“Bastards.”

Lee Gun grabbed Heaven’s Punishment.

The weapon emanated a powerful magical energy. Green light and black light surged forth like lightning, causing changes to the objects around the outdoor hot spring. Surprisingly, these objects all changed into monsters.

Chun Yooha, who was wearing a black bikini, jumped down from the stone pillar. When she extended her hand, a spear was summoned alongside a crimson lightning bolt.

“Crimson Earth’s Judgment (SSS)” was the name of her battle weapon, which was made using Thousand Legs and Red Eye as its skeleton!

When the black zone monsters had attacked Lee Gun’s workshop, Chun Jiwoo had helped in sending the weapon toward Yooha. 

This was the same weapon that had defeated the Demigod state Stevens and Oliver.

After Lee Gun had finished working on it, the spear was now born as a complete weapon.

[Crimson Earth’s Judgment roars]

Lee Gun had diced up Red Eye and used Zodiacs’ data to make the spear. Just the way the weapon appeared showed that its power was extraordinary.

After summoning the spear, Chun Yooha glared at the now-revealed enemies. “These bastards have no fear.”

After she had become a Zodiac Saint, Chun Yooha’s magical energy had become very strong. However, her power was shocking for an entirely different reason compared to her father and brother.

“W-What the hell? How long has she been here?”

“Around 20 minutes…?”

“What?!”

Hugo quickly pulled up his pants as he screamed. She was here for twenty minutes, yet he had failed to notice her. However, before that, he had another problem to discuss.

“Isn’t this the men’s bath?!”

“It has yet to be decided, but…”

This meant she was hiding here beforehand since she knew her uncle would come here.

‘As a man, I can say Uncle has an amazing body.’

Lee Gun had created the dolmens here. Dolmens were holy items placed there to help recover vitality; they were also used for refrigeration. This was a great place to recover. But that didn’t matter right now.

Boom!

Holding Heaven’s Punishment, Lee Gun exited the hot spring, his destination: the monsters. “Where do you think this is to come here?” 

Lee Gun planned on cutting down all the invading monsters, but Hugo screamed when he saw his friend about to leap forward. “Guuuuuuuuuun! Wear your pants!”

It seemed Lee Gun couldn’t even hear him. He swung his ax. Then, the stones and pebbles placed around the hot spring were ruthlessly destroyed!

“Kee-ehhhk!”

“Son of a bitch! Your pants!” The pale Hugo held up Lee Gun’s pants. At the very least, he wanted his friend to drape something around himself before he fought. 

However, Lee Gun didn’t even pretend to hear him. Why would anyone pay attention to such a thing on the battlefield?

Hugo sighed as he took out his bow from his watch, but then...

“Ahhhhhhk!”

The Archer Saint screamed when he saw his daughter’s gaze fixed on Lee Gun.

Yooha’s gaze had become a powerful magnet as her eyes followed Lee Gun killing the monsters.

Scandalized by it, Hugo quickly put a hand over his daughter’s eyes. “Don’t watch, Yooha! You shouldn’t see something so dirty— Ahk! Why are your eyes twinkling? Stop it”

Hugo quickly summoned his familiar.

[Servant of the Sun God(SS)]

Accompanying flames, large crows started to appear. These were the divine beasts that the Sagittarius temple used for hunting and communication! Each Archer disciple was contracted to one of these Constructs. 

The enormous crows attacked the monsters.

“Kyahhhhhk!”

Kwah-jeek!

The crows used their hard beaks to rip open the monsters’ necks and crush their heads.

“Kee-ehhhhhhk!”

[You have gained EXP.]

[Part of your EXP is directed toward the Serpent Bearer.]

The monsters tried to approach Hugo and Chun Yooha, but a house-sized crow ripped them apart as if they were paper.

Kwah-jeek!!

“Kee-ehhhhhhk!”

This enormous crow was different from the other crows in terms of power and size. It was the one that only Hugo could call forth, the head crow handled directly by the Zodiac! This crow wasn’t something Hugo called forth unless it was a special occasion.

That was why the summoned crow was surprised.

[Oh, servant! Since you called me, it must be a truly desperate situation! Which bastard—]

“Don’t look at the dirty stuff, Yooha!”

[Oh, servant…?]

The surprised crow looked at Hugo, but Hugo didn’t care as he mobilized the crows instead of him. He tried to cover his daughter's eyes. “Don’t look at it! Understood?!”

But…

“Wow. It’s bigger than Dad’s—”

“What the— Wahhhhhhhhhk!!!”

Angry at his daughter’s words, Hugo grabbed her by the shoulders. He was serious. “Yooha! Listen to me! You might not know this, but a man’s size changes from time to time!”

At that moment, his son yelled out in anger, “Jeez! Why are you explaining such things right now!!!”

“No! Yooha will misunderstand#$&*!”

The father and son clicked their tongues at each other as they killed the monsters.

“It isn’t a misunderstanding. Uncle is much bigger!”

“The water was cold, idiot!”

“Dad… There’s no cold water here….”

“Wahhhhhhhhk!!!”

Suddenly, a head fell from the sky. 

Having killed the last monster, Lee Gun yelled, “Sungjae!”

As if he was responding to Lee Gun’s voice, Chun Sungjae quickly spread both his arms. Then, green magical energy emanated from his arms, and his eyes turned gold.

[Eyes of Distinguishment]

Chun Sungjae furrowed his brows when he checked something. He had found the hidden enemies. Of course, this vision was different from Lee Gun’s “Gaze of a God” and “13th Sense.”

[Eyes of Distinguishment(SS)]

- It can discern all types of ill intent toward the Serpent Bearer

- Additionally, it can distinguish between specific ill intent.

Chun Sungjae rotated his hands before he made a fist. It caused a pillar of green fire to surge from the ground. The green flame changed into the shape of a serpent! The flame roared as it surrounded the trees.

The frightened trees turned back into their beast forms. Numbering around fifty, all of these monsters had been hidden through Transformation. 

When they tried to run away, Chun Yooha’s eyes flashed as she emitted crimson lightning.

Pah-jee-jee-jeek!

The lightning behaved like chains as it captured the monsters.

Kwah-jeek!!

In a flash, the chains snatched the monsters by their legs.

Boom!

[The Serpent Eater special characteristic has been applied to Chun Yooha.]

[All Serpent Bearer disciples will display Serpent Eater special characteristics when they attack.]

When the monsters could no longer run away, Chun Sungjae raised his hand above his shoulders.

[Kneel to Uncle or Else (SS)]

He brought the hand downward!

Shwehhhhhhk!

The fire serpent, which had surged into the sky, fell toward the ground like a missile.

Kwang!!!

The monsters didn’t even have the chance to run away as the fire surrounded them. They screamed. Everything melted as soon as the flame touched them. The fire was almost like acid.

[Temple EXP has risen.]

[Temple EXP has reached 100%.]

[Would you like to transfer it to the Zodiac’s EXP? Would you like to transfer it to Temple EXP?]

“Half to the temple.”

[Temple level has increased.]

[Serpent Bearer’s holy ground/Private Palace (Lv. 5)]

Lee Gun laughed. The level of a temple was like the level of a guild or a religious sect. Unlike the Zodiac level, where only he grew, this upgrade developed the Holy Ground, the disciples, and the Constructs.

His growth was important, but it would be troublesome if his subordinates were too weak. This was why he had to occasionally invest in them. Then there was something unexpected.

“I never expected the Pisces to cooperate with the monsters.”

The Transformation ability was the Pisces’s ability. The ability was so powerful that even the Zodiacs were unable to detect it.

At that moment…

“Wait a moment, Gun!”

“!”

Hugo became surprised when he checked with the flame. The melted monster corpses were twitching. Then, the melted parts started to recover bit by bit as the monsters got up again.

“Is this the Serpent Bearer’s Regeneration?”

Lee Gun picked up Heaven’s Punishment and turned the bodies of the monsters into pulp. “No. It isn’t.”

As if to prove this, the cut-off parts didn’t regenerate. A black light was mixed in with parts, but clearly, they were letting out a purple light.

This was the ability of the Aquarius, the healing Zodiac. However, the Aquarius was dead, and the entire Aquarius temple was under the Serpent Bearer now; it also couldn’t be the new Aquarius lending out her power to the monsters.

[The monarchs have used the power of the “Healing Zodiac” that they had stored.]

[A small amount of the Healing Zodiac’s power is being activated by the unknown civilization’s Maker.]

Lee Gun smirked as if he found it interesting. The unknown civilization seemed to have been stealing the twelve Zodiacs’ power little by little. It was merely a guess, but Lee Gun wondered if this was why the power of the twelve Zodiacs didn’t work against the Zodiacs.

Moreover, that wasn’t the only interesting part.

[Temple Level has risen.]

[A servant capable of leveling up has appeared.]

[Piggy Bank (Lv. 10) Status: Critical]

[Miny (Berserk) (Lv. 72) Status: Critical]

[Torch(Lv. 55/Prisoner) Status: Exhausted]

[Yong Yong(Lv. ???/Prisoner) Status: Chewing Gum]

[It is possible for the prisoners to advance to Construct at a certain level.]

One of Lee Gun’s eyebrows rose when checked the status of his Constructs. It was for no other reason.

‘Critical?’

Piggy Bank and Berserk had gone chasing after one of the two generals that had fought Sungjae within the Devil’s Tower.

Although Lee Gun couldn’t level up or upgrade them, they were high-rank Constructs in the first place. He had thought they would have no problem against a general.

Therefore, Lee Gun waved his hand.

[Piggy Bank, Miny, and Red Eye have leveled up.]

[As a result of the level up, Piggy Bank & Miny have gone from the Critical status to the Healthy status.]

[Piggy Bank and Miny have defeated the enemies.]

[A massive amount of EXP is coming in.]

[However, Piggy Bank and Miny have been surrounded by a bigger being.]

Lee Gun furrowed his brows.

“Eeny.”

Accompanying the voice, green eyes flashed within the shadow beneath Lee Gun’s feet.

[Did you call for me?]

“Tell Red Eye to go retrieve the two.”

[Your wish is our command!]

The Warrior King Jarl disappeared from within the shadow. 

Red Eye was a calamity that even the Zodiacs had their guards up against. It would quickly return with the missing Constructs. Well, that didn't matter.

Hugo furrowed his brows when he looked at Lee Gun, who was happy to acquire new ingredients. “Did they join hands with the Pisces?”

“I’m not sure, but they are probably aiming for the cores of the Cancer and the Aquarius. Depending on how one uses them, they could raise the level of a temple by a lot.”

[Alas, they might be aiming for our Headmaster’s weapon!]

“!”

The ones to show up were the Virgo Constructs. The faces of the goddesses became red as they looked at Lee Gun with Heaven’s Punishment on his shoulder.

[There has never been a weapon that can destroy Divine Status.]

[Heaven’s Punishment already possesses the power of a small temple. Of course, they covet it.]

[Hurry up and engrave it…!]

“Yes.”

When Lee Gun sat down on the rock, Hugo became angry as he closed his daughter’s eyes. “Wear some underwear!”

Lee Gun didn’t care as he raised Heaven’s Punishment.

[You have used the Engrave skill.]

Flash!

The enormous light headed toward the center of his body.