The sudden appearance of the young man startled all the gods.
Unlike Igeon, who looked like he would bite if provoked, this man had an extremely gentle and smooth impression.
But Asran’s expression looking at the gods was not pleasant at all.
Especially upon meeting the Great Sage God, a twisted smile even bloomed at the corner of Asran’s lips.
By then, the Ennead gods were stirring.
“Good heavens, it really is Asran. How is this possible?”
“What?! Asran?!”
Even if they didn’t know his face, there was no one who didn’t know his name.
Back when he was part of the Nine Great Powers, he had been the captain of the Zodiac 13, a god with tremendous influence in the divine realm.
‘He was a god said to be on par with the Great Sage God.’
The measure of the Star Gods’ power was none other than the Zodiac 12, the outer heavenly bodies, and the constellations.
At one time, Asran had been the god who commanded the most powerful follower gods in the divine realm.
‘Moreover, even he himself was so overwhelmingly strong it defied description.’
It was no wonder that back when the Zodiac 12 was one of the Nine Great Powers, the other eight powers had united in vigilance.
But that was precisely why it was so puzzling.
‘Didn’t he die?’
He should have been executed by his own follower gods on the grounds of madness.
‘Could it be resurrection?’
‘Does that even make sense? Who could possibly pull off such a feat?’
‘Could it be through his own power?’
Asran was the greatest magic god, one who had been called “another truth.” But regardless, the Great Sage God let out a scoff as he looked at Asran.
“How utterly trivial the top of the divine realm is. And what is that ill-fitting mud-like state you’re in?”
“Well, what could it be?”
“Forget it. That’s your brat of a son, isn’t it?”
“……”
Asran silently glared at the Great Sage God.
The Ennead Great Sage God’s eyes flashed as if disgusted.
“Well, there were rumors. That you descended to someone else’s colonial territory and were sharing love with a colonial human. But there was no information at the time that a child had been conceived.”
He was of Creautor bloodline.
If there had been a child, they would have brought it to the divine realm one way or another and used it.
And sure enough, the Ennead Great Sage God gave a short laugh.
“Did you manufacture some kind of ability this time to bring about your resurrection?”
“!”
All Creautors each possessed different authorities.
In reality, it had been those with space creation, climate creation, and matter creation who had gathered to build the divine realm.
And in Asran’s case, had the gods not mistaken him for a wizard precisely because of his ability to manufacture and use any skill whatsoever?
But the Great Sage God swept his gaze over Asran, who was neither god nor anything else, and let out another short laugh.
No matter how you looked at it, with both his physical body and divinity torn out, resurrection should be impossible…
“Yes. So it’s your son, then. Your son created you as an item.”
“What?!”
“What does that…!”
But instead of answering, Asran let out a scoff.
‘To be precise, I entered it, though…’
Yes.
Before his death, Asran had placed his residual thought into the constellation Ophiuchus. It was to keep the existence of the Archduke in check and to observe the situation while dealing with him.
And when his divinity was passed to his son in Yeonu, he too had been able to drift alongside him. Though even so, he was nothing but a thought-body, a mute floating dwarf of a ghost.
But then.
—Ah, with this recipe, I might be able to make a face treatment.
It was when he’d been watching in his floating ghost state as his son nodded off sleepily while combining ingredients.
Perhaps it was his misfortune that, to help his son, he had gone inside the mortar where the ingredients were being mixed.
Before he knew it, his drowsy son dropped a strange potion bottle.
Clang!
—Ack! Wait! Geon-ah! Ack! No!
Flash!
At the moment when he was tangled up with the monstrous thought-body that emerged from the potion, struggling in vain to break free, a crafting reaction just had to trigger.
And so, as all sorts of ingredients became entangled, the floating ghost Asran gained a physical body.
But.
‘So… I’m a slime… is that it…’
Slime.
To be exact, he had become a crafting tool.
After that, whenever his son was sick and alone, he would gather medicinal herbs for him. When it seemed he might freeze to death, he diligently chopped firewood and stoked the fire.
Though he was a slime and couldn’t beat monsters to death, he did his best to protect his son until the very end, taking the place of the son’s dead mother. Fawning over an idol on TV was just a bonus.
And now.
Perhaps deducing the situation through shrewd experience, the Great Sage God laughed disgustedly.
“Well, ever since you came along with the Scorching Master, it did seem familiar. Though I never imagined you were planning to set off a bomb with your older brother.”
He must have been referring to when Igeon had sent the Scorching Master as a delivery.
“Anyway, raising follower gods was your hobby. And you’ve gone and raised your own son using that ability?”
At those words, Asran smiled instead of replying.
That statement was the truth.
Systems like the divine seat system, or the constellations, or giving missions to level up—all of it had been a process structured so that Igeon could grow on his own as a Star God.
Because when Igeon had come out of the Tower, he had been a newly born god, a low-ranking god.
Of course, it was all or nothing, and if he failed, his son would be in danger. Even so, Igeon had passed everything, and he was able to become a complete Star God.
And as Igeon grew, his own rank had gradually risen, and thanks to that, he too had only just been able to transform back into his original form!
Flash!
As Asran’s eyes flashed, the vines of light that had bound him dissipated.
BOOM!!!
“Kyaa!!!”
With an explosion of divine might, Asran leaped up and landed lightly.
At the sight, the Great Sage God let out a hollow laugh.
“Are you saying you’ll go one round with me?”
“Will you even be able to last one round? At your age, you ought to just get some sleep.”
“Don’t get cocky, brat. I’ve been watching you since before I was changing your little brat’s diapers.”
“I do hope you haven’t forgotten that it was I who hacked off that arm of yours.”
No sooner had the words ended than a massive blaze shot up.
In a single moment, as if Ennead would be annihilated, it became a sea of fire, and the gods screamed.
“O Wheel of Fire! Stop!”
“The elder brother commits thievery, the younger brother provokes, and his son overturns the divine realm. The whole family pair is running utterly wild.”
At the laughter that said he would destroy everything, Asran sneered.
Immediately after, the Great Sage God and Asran clashed.
With speed invisible to the eye, Asran gave a flick of his fingers.
At the same time, the condensed power of
‘!’
Using his ability to borrow his son’s power, Asran hurled it at once.
The Ennead gods flinched in shock.
“Just a…!!”
The power of
All of Ennead was engulfed.
* * *
Meanwhile, at that same time.
[Oh? All the gods have gathered on Earth?]
The 1st Generation Monarch who resided in the monarch’s domain raised the corners of his mouth with interest.
He was already in a good mood after devouring the angels of Eden.
And when he moved at the news of Earth, the 2nd Generation Monarchs looked at him in surprise.
[Are you going in person?]
[I’d been meaning to go there anyway.]
Wasn’t it the very land where the most capable of the newly born Archdukes had stayed before dying?
He had already been considerably infuriated by the news that a favored Archduke had died there.
But the 2nd Generation Monarchs wore expressions of genuine concern.
[Actually, it seems
[!]
[If he mistakes it for an intrusion on his territory and attacks you, Father…]
However, Bulhan raised the corners of his mouth.
Salmuke was a 1st Generation Monarch like the wind, at once a comrade and a brother-like fellow.
For that reason, simply that the fellow was alive brought Bulhan immense joy.
Weren’t they already expanding Creuder’s forces and preparing for invasion? That was the very reason they were raising monarch-class beings and had unleashed 3rd Generation Monarchs like the Archdukes.
If Salmuke existed, they had to find him at once and bring him to their side.
[With that guy alone, the complete resurrection of the Creuder forces is possible.]
[Will it be all right? We heard he got caught up in the Samsara Hell and has now become a human.]
[What’s more, right now he’s a follower god of the Snake God…]
At that, Bulhan laughed heartily.
[That’s something said by those who don’t know my brother.]
[!]
Bulhan knew Salmuke better than anyone.
[That fellow is the most cunning and cruel among us. In the old days too, he hid himself in the divine realm, pretending to be a god, and toyed with the gods.]
To devour gods, he had acted like a comrade, like an ally, deliberately mingling with the group called Creautors.
Because they were the closest to the ancient primeval gods.
And as soon as he achieved his goal, had he not killed the Creautors and immediately summoned them to smash the divine realm to pieces?
[Even now, he’s obviously just pretending to stick close to the Snake God, playing the pushover.]
* * *
But, at that very same time.
‘If I’m found out, I’m dead.’
Salmuke—no, Hugo—was trembling.
Of course, his memories of his past life were incomplete. But his instincts were telling him.
‘If Geon finds out who I really am, I’m seriously dead…!!!!’
Hugo was simply keeping his mouth shut and trembling as if in terror. To be honest, just imagining Igeon learning the truth was enough to make Hugo’s hands shake uncontrollably.
‘He’d take up judgment right away, wouldn’t he? He’d slice me up, wouldn’t he? He’d turn me into material right away, wouldn’t he? He’d grind me up calling me trash of Earth, wouldn’t he???’
Having watched Igeon all this time, he could be certain.
‘My head will be cut off and I’ll die!!!’
With a guy who normally tried to kill you for eating one extra chicken drumstick, just try hearing that he’d actually been a monster!
‘I’ll get dissected!! No, if that were all, it’d be a blessing…!’
And just then.
“Dad!”
“Aack!!”
At the sound of his son calling, Hugo screamed and spun around.
“What!!”
“What’s with you. Why are you sweating cold sweat like that? Gotta poop?”
“Ah. No! Mom, talking with Mom?! And what about noona! Why did you come alone?”
“Why else! You went to get clothes and didn’t come back, so I came! Anyway, Mom will come later. Because Grandpa is here too.”
“Uh… I-is that so? Then what about Geon? Is Geon coming home too?”
“Uncle?”
Cheon Seongjae tilted his head.
“Uncle said he’d be away for about a week. Said there are bastards he needs to take care of.”
At those words, Hugo felt immense relief.
‘As long as Geon doesn’t come, it’s fine.’
In that time, he himself could avoid Geon and think of a way not to get caught…
But right at that moment.
“I’m here.”
“Aaaaack!!”
At the voice of Igeon heard right from behind him, Hugo screamed.
“G-Geon, why are you—! You said you wouldn’t come for a week or so!”
“There was something I needed to grab, so I came. Also, a guest is supposed to come tonight.”
“A gu-guest? Who’s coming?”
“Ah. The Abyss.”
“Ah, is that rig… What?! The Abyss?!!”
Why is that bastard coming?
Was this guy planning to start a large-scale battle inside his own house or something? But what Igeon said next was even more outrageous.
“She said she’d come all dolled up to eat me up, but don’t worry. She’ll just have ramen and go.”
“????!”
“Still, just in case, I’ll drag her somewhere else…”
“Hold on!!!”
Hugo shouted frantically.
“Do-do Yeonu-ssi or Heilli know about this?”
“…Why are those two coming up here?”
“They should come up!!!!”
The aim was obvious!
‘What else could a female dressing up to come over and devour you possibly mean!’
Hugo had so many things he wanted to say, but soon he pressed his hand to his forehead.
‘Ah, whatever.’
This guy wasn’t the type to fall victim to anyone else. He wouldn’t take interest in some monster anyway.
Rather than being worried, wasn’t his own situation one where he was terrified he might get sliced up instead?
In reality, what was making him anxious right now…
“What’s with this. Why is the inside of the house such a mess?”
“……!!!”
At Igeon’s words as he looked over the house, a chill ran down Hugo’s spine.
And at that moment, Lee Jaewon, who had been outside finishing the cleanup of Michael, was utterly startled.
“I-Igeon-nim?”
“Yeah. I’m here.”
The startled Lee Jaewon immediately backed away stealthily and whispered to Hugo.
“L-Lord. Is it really all right not to inform him about what happened here?”
“Hide it. You must never tell. Especially not to Geon, absolutely not!”
If Igeon found out about Michael, he would undoubtedly ask.
How Michael had been dealt with.
But.
‘Damn. How am I supposed to say I suppressed him with the power of a monarch.’
In any case, at the end of it all, in the end, he would inevitably have to speak about himself as well.
‘So just pretend nothing happened…’
But it was right then.
“…The smell of blood.”
“?!!”
At Igeon’s muttering, Hugo’s and Lee Jaewon’s hearts dropped.
However, regardless, Igeon’s eyes flashed fiercely.
“Taeksu, you. Did you go and deal with some god-like bastards here?”
“Wh-what?! They never even came here? You mean Raphael?”
At that, Igeon eyed Hugo suspiciously.
“It’s someone else. And inside the house, there’s a strange monster smell too.”
Under that gaze, Hugo froze stiff.
‘If I’m found out, I’m dead.’
As Hugo trembled as if he’d been hunted while meeting Igeon’s eyes, Igeon raised an eyebrow.
As if to ask what was wrong with him.
‘Could it be this guy ate some god bastard while I was gone?’
“Hey.”
“No!! I’m not a monarch!!”
“……?”
This bastard, awfully suspicious, isn’t he?
(To be continued in the next chapter)