Red eyes.
Twenty years ago, he was the one called the leader of the unknown civilization.
At the same time, he was humanity’s worst enemy, who had tried to annihilate the human race.
And Stephen still could not forget that bastard.
‘How could I ever forget that young snake-like colt.’
He was that terrifying.
December 31, 1999. It was four years after the first appearance of the unknown civilization, wasn’t it?
With his emergence, the monsters that had moved individually became an army, gained organization, and began to conquer human lands in earnest.
It was on a completely different level from the days when one or two of them would appear in a city and abduct humans.
It was truly a living hell.
‘Well, that red-eyed bastard nesting in Korea was a divine move, though.’
For reasons unknown, the creature that had led his minions and destroyed everything suddenly set up his own home in East Asia.
That was the Demon’s Tower.
In any case, the monsters swarmed to the Demon’s Tower.
Was it some kind of rest period?
At any rate, that was the only opportunity to take down the leader.
And for the first and last time, thirteen individuals united as one team.
While working as mercenaries, the thirteen had often crossed paths, but they had always been on bad terms.
So when those thirteen joined forces back then, it became a global sensation.
They said that with thirteen gathered, even the Red Eyes would surely be captured quickly.
In fact, they themselves were quite confident.
Although facing him alone was daunting, they thought that with twelve Holy Gods united, the Red Eyes would be nothing.
Of course, Lee Geon, who had taken the role of leader at the time, had warned them several times before they even entered the tower.
[Absolutely. Do not touch the ones I haven't subdued. Eliminate only the gatekeepers on each floor, and deal with the Red Eyes swiftly.]
Of course, back then, Lee Geon was the only one among them who had seen the Red Eyes’ army up close.
That was why he had been entrusted with leading the tower raid, but...
[Good heavens, are you really the Lee Geon we knew?]
They had mocked him.
[You used to act so high and mighty, but now you’ve chickened out. You’ve become a complete coward over the years.]
[Well, it’s understandable. Your body is quite wrecked, after all.]
But.
[Damn it, not him! Run!]
In the end, Stephen gritted his teeth as he recalled that moment.
And then he saw the winged demon beyond the horizon.
It was like a fire-breathing serpent.
A long neck, a hideous reptilian face. Two hands and two legs like a beast.
Its size alone was as large as a building. Though it was quite far away, its mere presence was overwhelming.
That was why he could not accept this situation.
‘Damn it, this is insane. How is that bastard...’
Hadn’t Lee Geon clearly captured the Red Eyes back then?
There was no way there could be several more leader-type entities.
So he wondered if it might be an illusion, but...
“Wha, what is that? Don’t tell me that’s the Red Eyes?”
The holy knights of the Leo Sanctuary began to stir.
“The Red Eyes? You mean the one that appeared twenty years ago?”
“Hey, are you crazy, what the...! It’s got to be a fake!”
There was probably no one in the entire world who did not know of the Red Eyes.
Even young children grew up seeing him in textbooks.
Among the Awakened, he was counted as a legendary catastrophe.
Indeed, Cheon Yuha, who was seeing the Red Eyes for the first time, had a changed expression.
‘That’s the Red Eyes Dad always talked about...!’
It was definitely the one her uncle had supposedly captured.
Though it was her first time seeing it in the flesh.
Moreover, the Red Eyes was a top-tier Black Zone grade.
And the Black Zone was an unknown land that even the Ten Stars had never ventured to.
Yet such a grade was appearing here?
Right in the middle of the main palace of the purest sanctuary?
Surely it had to be a fake.
It was at that moment, when everyone was thinking that.
[Kuoooooo!]
The moment the creature stretched its long neck toward the sky.
“Raise the barrier!”
Stephen urgently raised his voice.
The bewildered holy knights looked at Stephen on the rooftop, but his unfamiliar face was deathly pale.
“Sanctuary Lord? What do you...!”
“No, the barrier is too late, grab onto something right now! Hurry!”
“Huh?”
The enemy is so far away, why suddenly...
But that was when.
BANG!!!! X2
An incredible flash of light seemed to flicker, and then a powerful blast of wind pressure swept in.
Kugugugung!
“Aaaaaaagh!”
It was a tremendous wind pressure that made it impossible to keep one’s footing.
And in that wind, the buildings of the Leo Sanctuary began to shatter.
“Wait, what is...! Argh!”
The holy knights who hadn’t grabbed onto anything were sent flying far away in an instant.
“Will!”
“Aaaaaagh!”
Crash! Crash!
Walls collapsed mercilessly, and roofs flew away like scraps of paper.
Even the holy knights who had clung to pillars, and those who had raised barriers, were flung into the sky.
And those who barely managed to hold on were gravely injured by flying debris from the buildings.
Cheon Yuha, who had been inside the building, was also hurled into a wall and let out a groan.
“Keuk...!”
It felt as if she was being crushed by dozens of tons of gravity.
So Cheon Yuha was bewildered.
Those above S-rank fundamentally kept their magical power wrapped around them at all times.
That was how they could withstand such wind pressure without being pushed back.
But this!
Oliver, who had stabbed his sword into the ground to support himself, also flashed his eyes and looked outside.
And after what might have been a few seconds.
The terrifying wind pressure vanished, and Cheon Yuha and Oliver rushed outside.
But the moment they came out, they couldn't help but be shocked.
“The sanctuary!”
Half of the Leo main palace had disappeared.
And it wasn’t just that. The city and plains around the sanctuary had vanished without a trace.
It had literally happened in the blink of an eye.
And as if showing off that it had just warmed up, skull-shaped smoke rose into the sky.
At that sight, Cheon Yuha unconsciously murmured.
“The Red Eyes’ ray cannon...”
As soon as the words left her mouth, screams erupted.
“It’s the Red Eyes!”
“The real Red Eyes has appeared!”
Screams came from the sanctuary, no, from the city located behind the sanctuary.
America, having already been trampled by the Red Eyes once before, fell into a panic.
In that panic, Cheon Yuha also felt a chill run down her spine.
Of course, right now, how those bastards reappeared was not the important thing.
‘Did Uncle really face something like that alone?’
To feel sheer terror from its oppressive presence alone, even from this far away.
But soon, the holy knights of the sanctuary and the people of the city cried out.
“It’s fine! We don’t care if that bastard is the real Red Eyes or not!”
“That’s right! Take up your weapons!”
At those shouts, Stephen let out a hollow laugh.
“The brats are brave, at least they’re my subordinates...”
But.
“Lord Stephen is the very person who beheaded the Red Eyes!”
“That’s right! Lord Stephen will behead the Red Eyes once again!”
“……?!!”
Stephen’s expression was a sight to behold.
But.
“Sanctuary Lord!”
“No!”
“Huh?”
“I said no! It was caught by me!”
“Excuse me?!”
Just as they were about to ask what he meant, the sanctuary came crashing down.
“Sanctuary Lord!”
At the same time, a familiar light poured down from the sky.
It was the yellow light of absolute order and absolute good.
It was the Scales.
And slicing through the sky, a pure white whale was approaching.
It was a Patron God.
And riding that Patron God as if she were the master of the divine seat was a woman.
And beside her were familiar faces as well.
‘Cancer, Taurus, Gemini...!’
They were familiar Patron Gods representing each seat.
And riding atop that whale was, unexpectedly, the Saint of Taurus.
The man atop it spoke.
“Stephen, pick. Do you want to die here, or join the Scales?”
Stephen ground his teeth.
“You crazy bastard.”
* * *
Meanwhile, around that time.
“What? The Red Eyes appeared?! The real Red Eyes?”
At the Ophiuchus Sanctuary in Hawaii.
Hugo gaped at the communication from his daughter.
And at that cry, Cheon Seongjae and the holy knights of the Archer Sanctuary, who were watching the news on their phones, were horrified.
Though a breaking news report had just stated that the Red Eyes had appeared, they had thought it was fake news.
In fact, Hugo had also said it was fake news.
But.
[Uncle, how did you catch the Red Eyes?]
At the communication from his daughter, Hugo couldn't help but foam at the mouth.
And the moment he confirmed the footage coming through the news.
“This is insane.”
Hugo felt a chill run through his body.
There was no mistake.
It was definitely the same bastards he had seen at the Demon’s Tower.
That was what bewildered Hugo.
Of course, Lee Geon had warned that there might be more beings similar to the Red Eyes, but still.
“But the Red Eyes himself appearing directly, what the hell is this!”
At this level, it was understandable that Pisces had sent a request for rescue.
And the creatures with the Red Eyes were also a problem.
“Sanctuary Lord, we’ve never seen these creatures before. What are they?”
At Gort’s question, the youngest members of the Archer Sanctuary, who were observing the TV footage with their skills, spoke.
“What do you mean? We can barely feel their magic power, and they’re small. They’re probably just low-level creatures...”
At those words, Hugo cried out in disgust.
“What are you talking about! Those are all creatures that came from the Demon’s Tower!”
“Excuse me?!”
And they were the very ones that Lee Geon had told them never to touch and to avoid.
Indeed, they were tremendous beings that they themselves had been too busy running away from.
“It’s not that you can’t feel their magic power, they’re monsters that are expert at concealing their presence. Get close and you’ll be finished instantly.”
“……!”
But these were dangerous creatures that would occasionally appear one or two at a time in cities.
And now things like that, THOSE things, were swarming in like this…!
‘This is the extinction of humanity.’
Even Hayley and Kevin were rarely flustered.
And at the mention of the Demon’s Tower, the holy knights of the Archer Sanctuary were terrified.
“The Demon’s Tower!”
“Aren’t those the beings in the tower that even you, Sanctuary Lord, couldn’t capture?”
“The ones they say even the Saints can never catch…!”
They were the ones Hugo had returned to the Demon’s Tower to find Lee Geon, but ultimately had no choice but to come back out from.
“Don’t tell me the monsters from the Demon’s Tower have come out?”
“No, that’s not it.”
“Huh?”
The one who answered was Lee Geon.
“I caught all the ones that were inside.”
“?!”
The expressions of the holy knights were a sight to behold.
However, Lee Geon, who was checking the TV, smiled as if intrigued.
“They’re just the same race. Actually, they’re younger than the ones I caught.”
“Uh… Then this Red Eyes as well?”
“Well. I doubt there’s another entity of that caliber, but I’ll have to catch this little bastard and check for myself.”
At those words, the holy knights screamed.
“You’re going to catch the Red Eyes?”
Lee Geon smiled.
“It’s a guy whose neck I’ve already wrung once.”
No, not just once.
It was a disgusting creature he had caught and caught again in the tower that reset tens of millions of times.
And if it was the one he had caught, it was even better.
Back then, he had fallen into a trap and couldn’t use it as material, but still.
If it was a weapon made from the Red Eyes, wouldn’t it be possible to create something comparable to the Sky-Piercer Conviction?
No, perhaps.
‘I might be able to use it as a prisoner of war, like Torch.’
If he caught it, the experience points would be high.
But that was when.
Another breaking news report came from the news.
[Lee Geon and the Archer cannot fulfill their roles as divine seats]
“!”
A familiar face appeared on the broadcast.
“Taurus…!”
He was also one of the perpetrators who had destroyed Hugo’s sacred treasure.
He spoke with an air of triumph.
[The Archer is a divine seat that has lost its sacred treasure, and thus cannot exert its power, and Lee Geon’s divine seat is far too small in scale]
At that news, Hugo let out a hollow laugh.
So they were trying to profit off faith at a time like this?
[They cannot protect you all. You must come to a place that receives the power of the Scales and my Holy God]
[So you’re saying that with the Scales and Taurus, you can capture the Red Eyes?]
At those words, Taurus seemed to flinch.
It was a look where a hint of anxiety flickered past his eyes.
But.
[The Red Eyes and those monsters... I plan to do my utmost to seal them. Do not worry.]
That was when.
“Seal them, my ass.”
As Lee Geon stretched out his hand, the Sky-Piercer Conviction flew to him, seeming delighted.
Bang!
“Why bother with such annoying crap.”
And Lee Geon stood up.
“Seongjae, teleport.”
“!”
With every step Lee Geon took, a green light crept up.
And as he moved, the holy knights of the Archer Sanctuary also sprang to their feet.
“Ah! We’ll help to...”
“No need.”
“Huh?”
“I’m enough alone.”
The corner of Lee Geon’s mouth tilted up.
(Continued in the next chapter)