Boom!
The earth shook.
And with it, Hugo felt his breath catch.
It was a powerful force, as if his hands and feet were seized and dragged to the Earth’s core in one breath.
So, Hugo, who was in Igeon’s workshop, was bewildered.
‘This feeling… it’s definitely.’
Was it when the unknown civilization invaded again?
The intense feeling he’d had when that helmeted bastard who declared war on humanity had barged in.
Of course, it wasn’t the energy of the general who had been that helmet back then.
That one had been absurdly strong too, but there had been another behind him, as if watching over him.
At such a great distance that only its presence could be felt, it never revealed itself in the end.
And their Holy God and Hayley had spoken of those beings.
The leader of the enemy forces that formed an army.
Just as their side had , the other side formed a and ruled like Holy Gods.
And the aura of that monarch-class being was now beginning to be felt.
What’s more, this time it wasn’t just a simple presence like back then.
‘It’s crawled out onto this land.’
A terrifying sensation as if one’s very soul was being sucked out through a straw from their organs.
Because of that, Hugo felt fear.
What’s more, the aura wasn’t even being felt nearby.
It was across the sea, in a far distant part of the continent.
Yet this bizarre feeling was so intense that even looking toward it brought revulsion.
At the same time, Hugo understood.
“So that’s why Igeon disappeared.”
He must have sensed this power and vanished straight toward its origin.
For anything related to monsters, he was as quick as a shark smelling blood.
But that was when.
[The Master of Scorching Leo is in despair.]
[He agonizes, saying one second would have been enough, why didn’t he heal him and go.]
At the sight of his master prostrate and despairing, Hugo flared up.
“Argh! You damn god of a b*stard! Please!”
What was it with Igeon, and why were all their so-called masters like this?
‘If the holy saints saw this side of the gods, their faith would plummet.’
They should appreciate how much effort they were putting into deifying them.
Whatever. Hugo looked at the Master of Scorching Leo engulfed in flames and flared up.
“I’ll even make a wig and put it on Igeon, so please stop!”
[The Master of Scorching Leo grieves that such things are meaningless.]
[The Snake Master says it’s a disaster god that mercilessly killed billions of its descendants.]
“Argh, seriously!”
It was the moment Hugo was about to say something.
Flash!
“!”
Suddenly a red light flashed before his eyes.
[Attack power increases.]
[Defense increases.]
[Speed increases.]
[A total of 14 buffs have been received.]
Hugo was stunned.
‘This petty god mass-giving out this many buff skills?’
Furthermore, they were all pure combat skills, without the usual useless ones.
At Hugo’s surprised gaze, the Master of Scorching Leo rose from his spot, as if trying to look cool.
[He says he’d rather you not go, but he knows you will if that’s where Igeon went.]
[The Master of Scorching Leo casts all sorts of things on you, telling you not to die.]
[Coolly advises that it’s best not to use the left hand that is being eroded.]
But upon seeing the Holy God acting cool, Hugo actually wore a troubled expression.
‘I really must put a wig on him, after all.’
He was already the sun god, but with the sun’s light reflecting off his balding top, it was unbearable to look at.
However, the Master of Scorching Leo, who had no way of knowing that, continued to warn Hugo while acting cool.
[He says that among the monarchs, one lives right next to the divine realm.]
[As the kings of the armies, even the Holy Gods find them hard to handle, he says.]
[So don’t go…]
Hugo turned away, telling him to wear a wig.
But that was when.
Just as he was about to move, a report came from his subordinate.
Hugo answered immediately.
“Yeah, Jaewon. Have you pinpointed the exact origin?”
I Jaewon could read the flow of the monsters’ demonic energy.
That flow was so precise it could even read human emotions, making it easy to find the boss’s location.
It wasn’t for nothing that 20 years ago, Igeon had taken him along when he was practically an ordinary person.
However.
- Yes. I just sent it to the Holy Lord. So I’m heading there now, but Gote is there at the center.
“Gote? Good. Igeon will be heading that way soon.”
Igeon had always been the type to boldly barge in through the front gate.
It was to draw the attacks toward themselves.
Because that was the way to minimize the sacrifice of the people.
“So instead of me, support Igeon there…”
But that was when.
- I was about to do that too, but I can’t reach them. Though Seongjae and Yuha seem to be together…
“!”
I Jaewon was about to continue his words.
Bang!
A loud sound and the crash of a cell phone dropping could be heard.
“Jaewon!”
There was no scream.
But an eerie silence circled beyond the phone.
And from his emblem, a sound came.
[I Jaewon’s life sign has disappeared.]
“……!”
Hugo’s steps quickened.
* * *
Meanwhile, around that time.
“Gote!”
Cheon Seongjae and Cheon Yuha turned their heads in alarm.
Hit by someone, Gote had instantly been slammed into a building and collapsed.
But that wasn’t the only shocking thing.
“Gote!”
Profuse blood streamed from Gote’s limp body.
And at that sight, even Kali was rarely flustered.
‘Organ damage…!’
Gote was an SS-class, a Ten Star like themselves.
Even if slashed barehanded by a Red-class monster, it would normally end as a scratch wound.
So while he originally had high physical stats, Gote’s defense stat among the Ten Stars was top-tier, at SS+ level.
So bleeding this profusely was no ordinary matter.
And it was clearly no ordinary wound. What looked like internal organs were spilling from his abdomen.
Perhaps because of that.
“Seongjae!”
As Cheon Yuha summoned a spear, as if to act as a decoy, and Cheon Seongjae was about to urgently teleport to retrieve Gote…
Thud!
“……!”
Frozen under a killing intent that felt like it was pressing their bodies down, both Cheon Yuha and Cheon Seongjae stiffened.
They couldn’t use their skills.
And the moment they realized why, the Cheon siblings were plunged into shock.
“Oh dear, I hit the wrong one.”
Indeed.
Behind them stood the very person who had sent Gote flying.
They hadn’t even noticed any movement at all.
“You’re so small that I hit a completely different one.”
“……!”
The moment they simultaneously turned their heads, they could not help but be horrified.
The one who had appeared was none other than their mother, Cheon Jiu.
They wondered how this could be, but soon they felt a vicious killing intent.
‘……!!!’
Indeed.
She was not Cheon Jiu.
‘She deceived the dome and entered using a transformation ability.’
And the only thing capable of such a transformation ability was the authority of the Pisces constellation.
Of course, it wasn’t strange at all.
Hadn’t the generals deceived the barrier and entered the Snake Master’s sanctuary not long ago?
‘Then that bastard is from Plenty’s…!’
Sure enough.
The bastard spoke.
“It was worth borrowing a body and coming directly to Earth, to nurture new generals.”
The bastard’s eyes narrowed savagely, like a beast’s.
“To have four here who can serve as nourishment for my generals.”
It was certain. The bastard had come targeting them.
‘If it’s a general, it must be those ones Uncle killed.’
Then.
‘Could it be a monarch?’
Flustered, Cheon Seongjae checked the surrounding barrier.
Within this, teleportation didn’t work, nor did any recall skill.
They were trapped in a barrier that the bastard had set up.
In fact, a voice was heard.
[This is a world completely severed from the outside. Gods cannot enter from outside.]
[The barrier must be broken.]
It was just as expected. And if this continued, Igeon wouldn’t be able to enter here either.
But that was when.
‘!’
Cheon Seongjae flinched.
Killing intent.
“I’ll send you to follow soon, so wait.”
It was as Cheon Jiu smiled and raised her hand.
Bang!
“!”
An arrow flew at Cheon Jiu’s feet.
When he looked around in surprise, a furious voice came from not far away.
“Who’s gonna kill who…!”
“Gote!”
Blood-soaked, Gote had risen while clutching his abdomen.
And a green light was revolving around his body.
[Receives the blessing of the Snake Master.]
[Super Regeneration (S) ability is activated on the Mountain-River Saint.]
At that sight, the Cheon siblings felt relieved.
Thanks to it, the wound on his abdomen was slowly healing, but Gote seemed extremely pissed.
“Because she’s wearing the lady’s face…!”
Was that why he had been hit defenselessly and sent flying?
But that was when.
“……!!!”
Thud!
The three felt as if their heads were being crushed by cement.
“Ugh…!”
And when they barely lifted their eyes to look at the monarch, they even felt their hearts clench.
“That super regeneration ability, every time I see it, truly it is an eyesore.”
An expressionless face, devoid of even a single grain of feeling.
There was no warmth there whatsoever.
What was there was contempt, arrogance, and disgust.
And the moment they faced that power.
Even Cheon Seongjae, who could sense the gap between the enemy’s power and his own with his innate talent.
Even Cheon Yuha, who had senses like a wild animal.
Even Kali, who had superior senses thanks to Igeon’s DNA.
They all realized simultaneously.
‘We’re going to die.’
And sure enough.
[How truly displeasing for mere food.]
With that laughter, the heavens and earth shook.
[Plenty’s Harvest]
At the same time, screams burst out from all directions.
“Aaargh!”
“Keuheok!”
And that was the authority that extracts souls.
[If I cannot wound and kill you, then extracting that life will suffice.]
At last, souls streamed out long from people’s mouths.
And as the monarch reached out, a massive black scythe soared up!
It was a technique that Plenty’s generals used, but the power was entirely different.
Its range was the entire city!
Slice!
In an instant, the severed souls shot up into the sky.
And just as Plenty was about to devour them.
[Snake Catcher (SS)]
[!]
With that skill, the souls that were about to head to the monarch were instantly caught.
A green light seized the souls.
It was Cheon Seongjae.
“Keuk…!”
The other Ten Stars also had their souls extracted, but Cheon Seongjae had been able to slow that speed with the help of the Fairy King.
And the Snake Catcher skill was the same.
Normally, even if the Holy God permits it, it’s not possible for saints to convert their traits into skills.
But Cheon Seongjae’s obsessive trait of observing Igeon 24 hours a day made that possible.
Combined with the power of the Fairy King that Cheon Seongjae harbored, they barely managed to seize the souls heading toward the monarch.
[Returns the souls to their original places.]
[Caught countless lives that were heading toward death.]
[The of reacts to ’s divinity.]
At the same time, Gote, Kali, and Cheon Yuha raised their heads while coughing.
At this, the monarch laughed as if disgusted.
[Food worm.]
As the monarch flicked his fingers, Cheon Seongjae was caught in the monarch’s hand in an instant.
“Huk…!”
“Seongjae! Keuk!”
The monarch grabbed Cheon Seongjae by the head and flashed his eyes.
Perhaps he had read Cheon Seongjae’s personal trait just by touching him.
It seemed he had instantly grasped his ability values.
Sure enough.
[You truly have a vermin-like trait. If left alone, it would be an ability quite harmful to us.]
He must surely be talking about .
Perhaps because of that.
The monarch, who had been laughing as if disgusted, flashed his eyes.
[I’ll eliminate you first.]
With a black light, Cheon Seongjae’s soul was swallowed into the monarch’s mouth.
And in that instant, the light faded from Cheon Seongjae’s eyes.
His dead body went limp.
The monarch laughed.
[The soul of a saint is quite palatable.]
Right at that moment.
[The Snake Master draws near.]
Killing intent rose in Cheon Yuha’s eyes.
Rumble rumble!
At the same time, a black light wrapped around Cheon Yuha.
[Awakens as the Saint of .]
(To be continued...)