[Used the authority's fast-forward.]
_____'s light burst out.
Because of _____'s power, the power of _____ that Mahabharata's _____ was using was shaken.
[_____ presses down on _____.]
[It breaks _____ and makes _____ recover memories.]
Along with that, the Lord of Scorching Heat recovered his old memories.
The memory of the time when he, born as Asuran's half-brother and the eldest son of the Creator chief, was not even recognized as a member of the same clan.
- You're repulsive. If you, my son, had the power of a Creator, that _____ wouldn't have abandoned me either.
- What? You made this?
- Yes! With this, I too am a proper member of the Creators!
The Lord of Scorching Heat was highly popular and excelled in both literary and martial arts, but for one thing: he was treated as an outsider for lacking the Creator's ability to create.
But although it hadn't yet manifested, he realized that he, too, had _____'s power, and was overjoyed.
He was certain that, like his younger sibling, like his father, he could become a true member of the clan.
But the moment he realized it was an ability, everything returned to square one. No, he was treated as even more of an outsider than before.
Of course, his genius younger sibling said the ability was good, leaving him unsure if it was meant as comfort or mockery.
But there were those who evaluated Garan's ability favorably.
- You are quite an outstanding Creator.
They were the Great Deities.
They said this: "Your ability is the greatest ability that no one else can do."
It wasn't just talk; he could extract and transfer anything: _____, _____, _____, _____, and even a deity's divinity or an embryo.
He didn't discriminate by target. No matter the target, he could extract its contents and move it from point A to point B.
While his father and the Creators saw that ability as "a useless ability worse than having nothing," it seemed different to the Great Deities.
- We want to purchase an object imbued with that ability.
It was an occasion where the supreme Great Deities of the divine realm took notice.
His name would become known. It was a path to success, and of course the compensation was good. So when the Great Deities offered to buy a divine tool containing the ability for a high price, he ultimately didn't sell it.
- I have not made any object. Because I am a novice who cannot even attach a craftsman's name.
Garan knew that ability would be used dangerously. He hated his father, but he also understood the meaning behind his father forbidding its use.
So he discarded all the objects he had made in hopes of being acknowledged, and tried to choose the path of the Martial God, but...
- Garan, didn't I tell you never to use that ability again!
It seemed the time he used it one last time—to save a life—was unbearably displeasing to his father.
- I... just... all I did was extract the disease and save a life. I thought Father would at least be pleased...
- Leave. Never again call yourself part of our clan. Never call yourself my son.
So after that, Garan left without looking back.
And in that anger and sorrow, Garan seemed to faintly encounter the Great Deity of the Ennead, the Great Deity of Valhalla, and the former Great Deity of Olympus.
- Do you hate your father?
Light rose from the Great Deities' fingertips. Along with that light, an inexplicable anger surged, and in the end, he joined hands with those who hated the clan and killed his parents and the Creators.
And it was also Garan who spared Asuran, the sole survivor. Thinking the young Asuran wouldn't remember anything, they seated him on the Serpent Lord's throne and used him as a figurehead to act as Creators. In the end, they themselves were killed in the same way by the subordinate gods.
That was _____'s life. And the Lord of Scorching Heat, having regained those memories, screamed.
Flash!
Soon, a familiar aura emanated from the Lord of Scorching Heat, startling the subordinate gods.
[This aura is that of a Creator...!]
Igeon raised the corners of his mouth as if he'd been caught.
For some reason, the Great Deities were wary of the Lord of Scorching Heat. More precisely, not him, but his original persona, _____.
Of course, the Lord of Scorching Heat had regained _____'s memories only recently. So even the Great Deities hadn't noticed that guy's true identity. That's probably why they couldn't deal with him earlier.
And though not certain, if the Scorching Heat is entangled with _____, then keeping that guy alive might actually be to our advantage.
Sure enough, as the Lord of Scorching Heat retrieved his memories, _____ of Babylon's eyes gleamed.
[That bastard!]
Could this situation be the worst route for them?
_____ flew in an instant and launched an attack. But at his appearance, the holy disciples' eyes widened.
A completely different body movement from before! Although he appeared injured, his movements were distinctly different from the other Great Deities.
"What! Why is that guy so fine!"
Didn't he look like he alone hadn't received the monarchs' attacks?
But the question was fleeting; _____'s eyes gleamed. The mighty power of the Water God threatened the gods and holy disciples.
At that scream, Igeon's eyes gleamed as if demanding who dared to rampage on his land.
[Get lost!]
Bang!
Igeon's power collided with _____'s power.
Finally, the earth's ground was destroyed, and a powerful force of _____ grabbed _____. It was the power of the Nine Heavens' bondage.
_____'s power was strong, but this place was like a home ground for Igeon.
[The faith of the Serpent Lord's seat rises.]
[The power of faith increases strength.]
[Endurance increases, fortitude increases.]
Igeon, who never turned his back on the enemy, always became a paragon for people.
That became strength for Igeon.
But _____ raised the seawater as if it were detestable.
[A fledgling god who hasn't even formed internal power yet!]
He intended to drown all of humanity.
But it was right then. The water of _____, meant to drown people, disappeared like a mirage.
The water was moved to another place. And the one who could do such a thing was...
[These bastards. You fixed and used the items I made and discarded.]
[!]
_____ flinched.
The Lord of Scorching Heat, who had moved the water to location B, seemed to immediately realize what the Great Deities had done.
[You used my item to steal _____ and moved it elsewhere.]
Indeed. The items that _____ made were used usefully by the Great Deities.
Because Garan's ability served as a substitute for the sixth power of the Primordial God that the Great Deities lacked. So they had his discarded items stolen and even modified.
Thus, the Great Deities frowned as if troubled.
[Even so, a 'substitute' acting all high and mighty...]
They tried to deal with the Scorching Heat, but at that moment, a sound of something shattering was heard.
Crack!
[?]
At the same time, something glittering began to fall from the Great Deities' bodies. It looked like dust from broken items.
The Great Deities were greatly flustered. They realized what had broken.
[You, Scorching Heat, what have you done...!]
The Lord of Extinction glared at the Lord of Scorching Heat, but Igeon laughed as if it served him right.
"Idiot. Do you think the maker of the item can't destroy it?"
Indeed...!
Igeon smiled confidently as if knowing it as a fellow craftsman.
What the Lord of Scorching Heat remotely destroyed were the items imbued with Garan's ability. Since one's own divine authority is contained in a creation, it could be used in reverse to destroy it.
And perhaps this is why they were wary of _____, the owner of the authority.
[Perhaps this will resolve the karma as well.]
Along with the Scorching Heat's words, Igeon raised the corners of his mouth. And an amazing thing happened.
Flash!
[!]
Although he hadn't shown it, color began to return to Igeon's face, which had been suffering due to karma.
That wasn't all.
[The karma returns to where it originally belongs.]
[Cough!!]
The karma that had been pushed onto Igeon returned to the original Great Deities.
Boom!! It was the share for merging the Earth and the divine realm this time, and for brainwashing to steal faith.
And when it returned, all of _____ of Olympus screamed as if being torn apart.
[_____ who used brainwashing with _____ suffers from karma.]
[_____ who merged the Earth and divine realm with _____ suffers from karma.]
[_____ who helped them with _____ suffers from karma.]
[Pain is directed to _____.]
They coughed up blood in agony.
They only received their own shares back, but Igeon had been receiving three persons' worth at once. So they couldn't help but be astonished.
'That bastard was enduring this? And even using authority in that state?'
'Impossible...!'
In the end, _____, who had received the greatest damage from the monarchs, couldn't withstand the karma and was instantly annihilated.
[_____ could not endure the karma and pain and was annihilated.]
[Master!]
[Ugh...!]
At this rate, it's hard to even maintain consciousness, let alone use power!
Eventually, even _____ of the Mahabharata, unable to hold on, lost consciousness and collapsed. His body had already transformed into a monster.
And one remained after everyone collapsed.
Igeon looked at the guy, but _____, being eroded by karma, was laughing for some reason.
[Do you think it ends just by passing the karma onto us?]
!
[You fool, you've dug your own grave.]
No matter how you look at it, they're the ones getting beaten. Why would he spout such nonsense? But soon Igeon frowned.
[Activated Eyes of the Phantom Beast.]
Using the ability of the Phantom Beast, Igeon discovered something from the Lord of Extinction.
It was characters engraved on the Lord of Extinction's arm.
Igeon told Mimir about it. Mimir, upon hearing that language, flinched in surprise.
[Master...! Those characters are...!]
The way his expression froze was extremely serious.
Sure enough, _____ smiled.
[I made a contract with the monarch.]
...!
[Even if karma returns, my body is healed.]
That's right. Engraved on _____'s arm was the proof of a soul contract with the monarch. An absolute contract where the one who breaks it dies.
And though not sure, he seemed to have secretly made a contract with the monarch without the other Great Deities knowing.
Also, it seemed the contract could nullify injuries to the body.
Anyway, that's why _____ was fine despite being attacked by the monarchs earlier, and is still composed even now after receiving back the karma.
In the end, everyone had no choice but to be on guard.
[If those words are true, we are at a disadvantage!]
[And that mark... it's highly likely to be a 1st generation one.]
At Mimir's words, everyone spoke as if dumbfounded.
[1st generation? That _____ making a contract with a Great Deity is impossible!]
'He's someone who detests the Great Deities more than anyone.'
Because they are enemies who held not one but two of his siblings, and even _____, as slaves.
But.
[That mark, it's a contract with _____...!]
"!"
They couldn't help but be horrified in another sense.
Of course, it wasn't completely incomprehensible that _____ made a contract with the All-Changer.
_____ was a guy who could replace his body with something else even if injured. Moreover, if he could also use the troops of Kruder.
'He could stand above the other Great Deities.'
Perhaps he harbored that thought after seeing Igeon use _____.
He thought that to strike down the Ennead, Valhalla, and Mahabharata, which had never been passed down, and even seize the _____ of the snake god to take all of the Primordial God's power, a third force would be necessary.
And the starting point was just before Hugo broke off his friendship with Igeon.
And compared to _____, it might be understandable for the fickle _____, but it was still strange.
[Why would _____ with you...]
[Why do you think? _____ can't even attack the snake god and isn't free because of the curse placed by the Creators.]
"!"
The cursed curse on _____ is [suppression of slaughter instinct and power], and [absolute obedience] to the Creators.
That curse was placed by the entire Creator clan, so it cannot be lifted as long as even one Creator is alive.
[So he said it was very troublesome. Thus, in exchange for joining hands with me, I agreed to lift that curse for him. It can be resolved by using the rulebook.]
Although not of his generation, _____ was a guy who had been captured by the Great Deities long ago. He knew better than anyone what that guy wanted.
So the gods and holy beings couldn't help but be horrified.
The Cheon siblings, who didn't know the All-Changer was Hugo, tilted their heads, but others cursed first.
[As expected, Kruder cannot be trusted!]
[He reincarnated as a human, but his nature hasn't gone anywhere.]
[Indeed, we should've beaten him to death...]
It was right then that Igeon also furrowed his brow.
"You said the contract condition is to release the curse placed on that guy?"
"!"
Unexpectedly, Asuran burst into laughter.
The Lord of Extinction raised his eyebrows as if displeased.
[What's so funny?]
"Well, you, a Great Deity, have been had."
[...What?]
He laughed sharply as if asking if they hadn't checked the contract properly.
"That curse on _____... I already released it when I was young, before he even ran rampant in this divine realm. He himself knows that too."
[......!!]
In other words, _____ had been free since long ago, without even needing such a contract.
"Then, if the All-Changer lacks nothing, why would he make a contract with you?"
The Lord of Extinction's expression was a sight to behold. An ominous feeling suddenly passed by.
Sure enough, Asuran pointed at _____'s arm and said.
"That contract you made with _____. Is it really a contract to protect your body?"
[......!]
Along with those words, Igeon, who was holding onto _____, opened his eyes wide.
It was that moment. Light began to shine from the contract characters engraved on _____'s arm.
At the same time, the Lord of Extinction screamed in agony.
[_____'s contract activates.]
[_____'s body collapses.]
[_____'s divinity is destroyed.]
[_____'s body is modified by the transformation authority of _____.]
[_____ transforms into a mindless lowly Kruder.]
As if this was the real contract, his appearance began to change like mud, like a monster.
(Continued next episode)