Chapter 176 - It’s been a while since we got together (5)

“I want the bastard who placed the curse of hair loss and other annoying curses I don’t want to mention to come out first.”

Hugo’s and Kevin’s expressions were a sight to behold. What? Curses? What was the other part? The gods wanted to kill Lee Gun? It was their first time learning this story.

Lee Gun just laughed in contempt.

After he had left the Devil’s Tower, he had taken a bath in Chun Sungjae’s house. As he had submerged his body into the water, he had tried checking his skill directory.

“What is this? I can check past records.”

The window had been like a log record. It told him which skills he had used, and how many points he had earned. Also included in that was the activity record of the disciples.

It showed all the past records relevant to the Serpent Bearer. And it had confirmed something for Lee Gun.

[You have entered the Devil’s Tower.]

[You have received curses from the Zodiacs.]

[Dullness!]

[Loss of the sense of balance!]

[Pain amplification!]

[Damage amplification!]

[Paralysis!]

...

[Tinnitus!]

[Fatigue amplification]

[Increase in Fatal Injuries!]

[Strength Loss!]

[Impotence!]

[Urinary Stone!]

[Herniated Disk!]

[You have received a total of 584 curses.]

...

[You have acquired the power of Super Regeneration.]

[You have exited the tower.]

[The Curses have been dismissed.]

Lee Gun finally understood why he couldn’t move his body like his normal self within the tower twelve years ago. ‘Those Zodiac bastards...’

His body had always been in a poor state, but the reason seemed to be the curses the gods had placed on him.

Lee Gun ground his teeth. Of course, he had a bad relationship with the Zodiacs. He had shown up their Zodiac Saints. In turn, the Zodiacs had marked him. Still, he had never expected this.

Five hundred eighty-four??

‘They really wanted me dead.’

Was there a need for them to do this to a human with no Zodiac in the first place?

‘Even red zone rank monsters were unable to cast more than 10 curses.’

Him reaching the hundredth floor with those curses was a miracle. It probably happened because of his “Bull Instinct” skill, which later evolved to the Death Instinct skill. Without Bull Instinct, he would have died.

[Bull Instinct (Lv. 99)]

- Use an indomitable will to be prepared for death. Increasing one’s physical abilities to the extreme is possible.

- Increase battle capability

- Dull the pain through willpower

- Limited resistance toward abnormal status skills

- Caution! The pain may be dulled, but it doesn’t mean the wounds have improved. This is the case with abnormal status, too. In other words, all of that can be endured through one’s will.

When Lee Gun looked through the record, he had realized the Zodiacs were connected to his death. He had been angry about it, but something incensed him even more.

[Hair Loss]

[Stamina Loss]

[Impotence]

...

[Unpopular Curse]

[Charisma Loss]

[A shameless Zodiac hid its face...]

Which asshole Zodiac had placed such curses on him?

Back to the present!

“Who did it? Which one put hair loss and imp— Who placed the strange curses on me! It looks like a single Zodiac did all that.”

Hugo was puzzled by Lee Gun’s angry voice. What kinds of curses were they that made Lee Gun so mad?

“Hair loss? Which Zodiac was bored enough to do that?”

For some reason, the Sagittarius flinched at those words. Unaware of this, Hugo surged to his feet. “Shit. They are coming!”

He glanced at the sky! The clear sky had suddenly become dyed black. Pillars of light fell from the sky.

Kwahng!!! Kwahng! Kwahng!

The Zodiacs that found Lee Gun objectionable started to appear.

[The Zodiacs that had hidden their faces are revealing themselves.]

Their appearances were accompanied by a wind that made it hard for one to steady oneself.

“Ahhhhhk!”

Pillars fell, and trees broke. The disciples screamed when wind pressure hit France. It was a frightening yet familiar energy! Naturally, they knew the source of this phenomenon.

“The gods have descended!”

“What?! Here?”

Moreover, it wasn’t just one Zodiac.

“There are five of them!”

“Crazy?! Shit! This land won’t be able to take five of them— Ahhhk!”

As soon as this person spoke, the fortified city was leveled. Of course, this felt a bit different from the time of the Leo’s descent. At that time, the god had revealed its true self through light.

This situation was like being hit with lightning, but it wasn't normal lightning.

[The Zodiacs are showing their anger toward the Serpent Bearer.]

Brown, purple, sky blue, and dark blue.

The lightning bolts were a variety of beautiful colors, yet they provoked a sense of awe. It was as if one would die if one got close to the light.

The lightning bolts wriggled in the sky like dragons before they finally changed into the shape of beasts. One became a dragon, one a tiger, one a small cat, and another became a bear.

[The Zodiacs have descended in their avatars.]

[Their power will be reduced, but they’ll be able to descend for a longer time.]

This was called Avatar Descent.

A Zodiac could descend on the earth in three ways. First was “Possession Descent” through the Zodiac Saint’s body. This method had no impact on the environment. The Zodiac was limited by the Zodiac Saint’s abilities, and it caused the least damage.

The second method was “Zodiac Descent.” As the words implied, a Zodiac’s real body descended from the divine world. The Zodiac would be in its most powerful state, but this method consumed Temple energy. Therefore, this method was seldom used.

The last method was the “Avatar Descent.” The Zodiac descended by borrowing the shape of a different creature. This method limited their abilities the most, but if a Zodiac needed to appear on earth, it used this method.

When humanity had gotten a glimpse of the Zodiacs, the Zodiacs had been in their Avatar Descent forms.

Moreover, this was the most optimal descent for this situation. The Zodiacs probably didn’t want to show their true forms either. They were also trying to conserve their Temple energy.

As soon as the beasts landed on the surface, the holy ground was destroyed.

Kwa-gwa-gwahng!

“Ahhhhk!”

“Shit! Run away! We’ll die if we stay here!”

“Ahhhhk!”

Although Avatar Decent was a bit more refined, in the end, it was still the descent of a Zodiac. Just their appearance caused massive damage.

That was why the Zodiacs normally didn’t use Avatar Descent either. No Zodiac was crazy enough to destroy their holy ground. And if a descent occurred on someone else’s holy ground, that was a signal for a fight.

Therefore, they all chose to descend through the Zodiac Saint’s body. However, this was an entirely different situation.

[The Virgo’s eyes flashed. She asks who dares descend into her land.]

[The Virgo rages that they broke the rule.]

[The other Zodiacs are snorting in derision.]

[They state this place has been stolen by the Serpent Bearer already.]

Their words meant this place was already the Serpent Bearer’s land. They didn’t care if it was destroyed or not. That wasn’t the end.

[The Cancer has summoned its Constructs.]

As fog appeared from the ground, the Cancer’s Constructs were summoned, several hundred of them!

Accompanying a vortex, the divine army showed up.

At the same time, Hugo was attacked atop the building.

Kwahng!!

“Koohk!”

The Archer Saint jumped off the destroyed roof and landed next to Kevin. Then, the fierce Constructs surrounded Kevin, Hugo, and Lee Gun.

When Kevin saw this, silver lightning flashed from his body.

[Demigod State]

Something surprising happened.

Poohahk!!

A unicorn revealed itself amid the surge of the silver light. The silver lightning defeated the Constructs.

Hugo’s mouth fell open when he saw the familiar power. “I thought you didn’t like to use the Demigod state?!”

[Shut up, Archer! You want me to stay back and watch Lee Gun die?!]

Hugo was puzzled.

Whenever the Virgo Saint used Demigod state, Zodiac descent, or any Zodiac-related skills, he turned into a woman. It was a prank by the Virgo. That was why Kevin never used those two skills even though he possessed mind-boggling strong power.

Hugo had accidentally witnessed it 20 years ago, but he had kept his mouth shut. He allowed Kevin to keep his privacy.

So what was this form? Soon, his question was answered.

[You are under the authority of the Serpent Bearer.]

[Since you have left the influence of the Virgo, you may modify the skill.]

[It is possible to combine the Virgo’s skill and the Serpent Bearer’s skill.]

Kevin was overjoyed at this notification. He used his abilities with abandon.

[The Virgo Saint’s faith toward the Serpent Bearer has increased by a lot.]

[Contribution has increased.]

[This is great! When you want to use Zodiac Descent from now on, I’ll change it so that you descend into a figurine!]

The Virgo screamed at his words.

[The Virgo despairs.]

[She laments. She begs you not to do that.]

Hugo also tried to use his Zodiac Descent skill.

[The Sagittarius refuses]

[If he appears in front of the Serpent Bearer right now, he will die.]

“????”

Hugo was wondering what those words meant when...

Kwahng!

“Ahhhhhk!”

The screams of the disciples rang out. It wasn’t because of the Zodiacs’ descent.

Puhng!

It was a thundering noise as if heaven and earth were ringing. Green and black lights surged into the air.

[Zodiac Descent]

[Penalty dismissed! You can use 100% of your power.]

The one doing this was Lee Gun.

The green and black lights turned into an enormous serpent, which curled around Lee Gun. Wherever the green light touched, something odd happened.

“The broken buildings are regenerating!”

“The grass and trees too!”

All the grass and trees the Zodiacs’ descent had destroyed were being revived. All of this happened in an instant. Watching it was like watching the rebirth of life.

The Constructs flinched when they saw this power. They knew none of the Zodiacs could use a power of this magnitude.

In contrast to this miraculous ability, Lee Gun now emitted a dark power. This power was so terrifying that it sent chills running up one’s spine.

Hugo groaned. He felt as if this power would send him flying.

‘Is this what the prophecy showed?’

He had seen two futures. The first one was where the invaders who had entered the Virgo Saint’s holy ground vomited blood. It was a future showing Sungjae wreaking havoc.

The other future was about Lee Gun, and it was playing out right now. The Zodiacs that had appeared as avatars flinched when faced with Lee Gun’s power. However, their reactions lasted only a moment.

[The Zodiacs have used their abilities.]

The Zodiacs seemed to think they could contend using their Avatar Descent. In the end, their opponent was a human who had become deified; he was a mutant.

Boom!

[Death Instinct]

In his Zodiac Descent state, Lee Gun used his awakened skill.

When the skill amplified his power, the Zodiacs furrowed their brows. They realized that fighting Lee Gun could harm them.

[The Zodiacs say, “Let’s not do this.”]

[They say they do not want to fight.]

These words left Lee Gun dumbfounded. He became angry.

[You guys are acting as if you’re the victims instead of the perpetrators.]

The Zodiacs flinched.

Lee Gun’s voice contained killing intent, and he was clearly using the divine words of power. Lee Gun snorted.

[You guys showed up baring teeth first, yet isn’t it funny that you want to call it off now?]

As those words rang out, the black light splashed about.

The Zodiacs’ worries turned into reality. It was the power of the god of calamity.