In truth, the helmeted man already knew about Lee Geon.
After all, the Sovereign was searching for the human who had killed the Red Eyes. And there had been a story relayed through Giselle.
It was probably not long after the Demon Tower had been destroyed.
[What? That human escaped from the Demon Tower?]
At his subordinate’s words, the helmeted man had narrowed his brow.
[Wasn't that tower managed by one of the 13 Generals?]
[Yes. And it seems the General of the tower was also killed by that human. From what I sensed, it appears he awakened as a Stellar God….]
At that, the Sovereign had shown interest.
To the Sovereigns, the power of a Stellar God was excellent nourishment.
That was why the helmeted man had also taken an interest in Lee Geon.
[If we capture him, the Sovereign will be pleased.]
[But General. Is it alright? We don't even know the extent of that bastard's divinity.]
[True. Seeing that the wounds on his body were healed, his divinity might be strong. Perhaps even stronger than a General-grade….]
But at those words, a woman laughed.
"Lee Geon, stronger than a General-grade? That's preposterous."
It was Giselle, who had been to the Unknown Civilization's side.
Though speaking through an agent, she was greatly displeased by the talk of Lee Geon.
"Don't put him in the same category as a Stellar God. Honestly, this is why I should have killed the Shrine bastards who deified him in the first place."
Deification is terrifying.
The memories of the dead are often beautified and remain etched in the heart forever.
Surely, even after Lee Geon died, there were still those who thought of him as a god, causing him to manifest a god's power.
In any case, a god grows stronger the more they are worshipped. And though not certain, Hugo likely played a significant part in that.
But that was all there was to it.
"It's certainly astonishing that he regenerated his body, but seeing how he fights, I know."
[!]
"Due to deification, his body has taken on divinity, but that power is the same as 20 years ago. No, it's even slightly below his prime."
Giselle stated definitively.
"No, it's not just slightly below. At that level, he's no match for your Generals, let alone your Sovereigns. So don't worry."
Giselle raised the corner of her mouth.
"Right now, Lee Geon is nothing more than a baby snake. Anyone here could crush him in an instant."
Giselle declared there was absolutely no chance.
She shot back, saying if they were truly uneasy, she would go handle it herself.
And now, present time.
Crunch!
The helmeted man and the Sovereign felt an ominous sensation.
'This… power?'
* * *
In fact, a signal had been coming continuously.
[In exchange for completely reconstructing your body, you have incurred a slight penalty.]
[Penalty: Physical Ability 50% Reduction]
(Remaining Time: 1,032 hours)]
……
[Penalty: Physical Ability 50% Reduction]
(Remaining Time: 27 hours 54 minutes 11 seconds)]
From the very beginning. Likely since emerging from the tower. The penalty notification window that had been constantly alerting him.
And the time that penalty ended strangely coincided with the Unknown Civilization's second invasion.
As if telling him to use this power to fend off the Unknown Civilization's attack.
And as if his power had been deliberately sealed until the bastards appeared, the timings had overlapped.
Of course, it could have been a coincidence.
In the first place, even with the penalty, it hadn't caused any major hindrance in combat.
'Just need to stall for a little time until the penalty ends.'
He had also taken the Leo Stellar God's items, so there was no problem.
It was just that the power of the invading bastards was greater than he thought, making him think humanity might truly be doomed.
Especially the power of the Sovereign-grade the bastard had summoned was beyond imagination, to the point of cursing.
[Nightmare]
The moment that power pierced his body, Lee Geon witnessed a sight so infuriating it made him swear.
It was an event over 20 years ago.
From the time he awakened as the 13th.
'You like those 12 that much?'
'Yeah. Isn't it amazing? They said they'd risk their lives to save all of humanity. I'm grateful, so I give thanks. Just yesterday, I collected donations and sent them.'
'That's hardly a donation with just 50,000 won. Stop collecting stuff like that when you're going hungry without even eating properly.'
'Even so, you like the 12 too, Geon.'
'Right. Because those 12 are the strongest of humanity.'
That person's birthday.
The day he went out of his way to take them to a department store, suggesting they eat dinner together.
But the day countless people died because of an unexpected monster attack.
[Warning. Due to the Sovereign's power, you will see ]
'There seem to be people still inside, can we go out?'
'It's fine. The more time we buy, the more desperate the Korean government gets and they'll raise the pay. Tell them there was no one there.'
'Is it okay to say that here?'
'It's fine. One is deaf, and the other guy is already dead anyway.'
'True, there's no hope for the other floors either.'
[Warning. Forces you to see your most hated memory]
[Your mind wavers]
[Divinity decreases]
[Divine Rank 29%]
'Anyway, they can't handle the monsters that appeared here either. They already refused, saying they didn't want to come. Ignore it.'
'Geon, did you see? It's alright now. Those people went to get help. They'll definitely come.'
In the nightmare shown by the Sovereign, Lee Geon witnessed his most hated sight.
And the final scene was the face of that person, comforting him to the very end, being devoured by the monster.
Because of that, Lee Geon felt fury boiling within him.
Even knowing it was a nightmare conjured by a skill, anger surged up.
So he grabbed the arm of the bastard pulling this trick.
And then.
[Penalty Lifted]
Along with that notification, light erupted from Lee Geon's body.
And at that light, the helmeted man flinched. But only for a moment, the helmeted man raised the corner of his mouth.
[So you struggle, fancying yourself a Stellar God.]
After all, there was the information he had heard from Giselle.
The helmeted man summoned black demonic energy and wrapped it around Lee Geon's arm.
[Huh. You're just a low-level god anyway. First, I'll crush this insignificant hand of yours….]
But it was then.
[Kurgh!!!]
The helmeted man screamed.
And at that scream, Kevin and Stephen could not help but doubt their own eyes.
"What is that…!"
Because what had been crushed before their eyes was the helmeted man's arm.
Crunch!
And it wasn't simply crushed. It was more like ground meat, perhaps. The flesh and bone just shattered and fell away.
Eventually, from the excruciating pain, the helmeted man's scream echoed out.
[Aagh!]
The helmeted man glared at Lee Geon, bewildered.
[What skill did this bastard suddenly…!]
A General-grade body wasn't even torn when the Red Eyes bit into it.
And now, under the influence of the Sovereign's power, all the more so!
But the helmeted man couldn't even continue his words.
Boom!!!
Caught by Lee Geon's flash-like kick to the face, he was sent flying.
He couldn't even let out a scream.
Thud!
The helmeted man's vision blurred.
[K-kurgh!]
A situation where it was hard to even think, let alone open his mouth.
Even half his face had been blown away. If he hadn't summoned the Sovereign's demonic energy, it was a situation where he truly might not have known if he was dead or alive.
'How in the world did this happen?'
Barely clinging to consciousness, the helmeted man was bewildered.
He couldn't grasp what situation had just unfolded.
But that was only for a moment; the helmeted man could do nothing but tremble.
It was because of the human approaching him.
[Hugh…!]
Lee Geon.
That man was approaching.
But his aura was completely different from before.
Boom!
A sound that shook heaven and earth rang out, and in its wake, the ground split apart.
And a giant, circular light that enveloped Lee Geon!
A green light and a black light blends into one, soaring into the sky.
[The penalty has been completely lifted]
[You can use 100% of your body's power]
The helmeted man froze completely.
It was different from when the Instinct to Transcend Gods had activated.
Back then, it simply felt like his power had exploded, but now, calling it a mere explosion would be an understatement.
There was no other way to describe it.
'Clearly, his body is merely smaller than mine, no, smaller than the Sovereign's.'
Overwhelming.
It wasn't like the feeling of seeing a massive typhoon.
Such a thing was far too trivial.
A planet so large his own existence felt like dust.
It feels as if a planet capable of holding thousands of typhoons that could cover the entire Earth is pressing right before his eyes.
Indeed, one of the Saints watching this muttered involuntarily.
"A Stellar God."
No one could deny that statement.
And the same was true for the Saints, who encountered Stellar Gods more often than anyone else.
'Is he crazy? That's the descent of a Stellar God…!'
Both Stephen and Kevin could not help but doubt their own eyes.
It was the same feeling as when they had first met their Stellar Gods.
Of course, they hadn't been completely unaware of the signs.
Kevin had been the first to be suspicious, and he was almost certain when the subordinate gods of the Virgo constellation collectively kneeled on one knee to show their respects.
And Stephen had also been doubtful after hearing what the helmeted man had said just moments ago.
'Though I thought there was no way that could be true, but still.'
But seeing that spectacle, no one could deny it.
After all, no matter how you looked at it, wasn't that a Stellar God?
It remarkably resembled the feeling when the Leo Stellar God personally descended not long ago.
'No, it's even more vicious than that…!'
That's why it was terrifying.
Just as a person needs to be strong to wield a strong object, the same goes for Stellar Gods.
A strong Saint is needed to bear a strong Stellar God.
If that's the case, how capable must the Saints be who will have to serve something like that?
No, could they even follow that Stellar God?
The two Saints felt chills run down their spines.
Indeed, their own Stellar Gods, who had shown little reaction to Lee Geon's appearances until now, stirred restlessly.
[The masters of the twelve seats begin to stir]
[The master of the Golden Mane Constellation shudders in fear]
[There is a Sovereign who has begun to show interest]
[Due to the power of the Serpent Master, one of the long-slumbering Sovereigns has awakened]
At this, Kevin hurriedly turned his head. The place he turned his gaze towards was none other than the unconscious Cheon siblings and Hugo.
And the one Kevin urgently tried to wake was Hugo.
"Wake up, Shrine! That is your Stellar God! Even seeing this, will you still not believe?!"
Simultaneously, Hugo, who had been trapped in a nightmare, groaned and began to open his eyes.
And it was then.
[Oh, don't come!]
The helmeted man stepped backwards.
But.
[Kugh!]
In an instant, his neck was grabbed by Lee Geon. It was the exact opposite of the situation moments before.
The bewildered helmeted man's mouth flapped open.
[How could y… Kurgh!]
However, the helmeted man was slammed into the ground while still being choked.
[Hugh…!]
And the monster with snake eyes raised the corner of its mouth.
[Now that I think about it, you're a bastard, aren't you? Long ago, you were the one who babbled on, calling it a declaration of war, about humans having to give up land if they didn't want to die.]
[……!!]
The helmeted man was startled.
The divine word.
Simultaneously, a green light gathered into his right fist.
As if venting all the frustration of being on the receiving end until now, fiercely so!
Lee Geon grinned eerily.
[I give those words right back to you.]
[Sov…!]
Lee Geon's fist flew towards the helmeted man.
Boom!!!
A green light exploded.
(Continued in the next episode)