25 years ago.
Igeon lived with two others.
One was Yeonu, and the other was Yeonu's younger brother.
“Geon hyung! Hyung, you’re here?”
“Hey, hyung is tired, go away.”
“Really? Then should I buy chicken? Want to eat with noona?”
The little kid followed Igeon like his own older brother, and really liked him.
Of course, the younger sibling sometimes acted strangely, though.
It felt like the look in his eyes at times wasn’t human.
I wondered if a kid could have such a scary look.
And for a kid, he was already familiar with danger.
Well, at that time I thought he was just really gutsy or optimistic.
But the day the monsters first invaded.
Igeon still can’t forget what happened that day.
Because for the first time in his life, he felt murderous intent from the family he lived with.
‘Those bastards, they crawled all the way here.’
The younger sibling, who always smiled like an idiot, gritted his teeth with a face I'd never seen before.
‘Could it be that they called them?’
At that time, I couldn’t understand the meaning of those words, but anyway, a good younger brother who diligently took care of Igeon and noona.
Igeon spent happy times.
But that happiness ended 24 years ago.
Because both were killed by the monsters.
And on the day the younger sibling was killed.
The kid, after confirming Igeon’s safety, let out a sigh of relief for some reason.
‘Ah, I’m relieved. It didn’t go that way.’
And the kid grabbed Yeonu and said.
‘Noona, be careful of the twins. The twins are looking for you.’
And after muttering those incomprehensible words, the kid passed away.
Both Yeonu and I myself were very sad.
But a few months later, even the last remaining Yeonu left.
Thus, Igeon's only family disappeared from the world.
But at this moment.
[A hidden object is revealed]
[The Ophiuchus's Vassal God (SSS) reacts to the object]
Feeling something nostalgic, Igeon's eyes widened.
Kugugung!
[This land has regained its original owner]
[It transforms into the sanctuary of Ophiuchus]
“!!”
Everyone was surprised.
As the ground shook, they wondered what would come out, but then some buildings soared up.
“Th-that's!”
“That's a Divine God's palace!”
Indeed.
What rose from the ground was none other than the sacred palace that could be called the heart of a god's seat.
Each divine god had their own sanctuary.
Usually they were in the divine realm, so saints could only see them when they had an audience with the divine gods.
What was on Earth were replicas or summoned parts of it.
“But that pattern…!!”
“Ophiuchus?”
“What? Why is an Ophiuchus palace popping out of the land that the Monarch owned!”
That was when everyone was confused.
“Aagh! It's coming out, it's coming out!”
Cheon Seongjae, holding an egg, was flustered and didn't know what to do.
“Ah, hot! Hot! Hot!!!!!”
“Hey! Don't drop it!”
And at the moment Cheon Yuha and Hyugo hurriedly grabbed Cheon Seongjae's arm, light burst from the egg.
[Receiving the Ophiuchus's power, a new Vassal God opens its eyes]
“Keuk!”
Finally, as the dazzling light burst out, Igeon also closed one eye.
And that egg was definitely an item he had received as a reward when he underwent his 1st awakening.
It strangely hadn't hatched, so he had left it with Iaso (the disinfectant).
And it was at that moment.
[Kyaaak! It hatched!]
[Oh my god!!]
As the egg completely broke, Igeon's eyes widened.
Because what broke out of the egg was a black snake.
And a very tiny baby snake at that.
“Whoa, look at the size…!”
“Is this really a snake?”
Its body length was about the length of a finger.
The baby snake's head was literally the size of a fingernail.
And that was undoubtedly a Vassal God!
[Oh my god, the baby snake lord has given birth to a baby!]
The Virgo Vassal Gods were ecstatic, and Heilli and the other Vassal Gods were amazed.
[Even though it's a newly born youngling, it's a considerably high-ranking superior god.]
[Is that Igeon-nim's Vassal God…!]
Even Hyugo, who was watching, was surprised.
‘The power I feel is different.’
Indeed, if not for the level of magical power felt in this land, it would have been hard for it to hatch.
But then.
“Aagh, Uncle!!!”
“!!”
Cheon Seongjae looked like he was about to cry, his body trembling.
“U-Uncle! This guy isn't moving…! He's not breathing!”
“What?!”
Everyone was shocked.
That wasn't all.
The ground shook, and the snake was having breathing difficulties as if it was going to pass out.
A notification also indicated seriousness.
[The newly born Vassal God's life force is rapidly weakening]
[Emergency treatment is needed]
Everyone approached the snake in surprise.
“He really isn't breathing, is he sick?”
“Isn't it because you carried the egg roughly and it became inherently weak?”
At those words, Cheon Seongjae turned pale.
“U-Uncle!!”
But then.
“What. It's just hungry.”
At Igeon's indifferent attitude, Hyugo burst out in anger.
“Hey! Do you think it's you? How can you look at those convulsions like it's about to die and call it hungry…!”
Kugugung! Kugugung!!
Another rumbling earthquake!
Hyugo was flustered by the violent quake that made it hard to keep balance.
“Hey! Is this really noise it's making from hunger?”
“Ah, anyway, he might be unwell, so I'll bring the Aquarius divine god…!”
But just then.
“Ack!”
Kevin, who was approaching, screamed.
The baby snake, which had been struggling as if dying, lunged at Kevin.
Specifically, it attacked a small container in his jacket pocket.
“That container…!”
“It's a snack container. Emergency rations.”
At that, Hyugo was utterly disgusted.
“Damn unlucky rich god seat bastard. You inlaid diamonds on a mere snack container?”
“What's wrong? I have plenty of jewels as offerings.”
“Ack!!!”
And as the snake gnawed at the container with its toothless mouth, Kevin, as if he understood, brought out a biscuit.
“Well, it's my first time seeing a snake that likes snacks…”
But.
“Ack!! That's not for eating!”
That was it.
The baby snake had aimed for something else from the start.
The baby snake didn't even look at the offered biscuit, and began munching on the holy relic that had held the biscuits.
This made Igeon chuckle with interest, while everyone else screamed.
“What, is its food holy relics?!”
“No. It seems it'll do if it's expensive.”
“What? What do you mean…!”
Before the words could finish, Kevin screamed again.
“Aagh! You can't eat the phone!!!”
That wasn't the end.
“Hey! Not the royal relic! Don't eat it!!”
Hyugo desperately covered the bag on his belt.
The snake had smelled the Sagittarius royal relic inside the bag.
“This punk, it's targeting high-grade relics!”
As Hyugo desperately tried to protect the Sagittarius bow, Igeon clicked his tongue.
“You're Ophiuchus anyway, right? You can't use it anymore, just give it as food for our kid.”
“Have you lost your mind!!! I'm going back to Sagittarius! Anyway, no! Don't eat it!”
Hyugo snatched Igeon's relic.
It was a newly made level-0 form, a necklace.
“If you want to eat something high-grade, eat this! It's EX-grade!”
Igeon glared at him furiously, but soon the snake bit Hyugo's finger first.
“Aaaagh!”
Admirably, it recognizes its master's belongings.
[(Nameless) is angered, asking how dare you carelessly touch the precious object]
[It is angry that master's object is not food]
It didn't hurt because it was a toothless noodle, but still, a high-ranking Vassal God is a Vassal God!
Hyugo's finger swelled up.
And then.
[(Nameless) has been designated as Ophiuchus's Vassal God]
[Would you like to give it a name?]
“Name?”
At that mutter, Hyugo frowned.
A name.
‘It's obvious he's going to name the Vassal God.’
His naming sense was absolutely terrible.
“This time, no doubt it'll be ‘Snake’.”
“What are you saying, Dad. If it's Uncle, it's ‘Sky’.”
“It's ‘Earth’.”
“Maybe ‘Ocean’?”
“‘Poop’.”
When even Heilli joined in, the Virgo Vassal Gods got angry.
[What do you take the baby snake lord for!]
[Indeed! Of course it's ‘Majesty’!]
“Junwoo.”
[See! Junwoo…]
“?!!!”
Everyone was horrified and shocked.
They had expressions that something impossible had happened.
“That bastard Geon, for some reason gave a decent name to a Vassal God…!”
“W-why is Igeon acting like that?”
“Noona, did we do something wrong?”
“Maybe he found out about us secretly eating chicken yesterday without Uncle?”
They seriously looked at Igeon, but Igeon nonchalantly stroked the baby snake's chin with his index finger.
[(Nameless) has been granted the name Junwoo]
[Divine Name (True Name) can be confirmed]
At the same time, Igeon, having grasped the identity of the newborn god, chuckled.
“Anyway, I ask for food. Since it won't eat what I make, can't help it.”
“What? Food? Its food is holy relics?! How do we procure that…”
“Why should I know? You figure it out.”
“Hey!!”
“Anyway, because its adult size is what it is, it'll eat an ignorant amount.”
“What? What is its identity?”
“Well. What's certain is it'll grow to at least the size of Earth?”
“What?!”
And at that moment.
Kugugung!
“!”
Light shone from the palace that had appeared with the baby snake's birth.
Simultaneously, an amazing thing happened.
“Th-that's!”
Ghost-like beings began approaching Igeon.
[The servants of the palace sense the master's presence and approach]
[At the master's presence, the servants approach, doubting their own eyes]
And at their existence, the Virgo Vassal Gods were startled.
[O-Oh my god!]
[Aren't they the old Vassal Gods of Ophiuchus…!]
At their words, Igeon raised an eyebrow.
“What? Old Vassal Gods of Ophiuchus?”
[Yes! They are definitely those who were Ophiuchus's Vassal Gods when the 13th original master was present!]
“!”
Everyone was startled.
Especially the Virgo Vassal Gods couldn't close their mouths.
Even the Aries divine god was startled this time.
It couldn't be helped.
[Oh my god. They should have been taken by other divine gods after the 13th was killed…!]
“What? Other divine gods took them?”
[Yes…! The 13th original master was famous in the divine realm for commanding the strongest Vassal Gods!]
But unlike the shocked Virgo Vassal Gods, the Aries divine god was sweating.
‘Damn. How are these guys, who should be locked up in other divine gods' prisons by now, here…!’
Though now they're slaves, they were ones I coveted as well, and they were special even in the divine realm.
‘If only they were retrieved, Ophiuchus would become an untouchable existence.’
From those strong in combat to those weak in combat but with special abilities.
They were very diverse.
As expected, the Virgo Vassal Gods spoke.
[Among the Vassal Gods commanded by the 13th, there were many legendary beings]
“Then those guys…”
[Yes. Probably not all, but as the Ophiuchus temple reactivated, their wills were summoned.]
Indeed, they looked like smoke, and they seemed to miss Igeon.
Of course, their appearances couldn't be clearly seen, but it was certain.
[Rightful master of the temple…!]
[Master of Ophiuchus…!]
And at their appearance, the Cheon siblings seemed to have realized something.
“Ah…! Then the divine gods tried not to let Uncle take this land, could it be because this is the original palace of the old Ophiuchus?”
At Cheon Yuha's words, the Virgo Vassal Gods nodded.
Even now it's outstanding, but the era of the original masters was the golden age of the twelve zodiac signs.
And.
[That temple is probably the old main palace from when the 13th original master was around.]
Igeon sneered.
“You mean the one that was in the divine realm?”
Hyugo and Kevin were also flabbergasted.
“Then this land is Ophiuchus's old territory?!”
“But why did the Monarch own such land?”
And it was when those spirit bodies were about to approach Igeon.
Kung!!!
“!”
The ground shook violently.
“W-what is it?”
When everyone was surprised by the unusual shaking.
Flash!
“!”
Light rose from the doll that Yeonu had left behind.
* * *
Around the time Igeon met the new Vassal God.
Inside the Sagittarius sanctuary.
Jagyeolsajuin seemed to have quickly noticed that Ophiuchus had taken a new sanctuary.
As the master of the divine seat, he couldn't not know.
And.
[It seems Igeon has regained Ophiuchus's old sanctuary.]
That land was none other than one of the things the divine gods gave to the Monarchs as payment.
Well, it seems he hid it from comrades and used it to wield his own power.
And then.
[I heard you interfered with Aries?]
[!]
Jagyeolsajuin was startled.
Behind him stood a divine god of magic.
It was one of the two remaining divine gods of magic, the twin divine god who was grinding teeth at Igeon.
[Even at the Demon Tower, you hated killing Igeon so much, your love for your nephew is great.]
[……!]
[Well, you probably didn't have your memories, so it's not like you protected him knowingly]
The divine god raised the corners of his mouth.
[Well, we were surprised too. Who would've thought that bastard would hastily devour the original master and produce a hybrid like you]
The divine god said.
[Well, whatever. You'll have to choose properly this time. Whether you stand on that side or this side.]
But soon the divine god shook his head.
[No, from the moment you interfered with our work, you're on that side.]
Magic erupted from a giant magic circle and attacked Jagyeolsajuin.
Simultaneously, a tremendous earthquake shook the world.
[The twin god reveals itself]
(To be continued...)