‘Zodiac?’

Naturally, Chun Sungjae was surprised. This place was a conference hall for the Zodiac Saints. Why would a Zodiac appear here like this?

The Zodiac pretending to be a Zodiac Saint spoke up. “We won’t give that land to anyone.”

Chun Sungjae started to sweat when he heard those words.

‘How desperately do they want the Nameless Land?’

Of course, they were aiming for the same land, but why would a Zodiac step forward like this? 

It also seemed the Gemini Saint wasn’t a Zodiac Saint. Sungjae wondered if it was Raeriqueen within that body, but the aura was completely different.

‘The magical energy doesn’t feel the same.’

The magical energy from this person couldn’t be compared to that of Raeriqueen. This magical energy was wicked.

Above all else, there was the Taurus Saint! The magical energy coming from him was so brutal that it felt like one’s throat was being constricted. There was no way he was human.

When Sungjae checked, he confirmed that it wasn’t the Taurus Saint.

[Yong Yong (Status: chewing Taurus Saint, taking a brief break).]

Chun Yooha and Carly instinctively sweated.

‘A Zodiac appeared directly.’

Carly was especially vigilant toward the Taurus Saint. She ground her teeth. This was the Zodiac of a battle-type temple! In terms of fighting power, even Lee Gun would have a hard time fighting this god.

‘Damn it! Lee Gun-nim has to acquire the Nameless Land.’

Yes, Carly was deceiving everyone. She had attended the meeting as a substitute for the Libra Saint. The real substitute for the Libra Saint was stuffed in the restroom, and she had boldly appeared as the representative of the Libra.

She did it because that would increase the chances of the Serpent Bearer taking the Nameless Land.

‘There is no way the other Zodiacs would give up on such a prize.’

Of course, Lee Gun planned on crushing the twelve Zodiacs and consolidating their temples. So he had told his disciples that they wouldn’t have to do anything dangerous.

‘However, a Zodiac needs faith, reputation, and power to consolidate its temple.’

That wasn’t going to be easy. Therefore, they had decided to go the easier route.

‘I can’t believe a Zodiac would appear directly…!’

This had never happened before.

[Ridiculous! You became a disciple of the Serpent Bearer, yet you’re pretending to be a part of the Libra temple.]

“!”

Carly flinched when she heard the Taurus Saint’s hateful voice.

Was it telepathy? It wasn’t a sound made through the mouth. However, it was as if the voice was ringing through her ears!

[It is great that you’ve become Lee Gun’s disciple. You’ll be worth killing now.]

Carly trembled.

Unaware of this exchange, the people at Drachma just cheered at the appearance of the Zodiac Saints.

“Ivan! Ivan!”

“Heiji! Heiji!”

Most of them were people from their camps.

However, many people still heckled them.

“What the hell? I heard they died in the last invasion while running away.”

“That’s right. Lee Gun killed all the monsters.”

The Taurus let out a twisted smile when it heard all that.

‘I’ll kill them all.’

If not for its missing Zodiac Saint, why would it have to appear in front of the humans?

However, when Carly started shaking in fits and starts, the “Taurus Saint” let out an unexpected laugh.

[Oh! Can you hear my thoughts?]

Carly unconsciously backed away.

The Taurus contemptuously looked at Carly as it approached her.

[I heard you possess the DNA of a Zodiac. Is that why you can hear me? You are a creature created through design.]

It was oozing killing intent as if it wanted to kill her right now.

[Warning! You feel a powerful killing intent.]

The Chun siblings detected the killing intent at the same time. They flinched. They quickly tried to go to Carly, but the Taurus was faster.

[Warning! It is the Zodiac of the Taurus temple. The master of herculean strength is trying to crush and kill the servant of the Serpent Bearer.]

[Warning! The Taurus is trying to go against the authority of the Serpent Bearer.]

Carly flinched at the pressure being put on her. Just the magical energy of the Taurus was about to squeeze her neck.

Flash!

Suddenly, a light exploded forth from Carly’s pocket.

[“Rock that protects the child” is offended by the Taurus’s threat.]

It was unmistakable. This was the energy of the Serpent Bearer! 

The Taurus furrowed its brows, and Carly became surprised. The holy item Lee Gun had made for her was letting out a light. Moreover, it wasn’t something amazing.

Unlike what the Chun siblings had gotten, this item wasn’t a weapon. However, Carly was a disciple of the Serpent Bearer, so Lee Gun had tossed it to her.

[“Rock that protects the child” is offended that the unruly monster cow doesn’t know its place.]

[It is furious, saying it’ll tell what happened to its owner.]

It was a mere rock, yet it was very spirited. This made the Taurus furrow its brows.

[That dirty god of calamity….]

The Taurus hated the mere sight of Lee Gun’s power. It was about to destroy the holy item in contempt.

Hweek!

But the Zodiac suddenly stopped. The reason was “Death,” which was aimed at its neck. Yooha had made her move.

[Crimson Earth’s Judgment roars that this Zodiac is its owner’s enemy.]

[Death threatens the monster cow called the master of herculean strength.]

[Serpent Bearer’s attribute is active.]

[Serpent’s Five Senses]

- The senses of the body will become more sensitive.

Chun Sungjae also activated the ring he was wearing. It was the royal holy item that Lee Gun had made for him!

[Retribution by the Mighty Ocean (SS)]

The ring split in half, then further split into several rings to form an orb.

[Retribution by the Mighty Ocean has activated.]

[All of your attributes will explosively increase for the next ten minutes.]

[You need to fill up enough Life (Stamina) in proportion to the damage you inflict on your opponent.]

Chun Sungjae used his protection magic.

‘I’ll have to bring Uncle here.’

Since Lee Gun was making important items, the group had come here on their own. However, the situation had changed. They had to go up against a Zodiac instead of a Zodiac Saint.

‘All the temples here might be destroyed.’

Kwahng!

Chun Sungjae was about to use Teleport to bring Lee Gun here, but…

Kwahng!

Brutal magical energy exploded, shaking the stadium. People screamed.

“Kyahhhhk!”

“What is going on?”

At the same time, Chun Sungjae was sent flying away.

Boom!

“Sungjae!”

It was a strike aimed at Chun Sungjae.

The Taurus glared at Chun Sungjae as it approached him.

“Weren’t we talking about the rights to the land left behind by Abundance? All Zodiac Saints should be present here.”

This made Stevens unsheathe his sword. “You should act in moderation when dealing with a Zodiac Saint.”

As expected, Stevens had realized the “Taurus Saint’s” identity.

‘It is here to get revenge for its Zodiac Saint?’

That wasn’t all. The Zodiac had undoubtedly come here to steal the land left behind by Abundance.

According to the observation, that land was determined to be a powerful land of Life. It was capable of upgrading the Zodiac, Constructs, and disciples.

This was why the Zodiacs not friendly to Lee Gun ground their teeth. If they could steal this land, they would be able to acquire enough power to kill Lee Gun.

‘Unless the twelve Zodiac temples merge, there will be conflict.’

However, none of the Zodiacs even considered the merger a possibility.

Anyway, it seemed the Taurus didn’t find its disciples to be reliable and had come here to kill Lee Gun’s Zodiac Saints in person.

‘He didn’t descend into a Zodiac Saint. He descended into a disciple.’

Anyone other than the Zodiac Saint was unable to withstand the descent of a Zodiac. They would die. Of course, the Zodiac knew this.

Therefore, Stevens and Carly furrowed their brows as they looked at the Taurus in contempt.

‘It treats its disciples like parts that can be replaced.’

Their gazes then landed on the disciple's neck, which had the Saint Seal.

‘It must be a disciple with very high faith if he received the Saint Seal.’

Was the Zodiac that covetous of the land left behind by Abundance?

[A power hidden by the Abundance lies there. Our secret is buried there, too.]

Carly flinched when she heard the voice again. This time, the Taurus wasn’t speaking to her. She was able to hear the Zodiac’s inner thoughts.

[The secret of the twelve Zodiacs is buried in the territory Abundance left behind.]

Carly was taken aback.

‘Secret?’

The thoughts continued.

[If Lee Gun or the world finds out about that, the twelve Zodiacs are done for.]

Carly was in a state of confusion. 

On the other hand, the Taurus emitted killing intent as if it had business with Lee Gun’s disciples. “I’ll say this again. Give back what your Zodiac stole.”

“!”

The Chun siblings flinched at the Taurus’s words. They were certain. The Zodiac wanted its Zodiac Saint, who had turned into Red Eye’s chew toy.

As a Zodiac, the Taurus couldn’t use the full extent of its power without its Zodiac Saint. And since it had decided to take the land of the Abundance, getting its Zodiac Saint back was imperative.

‘Choosing a new Zodiac Saint isn’t easy.’

And as expected…

“I said give me back what Lee Gun stole.”

At the same time, a commotion broke out in the stadium.

“Lee Gun??”

“Lee Gun is a Zodiac?”

“Rumors were floating around about that….”

At that moment…

“If you don’t want to give him back, I’ll make you want to give him back.” The Taurus approached the Chun siblings. It had come here planning on eliminating Lee Gun’s Zodiac Saints. This was revenge.

Flash!

Suddenly, a familiar face appeared in front of them, surprising everyone. It caused a commotion within the stadium.

“Lee Gun! Lee Gun!”

“Uncle!”

Chun Sungjae looked surprised. Just the mere appearance of Lee Gun had led to the whole stadium erupting in cheers.

“Lee Gun! Lee Gun!”

It was an incredible reception. 

Previously, Giselle had tried to undercut Lee Gun’s exploits, so without her efforts, their reactions were much more intense. People had shivered in excitement when Lee Gun’s real skill was revealed, which had led to Lee Gun’s popularity skyrocketing.

When Lee Gun appeared in person, Chun Sungjae said, “I’m sorry, Uncle.”

“No. It’s my fault for not anticipating this situation.”

“Yes. Also, do not worry. I didn’t lose the Taurus Saint to—”

“No. That was my fault.”

“What?”

Lee Gun unexpectedly said to the Taurus, “Yes. I will give back what I stole.”

“!”

“You’re returning the Taurus Saint?!”

“Yes.”

Everyone was surprised, but Lee Gun let out a sharp laugh. “In exchange, you cannot touch my kids.”

The Taurus satisfactorily laughed. “Alright.”

Soon, Lee Gun said, “Sungjae. Give back what I stole.”

Chun Sungjae was surprised. Did the plan change? Or did Uncle have a different design?

Lee Gun approached the group, and Chun Sungjae had to ask the question again. “You really want me to return him?”

“Yeah. Give him back.”

Chun Sungjae immediately nodded when he saw the look in Lee Gun’s eyes. “Ah. Yes. I’ll go get him right now…”

However, when Lee Gun walked past them, the Chun siblings and Carly furrowed their brows. Something felt off.

‘Can it be? That person—’

Bbah-gahk!

Suddenly, Hailey ruthlessly kicked Lee Gun.

Screams erupted among the audience.

“Hailey-nim?!”

“Hey, have you lost your mind?”

Also surprised, Stevens tried to grab Hailey. However, Hailey ignored him as she approached Lee Gun. “I’ll ask you one question.”

“!”

With her arms crossed in contempt, she looked at Lee Gun. “Yesterday, Lee Gun and Hugo had a big fight. They almost ended their relationship. What was the fight about?”

The person that looked like Lee Gun started to sweat.

* * *

Around that time…

[The goods in question are being transferred to the Auction House.]

[The goods in question are being transferred to the Auction House.]

Hugo was using the delivery skill to send the items made by Lee Gun to the auction house. The battle-type temples and the four great master craftsmen from the workshop wanted to see Lee Gun’s items. They had asked Lee Gun to put a couple of items up for auction.

Lee Gun didn’t plan on selling them, yet he had sent a couple of items.

“Hey, where the hell is that damn god-nim?” The Secretary screamed as she barged into the workshop. 

Hugo’s eyes turned round. He wondered what the Secretary had seen to come rushing here like this.

“Where is god-nim?”

“What’s wrong?”

“Something crazy is going on at Drachma!”

Hugo flinched when he heard the word Drachma. It was the place where Lee Gun said he wanted to visit. The reason was simple.

- I’ll have to change how I make my defensive gear.

Although he hadn’t shown it, Lee Gun had been shocked when Goat and Sungjae had received damage from Abundance. It was to be expected since Lee Gun had made the defensive gear for those two. 

Goat’s equipment had broken immediately, and Sungjae’s defensive gear was close to breaking. Lee Gun could guess the reason. The Serpent Bearer specialized in attack abilities, but his defensive abilities sucked.

The fact that his temple didn’t have even the most common defensive skills was a weakness. When he made offensive items, his blessing stuck. But when he made defensive items, his blessing was non-existent.

That was why the defensive gear he made wouldn’t hold up against anyone above the general rank.

Therefore, Lee Gun had said to his friend, “What about the Battle of the Temples, which is being held at Drachma? The hosts are the Leo and the Taurus, right? In the matches where the monsters will be released, the Taurus is the host as the defensive-type Zodiac, right?”

“Uh. It is. What about it?”

“Is there any chance of the Taurus showing up there?”

“Well… The Taurus always attended through Ivan. But thanks to someone, Ivan is being chewed up by Red Eye. The Taurus won’t attend this year unless its Ten Star Joseph shows up…”

“That means it will show up, right?”

“I think so. If the Taurus doesn’t show itself, it would advertise that something is wrong with the Taurus temple… Why are you making that face? Do you plan on going to Drachma? Are you trying to acquire the power of a defensive Zodiac?”

“Have you lost your mind? Who do you think I am? I’m a busy man. You know that even I can’t break through the steel wall of the defensive-type Zodiac.”

Hugo had an ominous feeling when he recalled Lee Gun’s words. However, he shook his head from side to side.

‘There is no way he would go there after saying that.’

At this point, Lee Gun had realized the machination hatched by the Zodiacs. Since they were of no help to earth, Lee Gun had said he’d take care of them. 

However, Drachma was a place that the twelve Zodiacs had cooperated to make. It was like a safe house for them.

‘It is an environment that will be disadvantageous to Gun.’

That was why Hugo had advised Lee Gun to never go there.

At that moment, the Secretary said something shocking, “Drachma is falling right now!”

“What?! Falling! Why!”

“I… I have no idea. I thought it might be God-nim’s doing. That was why I checked the bible’s record to locate him. It says he is there.”

“!!!”

The flustered Hugo quickly headed toward the living room. There was no way Gun would do such a thing, yet the record showed he was there.

“Why is he there? He should be in his room watching TV…!”

The two of them were surprised when they entered the room.

[Don’t worry~ chu chu! ♪]

[He said to call him oppa oppa oppa ♪]

Lee Gun was watching TV and dancing along with the idols.

Hugo immediately realized who this was, and his face turned pale. “Gun! You bastard! Did you really…!”