Hugo's neck turned with a creak.
The look on his face as he turned his head was a sight to see.
First, his eyes were not human. For a moment, he seemed to have turned into a Terminator.
I thought even his facial muscles were paralyzed.
And indeed.
"Marriage?"
Lee Geon, catching that gaze, broke into a cold sweat.
It was not for another reason.
"Uh, Taek-su. You shouldn't use that Royal Skill."
That was it.
It was because of the sinister flames shooting up from his hand.
That thing, gradually taking the shape of a bow, was a skill Lee Geon knew all too well.
And that was Sagittarius's Royal Skill (SS).
It was the ultimate attack Lee Geon had awakened while teaching Hugo to fight.
But what's the use?
"You know that's useless against me, right?"
Moreover, that thing stupidly drains the caster's magic power. The place he was using it was also completely wrong.
It was a skill for wide-scale destruction, not for a single target. It was not a skill meant for a place like this.
No, pulling it out in a place like this was foolish from the start.
"Taek-su?"
"Marriage?"
"Taek-su. Put away that crappy bow."
"Marriage??"
"And don't aim when you won't even hit."
"Marriiaaage??!"
"You little... lis—."
BOOM!
A massive explosion erupted.
The location was where Lee Geon had been standing.
It was truly a speed that could not be perceived.
And perhaps because of the sound, voices came from afar.
"What! What's going on!"
"Over there! They said they spotted Lee Geon, the one who appeared at the press conference!"
"What?! Then we need to report on this now! Quickly, bring the cameras!"
But whether or not the sounds of reporters swarming over were heard, the bombardment continued.
Thanks to that, the Cheon siblings screamed.
"Dad! No! That person is not a monster, he's Un...!"
"That's right. There's no way Dad can beat Uncle!"
"......?!"
Are these kids for real?
But my friend, letting out a snort, poured even more fuel on the fire.
"You raised your kids well. They only speak the truth."
Pissed off, Hugo drew his bowstring.
"You just go back to the tower!"
This time, it was a 5-shot combo.
Whoosh-whoosh!
"I've never even heard my daughter say something like that!"
There wasn't even a moment to feel the skill activate.
The instant Hugo raised his hand, the ground right before him had already burst open.
BOOM!
The Cheon siblings were startled, but Lee Geon, who had leaped into the air, landed without a care.
It was a terrifyingly fast reflex speed.
What's more, Hugo was a saint who directly received the power of Sagittarius's constellation god.
The accuracy of his marksmanship skills was beyond imagination.
The power contained within was also so mighty that it could explode anything.
In short, it was the legendary arrow said to hit its target even if shot from the opposite side of the globe.
Once it struck, the target would be shattered to pieces.
And there was only one person who had ever dodged that arrow.
Whish! Whish!
"......!"
Lee Geon casually dodged the incoming arrows.
A mere tilt of his head was enough.
So Cheon Yoo-ha and Cheon Sung-jae could only marvel.
At first, worried for both their father and their uncle, they had tried to stop this but.
"As expected of Uncle...!"
"Crazy! How is that speed possible?"
Failing to even consider the ability of their father who shot arrows at that speed, the siblings were being thoughtless.
At that reaction, Hugo choked up.
If only the kids would just let him land one hit!
Maybe that's why. He even pulled out a skill he wouldn't normally use.
[Invisibility Attribute (S)]
"!"
Thanks to that, Lee Geon flinched.
It was a skill normally reserved only for red-zone monsters.
Because it was too underhanded and fatal to use on a person.
Indeed, even a warning sounded.
A warning that had been silent until now.
[Warning. This is an undetectable attack]
[A strike that has completely erased its presence]
[You must deploy the Serpent Bearer's sanctuary to protect your body]
But what good does that do?
Grab! Grab! Grab!
Lee Geon caught the invisible arrows at light speed.
There were three arrows in total.
'Sorry, but it's obvious, you brat.'
Meaning the attack was too straightforward.
It wasn't because he was sly, but it was obvious where the arrows would fly.
Of course, normally, even if you knew where they were coming from, you couldn't catch them.
Why?
Because knowing a bullet is flying at your head doesn't mean you can catch it.
And sure enough.
Cheon Sung-jae, who was recording with a camera, sobbed uncontrollably.
Even the Scorpius zealots, the fastest in speed, would be like slugs in front of Uncle.
If this ever got on YouTube, it would cause a huge ruckus.
In the end, after dodging all the arrows, Lee Geon sneered.
"Didn't I already say? Sagittarius doesn't work on me."
And that wasn't all.
The more Hugo acted up, the more Lee Geon stood to gain.
Why?
[You have humiliated the master of Leo]
[Constellation experience greatly increases]
[Constellation experience greatly increases]
[Constellation experience greatly increases]
[Disposition accumulated]
[Provocation +3]
Merely trampling over a saint raised the Serpent Bearer's ability stats.
In other words, the more he fought, the higher his own abilities grew.
So that's what he meant.
"Hey, hey. No matter how you struggle, you can't beat me. And the fact that your kids like their uncle more won't change either. So give up and just go eat..."
"Hey!!"
Had the point gone wrong?
He was only stating the facts out of some concern(?) to make him give up, but Hugo's eyes rolled back.
He had seemed at least somewhat sane until now, but he appeared to have lost all reason.
The eye-rolling Hugo threw something.
CRASH!
What shattered was a horse-shaped stone statue.
[You have paid the rental fee to the constellation god]
As soon as the alarm rang from Hugo's phone, Hugo vanished.
'!'
He was hard to locate, even for Lee Geon.
Just then, arrows came flying from somewhere.
"!"
It was the sky.
It was not just a single arrow.
Thousands of fiery arrows were raining down.
[Warning. The master of Leo pours out his fury]
"If you're so great, try dodging this too!"
[The sanctuary of spreads out]
[ Domain skill activates]
[Warning. The might of the sanctuary approaches]
As if they had met upon a perfect opportunity, Lee Geon's face flushed with rage as even the constellation god intervened.
"This punk is really..."
How dare he, right in front of me, pour out attacks meant for a red-eye?
Of course, it was probably because he knew very well that unless it was to that extent, Lee Geon wouldn't even react.
At this, the Cheon siblings nearly fainted.
Thinking it was too much, the siblings were just about to teleport their father away when.
[Directly facing the power of a constellation god, the Serpent Bearer's five senses automatically open]
Lee Geon's eyes changed to snake eyes.
[Serpent Bearer's physical abilities directly increase]
Lee Geon disappeared in a flash.
The bombardment falling from the sky attacked Lee Geon, but it was useless.
[Agility increases]
[Agility increases]
[Agility increases]
[Agility increases]
"!"
In that fleeting moment of realization, Lee Geon was already in front of Hugo.
And.
"That's enough! You brat! I'm only letting you off because we're friends!"
THWACK!
Lee Geon's furious kick smashed into Hugo's face.
* * *
Sagittarius Domain.
Hugo, watching the news on his phone, was trembling with shaking hands.
And no wonder. The news article had a massive front-page photo of him being sent flying by Lee Geon.
"Those bastards! When did they even take a photo like this!"
Of course, compared to the news of Lee Geon crashing the press conference, it was just a side story, but still.
"I was planning to call reporters for a press conference today, but I guess I don't even need to! They're all writing it up nicely on their own!"
At the constellation lord's fury, Eun Ye-rin, who was applying ointment to his face, worriedly said.
"Oh dear, that's why you shouldn't have done that. Constellation god skills are so expensive, and you even rented an ultimate attack."
At those words, Hugo, who had been wrecked by Lee Geon, grew somber.
"...That was my fault."
"Exactly, why did you pick a fight with Master Lee Geon when you can't even win."
"What!"
"Well, since it's got ten million views, just like Master Lee Geon, we'll probably get a pretty big sum in ad revenue too. It'll be a big help for the constellation group's living expenses."
At that, the corner of Hugo's pouting mouth twitched slightly.
Of course, it wasn't because of the windfall.
'That brat. Uncharacteristically left a gift behind.'
Hugo looked at the gift Lee Geon had left.
Even his subordinate became curious about the present.
"Constellation Lord, what's that?"
A-Grade
-The magic power of the one who touches it flows into the person whose name is written on the body (Lee Geon).
Not knowing the item's identity, Hugo grumbled but was secretly pleased.
"Oh. It's what Geon left. He said he hit me a bit too hard and left it."
"Oh my, Master Lee Geon personally?"
"Yeah. He said it's a holy relic that brings in money."
He said it was a precious item he intended to use himself, but that 20 years of friendship came first.
Said it was a gesture of reconciliation.
'That brat. Does he think I'd jump for joy just because he gives me a gift?'
And since he gave it with such special thought(?), Hugo decided to simply let the matter about his daughter slide.
And he had reason to, because of what Yoo-ha said right after.
[Yeah. I guess I was being too hasty after all.]
[Yes, yes. Thank you for saying even that much.]
Hugo was relieved.
He was still worried, of course, but if he could just stop his daughter from following Lee Geon around, that was enough.
'I already told Geon about that pattern, too.'
The pattern he had seen on Gemini's sword during the Blue House explosion.
It must have been the mark of the ringleader who had trapped Lee Geon in the tower.
Well, whatever.
"So where did that bastard Geon disappear to this time?"
"Ah, as for Master Lee Geon, he said he's going to see some old friends for a while..."
Hugo was dumbfounded.
"What? He doesn't have any friends! And I told him to stay put and behave today since I was going to hold a press conference!"
But there was one more strange thing.
"What. Yoo-ha isn't here either. I didn't hear anything about Yoo-ha going somewhere."
"Ah. As for Yoo-ha, she followed Master Lee Geon."
"What?"
"She said she got a lot of insight watching the fight between you, Constellation Lord, and Master Lee Geon. To be able to propose to her uncle... ah, no, to become someone suitable, she must train..."
"What?!"
"Ah! It's probably a joke, a joke! And Master Lee Geon also spoke properly to Yoo-ha..."
But regardless, Hugo had already screamed and fainted.
* * *
Meanwhile, at that time, the temporary Blue House residence.
The Gemini Constellation Group Leader, Choi Sung-hyuk, was drenched in a cold sweat.
He couldn't help it.
"Oh my god, is it really that person?"
"R-Really?"
Before their eyes sat Lee Geon, as bold as could be.
And the Blue House figures were terrified upon seeing him.
In fact, everyone here now were politicians who had taken bribes from Gemini.
They were the ones who had made Lee Geon a hero and had been quietly embezzling the incoming donations.
But even they were trembling in fear now.
Wasn't the world already in an uproar after yesterday's press conference, with people asking what the truth from 20 years ago was, and whether that Lee Geon had really returned?
Thanks to that, the politicians and their aides were stirred up.
"Th-That person really is the one who appeared at yesterday's press conference? The one claiming to be Lee Geon?"
"Yes. Without a doubt."
"Ridiculous! How can he be Lee Geon with that face?"
"Er... well, still. The scene of him kicking the Sagittarius saint was captured. After all, how many people could send a saint flying..."
The politicians' mouths hung open.
And in this situation, the Gemini Constellation Group Leader, Choi Sung-hyuk, who had been summoned to the Blue House, was utterly flustered.
He couldn't help it.
'So why is this guy here?'
That was it.
In just an hour's time, there was a meeting scheduled with Japan at this very Blue House facility.
Regarding the recent Gemini domain destruction incident.
And the situation was what it was.
'There was even talk that the Gemini saint herself would come in person.'
That's why he had come, to act as the intermediary.
But Lee Geon showed up here?
Choi Sung-hyuk truly had an ominous feeling.
And sure enough.
BANG!
Lee Geon, sitting at the head seat, slammed his foot down on the table.
"I hear you guys are managing my assets?"
"......!"
At the same time, the politicians broke into a sweat.
No wonder, because while the current president was favorable toward Lee Geon, the figures around him were the ones who had sold out the nation's hero.
The majority had profited by selling out Lee Geon.
The place was full of those with guilty consciences.
As if knowing this, Lee Geon smiled.
"You know, I clearly requested the government yesterday, through Sagittarius, to return my assets. But guess what? Today, all of a sudden, they said they don't want to give them up?"
At those words, the politicians, who had flinched, put on forced smiles.
"That can't be! There must be some misunderstanding... yipe!"
They felt a chill down their spines at Lee Geon's gaze.
But whether they reacted or not, Lee Geon was picking his ear and smiling.
"So, what was it? I'm sure I heard a Blue House politician babbling that the owner of my assets is the Japanese government, or the Gemini saint, or some such."
The moment those words fell, the faces of most of those present turned ashen white.
And sure enough.
BANG!
"I won't say much."
"......!"
"Do you want to get beaten to a pulp and then cough up my money, or cough up my money and then get beaten to a pulp?"