Chapter 177 Even the Almighty is New to Being a Dad Chapter 178
Even the Absolute One is New to Fatherhood - Chapter 178
"This is my fight!"
Bong-gu, straddling the cultist's body with his fist clenched, spoke with grave intensity as if issuing a warning to everyone.
"Don't interfere!"
His veins bulged in his neck as he shouted, then he drove his fist straight into the bastard's face with all his might—
"You sons of bitches... I'll never forgive you!"
The two rolled across the floor in a tangled mess, exchanging a vicious flurry of blows.
"Oh, not bad—?"
Kang-jun, briefly impressed, studied the cultist wrestling with Bong-gu.
Divine power.
Though faint as a speck of dust, he could sense it emanating from the man.
"So he's a Divine Vessel too?"
It was unmistakable—this man had been chosen by some unknown deity and granted a fraction of their power.
And yet, Bong-gu was holding his own against him.
"Hah..."
Kang-jun couldn't help but feel a little proud.
He wasn't the only one surprised. Baal and Dibald, who had expected Bong-gu to be crushed instantly, couldn't hide their astonishment.
"Wait, is he actually winning?" Baal muttered.
Dibald nodded sagely and launched into a grandiose speech.
"You, born in the heart of the demon realm where only the strong survive, never learned of the 'power of love.'"
"Power of love?"
"Love can awaken superhuman strength, allowing one to defeat even an unbeatable foe."
Then, he added matter-of-factly:
"I saw it in an Earth cartoon."
Baal clicked his tongue.
"Damn it, if I'd known love was like this, I would've ripped Immortal's head off ages ago!"
Kang-jun shook his head.
"No, you're both wrong."
He gestured at Bong-gu with his chin and said flatly:
"He's getting his ass kicked."
"Huh?"
"Look, he's just taking hits."
"Ah."
"Yeah, some things just don't change."
Not even a few seconds later—
THWACK! THWACK! THWACK!
The cultist, now on top of Bong-gu, rained down punches on his face.
"H-Hyung-nim!"
Bong-gu, barely blocking with his arms crossed, shouted in desperation.
"I-If it's not too much trouble, could you maybe help me out a little—?!"
His face was already swollen, blood streaming from his nose and mouth.
"Why is everyone just watching?!"
"You filthy Hunter Bureau dogs—!"
"I'm gonna die at this rate!"
Then, the cultist pulled out a dagger from his robes—
"Filial Son Kim Bong-gu, DIE—!"
Just as the blade came slashing down toward Bong-gu's neck—
THUNK!
A mana arrow, fired from Dibald's finger-gun, pierced straight through the cultist's wrist.
"GAAAH—!"
Bong-gu shoved the cultist off, climbed on top of him, and delivered a few more punches until the man finally lost consciousness.
"Hah... tough opponent."
Kang-jun raised an eyebrow.
"You just got the crap beaten out of you."
"Yeah, that part was especially hard."
Then, Bong-gu quickly added:
"Hyung-nim, I'll handle the hostages—can you take care of the rest?"
"Didn't you just say this was your fight and no one should interfere?"
"Since when have we ever cared about 'your fight, my fight' between us?"
Kang-jun sighed.
"This guy... his skills are still laughable, but his shamelessness has grown to terrifying levels."
Bong-gu ignored him, rushing to the altar to untie the bound hostages.
"Are you okay—?"
Park So-jeong, the café part-timer, blinked dazedly at Bong-gu's bloodied face and nodded.
"Y-Yes... thank you..."
For some reason, a halo seemed to shimmer behind him.
What the...?
His face was a mess, like he'd been stung by a swarm of bees.
And yet, she could've sworn there was a radiant glow around him.
He's an idiot... but kind of cool...
So-jeong watched, trembling, as he deftly untied her restraints.
"Fufu..."
Dibald covered his mouth, chuckling to himself.
"Operation: Rescue Freesia—success."
Kang-jun shot him a look.
"Hey, turn off the light magic."
One of the remaining cultists, watching the scene unfold, suddenly shrieked:
"The ritual is almost complete!"
He barked orders:
"I will finish the ceremony alone! Hold them off and protect the sacrifices—!"
Some cultists abandoned their chants and lunged at the intruders.
"Immortal."
Baal spoke up.
"Don't know what they're doing, but they're summoning something dangerous."
For a demon like Baal—who had nothing but pride—to call something dangerous meant it was catastrophic.
"Yeah."
Moreover, the magic circle radiated a familiar energy.
Divine power—but of a completely different nature.
"Don't tell me... an Outer Entity?"
The unmistakable presence of an Outer God, something Kang-jun had faced before.
"We should stop it."
"Kill them?"
"Don't kill them."
"Then what?"
"Knock them all out."
"Tch. Fine."
The next instant—
CRACK. CRACK. CRACK.
Strange noises erupted from Baal's body, the indifferent-looking young man now undergoing a grotesque transformation.
"Fools."
His obsidian-black eyes burned crimson, a pair of horns sprouted from his forehead, and—
RRRIP!
Enormous wings burst from his back, stirring up a storm of dust.
"You insects aren't even worth a single strike from Immortal."
Then—
WHOOSH!
An overwhelming surge of demonic energy exploded from Baal, staining the entire area in darkness.
CRUMBLE.
Trees and flowers withered instantly, turning to dust.
THUD.
The bound hostages collapsed unconscious.
Mortals couldn't withstand the density of Baal's demonic energy.
"W-What the...?"
Even some cultists—and Bong-gu—trembled violently under the pressure.
The 1st-ranked Demon Monarch.
Ruler of the Underworld.
A being who had ascended to Demon God.
And also...
An employee at North Sea Udon Shop.
Baal.
This was the result of him unleashing his full power.
Just by releasing it—
Most of the enemies had already been knocked out.
"All unconscious."
"Good job."
"Magic circle's gone too."
"Yeah, nice work."
The last cultist, still standing before the ruined circle, seemed to realize his fate.
"O-Oh god... please, grant me your protection...!"
The summoning circle had long since been erased by Baal's demonic energy.
In despair, the man dropped to his knees and began praying.
"Please... have mercy...!"
Kang-jun stepped toward him—
BOOM!
A massive spear suddenly slammed down in front of Kang-jun, shaking the earth and flooding the area with light.
"The hell—?"
A system message appeared before Kang-jun's eyes:
[The Divine Wisdom and War Goddess of Star Cluster Olympus warns you to proceed no further.]
Kang-jun glanced up at the sky and smirked.
"How arrogant."
Meanwhile, the cultist, emboldened, sneered.
"The noble one has blessed me with her gaze!"
It was true.
Behind him, the faint silhouette of a fully armored goddess flickered into view.
"So you're a Divine Vessel too?"
"That's right!" the cultist crowed.
"My god not only granted me power but also protects me in times of danger!"
"Oh?"
"She even appears in my dreams, bestowing divine revelations and guiding my path!"
Madness gleamed in his eyes as he roared:
"You can't lay a finger on me!"
Kang-jun muttered under his breath.
"I see how it is."
His gaze shifted to Bong-gu, still trembling from Baal's demonic energy.
"Bong-gu, remember what you said before?"
"Huh?"
"You'd do anything, right?"
Bong-gu nodded hesitantly.
"Y-Yeah..."
"You ready?"
"Hyung-nim? Wait—"
"Then here it comes."
Kang-jun stretched his hand toward Bong-gu.
WHOOSH!
Divine energy surged from his palm and poured into Bong-gu's body.
[Will you bestow a portion of your divine power upon Filial Son Kim Bong-gu, making him your Divine Vessel?]
Kang-jun nodded.
Bong-gu's body suddenly glowed.
"What the...?"
He stared at his hands in shock as power surged through him.
[Human 'Filial Son Kim Bong-gu' has been chosen by ■■■ and ascended as a Divine Vessel.]
At that moment—
[The deities of the Abyss take notice of your Divine Vessel.]
[The Divine 'Unrivaled Thunder' turns away in disappointment.]
[The Divine Leader of Flower-Fruit Mountain questions why you chose such a human.]
[The Divine Great Sage Equal of Heaven scolds you for your poor choice.]
Messages flashed before Bong-gu's eyes.
"Divine Vessel...?"
Countless lines of text—Living Text—spilled from his body.
The achievements and legends of ■■■—Kang-jun's accumulated history.
"Bong-gu-mon."
Kang-jun, who had roughly equated deities and vessels to Pokémon battles, pointed at the cultist.
"Tackle!"
Against his will, Bong-gu's body shot forward like a bullet—
"WHOA—?!"
The ground cratered under his feet as he closed the distance instantly.
BAM! BAM! BAM!
A fierce exchange of blows later, Bong-gu stood over the defeated cultist, dazed.
"Wait... am I actually super strong...?"
Then—
DING!
A chime rang in Kang-jun's ears.
[The Divine Wisdom and War Goddess of Star Cluster Olympus manifests.]
Light consumed the area.
THUD. THUD.
The goddess descended.
"■■■..."
Athena had arrived.
"For the survival of the Star Cluster—perish."
In the blink of an eye, she lunged, her spear aimed straight for Kang-jun's throat.