That was when it happened.
“…Wait, what did I just say?”
Yeonwoo was holding her face in her hands.
She had just finished relaying the message about [Granting Wishes] to the followers as requested by Igeon.
But in the midst of it, she recalled what she had said.
- Marry me.
When Igeon said he would grant any wish, the words had slipped out before she knew it.
But thinking about it now, she had said something incredibly embarrassing!
And after the telepathy ended, Yeonwoo, realizing what she had said, was screaming silently.
*What if Geon thinks I’m weird?*
Of course, she had no idea why those words had come out.
But when she received that question, Yeonwoo had suddenly remembered something.
It was back when she was living with Junwoo and Igeon.
- Ah, if gods exist, I really want to punch them.
Junwoo had grumbled.
- Being born human is great, but why was I born a man?
Yeonwoo and Junwoo were originally twin snakes. Junwoo was the younger one, but they were sisters.
Of course, for gods, the higher their rank, the more freely they could transform, and since they were transcendent beings, gender didn’t matter much. But the problem was that this time, they had reincarnated as humans.
Well, being born with different genders was what allowed them to grow up without being discovered by the gods, but still…
- I can’t have Geon hyung anyway, so I’ll let you have him, noona. Don’t let anyone else take him.
- It’s better to just live like family.
- That’s a completely different issue from actually becoming family!
Anyway, back then, she had just laughed it off, thinking nothing of it.
*Why is Geon so popular?*
When they reunited, there were so many people eyeing Geon from all over.
There was even a kid trying to use magic tricks on him!
Of course, Igeon himself didn’t seem to care at all, but maybe she had felt a sense of crisis.
Before she knew it, Yeonwoo had blurted out the words in her heart.
And so, while Yeonwoo was burying her face in her hands and kicking at an imaginary blanket…
At the Scorpio sanctuary, Gemini Saint Heiji was fuming.
She hadn’t heard the conversation between Igeon and Yeonwoo, but from the reactions of the Ophiuchus followers and Yeonwoo’s response, she had immediately caught on to what kind of conversation had taken place.
Maybe that was why.
Heiji immediately went to her fellow saint, Heili, and grabbed her by the collar(?).
“Why are you just standing there?!”
“??”
At the questioning look, Heiji shook Heili wildly as if her insides were burning.
“Didn’t you hear? They said they’d grant wishes because they’re his followers! She brought up marriage! Are you really just going to sit back and watch this?”
Heiji looked at her as if urging her to say something, but Heili, ever the ice princess, was calm.
“Since she’s his follower, it’s only natural to grant wishes.”
“What do you mean natural! Is marriage natural?!”
“Why not? She seems like she’d take good care of Geon.”
At those words, Heiji pounded her chest as if she were about to explode.
The saints had never been close to begin with, but in moments like this, she felt they would never see eye to eye.
“You! Can you just stand by while the two of them are all happy and lovey-dovey?”
“Hmm… I wouldn’t be able to watch that.”
“See! You wouldn’t be able to either!”
“I’d rather be able to watch.”
“……?”
At that cryptic remark, Heiji narrowed her delicate brows.
What was this girl talking about?
But Heili spoke, a little sadly.
“Because by then, I won’t be around.”
“……???”
Heiji stared at Heili as if asking what she meant.
But instead of answering, Heili recalled her conversation with Scorpio’s Mighty Deity.
It was probably when she had followed Igeon to the divine realm, disguised by his powers.
That was when she first encountered the true form of Scorpio’s Mighty Deity and heard an unexpected story.
- Heili. I understand your feelings, but I’m telling you this because I think of you as my daughter.
- !
- I can’t stop you from harboring feelings for the Serpent Deity, but you must not go any further.
- What do you mean?
- You know there’s a bounty on your head. Do you know why?
- That’s because I was there during the invasion of the divine realm… for wrecking it…?
- No. On the surface, maybe. But it’s because of your inherent karma.
- Inherent…?
- Do you know why, even as a Cruder, you can’t transform into a monster form?
- ……?
- You are a forbidden child. It’s because you are a hybrid of Cruder and god.
- ……!!
She had honestly been shocked.
She had wondered about her own appearance, but she had never imagined that her father might be from the divine realm.
- Your father was my friend.
But at the same time, that explained everything.
- Is that why you chose me as a saint?
- That’s right. How could I make a pure-blood Cruder a saint?
It made sense.
Even Scorpio’s Mighty Deity was a being of vivid, shifting colors. Without divine blood, she wouldn’t have been able to wield the Mighty Deity’s power in the first place.
- That’s why, even when the Serpent Deity learned your identity, didn’t he say you smelled like the human faction?
- ……!
Indeed, he had.
That was why Igeon hadn’t killed her, saying she didn’t seem like a complete monster.
So that was the reason.
But the shocking revelations didn’t end there.
- The reason your mother was captured and enslaved by the gods is also because of that karma.
- …My mother is captured by the gods?
- Yes. The first-generation Monarch of Flames. Because of that karma, she is held captive and serves as nourishment for the divine realm.
- ……!
She didn’t even need to ask why.
- Cruders and gods are mortal enemies. Forming bonds is forbidden, and bearing children is even more so.
That was the law of the divine realm.
And because they created a forbidden child, the first-generation monarch, Flames, was captured, and a bounty was placed on the child, Heili.
For some reason, hybrids born between the two were considered taboo.
Maybe that was why.
- The moment the two species get close, the weaker one dies.
- ……!!
It was said to be a kind of providence, a curse.
- Anyway, I’m warning you. Don’t even think about mingling bodies with the Serpent Deity. Don’t get close to him. You’re already a forbidden child, so your lifespan is short as it is.
She had always known her lifespan wasn’t long. From the beginning, Heili had only about 20 years left.
Knowing she couldn’t protect Igeon for her entire life, wasn’t that why she had decided early on to become a saint and eliminate the monsters from Earth?
In other words, by the time Igeon returned, Heili’s life was already running short.
Moreover, Igeon was already a god, overwhelmingly stronger than Heili.
So if she got close to him, the one who would die was Heili.
And although Heili already knew this, she had chosen to take Igeon’s hand.
Simply put, her lifespan had grown even shorter. Of course, Heili didn’t think of it as being shortened.
So instead of revealing the full story, Heili whispered to Heiji.
“I’m content if I can protect Igeon like this and die when the time comes. Getting to kiss him was enough.”
At those words, Heiji seemed to have a mental breakdown.
What do you mean, kiss or whatever, there’s a problem with your lifespan?!
And if you can’t even see him get married, that means you won’t last even a few years!
“What do you mean by that…!”
But Yeonwoo, who had secretly overheard this from afar, realized something.
*It’s because of karma…!*
Yeonwoo knew about the decree and taboo.
*But I thought it was just a rumor.*
Anyway, that wasn’t the important part.
If Heili died, Igeon would surely be saddened.
*Heili must have deliberately not told Geon.*
She must have been aware of her short lifespan since becoming a saint, always prepared to disappear at any moment.
Soon, Yeonwoo fell into deep thought. No matter what, she didn’t want Heili to die.
*But if I have the Rulebook, I might be able to change the law itself.*
And the one who possessed it now was the Goddess of Fate.
That is, a follower of Kiana.
Yeonwoo’s eyes sparkled as if an idea had struck her.
* * *
And around the same time.
[Aaah!! My lord! Restrain yourself!]
[You must not kill him! Killing him is forbidden!]
Igeon’s followers were desperately clinging to his arms and legs.
[My lord! Please calm down!!!]
[Killing him is absolutely not allowed!]
“Get off! I’m going to kill that bastard!”
[We understand you’re not pleased with the terms, but aren’t they groundbreaking?!]
[A Star God, offering to become your follower!]
[So please…!]
“Groundbreaking my ass!!!”
Indeed.
Kiana, the Star God of Kunlun, had offered to become Igeon’s follower.
She had offered to help deal with the Star Gods.
But there was a condition.
- Since you’re already married, remain in your female goddess form.
“Are you begging to die?!”
Drawing the Celestial Judgment, Igeon’s eyes blazed as if he meant to smash Kiana’s head in.
“You expect me to take that lying down? Huh? And what? Groundbreaking?! Are you guys really my followers?!”
[But it is groundbreaking!]
“What did you say?!!”
[It’s not even marriage! You just have to change your appearance!]
[That’s right! To transcendent and noble supreme gods, what does a mere human form matter!]
“It matters!! It matters a lot!!”
When Igeon finally erupted with the force of a god, ready to kill them all, Kiana sighed, as if there was no other choice.
[Fine. I was wrong. I’ll change the terms.]
“Ha. Fine. Now you’re finally talking sense…”
[Marry my daughter.]
“Sh*t!!! Forget that bastard!!”
Igeon tried to kill Kiana, as if he’d rather have the achievement of killing her.
Then Kiana clicked her tongue and looked at Igeon.
[I don’t care how you act, but you won’t manage without me, will you?]
“What did you say?”
[Serpent Deity. Do you not know what the other Star Gods are like?]
“……?”
[Well, I was just throwing the terms out there. Anyway, since we’re in agreement, I’ll help you.]
Igeon lowered his Judgment, his anger somewhat subsiding.
It seemed Kiana also had business with the other Star Gods.
As proof, Kiana remained still even when Igeon used the power of Ophiuchus.
“For now, I’ve designated you as part of our faction, so no backtalk later…”
[I’ll even give you combat attire to help you.]
At the bridal gown Kiana produced, Igeon’s blood pressure spiked again.
Should I just kill this bastard too?
And that was when it happened.
“Hah. To think a god would act like that is ridiculous.”
“!”
At the familiar voice, Igeon turned his head.
There stood a face he hadn’t seen in a long time.
“I came because all hell broke loose. What did you do in the divine realm for a god to act like that?”
It was Stephen, the Leo Saint.
He had thought Stephen was dead, killed by the new saints, but apparently, he was alive.
Since the Star Gods had infiltrated Earth, Kevin must have gathered the surviving ones as ordered.
For better or worse, they were helpful.
And even Leo’s Mighty Deity seemed unusually riled up.
[We will also cooperate. How dare they try to execute us?]
The Mighty Deity of Leo, manifested in an avatar form, was grinding his teeth in anger.
[We’ll take care of that damn Thao Ren.]
“Yeah? Then there are some kids who’d be useful.”
When Igeon gestured as if pleased, a goddess surged up from his shadow.
It was one of the Goddesses of Fate, transformed into Igeon’s likeness because of Hugo.
“With the Goddess of Fate on the opposing side, this will surely help with defense. I’ll lend you one. And you, take the other saints and…”
While issuing various instructions, Igeon soon tilted his head.
“Hey. Are you listening?”
Igeon looked at Stephen with displeasure.
But Stephen’s gaze was fixed on the Goddess of Fate in Igeon’s form.
“You bastard?”
Stephen took the Goddess of Fate’s hand.
“Please marry m…”
CRACK!!!
Igeon immediately struck Stephen’s head with the Delusion Sword.
And he swore viciously.
“Argh! Why is there not a single normal person around me!!!”
(To be continued in the next episode)