"There is a way."
At Igeon's smile, Igeon's subordinate gods couldn't hide their bewilderment.
[Master, I don't know what you're thinking, but you mustn't!]
[Indeed. Forgive my impertinence, but the Five Catastrophes are the natural enemies of the Master!]
[Of course, it's been so long even we consider it legendary, so we don't know which gods they are...]
[As servants of the Ancient God, there's no way they wouldn't know the Creators' weaknesses.]
[In fact, didn't you lose your strength when they approached last time? They are the ones who try to sell Creators to the Outer Gods for profit...!]
They were warning that if captured by them, one would suffer unimaginably.
[They are such shameless beings they'd even sell your corpse to the Monarchs!]
So they meant it was better to avoid them now, but unexpectedly, Igeon smiled.
"Don't worry, I'm not planning a direct confrontation."
[Huh?]
Igeon narrowed his eyes, gazing at a puddle at his feet.
[#*#$&*!!]
The wicked god was spewing all sorts of curses, whether it wanted to be let out or was upset at being ignored.
'Well, I don't know why that thing doesn't want to kill me.'
Still, it was a creature that had been inside Yuha's body for over a decade.
If, because of that, it had become assimilated to Yuha's values?
'If so, that's fine by me.'
Anyway, this creature was one of those five.
'If they're comrades, they should be able to fend off the others.'
Igeon, who immediately thought of throwing it at the enemies, moved swiftly.
* * *
Meanwhile, at that time.
The Scorpio Sanctuary was already in chaos.
[The wicked gods have broken through the Scorpio Star God's barrier!]
[What? How did they get through?]
The hooded figures floated like ghosts, searching the Scorpio Sanctuary.
At this sight, the Ophiuchus subordinate gods ground their teeth.
[It seems they are looking for our Master as well.]
The one who spoke was Iaso (Iaso).
And they were currently hiding alongside the Scorpio subordinate gods.
Because no attack worked against those things.
But it didn't matter.
'We just need to wait until Haley and Heiji restore the barrier and return.'
That was what they thought, but Iaso looked at Yeonu with a serious face.
[Former Master. Aren't those things the same ones from back then?]
"!"
Instead of answering, Yeonu furrowed her brow.
Unlike the first, second, and third brothers who originally came from Gemini, Iaso was originally from Ophiuchus.
And there was no way she didn't know who Iaso meant.
Indeed, Yeonu recalled old memories.
-Master, those things have come again.
At the eerie sounds coming from outside the castle, little snake Yeonu and Junu would often tremble and cling to their master. Of course, back then they were sisters, not siblings.
-Master, who are those ghost-like things?
-They are wraiths.
-What?
-It seems the wraiths that should have died are now targeting me, the last one left.
Asran also seemed to dislike those wicked gods. He had ordered his Ophiuchus subordinates never to go near them.
And a few days after Asran died.
'Those wicked gods came to dig up our master's tomb, which only we knew about.'
Their goal must have been Asran's corpse.
Of course, by then it had already been turned into [something].
'They must have been trying to sell another Creator to the Monarchs for profit.'
Sure enough, those wraith-like beings were still searching the Scorpio Sanctuary even now.
[Find it. It was definitely here.]
[It was here until just moments ago.]
[We must find it before the gods do.]
At this sight, all the Ophiuchus subordinate gods were horrified.
'After the former Master, now our current Master too.'
Those things had been sentenced to hell and heavy punishment for handing over even a precious Creator's corpse to the Monarchs.
They were escapees who hated that fate.
But.
'We can't let that happen to Igeon.'
Yeonu's eyes shot open as if in a seizure.
Losing a precious master once was more than enough.
And then it happened.
"We've returned from assessing the situation."
When Haley and Heiji, who had gone to regenerate the barrier, arrived, the subordinate gods leapt to their feet.
[Has the barrier been repaired now?]
[If it's fixed, we can drive those things out...]
But for some reason, the two looked strange.
"No. There's no sign of the barrier being destroyed at all."
"It's the same for me. They didn't hypnotically infiltrate either."
At those words, the Ophiuchus subordinate gods' faces went pale.
"Then those things just passed through the barrier?!"
It was absurd.
A group that even the barrier didn't react to.
'How in the world...'
But right then.
[My Creator, are you here?]
"!!!!"
All those hiding trembled in terror.
A giant with a vicious face and a huge body.
A menacing aura surged behind them. It was a killing intent so strong one would think turning around meant certain death.
At the same time, Yeonu realized.
'It's one of those five.'
There was no doubt.
All four were here, and they were searching for Igeon.
[My Creator, where have you hidden him?]
The being, oddly angered that the Creator was absent, flashed its eyes.
And at that moment.
*Crack!*
With a lightning strike, the wicked gods that had been threatening them vanished.
Startled, Yeonu's group looked up to the sky and were astonished.
"Those ones are...!"
Countless gods had gathered in the sky.
And they weren't ordinary subordinate god level.
'Star Gods!'
Even at a glance, the number was in the hundreds.
But what was even more absurd came next.
[Hear me, Snake God and his subordinates, the master of the 13th Zodiac. The Snake God has disturbed the divine realm, and killed Baldur, the radiant master, the precious face of Valhalla sent for peace, along with other gods.]
"!"
[From this moment on, the Snake God is a target for subjugation.]
Subjugation?
Igeon's subordinate gods and Heiji raised an eyebrow as if to ask what nonsense this was.
"It's not worth listening to."
"There's no need to call Igeon. We'll handle this here..."
At those words, the gods sneered.
[How dare a mere colonial resident challenge a Star God.]
They looked at Yeonu with disgust.
[Though she was once a Snake Star God, now she's merely a human and a colonial resident.]
But right then.
"That's laughable."
With those words, light burst from Yeonu's body.
As the gods flustered and stared at her from the force, something astonishing occurred.
[The Ophiuchus subordinate god (Ji Yeonu) is awakening her divinity.]
[A new divinity is born.]
It was a force on a scale even more intense than when Cheon Seongjae swallowed the Lord of the Earth's divinity.
And at that intense power, the gods doubted their own eyes, but soon they couldn't finish their sentences.
*Boom!!*
With a powerful light, the gods were swept away.
* * *
Meanwhile, around that time in the divine realm.
The higher gods who had sent gods to Earth were laughing.
They had lured the wicked gods and ordered them to observe Igeon's disposal.
Of course, even if the monitoring gods died, it didn't matter.
"The Snake God killed the Great Star God's envoy, so we have enough justification."
"But is it truly okay to use the wicked gods?"
"Those beings dared to betray the King of Gods, the Ancient God."
"!"
How much burden do they think the Great Star Gods supporting the Ancient God bore because of them?
After the Ancient God died, if the Great Star Gods hadn't stepped forward, the divine realm and gods would have already disappeared.
"Vermin harmful to the Great Star Gods. They should be grateful to be used even in this way."
And around the same time, at Scorpio Sanctuary.
Igeon, who spotted the gods appearing in the sky, laughed as if disgusted.
"Those bastards are all Star Gods, right?"
[Yes...! That is correct!]
Iname, hidden in Igeon's shadow, sweat coldly.
That was because, while subordinate gods might be one thing, Star Gods were each leaders who owned their own territory.
And if it were just one, maybe, but a horde like that entering another Star God's domain?
"Are they picking a fight? Is this a declaration of war?"
Yet the subordinate god gulped.
'Even Punishment Gods have descended, haven't they?'
This wasn't war; it was nothing less than a unilateral attempt to erase the Snake God.
And then it happened.
"Found you, Uncle!"
Cheon Seongjae had come upon Igeon. But as he was about to report, he saw Cheon Yuha and screamed.
"What? Why does Noona's energy feel different from usual?"
"It's probably because the wicked god left."
"What? It left?! How?!"
Cheon Seongjae, who had been inwardly worried about his sister's arm, wore a very happy expression.
But.
"Uncle used Star God Descent to possess me and removed it."
"Yes, Star God De... What?!?!"
Cheon Seongjae, who had been rejoicing, burst into tears and clung to Igeon.
"Uncle, I'll give you my body too! To me too! Star God Descent! Haak! Descent... *gak*!"
"You have a wish ticket, don't you?"
After knocking Cheon Seongjae down, Igeon glared at the gods coming down upon their heads.
Igeon's party was surrounded in an instant.
And.
[Newcomer god who entered the Pantheon. The divine realm has concluded that we can no longer tolerate your tyranny.]
[Here and now, we will eliminate you and proceed with the succession cere-]
But they couldn't finish.
As if it wasn't worth listening to, Igeon immediately released the wicked god he had trapped in the puddle.
*Rumble!*
Then, with a vicious divine presence, the wicked god revealed itself.
The wicked god looked at the gods and grinned viciously.
[Aren't you all familiar faces?]
At the same time, Igeon, having sent it out as a tank, was about to use [ ]'s power.
But right then.
[The Creator. Found it.]
[Found it.]
"!!!!"
Igeon's hand froze as he tried to use his power. The power he was about to use was cut off as well.
"Uncle?"
At the same time, the Cheon siblings turned their heads, and their faces went pale.
"Uncle, behind you!"
Igeon furrowed his brow.
He felt like he knew who was behind him without even being told.
'Wicked gods.'
They were the remaining four of the Five Catastrophes, excluding the one that had been in Yuha's body.
And the problem was one of those four.
'That one.'
The largest one among the four that appeared.
Sure enough, a familiar voice rang in his ear.
[My Creator, here you were.]
"!!!!"
It was the one who had been preventing him from using his power all along.
As proof, Igeon couldn't move a muscle. And at this sight, the gods waiting cackled as if they had been waiting.
[We knew they'd be helpful.]
As if this was the moment, the gods tried to use the power of punishment, taking advantage of Igeon's immobility.
At that sight, the Cheon siblings risked their lives to try and move Igeon, while Igeon glared at the wicked god he had released.
'If you want to be completely free, protect my saints first.'
It meant to earn its keep.
But the freed wicked god said something very unexpected.
[Well, I don't think there's necessarily a reason to.]
What the hell?
Just as he thought he might have to deal with them after all, right then.
*Flash!*
The Punishment Gods who had been targeting Igeon screamed and were flung away.
It was the doing of the four wicked gods surrounding Igeon.
At that sight, Igeon and the Cheon siblings were puzzled.
'The wicked gods are trying to protect Uncle?'
The gods also seemed flustered.
[Those bastards...!]
[Are they saying not to touch their prey?]
But the wicked gods, having blown away the gods with their powerful force, flashed their eyes as if warning them not to touch Igeon.
[Followers of the fallen Great Star Gods.]
[Do not touch our descendant.]
Descendant?
As they were bewildered by that word, the wicked god that had been in Yuha's arm spoke.
[The four of us are Creators who guarded the Ancient God.]
What?
And then it happened.
Suddenly, as if the mention of four caught his attention, Igeon looked at the largest wicked god.
'Then who is that one?'
The remaining one of the five.
The one that not only rendered him immobile but also constantly sought him out.
At the same time, the one that gave off a feeling as if he was looking at [something], even appearing like a corpse dying, like Haley's mother.
But Igeon soon came to know its identity.
Because it attacked the Punishment Gods who had swarmed in.
[Found it. I will no longer let you be sacrificed to the Great Star Gods.]
With that intense power, the gods screamed and melted away.
At the same time, the Punishment Gods who witnessed the attack trembled in terror.
There was no other way.
[Ancient God...?!]
[Why are you here...!]
At this unexpected identity, Igeon grew intrigued.
(To be continued in the next episode)