Meanwhile, at that time.
"Hey, for real!"
The Lord of the Blazing Sun was shrieking.
It was because of none other than Igeon, who was holding him from behind.
And on the opposite side, Hugo was drawing a bowstring.
Hugo glanced at Igeon with an uneasy expression, as if asking, "Is it really okay to shoot?"
But regardless, Igeon spoke as if to say, "What are you waiting for?"
"It's fine, he won't die. So hurry up and shoot."
"Aw!"
Suddenly finding himself destined to become a nephew-by-the-arrow of Hugo's, the Lord of the Blazing Sun looked at Igeon, pleading, "Let's not do this."
No matter that Igeon was his nephew, or that he himself had done wrong, and even though Igeon was the supreme god of the Zodiac 13 Palaces. There were things one could do and things one could not.
"Even so, how can you even think of selling me off to Kunlun!"
Indeed.
Igeon, who had whispered this absurd proposal to him, abruptly dragged him along, saying he'd go prepare his journey to Kunlun, and then ordered Hugo to use the Authority of Admiration.
Just like when they had turned the Fate goddesses into allied puppets.
Clearly, he intended to transform him into Igeon's likeness and then hand him over as a bride to Kunlun.
And unlike a god, the Lord of the Blazing Sun was being overpowered physically by Igeon in his human form. He spoke earnestly to Igeon, who held him captive.
"Nephew, I've done wrong. Let's pretend the past never happened."
Even though he had stiffed him on repair costs and, under the pretense of sacred artifacts for Igeon, who lacked divine power, had sold him items with a bit of fraud(?) mixed in.
"Nephew, I am your uncle!"
"Yeah, so go to Kunlun and live happily ever after."
Igeon smiled brightly, while the Lord of the Blazing Sun felt like dying.
Watching this, Igeon's subordinate gods were sweating profusely.
'That infamous Lord of the Blazing Sun, even renowned in the divine realm...!'
'The notorious White Death, high-ranking god of the divine realm's tower...!'
It wasn't for nothing that the Great Sage Gods of all factions ground their teeth at him.
Yet a god of such majesty...
"Nephew!! Please, just this once!!"
...was utterly helpless before Igeon, causing his subordinate gods to break out in cold sweat.
But the Lord of the Blazing Sun himself was truly desperate.
Like with the Ennead, if he were sold off to Kunlun, he wouldn't come out unscathed.
'There's no way they'd leave me in peace.'
Where else would one find a god with as many enemies in the divine realm as himself?
"Do you even know what kind of place Kunlun is? Why the Great Sage God has 13,887 brides, and his younger sister has 19,787 husbands?"
"Because they're horribly promiscuous?"
"No! It's because 80% of them die. On their very first night!"
"!"
Hugo, who was pulling back the bowstring, widened his eyes, and the Lord of the Blazing Sun desperately clutched Igeon's shoulders.
"No faction knows exactly why they die off, but I can generally guess the reason."
"What is it?"
"They must be sucking out their yang energy and vitality. In any case, if you go through a wedding there, you die!"
Igeon let out an incredulous scoff.
"So it's fine for me to go as a bride and die?"
"No, you're the god of life, so of course you'd survive!"
"Right. And you're the unextinguishable god of the sun, so you'll survive too."
"Argh!"
The reason for this torment seemed 99.9% spiteful, but Igeon's eyes were serious.
"You. You swiped something from the Ennead's Great Sage God too, didn't you?"
"!"
"So go to Kunlun and steal what I tell you to."
Upon hearing the details, the Lord of the Blazing Sun flinched in shock.
Of all things, steal that?
"Well, Kunlun is rich, so if you rip off a ton of money too, that'd be great for me."
The Lord of the Blazing Sun looked flabbergasted.
"Do you think the Great Sage God and Xi Wangmu would fall for that in the first place!"
It wasn't for nothing that they ruled over thousands of divine gods. With smiling faces they feigned ignorance, but beneath it, they harbored a venom whose depth could not be measured.
"Besides, Kunlun is incredibly brutal. If you get caught, you really die..."
But Igeon smiled, as if to say, "Like I care."
"Shut it. I've got every method to keep you from getting caught."
"What?"
Without waiting for a reply, Igeon immediately placed a hand on his own body and activated a power.
[Material Creation (Life 3-Star)]
Amidst a dazzling light, Igeon created a garment identical to the one he was wearing.
It was a duplication.
Then he immediately activated his next power.
[Creation Workshop (Creator 1-Star)]
Light rose from beneath Igeon's feet.
But Hugo, witnessing it, opened his eyes wide.
Because the shape of the Ophiuchus magic circle that had always appeared when the Creation Workshop was activated had changed.
Originally, it depicted three snakes coiled together, with two snakes seeming to guard one.
But now it was different.
'There are two snakes.'
The shape was like a cycle.
It felt as if one had not simply vanished, but evolved.
'Come to think of it, they said all his powers reawakened when he came to the divine realm.'
From skills, a technique form, to the gods' own Authorities. And presumably, that symbolized a god of cycles.
'Then someday, will that snake evolve into just one?'
At that moment.
[Data has been granted within the Creation Workshop.]
[Personal trait (Quirky Genius) applied, granting stats to the armor.]
[Undetectable by Anyone (EX)]
- Creator: Igeon
- Armor-type (Defense SSS)
- Grants the data of
-
At last, Igeon held out the completed garment to the Lord of the Blazing Sun.
"With this, even that lecherous bastard won't notice you're my uncle. Well, I haven't tested it, so... probably?"
"!!"
Is this bastard really going to sell his own uncle to Kunlun?!
"Ah, but a word of caution. Absolutely do not take it off. If even a little bit comes off, it's all over. So protect your chastity."
"#$*$#&*!"
The Lord of the Blazing Sun clutched the back of his neck.
If he was going to say that, then he shouldn't have added an additional feature like allure to the thing!
Of course, Igeon was the Creator, a god of technology.
Their specialty lay in
So the effect of this item would be 100% guaranteed, but...!
"I'd rather you attached a repulsiveness feature! Whether they notice is a problem, and whether they don't notice is a problem too!"
"After you get sold off, it's not my business."
"?!"
Smiling, Igeon pressed something into the Lord of the Blazing Sun's hand.
"Still, since I feel a bit sorry, I'll give you a present."
"!"
The Lord of the Blazing Sun's face stiffened as he looked at the bottle in his hand.
[Rapid Fire Hair Growth Tonic (EX)]
- A hair loss treatment made with the super regeneration ability and the Aquarius potion-making ability.
- In just 3 days, hair becomes lush and abundant.
"......"
"Alright, go and live well. If you want a divorce, make sure to squeeze out all of his assets plus alimony. Protecting your chastity is on you."
The Lord of the Blazing Sun let out a silent scream.
* * *
At that moment, far from the dimensional rift, in
The subordinate gods of Kunlun, who had been watching Igeon along with Xi Wangmu, were inwardly relieved.
"It is fortunate that the Snake God has accepted coming to our Kunlun side."
"But, will it truly be alright?"
They had heard rumors circulating among the officials.
"I have heard that, although not yet updated, the Snake God's divine god ranking is in such a state. You well know what that means..."
But Xi Wangmu smiled.
"No. Perhaps he could rise even higher. He may become stronger before the next update."
"Excuse me?! Even higher?!"
They looked at her with disbelief.
Then Xi Wangmu smiled beautifully.
"Well, his divinity is divinity, so he might receive a high evaluation."
"What do you mean..."
"That one possesses the power of an Ancient God."
"!"
At those words, the faces of the subordinate gods instantly changed.
That was because the Ancient God was the king of gods. It was said that the divinities he possessed were used to build the divine realm.
In other words, powers that had existed since the beginning of all things, and at the same time, were the source of the universe.
However, Xi Wangmu smiled meaningfully.
"Our Kunlun's Great Sage God is the same. He also possesses one of the powers of the Ancient God, just like the Snake God. And if ours were combined with that one's divinity, what would emerge?"
"Then, that's why the marriage..."
Xi Wangmu smiled.
'Of course, it seems the Great Sage God purely fancies him for 90% of it, but that doesn't matter.'
And Hugo, whom the Snake God had brought with him, was also a concern.
Hugo was originally a subordinate god they had secured the winning bid for first.
His faith level of 600% was tempting, and oddly, Valhalla had been eyeing him, so they had preemptively taken him.
'His true nature is worrisome.'
"In any case, if the Snake God meets our Great Sage God and dies, we'll just take his divinity. And, if by any chance he survives, what matters is the child-god that will be born."
"But I hear the Great Sage God's younger sister is also showing great interest in the Snake God. Saying he's cool..."
She smiled.
"Whether the Great Sage God takes that Snake God as his bride, or his younger sister takes him as her husband, either way is fine."
"Then..."
"Make preparations to send him as a husband to the younger sister's side as well."
"What about the rest?"
The goddess grinned as she spoke.
* * *
"Oho."
The subordinate gods of Kunlun marveled at the sight of Igeon's party as they revealed themselves.
"Oh, what a magnificent divine artifact! It is of considerable value!"
Igeon appeared with his subordinate gods, carrying a splendid palanquin.
"Then may we depart?"
At those words, the sound of cursing came from inside the palanquin.
"No, we can't depart... ack!"
Igeon kicked the palanquin hard.
Inside rode the Lord of the Blazing Sun, swathed in thick veils and cloth.
And covered from head to toe so that his appearance was unrecognizable, the Lord of the Blazing Sun felt like dying.
Because of what Igeon had said.
[Steal that thing called the
Had Igeon been aiming for that from the start?
[He went to Earth or Eden or wherever. Chances are he'll need to use
Only death could be gained simply by killing indiscriminately.
[Anyway, the divine artifact called the Heavenly Peach of Kunlun is said to greatly boost the power of
With that alone, the conditions to use
But still, this was too much!
'That one-of-a-kind, precious treasure!'
Whether the Lord of the Blazing Sun was agonizing inside or not, Hugo whispered to Igeon.
"Still, it looks like they haven't caught on, thankfully. If we're lucky, even the Great Sage God might not notice."
Igeon laughed at that.
He had even duplicated the Lord of the Blazing Sun's divinity and was carrying it. He planned to use it himself or give it to Hugo later when they went to Earth.
Soon Igeon spoke.
"Then we'll receive the exit location for Earth and the promised wedding gift here."
"Yes. Here they are. But before that."
Those who had been looking at the treasures piled high behind them gave subtle smiles.
And as expected.
"As for everyone besides the Snake God, dispose of them according to the rules."
The subordinate gods of Kunlun surrounded Igeon's party.
'!'
When they sent questioning looks, the Kunlun subordinate gods smiled as if it was nothing.
"Do not worry. We will be taking over the authority of your subordinate gods, except for the Snake God himself."
"!"
"Since the bride might make a fuss otherwise."
"Indeed. What if they fled, aiming only for the Great Sage God's wealth?"
With those words, a massive pillar of light shot up from the ground.
The Lord of the Blazing Sun, who was in the palanquin, stared in alarm at the chains.
'That's Kunlun's
It forcibly bound souls and changed their affiliation!
In other words, becoming a slave of Kunlun!
It was easy to see why the proportion of gods affiliated with Kunlun was so high.
Indeed, that power surged toward everyone, including the Lord of the Blazing Sun and Igeon.
'Damn, this is dangerous!'
Just as Igeon was about to flare his eyes,
[Impudent wretches, that Snake God is my prey!!!]
BOOM!!
With a familiar voice, the floor exploded. From the shadows of the Kunlun gods, a hideous eye appeared.
The gods were shocked by that eye.
"You bastard!"
"
At the Sovereign's appearance, the Kunlun gods fell into chaos.
And for good reason—this creature was the leader of the Kruder, who used gods as their prey!
"You fiend! They said you were hiding in the divine realm! So you were in a place like this!"
[I can be anywhere, and I can hide anywhere. Wherever there is malice.]
"...!"
As if it mattered little, the Sovereign's eyes glinted from within the shadows.
[How dare the likes of Kunlun try to lay a hand on my prey, you have great nerve!]
As if declaring he would take Igeon for himself rather than hand him over to them, the Sovereign's shadow engulfed the palanquin, causing the Kunlun gods to flinch in alarm.
"No! The Great Sage God's bride!"
"Quickly, save the Snake God!"
As the palanquin was lifted into the void, the Kunlun gods urgently shouted.
"Snake God! What are you doing! Get out of that palanquin at once!"
Inside the palanquin, the Lord of the Blazing Sun felt like dying.
'Damn it, if I go to Kunlun I die, and if I follow the Sovereign, not even a trace will remain!'
In the end, just as he was about to open the door to beg Igeon for help,
"?!"
Amidst that pandemonium, Igeon and Hugo were nowhere to be seen.
And what's more, all the wedding gifts that Kunlun had brought in exchange for taking him were gone too!
'Argh! He just ditched me and ran!!'
At that very moment.
Rumble!
The Sovereign swallowed the palanquin, with Igeon—no, the Lord of the Blazing Sun—inside it in one gulp.
"!!"
Horrified by that sight, Kunlun's forces flashed their eyes with fury and disbelief.
"That bastard!"
"Bring the Great Sage God and call all factions!"
"Chase him! This is war!!"
* * *
And around that time.
Igeon's party, having looted every single item Kunlun had brought, were now screaming.
Grabbing the goods and bolting, Igeon had activated the
But in that instant, the object suddenly transformed into a giant toad, and they were swallowed by it.
And after some time had passed.
Ptew!
As if having reached its destination, the toad spat out Igeon's party.
They crashed down onto a giant door.
Boom!!
It was a door so vast that the end was invisible like the earth itself, an iron gate carved with gigantic symbols.
[The Door Connected to Earth]
The entire landmass they were standing on could just as well have been called a door, given its overwhelming size.
Hugo tried to force open the firmly shut door using his strength.
"As expected, it won't budge...!!"
Then Igeon, who had put the toad—now shrunk into a small box—into his pocket, gestured for Hugo to step aside.
"Move. You little shit."
"You don't mean to break it down?!"
"Why would I do that?"
Smiling, Igeon pulled Set out from inside the toad.
"Now, open the door."
"Cough, stop! Ack!"
In the end, as Set—being strangled by Igeon—activated his power, a light burst from the door.
And having forced the door open, Igeon approached the gap in the doorway.
At the same time, he grabbed the firmly shut door and began to force it open with sheer strength.
And then, something astonishing happened.
Grrrrrak!
The door that refused to open no matter what began to part.
Soon, the sight of Earth appeared through the opened gap.
(To be continued in the next episode)