“That snake god. Was it just luck after all?”
Meanwhile, at that moment.
The officials of the divine realm were clicking their tongues while looking somewhere.
And what they were looking at was none other than the ranking board. They were clicking their tongues as they updated the ranking of the gods.
It was because of Yigeon's rank.
[Stellar God Ranking: 204,989th (Low-tier)]
This rank displayed on the electronic board was the Stellar God ranking excluding subordinate gods, essentially the ranking of rulers managing colonies.
It was assessed by combining various factors like financial power, forces (subordinate gods), strength, and so on, but even just looking at this gave a rough estimate.
And then.
“They said he took down Hades and brought Olympus to that state, so I was expecting quite a bit.”
“I expected at least within the ten-thousands.”
At that, other officials were genuinely surprised and grimaced.
“That rank is too high! For a newcomer, this is already extremely high.”
“That's right. New gods usually start from the very bottom group...”
“Wait. Then what exactly caused Olympus to fall?”
“What else, it must be Hades' divine artifact, right? That divine artifact, once activated, it's enormous...”
“So Olympus collapsed because of the Great Stellar God’s power?”
“Otherwise it doesn't make sense...”
But just then.
“Ah! Please wait! There's an error in the ranking!”
“!”
From far away, another staff member hurriedly appeared carrying something like a tablet monitor.
“I'm sorry! The person in charge forgot to reflect it in the ranking!”
“What?”
“What, so this only reflects financial power and subordinate gods?”
“Yes! I've re-entered it, so it will appear normally at the next update. Here it is.”
“Geez, do your job properly. Though what big change could there be...”
But as they checked the tablet they brought, their expressions turned strange.
“What. Why did the snake god's name disappear? It was clearly right here.”
“Could it have dropped further...”
But that's when it happened.
“No! That person is right here!!!”
“What? Where?”
“Here!”
“Where on earth... Ugh?!”
The gods looking at the ranking couldn't believe their eyes.
“What!! This is!!”
At the absurd ranking, they screamed.
* * *
And around the same time.
“Shall we pull you out?”
“!”
Familiar gods appeared before Yigeon. Both were male gods with their faces covered, perhaps not wanting to be seen by people.
But at their appearance, Yigeon raised the corners of his mouth and raised his eyes as if to show them.
He had no choice.
“You bastards were nowhere to be seen when we were catching the ruling god. What were you doing, sneaking around and showing up now?”
“Naturally, we were moving around here and there to help you.”
Then Yigeon looked at the two with disgust.
“Ah. So to help me, you were meeting with the Olympus gods and remnants, stuck in between?”
“!”
At that malicious smile, Anubis and Osiris flinched.
But Yigeon grabbed Anubis by the throat. His menacing red eyes were a bonus.
“Stellar Gods can instantly know where their subordinates are, you know? Did you think I wouldn't know you bastards were running around meeting your family and the Olympus gods?”
“What are you talking about, we... ugh! gah!!”
“I could recite every place you ate, every place you shat, you bastards. Want me to sing it out one by one??”
Well, normally even Stellar Gods can't know that much.
But Yigeon, with his independent system of the Zodiac's 12 Palaces, was different.
“Stop bullshitting. You could never harbor good feelings toward me.”
And by then, the thick-skinned Osiris approached with a displeased look.
“Why would you say that? Naturally, we wanted to help you, the new master.”
“Oh really? Then you wouldn't mind blowing the whistle that you're now my subordinates, right? Okay.”
“!!”
As Yigeon headed toward the neutral zone public board, the two were horrified.
“Heracles alone is causing a huge ruckus. Do you know how many commissions for broadcasts I've gotten? If I say the ruling god of whatever Ennead or Gennead is my subordinate god, it'll be a riot, wouldn't it?”
Then, as if desperate to avoid just that, Anubis grabbed Yigeon's arm and answered.
“Why are you like this, we too just have great dissatisfaction with that Yeolsa bastard!”
“Dissatisfaction?”
Yigeon frowned and turned his head.
“Yes, that bastard...!”
And then.
[Anubis, don't.]
‘!’
At Osiris's stern voice in his head, Anubis flinched.
It was a telepathy that could only be exchanged between gods of the same Ennead.
[Absolutely do not let that one's story be revealed]
Osiris was referring to none other than the Great Stellar God of Ennead, one of the top 3 in the divine realm.
‘That one placed a bounty on the master of the Scorching Heat.’
The insane bounty of 65 billion was none other than created because of Ennead's Great Stellar God.
Of course, for the wealthy Great Stellar God, it was a pittance, a laughable amount.
‘He already harbored a grudge against that bastard, and this bomb incident made him even more furious.’
Ennead's Great Stellar God was different from Zeus.
‘A being who has been with the birth of the divine realm and the ancient gods, without even a single succession.’
He was one of the three pillars said to be the strongest among the Great Stellar Gods, and there were rumors that if he got angry, the divine realm would disappear.
This time too, he wasn’t injured, but it seemed the Scorching Heat bastard had ruined something precious and fled.
So he placed a bounty to have him brought to him.
[Anyway, what if that snake god finds out that we're trying to catch the Scorching Heat master even by placing such a bounty? What would happen?]
He was a cunning snake who even scammed the Olympus gods.
[Certainly, that snake god would try to negotiate with us using the Scorching Heat master.]
Anubis laughed, saying he knew that.
[Rather, you, Lord Osiris, make sure your purpose isn't discovered by that snake god.]
Anubis knew.
Why else would Osiris, a god of his stature, stick beside such a snake god?
‘He intends to seize the godhood of the Zodiac 12 Palaces from the snake god.’
Precisely, among the Zodiac 12, Pisces, the Fish Constellation.
The godhood originally in that position was none other than gods from the Ennead.
[Godhood: Isis]
[Godhood: Nephthys]
Moreover, weren't both godhoods related to Osiris?
It was a problem that Aslan, the great magician of the divine realm, stole the godhoods and brought them into the Zodiac 12.
And originally, these were noble powers of the Ennead, godhoods that could deepen Osiris's history.
‘And he's entering the divine realm with those?’
Isn't it practically crawling in on his own!
Anyway, Osiris wasn't saying it, but he was undoubtedly aiming for that.
‘But before that, escape from subordinate god status comes first.’
Thus they looked at Yigeon.
“As a Stellar God, you need to revise the rulebook to go to Earth. And Hugo is a subordinate god, so he can go to Earth but needs a departure fee.”
“Departure fee?”
“Yes. Factions like Kunlun that target Hugo would be desperately trying to block it, so you'd need at least 10 billion in bribes for them to turn a blind eye.”
“10 billion?!”
As Hugo gaped, Anubis smiled and said it was for safety.
“It's fine. The bounty on the Scorching Heat master has gone up to 65 billion in the meantime. After negotiating with the Fates, we secretly smuggle him out and hand him over as a bounty criminal. Double use.”
But Yigeon scoffed as if telling them to get lost.
“I don't need your help. Taek-su. You summon.”
Meaning that as a subordinate, it would be possible. And right then.
Flash!
“!”
Hugo summoned the Scorching Heat master, but unexpectedly what appeared was a horse-headed mask!
“!”
Seeing that, the two's eyes widened, and Anubis clung closer as if to show off.
“The Scorching Heat master is not such an easy god. Even so, he's a god who alone exterminates thousands of gods.”
“!”
That was the existence of the ruling god.
“And the alias given to that guy who coldly and cruelly killed gods with a straight face is .”
“A pure white death god...?”
“Without blood or tears...?”
‘Which bastard are they talking about?’
Anyway, thinking he really made a lot of enemies, Yigeon grabbed Anubis's throat again.
“Then call that bastard here right now. Then I'll believe you.”
“Then first release my power, then... aagh!”
“If you're a son of a bitch, track him down by nose like a son of a bitch. Before I grind you into a dog.”
“Yigeon. How about we just educate these bastards using Heracles?”
At that, Osiris scoffed.
“Do not compare me to that pathetic war god blinded by a mere woman.”
“Yes. Trust us. And handing over the Scorching Heat master to receive the bounty is also to your benefit.”
“What do you mean?”
“What do you mean. For gods, a colony is just like power and authority. So securing colonies is basic among gods.”
Moreover, the Earth that Yigeon holds is very high-quality land.
“Though it's taboo, so they won't openly seize it, do you think a god with no subordinate gods, no backing, and no money can maintain a colony? It'll be taken within a fortnight.”
“!”
“Well, usually you protect the dimension by throwing money and paying donations to the divine realm, but a dirt-spoon god like you, do you even have the money to pay donations... ugh!”
“Donation or not, you pay that shit by selling off the Duat. You bastard. That's an order from your Stellar God.”
“……?!”
Osiris was flustered, but Yigeon, as if something came to mind, took something out of his pocket.
It was none other than a communication necklace.
As expected.
When Yigeon manipulated the necklace, a familiar figure appeared as a hologram.
It was Kevin.
He jumped up as if glad.
[Yi... wait, why is that woman there?!]
Ignoring Kevin's nagging, Yigeon immediately spoke.
“I contacted you to check something.”
[Check something? Oh, right, earlier you cut me off so well...!]
“You said there were friends I don't know showing up and scamming, right?”
[Yes! They claimed to be your subordinate gods and said they would manage Earth! They even demanded tribute, saying it was tribute to send to you!]
Yigeon raised the corners of his mouth as if to show these guys.
Honestly, which bastards among the gods dared impersonate him and extort tribute from another dimension?
But he could figure out the culprits quickly.
[They said they were sent by the Fates. They claimed you were very close friends.]
Yigeon was dumbfounded.
The bastards who pulled that crap on him when he was fighting Heracles?
And Hayley seemed to have caught on quickly.
“Since you, the Stellar God of Earth, were absent. They took advantage of that gap to send their own subordinates.”
And at that, Osiris closed his eyes tightly as if his plan had completely failed.
In fact, they had been trying to somehow make Yigeon negotiate with the Fates.
So they could also secretly meet the goddesses and do under-the-table deals behind the scenes.
‘If it's them, they could change the rules and free us from that guy...!’
And once freed from subordinate god status, they also intended to complete their mission.
It was the Great Stellar God's command.
When they asked why, it was an unexpected reason.
- We can't lose that precious Kreator.
- Sorry? What do you mean...
The two Ennead gods swallowed, recalling those words, but Yigeon smiled and looked at Kevin.
“The Earth side should be fine since Seongjae is there. Move together with him. Don't get deeply involved.”
Kevin nodded.
* * *
And around that time.
Yeonwoo, who had returned to Earth, felt an ominous energy.
“What? You can't reach Seongjae?”
Having gone to see Jiwoo to also deliver Hugo's regards, Yeonwoo looked around strangely.
‘That's strange. While I went to the divine realm, there was nothing particularly strange.’
But right then.
“!”
Yeonwoo, approaching the window, gasped and lowered his head.
It wasn't for any other reason.
‘This energy.’
A killing intent rose in Yeonwoo's eyes. And no wonder, this feeling was the original owner of Ophiuchus.
The ominous energy he felt the day Aslan died. And the ominous god's energy he felt from the master's corpse.
At the same time, Yeonwoo seemed to hear a voice.
[My pretty Kreator. Where is the new child?]
(To be continued)