"Milord," Leo rumbled, his voice steady but urgent, "what about me?"
Noah glanced at Virgo, who had busied herself with brushing imaginary dust off his robe. He then shifted to Leon.
"You go and find the ones who were disloyal but still carry some loyalty in their heart. Give them a choice of return. Tell them that I'm willing to forgive their crimes," he said calmly.
Leon wanted to protest, but he clenched his fists and opened them a few times before nodding solemnly. "As you command."
Noah stepped down from the throne, eyes scanning the enormous hall. Then at the ceiling. He couldn't help but wonder, "If this is called the Tower of Noah, it should hold some artifacts or treasures. Should I explore it a bit? Or maybe, I can just ask this crybaby chick the directions. She seemed extremely loyal to me."
"Virgo…" He called her out and then said. "Say, what is this…"
But before the words could finish leaving his mouth, the ground rumbled.
BOOM
Dust trickled from the ceiling. The floor quaked at once.
"What the hell?" Noah frowned, stabilizing himself. Virgo stood protectively in front of him, her eyes glowing with pale energy.
Meanwhile, a low growl came from Leon's throat. "Tch… It must be those bastards again."
Noah raised a brow. "Who?"
Leon clenched his fists, and the air around him sparked. "Humans. They've been attempting to breach the barrier for over the past millennium. Weaklings with no respect or fear. They provoke us endlessly, thinking they can intrude into this sacred place. But… we are bound by your order, Milord. As we cannot harm humans, we can only hide inside."
His voice turned venomous as he added. "But they keep coming. Every week, every month, those persistent, pathetic insects. They just don't give up at all."
Noah blinked, trying to take it all in. "They've been attacking this place for a thousand years?"
Virgo nodded and once again started sobbing. "Yes, Milord. *sob* sob* But they never succeeded… However, in recent times, they have gotten stronger. The barrier, which His Majesty placed, has begun to crack. *sob* I apologize, Your Majesty. We don't have the power to repair the barrier."
Ding!
A piercing chime sliced through Noah's head as soon as her words ended. A new screen materialized in front of Noah.
[Emergency Quest Generated!]
Title: "Proclaim the Return of the Godking"
Details: Prove your return to the world by revealing your presence and halting the invaders at your gate. Defeat the invaders with your own hands.
Reward for Acceptance: Newbie Package (Peak Strength Cards x2, 100-Day Life Extension Card x1, [BLOCK] Skill Unlocked: Blocks any attack, at the cost of 100 life days. Cooldown: None.
Cost of Acceptance: -1,000,000 Credits
Penalty for Refusal: -50 Loyalty Points (Leo)
Noah froze, eyes glued to the glowing text. "One million credits?"
Ding!
[Friendly Reminder from System Assistant "Aria"]: Refusal will severely impact Leo's trust and obedience.
Noah glanced toward Leo, who was now gripping his hammer with white knuckles. The lion's gaze was distant, focused beyond the tower walls as if he wanted to rush out there and fight.
He sighed. "Screw it."
He tapped the "ACCEPT" button.
Ding!
[Quest Accepted. Credits -1,000,000]
[Newbie Package Received]
A ripple of light passed over his chest as the rewards materialized in his inventory.
[SKILL UNLOCKED: BLOCK]
"Hah…" Noah let out a long breath, feeling the weight of those million credits disappear like dust. "Let's hope this gamble pays off."
Virgo stepped forward. "Milord…?"
"Open the gate," he said.
Both Leon and Virgo turned to him in alarm. "Milord, are you certain…"
"Follow the orders," Noah interrupted in a stern tone, maintaining the air of authority. "Just let me talk to them. They've been knocking for a thousand years, wanting to loot my tomb… then, this place will become their tomb."
Outside, beyond the barrier, over a hundred human adventurers stood entrenched in formation as they launched a series of attacks.
Elemental bolts, cursed arrows, and enchanted warhammers all struck the shimmering, blue, cracked barrier that surrounded the towering spire that is all the way up to the clouds.
Every adventurer outside was above level 300, clad in high-quality gear. Among them, a handful radiated deeper pressure, Level-400 elites
And at their front, stood a silver-haired man wrapped in black plated armor, their Level-500 guildmaster, carrying a dense aura. A blade wrapped in white cloth was strapped across his back.
Beside him stood a silent behemoth.
A hooded man, arms folded, skin bronze and taut with power. He wore no armor, no gear, just leather strips and a dark cloak. And he simply watched.
Suddenly…
Creak…
The massive gate began to open.
The barrier shimmered. And in that moment, every spell, every chant, every explosion, halted for a moment.
A hundred pairs of eyes turned as their weapons lowered.
The guildmaster flinched. His breathing hitched. "What…?"
The hooded man's eyes widened.
And then Noah stepped out.
Barefoot on ancient stone, his silver hair swayed lightly. His eyes carried nothing but weightless calm. Noah surveyed the battlefield like someone stepping into a dream. But inside his mind, he was as nervous as hell, watching all those experts gathered in one spot.
Behind him emerged Leo, gold-plated and furious, and Virgo, no longer a crybaby goddess but someone who carries heavy killing intent.
The humans murmured, unsettled.
"Who the hell is that?"
"Wait, he came from inside?"
"Was someone living in that tower all along…?"
"I thought it was a tomb. Was it a Dungeon?"
"Fool. If it is a dungeon, why would someone come out of it?"
"Someone already cleared this dungeon?"
"Those two behind seemed to be demi-humans. Are they in the transcendent realm? I can't sense what Tier they are in."
Guildmaster Aegis took a shaky breath, sweat dripping. "T-That aura…"
He turned desperately to the hooded man. "Say something. Who are those two?"
The hooded man stared. Then, his voice cracked.
"Mi…Lord?" he whispered. "No… it's… impossible…"
Leo's brows furrowed. His nostrils flared as his eyes fell on the hooded man. His voice thundered, "Taurus, you bastard…"
All heads snapped toward the hooded man.
"You not only betrayed our king," Leo growled, stepping forward, "but you DARED to raise your hand against the sacred tower?! I will… Milord, allow me to…"
But Noah didn't speak. He simply raised his hand.
Leo went silent while Noah's eyes shifted to the hooded man.
Taurus
Species: Zodiac
Age: 4978
Level: 842 (Stage-3 Transcendent)
*
Taurus took a step forward.
The hood dropped.
His skin shimmered like brass. Twin horns curled from the side of his head. His jaw was broad, square, with a single gold ring pierced through his nose.
And then he started smiling all of a sudden as his eyes glowed.
"Hahahaha! So, that's what it was," he said in realization, laughter grating like crushed stone. "You no longer have powers left, Your Majesty. This was all just an empty pride you are displaying.
His eyes scanned Noah, dismissively.
Then he turned to the humans.
"Back to work," he said coldly. "Break the barrier. Once you do, all the treasures in the tower belong to you. Go."
Spells began charging again. A second volley lit the skies.
But Noah… took a step forward. He walked out of the barrier, standing openly.
Leo and Virgo panicked. "Milord, WAIT…!"
Taurus took this opportunity and raised his hand, shooting a beam of concentrated energy toward Noah.
Just as it was about to strike him, Noah whispered. "Use Peak Strength Card."
Ding!
[Peak Strength Card activated – Temporarily raising host to Junior God Realm for 60 seconds.]
The beam was entirely absorbed into Noah's body.
Taurus' expression shifted. "This…"
And then, Noah whispered as if it were the most natural thing. "Come out, Celestial Avatar."
At once, golden divine energy erupted out of his body, materializing around him like a suit of armor.
It grew and grew at a rapid pace.
A 2,000-foot-tall astral projection, shaped like Noah but clad in armor forged of divinity, shot into the clouds. The avatar's eyes burned like twin dying suns.
Weapons fell from trembling hands.
Leo dropped to one knee. Virgo followed.
Taurus stumbled backward, mouth agape. "Impossible…" he whispered in fear.
Leo echoed, although in amazement. "Impossible."
Virgo, too, in awe. "He's… returned…"