The scout who turned his head was horrified.
What had appeared was none other than Cheon Yuha.
So the scout couldn’t help but be flustered.
‘This woman was outside...!!’
He had definitely confirmed her location. He had lured the monsters outside to divert her attention.
He wasn’t foolish enough to try stealing the core while a Saint-level was glaring right at him.
Indeed, the distance alone was hundreds of meters.
He had clearly seen Cheon Yuha dealing with the monsters outside the window.
Moreover, since she was even hiding her power, the probability of them noticing him was almost nil.
But how?!
However, the scout soon realized: he’d made a mistake.
It was because of the black shadow rising from beneath Cheon Yuha’s feet.
‘This power, no way.’
It was a familiar power.
And sure enough.
[ consumed, this grew.]
[Can use the 's .]
[Puddle Walking (Warp)]
The , which had evolved from stage 2 to stage 3, had created a new skill.
That was .
It was a technique the abyss possessed. While teleportation involved moving by setting coordinates, warp was a concept of traveling by connecting space-time like a tunnel.
And in the case of , it could move by passing through places with dark and negative auras.
That was the used by monsters.
That was why monsters could often appear inside the dome.
Because spaces that humans feared and regarded negatively were easy for the abyss to enter.
And now, with that ability having come to , now that Igeon’s had grown.
Under that influence, Cheon Yuha, the Death Saint, was also able to use a new skill.
Of course, the Serpent Bearer’s worked a little differently.
[Detected the shadow of one bearing malice.]
[Subject’s malice (Level 3: Killing intent)]
[It is malice directed at Ophiuchus.]
[It is possible to move to the shadow of the one bearing malice.]
In short, it was the ability to detect those harboring malice toward Ophiuchus and warp there.
If she moved using this as a medium, then Cheon Yuha could move using as a medium.
Moreover, Death had previously absorbed the ability of .
Not only could it now detect malice in the vicinity, but it could detect it on a -wide scale.
Therefore, this entire Drachma was now a detection target!
[Detecting malice targeting .]
[Discovered a Level 3.]
Malice had a total of five levels.
Of course, most of it was at Level 1 (minor jealousy, envy) at best, so there was no need to care.
But from Level 3 (killing intent) onward, things were different.
And sure enough.
‘Annihilate!’
And the moment Cheon Yuha, having appeared like that, rose from the scout’s shadow!
She came face-to-face with the scout who was trying to steal the core.
And she was not the brain that had led the Lion’s Seat for nothing.
‘!’
Even without any explanation, Cheon Yuha grasped the situation instantly and stabbed Judgment of the Earth into his back.
Thwack!
[Arghh!!]
The opponent was a scout with low defense.
A stage 1 spear was enough.
In the end, the scout, stabbed in the back, vomited blood. Dropping the watch he was holding was a bonus.
The scout, veins bulging in his eyes, turned his head.
[You...!]
At the same time, the skin of what had been a human face collapsed.
And the half-revealed face looked human, but its fangs were bared and the whites of its eyes were dyed black—a monster.
Finally, when the exposed scout was about to use his ability.
[Speed Control]
[Self’s speed doubled]
[Opponent’s speed halved]
He was a monster of the , so it was a time-related ability.
But just before the ability could activate on Cheon Yuha and the scout!
Crunch!
[Kurgh!]
Kalli, who had appeared in that moment, stabbed the monster’s shoulder.
Thanks to that, the ability he was about to use was nullified.
“How dare you!”
And at that sight of Kalli, Cheon Yuha’s eyes widened, and she soon said one thing.
“You said you were going ahead—why are you so late?”
At those words, Kalli choked up.
“You’re the one who came quickly!”
“For someone who’s supposedly number one in the Holy City.”
“Argh! That’s why... Kyaak!”
Kalli screamed at the sudden attack that flew in.
It was the power of that Cheon Yuha had unleashed.
That power struck the scout, but it also flew toward Kalli.
Of course, she hadn’t aimed at Kalli.
In fact, the skill the scout was secretly trying to use on Kalli had been nullified.
[Killed this .]
Cheon Yuha had saved Kalli.
But perhaps because she had nearly been swept up by the power of death as well.
Kalli bared her teeth like a kitten.
“Cheon Yuha! Are you going to keep throwing attacks around so recklessly? I almost died too!”
Then Cheon Yuha, her black eyes twinkling, said shamelessly:
“Sorry. I didn’t know the number one in the Holy City, supposedly the greatest in the world, couldn’t even dodge that.”
“Argh! You’re gaslighting me right now, aren’t you! Just because you became a Saint and got some decent abilities, you’re taking revenge on me, right!”
“Well, if you come under me, I’ll lend you the ability.”
“Argh!”
Kalli raged, saying she was gaslighting her.
Well, it wasn’t incomprehensible.
Since they had been enemies, there had been many times they nearly killed each other. And the fact that she had tormented Cheon Yuha was also significant.
Anyway, she was insanely envious of Cheon Yuha who could use Igeon’s ability, but...
“Forget it! I don’t need to receive abilities from you!”
“Sure.”
That was when the two were about to pull the core from the scout’s body.
[This authority resonates with the core of Drachma.]
“!!”
The scout’s pocket watch that Cheon Yuha had taken began to shine.
Had it automatically detected its owner’s danger?
Resonating with the power of the twelve Star Gods accumulated in Drachma, the authority within the watch began to activate.
[Returning to one day ago.]
The voice came from the pocket watch.
And startled by that voice, the two instantly grasped the situation.
‘Time travel!’
They quickly swung their weapons. One tore off the head, and the other stabbed the heart to extract the core.
If they destroyed the body, then no matter time or space, he wouldn’t be able to move.
But then.
[Haha, it’s useless!]
“!”
The decapitated scout burst into laughter.
[This power doesn’t send the body, but the memories to the past.]
“...!”
[Even if my body is destroyed, my memories will be transmitted to my past self, and my past self will change the future.]
First, I’ll reset the .
He had been caught off guard, but Cheon Yuha’s was extremely dangerous.
Unlike them, who traveled through humans’ fear and darkness, she had .
‘Doesn’t that mean all our kin become targets?’
All of them harbored hostility toward humans, and even more so toward Ophiuchus, who had touched their Lord.
It was a chilling matter.
Not only that.
If it was a place bearing malice toward the Serpent Bearer, their headquarters could be breached in an instant.
‘We must stop it.’
Even at the cost of his life, he had to prevent from reaching the Serpent Bearer.
Well, the moment this ability was activated, it was already over.
The scout laughed.
[You cannot stop the transfer of consciousness!]
When Cheon Yuha and Kalli were flustered at that.
[Aaaargh!]
The scout screamed.
[Time Rewind]
At the same time, an astonishing thing happened.
The body of the scout, who had been laughing gleefully, twisted and shone.
But the sight of that body twisting was somewhat strange.
As if in afterimages, strange forms appeared around the scout.
And the severed head returned, and the wounds that Cheon Yuha and Kalli had inflicted vanished.
However, as if suffering from severe motion sickness, the scout looked extremely distressed.
At the same time, the scout glared with bulging eyes at somewhere.
The scout seemed very angry.
[You wench...!! How dare you!]
“!”
The direction the scout was looking was right behind Kalli and Cheon Yuha.
There stood Heilli.
Heilli’s eyes were flashing, as if asking where such nonsense was coming from.
“Where do you think you’re scheming to steal Igeon’s power?”
The scout appeared flustered.
[How can you possess the Lord’s power... Kurgh!]
The scout was bleeding and in agony. The force being exerted on the scout was that brutal.
Like the sensation of shoving one’s entire body into a spinning motor.
And the power Heilli used was none other than rewinding the opponent’s physical time to the past.
As proof, the scout’s body was gradually shrinking.
He was becoming younger.
So it was bewildering.
[Just who are you, using the Lord’s power...!]
But the scout, who had been staring at Heilli, soon realized with a start.
A peerless beauty who could not be considered human.
At the same time, recognizing that demonic beauty that seemed like looking at the Lords, the scout’s veins bulged.
[You... don’t you even recognize your own brethren?!]
But as soon as those words fell, a sword plunged into the scout’s eye.
[Argh!]
It was Heilli’s sword.
And.
“I have never once considered you my comrades.”
[Heoek... It seems you’ve forgotten your place after associating with humans. No, is it that Serpent Bearer?]
“!”
[I heard from the Lord. About a fool who entered the Demon’s Tower twenty years ago and kept trying to turn back time. That’s you, isn’t it? You tried to save the Serpent Bearer, didn’t you?]
Heilli furrowed her delicate brow and quickened the speed of time further.
Then the scout screamed.
[Do you think the Serpent Bearer will look kindly upon you for this?! That they’ll consider a monster a comrade... Uwaaagh!]
Heilli’s eyes turned slightly sad.
It meant she was well aware of her own place, anyway.
Finally, the scout, who had shrunk to the size of a fist, turned into a salamander no bigger than a pinky finger.
She had rewound time to the moment of his birth.
At the same time, she glanced sharply at Cheon Yuha and Kalli.
“Now.”
“!”
At that, Cheon Yuha struck down the salamander with Judgment of the Earth.
Crunch!
[Experience gained.]
[Experience is accumulating for Ophiuchus.]
[Not long until the Star God reaches level 30.]
In the end, the scout who tried to go back to the past and resurrect was completely annihilated.
And for a moment, Kalli and Cheon Yuha stared at Heilli in astonishment.
Heilli picked up the small salamander corpse.
She had killed it to stop the plan, but this one was a scout of the .
Though its rank was low, judging by the crest engraved on its body, it was a close aide of .
In other words, she might be able to tear out the ’s , the enemy of Igeon.
Because the general from the side who had entered the Sanctuary before couldn’t have his commandment torn out.
‘That bastard was so thorough and cunning that he didn’t even trust his own generals, so perhaps there was no remaining information.’
But.
“With this, we might be able to regenerate it and utilize it. So let’s ask the Life Saint...”
But right at that moment.
“No need to bother Seongjae.”
“!!”
The one who appeared was none other than Igeon.
At the familiar voice, everyone was startled, and Heilli froze.
She couldn’t even turn her head.
But regardless, Igeon received the shrunken salamander from Heilli.
“Thanks.”
He took the salamander, and a handshake was a given.
Igeon looked at his Holy City members.
“You all did well without me. And Heill... What? Where did she go?”
Having vanished a hundred meters away, Heilli shouted from behind a pillar.
“I-Igeon. W-w-when did you get here?! You were clearly going to find the Taurus Ten Stars...”
“Ah. I already caught that.”
“!”
Igeon smiled and activated his ability.
[Puddle]
Then, a rippling black wave from the floor.
Inside the black pool were the Taurus Ten Stars and the Star God, gagged and struggling.
And seeing them, Igeon laughed as if disgusted.
“Now, shall we begin the merger?”
(To be continued in the next episode)