It was 24 years ago.
[No. This is such a critical time. You absolutely must not meet him.]
Yeonu was just days away from awakening.
In truth, she was the star god of Ophiuchus, betrayed and killed by the other Twelve Zodiac Star Gods.
She was the 13th star god.
The reason for her murder was simple.
Because she tried to use that power to set everything back to the way it was.
Because she tried to revive the original owners of the thrones.
For this, she was framed as the Calamity God and killed.
By her fellow Twelve Star Gods.
Of course, her divinity was shattered and she nearly perished entirely, but with the help of the Virgo Star God, she barely managed to reincarnate.
And the forms of her reincarnations were varied.
Sometimes she reincarnated as a subordinate god, sometimes as a beast, sometimes as an inanimate object, sometimes as a being from another dimension, and sometimes even as a proxy of the divine realm.
Well, even so, each time she was discovered by the Twelve Star Gods and their pursuers and endlessly killed.
But even then, Yeonu sharpened her blade of vengeance.
Those bastards had usurped the original owners' places in her absence and seized the positions of star gods.
They had pretended to be comrades, and not content with that, had framed her as the Calamity God and driven her to execution.
Thus, for a long time.
Killed and killed again, endlessly dying, and even as her plans were continuously thwarted, Yeonu did not give up.
Tenaciously reviving, she aimed for the destruction of the Twelve Zodiac Palaces.
And after hundreds of reincarnations like that.
For the first time, Yeonu reincarnated as a human.
And she met Igeon.
[O 13th, are you listening to me? Do not meet that human man ever again. Especially not at a critical time like this!]
What accompanied the reincarnated Yeonu was the divine realm's proxy.
It was a god she had been close with since the time she was the 13th star god. And so, this proxy had been secretly aiding Yeonu, who was sharpening her blade of revenge, away from the eyes of the divine realm.
Anyway, the divine realm's proxy's issue was precisely Igeon.
[In just a few days, you'll be awakening as the 13th star god, won't you? Well, there shouldn't be any major trouble, but still, this is the time to be most cautious...!]
Yeonu was days away from awakening.
So she had told Igeon, with whom she lived, that she would go help the orphanage where she had grown up for a while, and was out.
Because just before awakening, it was best to be alone to minimize variables.
But that day was different.
-Tomorrow is your birthday. I haven't seen your face for half a month, so let's at least have dinner together tomorrow evening. I took the afternoon off work, so it's fine.
At that text from Igeon, the divine realm's proxy spoke sternly.
It was a telepathy that came directly through her head.
[After all, once you awaken, you must leave this place. Do not cling to a tie you will never see again, and instead devote yourself to amassing power.]
But Yeonu remained silent.
Rather, it was because she knew it was a face she would never see again that she hesitated.
So, thinking of it as a final farewell, she went to meet Igeon.
She thought that an hour or two would be fine. And she wanted to engrave as much of Igeon as possible into her memories, even a little.
But, of all days, she was discovered that very day.
By the star gods, and by the sovereigns.
And that day, facing the dying Igeon, Yeonu made a critical choice.
“I’ll pay the price! Transfer my divinity to this person! Yuri!”
[Huh?! Are you in your right mind?]
Yuri, the divine realm's proxy who had been secretly helping Yeonu as a friend, was aghast and objected.
[Do you not know what it means to hand over divinity?! You will die as a god. You will never be able to reincarnate again!]
“I know.”
[How can you say that when you know?! Moreover, in this cycle, after hundreds of reincarnations, you have finally acquired the power to take revenge on those bastards. Once this awakening is complete, you can immediately take your revenge!]
“Hurry. Transfer the divinity.”
[Until now, you were just a little short of power, but this time it’s truly possible! Are you saying you will discard thousands of years of humiliation and sharpened blades just to save a mere human who only lives a hundred years?!]
“Please…! He’s dying!”
She loathed the Twelve Star Gods to the point of gritting her teeth, and had dreamed of revenge for herself and her master, but she absolutely could not let Igeon die.
Because, no matter what, she could not revive a dead human.
‘It’s easier to revive a god, actually.’
Strong gods do not vanish even when swept into the great flow of power, but weak microorganisms like humans are torn apart and disappear when caught in it.
So for humans, death is the end.
Though there were skills, at present before awakening she couldn't use them, and there was a time limit as well.
[Within 24 hours of death]
There was absolutely no way to align it with the time of awakening. There was also no one who could help.
Thus, there was only one way.
“Please, transfer my divinity.”
Yeonu chose the life of a single human over her long revenge.
There was no reason.
She simply wished for Igeon to live.
And as if in payment, she fell into Tartarus.
As if punishing her for abandoning the revenge of the divine throne and choosing a human life.
But now.
Kugugung!
A tremendous flash of light poured from the sky.
It was a light that enveloped the three people.
Whose power it was, she couldn't tell.
And in the aftermath of that light, those who coveted the throne were swept away in an instant.
[Aaagh!]
[Keheok!]
It was tremendous power.
At the same time, Hyugo's body was flung into the sky.
It was the doing of the light that shrouded them.
“Keuk!”
He pierced through the clouds and rose endlessly upward.
Past the clouds, a pitch-black space appeared, and through that dark space, past the prison layer, an unknown world flashed by in an instant.
It felt as if he was being pulled through layers, up and up.
Kwaang! Kwaang!
And each time he crossed a layer, it felt as if he was crashing through and shattering thin glass walls.
Had he collided thousands of times?
[It’s the throne!]
[The 13th throne!]
With every layer, it felt like the number of enemies swarming in was increasing.
Of course, it seemed he had no choice but to pass through other layers to escape, but still.
‘Damn, what kind of aggro is this!’
Even if he knew nothing else, he clearly realized just how valuable the throne of the Thirteenth Zodiac Palace was.
‘Whoever made this is amazing, I don’t know who, but it’s tremendous.’
Like the One Ring, it must be a treasure coveted by anyone.
So if there had been an original owner, it would be an object they’d covet to the point of killing that owner.
And then, that moment.
[It’s the last layer.]
[The power of Ophiuchus can be felt nearby.]
“!”
At that notification, Hyugo thought he had finally almost reached where Igeon's power could reach, but...
“…Keuk!?”
Just as he was about to break through the final sky layer, he was seized by an unknown god.
It was a giant eyeless titan, and its power was tremendous.
[This is the gatekeeper who guards the entrance to the Torture Realm.]
[How dare a slave try to enter the divine realm.]
“?!”
Just beyond this place, he would escape the Torture Realm and connect to the divine realm.
Because it was the final wall, the gatekeepers were also the strongest, to prevent slaves and prisoners from escaping.
[This is the gatekeeper guarding the entrance to the Torture Realm. The gatekeeper seizes the escaping slave.]
Caught in the giant hand, Hyugo felt wronged.
‘Damn, I’m not even a slave from here…!’
Perhaps it was a world that even gods hated to fall into.
Attacks were also ineffective.
[It’s a high-ranking god. The level difference is too great to oppose.]
In the end, just as Hyugo was about to be dragged back down into the depths of the Torture Realm, that moment came.
Flash!
The 13th throne cube that Hyugo had placed in his pocket emitted light.
As if sensing that the power so far was insufficient.
The throne that emerged from his pocket released even greater power than before.
And then.
Kwaang!!!
[Aaagh! It’s hot!]
[Damn! He got out! The slave is escaping!]
Hyugo, who had floated back up into the sky, was flung like a ball.
And how long he flew in that daze.
“Heo-eok…!”
Finally, he stopped.
This time, it was a place like an endless outer space all around. But a pure white floor existed.
And then, that moment.
“Keok!”
As if a spell had been broken, the floating Hyugo was thrown to the floor.
“Ah, come on! Put me down gently! At my age, I could throw out my back if I’m not careful!”
To the excessively youthful-bodied Hyugo, who was complaining about his age, a sound came.
[You have escaped the Torture Realm using that power. You have reached the space existing between layers.]
[Current location is between the Torture Realm and the lowest layer of the divine realm.]
He didn’t quite understand, but roughly it meant he had escaped the slave zone.
That wasn’t all.
“So that flash was from that damn chair, was it.”
Before Hyugo’s eyes was the throne of Ophiuchus, exuding majesty.
And it was probably all the power of that throne that had enveloped them in the lower level of the Torture Realm and brought them all the way here.
Well, Yeonu had probably only wanted to send herself up here.
‘Anyway, leaving Yang Wei aside, it’s really fortunate that I wanted to bring Yeonu and she made it.’
Hyugo looked at Yeonu, who was rising unsteadily in the distance, and felt relieved.
“Anyway, wait here. I’ll try calling Geon again…”
But then, at that moment.
As Hyugo was getting up, grabbing the chair, he momentarily saw a strange vision.
Was it a memory the chair was showing him?
-The masters were of the Creator Clan, so they made the thrones.
-Yes. And with those thrones of the masters, we too could become gods.
-Let us kill the masters and seize their places.
-A fine idea.
And as he was confused by that vision, that moment came.
“Aigoo, just how far did you get flung?”
“!”
A familiar voice was heard.
“Think of the person looking for you. Even if you fly off, at least fly somewhere I can come get you.”
“Geon-ah!”
Igeon was walking toward them from afar.
“I tried to go directly to where you were, but they said a star god can’t go there, you bastard. Tch.”
Was this the lowest layer that a star god could reach?
“Anyway, I’m here to pick you up, so let’s go.”
And then, that moment.
Yang Wei’s eyes widened upon seeing Igeon.
[W-Who’s this handsome guy? Do you know him?]
Yang Wei blinked near Igeon.
And as if appraising a rare item, he scanned from his feet to his back, even his bottom and head.
So Igeon looked at him with disbelief, but Yang Wei clung to Igeon’s feet in ecstasy.
[I don’t know why, but this guy looks like he’ll bring in money! Let's sell him right away!!]
Yang Wei was kicked away by Igeon.
And Igeon looked at Hyugo as if pissed off.
“Why did that bastard suddenly become like that?”
“Ah… there’s a bit of a story there.”
“Fine. Anyway, drag him along. Let’s get out of here.”
Just as Igeon was about to turn away, Hyugo hastily caught him.
“Wait! There’s one more person we need to take!”
“What? While I was gone, you seduced someone else….”
Igeon turned his head.
At the same time, Igeon’s eyes, rarely, widened as he saw something.
There was Yeonu, trying to vanish somewhere quietly.
And the moment he discovered her, Igeon strode straight toward Yeonu.
As if sensing his presence, Yeonu flinched.
And she tried to disappear without even looking at Igeon, but he was faster.
“Yeonu.”
Igeon grabbed Yeonu’s arm and turned her around.
“You’re Yeonu, right.”
Hearing Igeon’s voice, Yeonu’s expression shifted as if she were about to cry.
And just as she was about to turn her head away.
Chwareureuk!
“!”
Had Yeonu anticipated this and tried to disappear?
Black chains shot up from the white floor.
[The slave has impudently fled.]
[Seize her.]
And the chains that had followed from the Torture Realm mercilessly snatched Yeonu.
A will to never let go could be felt.
“Yeonu!”
At those words, Yeonu, looking at Igeon, smiled. It was a completely different appearance from the old days when he was nothing but bones.
Was she satisfied just seeing that?
She bowed politely.
“Master of Ophiuchus, I am a thought-form that guarded the throne. The real one vanished long ago.”
“!”
“I am relieved to be able to return the throne to its original master.”
At the point where one has become a slave, it is best not to be entangled with a star god.
If they cannot be entangled, it is better to pretend to be a different person so as to leave no lingering attachments.
And at that moment.
Kwaang!
The rough iron chains completely bound Yeonu, and as she was dragged away, she smiled.
“May blessings be upon the new master of Ophiuchus….”
But then, at that moment.
Kwajik!
Igeon roughly grabbed the iron chains.
(To be continued in the next episode.)