Clank!
The vault door swung open.
The enormous vault mechanism had been disarmed.
Of course, disarming the vault mechanism hadn't been difficult.
Cheon Yuha had simply used the [ ] power to reach inside the vault and unlock it from within.
And then, with a harsh metallic sound, the golden vault, like a massive refrigerator, opened up.
Inside, a drawer revealed an exquisite case engraved with gold.
Even that pristine white storage case alone seemed like a luxury item worth billions.
That wasn't all.
The golden engraving on the case bore a familiar name, clearly inscribed.
[Igeon]
That was why they couldn't help but be bewildered.
'What in the world was Uncle storing...?!'
In the end, they hurriedly opened the case.
At the same time, as they lifted the lid, they were completely stunned.
They had no choice but to be.
"What the hell! This is just a soda can!"
Yes.
What emerged from the case was a crumpled cola can.
And cola was Igeon's favorite drink, an item always visible in old videos.
"But with this package design, isn't this from 20 years ago?"
"Right! No doubt! And this is a can Uncle drank from! Look at this doodle! It's the character Uncle used to draw all the time!"
Their expressions shifted.
This was insane. Who stores something like this in a vault?
Of course, they could understand.
Yang Wei had even displayed toothpicks that Igeon had used, so a can with a drawing on it held great collectible value.
But still.
'Virgo, is this real?'
Just then.
Boom!
"Catch the intruders!!"
"How dare you have the nerve to raid Virgo's main palace!"
"Which constellation do you belong to!"
"!!"
In that brief moment, the Virgo constellation's saints and bound deities stormed the vault.
And of course, their leader Kevin was with them.
Sure enough, among the Virgo members dressed in pure white uniforms, Kevin drew his sword and appeared.
"Who the hell is...?"
But the Virgo members who were surrounding the intruders couldn't help but widen their eyes.
"O-Oh, Lord Ophiuchus?"
"What the—it's the Lord Ophiuchus!"
The sight of them realizing that the thieves raiding the vault were the Cheon siblings was something to behold.
Kevin, sword in hand, looked equally bewildered.
"What are you two doing here?"
But regardless of their bewilderment, the Cheon siblings' eyes blazed.
"Forget that! What are these things?!"
"!"
Cheon Seongjae was practically breathing fire at the sight of the vault stuffed with his uncle's belongings.
"Why does Virgo have things like this?! Damn! I'm jealous! These are things I couldn't buy even if I wanted to!"
"Did you even get Uncle's permission to take these?"
Though they were the thieves, they were turning the tables.
Regardless, Cheon Yuha warily eyed Kevin.
"I didn't think so before, but that guy is also an Uncle fanboy. Dangerous."
At that wariness, Kevin's face flushed with anger.
Fanboy, my ass!
"Don't lump me in with you! These are all just evidence collected during the investigation into Igeon's death...!"
"Ha, and yet a guy like you keeps a can Uncle drank and tossed in a golden case like this!"
"Can?"
The Cheon siblings thrust out the golden case hidden in the vault.
"Look! This can! I know this very well! It's the one that sold at auction a month ago for 40 million won! I remember it was expensive because it was Uncle's handwritten one and well-preserved! You bought it and put it in here, right?"
At those words, Kevin's veins bulged.
"What nonsense! The contents were different!"
"What??"
Kevin urgently shouted at his subordinates.
"Find them immediately! The contents inside have been switched!"
"!!!"
Kevin glared, snatching up the can.
"No, more importantly, who put this can in here? I don't remember buying something like this."
At that, the Virgo goddesses blushed and raised their hands.
[Ah... Actually, we...]
[They said if we bought it, they'd throw in a photo of Igeon-nim washing his back... Kya!]
"It was you?!"
[But, Igeon-nim from 20 years ago, while his face was scary, his body... kya...!!!]
[It seems he was popular for a reason... kya!]
The apprentice goddesses backed away hastily at Kevin's expression.
[B-But! We didn't put it in that case!]
[That's right! Isn't that case containing Igeon-nim's precious bodily bones! There's no way we'd take out something so precious and put this in...]
The Cheon siblings were startled by those words.
Uncle's bones?
So it wasn't a can, but something like that in there?
"No, but what do you mean bones? The molted body didn't have bones."
At that, Kevin immediately frowned.
Yes. It wasn't something ordinary.
It was when Igeon had just emerged from the Demon Tower.
There had been a huge uproar when they reportedly found Igeon's skeletal remains inside the tower, along with his armor.
And Kevin had purchased them from the forensic science team.
Well, the investigation confirmed it matched Igeon's DNA.
But beyond that, they couldn't analyze it—until recently, when they saw the molted form, they finally got a clue.
'Maybe Igeon had also molted inside the tower.'
Well, since he awakened inside the tower and came out, it was highly possible.
Anyway, since the investigation was over, he had intended to show it to Igeon today when he came.
But...!
"Anyway, when I checked 30 minutes ago, it was definitely there. Someone must have broken in during that time."
Just then, the bound deities investigating the vault shouted.
[Kevin! Monster aura inside the vault!]
"!!"
So a monster was the culprit.
Well, whatever.
'I've attached trackers to everything in the vault anyway, so we'll find it quickly.'
And as if reading Kevin's expression, the bound deities nodded and vanished.
At the same time, having sent them off, Kevin glared at the Cheon siblings.
"Forget that. Why did you come to this vault...?"
But just then.
Boom!!
"!!!"
A massive explosion echoed.
And it came from the direction of Virgo's main palace!
'Tch, is it the monster that raided the vault?'
Kevin's eyes flashed as he rushed out of the vault.
But once outside, he could only stand there with his mouth agape.
Because the perpetrator who had wrecked the main palace wasn't a monster.
"What the—! That's Ophiuchus power!"
He thought it might be Igeon's doing, but it was from the exact opposite direction of the detached palace where Igeon was staying!
It was from the direction of their own bedchamber!
A flustered Kevin then scolded the Cheon siblings.
"You bastards! Don't tell me you ordered your constellation's saints to attack while you raided the vault?!"
But the Cheon siblings just looked at him as if he were spouting nonsense.
"What do you mean? We came alone."
"Then who's that?!"
"I don't know. Who is that?"
But soon, they realized their identities.
[Golden Rule (SS)]
[Desert's Forge (SS)]
"!!"
Those were the unique skills of Kali and Magal's Ten Stars Taylor!
And that wasn't all.
[Object Swap (SS)]
Object Swap was Haley's unique skill!
Because of that, Kevin couldn't help but scream.
"No, why is that woman destroying someone else's house?!!"
Having learned the intruders' identities, Kevin screamed and rushed toward the main palace.
It didn't take long to catch them.
Thud!!
In an instant, Kevin arrived at the main palace, his eyes flashing as he saw the intruders.
There, looking around the palace as if searching for something, were Taylor and Gote.
Kevin's eyes blazed.
"So you even brought Sagittarius? What, is your holy territory too cramped, so you came to reclaim this place?"
As Kevin fiercely drew his holy relic weapon, Gote, who had been dragged along helplessly, freaked out.
"N-No! That's not it! Reclaiming the holy territory?!"
"Then why did you come here fully armed?!"
"Well, that's...!"
Gote couldn't bring himself to say they came to steal Igeon's molted skin, and he was just rubbing his forehead when—
Boom!!!
"!!"
They were stunned.
[Cough!!]
A black mass flew out from another room, crashing through the palace wall.
"You bastard!"
The black mass that had flown in gnashed its teeth, glaring at someone emerging from the building.
[Damn, I never imagined even you bastards would show up...!]
"!"
Kali and Haley were walking out of the ruined building.
At the same time, seeing Haley, Kevin bared his teeth.
"Hey! You're the ringleader here, aren't you! What the hell is this?! You've completely trashed my bedchamber! Take responsibility!"
"Ha, who gives a damn about your bedchamber! Just look at that!"
"!"
As Haley spoke, the black mass transformed into a humanoid shape.
Kevin and Gote were startled.
"A monster!"
And not an ordinary one at that.
But regardless of Kevin's caution, the monster gnashed its teeth.
[Damn it. To think so many saint-level beings are gathered here. Could it be you knew about this all along?]
The monster clenched its fist tightly, like someone determined not to have something stolen.
Just as Kevin was wondering what it was gripping so tightly—
"Hand it over! You bastard!"
A familiar voice rang out, and the monster screamed.
Cheon Seongjae, who had teleported in, had kicked the monster away.
And in that moment, the monster dropped something.
Clink!
What fell from its hand was a small glass figurine.
And as soon as the figurine touched the power of [ ], it shattered.
At the same time, a familiar object appeared.
[Molted Skin of the Ophiuchus Star God (???)]
It was the skin Igeon had shed just days ago.
And as soon as the molted skin appeared, all the intruders rushed madly toward it.
At that sight, Kevin's face was a picture.
He seemed to finally realize the truth behind the assault on the holy territory.
"D-Don't tell me they came here aiming for that?"
Well... he could guess the reason.
Except for Gote, every one of them was an Igeon fanboy or fangirl.
But seeing that, the bloodied monster gnashed its teeth.
[Yes. I made the mistake of thinking no human would recognize it and lowered my guard. Well, of course. With such an item, it's impossible no one would covet it.]
"!"
[But I never imagined even the Sewer Princess would be after it! As expected of that person's descendant. To recognize the value of Ophiuchus's shed skin in an instant.]
At those words, Haley inexplicably broke into a cold sweat, but whatever.
Just as Haley was about to attack the enemy, acting as a defender of those protecting the molted skin—
[Ha! It's useless! That item is ours!]
No, what the hell was Igeon's shed skin?!
'More importantly, which faction does this monster belong to...!'
Eventually, Kevin gnashed his teeth and channeled magic into his sword.
First, he had to summon Igeon from the detached palace.
But at that moment.
Flash!!!
A surge of immense power erupted along with dark energy.
The Cheon siblings, Kali, and Haley, who had been fighting over the molted skin, tensed up.
'This power is!'
At the same time, the monster, which had seemingly been concealing its power, grew in size.
Soon, they screamed.
Because a menacing black magic was blooming behind the monster's back.
It looked as though it was trying to summon someone.
And that power was a tremendous force that would revert Virgo's holy territory—no, everyone present here—back to the past!
They flinched at that power.
They had no choice.
"This power is of the...!"
(To be continued)