Chapter 420 - Great Spirit (3)

“Oh, great servant of the Serpent Bearer.”

“A-Are you sure you are ok?”

Hugo, who had been thrown aside by Lee Gun, groaned as he walked forward. He had almost died after getting swept up in the great explosion of the Divine world.

‘I have no idea if that bastard thinks things through before using his abilities.’

All of Lee Gun’s allies had been gathered around him. Hugo was the only one left out. This was why Hugo was a bloody mess.

The Virgo Constructs followed Hugo, looking worried.

“Great servant!”

“I heard you plan to give up being Baby snake-nim’s servant!”

“It isn’t too late to change your mind....”

“Damn it! Stop referring to me as the servant— Kuhk!”

The Virgo Constructs had been following Hugo with medicine in tow. When a raggedy Hugo keeled over, they gathered around him.

It seemed they had chased after him under Virgo’s orders. While Hugo might be a first-generation monarch, Virgo had been worried about him as humanity’s Zodiac Saint.

“It isn’t too late. You just have to apologize to Baby snake-nim....”

“No. That’s definitely out of the question.” Hugo started to sweat as he recalled the insults Lee Gun had thrown at him and the question his friend had asked him before pilfering Valhalla’s prison.

- I don’t care about your past life, but I want to confirm one thing. Don’t even think about lying. Answer truthfully as my friend.

- You are on humanity’s side, right? No. You’re on my side, right? I just need to confirm this.

Hugo had hesitated in answering, and it seemed Lee Gun hadn’t appreciated this reaction from him. The Serpent Bearer had immediately taken out Heaven’s punishment.

Lee Gun had realized Hugo was close to recovering all of his memories, so he sensed an ominous feeling.

- You have a family. You aren’t going to suddenly spout nonsense like you’re going to visit your wife’s family or something, right?

𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

- You’re asking the question with that weapon in hand. Aren’t you already making a threat?

- You chose Miss Jiwoo, who is a human. It proves that you’re a different person. You will side with humanity, right?

- I’m not sure. I don’t think I met Jiwoo because I am separate from my past life.

- What?

- It seems Eternal Change’s instinct is why I chose you and Jiwoo.

- What did you just say?

Hugo spoke to a glaring Lee Gun.

- Since you want honesty, I’ll be honest. Jiwoo is a god.

- What?

- She might be a bit different from Kevin, but she also went through the Samsara Hell like him. She was a low-rank god who used to serve the Creators and was reborn as a human.

Hugo continued as if he was annoyed.

- Gods are great prey. That’s why I instinctively chose Jiwoo. It’s like Abyss, who goes nuts when it comes to gods.

- Are you playing with me? If that reasoning holds true, you would have gotten along famously with the eunuch. Unlike the other Zodiac Saints, he used to be a Zodiac in the past.

- He’s a pigeon. He stinks too much to eat.

Lee Gun became angry when Hugo spoke like a monster. However, Hugo didn’t care as he revealed his true self.

- You probably heard it from Scorpio. I was caught by the Creators because I invaded the Primordial god’s quarters. I was turned into a slave, and the death of all the Creators was the only way I would be freed.

- So?

- I killed all the Creators, and I thought I was finally freed from my fetters. That was when I found out Aslan was still alive. I had to rot away in prison for several hundred years more. When he died, I thought I was finally free, but you came along.

- ...!

- Once you were born, the restriction placed on me was reactivated. That was why I couldn’t do anything against you. I was pushed around like an idiot. That was why I stayed quiet. I was waiting for you to have a kid to get my revenge. Do you realize how much it sucks to be treated like a dog by the Creators? It’s tiresome.

Lee Gun looked at Hugo to see if the latter were serious.

Hugo clicked his tongue.

- If you don’t believe me, you can check my faith.

Lee Gun checked Hugo’s Faith.

[Hugo Otis]

[Serpent Bearer Faith: 0%]

Lee Gun let out a cold smile.

- You eliminated your Faith. Is that it? I’m disappointed. Is that all you have to say?

- No.

- ?

- I can get rid of your hair at the roots.

Hugo remembered the sight of a furious Lee Gun lifting Heaven’s Punishment into the air. He shook as he had trouble breathing.

This puzzled the Virgo Constructs.

“Servant-nim! Servant-nim! Are you ok?”

“What’s wrong?”

Hugo shook as that memory still scared him. If he were being honest, it was a miracle that Lee Gun hadn’t killed him.

Lee Gun had been so angry that he had come up with inventive cuss words.

- It means you have no plans on siding with humanity. Your faith is proof of this.

- Yes. I’ll be honest. Now that I have recovered my memories, I’m too disgusted to be with you. You can go die as an eternal virgin for all I care!

- Did you finish making your will?

Despite saying those words, Hugo had shaken like a mouse since he had thought he really was going to die.

‘If I didn’t have my kids, I really would have died.’

It seemed Hugo had barely kept his life because Lee Gun didn’t want to turn his niece and nephew into orphans.

Instead, Lee Gun had ended his relationship with Hugo.

“S-Servant-nim? It isn’t too late to apologize...”

“No. This is better for everyone...”

“What?”

It would be for the best if Hugo stopped himself from getting closer to Lee Gun. This was more true now that Lee Gun was the god of Life and Cycle.

While Hugo didn’t give them an answer, the Virgo Constructs immediately realized what was going on.

‘It has to do with the Karmic debt still attached to Eternal Change...!’

‘It probably has to do with the Karmic debt that the Great Spirits placed on him...’

‘I’m sure it was from the time when the Great Spirits captured him...!’

At that moment, Hugo got up. The surprised Virgo Constructs asked him, “Servant-nim? Where are you going?”

“I have to go to Wind.”

* * *

Aside from the Great Spirits of Ennead and Eden, all the gods had gathered in this temporary dimension.

“What? You want us to give up on looking for Aslan?”

The gods were surprised at the Great Spirit’s words. It was to be expected, since the Creators were the only ones capable of restoring the Divine world.

Although Aslan had been in slime form, they had indeed located him, a Creator.

“If it isn’t Aslan, we have to leave the restoration of the Divine world to the snake god!”

“Given his personality, there is no way he’ll obediently fix it for us!”

“The master craftsmen are saying that there is no way they can recover the Divine world. They’ve given up!”

They didn’t want to kneel before Lee Gun even if it meant certain death. The gods wondered whether something could be worked out if they found Aslan.

However, the Great Spirits knew something.

‘Aslan can’t do it.’

Aslan indeed possessed the Creation ability. He could use a variety of skills such as Rewind Object and Rewind Time. It might be possible for him to restore the Divine world.

The problem was that Aslan was now Lee Gun’s item. Moreover, Aslan’s ability didn’t deal with objects. He was someone who wielded abilities. There was no way he would be able to completely recover the Divine world.

On the other hand, Lee Gun was the highest-rank god when it came to manufacturing.

‘Only he can fix the Divine world.’

Still, this didn’t mean they would kneel toward a newly born snake. There was another way.

[Use the colonies.]

“!”

Colonies were sources of power for the Zodiacs. Zodiacs acquired tributes by working with the residents of the colonies and grew their power by receiving the residents’ faith.

[Tell the residents to confess to the Zodiacs. The Zodiacs will gather all the tributes from their colonies.]

This surprised the gods. Faith was a measure of a god’s power.

‘It’s a way for gods to raise their power.’

‘It will definitely increase the power of their Divine items and their abilities.’

However...

“We are already walking a very tight rope in taking from the colonies.”

“Won’t they object?”

[It isn’t worth answering that.]

“!”

Those who didn’t believe and follow the gods would be executed. That was how the Zodiacs ruled over their creations.

[All the residents of the colonies exist to serve the gods.]

[Who do they think allows them to keep their lives?]

“Then...!”

[Set the tax rate as 100%.]

[Take their souls as well as their bodies. Convert all of them into Divine power.]

[The residents of colonies especially exist for situations like this.]

[They are creatures that exist for this.]

The gods lowered their heads at the obvious logic.

“We’ll head out right now.”

However, something bothered even the Great Spirits.

[We have received a report saying the snake god took magical beasts from Valhalla.]

The mood of the gods changed on a dime. The reason was the mention of “magical beast gods.” They were like the Creators—dutiful gods that worked directly under the Primordial god. Moreover, they had a terrible relationship with the Zodiacs.

“They are the ones that monitor the gods.”

In other words, they were like secret agents that acted as inspectors. They were like spirits, and they could discern the good and bad between the gods. They had the ability to forcefully reclaim the colonies.

The gods were worried.

“They are all dead now, but if the snake god revives them...”

[He'll revive them.]

“That’ll be dangerous...!”

The Great Spirits laughed.

[Magical beast gods do not do anything that’ll benefit a Zodiac. Moreover, it’ll be beneficial for the snake god if they reclaim the colonies. There is no way they’ll cooperate with the snake god.]

[They are the dogs of the Primordial god, who hates the Zodiacs. The Primordial god was put through the inheritance process by the snake god. There is no way they’ll cooperate with him since they will consider him their enemy.]

In fact, Lee Gun might lose his colony now that he had revived them.

[No one can train the magical beast gods. They are proud.]

After hearing those words from the highest-rank gods, the other gods lowered their heads.

* * *

“What the hell are you guys doing?” Lee Gun contemptuously looked at the magical beasts before him.

His Constructs were nervous as they looked back and forth between Lee Gun and the magical beasts.

“M-Master...!”

“What is there to like that you guys are exposing your bellies like this?”

“...!”

Several dozen magical beasts were lying down in front of Lee Gun with their bellies exposed. It was as if they were submitting to the pack leader.

The Constructs looked on in shock.

“They usually hate the Zodiacs....!”

“Hey! Why are you doing things that you’ve never done before?”

The magical beast gods held a grudge against the Zodiacs, so they should have attacked Lee Gun instead of exposing their bellies like this.

It was such a shock that Lee Gun’s Constructs cursed.

On the other hand, the beasts exposing their bellies were trembling. The Constructs feigned laughter when they saw this.

“Look at them!”

[Shut up! Damn gods! Shut up before we kill you!]

“!”

Thanks to Lee Gun’s power of revival, they had inherited their power. It meant they looked like young beasts.

Since they had gone through the process of inheritance, it was akin to reincarnation. Normally, they wouldn’t have memories of their past lives.

However, magical beast gods were like spirits; they shared memories. Like beasts, the instincts of their predecessors were infused into their souls.

This was why they remembered the instincts of the previous generation of magical beast gods.

‘We shouldn’t attack that psychotic bastard.’

The instinct of a beast was speaking to them! Obviously, the memories of Lee Gun slaughtering them were ingrained in their souls.

Lee Gun snorted. It seemed crushing the magical beasts’ heads with the Primordial god Head Smasher had been effective. He had done it because they had been disobedient.

“I don’t know what exactly happened, but I guess I don’t have to mentally train them.” Lee Gun swung the Head Smasher in a circle.

Stricken with fear, the magical beast gods exposed their bellies even more. At the same time, the magical beast gods who had inherited their power whispered among themselves.

‘I don’t know what’s going on, but this isn’t it!’

‘I...It’s fine! Endure it until we can bring back the Primordial god!’

‘My instinct tells me to do this! What can I do about it?’

They weren’t sure of it, but they could feel the energy of the Primordial god emanating from Lee Gun. This was why they had decided to bide their time.

[W...We will follow you for now!]

[Please withdraw your weapon!]

The Constructs looked at Lee Gun in surprise.

“It seems they are loyal to you since you possess the Primordial god.”

[That’s right. It will be very beneficial to you—]

Poo-hahk!!!

Lee Gun ruthlessly used Fetters of the Underworld on the magical beasts showing their bellies and sent them flying.

Several of the magical beast gods vomited blood as they fell over. Aggrieved, they looked at Lee Gun.

[N-New master...! Why!]

[Our loyalty...!]

Lee Gun snorted. “I don’t trust others easily.”

[What??]

“Everyone hates my guts when they see me. There’s no way you guys would come toward me like this without an ulterior motive.”

[Just trust us a bit, bastard!]

[We already submitted to you! Well, we might have submitted to you, but I doubt our leader will yield to you!]

Lee Gun chuckled. “Whatever.”

[!]

“If you follow this order from me, I’ll acknowledge your loyalty.” Lee Gun smirked.

The gods were getting ready for war in their colonies. He would make sure they would have to beg him on their knees.