Divine Thrones.
The Star Gods who master these Divine Thrones consider their followers exceedingly important.
That was only natural.
A king without subjects does not exist, and a god without believers does not exist.
Troops, religion—since the beginning of time, human resources had been a symbol of infinite potential.
It is an axiomatic truth that the greater the number of people, or the higher the caliber of each individual, the mightier the group’s influence becomes.
And that very system merely exerts itself upon the Star Gods as well.
That is why their apostles, the saints, are so desperate to raise and poach holy disciples.
Gemini had built its strength in the same way. They had fiercely nurtured their followers, scouting human worshippers.
But what good did it do?
‘Gemini has no SS-class.’
To be sure, they had outstanding Holy Order Commander-level figures holding the line, but the gap of even a single SS-class was immense.
[Black Thorn]
“Lord Saint! Virgo has stolen our achievements again!”
[Golden Rule]
“It’s a disaster! We cannot withstand Libra’s bombardment!”
[White Lion]
“We cannot defeat Leo! For now, we have no choice but to concede to their demands…!”
The Ten Stars (SS-class).
Commonly called those who are worthy to be saints.
The Divine Thrones to which they belong boasted overwhelming power.
So the holy orders they were part of always advanced in triumph.
They swept up all the wealth, all the glory.
No matter how much we racked our brains and tried to earn merit, it was all snatched away by them.
And just when it seemed the eastern territory they had barely seized would be taken away—
“What? A monster entered Korea?”
Cheon Seongjae had entered.
“Yeah. He’s genuinely just a snot-nosed brat who barely passed the absolute minimum age.”
At present, the minimum age for Awakened under international law was thirteen full years: first-year middle school.
Those below that could not engage in activities above Layman (F)-class, no matter their talent.
The problem wasn’t the age; it was the ability.
“But there is no precedent of anyone passing the direct-order entrance exam at that age. And the measurement result is SS-class…”
“And his faith is at zero percent?”
“Cough! Ah, no, that is, cough…!”
Well, it had actually dipped into negative territory, but Choe Seonghyeok did not dare utter that.
“In any case, being SS-class—even if that part is an error…”
“No. It probably isn’t an error.”
Hazy’s expression shifted as she looked at Cheon Seongjae’s Awakening name.
And it turned out just as she had thought.
“We’ve taken back the achievements from Virgo!”
“We’ve succeeded in defense!”
“What is that ignorant little kid? An Order Commander?”
“No, I heard he’s C-class.”
“What?!”
But there was something even more preposterous.
“What’s up with that kid? Why doesn’t he enter battle mode on his own? Is he crazy?”
Gemini’s battle mode.
That is, the Soul Unleashing.
Normally, entering the Soul Unleashing state heightened the spirit and induced a ferocious sensation, which led other holy orders to commonly call it ‘Berserk.’
But—
“No idea. He doesn’t use Soul Unleashing. Rumor says he can’t use it—whether he won’t or can’t, nobody’s ever seen him use it.”
“What? Then how does he learn magic without Soul Unleashing? It’s something you grasp through the fairies’ senses, isn’t it?”
“No idea. They say he read every grimoire in the Gemini library ten thousand times. Theoretically, it’s possible.”
“Has he lost his mind? The effort aside, who in the world can understand those alien math formulas!”
“If anyone could, it would be Lady Hazy.”
“……!”
Of course, his faith was rock-bottom to an excessive degree, but that did not matter.
“It’s his puberty. At an age when his values haven’t fully formed, such things can happen.”
Once he became a saint, his faith would surely skyrocket.
‘That child is a leader-type talent who will lead Gemini.’
Seongjae’s loyalty toward the Gemini organization was also quite high.
Naturally, he was a talent the Gemini Star God and Hazy firmly trusted.
But.
“Why should I?”
The axe they had trusted struck their own foot.
At the disciple’s nonchalant answer, the people around them were appalled.
“S-Seongjae!!”
His roommate, especially, was on the verge of fainting.
“D-Do you even realize who’s standing in front of you…!”
“It’s the Gemini Saint. So what?”
“N-No…!”
Stunned, Hazy could not even produce words.
But she quickly regained her senses—because Seongjae was scolding his roommate.
“What? You think I could attack Uncle?”
“W-Well, that’s true, but…!”
Hazy thought, ah.
‘Right. Seongjae’s father is Hugo.’
No doubt, that Lee Geon fanboy had gotten drunk and bragged endlessly about his friend.
Of course, he would have heard about his skills too.
“Right. Seongjae. I did teach you not to recklessly charge at an opponent with such a power gap.”
“!”
Hazy admitted it coolly.
Growing up hearing that much drunken boasting, he might just fear Lee Geon.
Honestly, if you only listened to Hugo’s drunken rambling, Lee Geon was practically a god.
“But it’s fine. If you use your ninth technique, even that Lee Geon won’t be able to handle it! Hurry, help us get out of here—!”
Cheon Seongjae furrowed his brow as if asking what nonsense she had been spouting.
“No, that’s not the point. Why would I have to attack that person?”
Hazy became even more speechless.
“You are a disciple of Gemini! And that person is the enemy of our Gemini…!”
“No, I mean.”
Cheon Seongjae stared at the statue as if he had chewed on dung.
“So, if he’s Gemini’s enemy, then Uncle is the enemy.”
“…What?”
“Then I’ll just become Gemini’s enemy too.”
Hazy froze completely.
And when she finally grasped the meaning of her disciple’s words—
Laughter erupted.
“Hahahahaha.”
“!”
It was Lee Geon.
He was laughing as if it were the funniest thing he had ever heard.
“Have you ever set foot in Seongjae’s room? Not even once, have you?”
“……!”
“You moron. Seongjae is my biggest fan.”
“……!?”
“The brat doesn’t even listen to his own father; you think he’ll listen to the likes of you?”
Well, with things going this far, it’s not as if the Star God would just sit still, but still.
And at Lee Geon’s laughter, Hazy felt humiliation.
He was laughing in the most infuriating way in the world.
To be mocked by Lee Geon, of all people.
And right at that moment—
“Well, whatever. For now, shall we take what’s left of the Fairy King?”
“!”
“I’ve got somewhere to use it right away.”
No sooner had the words left his mouth than Lee Geon swung his fist at the statue.
Crash!
“!”
[Capricorn’s rental skill has been destroyed.]
[The trait of the One Who Knocks on All Things (Creation) is activated.]
Lee Geon immediately snatched up the two souls.
And the moment they were caught in Lee Geon’s hand, Hazy sensed it clearly.
‘Yang Wei!’
Her exceptional detection ability felt the lingering trace of Yang Wei in Lee Geon’s hand.
There was no doubt.
Yang Wei, too, had his soul extracted and was being used in this manner.
She grew desperate.
“Seongjae!”
She switched tactics.
“Seongjae! Look! Lee Geon is more of a thug than you imagine. It hasn’t come to light in the world, but if you simply count what he’s done…!”
But.
“Ah, whatever.”
[Persuasion has no effect whatsoever.]
[The Gemini upper disciple’s faith drops into the negatives.]
Thud!
[A crack forms in the power of the Two-Faced Lord.]
[The Two-Faced Lord is flustered.]
[All faith is directed toward Ophiuchus.]
As expected, the Star God erupted in mad rage.
Thud!
An immense power began to swirl throughout the house.
[Warning. The Two-Faced Lord’s magic is attempting to halt bodily functions.]
[The Two-Faced Lord’s punishment is directed at the human follower.]
[Target: Cheon Seongjae.]
At this, Lee Geon smirked as if it were laughable. Well, he had been prepared to clash with a Star God from the start.
It had merely come sooner than expected.
But then—
“Wait!”
Before he could step forward, Hazy blocked her own Star God.
She looked extremely urgent.
“This is not a level warranting punishment!”
Honestly, it was a little unexpected.
In truth, at this point, given Hazy’s personality, casting Cheon Seongjae out would not have been strange.
Letting it slide meant there was a reason to do so.
And it wasn’t impossible to guess that reason.
Hazy
- Saint of Gemini (Two-Faced Lord Constellation)
- Awakening name (baptismal name): [Punisher]
- One who punishes evil that deviates from justice
Effect: All evil-aligned beings suffer critical hits or are subject to incapacitating properties.
That was exactly the description Lee Geon had seen.
The problem was that this was information he had seen a long time ago.
Cheon Seongjae
Awakening name (baptismal name): [Punisher]
- One who punishes evil that deviates from justice
Effect: All evil-aligned beings suffer critical hits or are subject to incapacitating properties.
Yes.
Without a single discrepancy, Cheon Seongjae’s awakening name and its ability were identical.
What nagged at him was the line that followed after Hazy’s information.
[Former awakening name]
It was like looking at a successor.
Of course, he could not read any further.
[The Observer’s Eye level is still too low to read it.]
But the information was enough.
‘That must be why all this chaos is happening.’
Sure enough, Hazy shouted.
Now, there was only one method left for her.
“Seongjae! If you keep this up, I will genuinely expel you from Gemini!”
At those words, Cheon Seongjae’s eyes went round.
“Ah, yes, do go ahead. If Uncle will take me in, that’s great; if not, I’ll just go to Leo or something.”
“……?!”
It was the moment Hazy’s mind went blank from the unexpected turn.
[The Two-Faced Lord clutches the back of his neck.]
[His blade of rage is about to reveal itself.]
The Star God who had not stepped forward even when Gemini’s sanctuary was destroyed.
That was because there were enormous restrictions on the Star Gods directly intervening.
Above all, it would consume a staggering amount of their own experience.
Until now, they had held back, loath to waste the contributions and power their disciples had amassed. But now the situation was different.
Rumble!
[A crack forms in the power of the Two-Faced Lord Constellation due to the betrayal of an upper disciple.]
[Betrayal of a follower is a critical matter for a Divine Throne.]
[Warning. Due to the betrayal of a Gemini disciple, the Two-Faced Lord reveals a violent power.]
With the Star God’s fury, a colossal magic crashed down inside the house.
“Hurk…!”
Thanks to that, Cheon Seongjae’s roommate passed out from difficulty breathing, and Cheon Yuha broke out in a cold sweat.
It felt as if she could lose consciousness at any moment.
Cheon Seongjae, in particular, coughed up a mouthful of blood. Having a contract with the Star God made retribution easy.
“Cough…!”
“Seongjae!”
Cheon Yuha tried to check on her brother, but even she was forced to her knees by the Star God’s mighty power.
“Urgh…!”
This sensation, as though her very head were being crushed!
‘As expected, a Star God-class is impossible…!’
At the same time, the Star God laughed smugly.
[The Two-Faced Lord says he will grant you a chance.]
[If you kill Lee Geon now, he will forgive his disciple.]
And perhaps having been informed of those terms, Hazy shouted.
“Seongjae! Kill Lee Geon! Then you can be forgiven!”
But even as he coughed up blood, Cheon Seongjae gritted his teeth.
“Rather than attack Uncle, I would sooner die!”
“?!”
Hazy was dumbfounded.
“Lee Geon! He is not the kind of man worth going that far fo—!”
“Shut up!”
Cheon Seongjae’s neck veins bulged. What good was it all, when they only cared about citizens’ safety when it was profitable, and otherwise couldn’t care less even if people died.
“Don’t you dare disparage my hero!”
Along with his shout, Gemini’s power shook violently.
[The Gemini upper disciple’s faith is directed toward Ophiuchus.]
[This deals a critical blow to the Gemini Divine Throne.]
[The power of the Two-Faced Lord weakens.]
[The followers of Gemini are in an uproar.]
[You have gained Fame.]
[Fame contributes to a god’s achievements and prestige.]
In the end, perhaps feeling a profound humiliation, the Star God made the very floor quake.
[The Two-Faced Lord rages, asking how you can do this.]
At this, Lee Geon grinned viciously, as if it were pathetic, and drew up his magic power.
‘A Star God who binds souls to make them slaves, no matter who—spare me the nonsense.’
Yes.
It wasn’t as if any Star God wouldn’t be detestable, but he particularly considered the Gemini Star God to be cunning.
Why?
‘They trot out their saint and gleefully turn them into slaves.’
Of course, they claimed they didn’t do that to humans, but who knew?
‘Without laying a hand on humans, would Korea be in this state?’
Greedy politicians were one thing.
But hadn’t Hugo said as much?
At the time of Sophie’s press conference, just before the explosion in the Blue House—
A presidential aide had detonated the bomb as if momentarily controlled.
‘Unless he was an idiot, there’s no way he’d have self-destructed like that.’
And that wasn’t all.
‘My asset manager.’
No matter how much they served Gemini, they were public officials belonging to the Blue House.
So they wouldn’t dare go so far as to say my assets belonged to the Japanese government, or make such statements about the head of state.
Meaning, there was something they could rely on.
‘That the president himself is on Gemini’s side, I suppose.’
But this president was someone he knew well.
In any case, he was not the sort of man who would hand my possessions over to Japan.
Of course, he could have changed in twenty years, but—
‘There’s a high probability that the president’s soul is also bound.’
Because that would make him easier to manage.
Otherwise, there was no way Gemini could run rampant in Korea to such an extent.
That was why Lee Geon smiled ominously and activated his skill.
‘First, let me shatter that loathsome mind control.’
At the same time, as Lee Geon’s hand drew near, the half of the Fairy King in the statue screamed.
Hazy also felt dread. It was Lee Geon’s hand that was the problem.
It was a power different from anything before.
The Star God’s power receded from her body.
“…Wait, Lee Geon!”
An ominous sensation she had never experienced—as if she were becoming an ordinary person.
And exactly at that moment—
[The communion with the Gemini Star God has been severed.]
(Continued in the next episode)