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Seong Jihan frowned upon receiving a message from Pythia.

Whats this? Its over already?

Even if defeat by the Martial God was inevitable, wasnt the end too swift?

Theres still so much to gain.

After being summoned to the Brahmas control space, he now has 120 in the Seal of Thunder stat.

This was a significant reward, but it seemed there was much more to gain from the thunder god, Brahma, so it was disappointing to end here.

However,

[Ah! Were you the one supplying the red lightning to the barrier? No wonder the Brahmas barrier wasnt easily breached.]

As Pythias message popped up, Seong Jihan felt relieved.

His efforts in continuously infusing the Crimson Thunder werent in vain.

It seemed the barrier protecting Brahmas Throne was still intact.

Well, its said that Brahma is among the strongest gods.

Meanwhile,

As Seong Jihan didnt respond, Pythias messages began to transform peculiarly.

[Is it difficult to respond? Then, try sending it through this.]

Swoosh

Then, a translucent keyboard appeared below the message window.

They really have everything here.

Seong Jihan, keeping his hands still, typed using the power of the Martial Soul.

[Yes. I came to watch you guys fight.]

[You need to be careful. Despite the predictions, the barrier isnt breaking, so he isnt in a good mood.]

[Predictions? Did you make them?]

[No. The master did. He has his own foresight.]

The Wandering Martial God possesses all abilities of his disciples.

Seong Jihan continued the conversation with Pythia while adding the Foresight ability to the wandering Martial Gods inventory.

[The masters foresight is more potent than mine and hardly ever wrong but this time it was off, so he asked me to find out what happened.]

[So, youre a scout.]

[Thats my role during conquest. Anyway, you. If the Martial God catches you, it wont end well, so its better to run away quickly. He might have figured out some connection due to the red lightnings, but still.]

[Ill just logout.]

[Hmm If the Martial God catches you, it might not work. If the barrier breaks, run away immediately.]

Seong Jihan thought of the battle with Dongbang Sak, where the Black Hand intervened directly in the BattleNet map.

The power of the Martial God could indeed break the rules of BattleNet.

I should log out immediately if anything happens.

With that thought, Seong Jihan continued typing.

[Arent you a disciple of the Martial God? You seem quite concerned about me.]

[Youre the only one who can determine if the Martial God is Gilgamesh or not.]

[Hmm. But is that so important?]

[Yes. From my standpoint.]

[Why?]

[That I cannot tell you now. Lets talk after awakening Gilgamesh.]

[Youre full of secrets.]

[I have my reasons. Anyway, Ill report to the Martial God that I havent discovered anything yet. Then]

Beep!

Pythias message window disappeared.

Seong Jihan thought to himself,

Anyway, if its not yet breached, theres more to gain from the Brahma.

In that case, he had to act quickly.

Thud!

Seong Jihan put down the strands of electric current he was holding and said,

Logout.

And he logged out immediately.

* * *

Click!

Uncle! Where were you? Sophia was about to go home.

Ah. I was summoned by The Thunder God.

Wow, you were summoned by The Thunder God?

As Seong Jihan emerged from his room, the two women approached him.

Yes, Sophia. Were you about to go home?

Yeah Jihan. Could I stay a bit longer now that youre back?

As Seong Jihan returned, Sophia seemed inclined to stay longer, but,

[The Thunder God Brahma asks why you logged out so suddenly.]

[You were channeling energy to the Barrier, and he wonders why you left in such a hurry.]

Right after Seong Jihan logged out,

Messages from Brahmas side flooded in.

Ah. But I have to go back again. The log out was just to discipline him a bit.

Discipline? who? The Thunder God?

Uncle. How do you discipline a constellation? Isnt it the other way around?

Yoon Seah and Sophia,

Both being players supported by a constellation, knew how absurd the idea of disciplining constellation was, but,

There are cases like this. The one who needs more ends up losing.

[The Thunder God Brahma laments that the barrier is about to break and urgently asks you to come back.]

[It promises to set up the screen this time and prepare items for life force recovery, pleading for another chance.]

[It despairs at the thought of being left to die by you.]

With Seong Jihan gone, Brahma became more desperate than when he first called him.

He chuckled and nodded.

Really? I was planning to rest at home, but if youve prepared like that then, call me back. Okay.

Zzzzt

As if waiting for his words, a red lion emerged from thin air.

Wow~ A small lion.

Its so cute~

The two admired the Brahmas reduced form, but,

[Cute? Ha. Insolent beings How dare you!]

Zap! Zap!

Angered by their words, the red lion discharged electric currents in all directions.

Seong Jihan blocked it from spreading further and said,

Hey. Dont take your anger out on innocent people.

[Ugh. Cracks are already forming in the barrier! The Crimson Thunder is rapidly disappearing! This is too much!]

Too much? What is? Dont tell me its my fault?

[Krhm No. Lets go back. Everything is ready!]

Screen set up and items for life force recovery prepared?

life force recovery? Uncle, you look totally fine

No. Im a bit tired. I need rest.

Seong Jihan shook his head and touched his forehead.

[It isready.]

The red lion, gritting its teeth, struggled to respond.

So you should behave when you have the chance.

[]

Set up the screen. Put the logout option in, like before.

[I got it]

Flash!

As Seong Jihan disappeared back into the Brahmas control space,

Yoon Seah and Sophia looked at each other.

Does that seem like a constellation?

Yeah. Jihan even bullies the constellation.

Sophia, when did you learn the word bully?

Its one of the most common words used for Jihan.

People are too much. Calling Uncle a bully

Yoon Seah briefly flared up at Sophias words,

But isnt it somewhat accurate?

Considering the status of Seong Jihan and the Daegi Guild as the top of the hierarchy, influencing the global BattleNet industry, It made sense why the talk of Seong Jihan being a bully came up.

Then, Seah. Im going home!

Okay~ Get home safe.

As Sophia headed back home,

Seong Jihan, re-summoned to the Brahmas control space, sparked with interest.

Things have definitely changed since earlier.

Just a moment ago, the place was buzzing with electricity.

Now, giant screens were displayed everywhere, with a table and appetizing fruits laid out.

The currents still flowed strongly, but the control space had transformed into a livable area.

Zzzzt

Seeing his arrival, two strands of Crimson Thunder surged up, and Seong Jihan pointed at the fruits with one hand.

Whats this?

[Didnt you say you were lacking force? This is the fruit of life.]

Ah. Ill enjoy it, then.

Dong! Dong!

The fruits floated in the air and entered Seong Jihans mouth.

Initially, he thought the fruits might increase his life force by 1 or 2 points,

Oh. This is

Unexpectedly, the fruits contained life force similar to that of the World Tree.

While not as potent as the life seeds he had eaten before, Eating the fruits replenished the life force that had permanently vanished when he used Heavenly Tree Descending Spirit.

Is this fruit related to the World Tree alliance?

[Uh, um Yes. How did you know?]

Ive eaten a life seed before.

[IsIs that so? I thought you were lacking life force. I only brought something suitable for mortals.]

Faced with Seong Jihans question, Brahma rambled on.

Truthfully, these fruits, maliciously produced by the cunning World Tree Alliance, had been stored in a warehouse for a long time without being consumed.

Seong Jihan, having demanded more rewards, was given these fruits as a sort of challenge.

He has even consumed a Seed of Life? Hes done everything.

However, the recipient of the fruits happily devoured them. It made sense; he lacked a source of life force, so it was a welcome replenishment.

For Seong Jihan, finding an unexpected source of life force was a boon.

He emptied the table of fruits into his mouth and shook the empty bowl.

Hey. Bring more if there are any left.

[Alright, alright. But can we start working again?]

Ah, right. After receiving so much, I should do my part.

Having satisfied his hunger and replenished a substantial amount of life force, Seong Jihan began to infuse his own Crimson Thunder into the pale barrier.

I should reinforce it more to make him appreciate the fruits I gave him.

Zzzzt!

The barrier glowed more intensely than before.

The Red Lion, seeing this, relaxed its expression.

[Its even stronger than before Thank you! Lets go back to defense. Put in a bit more effort!]

Sure. Bring more fruits, and Ill put in more effort.

[If you can use more power, use it now. Dont hold back!]

No, its all thanks to the fruits.

[Understood.]

Zzzzt

The Red Lion sighed deeply and disappeared.

Now, what should I explore?

Seong Jihan looked at the screens floating around.

Among the ten or so screens, the largest displayed the wandering Martial God.

His face shrouded in darkness, he stood still, arms crossed.

[Martial God is this all youve got? Die!]

And before him, A circular hole began to form in the massive wall of electric currents.

Revealing a space filled with blinding white light.

[Astrape!]

Fzzzt!

A gigantic spear of light appeared from within, Aiming straight at the Martial God.

Zeuss power, the divine lightning Astrape, Was much more formidable than when it had been directed at Seong Jihan.

Especially,

Unlike when it was used on me, Crimson Thunder is mixed in. Did the supply to the wall go there?

Zeuss Astrape, mixed with Crimson Thunder, was far more powerful than its original form.

However,

Swoosh!

With a simple flick of his finger, the Martial God shattered the spear of light in midair, Splitting it into hundreds of pieces.

[What!?]

And then,

[Thats useful.]

The Martial God spread his palm,

Flash! Flash!

Dozens, then hundreds of circular holes, Began to form around him.

[Could it be my Astrape!?]

[Go.]

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The spears of lightning, far larger than Zeuss lightning, Violently struck the barrier.

Hmm. So thats how Celestial Judgment came to be

The Celestial Judgment used by Seong Jihan resembled the Martial Gods technique, But the scale was entirely different, given the Martial God as the user.

A spear of the Brahma that seemed to envelop the entire vast world.

However,

Hmm Somethings odd.

Seong Jihan furrowed his brow, watching the Martial Gods lightning spears strike the barrier.

Clearly, Zeuss Astrape had Crimson Thunder mixed in, but the technique stolen by the Martial God lacked it.

If he deemed it useful enough to steal the technique, shouldnt he have taken the Crimson Thunder as well?

Yet, the Martial God displayed a power identical to the Celestial Judgment Seong Jihan learned in his previous life, Despite Zeuss Astrape not looking like that.

Hmm

Why didnt he replicate the Crimson Thunder?

As Seong Jihan pondered this,

,

Dongbang Sak, the disciple of the Martial God, silently watched from afar.

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