Chapter 439 - 69: Waiting Prudently, Planning the Path of the Pillar God

Meanwhile.

In the Star Sea of the Crimson World, Kukudar, who had long since completed his metamorphosis, was slumbering above the celestial expanse with the thirteen subordinates he had gathered from the Barbaric Star.

But soon, the Giant Serpent God Kukudar was startled awake.

And as the Giant Serpent God Kukudar awakened, he quickly roused the other thirteen Ancient Deities.

And so, very soon, they were at a position some distance from the Sun, near the Crimson World.

There, the Giant Serpent God, leading deities such as the Feathered Insect God, the Frost Giant, the Green God, and the Mud God, finally laid eyes on the terrifying Giant Dragon that had appeared by crossing through space!

Its length from head to tail was nearly 180,000 kilometers, with a wingspan of about 560,000 kilometers.

The appearance of such a behemoth instantly stunned the thirteen Barbaric Deities, who were seeing Lince, the Dragon God, for the first time.

They had originally thought Kukudar’s Body Type was already powerful enough.

Even though they knew of the so-called Dragon God backing Kukudar, they had figured that while he might be strong, it couldn’t be *that* exaggerated!

But now?

One look was all it took. Even Kukudar’s coiled form, when compared to the Dragon God, was like a cat next to an elephant. The terrifying visual impact was easy to imagine.

If Kukudar was like that compared to the Dragon God, it went without saying for the rest of them.

"Nidhogg—you’re awake!"

However, unlike the thirteen dumbfounded gods, Kukudar’s thoughts were elsewhere.

Lince was indeed powerful, and his form was certainly breathtaking.

But what excited Kukudar the most was the simple fact that Lince had awakened.

To Kukudar, even Lince’s ridiculously fast growth rate seemed perfectly natural.

After all, Kukudar had long known of Lince’s past!

He was well aware of his terrifying growth potential.

So, while he was pleasantly surprised by Lince’s power, he was most happy about the fact that Lince had woken up.

After all, Kukudar owed his current place in the universe to Lince.

Lince had given him everything!

Even his newfound enlightenment was thanks to Lince’s arrangements, which had given him the opportunity to truly comprehend most of the world’s principles.

One could only imagine how much Lince had changed Kukudar’s life.

Thus, Kukudar’s gratitude for Lince’s existence overshadowed everything else.

’Friend?’

’What friend? The Kukudar of today wouldn’t dare hope for such a thing anymore.’

After all, in the face of a being like Lince, Kukudar had long felt a sense of inadequacy.

He had long ago relegated himself to the position of Lince’s subordinate.

But just being a subordinate... Kukudar himself wasn’t content with that.

If he had to choose, he wanted to be Lince’s little brother, not just a mere subordinate!

That was why, in his excitement the moment Lince awoke, Kukudar couldn’t suppress his desire to be closer to him and was the first to speak.

Although Lince didn’t know Kukudar’s current state of mind, he held authority over the True Game and had observed many of the interactions between the seven Players and Kukudar.

Therefore, based on how Kukudar acted whenever he spoke of him, Lince could roughly guess what this ’little brother’ of his was thinking.

And so, seeing Kukudar’s excitement, a faint hint of a smile appeared in the Giant Dragon’s down-gazing eyes.

"I’m awake."

"During my slumber, I must thank you, Kukudar, for looking after the Star Empire."

It had to be said, as soon as Lince spoke these words, Kukudar felt that everything had been worth it.

Kukudar had never cared what happened to mortals and the like.

The only thing he cared about was Lince’s attitude.

Receiving Lince’s praise, one could imagine how thrilled Kukudar was.

And so, under the gazes of the other thirteen Barbaric Deities, the big lug unconsciously started wagging his serpent tail again.

"It was what I was supposed to do! My very existence here is all thanks to you."

"So, I guarantee I’ll accomplish anything you ask of me."

"Also, Nigredo—no, Big Brother, I’ve come to understand many things I didn’t before. So, may I call you that?"

Kukudar looked at Lince, both excited and anxious.

Lince looked at Kukudar, who was staring up at him like a pathetic little puppy, and couldn’t help but smile to himself.

"Why not?"

"Big Bro, Elder Brother... Kukudar, you can call me whatever you like from now on. And you can drop the formal address, too."

At Lince’s words, Kukudar was overjoyed and immediately exclaimed in excitement:

"Yes, Big Brother!"

With that said, Kukudar seemed to remember something and turned. "Oh, right, Big Brother! These guys behind me are the Ancient Deities from the Barbaric Star who joined us."

"What are you all standing around gawking for?"

"What, is my Big Brother’s power not enough to fully convince you?"

The Feathered Insect God and the other deities were completely baffled by Kukudar’s sudden change in tune.

After all, to see the mighty Kukudar act like that toward Lince was truly astonishing to them.

As for the Power of Lince, the Dragon God?

How could they not be convinced?!

Such a terrifying Divine Body... the mere fluctuations of its aura were enough to strike terror into the hearts of these Ancient Deities.

To say nothing else, all of them put together probably wouldn’t even make for a single satisfying meal for a being like this.

So, it wasn’t that they weren’t convinced; they were simply bewildered and horrified from the immense shock they had just received.

"I, the Feathered Insect God, pay my respects to Your Majesty!"