‘In 20 years, Earth will vanish.’
And the culprits were surely the gods of the Pantheon.
As the first step, they must have replaced the existing Saints.
‘Well, I don’t particularly care about the others.’
Why would I worry (?) over some Saints just because they might be pretty?
Whether they die or not is their problem, so I don’t care, but my most precious nephews and the cat I raised are a different matter.
And if Jae-won was among those 13 Saints, that changes everything.
Sure enough, the Saints looked at him with worry.
“We heard the other Saints were killed, but they deliberately kidnapped those two. There must be a purpose.”
“Whatever the purpose, it doesn’t matter.”
“Excuse me?”
‘I’ll get them back no matter what.’
The problem was their location.
‘It doesn’t even show up on the Saint management system.’
And as if realizing that, Goth looked at I-geon with a troubled expression.
“The thing is, we’ve been searching for months... but we couldn’t find even a single clue.”
“We suspected they might have been taken to another colony, but tracking was impossible.”
The Sagittarius are masters of tracking who surpass even Ophiuchus.
If even they couldn’t find a single clue, it meant they could never be found by conventional means.
So Goth was watching I-geon’s reaction, but I-geon looked at Goth as if disgusted.
“You idiot. Do you think I went all the way to the divine realm just for show?”
“!”
I-geon raised the corner of his mouth as if telling them not to underestimate him.
“First, I need an object. Something the person treasures enough to replace them.”
“What? But Jae-won hyung-nim doesn’t talk much about himself. We don’t even know what he treasures...”
But that was the moment.
“Ah, this must be it.”
The quick-witted Cheon Ji-woo swiftly brought something.
And unexpectedly, I-geon smiled at that object.
What she brought was a childhood framed photo of I-geon, Hugo, and Lee Jae-won together.
I-geon took it with satisfaction and said,
“Next is Seong-jae’s room.”
Just as I-geon was about to enter Seong-jae’s room, Goth urgently blocked him.
“Um, I-geon-nim. Seong-jae’s room is only for us to enter...”
“Ah, it’s fine, it’s fine. I already roughly know the state inside.”
But Hugo, who had no memory of his son, seemed to be nervous.
It was a bit shocking that there was no dad figurine where his coffin was earlier, but well.
‘He must have hidden the dad figurine in his room because he’s embarrassed.’
So when Hugo opened Seong-jae’s door with anticipation, Hugo’s expression was a sight to behold.
“……???”
There were figurines of even Steven or Kevin, but the fact that his own figurine wasn’t there shocked Hugo momentarily.
When I-geon activated a skill and picked up an object, Hugo despaired a second time.
The object I-geon picked up was none other than a giant pillow with I-geon drawn on it.
Hugo’s expression at the I-geon pillow posing coolly holding an axe was something else.
“My son... was a pervert?!”
“Hey, do you want to die? It’s just a normal pillow.”
But Hugo, as if not hearing, searched Seong-jae’s room as if it couldn’t be true.
“No, is there really nothing of dad?! No, there must be something!”
But no matter how much he searched and searched, everything except dad was there, and Hugo cried out.
“My son can’t be like this! A son thinks of his father... thinks of...”
At that sight, Goth whispered to I-geon as if disgusted.
“...Why is Hugo-nim like that?”
“Ah. That guy’s got a defect right now. Understand.”
“What?!”
“Leave him alone for a while to grasp reality.”
Grasp reality, he says.
Goth looked pitifully at the wailing Hugo for a moment. Then I-geon immediately chanted with divine authority.
“I command as the master divine seat. Come out from the minion’s shadow.”
At I-geon’s words, the goddesses of fate immediately revealed themselves from Hugo’s shadow.
And at that, Goth and the Sagittarius Saints were horrified.
Because there was no way humans wouldn’t know about those beings.
‘Crazy...! He went to the divine realm and came back, and did he even capture those goddesses of fate as subordinate gods?’
With that level of divinity, aren’t they practically final bosses!
But the Saints’ expressions upon seeing them were a sight to behold.
It couldn’t be helped.
“I, I-geon-nim...?!”
There were three goddesses transformed into female I-geon.
And one was an elementary schooler, one a high school girl, one a lady!
“I, I-geon-nim! That appearance... what on earth!”
“Ah. There’s a reason for that.”
“???”
No, what on earth happened in the divine realm??
But whether he knew or not, I-geon placed his hand on the book the goddesses of fate presented.
[The omniscient and omnipotent goddesses’ stored Akashic Records (5-star) are forcibly activated.]
[As part of Ophiuchus, there is no issue with usage authority.]
[Viewing alone does not require permission.]
At the same time, I-geon’s view changed.
‘!’
The first thing he saw was I-geon’s room.
And Seong-jae, who seemed to have come to feed Jun-woo, was eating tear-soaked bread while watching a video of I-geon’s exploits.
“Ha shit, I should’ve just followed uncle like noona. Didn’t know I wouldn’t see him for a month.”
And seeing his nephew like that, I-geon frowned.
He had found it suspicious from the start.
‘If they were really kidnapped, there’s no way I wouldn’t have noticed. And they’re not the type to be taken away in the first place.’
Just what method did they use to take guys like that?
And just as he was about to confirm it.
Twiiiing—
Along with a strange energy, I-geon flinched.
And that was the moment.
‘!’
Seong-jae’s expression, who had been recording even overseas broadcasts that only mentioned I-geon’s name, suddenly changed.
As Seong-jae tried to head somewhere, the Fairy King burst out of Seong-jae’s body in alarm.
[Young master!!]
He, who usually clung to Seong-jae, urgently grabbed him.
[Young master, not that way. That’s Eden...]
But right at that moment.
A suspicious pattern emerged in Seong-jae’s eyes and power burst out.
Boom!
It was Seong-jae’s strong magical power that normally couldn’t be seen.
‘This power...!’
And a force strong enough to momentarily push even the Fairy King pushed him away.
Boom!!
[Ugh!]
In the end, Cheon Seong-jae forcibly sealed the Fairy King somewhere and disappeared via teleport.
Seeing that, I-geon frowned.
‘He looks bewitched by something.’
Well, it didn’t matter either way.
I-geon picked up the unexpected object Seong-jae had used to seal the Fairy King.
And when he broke it, the Fairy King came out.
The Fairy King seemed to realize about I-geon in an instant.
[Great master! To use the Akashic Records, how could you come by such a dangerous route...!]
“Enough, follow me.”
He was Mímir, one of the three greatest repositories of knowledge and arch-sages in the divine realm. He was perfect as a guide.
And after taking him out, I-geon immediately read the next record.
It was Lee Jae-won’s record.
Flash!
The scene before his eyes was a stadium with tens of thousands of people.
Seeing it, Mímir frowned.
[It seems to be from the time when Lee Jae-won was fighting the one claiming to be the Sagittarius Saint.]
Sure enough.
“Ohhh! Even the Sagittarius Saint’s generation is changing!”
They were fiercely fighting over the Saint’s position.
Of course, as the owner of the Blazing Seat had turned into a human, it seemed he couldn’t use skills or magic, but well.
“Oh! He fights well even after losing his power!”
“This seat has been Hugo-nim’s since the time I-geon-nim was here. Do you think I’d hand it over to some woman we don’t even know? I-geon-nim wouldn’t wish for that either.”
‘No, I don’t care if you hand it over. No, just hand it over.’
[Master?!]
From the start, all those who volunteered to be the new Saint were beauties.
‘They’re much better than the original guys. Just replace them all.’
[Master!!!]
Right at that moment.
I-geon witnessed an unexpected scene.
“Jae-won hyung-nim!”
Lee Jae-won, who had been fighting well, suddenly staggered.
And then.
[A very powerful authority of Eden is being activated.]
[ ]
[They take good people, those needed by heaven, from heaven.]
[Especially effective on those with high faith whom the gods cherish.]
It’s often said that good people are taken early by heaven.
As if called by God.
And Eden also used that authority to steal humans from the colonies as heavenly forces.
In the end, like Seong-jae, Lee Jae-won’s eyes glazed over and he lost, and an angel flew down and sent him somewhere.
Seeing that, Mímir spoke.
[He was sent to an Eden colony. A fairly high-level facility at that.]
“So he went to a good place among the pigeon nests?”
[That is... Ma, master?!]
I-geon’s eyes flashed, and Mímir, realizing something, cried out in surprise.
[Great master! This is inside the Akashic Records! If you do anything beyond viewing, karma will...! No, you could become entangled in the memories here and be unable to leave!]
But regardless, I-geon turned into a shadow and disappeared.
And the place he appeared was none other than in front of an angel!
The angel escorting Lee Jae-won was startled.
It couldn’t be helped.
“The, the owner of the Blazing Seat?”
I-geon’s appearance was different from before. And the angel tried to call his comrades immediately, but there was no time.
Snap! Snap! Snap!
How much time passed like that?
[Learned ability.]
Along with a new skill, when one angel hung limp, covered in blood.
I-geon obtained what he wanted from the angel’s body.
[Eden Colony (Garden of Eden) Direct Pass]
Having learned the lesson from Hades, I-geon, who skillfully stripped items, raised the corner of his mouth.
And just as he was about to place it in his chest, a voice different from the notifications sounded from the sky.
[Which scoundrel dares peek into the records of Eden.]
“!”
Along with the unfamiliar voice echoing from the sky, the space suddenly began to warp. Someone had interfered with the Akashic Records.
Mímir, the repository of supreme knowledge, seemed to have noticed who the enemy was immediately.
[Master!]
Soon, I-geon’s figure disappeared.
* * *
“Ugh!”
“I-geon-nim!”
“Geon-ah!”
I-geon came out of the book. And seeing his unexpectedly quick exit, Hugo asked in surprise.
“Did something happen?”
But instead of answering, I-geon went to his room and picked up Hugo’s figurine.
Hugo tilted his head.
“What. That’s my figurine... Aaack!!!”
I-geon ruthlessly snapped the neck of Hugo’s figurine.
At that sight, Hugo screamed, asking how he could do that to the only figurine he finally found in this house, but it was only for a moment.
Flash!
[Great master!]
It was Mímir whom Seong-jae had imprisoned. And as if sharing memories with the Mímir from the Akashic Records, he bowed his head.
[To use the Akashic Records, how could you think of using such a dangerous route.]
“That bastard who kicked me out of the Akashic Records just now?”
[That guy is the territorial god of Eden... the archangel and head of Eden, Micha-el. It seems they have joined hands with the goddesses of fate of Valhalla (Norn). They likely kidnapped Saint-level holy men to awaken Eden’s sleeping Archgod, but...]
“What? They pulled all this shit just to wake one sleeping bastard?”
[Yes. So they must have tried to replace the Saint-level ones. Since the Saints who became under master’s command possess that level of power.]
[Indeed, because they are trying to awaken their own Archgod who has fallen into eternal slumber.]
[If we delay, their lifespans will likely be completely drained.]
At the words of the subordinate gods, the Saints turned pale.
“Then we need to quickly find out where they are...!”
“I know where. Since they were stolen to their own colony.”
“Their own colony... Could it be! Eden?”
“Yeah. It’s outside Earth, and deep inside among them, so tracking was impossible.”
But it didn’t matter if he had the pass he extracted from the Akashic Records.
“With this, I can go right away.”
Then the subordinate gods spoke worriedly.
[Master. Eden is a dangerous place, being a colony of the Eight Powers. If you use force there... no, exercising power means a grand war between Archgods, so please quietly focus only on extracting them, and you must not smash...]
Realizing it was meaningless from I-geon’s expression, they sighed and spoke.
[Master, in fact, a ticket alone is not enough to go to Eden’s colony.]
“The ticket alone isn’t enough?”
Just then.
“Yes. You need a key, not the ticket.”
“!”
Everyone looked outside in surprise at the unfamiliar voice.
There, angels stood with their wings spread wide.
They narrowed their brows, recalling the information they had heard in the divine realm.
‘That bastard’s ranking pushed out our father’s ranking?’
They didn’t show it, but they were on the verge of exploding.
‘That damn divine realm.’
The displaced Great Saint God was the Great Saint God of Eden, who had fallen into a deep sleep long ago. It meant a god whose rank couldn’t be measured, making any measurement meaningless.
So strictly speaking, it wasn’t about surpassing him in terms of skill, but...
‘How dare they shove someone aside and raise that bastard to 8th place?’
Just with that, the divine realm panicked, babbling about a new Great Saint God candidate and whatnot, turning everything into chaos. The mere thought still made their blood boil.
But soon, they took a deep breath.
‘It’s because of his divine status.’
And with that power, they could awaken the Great Saint God of Eden without even needing the lifespans of the high-ranking saints.
So they smiled and spoke.
“We came because the Serpent God has returned, but you were having such thoughts?”
“We understand your intention, but your saints are already servants of Eden. Moreover, with your power alone, you cannot visit our colony.”
They smiled.
“Well, we aren’t such bad guys either. Since it’s come to this, we will return your saints.”
“If you wait, we’ll summon them soon.”
I Geon snorted.
What were these bastards talking about?
But as if reading the thoughts of the angels and I Geon, Mimir spoke worriedly.
[Great Master. You may not feel like complying obediently, but it might be better to cooperate rather than needlessly sending a war signal.]
“As expected, Mimir knows well. Anyway, right now I have no way to enter someone else’s colony.”
[It’s frustrating, but they are right. So for now...]
But just then.
Flash!
In an instant, something flashing, visible only to I Geon, entered his shadow.
And that was none other than a key!
[The Jakyeolsa Juin has urgently sent an item.]
[The Jakyeolsa Juin has urgently sent it.]
[He says the Jakyeolsa Juin obtained it with great difficulty.]
[So he says let’s make a deal right now.]
[He says he’s about to have his purity taken by the Kunlun Great Saint God.]
[He says it’s an emergency!!!]
[He’s shouting to quickly turn him back into a god!!!]
Having received the item, I Geon grinned as if he’d been waiting.
And then the angels asked.
“So, will you wait here? Then we too will quickly...”
I Geon spoke.
“Yeah, no need. You assholes.”
“What?”
“You think I don’t know your true intentions? You were planning to make me wait another thousand years anyway, weren’t you?”
“!”
“It’s war, bastards.”
Having received the key, I Geon immediately ignored both the angels and the Jakyeolsa Juin, and used the ticket for the Eden colony.
(Continued in the next episode)