Actually, just before the Abyss arrived.
Igeon had prepared for all sorts of things.
“Hmm. There might be a fight, so I’d better cast a thick defensive barrier.”
It was one of the monarchs barging in.
Of course, seeing as she was only coming for a late-night snack(?) and solely targeting him, the odds of a large-scale battle were low.
‘In the first place, I’m not going to let it come to that.’
But his opponent was a monarch. She might snap and throw a fit if something didn’t suit her.
She could be silenced if she threw a fit, so that wasn’t a problem, but her body was just too damn big.
In the process, the odds of buildings being wrecked and chaos unfolding were high.
‘If that happens, everyone will worry.’
The mere fact that a monarch had invaded again could turn all of humanity white with terror.
So it would be best to keep the very fact that she had appeared a secret.
“Alright. I’ll set up a barrier so no one can get in, and make the soundproofing rock-solid.”
Igeon layered the defense-type skills he’d gained from devouring the Taurus over the entire building.
Flash! Flash! Flash!
‘Tch, I’m a bit distracted because of that idiot.’
While casting the skills, Igeon recalled the matter with Hugo and furrowed his brow.
Honestly, he had trusted Hugo partly due to faith, but hearing that even that absolute value could be faked had sent his trust crashing to rock bottom.
But Igeon clicked his tongue as if annoyed.
‘Whatever. If it comes down to it, I’ll just deal with him.’
At the same time, he dusted off his hands as he looked at the giant piles of chicken he’d stocked up.
If the Abyss took a liking to chicken instead of his body, maybe he could tame her that way. That hope had prompted him to prepare this delivery-night-snack spread.
And he’d prepared everything he could for a possible bloody brawl, but—
“What the hell. Why isn’t this bastard coming?”
Even after waiting a long time, the Abyss did not appear.
When she still hadn’t shown past midnight, Igeon got annoyed and crawled into bed.
“Ah, forget it. I’ve waited as long as I’m going to.”
He turned off the lights and tried to sleep. How much time had passed?
[Are you already asleep?]
Along with the voice, someone approached. Igeon assumed it was the Abyss.
So he snapped.
“You bastard, what time is it, coming for a night snack now…”
But as he spoke, Igeon couldn’t help but flinch.
A smooth hand traced over his body, and then blue hair cascaded down onto him.
It was an incredibly beautiful woman.
And completely naked.
[I’ve come to eat, as promised.]
That was the Abyss, coming to meet Igeon.
And now.
‘This bastard! She was a female?!’
Having realized the woman’s true identity, Igeon was in mental shock.
After all, the Abyss he’d known until now was a whale!
And the image of that insane whale rampaging through Olympus, calling it a buffet, was still fresh in his mind.
But what the hell was this?!
Regardless, the Abyss whispered happily in Igeon’s ear.
[To think you’d grant permission so easily.]
‘No. If I’d known that “eat” meant that kind of eating, I wouldn’t have allowed it!!’
[I’m fine with it, but I thought a monster would be more reluctant.]
‘More importantly, Notification!! Why are you quiet right now, you bastard! Why aren’t you warning me at a time like this!!!’
That thing, always yapping with warnings about danger and this and that like an overprotective parent every little thing—why now?!
Igeon’s veins bulged, but the notification remained silent.
And it was just then.
‘!’
The Abyss began to unbutton Igeon’s clothes, fumbling.
Before he could stop her, his shirt was lightly pulled open and pushed aside.
Cool, soft fingers touched Igeon’s firm body.
‘?!’
Soon after, as her hand headed for a very inappropriate place, Igeon screamed and grabbed both of the Abyss’s arms.
And bared his teeth.
“What are you?! Why that form?! Are you insane?!”
[Why? You said you’d let me devour you.]
“I didn’t know it meant that! What kind of—against prey, in the first place?!”
The Abyss tilted her head.
[Cruuders originally enjoy eating, and that sort of thing. We’re overflowing with appetite and lust.]
Igeon’s expression was something to behold.
But regardless, the Abyss’s lips curled upward.
[Of course, the best thing is satisfying both at once. So usually, we do it and then eat, or eat while doing it. Didn’t you know that when you gave permission? I deliberately came in the form I’m most confident in, after all.]
Igeon gave her a look that said this bastard was utterly insane and they couldn’t communicate at all.
“More importantly, you were female??”
[Hm. I transformed into a form I thought you’d like. Don’t you like it?]
“……?!!”
As if telling him to forget it and just let her eat already, the Abyss tried to slip out of Igeon’s arms.
[Well, I get misunderstood a lot. Since I usually stay only in my combat form.]
Combat form??
At Igeon’s expression, the Abyss smiled instead of answering.
The truth was, Cruuders had two forms.
One was the monster form that humans called a kaiju. In short, that was the combat form.
The other was a form close to that of a human or a god—the beautiful form.
In other words, a version that was handsome and beautiful to better lure in prey.
Thus, with that form, they would seduce opponents or blur their wariness, then devour gods and humans.
Since they had to lure prey, both males and females possessed incredibly attractive appearances. Like succubi or incubi.
The Abyss looked at her own beautiful naked body and spoke.
[Well, admittedly, this side does lure prey well, which is nice. But I can’t eat much in this form. My prey is limited to males, too. So I just swallow everything in my combat form.]
“…….”
[Hmm, if you’re called the greatest hunter among the Cruuders, you can devour anyone, male or female, and since eating like that still doesn’t fill you up, you can just keep eating… but I’m a gourmet, surprisingly?]
“…….”
At Igeon’s rotting expression, the Abyss smiled with satisfaction.
[Anyway, I won’t kill you. I’ve taken a liking to you, so I’ll savor you.]
This crazy bitch??
Having finally come to his senses, Igeon tried to get away from the Abyss.
Of course, as expected of a monarch who swallows gods, her strength was disgustingly high, but it didn’t matter.
Thud!
[!]
Igeon flipped the Abyss in an instant and pinned her down.
The Abyss looked extremely surprised.
[What’s this, are you going to do it?]
“What?! Don’t talk nonsense…”
[Hm, it’s not great since it feels like being devoured, but fine. If it’s you, I might allow it.]
“Piss off! I don’t need…”
[Though I’m not sure if you can, being a virgin and all.]
“…What are you saying, you punk?!!!”
Finally enraged, Igeon reached out at the Abyss.
From Igeon’s attack, the Abyss let out an embarrassing sound.
[Aahn. Not there!]
At that moan, Igeon seemed to mentally crash.
And that was the moment. Whether she’d been aiming for it or not, the Abyss immediately flipped Igeon over.
Then, with a smile, she said.
[I’ll just teach you. Anyway, you put up such a solid barrier because you wanted to do this, right? No one’s likely to come in.]
No, that wasn’t why he cast the barrier, though.
Soon, Igeon was about to cancel the barrier when—
‘!’
The Abyss gently grasped Igeon’s face. Her strength was immense.
And just as she was about to kiss Igeon—
Crack! Crunch!
[Hng?]
The supposedly unbreakable barrier around the building developed cracks.
Along with the sound of shattering glass, familiar voices rang out.
“Uncle!!!”
“Geon-ah!”
His nephew, niece, and Yeonu came up from the lower floor.
And they saw it clearly.
The naked Abyss, straddling Igeon and about to kiss him.
At that sight, fury blazed in their eyes.
“How dare a monster brute pounce on our uncle?!”
Igeon welcomed them.
“Good timing. First, get this dangerous thing off…”
“Uncle belongs to us!!!”
“Uncle’s first time is mine!!!”
“…….”
No, these brats are even more dangerous.
Igeon especially knocked Cheon Seongjae flat.
More than that, seeing them swarm in when he hadn’t even called them, Igeon was puzzled.
“Enough. How did you even know to come up here?”
“The notification rang!”
“!”
Yuha fiercely pulled out a red spear.
In truth, as followers of the Serpent Holder, they had been shocked to hear a sudden notification right before they were about to sleep.
It was nothing else.
[The Serpent Holder is in extreme confusion.]
[The Serpent Holder is about to be devoured by the Abyss.]
[The Serpent Holder’s chastity is in danger.]
Hearing that, Igeon’s expression twisted.
Oh, so the notifications went to these guys but not to me?
Anyway, that wasn’t important.
“I said move. Take your hands off uncle!”
“A monster brute, where do you get off—!”
Igeon seemed somewhat touched.
“Kids, I…”
“Trade with me!!”
These brats.
Yeonu also looked extremely pissed.
“No conscience at all, for a monster.”
When Yeonu stepped forward toward the Abyss as if she was about to engage in a life-or-death duel, Igeon said,
“Yeonu, you don’t have to go that far. For now, we just need to drive her out…”
“Igeon, you shut up!!”
“…….”
Ah, yes.
Igeon looked at Yeonu as if he couldn’t understand. Setting his nephew and niece aside, he couldn’t fathom why she was that furious.
And right then.
“Ah… So it turned out like this after all.”
Hugo was coming up, clicking his tongue as if he had expected it.
Igeon raised an eyebrow.
“What. Did you know her objective?”
“It’d be more idiotic not to… Bugch!”
Hugo got punched by Igeon.
“Wanna die? Traitor. Why didn’t you say anything?”
“No!! Who was it that shut me up without listening when I tried to tell you!!”
Then, confronted by the Serpent Holder’s warriors and Yeonu, the Abyss seemed extremely displeased.
[Humans who don’t even possess divine rank dare to draw blades against me?]
As if only the Serpent God could possibly kill her.
[I’ll devour everyone except the Serpent God.]
“What, punk?”
[I won’t kill you; I’ll just torment you.]
The Abyss, who had backtracked under Igeon’s glare, was about to return to her whale form—
[My Creatore, where are you.]
“……!”
Igeon flinched and turned his head at the voice he heard again.
At the same time, Yeonu’s eyes turned murderous.
That was because this aura was the same chilling energy she had felt when her master died.
Sure enough.
[The Creatore is here.]
[Right here.]
At the same time, suspicious figures in cloaks barged into the building.
At that sight, Yeonu raised her blade.
‘Those bastards, as expected…!’
These were the ones who targeted the Creatore. Even before, after Asran’s death, they had lurked around her grave, desperately digging it up to find her remains.
They had vanished after Asran disappeared, but this time they were clearly after Igeon.
The Abyss seemed to recognize them too.
[Ah, the Locusts.]
Just as the Cheon siblings were about to activate their skills at the sight of those aiming for the Creatore—
That very moment.
The Abyss smiled meaninglessly and used her authority.
At once, the Abyss’s authority, a swamp, swallowed up the evil gods approaching Igeon.
She had banished them to another place.
Then the Abyss looked at Igeon and said.
[There are too many nuisances here.]
“!”
[Now then. Since I chased off those who were targeting you too, let’s go somewhere nice.]
“That thing still hasn’t come to her senses.”
Yuha, Seongjae, and Yeonu were about to approach the Abyss—
Bam!!!
“!”
Someone blocked the Abyss’s path.
And everyone was surprised at the revealed face.
“Hailey!”
No one knew how she knew to come, but Hailey stood in the Abyss’s way.
And for some reason, she looked extremely pissed.
“Why are you here?”
[You? Red child. I like you, but it seems you’ve forgotten the hierarchy in the meantime.]
“If you hadn’t gone to the Abyss, we would have been the same rank anyway. So why are you here?”
[Why else? When you covet something, you stake your claim first. Otherwise, it gets stolen.]
“!”
[So, hovering around and just circling and staring like some people—that’s what makes you a fool.]
At those words pointedly aimed at her, Hailey’s veins bulged.
At that sight, Igeon furrowed his brow as if he didn’t get it.
“No. Why are they fighting? I’m saying we can just chase her out of here.”
Hugo looked at Igeon in disbelief.
“Are you seriously asking because you really don’t know?”
And right then.
“Enough, you bastards.”
As the Abyss approached Igeon as if she had no intention of backing down, Igeon sighed and tried to use his authority.
He was about to banish her to another land. But just as Igeon was about to use his authority—
Grab!
“!”
Perhaps because the Abyss had provoked her, saying that unless you stake your claim, you’ll have it stolen—
Hailey suddenly seized Igeon’s hand tightly.
“??”
And that was the moment.
Flash!
“!!”
Hailey and Igeon vanished in an instant.
“U-Uncle?!!”
It was a Serpent Holder kidnapping.
(To be continued)