It happened in a flash.
Lee Gun had tossed the Taurus, and the Taurus had instantly fallen into Abyss’s mouth.
[Kuh-huhk!]
The defensive-type Zodiac couldn’t even put up a fight. Pushed by Lee Gun’s power, the Taurus got swept along the strong current into Abyss’s mouth.
‘Shit!’
The Taurus had no chance of running away in the middle, and the situation had left it dumbfounded.
‘That crazy bastard! There is no benefit for him to do this!’
The Abyss monarch was huge. This meant Lee Gun would get eaten alongside the Taurus. Therefore, the best move for Lee Gun should have been to negotiate with the Taurus so that both of them could get out of this!
The Taurus quickly tried to exit the mouth, but Lee Gun clung to its leg.
[Do you hate me that much? Why do you keep running away from me?]
Fuck! Really! Was Lee Gun saying he would rather die than cooperate with an enemy to live?
At that moment, Abyss closed its mouth.
Kwah-jeek!
The Taurus tried to run away until the end. However, it got swept into the current as Abyss closed its mouth. The Taurus couldn’t even right itself.
[Koo-uhk!]
At the same time, sharp teeth fell on it.
[Huh-uhk!]
The Taurus retreated in fright. Of course, Abyss’s size was indeed a problem, but its teeth could be avoided if the mouth was big enough. However, this was the leader of the monsters. Its mouth was built differently.
[Shit!]
The Taurus had assumed the monarch would have one row of teeth. However, it saw a second row, a third row, and more.
The monarch had teeth akin to sharks. The densely packed teeth had a total of twenty layers! The inside of its mouth of already a chamber of torture. To make matters worse, the monarch’s tongue had bumps that looked as sharp as knives. This was hell made out of sharp blades!
And that wasn’t the end. Since the monarch was huge like a whale, it should have swallowed its food whole; that would have been great. However…
[Zodiacs taste the best when they are chewed.]
Abyss laughed in derision as it brought down the roof of its mouth.
Boom!
The sharp blade-like teeth made the Taurus groan.
[Koohk!]
If the roof of the monarch’s mouth was completely shut, they would die. So the desperate Taurus extended its hands and put its hands on the palate. The activation of its indomitable defensive skill was a must.
However, the monarch wouldn’t fall for such a tactic.
Koo-goo-goo-goong!
As if it wanted to savor the taste, Abyss swept its bumpy tongue toward Lee Gun and the Taurus.
[Kuh-huhk!]
This was on a different level compared to a lick from the feline-type monster. The blade-like bumps ruthlessly cut into Lee Gun and the Taurus, who was holding up the roof of the monster’s mouth.
[Warning! Your body at its current level can’t withstand this attack.]
[Your defense skill cannot block the attack.]
[Your divine body has taken damage.]
[Damage Rate: 60%]
[Damage Rate: 70%]
The ruthless attack destroyed the bodies of Lee Gun and the Taurus.
Kwah-jeek!
Was it because of the tooth lodged in his shoulder? Lee Gun’s right arm was instantly severed. His body had taken extreme damage, which he had never suffered before. Therefore, Lee Gun’s Super Regeneration quickly activated.
[“Life” flinched, sensing a huge danger to its owner.]
[To preserve the body of its owner, Life has raised the power of Super Regeneration to the extreme.]
[Magical energy and Temple energy have been consumed.]
[“Life” has temporarily decreased the energy heading toward the disciples.]
[“Life” has activated Super Regeneration with it revolving around the vital spots. The regeneration of its owner’s body is the highest priority.]
[“Death” is angered by the injuries inflicted on its owner.]
[“Death” vows to kill the monarch.]
The advanced “Life” and “Death” were like the heads of an operation. They were top commanders when it came to the skills under their domain.
Moreover, their Zodiac’s safety was above all else for them, so they controlled the skills on their own whenever something happened to their master. They were a bit(?) crazy, but they were the most reliable commanders for Lee Gun alongside his Zodiac Saints!
In other words, the skills were automatic. Therefore, Lee Gun could concentrate solely on the fight now. And so, a smirk appeared on his lips.
Bbah-gahk!
[Kuh-huhk!]
After leaving the safety of his body in Life’s care, he kicked the Taurus. Due to the kick, the Taurus slipped, and the roof of the mouth came down. The Taurus suffered under Abyss’s teeth.
Kwah-jeek!
The defensive-type Zodiac vomited blood when the teeth pierced through its body.
[Kuh-huhk…!]
[Abyss’s power has partially broken through the Taurus’s substantial defensive skill.]
In truth, Lee Gun was the only one to possess divine statuses personified to this degree.
For instance, the Taurus was having a hard time holding up as it had to modulate its power.
[Kooh-oohk…!]
Did this happen because of the teeth digging into its back? The Taurus’s back looked more bent than before as it tried to prop up the roof of the mouth. With an aggrieved expression, it glared at Lee Gun.
[You cheap snake bastard…!]
Lee Gun was the one who had said they should see which one was stronger between regeneration and the Taurus’s defense!
Lee Gun didn’t care as he tackled the Taurus’ legs.
[Whatever! Just get chewed up, you bastard!]
[Kuh-huhk!]
The Taurus fell and got impaled by the teeth.
[The Taurus’ barrier has been broken.]
The teeth were powerful enough to pierce the body of the strongest defensive Zodiac! The Taurus screamed from the excruciating pain it felt.
[Ninety percent of the Taurus’s barrier has been damaged.]
Abyss was overjoyed.
[The Zodiac’s blood is coming in!]
The Taurus ground its teeth when it heard the monarch’s shout. It was in a very bad spot. As if to make things worse, Lee Gun had kidnapped its Zodiac Saint, so its power had been reduced.
‘That was why I was trying to recover my Zodiac Saint.’
Of course, the Taurus had thought it could find a way to survive if it was swallowed. However, Abyss wanted to chew and savor the two of them. It showed no signs of swallowing them.
As if to prove this, Abyss would chew the Taurus, then move the Zodiac around with its bumpy tongue for a bit. Then, it would chew the Taurus once again with its teeth, as if it were eating candy.
[I like that you aren’t breaking apart easily.]
It wouldn’t have been strange for Abyss to immediately swallow the Taurus and absorb the Zodiac’s power. However, the Taurus’s defense was too strong.
[If I don’t chew you well, I’ll probably have indigestion.]
‘That’s enough. Just swallow me!’
When the Taurus’s eyes turned bloodshot…
Kwah-jeek!
[The Taurus’s defense has been completely broken.]
[Damage Rate: 100%]
The Taurus’s defense was finally broken, and its power started gushing out of its body. When a Zodiac’s body was damaged, divine energy would leak out.
Abyss was excited because of the incredible power.
[The content is pretty full! As expected, the quality of a high-rank Zodiac is on another level.]
The hard outer shell was broken. The only thing left was the tastiest and splendid parts: the flesh, soul, and the core of the Zodiac. The core was the source of a Zodiac’s power.
[Let’s start absorbing its power…]
As if he had been waiting for this moment, Lee Gun’s eyes flashed.
[Serpent Eater]
A green chain encircled the Taurus, then Lee Gun activated his holy item!
[Shoes that face no problem in water (SS)]
Manufacturer: Lee Gun
– Shoes made by grinding down a part of the Pisces Saint (Walker)
– Part of the Zodiac Saint has been ground down, so the basic skills of the Zodiac Saint are equipped in this item.
– [Ocean Walk], [Reverse Ocean], [Summon Water Spirits], and five other ocean-type skills.
The next moment, an enormous explosion occurred within Abyss’s mouth.
Kwahng!
It was as if a mine had detonated within the ocean. An incredible amount of bubbles and jets of water exploded within the monarch’s mouth. The shock even opened the mouth slightly.
Koo-goo-goo!
And something instantly exited through that small crack.
[Reverse Ocean]
It looked as if a torpedo had been shot. This was Lee Gun. He had escaped from the monarch’s mouth. However, Lee Gun wasn’t the only one that had exited.
[The Taurus’s body has been destroyed.]
[Its Core has been damaged.]
The chained Taurus exited with Lee Gun.
Having lost its prey, Abyss raged.
[How dare you! I went through the trouble of chewing it!]
The monarch had broken the troublesome outer shell, yet someone took away the content within!
From Abyss’s perspective, the situation was like peeling open the shell of a shrimp and the shrimp meat running away.
The Taurus was dumbfounded as Lee Gun dragged it along with him. Lee Gun had acted resolutely as if he wanted to face off using divine abilities.
[You bastard. From the beginning, you planned on breaking my barrier using the monarch’s teeth…]
The destruction of the barrier wasn’t the only thing Lee Gun wanted to do.
[Hahaha! Did you think I would let it have you as prey? You’re my prey!]
He seemed to have planned this out from the beginning. Moreover, the two of them weren’t easily caught. Lee Gun started swimming at ridiculous speed. He was headed toward the surface!
[Catch them! Master’s prey is running away!]
[The armless bastard dares to do this in our territory!]
The underlings of the monarch chased after Lee Gun, but it was useless.
[“Shoes that face no problem in water” have activated their abilities.]
[The direction of the current has changed.]
[A new ocean route has opened up.]
In the rough ocean, Lee Gun’s current swimming speed rivaled the monsters, all thanks to his shoes.
This was his first test item made by melting down a Zodiac Saint. That was why the Pisces Saint’s Shoes had great abilities.
Of course, the item was lacking in durability and defense, but Lee Gun might be able to use the Taurus to strengthen it. The defensive-type Zodiac might be helpful.
[Try taking it away from me if you can, you fish head!]
Lee Gun dragged the Taurus toward the surface. He looked like a fisherman who was moving with the bait already on the hook.
This sight made Abyss furious.
[Damn snake!]
It was angry because Lee Gun had dangled food in front of it before snatching the food away.
The ocean depths shook violently, confusing the disciples above the ocean.
“What the hell? What is going on below?”
“Isn’t that Saint-nim and Lee Gun?!”
It was as if an earthquake had erupted in the ocean. Everyone inside Drachma screamed. Even Hugo and Chun Sungjae, who had been fighting the enemies, were surprised. Hailey, who had been within Drachma to kill the intruders sent by Abyss, flinched.
‘This feeling… Can it be?’
Something was ascending from the ocean. It was a very familiar feeling. And as she had expected…
Koo-goo-goong!
Kwahng!
As if a bomb had detonated, incredible spouts of water surged into the sky. An enormous beast appeared alongside a wave large enough to cover the entirety of Drachma!
“Ahhk! It’s a monster!”
Like a whale breaching, the enormous beast appeared on the surface. Its size was beyond imagination for the people inside Drachma.
Everyone including Hugo, who was a distance away, was frightened. They were sure of it. That shape and that feeling…!
‘Monarch…!’
Every person froze when an ocean monster that transcended common sense appeared before them. They felt like their hearts had stopped from fear. The more shocking part was that the beast was chasing after something.
“Hey! L-Look over there! What is that?”
Hugo looked in the direction the others had pointed out, and the scene left him surprised. They were pointing toward the sky, and Hugo could see a tiny dot.
Others might not know what it was, but Hugo had good eyes. His face turned pale from fright.
[Give back my food, you bastard!]
“Ha ha ha. Fuck off!”
Yes, it looked as if Lee Gun was trying to do deep sea fishing. He had dragged out the monarch using the Taurus as bait. Moreover, he had done it with one of his arms cut off.
At the same time, Heaven’s Punishment found its owner. The ax seemed happy as it twirled. It flew toward Lee Gun.
When the weapon reached him, Lee Gun grabbed Heaven’s Punishment with one hand and unleashed his power.
[The power of Death has been used.]
Lee Gun threw Heaven’s Punishment toward Abyss.
Kwahng!
However, he failed to hit it. The monarch was quick. It dived into the ocean when it sensed danger.
Kwahng!!!
After breaching the surface once more, Abyss released its powerful magical energy.
Koo-goo-goong!
The already-rough sea pitched and rolled violently because of the magical energy. The disciples got swept up by the waves, falling into the ocean.
[Ha ha! This is great! I’ll just eat all of you since it turned out like this!]
Abyss was crafty as it hid and appeared out of the ocean. It kept repeating the process with its mouth open. The situation above the ocean turned into pandemonium! This was to be expected.
“Shit! Our skills don’t work against it!”
It wasn’t just the skills.
“Our SS-rank weapons don’t work against it either!”
“What?!”
Even the SS-rank spear made by the Capricorn didn’t work against the monarch. This surprised the Ten Stars.
‘It is too powerful.’
This was almost beyond imagination. The monarch was so fast that locking onto it was almost impossible. When they tried to attack, it instantly hid within the ocean. They had to seal its movement first.
“Who can do that to something of that size?”
“It is too fast!”
There was no way to deal with the rampage of the predator, so everyone looked on in fear.
“What are you doing, idiot?”
“!”
Hugo flinched when he heard Lee Gun’s voice.
Then, as if he had received some kind of order from Lee Gun, Hugo quickly made a net out of green light.
Lee Gun shouted when he confirmed it. “Aim for its temple! I went through the trouble of making something excellent for you!”
Hugo aimed the Bow made out of Fish (EX) at the monarch.
Abyss reacted in contempt as it continued to pursue Lee Gun and the Taurus.
[Do you think an attack by humans will work on me? You guys are mere prey!]
The disciples froze at its murderous intent. At that moment, however…
“Do not underestimate humans!” Hugo let out a sharp cry.
Pahng!!
The powerful light pierced through the monarch’s temple.
