Lee Geon, being choked, smiled eerily.
And he shouted.
[Come out.]
That was the only word he uttered.
But the low murmur of that voice was different from usual.
The tone was the same low-pitched voice as always, but the moment one heard it, it sent a shiver through the body.
Could it be called words imbued with power? Or perhaps a god’s verbal command?
And the helmeted man, sensing a god’s overwhelming presence in that voice, hurriedly raised his sword.
[A still-immature holy god using a verbal command!]
It was a more dangerous sprout than he had thought.
Of course, whatever he tried to bring out in this situation would be useless.
As expected.
[Even if a holy god brings something out, it’s nothing but a subordinate god! That sort of thing...!]
The helmeted man mocked Lee Geon’s desperate struggle and lifted his sword.
But that very moment.
Rumble!
[!]
A black space tore open in the sky.
And as if answering Lee Geon’s call, it ripped through the sky’s space and appeared.
“Kiiieeek!!”
That was none other than the Red Eye!
Twenty years ago, it was the colossal calamity that dyed the world in terror.
And at that sight, the expressions of the Holy City’s people were worth seeing.
The helmeted man, too, flinched.
[T-That’s!]
Finally, the ferocious calamity’s howl echoed through heaven and earth. Moreover, this time was different from the Taurus incident.
Back then, the space had opened to the size of a rat hole, but now, the space opened wide enough to match the Red Eye’s body.
And the moment the space opened fully, the Red Eye thrust out its foreleg.
Boom!!
Steel-like arms and legs that looked as if they could hurl a mountain with one arm.
A beast’s head that made one’s knees go weak just by looking at it!
Whenever it squeezed out of the space, black lightning sparked from its dark-red body, as if it were holding lava within.
And on top of that, a tail that seemed as if it could raze a city in an instant!
In the end, the helmeted man, watching as if he couldn’t believe his eyes, was aghast.
[Isn’t that the Red Eye that the Lord used to raise!]
He was so flustered that he almost dropped the sword he was holding.
And at the calamity’s advent, the Holy City’s people nearly collapsed.
The gray dragon the helmeted man had ridden, and the newly summoned dragon, didn’t even compare.
Of course, he had thought those things exuded an aura similar to the Red Eye, but well.
“Kiiieeek!!!”
Seeing them actually standing side by side, everything—strength, intimidating presence, fear—was on a different level.
The Red Eye’s howl alone made one feel the fear of death.
Should it be called a silent howl? The saying that even a newborn, upon hearing that sound, wouldn’t cry but rather freeze, had not come about for nothing.
A sight that truly made one understand how it had nearly driven humanity to extinction twenty years ago.
And as if it had nearly died in the cramped space, the Red Eye spread its wings wide open as if it had been waiting.
“Kiiieeek!”
Simultaneously, the Saints and the Holy City’s people startled and froze.
No, of all things he could bring out into the world!
“Are you insane!! What have you just unleashed!”
The Red Eye’s very existence was humanity’s terror, and its energy was so vast that humans could not handle it.
“If it gets out of hand, half the Earth will be blown away!”
It was a double-edged sword.
And that was not all.
‘When Giselle summoned it, it was in a zombie-like state...!’
Was it an illusion that the Red Eye’s flesh and skin seemed mysteriously regenerated?
There was no corpse-like smell at all. It looked as if it had resurrected.
But whether they were surprised or not, the Red Eye’s characteristic shockwave spread out.
Boom!!!
The shockwave split the ground and swept away the monsters that had flown in at the helmeted man’s call.
Thanks to that, the helmeted man could only be dumbfounded.
That appearance, that power! That magical force!
It was unmistakably the Red Eye. The helmeted man’s voice had every reason to tremble.
[Why is one of the Great Scourges that the Lord cherished here!]
The Red Eye was a scourge so great that an unknown civilization had used it as the vanguard of their invasion of humanity!
And its title was [ ].
It was especially beloved among the Four Great Scourges that the Lords had specially raised.
Among its siblings, it had the greatest growth potential and its abilities were what the Lords treasured most.
But because it died when humans secretly attacked while it was in its power-accumulation phase, how much pain had they endured?
Anyway, they didn’t know which of the Saints had done it, but there had been much talk among them that the timing of the attack had been brilliantly chosen.
Well, that didn’t matter now.
What mattered now was that Lee Geon had summoned that thing.
[Speak! Why do you possess the Lord’s treasure!]
At the flustered voice, Lee Geon, being choked, sneered.
“Why? Can’t I have what’s yours?”
[Y-You bastard!]
It was the moment the flustered helmeted man was about to plunge his blade into Lee Geon’s body.
Bam!!!
[Kuk!]
The Red Eye’s hand slammed down beside the helmeted man.
As if telling him not to touch Lee Geon. Or perhaps, it might simply have been dissatisfaction.
“Kiiieek!!”
Indeed, the Red Eye that emerged from the space wore an expression full of dissatisfaction.
Surely, it was hungry from being trapped. And the only thing it had gotten to eat was the Taurus Saint that Lee Geon had thrown—but Taurus was the divine seat of ultimate defense.
It had chewed, but the meat was too tough, and that was why it was dissatisfied.
To the point that it had spat it out in the end because it was too tough.
So the starving Red Eye howled that it was hungry.
And perhaps, it had heard that protest-filled howl.
Lee Geon raised the corners of his mouth chillingly.
“Eat everything except humans.”
“Kiiieeek!!!”
As soon as permission was granted, the Red Eye let out a roar and attacked the monsters.
Boom!!
In an instant, the monsters were snatched up by the Red Eye’s teeth.
“Kiiieek!”
That was not all.
As if realizing who their opponent was, the monsters, even while being caught, couldn’t attack the Red Eye and were dragged away.
Clearly, they had realized that it was their leader from twenty years ago.
Crunch! Crunch!
By this point, the helmeted man could only be dumbfounded.
[What on earth is that bastard doing…!!]
Of course, the Red Eye was one of the Four Great Scourges.
It was fundamentally different from other monsters in origin and was strictly classified as divine-level.
Simply put, it could not be called a compatriot of monsters.
Moreover, since it would eat any kind of meat gladly, it was not a particularly strange sight.
[You’re on this side! Do you intend to betray the Lord!]
But the man’s voice didn’t seem to reach the excited Red Eye.
Boom! Boom!
[Prisoner 3 (Status: Hungry and Ferocious) devours a monster to appease its hunger.]
[Prisoner 3 belongs to Ophiuchus.]
[As a result of that influence, the devoured monster is converted into experience and enters Ophiuchus.]
[Converted into a tribute offering.]
[Sufficient to be recognized as an achievement.]
[Will you grant a name to Prisoner 3 in recognition of the achievement?]
“Yongyong.”
[The name ‘Yongyong’ has been bestowed.]
[Yongyong is attacked.]
[Due to Ophiuchus’s super regeneration, it recovers.]
[Yongyong (Status: Happy with plenty of prey) further sates its hunger.]
In the end, the helmeted man, as if possessed by spite, swung his greatsword.
Then, the sword’s magical force became a whirlwind and flew.
Boom!
The Red Eye, struck by the whirlwind, turned its head as if enraged. How dare some bastard interrupt its meal.
Thanks to that, the monsters it had been holding in its cheeks until they bulged came tumbling down.
But the Red Eye, having turned its head, flinched.
It must have recognized the helmeted man.
Just as expected.
The helmeted man, with a fiendish magical force glowing on his sword, exuded killing intent.
[Have you already forgotten who your master is!]
The Red Eye seemed momentarily flustered.
Indeed, that helmeted man was one of the loyal retainers who had served its masters.
If the human camp had Saints, then for them, there were those generals.
And the helmeted man bared his teeth.
[Are you fine with me reporting this fact to the Lord!]
At those words, the greatly flustered Red Eye opened its mouth wide.
At the same time, the monsters it had been holding like acorns came tumbling down.
And at the word “Lord”, the Red Eye began to fidget anxiously.
At that reaction, the helmeted man laughed.
[Yes, that’s how you should come out. If you’ve realized who your master is, hurry up and move.]
In the end, just as the Red Eye, watching for cues, was about to look at the humans.
“You die.”
“?!”
At Lee Geon’s voice that rang out, the Red Eye froze.
And just as expected.
Lee Geon’s eyes, held captive by the helmeted man, flashed.
“You want to go to that guy far away and get killed by me? Or do you want to get killed by me right now?”
At those words, the Red Eye began to tremble.
And no wonder—inside the Red Eye’s head, the memories of being killed tens of thousands of times by Lee Geon in the tower were vivid.
And that was not all.
Even outside the tower, the Red Eye had been beaten and beaten again by Lee Geon.
Until it finally surrendered and became a prisoner!
But to Lee Geon’s words, the helmeted man sneered as if it were absurd.
[What nonsense are you spouting? Do you think a low-grade god like you can even dare compare to the Lord? Do not ignore the loyalty of a faithful dog!]
At the same time, the helmeted man unleashed a violent magical force.
[Do you think that thing will even budge just because someone like you says so! Become an offering for the Lord!]
But at that moment.
Bam!!!
The helmeted man, who had been about to cut Lee Geon’s throat, was sent flying.
[Kuhuk…!!]
It was the Red Eye.
The Red Eye had struck the helmeted man with its tail and sent him flying.
And perhaps because the damage was considerable, the helmeted man coughed up blood.
In the end, the man who had flown glared at the Red Eye.
[What is the meaning of this!]
But as if telling him not to touch Lee Geon, the Red Eye bared its teeth at the helmeted man.
The helmeted man raised his sword as if flustered.
The Red Eye was the Lords’ pet.
A monster that was quite burdensome even for them to face.
[Are you truly fine with me telling the Lord!]
But as if it didn’t care, the Red Eye smacked the helmeted man away.
“Kiiieek!!”
It seemed that the fist nearby was far scarier than the fist far away.
Of course, Lee Geon had been captured by that bastard, but well. One could even say there was a feeling that it didn’t understand why Lee Geon was captured.
At the same time, Lee Geon, now freed, stood up with his eyes glinting.
“Well done, Yongyong. I’ll give you a reward. I’ll give you plenty to eat.”
“Kiiieeek!!!”
The Red Eye roared joyfully. Did this mean that changing masters had been a good choice?
But.
“And I’ll specially take just your tail to use.”
“Ki... Kiiiek?!”
The Red Eye’s tail shrank back.
And at that sight, both the Saints and the Holy City’s people were dumbfounded.
‘That madman!’
They wondered if what they were seeing was reality.
“D-Did he just tame the Red Eye?”
“U-Uncle, as expected.”
Especially Hugo was appalled for a different reason.
No matter what, the Red Eye was the arch-villain that had caused Lee Geon’s death.
To think of using the very culprit that had killed him.
‘What kind of nerves does he have…!’
And it was then.
[Keuk…!]
Lee Geon approached the helmeted man.
In his hand, he was holding something.
(To be continued...)