[Look over there. It’s the princess.]

[Isn’t she the prisoner that our monarch brought back? The one taken from the monarch of Red Flame?]

[Prisoner? No, I heard he brought her in as his daughter.]

[What?]

Hailey Olga Elsteine was the daughter of the Red Flame, who was also called the Red Monarch.

She was also one of the thirteen Knights, who were considered the highest-ranked beings amongst the general-rank monsters.

As one of the thirteen Knights, Hailey had been protecting Red Flame. However, Time had suddenly appeared one day, claiming that he was her father. After defeating Red Flame, he had dragged Hailey away.

Hailey was barely able to retain her life, but she had to put herself into a deep sleep akin to death. She did it in hopes of recovery.

After being dragged away by Time, Hailey’s power of Red Flame had been sealed, and she had dedicated herself to her endless work.

It was around this time that she had met Lee Gun.

When Time no longer had a use for Hailey, he used Hailey as a suicide bomb. He had sent her out to human society to destroy the camps of the other monarchs, who wanted the earth for themselves.

[Someone dares to hang around my territory.]

Earth belonged to Time and his faction. Naturally, he would be pissed when outsiders entered the earth.

In the end, Time’s suicide bomb did its job in destroying the enemies. However, being a general-rank, Hailey didn’t die immediately. But she had lost all her power.

After roaming endlessly, Hailey had fallen over, waiting for her eventual death, when...

“Are you ok, kitty? Are you still alive?”

She met a high school boy. He was a kind and affectionate boy, who was very warm.

“That’s odd. Why is my cat so hell-bent on running away when it’s bath time?”

Of course, the boy was clueless, but Hailey considered those times when she had been the happiest in her life.

She couldn’t reveal what she was, but she always wanted to be with this warm and affectionate boy. However, it didn’t last long.

The underlings of Time had caught wind of her being alive, and they had come close to finding her. Moreover, Lee Gun had started receiving threats from external forces.

“I’m fine, kitty. Don’t worry about me. There was an accidental explosion, and I was caught up in it. I’ll be fine in a couple of days.”

Lee Gun had bandages around his arm, and he spoke about it as if it was no big deal. However, the chance that Lee Gun would get involved in her business as time passed was increasing.

‘I have to leave.’

This was why Hailey had no choice but to leave Lee Gun’s side.

Soon, she had recovered all her power. But she continued to secretly hover around Lee Gun and kill any monster that approached him.

However, such a method eventually met a limitation: the great invasion of the monsters

It was when monsters brought to the earth by Time, Confusion, Abundance, and Abyss had started to eat the humans in earnest.

At that moment, the Zodiac of the Scorpio temple had visited Hailey.

[Oh, young female, become my apostle.]

Why would a god choose someone who wasn’t human? Why would she choose an enemy? It made no sense, but Hailey decided to walk the path of a Zodiac Saint.

At the time, Time had given her an order.

He had said, “Since I am going around different dimensions, I want you to kill the apostles in my stead.”

‘I can protect him better if I become an apostle.’

Lee Gun had a family. If Hailey wanted Lee Gun to achieve happiness, she couldn’t continue to stay next to him and kill monsters one by one.

She thought that instead of a temporary solution, saving human society by getting rid of the monsters at their roots was the better option.

This was why she stayed where Lee Gun couldn’t see her and ignored Time’s order. It was what she had planned...

“What the hell is that maggot doing? He said he was going to buy meat.”

“????”

When she heard the familiar voice, Hailey’s expression was a sight to behold. She wondered if she had heard wrong. However, her heart kept beating harder as Lee Gun came closer.

‘That person is...!’

He was taller than before. His clean-cut hair was now messy, and the skin from his left eye to his cheeks was severely damaged. It was hard to recognize him, but she was certain. He smelled the same.

“Let me through.”

When Lee Gun brushed past Hailey, Hailey almost screamed without realizing it.

It was rare to see Hailey’s expression change, so Stevens was a bit puzzled. “H-Hailey?”

This was unlike the ice princess. Her expression kept fluctuating, which made Stevens worried and anxious. “What’s wrong, Hailey? Are you feeling under the weather?”

Hailey completely ignored Stevens. She didn’t realize it, but she was laughing as her face turned red.

‘It’s him!’

After becoming an apostle, she had secretly visited Lee Gun’s home, but couldn’t find his whereabouts. It had caused her to despair.

‘He is alive...! That’s great

However, her happiness lasted only a moment. She suddenly became serious. The reason was Lee Gun’s appearance.

‘Wait a moment. What happened to his face?’

He had such an ugly burn mark on his face that he almost didn’t look human. Moreover, the energy that she could sense from him was...

‘He’s a superhuman?’

She was wondering what had happened when...

[Princess! That’s him. He’s the thirteenth, who we saw before!]

!!?”

Hailey was shocked when she heard the voices of her subordinates from her shadow. Thirteenth...! He was the thirteenth?

Hailey’s face froze.

Oblivious to her reaction, Lee Gun approached Hugo. “Hey, maggot. What are you doing? I told you to go buy some food, yet why are you here playing with your friend?”

Hugo, who was pinned under Kevin, lashed out at him. “How can you see this and say that I’m playing with a friend!?”

“Everyone who worships the Zodiacs and the gods can all die!!!”

“Your friend seems to have a bit of an eccentric personality.”

“He isn’t my friend!! Why would a friend of mine try to kill me with a weapon?!”

“You might have borrowed money from him and didn’t pay it back?”

“Teacher!!”

“Did you steal his fiance?”

“Who is that son of a bitch?”

At that moment...

“Koohk!”

Stevens, who had been watching from the side, charged at Kevin. His original goal was to find the Zodiac Saint of the Virgo temple.

Boom!!

Stevens climbed atop the fallen Kevin and activated the power of Leo. The golden light suppressed Kevin’s magical energy. This was possible because they were both apostles.

Stevens’s move had an effect on Kevin. “Hey. Stop it. It seemed the rumors were true. You were the one going around attacking the gods and their worshippers!”

? Who the hell are you? Let me go!”

“It’ll be fine. You can come along with oppa!”

The eyes of Kevin, who looked like a skinny wolf girl, flashed when he saw this.

At that moment, Stevens almost suffered a bleeding nose.

“Kuh-huhk!”

After head-butting Stevens’s face, Kevin got up. Despite his small stature, Kevin was very strong.

After being kicked by Kevin, Stevens felt a bit faint.

‘My ribs broke...!’

In terms of fighting skill, Stevens was at the top, but Kevin was terrifyingly powerful enough to make him feel faint.

The whites of his eyes flashed as Kevin went to the nearby fish shop and took out a knife from the stall.

“Let’s all die together as eunuchs!! Dickheads!!”

“??!!”

Kevin aimed for the no-go zone of Hugo and Stevens!

“Ahhk! Where the hell are you aiming that thing?”

“Why are you being like this? We are comrades...!”

“Who says we are comrades? Any idiots who follow gods can all die!”

As soon as Kevin grabbed the knife, his movement changed. As expected of a once-in-a-generation genius, he was confident in using weapons. Even Stevens was close to being overwhelmed by Kevin.

However, that wasn’t the most surprising part.

“What the hell? He is only level one!”

“What?!”

Yes, all the other apostles had reached at least level four.

But the stigmata engraved on the back of Kevin’s hand told them that he was a level one!

“This is crazy! How low is your faith that you’re still a level one?”

“How can a level one produce such power?! This is equivalent to level five— Kuh-huhk!”

Despite being only a level-one Zodiac Saint, Kevin sent the level-five Stevens flying.

Kwah-jeek!

“Kuh-huhk...!”

The ice cream stand was smashed to pieces when Stevens slammed into it.

Stevens desperately yelled, “Hailey! I’m sorry, but can you help us a bit?”

A surprised Hailey extended her hand to catch Kevin.

“?”

However, Lee Gun stared at Hailey with his head tilted in puzzlement, which made Hailey scream. “Kyahhk!!”

Then...

“Kuh-huh-guhk!!”

A whip made out of magical energy, which had extended from Hailey’s hand, hit Stevens instead of Kevin.

Charred like a piece of coal, Stevens opened and closed his mouth as he fainted.

When Stevens fell over, Kevin aimed for Hugo. “You are next!!”

Kevin’s knife was about to slice between Hugo’s legs when...

Bbah-gahk!!!

“?!”

Someone sent Kevin flying.

Kwahng!

The movement was as quick as the speed of light.

It was Lee Gun!

After being kicked in the face, Kevin slammed into a store located across from them.

boom!

Hugo’s mouth fell open.

Kevin was a genius, who was able to react to every minuscule move of Stevens! And someone like that was unable to react at all to Lee Gun’s movements. He was sent flying by a single blow!

“As expected of Teacher...!!” Hugo wailed out loud.

His teacher had saved him. His heart felt so full. “You saved me because I’m your student...! Thank you very much....”

“Why the hell would that bastard eat someone else’s barbeque? Also, he didn’t even think about apologizing to me. He ignored me.”

Ah! Barbeque! Hugo became solemn.

Lee Gun had moved to take revenge on Kevin, who had stolen and eaten his barbeque.

In the end, Hugo shed a tear. “I...It is ok. I’ll buy it again.”

“Damn maggot!”

“Ah! He’s so cool even though he’s ignoring me.”

Lee Gun ignored him as he headed toward Stevens, who was buried under the ice cream stand.

When Stevens saw the shadow, he laughed out loud in a welcoming manner. “Y-You are the civilian who came with Otis? Do you mind helping me get up?”

Bbah-gahk!!

“Kuh-huhk!!”

Stevens was kicked by Lee Gun.

“Who the hell are you to destroy the ice cream store that I was about to visit? Hmm?! You want to die?!”

?!!”

After being suddenly kicked in the leg by Lee Gun, Stevens felt his consciousness start to fade. It was like being kicked by a monster in the Danger group. This shocked Stevens.

‘Who the hell is he?’

While being beaten all over his body, Stevens yelled at Hugo, “Hey, squirt gun!! Why are you traveling around with a psycho?”

“He isn’t a psycho! He is my teacher!”

“T...Teacher?!”

Stevens wondered what nonsense Hugo was talking about, but Hugo was too busy filming. Lee Gun had beaten a level-five apostle as if he were squashing a cockroach.

“You’re amazing, Thirteenth-nim! You demonstrated each move for me! I will do my best to learn from this...!”

Stevens was shocked.

‘What? He’s the thirteenth?’

That psycho was the thirteenth?

‘Wait a moment... What happened? How can a civilian overwhelm the power of an apostle?’

Lee Gun ignored all of them as he went toward the last person. “Are you an apostle too?”

!”

Hailey was surprised by his low voice. His eyes were frosty. They were completely different from the eyes that belonged to the person she had known. There was no warmth in them, only hate and loathing.

Stevens yelled, “Hey! Get the hell away from Hailey! I won’t forgive you if you lay a finger on her!”

Hailey’s eyes shook violently.

‘What happened to him while I was away?’

At that moment, Lee Gun looked at Hailey with a puzzled expression. He suddenly moved his face closer to her.

“!”

Lee Gun sniffed at the side of Hailey’s neck. “Have we met before?”

“W-What?”

“That’s odd. You have a familiar scent.”

!!”

Lee Gun was close enough that she could feel his breath. Hailey turned red from head to toe.

“Hail

Hailey couldn't take it anymore. She fainted.

Koohng!

“!”

Lee Gun’s eyes turned round as he grabbed her without thinking.