Chapter 374 - These Punks (1)
Accompanying an enormous wind, Hugo, Sagittarius, and the Constructs fell somewhere unfamiliar.
Kwahng!
At a glance, it looked to be a dark place in the mountains. Moreover, a strong scent of grass and insects was all around them.
Hugo looked at his surroundings. “Koo-oohk! Where the hell is this?”
Sagittarius gingerly got up as if his back hurt. He furrowed his brows at those words. “This is the crack between dimensions. It’s a tunnel connected to all kinds of colonies.”
“Is it connected to the earth?”
“Yes. Unlike the maze, this tunnel will allow us to reach the earth in a minute. The gods won’t be able to chase after us, either.”
Hugo was happy to hear this. He had been worried since the energy that this place was giving off was out of the ordinary. “We just have to find the exit! We have our bodies, and no one is chasing after us. This is the best route.”
“Yes. It would be awesome if we can exit this place.”
“What? Why? Is it that hard to find the exit?”
“No, we have to solve a problem before that. Ha! That damn nephew!”
“What are you—”
Kwah-jeek!!
“Kooh-oohk?!”
Hugo didn’t have the opportunity to speak further. A black shadow clung to him and choked his neck. He wasn’t the only one.
“Koo-oohk! Bastards!”
The unidentified shadows clung to the Constructs, who had fallen with them. At a glance, these shadows looked like zombies, and they were unbelievably strong! Moreover, they seemed to be aiming for the valuables possessed by Hugo and his party.
However, Hugo immediately had an understanding.
‘They are strong!’
They were strong enough that high-rank gods couldn’t break free from them. Moreover, they could discern which items in his possession were the most valuable. They went straight for his bow, which Lee Gun had made for him.
What were they? Why did they become monsters without a shred of reason?
As if they had read his question, Lee Gun’s Constructs, who were now captured, quickly shouted, “These are sinners who ran up their Karmic debt! We can’t let them drag us away!”
“Karmic debt?! The goddesses of fate said I had Karmic debt. What is it?”
“The power of gods is boundless! However, there are rules.”
“What rules?”
“It doesn’t matter if a god uses a powerful ability. They just can’t mess with the order of the universe. If they do, they start amassing Karmic debt.”
“Order of the universe…”
“This is why one must acquire the Permission ticket (Exoneration) beforehand. Normally, the Permission ticket (Exoneration) is enough for one to get exonerated. However, if you go too far, you amass Karmic Debt. Depending on the Karmic debt, you either are cleaned by the cleaners or get executed!”
“Then these bastards are…!”
“Yes. They are sinners with Karmic debt. They were cleaned up by the Cleaners of the Divine word!”
The words surprised Hugo, who had been kicking the zombies since they were about to pull his hair. “These are the Evil gods?!”
“No. They are good-natured in comparison, since only the cleaners were mobilized to get rid of them.”
“Good-natured?”
“Yes. Evil gods are gods that have fallen the most. It is laughable to talk about their Karmic debt in comparison. They are the ultimate foes.”
“!”
“These guys can be considered cute in comparison to those bastards. In other words, these guys just committed misdemeanors. The ones who commit felonies fall into the Torture world. The ones considered to be more of a danger to the Divine world are sent to the Samsara Hell, which is managed by Mahabharata. They are executed there and are reincarnated as a different form of life.”
Reincarnation. Hugo furrowed his brows. One of the goddesses of fate had said something similar to him.
“Anyway, that’s why there is a high chance that humans who are either geniuses or possess abilities were gods who had sinned in their past lives.”
“That means….” Hugo was going to ask if this was the case with Zodiac Saints, but he soon became angry. “Hey! Get the hell off my head?!”
Sagittarius had climbed his shoulder to get away from the zombies.
“How long are you going to talk from up there? Why don’t you get down and fight?”
“Why would a pillar god like me fight? I’m a genius and an elite. I don’t do dirty work.”
This angered Hugo. “I coddled you so much that you’re trying to walk all over me!”
“Hmmph. Who cares if I walk over you? What are you going to do about it— Ahhhk!!”
Hugo grabbed Sagittarius like a club and started beating his enemies with him.
Pah-gahk! Pah-gahk!!
“Ahhhk!!”
In the end, Sagittarius cried as he complained about his back pain.
“Anyway, no attacks work on them since they’ve lost their bodies. They also steal the power of the gods! As if they are zombies, their powers get stronger!”
“What?!”
“Basically, they will start trying to steal our bodies!”
“Where’s the exit?!”
“This place is like a trash can where sinners are thrown away! If the exit was so easy to find, they would have escaped a long time ago!”
“It’s fine! I’m confident when it comes to finding things!”
“No. The problem comes after we find it! Only the cleaners can open the door to this place! It means we are forever trapped here!”
Hugo ground his teeth when Sagittarius got to the point.
Koo-goo-goong!
“!!”
Suddenly, the ground shook, and familiar faces fell from the sky.
“Shit! Let go!”
“What the hell? Fighting-type god?!”
“Gun?!”
Lee Gun was choking Set around the neck as they fell from the sky.
They didn’t even have time to be shocked.
Hweek!
Lee Gun threw Set on the ground and landed atop the god.
Koohng!!
The ruthless kick made Set want to die.
This scene left Lee Gun’s Constructs dumbfounded.
“He’s the one who put us in this trash bin, yet he’s here…!”
“Damn it!”
Set looked like he was about to lose his mind as he clutched at his face.
Hugo was moved. “Gun! You came to save us!”
“No. I just wanted to screw this bastard over, so I just brought him here.”
“!?”
Sagittarius seemed baffled that Lee Gun had dragged in someone like Set. Then he laughed. “If he’s here, we don’t have to worry about not being able to leave this place.”
“!”
Like being able to open the lid to a trash can, Set would be able to open the tunnel leading to the earth. However, he was someone who shouldn’t be here.
“Hey! I have to get out of here quickly. I can’t be here!”
“What?”
“I’m the gatekeeper who manages all the doors to the Divine world! If I’m here, all the doors will open from the irregularity! It’ll allow the Cluders and the outer gods to be able to invade the Divine world!”
Set desperately tried to go toward the door that was now closing.
[Descent of the Fighting-type god]
However, Lee Gun immediately activated his ability and kicked Set. Because of the chicken laced with pesticides, which he had eaten earlier, Set wasn’t in top form. He groaned.
“You’re also a fighting-type god, who exists to defend the Divine world! You must know! You know how dangerous it’ll be if the monarchs invade! Do you really not care that the Divine world might get attacked?”
Lee Gun tilted his head. “That has nothing to do with me?”
“What?!”
“In fact, I wouldn’t mind if the Divine world became splintered.”
“…!”
Set glared at him.
“The Divine world has your bitc— Your Zodiac Saint is there! That is why…!”
However, Set trailed off because Lee Gun had a menacing smile on his lips. The fighting-type god suddenly had a realization.
‘This bastard already sent his Zodiac Saint to safety.’
In the end, Set feigned laughter, realizing he wouldn’t be able to escape from this place. “Alright. Do as you please. You guys will rot here.”
He knew where he had sent them.
‘This is the place where “they” took residence.’
There was no way “they” would let Zodiacs and Constructs of this caliber go.
“My god! Look who it is.”
“…!”
“I never would have expected to see a snake god in the flesh.”
Unfamiliar gods revealed themselves as they stepped on the zombie gods having Karmic debt.
‘They are high-rank gods.’
When they approached the group with scary looks in their eyes, Set smiled. “They are my collaborators. They are the butchers that take care of the gods I send down here.”
Sagittarius and the Constructs became vigilant.
“Be careful, Master! They can steal power from the gods!”
“Shit! The Karmic debt gods are in the front, and butcher gods are behind us. We can’t use our abilities in this place…”
“What? Why can’t we use our abilities?”
The Constructs ground their teeth when Hugo posed the question.
“This place is a dumping ground, so it’s forbidden for us to use our abilities here! In other words, anyone who uses their abilities here will incur Karmic Debt!”
It was a system that prevented sinners from running away.
“Basically, we’ll become like those zombie gods!”
“!”
It seemed this was why Sagittarius wasn’t using his skill. However, it wasn’t as if there were no recourse.
“Won’t we be fine if we have the Permission ticket (Exoneration)? Do any of you have it?”
“We gave it all to Master…”
“I used it all.”
“What?!”
The more Permission tickets (Exoneration) one had, the more one could use one’s abilities. This was why these tickets were considered precious items in the Divine world.
Sagittarius massaged his forehead. “Shit! We’ll lose without being able to do anything.”
Finally, the enemies discovered Lee Gun, and they glared at him.
“Snake god! You bastard!”
Lee Gun’s eyebrows rose when he saw the menacing figures.
Set taunted him. “See. This is the end for you guys. Who told you to open the door to this place? You would have been better off going to the maze. Moreover, they are worked up since they haven’t come across a Zodiac in 1,000 years—”
“Damn it! Why haven’t you changed your clothes yet?”
“You have to quickly make preparations if you want to marry the Great Spirit!!”
“???”
“What the hell are you guys doing? The snake god is here! Bring the food! Open up the path!!”
“????!”
Instead of attacking them with their blades, they ushered Lee Gun away.
Set’s expression was a sight to behold. “Wait a moment! What are you guys doing— Kuh-huhk!”
“Fuck off! Bastard!”
“We have no time to pay attention to you!!”
“Why are you suddenly being like this— Kuhk!”
Set was trampled upon by them.
Hugo reined in his laughter as Set’s partners turned on him. Then, he asked, “Are they from Kunlun?”
“T-They are….”
“Ah! I should have known.”
It seemed the letter sent by Kunlun was real. The gods affiliated with Kunlun prostrated themselves in front of Lee Gun.
“The Great Spirit’s bride has arrived!”
“It’s our madam!”
“Madam!”
“Please come this way! We’ll help you get ready for the marriage ceremony!”
Set looked like he was about to lose his mind, while Lee Gun was also angry. “Crazy bastards.”
The sounds of screams ran out between the cracks in the dimensions.
* * *
Around that time…
“What? Giselle?”
“Yes. It’s Giselle.”
In downtown, Kevin had been killing the straggler monsters when he met Yeonwoo. An unexpected expression appeared on his face when he heard what had happened in the Divine world.
It was to be expected since the Libra Saint, whom they had known, was a lie and that the original owner of the body was alive in the Divine world. Moreover, she had tried to help them even after dying.
“Hmm! I don’t know much about the Libra Saint, but…”
He was sure she had been the daughter of a politician, and she was someone who pursued world peace. She had also shown strong interest in Lee Gun and wanted to sponsor him.
However, then she had suddenly changed from the person that they had first met. This was why everyone thought she had been acting before that.
“Anyway, I have to find her. It’ll allow me to acquire the Rule Book. The one in Gun’s possession is a temporary Rule Book…”
“Won’t the temporary one be enough?”
“Gun won’t be able to stay on the earth long with it. At most, it’ll be a couple of weeks…”
That wasn’t all.
‘He needs the official Rule Book if he wants to protect his body from the Great spirits.’
Like the time when he fought Hercules, the official Rule Book might be used to manipulate Lee Gun’s fate.
“You said the gods came here saying they are Gun’s Constructs, right? I have no idea what they are up to.”
“Understood. I sent a message to my underling. We’ll be able to find them quickly. Also, we are over SS rank. That’s equivalent to the Construct rank. We won’t lose to them.”
They had no idea which gods had come to the earth, but they would carry out their mission until Lee Gun arrived.
Yeonwoo’s face brightened at those words, but…
Kwahng!!!
The building located downtown suddenly blew up, and pandemonium descended into the city.
“…!”
Kevin stopped breathing when an enormous monster appeared before him. His reaction was understandable since he knew his opponent’s rank.
‘Red rank?’
These monsters shouldn’t exist any longer on the earth. The ones who had been a danger from time to time were the devil-like outer gods when they attacked the humans. However, they were different from the monsters.
“Ahhk! Run away!”
“Call for the Zodiac Saints!”
The place became the epicenter of confusion. Kevin called for his Zodiac’s power.
“Shit. That bastard—!”
Kevin had unsheathed his sword, and he was about to attack the monster when…
Tahng!!
“!!”
Someone killed the devil, which was larger than a building. They were none other than angels with wings.
“That is…!”
“Eden!”
Yeonwoo glared at the newcomers.
Eden was one of the eight great forces, and their heavenly army was full of angels.
After they instantly killed the devil, humans appeared on top of the building alongside the angels, causing a commotion among the public.
“Are those the Zodiac Saints?”
“What the hell? None of the S-ranks and above look like them.”
“They are a different group!”
The ones that appeared atop the building were awash with the halo emanating from the angels.
“You guys are being deceived.”
“!”
“The existing twelve Zodiac Saints are trash. We are the Zodiac Saints who will now serve the Zodiac of the earth. We will serve Lee Gun-nim.”
Kevin looked dumbfounded as a new set of twelve Zodiac Saints suddenly made their appearance.
Damn it! What the hell was going on?
