The Lord of Blazing Heat was dumbfounded.
After all, it had been at the moment when he was in danger. He was inwardly moved that Hugo had come to rescue him.
Although Hugo’s faith might be leagues higher than his own for Lee Geon (?), maybe the bond they’d built living together meant more to Hugo.
That was why he’d believed Hugo had chosen him over Lee Geon.
[Hug...]
“Anyway, you absolutely can’t die! I can’t be as good a subordinate as Geon! So I’m going back to Sagittarius!”
[.......]
[Ophiuchus Faith: 590%]
[Sagittarius Faith: 49%]
“Got it? I have to go back to Sagittarius, so don’t die—wait!”
Wait, if that’s the case, shouldn’t you start by doing something about that faith level?
As if acknowledging this himself, Hugo frantically pulled something out of his bag.
And that was none other than a golden wig.
“Here! I asked Geon and he made me a good one! It’s an SS-rank wig!”
[.......]
“And this is holy armor Geon got for me! This is a helmet! This is a weapon!”
Hugo hastily removed the Lord of Blazing Heat’s horse-mask headpiece and placed the golden wig on him.
Then he draped the Lord of Blazing Heat with all manner of magnificent golden ornaments.
[Sagittarius Faith: 49.991%]
[Sagittarius Faith: 49.992%]
……
[Sagittarius Faith: 49.995%] (+0.005%)
At the same time, having poured out everything he’d brought, Hugo was very satisfied.
“Good! Instead of a grasshopper, I can feel the solemn dignity of a sun god! Now my Sagittarius faith will rise for sure!”
[.......]
How on earth did this guy normally see him?
But Hugo, seeing the Lord of Blazing Heat outfitted with all that gear, became elated.
“Great, now I can return to being a saint of Sagittarius with this!”
[Sagittarius Faith: 49.996%] (+0.001%)
[Ophiuchus Faith: 592%] (+2%)
Wouldn’t it be faster for this guy to just become a saint of Ophiuchus?
The Lord of Blazing Heat despaired.
Well, he thought he could understand why Hugo didn’t want to be in Ophiuchus.
Why?
“Dad!”
“!!”
Hugo suddenly noticed the golem swinging its arm and realized his mistake.
So he drew the sword at his hip to deflect the golem’s attack, but—
Clang!
“!!?”
As soon as he put force into the hilt, the dagger’s handle shattered.
Hugo had no choice but to scream.
“Ack! Damn it! Why is an S-rank durable weapon breaking?!”
It must have been because he’d received a strength-increasing buff when he became a saint of Ophiuchus.
But in that moment, a giant hand fell upon Hugo’s defenseless head.
“Ack!”
“Aagh, Dad, you idiot!!!”
A startled Cheon Seong-jae teleported in and kicked the giant away.
Boom!
At the same time, a massive green flame erupted. And after melting the enemy, Cheon Seong-jae clutched his shocked heart.
“Are you crazy, that was dangerous! How can you, Dad, not handle a single lump of rock like that? You just break holy relics!”
“Ugh! What do you expect me to do about suddenly getting stronger!”
“Enough, Dad! Starting today, under the saints’ guidance, special training for Ophiuchus’s demonic powers!”
“Ack!”
That was it. No matter what, he didn’t want to be put through the wringer by his own kids.
Hugo immediately clutched [Sagittarius] and bolted.
“I am! A saint of Sagittarius! Long live the Lord of Blazing Heat! Long live! Long live!”
Of course, the magic gods were strong. But right now, they were in human bodies!
‘We have a fighting chance.’
And as if reading that thought, the magic god laughed mockingly.
[How simplistic your thinking is.]
“!”
The magic god’s eyes gleamed.
In an instant, the surrounding buildings turned to ash.
Crunch!
Then, the magic god who had reduced the buildings to ash raised the corner of his mouth.
[Sagittarius is no longer an ally.]
As soon as that sentence fell, the shattered building fragments gathered and became enormous giants.
Their number alone was dozens!
[Just as the Serpent Bearer merged the Bull, we shall merge Sagittarius. Though it’s a poor constellation with nothing anyway.]
At those words, the Lord of Blazing Heat felt a surge of anger and tried to use his powers.
But that was the moment.
“You should know when to stop disrespecting our constellation!”
[!]
Hugo’s dash was incredibly swift, beyond imagination.
Dozens of giants threatened him, but dodging them was child’s play.
“Even if sand gets in my eyes! No one touches our great and noble Sagittarius god! Sagittarius god is the best!”
If Lee Geon had been there, he would have shaken his head in disbelief, but soon the Lord of Blazing Heat could only be astonished.
Hugo’s movements were completely different from usual.
‘!’
Sure, he had never seemed clumsy, but this was simply on another level.
“Incredible.”
Maybe it was no coincidence that he’d become famous as a great hero who had teamed up with Lee Geon.
His skill at dodging the giants’ attacks, climbing on their arms, and throwing them into confusion was practically on the level of the wind.
“Whoa, he’s cooler than the elf archers I saw in movies.”
At the sight of his father he’d never seen before, even Cheon Seong-jae rarely sparkled his eyes.
Of course, there was one reason such movements were possible.
[The traits of the Ophiuchus constellation are being applied.]
[
[
[Regenerates aged cells to baseline anew.]
Yes.
Ophiuchus was the constellation of regeneration.
And while Seong-jae and Yoo-ha were still growing, Hugo was a warrior who had been active on the field for twenty years.
Twenty years of experience had accumulated, but the accumulated injuries and physical aging that came with that career couldn’t be ignored.
Not to mention, even if aging was said to be slow, compared to his peak, he was inevitably a bit lacking.
But—
[Body tissue has been regenerated to its most active state.]
[The body has rejuvenated.]
Hugo’s body, having become a saint of Ophiuchus, was already reversing to his age from twenty years ago!
Sure enough, his skin had become firmer, and he looked younger.
And then—
“I will protect our gr— Sagittarius god!!!”
Hugo’s arrows, flailing with all his might, flew fiercely.
A full ten-shot volley.
Of course, now that he was part of Ophiuchus, he couldn’t use
But that didn’t mean his archery skills were dead.
Sweee!
Pow! Pow! Pow!
Every arrow fired hit its mark!
In the first place, the time Hugo relied on buffs was back in his greenhorn days when he first met Lee Geon.
So something like
And finally, the arrow fired by Hugo, whose physique had returned to its peak, even seized the magic god.
Boom!!!
In fact, now that he was part of Ophiuchus, his attack power and physique seemed much higher.
But—
“Good! With this much, my Sagittarius faith must have gone up! At least over 90% increase...!”
[Sagittarius Faith: 49.997%] (+0.001%)
“Ack! Why did it only go up this much?! Is this all you can do?! What kind of god is this! Try coaxing your saint a bit!”
[.......]
That was the instant.
The magic god, collapsed on the ground, smiled. And in that moment, a massive magic circle bloomed from the earth.
Rumble!
As soon as the shape of the magic circle appeared, Cheon Seong-jae recognized what it was and realized the danger.
“Aging magic!”
The words had no sooner left his mouth than a giant mouth emerged from the magic circle.
At the same time, an eerie voice rose from the ground.
[From now on, an age shift will occur proportional to your faith in Gemini.]
[If faith in Gemini is below 50%, you will age 50 years at baseline.]
[For every -1%, an additional 10 years are added.]
“……!”
Hugo was taken aback.
That was because their faith in Gemini was not high.
[Cheon Seong-jae Gemini Faith: (–90%)]
[Hugo Otter Gemini Faith: (–120%)]
So that was why he was alarmed.
‘Damn, at this rate, I’ll age and die in an instant.’
That was when it happened.
It was a bit dangerous, but just as Cheon Seong-jae was about to dash toward the mouth to cancel the magic—
[How dare you, in my sanctuary.]
With a murderous voice, the Lord of Blazing Heat’s eyes flashed.
At the same time, flames poured from the sky, and the eyeball that had surfaced above the ground spat blood and vanished.
Bang!!
He had completely shattered the spell.
At that sight, both Cheon Seong-jae and Hugo’s jaws dropped. Seeing that, the Lord of Blazing Heat seemed very pleased.
[Yes. My servant. Now your faith in this body has surely risen some...!]
[Sagittarius Faith: 45%] (–5%)
[.......]
The Lord of Blazing Heat despaired, but then Hugo, with an expression that said ‘you should’ve stepped in sooner,’ realized his mistake.
“No, no!! Our god is the best! That was amazing! Truly amazing! I was mesmerized! Thanks to you, I’m alive...”
“But Dad. Since our constellation basically buffs us with super-regeneration, even if we were hit by an aging spell, Uncle’s power would’ve rejuvenated us again anyway, right?”
“Huh? Now that I think about it, yeah?”
[Hugo Otter]
[Ophiuchus Faith: 600%] (+8%)
The Lord of Blazing Heat properly collapsed now.
But just then.
“Honey! Something terrible has happened!”
“!”
Cheon Ji-woo, who was in the Sagittarius sanctuary, spotted her husband and rushed out.
And perhaps it was her wife’s face, rarely drained pale, that startled him.
“What’s wrong? Did something happen to the kids?”
“No, exactly—to Lee Geon-nim...!”
“Geon? What about Geon?”
“The saints of Sagittarius have all forgotten about Lee Geon-nim!”
“What? What do you mean?”
“I don’t know. Suddenly a fog appeared...! Everyone, instead of Geon-nim, is speaking of someone else...!”
That was the very moment.
A thick fog began to settle around them. And just as they were flustered by the sudden deepening fog—
When Cheon Ji-woo abruptly cut off her words, Hugo grabbed her in alarm.
“What’s wrong, are you okay? Why did you suddenly stop talking...?”
“Talking?”
“Yes, what about Geon? What happened?”
“Geon?”
“?”
“Who is Geon?”
“!”
Shocked, Hugo quickly looked around.
‘This fog... could it be.’
It was unmistakable.
‘Oblivion!’
It was definitely the power of that side that Hailey had spoken of. But judging by the energy faintly felt within the fog...
‘Could this be the magic god’s doing.’
In the end, Hugo stood up urgently.
The magic god had torn through the Serpent Catcher skill and vanished with a sinister grin, but that didn’t matter.
‘He left behind a precious relic.’
The moment Hugo picked up that spoils of war, a new Ophiuchus skill activated.
Glowing footsteps seeped up from the ground. And this was a new skill that had transformed Sagittarius’s vision skill into an Ophiuchus skill.
With the direction the god had vanished now clearly visible, Hugo smiled sharply.
And then—
“Seong-jae, let’s go, quickly! Geon is in danger!”
“Huh? Who’s Geon?”
Hugo was appalled.
“Who! Your uncle! The 13th! The Ophiuchus god!”
“What are you talking about, the Ophiuchus god is you, Dad?”
“?!”
“The Ophiuchus god, whom our family respects and loves most!”
What on earth...?!
* * *
“Damn it!”
How much time had passed?
Hugo frantically searched for Lee Geon.
‘Damn it. Everyone has forgotten about Geon.’
Of course, they hadn’t completely forgotten his existence.
– Huh? Weird, I feel like there was a hero who captured the Red Eye.
– Weren’t there 13? I’m sure there was someone who was the strongest.
– He was really cool...!
People were clearly still aware of the existence of Lee Geon.
It was most likely a temporary oblivion. Moreover, the scope was still limited to Korea.
But the problem was the memories regarding Ophiuchus.
– The Ophiuchus god is very favorable toward the 12 constellation gods.
– He is a loyal servant of the magic gods.
– No, he is a slave and lover of the magic god.
Distortion.
Along with oblivion, a massive distortion spell was being cast.
That was why Hugo was convinced.
‘The magic gods have used the power of
Despicable creatures.
Well, it wasn’t strange.
They were the ones who developed troublesome magic in the first place.
‘If there’s no believer to believe in them and leave records, the gods are forgotten and annihilated.’
They must have used this filthy trick because they didn’t want to face Lee Geon directly.
Thanks to that, he looked at the Lord of Blazing Heat as if to confirm if his theory was correct.
[The Lord of Blazing Heat is exceedingly delighted.]
[If things go well, he delights at the possibility that his saint might now return to Sagittarius...]
Hugo glared at the Lord of Blazing Heat with a murderous face.
The Lord of Blazing Heat flinched.
[The Lord of Blazing Heat says it’s a tragedy. He scratches the wall, saying we must find the Serpent Bearer quickly.]
[Sagittarius Faith: 30%] (–15%)
Hugo’s eyes flashed as he turned around.
‘We have to find the magic god quickly and break this trap.’
The relief was that, at least, he himself still remembered Lee Geon.
‘As long as there is even one human to deify them, the gods won’t disappear.’
So there shouldn’t be a problem.
‘Still, if even Cheon Seong-jae has become like that, there must be a condition to the oblivion.’
Not to mention, with the monarch seeming to appear, it was doubtful if memories would return easily.
Anyway, that was why he was worried.
‘I haven’t been able to contact Geon since earlier.’
Could he have already fallen to the magic god?
That was why, although he had come to the place where he was supposed to meet Lee Geon—
“Geon! Aren’t you here?”
The place Hugo arrived was the road leading to the magic god’s sanctuary.
But the thick fog made it impossible to see ahead. Not to mention, perhaps due to a barrier, they couldn’t even go out to the next city.
But then.
“Geo— Urk!”
Bumping into someone in the fog, Hugo was startled.
There was no way around it.
“Geon!”
Seeing Lee Geon and the
“Geon! You’re safe, that’s a relief!”
“Yeah. I’m safe. Just hungry, that’s all.”
“Good grief. Money?”
“I didn’t bring any. So buy me that. I need to fill my stomach before I go beat those bastards.”
That made Hugo sigh. He was asking for convenience-store chicken.
In the end, Hugo bought the chicken and said,
“Here, eat this quickly and fill your stomach. Everyone trapped in this fog has forgotten about you. But I remember, so don’t worry. Oh, and I’ve located the magic gods. Have you finished transferring the Bull’s authorities?”
“Yeah. I did that.”
As he bit into the chicken Hugo had bought, Lee Geon narrowed his brows as if something had been off for a while.
“You know me?”
Hugo couldn’t believe his ears.
“What?”
“You bespectacled bastard, I said do you know me.”
“?!!”
Only then did Hugo, grasping the situation, turn into a ferocious demon.
No way, you bastard—no matter what, you can't forget me!
(Continued in the next episode)