Paris, France.
“What? You want me to spread this in the media?”
Sophie, who had been a fixture in France, had been chased out to England. Kevin had taken her place there.
Kevin let out a feigned laugh. Hugo had come looking for him in Paris and brought an unexpected proposal, a proposal related to Lee Gun and Chun Jiwoo.
To put it simply, some among the Zodiac Saints were spreading rumors about Lee Gun, and the Capricorn Saint had taken Chun Jiwoo’s research material.
Hugo brought up the possibility of some of the Zodiac Saints having a hand in the death of Lee Gun. That was the gist of what he had to say, and Hugo wanted to use Kevin to get this information out into the media.
Kevin looked at Hugo, dumbfounded.
‘After Lee Gun’s death, he made himself scarce. The others couldn’t even find him.’
Of course, Kevin hadn’t shown much interest in finding Hugo, yet Hugo had come looking for him with this important problem.
“Why are you asking me to do this?”
“Why else? There is no one else that I can trust.”
“…!”
Kevin scrunched up his face. “I’m not close enough to you that you should be revealing these secrets to me.”
It was true. If one was being honest, Hugo and Kevin hated each other.
Before Kevin had started to distance himself from Lee Gun, he used to chase after Hugo with a blade, saying things like, “Damn bastard! Get away from Teacher!” and “Why do you always get special treatment from Teacher! Get away from him!”
‘Of course, I have no idea why he started to distance himself from Gun.’
Hugo had assumed it was a case where a young man had turned into an adult and, in the process, just stopped liking Lee Gun.
It was understandable since his friend did have a bad temper and was a taskmaster.
However, Hugo didn’t care if Kevin didn’t like Lee Gun. “You’ve been taking down rumors about Gun. Right, Kevin?”
“!”
Kevin flinched.
Hugo’s eyes turned sharp. “Someone among us is trying to slander Gun. If you were the one to spread the slander, you wouldn’t be the one to take it down unless you were an idiot, right?”
“…”
“I cannot trust the others. It doesn’t mean I trust you, but at the very least, I know you aren’t someone who would cause harm to Gun. That’s why I came to you. The media won’t move unless a Zodiac Saint asks. You’re the Zodiac Saint of the second-ranked temple, so your credibility must be high in the eyes of the media, right?”
“Hmmph.” Kevin got up as if responding to Hugo wasn’t worth it. “I’m sorry, but I won’t do it.”
“!”
“If I spread this news, I’ll basically turn the other Zodiac Saints into my enemies. It will instantly put a target on my disciples. You might not get this since you don’t have much to protect.”
“You’ve been killing off rumors about Gun, so why are you suddenly…”
“I already gave up on doing that around a year ago.”
“…!”
Kevin looked at Hugo as if he wanted Hugo to get out of his presence. “Nothing will change if I work for a dead person.”
Also…
“Those who are alive should have the chance to be happy.”
Murderous intent appeared in Hugo’s eyes. “Are you talking about you guys, who lived by throwing away Gun?”
Kevin sneered. “Why don’t you forget about him since he’s already dead?”
“Gun is still alive inside the tower.”
“Stop speaking such nonsense. You lost your wife and subordinate. Why don’t you look after your children?”
“…!”
“Also, you’re claiming the Capricorn Saint stole your wife’s research material? If I recklessly spread such information, you do know that I’m the one who’ll suffer the backlash, right?”
“….”
Kevin looked sick and tired of Hugo. He exited toward the sitting room, and the disciples of the Virgo temple approached him.
“He’s leaving. You should escort him out of the castle.”
“Hmmph. There is no need.” Hugo left as if his low expectations of Kevin had borne true.
Virgo spoke to Kevin as she watched a seething Hugo exit the castle.
[He was your comrade at one point. You’re being very cold to the Archer Saint.]
“Are you stupid or something? If that powerless moron takes action, he’ll become targeted by the others.”
[Oh. Does that mean you chased him out on purpose?]
“You saw his personality. His personality makes it very easy for others to read him. He’s completely useless when it comes to politics. It’s better that he stays in the corner doing nothing.”
[Are you looking out for your comrade?]
“If you have time to say such nonsense, you should read the data he brought.” After saying that, Kevin unsheathed his sword and headed away.
His subordinate asked in surprise, “Where are you going, Zodiac Saint-nim?”
“I’m going to attack the Capricorn temple.”
“What? Does that mean you’re going to help the Archer Saint…?!”
“Be careful what you say. The Archer Saint was never here today. We acquired all this information in secret. We are mobilizing to crush the other temples that got too smug.”
“…!!”
Kevin let out a savage smirk. “The Capricorn Saint dare climb up in standing by stealing someone else’s research? As one of the highest-ranked temples, we have a duty to put him in his place.”
* * *
“What? Are you being serious?”
Hugo was shocked. He had come looking for Stevens and given him a similar proposal.
Kevin was always someone who did as he liked. He didn’t care about the affairs of the others, so Hugo had known that he would be turned down.
However, he had been banking on Stevens.
“Say it again.”
“There are no lies being told in the rumors, so why should I correct it? Lee Gun was a low-level awakened being, and the power of the twelve Zodiacs allowed us to kill the monsters. That’s the truth.”
“Really!! You son of a…” An enraged Hugo grabbed Stevens by his collar.
Stevens had always said that no awakened being could touch Lee Gun in terms of abilities. He had called Lee Gun the hope of humanity! Yet he dared say this now!
“Were you paid off?”
“I don’t need to take such things. I am already overflowing with money.”
“…!!!”
“Anyway, I’m sorry to hear what happened to your family. If you plan on having a funeral, I’ll provide the funeral fee. If you plan on doing life-sustaining care, I’ll introduce you to a hospital that I know. The only thing I ask is that you drop this subject.”
“…!!!”
“You can leave if your business with me is done.” Stevens got up.
Lee Gun was already dead, and as the number of disciples under them grew, the power of the Zodiacs would also grow. At this rate, they’d be able to get rid of all the monsters.
‘Yes. It’ll be enough.’
It’d be fine if everyone thought they had killed Red Eye. The effect might be temporary, but he would do this if he could prevent the faith and hope of humanity from fading away.
“Do you understand what I’m saying? We are the ones who killed Red Eye. We cleared the tower.”
Stevens got up from his seat and looked at the box next to Hugo. It contained money and precious holy items. “I know you’re in a bad spot, so I put a lot in there. You should look after your temple now. How did you allow yourself to be last in place? You are talented— Kuhk!”
A hit from Hugo sent the Leo Saint flying.
Hugo clenched his fists. He felt an uncontrollable amount of betrayal. Hugo had been a fan of Leo Saint before he became an awakened being, and he thought Stevens felt the same about Lee Gun as he did. This was why the sense of betrayal cut deeper.
“I hope to never see your face ever again.”
Hugo exited the Leo Saint’s territory. He then traveled in all directions, trying to find a way to save his wife and Lee Jaewon.
As he did so, the other Zodiac Saints kept dropping hints he should give up. Moreover, the hospital was becoming reluctant to let the two remain hospitalized, yet Hugo never gave up.
‘I won’t give up on my wife, Jaewon, and Lee Gun.’
He would save them all. However, someone didn’t like his efforts.
A fortnight later, Hugo had been visiting the sickbed of his wife and Jaewon when…
“I told you before! You should stop acting as you please!” An angry Giselle finally visited Hugo.
Of course, he would have ignored her if that was all she did.
“Yooha!” Hugo ground his teeth as he looked at his ten-year-old daughter, who was in pain.
Yooha was gasping as she clutched her arm. Her arm had turned black, and it was threatening her life.
It seemed Giselle had planted something harmful in Yooha’s arm, and it didn’t matter what treatment he tried. He couldn’t fix his daughter’s arm.
[Damn it! We never would have expected that woman to use such a thing!]
The raven Constructs gnashed their beaks.
[It would have been easier if it were a monster!]
Yes, Giselle had planted the fragment of an evil god within Yooha’s arm!
The Constructs looked at Giselle in contempt.
[In the Divine world, there is a taboo called the “Five Great calamities.”]
[They are the gods of calamity who consumed universes and gods in the past! They are the worst!]
[Damn it! I have no idea where you acquired the sealed fragment, but…!!]
The only thing certain was that the human body couldn’t withstand the presence of this calamity.
‘She’ll get consumed by this calamity in an instant.’
Sagittarius was ready to do everything within his power to extract the evil being from Yooha’s arm, but he failed.
[I’m sorry, my servant. I can’t do anything about this.]
“…!”
The calamity had taken root in Yooha’s arm, and Sagittarius could only prevent it from attacking her organs.
‘She won’t last long.’
At this rate, she would last two days at most. The black energy climbed up her arm and reached her neck in no time.
‘She’ll die once it covers her entire body.’
Until this point, Hugo was like an unfaltering steel wall. However, with his child in pain and danger, his mental state became frayed.
Giselle triumphantly laughed. “Choose, Hugo. Choose either A or B.”
“…!”
With bloodshot eyes, Hugo glared at Giselle.
Giselle approached him. “Choose. Will you choose your child or will you choose to pursue life-sustaining care for your hopeless wife and subordinate?”
Hugo ground his teeth as he held his daughter, who was in pain. “I’ll… Give up… On the life-sustaining care…”
Giselle laughed.
“Second, your son accused my sons of being the culprits behind the toad incident. What about that?”
Hugo shook in anger. Strength entered the hand holding Yooha. He could see the face of his son, who wanted to be believed, and he recalled the faces of the two people who remained in their hospital beds.
“…my kid was mistaken. I’ll…caution him about saying such a thing.”
“Good. What about the last one? What about the matter regarding Lee Gun?”
Instead of answering, Hugo bit his lips as he glared at Giselle. His eyes said she had touched on a subject that shouldn’t have been messed with.
Giselle clicked her tongue as she looked into his bloodshot eyes. “Hugo? Hurry up and give me an answer. Will you choose your child or your friendship?”
In the end, Hugo choked down his rage. “Regarding Gun… I will no longer dig into his case.” He sounded almost breathless.
However, Giselle was satisfied. She laughed. “Alright, that’s enough, but I need one more thing.”
“!!”
As if this was what she had truly wanted, Giselle put a hand on Yooha’s shoulder. “I want you to rejoin the Zodiac Saints as our comrade. We will treat you very well.”
“…!!”
Giselle laughed since Hugo’s ability was too good to throw away. Hugo just had to keep his mouth shut about Lee Gun and his family. If he kept silent, he was an awakened being beyond reproach in terms of ability.
“Nothing good will come from turning me down. If you don’t agree to work under me, your daughter is dead.” Giselle aggravated the fragment of the evil god.
“Ahhhk!!”
Hugo loved his children very much. He wouldn’t last if he heard the scream of his daughter!
“If you want to save your daughter— Kyahhhk!!!”
Suddenly, Giselle screamed. She clutched her face as if she were in pain. She had tried to aggravate the fragment of the evil god, but it had attacked her.
Giselle wondered what was going on. She whipped her head around, and the sight left her surprised.
“Yooha!” Hugo was surprised.
Giselle screamed as she gnashed her teeth.
‘That kid…!’
Yes, the one to attack her was none other than Yooha herself!
Yooha violently pulled at the hair of Giselle, who kept her hand on Yooha’s shoulder.
“Don’t…bully…my dad…!!”
“Ahhhk!!!”
That wasn’t all. The black power that had been trying to swallow Yooha climbed up toward Giselle and threatened her life.
“Kyahhhk!!”
This surprised the raven Constructs.
[H…Hugo! Your daughter is starting to impose her will against the fragment of the evil god!]
[N-No way!]
Giselle glared at Yooha.
‘Damn it! A small human child is able to steer the fragment of an evil god? Are you kidding me?’
It should have been impossible to do with normal mental power.
‘Damn it! I thought she would die if I left her alone…!’
The current situation put her at a disadvantage instead.
‘No! The power I put in to kill the kid will become the source of her power!’
Kwahng!!
“Kyahhhhk!!”
Yooha’s attack blew a chunk out of Giselle’s face and scalp.
Pahk!!
Giselle clutched her bloody face as she fell over.
“Ahhhhhhk!!!”
Feeling excruciating pain, she glared at Yooha and Hugo and called for a teleport. “Wait… I’ll be back for you guys!”
Goat tried to capture her before she could disappear, but he failed. “Damn it…! She ran away!”
“It’s fine. Don’t chase after her too far!”
“But…!”
Hugo carefully looked at Yooha. Yooha, who had been in pain, was nowhere to be seen. She was surprisingly breathing easily now.
She was starting to control the fragment of the evil god, which had been placed inside her to kill her. The Constructs of the Sagittarius temple couldn’t keep their mouths shut.
[She conquered the fragment of an evil god…!]
The black power, which had been trying to cover her entire body, started to contract. It returned to her arm. Then something incredible happened.
“Dad….”
“Yes! It’s Dad! Are you ok, Yooha? Are you in pain?”
“Yes… I’m fine. That is why you shouldn’t listen to others, Dad. I don’t want you to be in pain because of me. I would like you to continue to tell us stories about Lee Gun-nim.” Yooha let out a timid smile as she hugged her father’s neck.
Hugo embraced his daughter.
Goat gritted his teeth. “Zodiac Saint-nim, even if it comes to all-out war, we will protect you and your children as your disciples. That is why….”
“No. We’ll do as the Libra Saint asked. The Sagittarius temple will let this matter go.”
“What?! Are you saying you’ll give up on your wife and Jaewon hyung-nim?!”
“No. I won’t give up on them.”
“Then what are you….”
Hugo stood up as he held his sleeping daughter. The look in his eyes changed. “Libra Saint asked me to take a step back. She didn’t say others couldn’t carry out the work.”
“Then…!”
At that moment, Goat heard something.
Clack, clack!
“!”
It was the sound of footsteps. Someone was walking toward Hugo.
Goat was shocked to see the newcomer. “That person is…!”
She was a beautiful woman with jet-black hair, and the lovely silhouette of the full moon was behind her.
“You waited a long time, Hugo. The preparation is complete.” The only one to take his hand amongst the rest of the Zodiac Saints was Hailey.
