A very familiar scene unfolded before Lee Geon's eyes.
Of course, the view wasn't like watching a movie.
'A bird's-eye view.'
It was a sight one might imagine if a bird were to look down upon a city.
And what he saw was the still clear sky, and the peaceful streets of Jongno, Seoul, not yet marred by destroyed buildings.
At first, City Hall Plaza came into view, and as the bird turned its head, Deoksugung Palace appeared—a palace now vanished from existence.
That was why Lee Geon, witnessing this scene, felt bewildered.
'This moment was definitely...'
He was certain.
The year 2001, when people were terrified by the invasion of monsters, yet still held hope because of the twelve Awakened Ones.
At the same time, a sound came from somewhere.
[Breaking news. Ivan of Taurus, who appeared six months ago to defeat the monster in Washington, has this time...]
[The U.S. Department of Defense is pushing forward to sign an exclusive mercenary contract with Ivan of Taurus...]
He couldn't see it, but it was clearly a news report playing on the streets.
And Lee Geon remembered the events of this day with absolute clarity.
How could he not? This was the day he became the thirteenth Awakened.
The report continued.
It was the voice of the Taurus Star Saint, Ivan.
[Do not worry. Should a monster appear, I will come to face it anywhere, anytime. The Star God who empowers this mercenary will surely punish all evil.]
[Did you hear that? Donations for that great warrior are pouring in from all over the world.]
[The funds delivered by the Korean government are also considerable.]
[With them and the Star Gods, there is nothing to fear!]
But Lee Geon knew the truth.
The current time was 4 PM. And he knew that two hours later, Seoul would collapse.
He knew that the Star Saints they implored to save them all, and the Star Gods they worshipped, would vanish without a trace.
He knew that everyone in Jongno would die, and that person would die too.
He wondered why such a thing was now suddenly replaying before his eyes, but soon understood the reason.
[Information Extraction of 'Gluttony' is activating]
[Tracing Footprints (S)]
-Extracts all past history inscribed upon a soul by making contact with the target's soul
-The memory can be read during the information extraction process
Simply put, this sight was General Lee's past memory.
When the Scribe had to record events he hadn't personally witnessed into the Bible, he would read the memories of a specific person and extract them into text.
And this was that process.
But if this truly was General Lee's memory...
'That day, were those bastards the ones who invaded Seoul?'
And that thought was correct.
[Humans are truly noisy creatures.]
A familiar face appeared in his field of vision.
It was none other than the General of Abundance, who had just now invaded his sanctuary.
As the general with a goat's head and a sorcerer's robe flicked his fingers, countless monsters stealthily entered the city.
At the same time, the view shifted.
It was the perspective of another monster. He wondered what happened, but soon heard Guisun's voice.
[Argh, this bastard is also a general-class, so he's connected to a Monarch. Aagh, I hate this! What if that Monarch bastard uses this to counter-invade? So please, you damn God, let go of this hand!]
Guisun wailed, but it seemed he was carrying out Lee Geon's orders faithfully nonetheless.
[Infiltrating General Lee's soul]
[Stealing the General's background information]
[Warning. In the process, you are connecting to the network of the Ruler linked to the General.]
[Warning. Information may be mixed with that of other monsters connected to the network.]
[Warning. There is a risk of being detected by the Supreme Ruler.]
Simply put, it was likely that all monsters were connected to their respective kings, the Monarchs.
Whether it was brainwaves or some special signal system, it was the network of their group.
And that network structure was probably a hierarchical one.
Therefore, while the lowest-grade monsters were far from the Monarchs, a General-class would be close to them.
'I can sufficiently extract the Monarch's information.'
And since a General-class likely had many subordinates connected in between, the high possibility of interference from other monsters made sense.
'So that's why the perspective changed.'
Just moments ago, it was a bird's point of view, but now it was different.
Judging by its movement speed, the places it landed, and the height...
'A fly.'
This time, it was looking at the inside of a building.
And it was harder to see clearly than the view from the bird monster earlier, appearing blurry.
But soon, Lee Geon flinched.
"Can we really come here? A department store is expensive."
A familiar voice rang out.
The view was a bit blurry, but perhaps because it was a monster, the sound came through with absolute clarity.
And then.
Lee Geon saw two very familiar figures.
One was himself, communicating in sign language, and the other was...
"Yeah, then I'll have tonkatsu."
"I like tonkatsu."
Though he couldn't hear the sounds of the world, Lee Geon gritted his teeth at the voice that was more beautiful than any sound on earth.
The person before his eyes was someone he couldn't possibly not know.
She had been by his side since he could first remember.
Though not related by blood, he had considered her family since their days at the orphanage and had cherished her just as much.
That was why rage involuntarily flared in Lee Geon's eyes upon confirming that face.
And although he hadn't known it back then, from his current perspective, he could clearly see it.
The gazes of the monsters hiding throughout the building.
That wasn't all.
Even the employee guiding them through the department store was a monster.
That's why, seeing their retreating figures heading towards the elevator, Lee Geon grew desperate.
He tried to reach out, telling himself to get out of there, that it was the wrong way, but the elevator doors closed mercilessly.
Crash!
And in the next moment, as devastating as that despair, Lee Geon saw the thing he least wanted to see.
It was the same nightmarish sight he had witnessed when fighting the Helmet Brute.
Rumble!
A fire breaking out in the department store, and all the streets of Jongno helplessly succumbing to the monster invasion.
Thump! Thump!
And inside the department store building, trusting the words of the Star Saints and Star Gods who said they would soon arrive, people huddled together in relief.
"It's okay, it's okay. They said it's more dangerous outside and to definitely wait inside."
"I hate this, Mom, I'm scared. I want to go outside!"
"Baby, let's be patient a little longer. They said if we wait inside, those beings will surely come to rescue us."
It was just as he remembered.
But what differed from his memory was that this was now from a monster's point of view.
Meaning he could see scenes he hadn't been able to back then.
And as evidence, a monster of a completely different order appeared amidst the monster-infested fire scene.
Flash!
Black wings, like a crow.
A hideous monster emerged alongside a black mist.
Rumble!
It was a Monarch.
[Ah, ah! Our Monarch of 'Famine'...!]
All the monsters who had been devouring and trampling upon humans put down their prey and worshipped.
And then, something astonishing happened.
Flash!
The massive monster, who appeared to be the Monarch, transformed into a human.
It was a young man in a suit, possessing an appearance so beautiful it rivaled Hayley's.
[Have you found what I spoke of?]
[Yes, it is that one. Just as the foolish Star Gods tipped off. Especially the Capella Star Saint blabbed about it while drunk, not even noticing us.]
[Really?]
The Monarch's brow furrowed.
His aura alone made him seem like a demon, not a human.
So bizarre, so alien, it sent chills down the spine.
And he was a monster with eyes just as chillingly cold.
But Lee Geon flinched only for a moment.
It was because of the place the Monarch from that time was heading towards. There lay his unconscious self and that person.
In other words, this must have been something that happened while he was unconscious.
And at that instant, Lee Geon could not help but curse under his breath.
In the blink of an eye, that person's limbs were torn apart.
Crunch!
Of course, he couldn't see the sight that followed.
Because the perspective observing the scene had shifted to another monster.
Yet even so, he could hear the sound.
[You have achieved your objective. Shall we withdraw now?]
[No. Make all humans in this land our food. That was my intention from the start.]
But it was right then.
Amidst the Monarch's sneer telling them to enjoy themselves fully, a light burst forth.
Along with the Scribe's urgent voice.
[Hey! God! I think the Monarch spotted us! Quickly!]
Simultaneously, a notification sound rang out.
[Background extraction of 'Gluttony' has been successfully completed]
[Warning. The Ruler has noticed the network intruder.]
At the same time, Lee Geon pulled his hand out of the Scribe.
Boom!
With the shock, General Lee, whose body had been pierced, vomited blood, and Hugo looked at Lee Geon with surprise.
"Geon-ah, are you okay?"
Hugo looked at Lee Geon, his face full of worry.
How could he not be, given Lee Geon's expression as he held the Scribe's arm and pierced the General's body?
Of course, having thrust his hand in, only a few seconds had passed.
But just watching him, one could tell.
What Lee Geon's state of mind was right now. And what kind of killing intent was contained in the magic power slowly rising off him.
It was an anger Hugo had never felt from him before, and so he was worried first and foremost.
"Geon—"
"...Yeon-Woo."
"!"
The voice he heard for a moment was quite small.
But he definitely heard the name.
'Yeon-Woo?'
But that was only for a moment. Screams echoed through the pit.
Lee Geon's eyes flashed as he grabbed the Generals by their throats.
"Speak. Was it you bastards who invaded Seoul 24 years ago? Led by the Monarchs?"
[...!]
The Generals flinched at the question, and Hugo was also surprised.
And for good reason, as the Seoul invasion 24 years ago was counted among the worst disasters in history.
He hadn't been able to go because he was in a war in Australia, but it was the invasion famed for Lee Geon's awakening.
'But I didn't know a Monarch-class had personally shown up.'
But that thought was fleeting as Lee Geon twisted the Generals' necks.
"Are you deaf? I asked if it was the Monarch of Time who appeared that day. Oh, and now that I think of it, besides the Monarch of Famine, I think I saw your face too."
As Lee Geon's gaze fixed on the General of Abundance, the Generals were thrown into panic.
They meant that this bastard had put his hand into their bodies and ripped out even that kind of information.
Of course, it seemed he had used some kind of memory extraction skill...
'He's linked to the Monarch-nim, so it should be impossible to tear it out so easily... how...!'
But Lee Geon just smiled coldly.
'Without a doubt, that is the Monarch of Time.'
It was the same one who had severed ties with the Song Monarch at the Demon's Tower not long ago.
But that wasn't the only thing that piqued his interest.
'He looks remarkably like that crab bastard.'
Indeed.
The face of the Monarch of Time resembled that of the Capricorn Star Saint, Zhang Rui.
Of course, it wasn't strange.
After all, the Talisman that Zhang Rui had used to stab and imprison him was also an artifact of the Monarch of Time.
If Zhang Rui hadn't been connected to the Monarch of Time, he wouldn't have been able to trap him in the Demon's Tower.
But right now, that wasn't what was important.
"24 years ago. You seemed to be looking for something in Seoul. What did you find?"
[I have no obligation to tell you that... Cough!]
Lee Geon's red eyes flashed.
"I'll give you 5 seconds."
No sooner had he spoken than the Fighting Spirit Instinct skill activated.
And before Lee Geon, who had unleashed 100% of his Star God's power, the two Generals felt as if even their breathing was being crushed.
Of course, the Seoul invasion was originally about securing food after conquering China.
And it was an invasion that had ended in a massive loss when all the people they intended to use as food were resurrected, along with the birth of the thirteenth Awakened...
[One, we were looking for the thirteenth Star God. The Calamity God who would destroy everything...]
But that was when it happened.
Flash!
A black light surged from the bodies of the two Generals whose necks he was gripping.
It came from an unexpected source.
[The Monarch of 'Famine' requests negotiations]
[He promises that if you release his precious 13 Knights, he will absolutely not touch the domain of the Serpent Lord]
[He says he will help you deal with the Monarch of 'Time']
Was it deliberately mimicking the Star God system to communicate with him?
And disgustingly, Abundance, imitating the Star God, spoke.
[He says his subordinate never participated in the events of 24 years ago]
[He says he and the Calamity God can become good friends]
Even before the words finished, the fierce light in Lee Geon's snake-like eyes gleamed murderously.
And then.
Bang!!!
The head of the General of Abundance burst apart under the grip of his hand!
Crunch!
Finally, with splattering drops of blood, Lee Geon's lips twisted up viciously.
"Get lost. You're all dead."
Thud.
The corpses collapsed, beaten to a pulp.
(Continued in the next episode)