What the—how can this be?!
At Igeon's smile, the master of the Aries Seat trembled.
Of course, he could guess why Igeon had bought him.
'It must have been to seize all my authority and wealth too.'
Because once he became a public slave, everything would be confiscated by the divine realm. In short, it was like society seizing his assets.
So he understood why Igeon had gone so far as to pull a dirty trick like dumping his debt onto Yang Wei to buy him.
But—
[Slave fees!]
Now, not content with shifting the debt, he was even extorting money that wasn't even there?
And at the Aries deity's expression, Igeon gave a snort.
"Why that look? I specially prevented you from becoming a public slave. So, shouldn't you naturally repay your master's kindness?"
[What nonsense! In the end, didn't the debt just fall onto my deity, not you... Argh!]
"Shut it. Anyway, I prevented it, didn't I? And I even said I'd pay interest."
The master of Aries, stomped on by Igeon, was dumbfounded.
No, pay interest? The hell kind of interest is that!
[If it's 10% of the principal, that's already leaving you with several times the interest... Ugh!]
Igeon smiled leisurely.
"If you don't like it, then fork over 50% instead of 10%."
[?!!]
"Well, you guys also owe the divine realm 599.7 billion, so I figured charging too much slave fees on top of that would be too harsh, so I specially decided to only take 10%. What, you hate it?"
No, if he really thought it was too harsh, he wouldn't have demanded any slave fees at all!
They had caught on to Igeon's scheme.
'This bastard plans to sit back and earn talents for free.'
He'd definitely realized the value of talents, the currency of gods.
And at his current level, talents were essential for Igeon to grow further!
At this point, it was like he was a loan shark lending money and living off the interest, or a feudal lord exploiting tenant farmers.
Sure enough.
"Knowing you can't pay in full upfront, I'm specially giving you a one-year installment plan. So about 500 million a month, 250 million each for the two of you. Cheap, right?"
[?!!]
The slaves of Aries were horrified.
In other words, Igeon would accumulate 500 million free talents per month.
And as if that was his plan all along, Igeon grinned.
'Collecting talents is easy.'
With these slaves, he'd be able to raise skills and use rental skills on his holy city's residents.
'Because the activation condition was talents.'
Eventually, someone retched at this sight.
[The Scorching Sun Seat Master says it's ridiculous]
[He scoffs, asking if that figure is even possible]
[He says his entire fortune is only 3.8 million]
"That's just because you and Taek-su are like that."
[The Scorching Sun Seat Master flares up]
[He says not even a supreme god can gather talents in the hundreds of millions per month!]
[He says at best it's in the dozens per month!]
"Really? But since this is the Seat of Wealth, somehow it'll work out."
What if they can't?
"Then they'll have to pay with their bodies, won't they?"
At last, the Aries master, unable to bear it, saw the golden glow.
[O divine realm! I'll just become a public slave! So...]
[Ownership has already been transferred. Please inquire with the Ophiuchus Seat.]
[Damn it!]
The Aries master and Yang Wei tried to flee hastily, but it was useless.
[Argh!!]
As the golden glow radiated, an astonishing thing happened.
[Th-this is!]
Around the necks of Yang Wei and the Aries master, collars they had never seen before appeared.
At a glance, they looked like chokers.
They were like cords that fit perfectly around the neck, and the moment they saw them, both screamed.
[No! Not this!]
They were leashes put on slave gods.
And at the master's will, they could tighten around the neck. If one tried to forcibly tear off the leash, they'd suffer pain worse than death.
Because some slaves might intentionally sever the leash to commit suicide, sometimes a curse was placed so that breaking it would kill someone precious to them.
It was that vile an object.
That's why the Aries master couldn't help but boil with rage.
[You wretch! What are you doing! Daring to put a dog leash like this on a noble star deity!]
[Be silent.]
It was the golden glow that answered. The glow, which had been only the size of a fist, had now grown to the size of a face.
Moreover, while it had been faceless before, now a terrifying eye had appeared.
It was like a monster with a massive, angered eye.
At the same time, an unimaginable demonic power surged.
Boom!!
That power could wipe out an entire deity's seat.
And that power was enough to make even the Aries master tremble in terror.
Soon, the agent of the divine realm muttered, as if furious.
[Do you still think you're a star deity? Know your place, you worthless slave god.]
[......!!]
The Aries master swallowed.
Agents of the divine realm were like civil servants who served the divine realm.
Though their rank was far lower than star deities, their abilities sometimes surpassed them.
So while star deities often treated them poorly due to rank, they were beings one could never actually ignore.
The agent's bloodthirsty eyes gleamed sharply.
[You lowly creature are now a servant of the Ophiuchus Seat. If you continue to lack self-awareness and cause trouble before the Serpent Deity, I will drag you off to Tartarus.]
[......!]
The Aries master ground his teeth but bowed his head.
No matter what, he didn't want to be dragged to that torture realm.
As soon as the Aries master fell silent, the golden glow's eye closed and vanished.
Then, as if deeply apologetic, it bowed its head to Igeon.
[My apologies. Because the slave lacked self-awareness, I took the liberty of putting a leash on him in your stead. Since he is a star deity of the twelve zodiac constellations, I used the best one I have. If you do not wish it, I will remove it immediately.]
"The best one?"
[Yes. It was made by grinding down a prisoner of Tartarus....]
At those words, the Scorching Sun Seat Master flinched.
[He covets it greatly, saying it's not an item that comes on the market easily]
[He says it would be best to tell the agent to swap it for a different leash right now]
[He says this one is trash, and that he'll provide a better one]
At the reaction of the Heavenly Palace Seat master, Igeon grinned.
"I'll just keep it."
[Understood. Ah, but as for purchase items...]
"How much?"
[500 million.]
[He falls silent]
[He, whose entire fortune is 3.8 million, decides to pretend he didn't see anything]
[He consoles the Serpent Deity, whose entire fortune is 100 talents. He says he'll introduce a good one from the low-end line]
Igeon completely ignored him and pointed at Yang Wei.
"I'll buy it. Put the payment on those bastards."
[??!!]
Yang Wei and the Aries deity screamed.
The divine agent's voice brightened.
[Thank you. If you draw the Serpent Deity's mark in the air, you can use it immediately. Ah, do you perhaps need any educational tools?]
"Educational tools?"
[For slave deity education. They range from electric whips to a cold-torture freezer. At special prices, 400 million and 1 billion talents....]
"I'll buy them all. Ah, and the payment—put that on those bastards again."
[Thank you. I shall proceed as requested! And, as for feed...]
"Ah, that's not needed. They eat too well anyway—both are piglets, so I'll just put them on a diet."
[What the hell!!]
In the end, the divine agent received Igeon's sanctuary address.
[Delivery will arrive in one day. Thank you for your patronage.]
"Your name?"
At that question, the golden glow seemed to flinch.
"What's wrong?"
[It is nothing. That one of such nobility would take interest in the name of a lowly thing like me.]
It was just surprised because it was treatment it never received from other gods.
[Thank you. This lowly one is called Yuri. Please call upon me should you ever have need.]
"Sure."
Of course, Igeon was only asking because he thought it'd be convenient to have a contact if trouble arose later.
'And its abilities seem strong too.'
And then it happened.
Flash!
The agent vanished, and before Igeon, the Throne of Aries appeared.
The Throne of Aries was like a golden chair laden with jewels.
At the sight, Igeon raised the corners of his lips.
"Now, only two remain."
Gemini and Pisces.
And on top of that, Giselle, whom he had captured to root out the Lords.
'Every one of them—I will cast their souls into the new Demon Tower to show them the same agony, and grind their flesh into weapons.'
That wasn't all.
'A total of fifteen.'
Counting the two thrones each for Gemini and Pisces, plus the Ophiuchus Seat, it came to fifteen.
And Igeon planned to use those thrones to build a new defensive line for humanity.
Something that would let humans stand against the unknown civilization without the help of star deities or the like.
Or he could just devour them all himself.
'But before that.'
Igeon shot a sidelong glare at the Aries master.
"You'll have to talk a bit about the thirteenth."
At that glint in his eye, the Aries master shuddered.
As expected, this bastard had no intention of letting the matter of the thirteenth slide.
"Speak. Why did you try to kill him?"
[That is...!]
The Aries master's hand trembled. Saying it would be like revealing the secrets of the twelve zodiacs.
So he tried to dodge it, but well.
As Igeon smiled and drew the Serpent Deity's mark, the Aries master's leash tightened viciously.
[Argh!]
The tormented Aries master screamed.
[It's because the thirteenth tried to resurrect his master...!! Argh!]
"Master?"
[Ugh! Th-the original master who once sat on the Ophiuchus Seat...!]
Igeon narrowed his brows.
It made even less sense.
"Why would that make you try to kill your colleague? If the original master is resurrected, will something happen to you?"
[Th-that is... Argh!]
"If you don't want your guts spilling out, you'd better speak fast."
[Huff, huff! The original master was a hero famous even in the divine realm... And if the original master of the Ophiuchus Seat is revived, everyone will know that the twelve star deities are usurpers... fakes....]
Just then.
[Arghh!]
A strange light burst from the Aries master's body.
It was none other than a magical formula!
The formula of the Pisces and Gemini constellations.
And then.
[Violation of the twelve zodiacs' soul contract has occurred. Execution for breach of contract.]
With that voice, the Aries master's body exploded.
[Argh!!]
And that wasn't all.
A terrifying venom he had never seen before began tearing apart the Aries master's divinity.
Igeon quickly used his ability.
[Activating Grand Regeneration]
The Grand Regeneration took effect.
But whatever curse had been placed, his body kept being destroyed.
Without purifying the curse, he would surely die.
'Well, with Grand Regeneration, he won't die.'
Was that why? Igeon summoned his own vassal deity.
[You called, my lord.]
The voice that rang out from the shadows was that of Iaso, the one he had installed as the Aquarius deity.
"First, purify that, and also dispel the magic placed on him."
[Understood.]
The master of Aries vanished into the shadows.
Well, he had been attacked in the middle, but the information was more than enough.
'Usurpers and fake star deities, huh.'
It wasn't certain, but perhaps the twelve thrones had original masters, and those bastards had stolen their seats.
'Maybe that's why they couldn't do a thing against that woman, Libra?'
Giselle of the Libra Seat was a Lord sent by the unknown civilization—a spy.
And she had learned this truth while consuming the Libra deity and saint, and perhaps had used it to threaten the star deities.
'Since the twelve zodiacs seem to be quite renowned high-ranking deity seats.'
In the sense that she would expose the truth.
And if they had been that kind from the start, then my hunch might be right after all.
'Those bastards might have deliberately set the stage to have Earth attacked.'
And then used that fear to make humanity put their faith in the twelve zodiacs.
That wasn't all.
If they had joined hands with the enemy to grow their power and take the highest seats in the divine realm...
'They'd have good reason to desperately block it.'
And now, since he had acquired the power of the thirteenth that they were so wary of...
It was understandable why the star deities were going mad trying to kill him.
'Despicable wretches.'
Surely, spreading rumors about him was also the work of those star deities.
'From now on, they'll try to ruin my reputation as well.'
To weaken his strength.
And they had so much to protect, it was staggering. To the point of sending a separate curse spell just because they didn't want the secret revealed.
In fact, there really was a curse skill secretly rising from the body of the White Sheep Seat's owner.
They must be the remaining star gods.
‘I'll deal with them quickly.’
Well, it didn't matter right now.
"Igeon!! You're not even thinking of helping a little, are you!"
"!"
From afar, Kevin's voice rang out. I'd wondered why he wasn't in sight, but it looked like he'd been fighting his own cloned subordinate god.
Since those cloned things move without personality according to the storehouse owner's commands, that's why he'd been like that all this time.
Still, being under the Snake Master Seat, had he managed to handle all that as well?
[Condition fulfilled. The subordinate holy city has gained a level]
[Level 1]
Well, it seemed Hailey had taken care of roughly half, but soon they approached Igeon.
"Igeon, are you alright."
"You okay? Your demonic energy aura has completely changed…."
But as they drew closer, their expressions each changed.
It must be because of Igeon's altered appearance.
Yet with no way of knowing that, Igeon tilted his head.
"What's up with you guys."
"Ah, no. Still, it's a relief we protected the throne. Without it, the authorities we'd barely obtained would've nearly become unusable, wouldn't they?"
At Hailey's words, Kevin raised an eyebrow.
"By the way, is it true the Snake Master Seat doesn't have a throne? Our star god said even the Snake Master Seat has one."
"Yeah. I feel like I'll need one soon, so I want to look for it too, but nothing has felt particularly strange…"
But that was when.
Vrrr.
"!"
A call came.
Seeing the caller, Igeon tilted his head and answered. A look that said, why is this guy contacting me.
"Uh, kid. What's up?"
The caller was unexpectedly Han Jimin.
And.
- Igeon-nim! Isn't there any way to save him?!
At the tremendous volume, Igeon moved the phone away from his ear.
"What do you mean."
- No! Uncle Hugo desperately protected your chair!
"Oh, really? I thought that thing would've been destroyed. That's great."
- No, but!!!
"But?"
- He got sucked into some strange black hole!
"Ah."
Igeon realized he'd slipped up.
‘I forgot to tell him to watch out for traps.’
He broke out in a cold sweat.
- So, um, do you know where that leads to?
Know? Of course.
I'd connected it to the living hell using the data I'd gathered, for handling troublemakers.
- So, since it's a trap you set, Igeon-nim, you can naturally open an exit too, right? Is there no way to bring Uncle Hugo back?
"……."
- Igeon-nim?
"Ah, of course. There is a way to bring him back, absolutely."
Though in truth, absolutely none.
Igeon was sweating profusely.
What do I do?