A murderous glint rose in Yi-geon's eyes.
It couldn't be helped.
*'...'*
He looked like a man in his twenties.
If Zhang Luyi had dirty blonde hair, this bastard had bright golden locks.
In any case, outwardly he seemed like an ordinary human.
He even appeared to be a butler attending to the tycoons gathered here.
But Yi-geon could tell for certain.
*'What I felt at the Demon Tower...'*
It must have been when he killed the Lord of Space-Time in the underground of that collapsed tower.
Back then, he had vividly sensed the aura of the tower's true master, **
And that wasn't all.
*'The one who tortured me in that tower.'*
Well, the one who experimented on and tortured him in that tower was the general of **
So no matter what form the bastard took, Yi-geon couldn't possibly fail to recognize him.
As proof, he could see it clearly through his automatically activated **
*'A monster.'*
The color emanating from the body was unmistakably red.
And as if to prove he was a Monarch for a reason, that sinister red hue was depicting a gigantic monster.
That's why Yi-geon's menacing eyes scanned the people around him.
And it seemed even Hugh and Stephen were flustered by his sudden killing intent.
"Master Yi-geon, what's the matter?"
"Geon-ah?"
But Yi-geon's eyes flashed sharply.
"Why is that son of a bitch here?"
As Yi-geon pointed precisely at **
It wasn't for any other reason.
"Ah, I understand why you are angry, but please don't rage."
"Don't rage?"
These bastards placed a Monarch in the human camp and were spouting what kind of bullshit?
But that was when it happened.
"He really does resemble him, but that person is Zhang Luyi's younger brother."
"...??!"
This time, even Stephen and Hugh were startled.
"Zhang Luyi's brother?!"
It was a story they had never heard before.
However, after confirming the man's face, they were shocked.
He did indeed bear a striking resemblance to Zhang Luyi.
Though his hair color and apparent age were different, he was so similar that he could almost pass for Zhang Luyi himself.
Then the people around them smiled.
"Ah, you're saying he's a twin brother. He's been supporting various constellations as a member of our association from the very beginning."
"And though he says he was forced to sponsor criminal constellations as well..."
"It's said that after learning of the atrocities his older brother committed against Master Yi-geon, he completely cut off all ties."
"And now, to atone for his brother's sins, he's actively pledging support for the Serpent Bearer..."
"Fuck that."
The moment those words were about to end, Yi-geon drew forth the Heavenly Judgment.
"M-Master Yi-geon?!"
"How dare a monster bastard invade human territory!"
Yi-geon, who had vanished in an instant, appeared right in front of **
And the Heavenly Judgment mercilessly blew off the head of **
With red blood gushing from the neck, the interior of the palace descended into chaos.
"Kyaaah!"
"Lord Baran!"
And then, as if it had been waiting for this, the fish rose up.
"Look! This is proof that Yi-geon is a person who kills innocents!"
"!"
"Yi-geon has no interest in the safety of humanity. Now he's probably thinking of eliminating me, the last remaining Holy God, isn't he? He intends to remove me and monopolize the Constellation System!"
The reporters stirred restlessly.
"Get this news out there!"
But that was when it happened.
"EVERYONE STOP!!"
The reporters felt like their eardrums were going to burst from Stephen's raised voice and clutched their ears.
It was the skill of the Leo.
"The one who has no interest in the safety of humanity is exactly that... Ugh!"
Stephen's head flew off.
It was ripped away by a water monster that shot up from the floor.
"Stephen!"
Just as Hugh, shocked by this, hurriedly tried to take out his bow,
CRUNCH!!!
"Gah...!"
A water snake that burst up from the floor pierced through Hugh's heart.
And Yi-geon, enraged by the sight of Hugh vomiting blood and collapsing, used wide-area Super Regeneration and appeared before the Fish Holy God.
"You son of a bitch."
But that was the moment.
"...!!!"
The instant his eyes met the fish's, Yi-geon lost his strength and collapsed.
*[Warning: The original owner's power is being stolen]*
And Yi-geon, gritting his teeth and barely trying to get up, was taken aback in shock.
*'Super Regeneration...'*
The snake's magic didn't work on Hugh who had collapsed, nor on Stephen.
Stephen's head was still blown off just as it was, and from Hugh's body, a pool of blood soaked the floor.
The scent of death brushed past.
So Yi-geon, his face pale as a sheet, called out to Hugh.
"Taek-soo!"
But the collapsed Hugh couldn't answer.
And right then, someone stomped on Yi-geon's head.
CRUNCH!
It was the Fish Holy God.
"You, your predecessor, and the one before that... Holy Gods only die by my hand."
"......!!"
Yi-geon's eyes trembled intensely.
But it was exactly at that moment.
Whoosh!
"!!"
Suddenly, he was flung somewhere. At the same time, the blood that had been spurting from Stephen's neck flowed back in and his neck reattached, and Hugh, who had collapsed, got back up.
It was a sight as if time itself was rewinding.
And right then.
"Yi-geon. Weren't you looking for this?"
"That fish already had it? Why does that god have it?"
Yi-geon was greatly startled by Hugh's words spoken right next to him.
Quickly surveying his surroundings, he grasped the situation.
*'Time... went back to the past.'*
They had returned to the moment when they first entered the palace.
And then it happened.
"Geon-ah? What's wrong with you?"
"!"
At Hugh's question, Yi-geon quickly turned his head.
And what stood there was none other than the Monarch of **
The moment their eyes met, **
At the same time, a voice rang out.
*[Did you watch closely?]*
"...!"
*[Do you still want to sever my head?]*
Yi-geon was shocked, but Hugh looked at him as if he found it strange.
"Geon-ah? Why are you spacing out?"
"Can't you hear that bastard?"
"Hear? Who?"
"......"
It seemed this was a voice only he could hear.
And then **
*[What you just saw is a future that will happen. You came here full of spirit, but no matter how you struggle, every future leads to the death of the Serpent Bearer's Holy God.]*
"...!!"
*[You can never defeat the fish. Unless you weaken the fish's power, you will die.]*
Yi-geon laughed as if disgusted.
It seemed this bastard had shown him one of the futures that was about to unfold.
Sure enough,
*[Let me make a proposal. Will you die by the fish like this? Or will you join hands with me?]*
Yi-geon scoffed.
*[So. What will you do?]*
At those words, Yi-geon smirked.
* * *
Meanwhile, at the time Yi-geon was encountering Time.
"We're aiming for the Pisces' lungs."
In truth, the party of the Thousand Siblings had come to this place, the Alps in northern Italy, with a plan to target the Pisces.
It was because they had no idea how long they could hold out against a Holy God, and above all, Pisces was the Holy God who killed the previous Serpent Bearer.
*'Of course, it's dangerous for Uncle too.'*
Even the original owners were overpowered so helplessly; was there any rule saying Yi-geon wouldn't be?
So that's why they had been seeking a completely different method.
That was precisely **
That was why they came to this place, the Alps.
This area of the Alps was a critical facility of the Pisces.
*'Here, the Pisces have laid out their most powerful trap magic.'*
*'To put it metaphorically, the entire mountain range is a giant labyrinth that imprisons intruders.'*
And the reason it had to be the Alps was because this place was a border region touching France, the territory of Virgo.
Hence, this was a fiercely contested war zone where the Pisces waged disputes against Virgo.
So the Pisces had utilized the mountain range's energy to lay down a massive trap spell.
And the Pisces were absorbing the life force of those trapped in the mountain to use as their own power.
It was a terrifying prison like that.
But...
*'If we just don't get caught in the traps, it's actually a hunting ground.'*
Inside this giant labyrinth, it was teeming with prisoners captured by the Pisces.
They didn't kill their enemies but deliberately threw them in here to be used as their own nourishment.
As such, destroying this place would be a fatal blow to the Pisces.
And that wasn't all.
*'Having gained the abilities of the Bow Constellation and the Gemini, if we bring them in, we can turn the enemy's forces into our own allies.'*
Anyway, that was the various reasons they came here.
"The Serpent Bearer's people... what business do you have here?"
That was it.
The Pisces had appeared before them.
And it wasn't just any figure.
*'Selvia.'*
She was the right hand of the Fish Holy God and one of the Ten Stars, like Kali.
She was an SS-rank mage.
Of course, recently she had been trounced by Yi-geon, trounced by Cheon Yuha, and trounced in many ways, but the Thousand Siblings immediately went on high alert.
It couldn't be helped.
"This is ridiculous. It seems our fish was perceived as easy prey if the likes of these brats are running around stirring up trouble?"
"...!"
That's how it was.
Behind Selvia were the captured followers of the Bow Constellation.
They were the youngest followers of the Bow Constellation, and also fans of Yi-geon.
They were trapped inside a square-shaped water prison, suffocating and writhing in agony.
So Cheon Seongjae gritted his teeth.
*'The search team over there got caught.'*
*'Of all people, the search team had to be discovered first.'*
The Thousand Siblings narrowed their brows looking at the followers of the Bow Constellation captured by Selvia.
*'We went through all that trouble to not get detected on this side, and even had Virgo carry out an Operation Diversion.'*
They had planned to target this area, eastern France, so they had asked Virgo to deliberately attack the Spanish side, which was southern France.
Since that was also a sanctuary of the Pisces, they thought the enemy's forces would be focused over there.
They had even confirmed the enemy's positions using the Bow Constellation's skill.
*'But...'*
As Cheon Seongjae glared, Selvia laughed.
"Did the Fish Holy God seem that easy to you?"
"!"
"We already noticed and have made every preparation."
But that was when it happened.
"So what? It's still just you, Selvia."
"!"
Kali drew her sword, her eyes flashing.
Her eyes momentarily resembled those of a fierce tiger.
And at the ferocious magic power emanating from her, the Thousand Siblings and Gott flinched.
It was certainly so.
"Don't get cocky, Selvia. You haven't forgotten, have you? Who the strongest among the Ten Stars is."
Her voice overflowed with fighting spirit and confidence in her skill.
*'If we only deal with this Alps area, Lord Yi-geon can fight against the fish too.'*
And the people in this place, except for Cheon Seongjae and the captured followers, were all fellow Ten Stars.
They were the aides to the saints, the ten strongest humans.
And the top seat among them was precisely Kali!
Finally, the double-edged straight sword for one-handed use she held shone.
And perhaps it wasn't for nothing that she received Yi-geon's biometric data.
In the blink of an eye, her sword was aimed at Selvia.
Thus, Gott and Taylor, who were watching, nodded in agreement.
Selvia, in terms of Ten Stars ranking, was around the lower-middle tier.
*'Selvia can never beat Kali.'*
*'From the moment Kali revealed her form, it's already game over...'*
But that was the moment.
"Huh."
Along with Selvia's laugh, blood splattered.
"Kali!"
The owner of the blood was Kali.
It was her cheek.
And the reason her cheek was injured was none other than her own blade.
Kali seemed taken aback by her own broken sword blade.
And then,
"The weapon is shattered, so next is your head!"
Selvia's eyes flashed as she activated her magic.
At the same time, Selvia's eyes transformed into something like a demon, and beams of magic beyond imagination flew out.
"Ugh!"
Kali swiftly dodged, but the breaking of her sword seemed to have unsettled her.
This time Taylor was also surprised.
"Kali's sword is on the level of a sanctuary relic! Selvia can't possibly destroy it... Ugh!"
Blue beams like the ones before flew out mercilessly.
In that instant, they realized.
"This power... it's a Monarch's power!"
There was no doubt.
Monarch's power could be felt within the magic power.
*'But how...'*
As everyone was taken aback, Selvia laughed with eyes like a monster.
"You all think you're so great and keep treating me like an idiot, but in the end, you and the Serpent Bearer are finished. Because our Holy God is about to activate that magic again to erase your Serpent Bearer Holy God!"
"That magic?"
"Yes, the magic that killed the Serpent Bearer Holy God in the past! The magic that even killed the original owners!"
"!"
Immediately, Cheon Yuha called out to her sibling.
"Seongjae!"
She was telling him to quickly use his skill to fly to Yi-geon.
But...
"Well, I suppose sending the saints ahead before their Holy God would be proper courtesy to the divine?"
Black magic power ultimately rose from Selvia's body, and a terrifying beam shot out.
"...!"
Cheon Seongjae hurriedly activated his defense authority, while Cheon Yuha and Kali tried to stab Selvia with lightspeed skills.
This was because, in the state of wearing the absolute defense authority, they could ignore incoming attacks and charge forward.
*'Anyway, we obtained the Bull Authority just to block magic authority.'*
In other words, just blocking magic attacks with the defense power that evolved as it transferred to their uncle was enough!
At last, the two God-Slaying Demons flashed their eyes and lunged at Selvia.
But that was the moment.
*[Time flows backward]*
"...?!!!"
Along with Selvia's laugh, the skills they had used vanished.
Due to the Time Authority, the skills returned to the state before they were activated.
Because of this, the face of Cheon Seongjae, who had deployed the defense authority, turned as pale as a sheet.
*'Oh no!'*
Himself, of course, but even his sisters who had charged forward...
It was completely defenseless!
"Da...!"
The magic attack was already right before their eyes.
And it was the moment when they were finally about to squeeze their eyes shut.
*[Temporal Restoration]*
"!!!"
A magic circle rose from the floor and a bizarre thing occurred.
The defense authority, which had vanished, returned, and the beams bounced off without being able to pierce Cheon Yuha and Kali.
It was truly a split-second moment.
Cheon Seongjae felt relief.
Because he immediately realized who had saved them.
"Lady Hailey...!"
Surprised, Selvia looked behind her.
There, as Cheon Seongjae had called, stood an unmatched beauty with black hair dressed in black clothes.
But soon, Selvia flinched at the ferocious killing intent.
What met her were Hailey's eerie, monstrous eyes.
"Kneel."
Thud!
At that voice, Selvia found her own knees buckling, beyond her control.
(Continued in the next episode)