[This is crazy!]
The day when the Devil’s Tower was destroyed!
The Aries ground its teeth as it cussed.
The Zodiac Saints were shocked by the destruction of the Devil’s Tower. However, the shock they felt couldn’t be compared to what the Zodiacs felt. It was to be expected.
[Doesn’t this mean the halfling’s plan failed, Giselle?!]
The tower was where they had assassinated Lee Gun. It was a small phenomenon, but the guilty conscience needs no accuser. What if Lee Gun had come back out alive? Of course, the tower had been quiet for the past twenty years.
The Constructs had tried to soothe the nervous Aries.
[If he were still alive, he would have come out earlier. Why would he come out now, twenty years later? That’s so random.]
[Yes. That place is the tower of a monarch. If there is a possibility, the monarch might have experimented inside.]
[However, the Cancer gave you information on the framework of the tower several times, and you confirmed it for yourself.]
All the Zodiacs had put out the contract for the murder. Moreover, the ones to set up the details of Lee Gun’s assassination were Giselle and Jean-Louis.
The Aries had many misgivings, so it had borrowed Yang Wei’s body several times to meet Jean-Louis, who would carry out the deed. It had received the tower’s map from him.
At the time, Jean-Louis had laughed in derision as he handed over the map.
– You borrowed your Zodiac Saint’s body to come here. It seems you’re anxious about this. I already went over ten times on how I’ll be killing Lee Gun.
[Shut up, you lowly halfling monster.]
Jean-Louis had glared at the Aries with the eyes of a monster. However, the Aries didn’t care.
[This is true for you and Giselle. There is no way I’ll trust you dirty bastards to plan something that’ll affect civilization.]
– Then why don’t you guys take care of him yourselves? Oh, fake gods.
[!]
The angered Aries glared at him.
[Did that monarch maggot Giselle go so far as to tell someone like you?]
Jean-Louis clutched at his stomach as he laughed.
– I took a stab in the dark since I had a hunch. Is it really true?
[…!]
– That’s a relief. Now I know why you’re all silent when Giselle crosses the line. There is no way the twelve Zodiacs are afraid of Giselle. That means you’re afraid of what she might say.
[You should know your place before you speak.]
When the angered Aries let out its divine status, Jean-Louis let out a shrewd laugh.
– Do not worry. I have ill feelings toward Lee Gun too, so I won’t fail.
[Can I trust you?]
– I am well aware of the fact that you guys are afraid of Lee Gun.
[You are going to act like this until the end.]
– Of course, I have no idea why you are that much more afraid of Lee Gun in comparison to the other Zodiacs.
From several aspects, there had been a lot of loose ends, but the Aries had decided to ignore them afterward. Therefore, it hadn’t stopped its Zodiac Saint when he said he was going to Korea.
That was what had happened before the destruction of the Devil’s Tower, and when the tower crumbled…
“Where do you think you’re going? I’ll feel disappointed if you run away already. I have a lot of questions to ask you.”
Lee Gun had appeared! Moreover, his face and magical energy were completely different!
‘Those maggots failed at assassinating him!’
They had arrogantly made sarcastic remarks! Moreover, there was now an odd divine status around Lee Gun as if he had awakened as a low-rank god!
‘As expected, they were more bark than bite!’
Of course, the plan had been perfect. The variable was Lee Gun, who had broken that plan. However, that wasn’t important right now.
‘I’ll have to kill him myself.’
Fortunately, Lee Gun was still a low-rank god. The Aries didn’t think it would be difficult to kill a newly born being. However…
“The weakness of the temple of wealth is obvious.”
As soon as Lee Gun had used the 13th Sense skill, the Aries had frozen at once.
Although it had happened for a moment, Aries was certain. The Zodiac had caught a glimpse of the energy when Lee Gun used his skill!
‘Serpent Bearer!’
That was the energy of the thirteenth Zodiac, the true owner of the Serpent Bearer (Ophiuchus).
This had shocked the Aries. It felt as if it was looking at an ancient being that should have been long gone from this world.
‘It shouldn’t exist in this world anymore.’
The current twelve Zodiacs had done the act with their own hands. It was a different being from the snake that they had killed by hiring the monarchs.
Like the serpent that they had killed, it was the owner of the thirteenth Zodiac. It meant there were thirteen Zodiacs.
On the other hand, Lee Gun was…
‘C-Could it be the former owner of the throne?’
Realizing this truth, the Aries had run away. This was such a grave matter that the Aries didn’t even think about its Zodiac Saint.
‘It’s a threat that’ll annihilate the existence of the twelve Zodiacs.’
This was a problem that the Aries couldn’t handle any longer. There was a high probability that it was mistaken. However, if it was right, the price it would have to pay would be too high.
This was why Aries had hidden while throwing away its Zodiac Saint. It didn’t have the time to notify the other Zodiacs. It didn’t have close comrades.
Moreover, if it told her, Giselle would probably cook up some funny business. She was like a snake in that regard.
That woman had come to their side as a spy. And when she was found out, she had eaten the Libra and the Libra Saint. She was a treacherous being.
Although she was a card thrown away by the monarchs, she was still a monarch-rank being. She wasn’t an opponent to take lightly.
Therefore, the Aries had left earth to a place where the Serpent Bearer’s power couldn’t reach it. Then it came up with a plan to solve this problem.
Of course, it had never expected so many of its fellow Zodiacs to fall in such a short period.
‘As expected, I made the right move to run as soon as I saw him.’
***
Back to the present…
[Are you sure I can take the empty seat of a Zodiac?]
Suspicious shadows appeared around the Aries. These shadows were shaped like beasts, humans, and other beings. They were the gods without a temple.
The Aries had lured them with the empty temples and its power of Wealth. While these gods didn’t have temples, they were powerful beings.
They resided in a different region, but some amongst them could even kill a Zodiac in short order. Therefore, the shadows were grinning.
[We were told we shouldn’t dare approach high-rank temples since we don’t have any basis to do so. This really is out of the ordinary.]
[I never expected one of the prideful twelve Zodiacs to get the outer gods involved.]
Aries was about to snort. It didn’t need them to talk about such trivial things when…
[Yes. I never expected you to do this.]
[!!]
Aries turned around when it heard a familiar voice. It saw familiar figures. One was the furious Capricorn, and the other one was…
[Sagittarius!]
However, the Sagittarius’s appearance was a bit odd. For some reason, he had worn a horse mask. However, that didn’t matter right now.
The Aries immediately had an expression as if it wanted to throttle the Sagittarius by the neck.
[You bastard! Did you oppose our decision at the time to kill Lee Gun because you knew of his identity?]
The Sagittarius didn’t say anything since that wasn’t a false statement. However, that wasn’t important right now.
[Of all the bastards you could bring, you brought them.]
These outer gods were lawless bottom feeders that the Zodiacs avoided.
‘They don’t care about the safety of humans.’
The Sagittarius jeered.
[Were you that afraid of the serpent god’s power?]
Aries was dumbfounded by the ridicule, and it got angry.
[Do you not remember what that serpent tried to do to us? It tried to erase our existence!]
[We were the ones to wield our blades first. The serpent tried to use the power of Cycle.]
[It’s the same thing! If it had activated the power of Cycle, we would have died!]
[That’s why we killed it by making the serpent into the god of calamity.]
[It’s the god of calamity! A calamity that would bring the end to the gods!]
As these two Zodiacs acted as if it were invisible, the Capricorn became angry.
[Stop talking about old stories! How dare you put up my seat as bait! Also, it isn’t as if I completely lost my seat!]
[Who told you to lose to that bastard? It amounts to you suffering under the hands of Lee Gun.]
[My core is still intact, so I’ll be able to regain my power! And when I recover my power, I’ll gather disciples again…]
[The ship has sailed on that plan. You can’t do it with your disciples.]
When the Sagittarius kept picking at its words, the Capricorn glared at him.
[Are you looking down on the Capricorn temple since you’re a battle-type temple?]
[I’m being serious. Your disciples are all Lee Gun’s students now.]
[?!!]
[In fact, they are the ones who want to put Lee Gun in the seat of the Capricorn.]
The angered Capricorn extended its hands toward the Sagittarius and the Aries.
[I’ll kill both of you. I’ll take out both your cores and make it my power.]
At that moment, the outer gods, who had come here for the empty temples, laughed in derision.
[It isn’t time for the Zodiacs to fight amongst themselves.]
[!]
[Someone has come. Look out there.]
As those words rang out, the ground started to shake. Though, it wasn’t an earthquake. The reason was the land that they were standing on.
‘This place is the Nameless land.’
The Aries had taken refuge in the land left behind by Abundance, the land under no rule that all the Zodiacs coveted, the land of the firmament, and the land where Sungjae wanted to hatch Lee Gun’s Construct egg.
After the outer gods would have gotten rid of Lee Gun, the Aries would make this land its territory. It had come here trying to cut the line.
[Isn’t that Drachma?]
At that moment, they saw Drachma, which was supposed to be common land for the twelve Zodiacs! However, its shape and size had changed as it moved in their direction.
The Capricorn froze when it realized Lee Gun had remade the flying castle. It was able to discern Drachma’s structure at once.
The Aries froze for a different reason.
‘Lee Gun is getting closer.’
This meant he was on Drachma, which surprised the Aries.
‘This place still smells like the Abundance monarch. Moreover, the enormous power of life means that the presence of a Zodiac remains buried under it.’
The Aries had chosen to hide here for a reason.
There was no way Lee Gun would be able to pinpoint its location. They were at the center of the enormous energy where it felt like they would be swallowed.
The power was strong enough that the land didn’t take damage even as Zodiacs descended here.
‘How did Lee Gun know I’m here?’
It soon found out why.
[You’re here! I was barely able to find you!]
[?!]
The Aries reared back in shock when it heard the unexpected voice.
A monster was approaching it in the distance. This monster had worn the helmet and armor of the unknown civilization. Since the powerful sinister energy was covering the monster, Aries hadn’t noticed him until he got close.
[That bastard!]
Yes, the one to show up right now was Yang Wei!
Yang Wei was overjoyed when he discovered his Zodiac.
[Oh, god! I’m sure what happened last time was an accident. I understand! That’s why please make a contract with me again!]
The Aries ground its teeth. It could feel the Serpent Bearer’s power from Yang Wei. At the same time, it realized how Lee Gun had gotten close to it.
‘Lee Gun followed him!’
Yang Wei had been with the Aries for more than twenty years. That was why he could pinpoint its energy. He was able to find the Aries without much difficulty.
Yang Wei laughed as he spoke.
[Please do not worry! I, Yang Wei, have read your worries! I have brought information about Lee Gun—]
Kwah-jeek!
Yang Wei’s body was destroyed before he could finish speaking.
[Kuh-huhk! God?!]
The Aries’s eyes flashed as it ripped apart its Zodiac Saint.
[You useless bastard! You brought Lee Gun here!]
The Zodiac quickly turned around. It still had the power of the Aries temple and the outer gods. Also, it had a hidden power that it had stolen from the previous owner of the thrones.
Therefore, the Aries’s eyes flashed as it stabbed the Capricorn, who the outer gods were targeting.
[Kuh-huhk…!]
The Capricorn’s core was ripped out.
The Aries had considerable heavenly power. Then, it immediately looked at the Sagittarius. Was it because Lee Gun’s energy was right at its doorsteps?
‘If I go to the middle world, I’ll suffer the fate of the Aquarius. I can’t go to the divine world since I’ll be charged with treason.’
Therefore, it had to make preparations here.
[Help me, Sagittarius. It isn’t as if I’m here without making preparations. I’ll be able to get rid of Lee Gun with this.]
The Sagittarius unexpectedly became interested in the old cube the Aries brought out. With this treasure, they could harm Lee Gun.
[Oh. You’ll be able to bring the Serpent Bearer to his knees with that.]
Despite going under Lee Gun as an affiliate, the Sagittarius had a lot of complaints. The complaints had to do with the horse mask that the Sagittarius was wearing right now.
Did it read the Sagittarius’s energy? The Aries laughed as it handed over the cube.
[I’ll give you this. Let’s do this together—]
[Ahhk! It’s time for me to apply my medicine. I’m sorry! Goodbye!]
[!?]
After receiving the weapon, the Sagittarius immediately disappeared. There was no hesitation.
It seemed the Sagittarius didn’t want even a chance that he would be lumped in with the other side.
He wrote “Mutton is here” in the sky using fire letters before running away.
The flustered Aries tried to catch him.
[!]
However, the only thing he caught with his hand was the horse mask. The precious hair that fluttered in the air was a throw-in.
