Sagittarius was dumbfounded. When he had been in danger, Hugo had come to save him. This had moved Sagittarius.
Despite Hugo’s faith toward Lee Gun being an insurmountable wall compared to that toward Sagittarius, it seemed Hugo was more attached to Sagittarius, if one considered the time that they had spent together. Sagittarius believed this was the reason Hugo had chosen him instead of Lee Gun.
[Hug—]
“Please never die! I cannot become Gun’s subordinate! I will return to the Sagittarius temple!”
[…]
[Serpent Bearer Faith: 590%]
[Sagittarius Faith: 49%]
“Do you understand? Don’t die since I have to return to the Sagittarius temple! Wait for me here!”
Shouldn’t he be saying this after fixing his faith?
On the other hand, Hugo also seemed to be aware of this, so he quickly took something out of his bag. It was a golden wing.
“Here! I made a request from Gun! I brought something good he made! It’s an SS-rank wig!”
[….]
“This is a robe I received from Gun! This is a helmet! This is a weapon!” Hugo quickly took off the horse mask and placed the golden hair wig on Sagittarius’s head.
One by one, he placed golden items on the Zodiac. It looked stylish.
[Sagittarius Faith: 49.991%]
[Sagittarius Faith: 49.992%]
…
[Sagittarius Faith: 49.995% (+0.005%)]
After taking out everything he had brought, Hugo looked satisfied. “Good! Instead of looking like a goblin, you now give off the gravitas of the sun god! This will raise my faith toward you!”
[…]
Was that how Hugo normally viewed him?
After equipping Sagittarius with all kinds of items, Hugo looked at the Zodiac with a triumphant air. “Good! I’ll be able to return to being the Archer Saint with this!”
[Sagittarius Faith: 49.996% (+0.001%)]
[Serpent Bearer Faith: 592% (+2%)]
At this rate, wouldn’t it be faster for him to become the Zodiac Saint of the Serpent Bearer temple?
Sagittarius despaired. Of course, it wasn’t as if he was unaware of the reason Hugo hated being in the Serpent Bearer temple. Why?
“Dad!”
“!!”
Hugo realized his mistake as the golem suddenly swung its arm. So, he unsheathed a blade from his waist and tried to deflect the attack.
Kwahng!
“!!?”
As soon as he put strength into the hilt of the blade, it broke into pieces. Hugo scrambled. “Ahk! This is nuts! It has S-rank durability, so why did it break?”
The reason he broke the item was the strength increase buff he had received on becoming a disciple of the Serpent Bearer temple.
At that moment, an enormous hand fell toward the head of the defenseless Hugo.
“Ahhk!”
“Ahhk! You’re so dumb, dad!!!” The surprised Chun Sungjae used Teleport and kicked the giant.
Boom!
At the same time, enormous green flames erupted from him.
After melting away his enemy, Chun Sungjae clutched his chest in surprise. “That’s dangerous! How can you not get rid of a hunk of rock like that? Also, you destroyed a holy item!”
“Damn it! What can I do? I suddenly became stronger!”
“Whatever, Dad! You will be under the teachings of the Zodiac Saints of the Serpent Bearer from now on! You will go under the Serpent Bearer temple’s magical energy special training!”
“Ahhk!”
Yes, Hugo didn’t want to be bossed around by his children.
He immediately ran forward as he raised his Bow made out of Fish. “I’m a disciple of the Sagittarius temple! Huzzah for Sagittarius! Huzzah! Huzzah!”
Of course, their opponent, a Zodiac of Magic was powerful, but it was currently possessing the body of a human!
‘There is a chance that we can win.’
As if it could read his thoughts, Gemini laughed in contempt.
[You’re quite simple in how you think.]
“!”
Its eyes flashed, and the nearby buildings instantly turned into ashes.
Kwah-jeek!
The Zodiac of Magic then smirked.
[Sagittarius is no longer our comrade.]
As soon as it spoke, the destroyed parts of the buildings coalesced to make enormous giants. There were dozens of them!
[Like the Serpent Bearer merged with the Taurus temple, we’ll merge the Sagittarius temple. It won’t be much since you guys are a temple that does not possess much.]
Those words angered Sagittarius.
However, something happened when he tried to use his magical energy.
“How dare you look down on our temple!”
[!]
Hugo quickly ran forward at an unimaginable speed. Several dozen giants attacked him, but dodging them was child’s play for him.
“You will touch the Zodiac of the Sagittarius temple over my dead body! Sagittarius is the best!”
If Lee Gun were present here, he would’ve shaken his head.
On the other hand, Sagittarius became surprised since Hugo’s movements differed from normal.
‘!’
Of course, Hugo was never considered slow, but this was another level.
“Amazing.”
Hugo was considered to be a compliment to Lee Gun. The duo was called the great heroes for a reason.
Hugo dodged the giants’ attacks as he climbed their arms. He was like the wind as he made fools of his enemies.
“Wow! He looks cooler than the elves I’ve seen in the movies.” It was a rare reaction from Chun Sungjae. His eyes twinkled when he saw a side of his father that he had never seen before.
Of course, such movements were possible for only one reason.
[The attribute of the Serpent Bearer temple has been applied.]
[Super Regeneration, Critical Hit, M, Tenacity]
[The effect of Super Regeneration recovers the damaged muscles to the reference value.]
[The aged cells will be newly regenerated to the reference value.]
The Serpent Bearer temple was the temple of regeneration. It didn’t show its effect on Sungjae, who was still growing, but Hugo was a veteran warrior who had been on the field for the past twenty years.
He had built twenty years of know-how, but the experience came with cumulative injuries and the aging of his body. Those effects couldn’t be ignored. Moreover, the aging process had slowed, but he couldn’t be compared to his prime.
[Your body has been regenerated to the point where it was the most full of life.]
[Your body has been rejuvenated.]
After he had become the disciple of the Serpent Bearer temple, Hugo’s body had already rewound itself to his form from twenty years ago! In fact, his skin was firm, and he looked a bit younger.
“I will protect Sagittarius!!!” The frantic Hugo sent arrows flying fiercely. He had sent ten of them.
Although he was now a disciple of the Serpent Bearer temple and couldn’t use the Absolute Accuracy skill, an attribute of the Sagittarius temple, his skill with the bow hadn’t disappeared.
Shweeek!!
Pahng! Pahng! Pahng!
All of his arrows found their marks!
In fact, the only time Hugo had relied on the Absolute Accuracy buff was during his rookie days, when he had met Lee Gun.
Hugo was seasoned now. He didn’t need Absolute Accuracy with the experience he had amassed. If he had it, it would just be used akin to an auto hunting skill!
Moreover, Hugo’s body was back to its prime, so the arrows he shot kept the Zodiac of Magic in place.
[Serpent Eater]
Kwahng!!!
Now that he was part of the Serpent Bearer temple, his attack and physical ability were much better. “Good! I’m sure my faith toward Sagittarius rose! At the very least, it should have reached 90%…!”
[Sagittarius Faith 49.997% (+0.001%)]
“Ahhk! Why did it go up so little? Is this all you are? What kind of god are you? Try enticing your disciple!”
[…]
Gemini, who had fallen to the ground, started to laugh. The next moment, an enormous magic circle appeared on the ground.
Koo-goo-goong!
When Chun Sungjae saw the shape of the magic circle, he realized what it was. He did a double take.
“Aging magic!”
As soon as he spoke, an enormous mouth appeared from the magic circle. At the same time, a dreary voice rang out.
[From this point forth, age will change depending on the faith toward the Gemini]
[If your faith toward Gemini is below 50%, you will age at least 50 years.]
[Each -1% will be equivalent to an additional 10 years.]
“…!”
Hugo was taken aback. Their faith toward Gemini wasn’t that high.
[Gemini Faith (Chun Sungjae): 90%]
[Gemini Faith (Hugo Otis): –120%]
That was why they were flustered.
‘Shit! It’ll take only a moment before we both die from old age.’
He knew it was dangerous, but Chun Sungjae quickly tried to rush toward the mouth to cancel the spell.
[How dare you do this in my holy ground!]
Sagittarius’s eyes flashed as he spoke in a cold voice. Then, flames fell from the sky. The eyes that appeared on the ground disappeared as they shed blood.
Kwahng!!
The magic was completely broken.
Chun Sungjae’s and Hugo’s mouths fell open when they saw this. Sagittarius looked overjoyed by their reactions.
[Yes, my servant. Let’s see if their faith toward me rose…!]
[Sagittarius Faith: 45% (-5%)]
[…]
Sagittarius despaired. It seemed Hugo wanted Sagittarius to act earlier.
Hugo suddenly realized his mistake. “N-No!! Our Zodiac is the best! Amazing! He’s amazing! I might actually fall for him! I’m alive thanks to—”
“Dad. Super Regeneration is a basic buff of our temple. That’s why the aging magic won’t do much. We’ll regain our youth again thanks to Uncle’s power.”
“Uh? Now that I think about it, you’re right.”
[Hugo Otis]
[Serpent Bearer Faith: 600% (+8%)]
That was the knockout blow for Sagittarius.
“Honey! This is bad!”
“!”
Chun Jiwoo, who had been inside the Archer Saint’s holy ground, ran out when she located her husband.
Hugo was surprised to see his wife uncharacteristically pale with fright. “What’s wrong? Did something happen to the kids?”
“No. It’s about Lee Gun-nim…!”
“Gun? What about Gun?”
“All the Archer disciples forgot about Lee Gun-nim!”
“What? What are you talking about?”
“I don’t know. A fog suddenly appeared and… instead of Lee Gun-nim, they—”
At that moment, a thick fog appeared around them. They were taken aback as the fog thickened.
When Chun Jiwoo suddenly stopped speaking, Hugo grabbed her in surprise. “What’s wrong? Are you ok? Why did you suddenly stop speaking?”
“Speaking?”
“Yes. You were talking about Gun.”
“Gun?”
“?”
“Who is Gun?”
“!”
Hugo did a double take. He looked at his surroundings in surprise.
‘Can this fog be what I think it is?’
He was sure of it.
‘Oblivion!’
It was the power that Hailey had spoken about. However, Hugo could catch a glimpse of a different power within the fog.
‘Is this the doing of the Zodiac of Magic?’
In the end, Hugo quickly stood up. Gemini had ripped apart the Serpent Eater skill as if it was nothing and disappeared, but that didn’t matter right now.
‘It left behind a precious holy item.’
When Hugo picked up the spoils of war, the new Serpent Bearer skill was activated.
[Blue Snake Eyes (SS)]
A luminescent mark permeated through the ground as it rose. This was the Sagittarius temple’s vision skill, which had changed into the skill of the Serpent Bearer temple. It was a new skill.
Hugo let out a sharp laugh as he looked in the direction where the Zodiac had disappeared. “Let’s go, Sungjae! Gun is in danger!”
“What? Who’s Gun?”
Hugo reacted in fright. “Who? He’s your uncle! He’s the thirteenth! I’m talking about the Serpent Bearer!”
“What are you talking about, Dad? You’re the Serpent Bearer.”
“?!”
“You’re the Serpent Bearer who our family respects and loves the most!”
What the hell did he say?!
* * *
“Shit!”
It was unclear as to how much time had passed, but Hugo was desperately looking for Lee Gun.
‘Shit! Everyone forgot about Gun.’
Of course, people hadn’t entirely forgotten about his existence.
– What? That’s odd. I’m pretty sure there was a hero who caught Red Eye.
– Was there a thirteenth? I’m pretty sure he was the strongest.
– He was a dashing person…!
People were aware of Lee Gun’s existence. This was why the probability of this forgetfulness being temporary was high. Moreover, the range seemed to still be limited to Korea.
The problem was the memory regarding the Serpent Bearer.
– The Serpent Bearer is very friendly with the twelve Zodiacs
– He’s a loyal servant of the Zodiacs of Magic.
– No. He’s the Zodiac of Magic’s slave and lover.
Distortion! Along with the forgetfulness, distortion magic was being used en masse. This made Hugo certain of one thing.
‘The Zodiacs of Magic are using the power of Oblivion.’
They were contemptible. However, nothing was strange about it. Those Zodiacs were beings that always developed troublesome magic.
‘If there is no disciple left to believe and leave behind records, the god gets forgotten. The god ceases to exist.’
They were using an underhanded tactic again since they didn’t want to face Lee Gun directly. Hugo looked at Sagittarius to check if his train of thought was correct.
[Sagittarius is ecstatic.]
[If this turns out well, his Zodiac Saint will be able to come back to the Sagittarius temple. He is happy…]
Hugo glared at Sagittarius with a cold look on his face. Sagittarius flinched.
[Sagittarius says this is a tragedy. He scratches at the wall, saying they have to hurry up and find the Serpent Bearer.]
[Sagittarius Faith 30% (-15%)]
Hugo’s eyes flashed as he turned around.
‘I have to hurry up and find Gemini. I have to break this trap.’
Thankfully, he remembered Lee Gun.
‘A god won’t cease to exist if at least one person deifies the god.’
That wouldn’t be a problem.
‘Even the mighty Sungjae was put in such a state. There must be a catch to the forgetfulness.’
Moreover, a monarch had appeared, so it was questionable as to whether the memories would come back easily.
This was why he was worried.
‘Also, I still can’t contact Gun.’
Did he already fall to a Zodiac of Magic?
Therefore, Hugo came to the location where he was supposed to meet up with Lee Gun. “Gun! Are you here?”
He arrived on the road leading to the holy ground of the Zodiac of Magic. However, he couldn’t see too far ahead because of the thick fog. Moreover, there seemed to be a barrier ahead. He couldn’t exit toward the neighboring city.
“Gun… Kuhk!”
At that moment, Hugo was surprised when he bumped into someone. “Gun!”
Hugo let out a sigh of relief when he saw Lee Gun and Heaven’s Punishment, which was delighted to see its owner. “Gun! Thank god! You’re safe!”
“Of course, I am. I’m just hungry.”
“Phew! Do you have money?”
“I didn’t bring any. You should buy some for me. I want to fill up my stomach before I beat those bastards.”
Lee Gun was asking him to buy some chicken from the convenience store; Hugo let out a sigh of relief.
After returning with the chicken he had purchased, Hugo said, “Here. Hurry up and eat it. Everyone within the fog forgot about you. Don’t worry! At the very least, I remember you. Ah. I also found the location of the Zodiac of Magic. Did you transfer all of Taurus’s abilities?”
“Yes. I did all that.”
Lee Gun was eating the chicken Hugo had bought, but for some odd reason, he kept furrowing his brows. He had been doing it for a while, as if something was wrong.
“Do you know me?”
Hugo couldn’t believe his ears. “What?”
“I asked if you know me, you dweeb.”
“?!!”
When he realized what was going on, Hugo’s face turned into that of a demon. It was unforgivable that Lee Gun had forgotten about him!
