“Ah, and if possible, I’d like to take that person as my wife….”
Squeeze.
Igeon’s eyes turned toward Heracles.
The other gods could only stare at Heracles with dumbfounded expressions as well.
In particular, the territorial gods of Olympus, who had staked Olympus’s fate on Heracles, could not help but be utterly flabbergasted.
Was that bastard really about to betray Olympus over a woman!
But the intended target, Heily, was just as furious.
What gave this guy the right to arbitrarily decide to make someone his wife or not?
“By whose permission exactly….”
But right at that moment.
Just as the infuriated Heily was about to step in.
Crunch!!!
“!?!”
Igeon kicked Heracles first.
The kicked Heracles looked at Igeon in bewilderment, but Igeon, with his arms crossed, flashed his eyes.
And then.
Crunch!!
He once again kicked the dumbfounded Heracles.
This time between the legs.
Boom!!!
“……!!”
Struck in a vital spot, Heracles screamed a silent scream, and even the onlookers went pale.
“He, Heracles!!”
Hugo, who had been drawing his bowstring, shut his eyes as if dizzy.
He didn’t even want to think about the pain.
No, was pain even the issue?
‘That’s a guaranteed hundred percent functional loss.’
The kick was none other than Igeon’s. A kick of 100% lethal force that could kill even monsters!
Moreover, Hugo had clearly seen it.
That kick had been infused with the Authority of Severance!
The authority that cruelly stripped away not only defensive skills but all manner of vital things!
But regardless, Igeon’s eyes flashed with irritation.
“You little shit, how dare you, to my cat.”
“Guh, guuhk…?!”
Clutching between his legs, the hunched Heracles was dying without understanding the reason.
Perhaps it was only because he had the body of a battle god that it ended at that.
And having already had his defenses dulled by the poison Igeon had inflicted, Heracles trembled as he withstood the agony.
“B-Brother. Wh-What did I do wrong…?”
“You don’t know?”
“Yes! I don’t… guhk!!”
Instead of answering, Igeon spoke to Hugo via [Vassal Communication].
“Taek-su. This is perfect. I’ll rip this bastard’s thing off and give it to you.”
Hugo was speechless.
[What? You crazy bast….]
He had no need for something that filthy.
But as if he didn’t care one bit about Hugo’s opinion, Igeon looked at Heracles.
“I highly value your loyalty, so I permit you to become a vassal.”
“!”
As those words fell, light rose from beneath Igeon’s feet.
It was the emblem of Ophiuchus.
[The deity 'Heracles' has been made a vassal of Ophiuchus]
[Deity Name: Heracles (High-Rank Star God)]
[Divine Names: Crusher / Heaven’s Purger / Hero of the Gods]
[Possessed Authorities: [Lift the Heavens (5-Star)] [The Greatest Hero (5-Star)] [Gigantomachy of Blood (5-Star)] and 6 others]
[Battle God Traits: Mind’s Eye, Innate Nature, Weapon Master, Returning Demon, Massacre and 3 others]
And then from beneath Heracles’s feet, too, the Ophiuchus emblem rose.
[What will you name this vassal?]
“Club.”
[Heracles’s designation has been changed to 'Club']
At this sight, the gods who had gathered around watched in horror.
For there was no way they did not know what that light signified.
“Now he’s making the battle god of Olympus his vassal?”
“What?! That’s preposterous!”
After all, gods, whether great or small, were beings who involved themselves in the flow of the universe.
That was why star gods primarily waged proxy wars using vassal deities.
To avoid accumulating karmic sin, and to reduce bloodshed.
In other words, vassal deities were the military power of star gods.
The stronger the vassal one could bring in, the stronger the master became.
But among them, high-rank star gods were top-tier combatants so precious that money could not buy them!
‘Monsters whose very existence can turn the tide of an entire war!’
In fact, it could be said that the Olympian faction had survived when the Monarch invaded precisely thanks to Heracles.
Furthermore, the very reason those bastards had not re-invaded to this day was the existence of battle gods like him.
Thus, they were figures everyone coveted with bloodshot eyes but could never hope to acquire.
‘Besides, wasn’t Heracles a candidate mentioned as a potential Great Star God in Olympus?’
‘A nameless, unknown god is taking him as a vassal!’
The gods seemed to have completely forgotten the bounty posted on the Olympian deities. It was that shocking an event.
But the territorial gods of Olympus themselves were in a different situation.
‘Heracles, that madman!’
To slip away now, blind as he was by a woman?
And this was a being they had barely managed to keep tethered with debt.
Yet, regardless of any of that, Igeon spoke.
“Taek-su. What about your servant bastard?”
[If you mean the Blazing Sun, sorry. He already noticed and ran away.]
Igeon accepted it coolly.
Because he had expected that guy to do exactly that.
Perhaps that was why.
With his arms still crossed, Igeon approached the dying Heracles and extended his hand.
“Detoxification.”
As Igeon granted the power of Level 5, Heracles’s stamina, which had been chipped away by the poison, was recovered.
[You grant the power of Life Level 5]
[The powerful life force forcibly suppresses the poison’s 'erosion']
[The vassal’s stamina depleted by the poison is continuously recovering (for 1 hour)]
Of course, since it wasn’t a true antidote, the pain had not vanished.
But that wasn’t his problem.
As if to prove it, Igeon raised the corner of his lip and flashed his eyes.
“This is a star god’s command. Capture every last one of those Olympian bastards.”
“!!”
Immediately, as Heracles turned his head, the territorial gods stared at him with rage-filled eyes.
“Heracles! No matter how ignorant you are, this is too much.”
“Have you forgotten that it is thanks to us that you haven’t fallen to slavery because of your debt?”
At that, Igeon scoffed as if it were ridiculous.
“Hey. Once I catch all of them, I’ll pay off that debt for you.”
“!”
Heracles looked at Igeon as if caught off guard.
And at the sight, the territorial gods went deathly pale, while the sea god, oddly wrapped tightly in a cloak, flashed his eyes.
“Heracles. I trust you. I will accept your foolish mistake. So even now, tear out that snake god’s divinity. You are the only one who can do this now.”
At this, Heracles furrowed his brow.
The ones who claimed to trust him had even had the Fates intervene in others’ battles?
Furthermore, for a vassal deity to attack a star god on the grounds that he wasn’t recognized by the divine realm was usurpation. They were shamelessly ordering him to do something that could lead to outright slavery.
And perhaps sensing that things were about to get troublesome, the territorial gods stepped backward.
At that sight, Igeon’s red eyes flashed.
“Oh, right. I don’t even need to pay it off myself. If we just catch all those bastards in the first place, doesn’t that wipe out your debt anyway?”
“……!”
As soon as the words fell, a wind kicked up behind Igeon.
Bang!
The battle god, who had vanished in an instant, appeared right behind the territorial gods.
‘!!’
And as Heracles swung his hand, the gathered gods screamed.
“Wai… guhk!!”
A violent strike blew away even the cloak the sea god had been wearing. And at the spectacle revealed before their eyes, the gods could not help but recoil in shock.
“Th-The Lord of the Sea is a woman?!”
“Huh. So that’s why you were wrapped in that pathetic cloak?”
“The acting Great Star God of Olympus…!”
Meanwhile, Igeon burst into roaring laughter.
“What, so you were the victim of the gender-swap?”
“!”
Now that he thought about it, they had checked when they’d used the Ruler’s Whim back in Olympus, hadn’t they?
Someone’s gender had changed, someone’s appearance had changed.
Igeon grinned nastily as if thoroughly enjoying the sight.
“That suits you a thousand times better. Keep going around like that from now on. Prostrate yourself before me, bow, and thank me for it.”
“You bastard…!!”
But the sea god didn’t even have time to grit his teeth.
All sorts of nameless gods who had come aiming for the bounty were blown away by a single strike from Heracles.
“Aaaagh!”
And the gods who had come to watch the situation screamed as the building collapsed.
In the end, as the situation rapidly shifted, the sea god urgently commanded.
“Damn it! Fall back for now!”
The territorial gods who had turned into humans scrambled to move elsewhere.
But.
Boom!!
Heracles captured them all in a single breath.
“Guagh!”
In the end, with no time left to even lift a finger, Hugo and Heily’s eyes went round.
“Whoa, this is ridiculously easy.”
Igeon laughed smugly.
* * *
“Heracles! Do you think you’ll get away with this!”
“That damned snake god!”
The territorial gods captured by Igeon were immediately dragged away by the officials.
And then the bounty came in immediately.
[Will you use the received bounty to pay off the debt?]
“Yeah. All of it.”
Of course, originally, simply capturing them wouldn’t have been enough to pay off the debt.
Because the amount had been that enormous.
But in the meantime, Yuha had continuously pinned misdeeds (?) on them, hyper-inflating their bounties.
And for the shortfall, Heracles had rounded up hordes of lesser gods to fill the number.
Thanks to that, the debt amount that had once exceeded 50 billion…
[Serpent of Beginning and End: +100 million]
[Anonymous (The Pushover): 0]
With his debt slashed in an instant, Igeon was immensely satisfied. It had gone from hundreds of digits to a single digit in one moment.
That wasn’t all.
‘The deficit was taken care of by selling off the items those bastards owned.’
Since they were territorial gods, the prices of their weapons and divine artifacts had been beyond imagination.
So he’d put a steep premium on them and sold them off.
Of course, there was one bothersome part.
[Anonymous (The Pushover) cannot possess property due to a karmic debt on his soul.]
Karmic debt on his soul?
If it was a soul’s karmic debt, it didn’t seem to be a matter of this current life.
‘Could that be related to why that Hades bastard tried to swallow Taek-su?’
Since he’s a god of the netherworld, he would have been able to analyze Hugo’s soul.
And then, right at that moment.
Perhaps thanks to clearing the debt, a response came right away.
[The locked authorities of your divinity are being released]
[You now have permission to use weapons]
“!”
The authorities were unlocked, and items became usable. It was the same for Hugo.
That wasn’t all.
[The basic rights of a star god are being liberated]
['Domain', 'True Name', etc.]
[From now on, you may receive territory in the divine realm]
Along with those words, a pillar of light shot up in front of Igeon.
The vassal deities rejoiced.
[Oh! It is the territory of Ophiuchus, Master!]
[The land deed will come with it, so you can sell it if you wish.]
“Oh. A land deed?”
Right when Igeon was filled with anticipation at the word ‘land’.
Flash!
At the item that appeared along with the light, Igeon’s expression was a sight to behold.
[Territory of Ophiuchus]
[Lowest-grade Domain (Divine Newspaper)]
[Soil and seeds for the domain (C-grade)]
What appeared was none other than a mat made of divine newspaper.
And then.
[This is the size of territory permitted to the current level of the Ophiuchus star god]
[Current star god ranking: 204,989th (Lower Tier)]
[Earn vassal gods and achievements to raise your overall rank]
[Register your name in the divine realm and diligently develop your territory]
Igeon raised an eyebrow, and Hugo, who had picked up the divine newspaper, clutched his stomach and burst out laughing.
“Your territory is a newspaper…! A newspaper!”
The vassal deities flusteredly spoke up.
[Th-That’s…! Because you haven’t undergone the official measurement yet!]
[That’s right! Once you’re properly mea-measured, naturally a massive palace will…!]
But right at that very moment.
[A star god claiming to be a guardian and senior has recommended a territory to Ophiuchus]
[The territory recommended by the Master of the Blazing Sun as Rank 0 is being granted (Divine Newspaper)]
[Recommender’s note: Hey, nephew! Since you probably don’t know much, I specially picked the one with the most future potential!]
Squeeze.
Seeing Igeon’s expression, the vassal deities screamed.
[M-Master! It’s fine!]
[Yes! Even if the Golden Land of the same grade is a shame to lose, that divine newspaper is excellent in that it can tell you information among gods….]
“Ha ha ha! A doghouse would be better than this! Ughk!”
The enraged Igeon kicked Hugo as he said,
“Where the hell did that bastard Blazing Sun run off to? Can’t you track his location?”
Igeon couldn’t fathom why that guy’s bounty was over 60 billion, but it didn’t matter either way.
‘They said I need to fix the 'Rules' to leave the divine realm.’
And even if Yuha stole that 'Rules', the real problem was the ‘Key’.
‘Was it said that I need the power of the Fates to use the Rulebook?’
In any case, whether by kidnapping or seizing their divinity, he had to obtain the qualification.
However.
[The Fates are in hiding and will absolutely never come out. Luring them out won’t be easy.]
[That’s right. They themselves know they’re being targeted, so they only ever meet remotely; they never reveal themselves….]
While the vassals were troubled, Igeon unexpectedly smiled.
It was because of what Satyros (Pan) had told him. And hadn’t he had this exact conversation with that guy?
- What? The Fates, you say?
- Yeah. Do you know of something that would make those shut-ins definitely show themselves?
- W-Well, actually, the Fates want to marry Lord Louis!
- What? Marry what bastard?
- The Master of the Blazing Sun! That’s right! So please give me back my hair!!
Satyros (Pan) was affiliated with Olympus. He couldn’t help but know the relationship chart inside out.
Thus, recalling that information, Igeon raised the corner of his lip and asked.
“So, that bald bastard?”
“Well, he can’t be tracked.”
Igeon clicked his tongue. Well, he could find him if he really tried, but his opponent was no pushover of a god.
“Where did that son of a bitch hide.”
If even with his senses focused there was no trace, then the guy must be seriously intent on hiding.
“They say there’s no way to bait out the Fates without him….”
But right at that moment.
“Shall we draw them out for you, then?”
“!”
Osiris and Anubis appeared, their eyes glinting.
But Igeon, the corner of his lip raised, lifted his eyes as if to show them up.
(Continued in next episode)