“What about Igeon?”
From the very start, he was a man who stood out.
And no wonder, since Igeon was a monster you couldn’t even associate with from the moment you laid eyes on him.
To be honest, it was hard to understand how Sagittarius could even sit down and eat with someone like him.
‘That’s straight out of Beauty and the Beast.’
So at first, Zhang Rui didn’t pay Igeon much mind either.
A mutant.
A guy who got lucky and gained power after being exposed to the force the Twelve Star Gods emanated.
That’s what everyone thought back then.
‘He must have been exposed to the power of Sagittarius’s Star God.’
The fact that his body was so wrecked from not being able to withstand a god’s power told you all you needed to know.
Of course, Hugo claimed, “Igeon wasn’t affected by Sagittarius at all—on the contrary, he was strong enough to save me,” but no one believed him.
Not until they saw that strength with their own eyes.
No one showed it outwardly, but they recognized that Igeon was exceptional.
Even with that nasty, foul personality, he was the strongest—and his courage, judgment, tactics, even his weapon-making skills.
Everything about him surpassed the Twelve.
And Zhang Rui had a different reason for hating Igeon.
“Excuse me? You’re telling me not to do business with people’s lives?”
“Yeah. I’m saying cut the crap.”
“Why? You can’t save everyone anyway. If the outcome’s already decided, isn’t it better to save the ones who’ll be more profitable?”
“Oh, you little bastard. You really don’t get it, do you?”
“The one who doesn’t get it is you, isn’t it? Who’s the one running wild without a thought for the image of the Divine Throne and then acting like a saint?”
“Hey.”
“If you can, then just save them all yourself. I’ll just save the ones who can pay me.”
If you’re so capable, then do it. She had sneered, but to her astonishment—
[Igeon liberates all prisoners of war]
[Igeon’s incredible rescue operation: “The combination with Sagittarius is truly amazing”]
Igeon was a man who accomplished the seemingly impossible every time and made a fool out of her.
And that infuriated her.
No matter what she did, Igeon stood out.
Most decisively, Igeon sensed her schemes every single time.
No matter what abilities she laid down for her crimes, she was always obstructed and dismantled by Igeon.
For someone who was steadily conquering the underworld one piece at a time, it was a disgrace.
‘He’s nothing but a man who can’t lift a finger against us who have Star Gods.’
So, of course, she considered killing him, but the Star Gods thought highly of Igeon.
Because even without the Star Gods lifting a finger, Igeon was killing all the monsters.
So when she received a request from the Libra, it was quite surprising.
“You’re saying you want me to kill Igeon in the Demon Tower? You’re leaving it to me?”
“Yes. Of course, you’re the spare key. The key prepared in case of failure.”
Giselle smiled and held out a sword.
A blade stamped with the seal of the Monarch.
With this, she said, she could numb Igeon’s senses and easily catch him from behind.
“Igeon’s physical condition right now is serious. The pain is probably at the level of a terminal cancer patient. He might even die before reaching the top of the tower.”
“!”
“So I don’t think it’ll come to that, but you never know what might happen.”
“In other words, if Igeon catches the Red Eye, I’m to stab him to death myself.”
“Yes. Of course, since the risk is high, a clone in the form of Virgo could stab Igeon…”
“No. I’ll do it myself.”
“What?”
Zhang Rui smiled.
“No matter how it goes, it’s Igeon. A clone or something won’t be able to stab that man in the back. He’s a demonically sharp guy.”
That wasn’t exactly wrong, but she wanted to kill Igeon with her own hands.
“And I have a connection inside that tower.”
From the start, Giselle had thought it would be fine if Igeon died to the Red Eye, but well.
‘I can’t let him die so easily.’
He’d always finished off every monster with that self-assured face, but well.
Could he really keep that expression in a trap that endlessly repeated itself?
‘Taste despair in an unending hell.’
And in that despair, die alone and lonely.
That must have been just before she entered the Demon Tower.
“What the hell, you beggar bastards. You’re still not all gathered? When do you think I sent out the notice??”
“Igeon, calm down. There’s still an hour left. Who shows up this early?”
“Why! Scorpio is here! Look! He’s the first one here!”
“Yeah, though he’s hiding in the bushes because he hates you.”
“……!!”
“Anyway, Igeon, don’t you even think about going into the tower. I’ll catch the Red Eye in your place…”
“Get lost! Where do you get off! You think you can catch it!”
“Cough!”
Igeon was furious, but in truth, Zhang Rui, Kevin, and the Pisces Saint were also there.
It was to switch places with Kevin, who had arrived five hours earlier.
The method wasn’t difficult.
From the start, she specialized in weakening the power of the Cancer Star God.
And the Pisces Saint transformed Zhang Rui.
“This is a transformation ability at the Star God level. With this, you can even copy Kevin’s abilities for a short time. They’ll never notice.”
But the Pisces Saint seemed uneasy.
“But are you sure this is okay? If we’re caught, it’s over.”
Zhang Rui scoffed at that unease.
“If you’re that scared, then just transform again and hide somewhere in the tower.”
“……!”
And so they climbed the tower.
Zhang Rui herself transformed into Kevin of Virgo, while her clone acted as Zhang Rui.
And as she climbed, she began to understand why the Star Gods wanted Igeon dead.
Igeon was strong.
Overwhelmingly so. It wasn’t just about raw power.
“Kikiek!!!”
He analyzed the patterns of monsters he’d never seen before in an instant and dealt with them. He sensed danger in a flash and made them flee.
“Don’t touch those ones! The main body is behind them!”
“Kikiek!”
If Igeon hadn’t been the leader, if it hadn’t been for his strategies, all twelve of them would have died in that tower many times over.
It was a feeling that if it weren’t for his physical condition, he might even threaten the authority of the Star Gods themselves.
Well, it didn’t matter either way.
‘That bastard dies here anyway.’
Zhang Rui carried out her plan inside the tower.
[Monster Summon]
She had already shoved Scorpio, the thorn in her side, and Sophie, who had healing abilities, into a lower floor under the guise of an accident.
Hugo she sent out around the 90th floor as planned.
Moreover, many of the Star Gods were actively helping to kill Igeon.
[Wound Amplification]
[Pain Amplification]
[Movement Dull]
[Energy Drain]
[Erectile Dysfunction]
[Hair Loss]
[Stamina Reduction]
On top of that, there were dozens of curses secretly placed by the Star Gods. It was frankly admirable that he had even made it to the 100th floor despite those curses.
But even that was about to end.
As soon as they reached the 100th floor, the cowardly Saints began to flee.
“Run! We can never catch that thing!”
The Saints who faced the Red Eye scattered.
Of course, the Star Gods’ magic also made the Saints more frightened than usual, causing them to flee.
In any case, it was comedy that Steven, most affected by the magic, fled first in terror.
And so Igeon was supposed to die, becoming prey for the Red Eye.
But.
“Kikiek!!!”
The moment Igeon instead sliced off the Red Eye’s head, Giselle and the Star Gods were horrified.
‘He’s insane! To cut off the Red Eye’s head even while under the Star Gods’ curses!’
But Zhang Rui smiled.
Well, honestly, if Igeon had been eaten by the Red Eye, she would have been disappointed in him.
So Zhang Rui smiled and executed her plan.
The moment Igeon cut off the Red Eye’s head and, looking ready to collapse from exhaustion, moved to check for damage to the city—
Thud!
“Cough!”
She stabbed him.
At the same time, she triggered the trap as she had arranged with the tower manager.
The ground beneath Igeon vanished, and he plummeted.
After that, she never saw Igeon again.
After that, she had tried to falsify Igeon’s achievements and erase his existence.
She definitely had.
But now.
Crunch!
“Cough!”
In this moment.
The Sky’s Judgment struck down upon Zhang Rui’s hand.
Her wrist severed in an instant, Zhang Rui screamed.
“Aargh!”
Blood gushed out. She glared at Igeon with bloodshot eyes, but well.
“You should at least keep your lies within reason, you shameless bastard.”
Igeon’s eyes were flashing as if he couldn’t take it anymore.
But in that situation, Kevin was actually flustered.
What on earth was this about?
Swallowing her pain, Zhang Rui muttered curses.
“Looks like you’re jumping to conclusions again just to show off. It wasn’t me. The Virgo Saint stabbed you—cough!!”
Crunch!
Igeon chopped off her other hand as well.
As if snipping off crab claws, he cut off the hand that had stabbed him first.
And Igeon laughed as if it was repulsive.
“You’re still lying to the very end. That guy never even entered the tower in the first place.”
“……!!”
Kevin wore a bewildered expression, and the smile vanished from Zhang Rui’s face.
But regardless, Igeon furrowed his brow.
“What? Am I wrong? Oh, I can just ask the Virgo Star God. Ask him, since he can’t lie to his Saint.”
At this, the Virgo Star God seemed extremely flustered.
[The Star God says he is not obligated to answer everything. He has exercised his right to refuse.]
Igeon laughed as if disgusted.
“Don’t play games.”
His eyes turned red.
[The Authority of Ophiuchus has been activated]
[Virgo is a subordinate of Ophiuchus. By contract, the subordinate Divine Throne must carry out the orders of the head Divine Throne.]
“Now, ask.”
At the same time, Kevin shouted in fury.
“Goddess! Is it true I never entered the tower?”
[The Master of the Full Moon is troubled, telling you not to do this.]
“Ah, that’s it! I’m quitting this Divine Throne!”
[The horrified Master of the Full Moon laments and says it is true. She testifies that you were attacked and collapsed outside the tower.]
Kevin’s blood boiled.
This damned Star God!?
“Why didn’t you wake me up? You should have beaten me to death and dragged me in!”
[The Master of the Full Moon says she could not wake you with her power. And she says she felt a foreboding that something would happen inside.]
[She says the safety of her Saint was her priority.]
At the same time, Kevin choked up.
Wait, what the hell!
“Then why didn’t you tell me just now!”
[She says she was afraid that, given her Saint’s temperament, his faith would drop if she spoke.]
“It’s already dropped as far as it can, you stupid Star God!”
Then something astonishing happened.
[Ophiuchus Faith has increased]
[Ophiuchus Faith has surpassed Virgo Faith]
[The Master of the Full Moon is horrified and weeps]
[The Master of the Full Moon cries out, promising to grant any request.]
But Igeon paid it little mind.
It was only natural for a Star God to prioritize her own Saint.
It was a natural action for the Master of the Full Moon.
Rather, what mattered now was that Zhang Rui had stabbed him and thrown him into that trap.
‘A hundred percent, this is connected to the unknown civilization.’
Otherwise, the manager there wouldn’t have appeared as if waiting for him.
Well, it didn’t matter.
“I’m not going to kill you right away. I’ll make you taste the same pain I did.”
The Sky’s Judgment cut off Zhang Rui’s arm below the shoulder.
Bang!
“Cough!”
It was exactly the same arm that had been severed after Igeon fell into the trap.
Half-conscious, Zhang Rui ground her teeth.
The Star God’s blessing wouldn’t work, and even when she tried to divide, it didn’t work at all.
‘Why on earth!’
And as if reading that expression, Igeon smiled with his snake eyes.
“Curious why you can’t divide?”
“……!!”
“I chewed up and ate your Star God’s core.”
“!”
Zhang Rui looked at Igeon in horror.
A look asking how he could eat that and still be alive.
“Well, thanks to that, I got a unique poison.”
It was poison exclusive to Ophiuchus.
He hadn’t done many experiments, but its primary effect was paralysis.
It could paralyze not only skills but even authorities for a certain period.
And the moment he had blown off her face, Zhang Rui had already been corroded by Igeon’s poison.
At the same time, the venomous snake smiled menacingly.
“Anyway, because of my poison, you can’t divide, right? Well, I should test the secondary effect too.”
“……!!”
Zhang Rui’s expression twisted.
Indeed, perhaps because of the poison, breathing became agonizing and her magic was fading.
But the light in Zhang Rui’s eyes did not die.
‘Damn it, then I have to collapse the Divine Throne’s power itself.’
If she could just create an opening, she could use her trump card.
‘I just need him to look away for one second.’
No, not even a second.
Just a mere instant, if she could just divert his gaze.
And so perhaps that was why.
“You’re certainly strong. And since you’ve awakened as a Star God, you’ve gotten even stronger. But what about the others?”
“What?”
“The Seongdo is both a growth element for a Star God and a weakness. Do you think we’d leave that alone?”
Moreover, the Saints Igeon had chosen were fledglings who had just reached SS-rank.
Kill them, and you could chip away at the Divine Throne’s energy.
“My subordinates have already gone to kill your Saints.”
Sure enough.
“Aargh!”
“!”
A scream was heard from afar. Of course, it was impossible to tell whose scream it was yet.
Zhang Rui swallowed hard.
This was her chance.
‘Now.’
All Igeon had to do was turn his head.
But it was then.
“What? Who’s going to kill who?”
Igeon didn’t move an inch.
And far from having his gaze stolen, he grabbed Zhang Rui’s throat as if disgusted.
“Don’t underestimate the ones I chose.”
From Igeon’s body, a green and black light surged forth.
(To be continued in the next episode)