire," his epithet is Scorching Blaze (灼熱死). With the nickname "burns to death," a terrifying flame soared up.
So Igeon acknowledged it.
'Honestly, even with my power, I can't destroy the Scorching Blaze Lord yet.'
His divine status is too high.
But Igeon wasn't about to be frightened by this threat.
"Well, if you don't want to, fine. I just have to tell Taeksu and it's over."
That wasn't all.
"And I think you're mistaken. This isn't a negotiation; it's the last mercy I'm showing your brat."
[!]
"If you don't like it, let's fight here. I'll just take Taeksu and eliminate the Scorching Blaze Lord like I did Cancer."
When Igeon summoned 's power, the Scorching Blaze Lord's expression, which had been flushed with anger, slightly crumpled.
[That... no, a misunderstanding.]
The raised finger moved awkwardly.
[That's not it, it's whether we need something like a contract between us... the content is a bit unsightly for the kids...]
"That doesn't seem to be what you should be saying right now."
At those words, the Scorching Blaze Lord's raised finger smoothly lowered.
[That... mercy.]
"Mercy?"
Igeon smiled as if he understood.
"Fine. I'll show you mercy."
[!]
At that smile, the Scorching Blaze Lord's face brightened.
But that was the moment.
Black light exploded on the Scorching Blaze Lord. Where the light aimed was precisely between the head and legs!
"You suffer the same way, bastard."
[The Scorching Blaze Lord screams.]
[The Scorching Blaze Lord protests, asking didn't you say you'd show mercy.]
To this, Igeon brazenly laughed as if asking what's wrong.
"Yeah, mercy! First punish, then forgive!"
At those words, the Scorching Blaze Lord screamed that there's no such law. But regardless, Igeon sneered.
'Anyway, it's only one-thousandth the power compared to when I hit Cancer.'
But even so, it's undeniably the power of . Whether something truly wants to die, he couldn't be sure himself.
"So make sure to tell me the results later. I'll check if it's usable."
Amid the light, the Scorching Blaze Lord screamed. And perhaps because he was hit directly by the power of death that even gods fear.
[The Scorching Blaze Lord has fallen into great sorrow.]
[He is in no mental state to refuse subordination commands.]
[Time has passed.]
[ has been designated as a subordinate of .]
[Subordinates increased; magic gauge increased by 5%.]
[Level up.]
[LV.23]
Igeon didn't miss the chance and stamped the seal.
And at that moment, a change occurred in the Sagittarius sanctuary.
[The Sagittarius sanctuary has come under Ophiuchus' jurisdiction.]
[The Sagittarius sanctuary can be upgraded.]
And there was no way the citizens hadn't sensed that change.
The citizens, not knowing what happened inside due to the huge collision of light, stirred.
"Sister!"
"What, we've become Ophiuchus' subordinate?"
The Cheon siblings were surprised, and the Sagittarius citizens who liked Igeon were also happy.
Igeon was pleased too, but the Scorching Blaze Lord who had suffered seemed to have a lot to say.
[The Scorching Blaze Lord protests, asking are you in your right mind.]
[He says that 's power didn't only affect him. He says his own saint will also be affected.]
The now anxious Scorching Blaze Lord deity bit and tripped Hugo, but Igeon didn't care at all.
That was natural.
'Taeksu just has to use super regeneration.'
Then the places hit by the power of death will all become as if they never happened.
He had already tested that with his own body.
But using super regeneration is only after the deity releases the manifestation.
'Because then the deity won't be affected by super regeneration.'
"So get lost quickly before I use power again."
At those words, the Scorching Blaze Lord, as if he had something to say, tightly clung to Igeon.
Of course, Igeon didn't think the power of would kill something truly important to him.
But.
[Don't be arrogant just because you killed the Star of Darkness with this power.]
He thought what kind of bullshit this was, but the Scorching Blaze Lord told him an unexpected truth.
[Among the countless seats of gods, the 12 Zodiac Constellations are the highest and most noble. Many gods covet them.]
"!"
[In the first place, the 12 Constellations are just seats of gods. Meaning, if a seat becomes empty, another lord will come to claim it.]
Of course, those seats don't easily become empty.
The gods who occupied the 12 Zodiac seats were that strong and had high divine status.
However.
[Why do you think we tolerated Giselle? We tolerated her because the other god with divine status eyeing Libra's seat was even more trash.]
And.
[The empty Cancer seat will also see a storm. Gods will war to become the lord.]
Of course, Igeon, the Calamity God, is the one and only existence that can even erase that seat's existence.
But that divine status of his is not that high yet.
[The gods coveting that seat will target your power. Because the power of your Calamity God is that much.]
The Scorching Blaze Lord remembered Hugo's story.
Was it the Demon Tower's basement?
He said the Corpse Lord there definitely told Igeon to come over to their side.
[Your power is a power that even unknown civilizations covet.]
The 13th Constellation, which should not exist, could uniquely become a deity or a monster of the other side.
Of course, what the other side wants is probably the awakened Calamity God.
'No, they'd want the power of regeneration too. It's an authority no other god can use.'
Anyway, there was a high possibility they would try to kill Igeon and seize that authority.
[You've become able to use the power of only by accepting a saint, but that's a tiny fraction. In terms of levels, it's still 1.]
That wasn't all.
[Do you think the other 12 deities will leave you alone? The world knows you as a hero, but they'll turn you into a villain in an instant.]
"Oh?"
[They'll frame you and try not to let you grow as the lord of the 13th Constellation. They'll try to grow the existing powers. But can you face the gods when even your weapon is broken on top of everything.]
Igeon laughed as if disgusted.
"No problem. Weapons can be fixed. Skill levels can be raised."
At that, the Scorching Blaze Lord quickly interjected as if waiting.
[If that's the problem, Sagittarius is a constellation with the authority of hero growth. I'll help you handle that power, so please revise the contract...]
At those words, Igeon smiled broadly.
"Get lost. Don't try to slip in. Even without revising something like that, you'll naturally give it up."
Tch, it doesn't work.
The Scorching Blaze Lord pouted and said.
[Fine. Then I'll give you one piece of advice.]
"?
[Keep a tight hold on your mind. The moment your mentality shatters, the Calamity God awakens. You must absolutely awaken that power through normal means.]
To that, Igeon laughed.
"Now that you mention it, it's not like it'll shatter now."
He had already experienced that many times over.
Once, on the day he awakened.
And once more, in the tower.
Moreover, his mentality hadn't shattered even when his hair all fell out in the tower, and places that shouldn't die had died.
Anyway, it didn't matter.
[If the contract can't be revised, then at least the power of death...]
"Get lost. You have no use for it anyway, just report the progress on whether it works properly."
In the end, the Scorching Blaze Lord vanished screaming, and Hugo came to his senses.
"Gasp...!"
But opening his eyes was brief; Hugo couldn't help but frown.
"Igeon, what are you doing?"
Igeon's hands, tinged with green light, were patting Hugo's head and legs.
"Igeon?"
But Igeon was patting Hugo's head and legs and smiling.
"I promised Jiwoo-nim I'd send you back in one piece."
"?
"I can't send you as a eunuch or bald."
"???????"
He wondered what nonsense the kid was talking about, but it was brief; Hugo couldn't help but be more dumbfounded.
Setting aside the broken main door, his citizens were somehow celebrating.
And they were saying strange things.
"If we've come under Igeon-nim's wing, don't we get special privilege skills now?"
"Right. And with a parent constellation, we can level up more. Maybe even the lord could become a subordinate god level...!"
"Ah, then shall we tell the press? That we've become the same constellation as Igeon-nim?"
"Nice. Isn't Igeon-nim really highly praised right now?"
"More than that, can we shoot pictorials with Igeon-nim?"
"We can watch Igeon-nim fight in person?"
Around them, they were cheering wahhh, but Hugo was simply bewildered.
Why are they acting like that?
"Subordinates? There's no way our deity would allow it, don't count your chickens..."
But that was the moment.
At that muttering, Igeon smoothly held something out.
It was none other than the contract.
Hugo looked back and forth between the contract and Igeon, dumbfounded.
"What's this? It's that damn contract, isn't it."
"The deity has permitted it, so do well."
"Do well at what?"
Instead of answering, Igeon pointed to the seal section of the contract.
And 1 second. 2 seconds. 3 seconds.
Finally grasping the situation, Hugo screamed.
"You damn god bastard$%*#*!!!!!"
"L-Lord! Snap out of it! Lord!"
And then it happened.
[Sagittarius is the constellation most cherished by Ophiuchus. It receives a special blessing.]
[Stats increase.]
[Subordinate constellations can undergo a special level-up that transcends their current level.]
[Thus, a new experience window has appeared for existing saint-class, SS-class.]
[Sagittarius is the constellation most cherished by Ophiuchus. It receives a special blessing.]
[Stats increase.]
But whether Hugo fell or not, Igeon picked something up.
That was none other than the completely dead Heavenly Punishment.
'Well, I don't know if it's possible.'
But I will definitely revive it.
He headed somewhere.
(To be continued)