The Void World.
Unlike the world of light, it was a place where freedom, power, and honor—truly, nothing at all existed.
It was a world of sinners that even gods feared. In short, a place where any being became a slave to the void.
Regardless of whether they were demonic beasts, gods, kings, or spirits, sinners were collected from all dimensions and followed the King of the Void World.
And in their life of slavery, not knowing when it would end, they yearned for the world of light.
[The sunny world is nice. You can do anything there.]
[What's the use if this is a higher dimension that encompasses the sunny world? It's a prison.]
But even they had one existence that caught their attention.
[Speaking of which, I heard a newbie came in this time.]
[What kind of guy is he?]
[They say he has SSS-class karma.]
At those words, the prisoners screamed.
[What? There's another bastard with that much karma besides the child of taboo?]
[They say he's a Great Sage God. From the Pantheon, no less.]
[A Great Sage God?! Whoa, it's been a while since a cute one came in.]
[What are you saying, if he's from the Pantheon, he's a complete big shot!]
The inhabitants of the Void World were stirring at the news of Igeon.
[Especially since he's the first newbie in 700 years because of his notoriety.]
This was a place where even those who had been rulers of dimensions became equally subservient slaves.
Of course, even here, ranks were divided into small groups, but anyway, among the gods, the Pantheon was the top major!
It was also the place where the strongest and most numerous gods existed.
Therefore, everyone showed interest in Igeon. Even when he was called to the room assignment ceremony that everyone goes through.
[Prisoner 695,156. Kneel before the king.]
[!]
Igeon, in handcuffs, was being dragged by the guards.
The king's subordinates were dumbfounded at the sight of Igeon.
[What, that's him? He's just a kid.]
[Don't underestimate him. Looks like he caused trouble already because he couldn't hold back for a short time. I heard he even wrecked the temporary holding facility.]
[Oh my, a lively fellow. Well, no matter what, he'll eventually be crushed by the king.]
[True. All slaves exist only for the king.]
And finally, the one Igeon faced was none other than the King of the Void World.
The King of the Void World let out a laugh.
[So you're the perpetrator who annihilated an entire race.]
At that voice, Igeon curled up the corners of his mouth.
His red eyes, looking at the king, curved into crescent moons.
As if he had finally found the one he had been searching for.
* * *
Meanwhile, around that time.
A timeline entirely different from Earth where Igeon was.
There, __ and __ were carrying out their master's orders. It was to monitor and manage the gods who had been reborn as tools.
Of course, as they had undergone reincarnation, the gods reborn as tools no longer remembered Igeon, but __ and __ were different.
Having passed through countless ages, their appearances had grown a lot, but they still missed Igeon and crossed over dimensions, pursuing them. Honoring his will, they looked forward to the day they would reunite with their master.
Well, when they heard the news that Igeon had fallen into the Void World, they sobbed again.
[No. We will meet the master who went to the Void World again someday.]
[As long as we don't forget the master, as long as we continue our mission.]
And in that process, some gods with memories like __ picked a fight to eliminate __, but they subdued them all, and in the distant future, Jun became the leader of the tools—a story for much later.
And.
“Aaaah! A strange object appeared!”
“M-My king! A strange kid is floating in the sky!”
“What! Is it a god! A messenger of the heavens!”
[Yes. You are this generation's candidate to be our master, the Majesty candidate.]
Wandering and wandering, one day they discovered a trace of Igeon and grieved—that too, a story for a distant future.
* * *
[Breaking news. Yesterday afternoon, a fire of unknown cause broke out…]
Hugo was sighing at the news on TV.
He'd thought that with the monsters gone, incidents and accidents would decrease, but that didn't seem to be the case.
‘Well, it's much more peaceful than back then when we couldn't even move between countries because of the monsters.’
Now, the paths in the sky, the sea, and the land were all free.
There was no longer being surrounded by a dome, living like a bird in a cage.
They had returned to the peaceful era before the monsters and gods invaded.
‘Well, small monsters do appear from time to time.’
But those were at a level that could be dealt with just by sprinkling holy water.
The problem wasn't that.
As expected.
[Dad? Dad! Are you listening right now?!]
“Ah, yeah. Sorry. I was watching the news for a moment.”
Hugo repositioned his phone, which was on a call with Seongjae.
“So you can't come home again today? We all agreed to gather and have dinner today.”
[Uh, sorry! Looks like I'll have to suppress a fight between awakened faction groups again today!]
At those words, Hugo sighed.
That was it.
The real problem that had arisen recently was none other than the children of the awakened.
Perhaps it happened because, at one time, the entire human race had believed in the Creator God, Igeon. Originally, the children of the awakened—
That is, the third-generation children were born with abilities from birth even though they hadn't been baptized.
Just like his own third daughter, Jisu.
Anyway, before, the awakened could unite because there was a common enemy in monsters.
But now, it was an era where fights between awakened trying to show off their power broke out often.
‘Well, thanks to that, all the adults are having headaches too.’
In fact, the scale was growing to group-level, and Seongjae was being called around everywhere.
[Anyway, Dad! I told you so I'm hanging up! Tell Mom I'm sorry!]
But Hugo furrowed his brow as if displeased.
What 'suppressing factions'?
“…Cheon Seongjae. You're not making an excuse about semester ending or whatever and not coming home because you want to go drink, are you?”
[Oh, come on! That's not it! That time was…!]
“Well, whatever. As long as I can see Yuha's face, it's fine. I don't really care if you never come home in your life.”
[What are you saying. Unni probably can't come home today either.]
“What??? Why?!!”
Hugo clutched the phone in shock, but Cheon Seongjae laughed.
[Ah, Unni is really popular, you know. Today too, guys were following her around the library.]
“Who!! Who's after our Yuha! Where are they?!!”
Click.
At his son's manner of saying only what he wanted and hanging up mercilessly, Hugo let out an alien scream.
“This brat has definitely gotten more spoiled since entering college!!! Does your dad look like a joke to you, huh!?”
Hugo sat down at his desk, saying he didn't need children who only cared about Igeon anyway.
‘Well, we don't have time to eat together anyway.’
Hugo glared at the manuscript with a deadline not far off, his blood pressure rising.
And seeing him like that, Yi Jaewon next to him laughed.
“Still, thanks to Lord Igeon, you're achieving your dream of being a novelist.”
“!”
Actually, what Hugo was writing was none other than a memoir about Igeon.
But Hugo pouted his lips at Yi Jaewon who was helping him.
“You know. This isn't a novel. It's Geon's autobiography.”
“Well, even if it's non-fiction, people might think it's a novel.”
At those words, Hugo fell silent.
It couldn't be helped.
‘Geon has disappeared.’
As he headed to the Void World, the existence called Igeon had vanished from the world.
Moreover, all the items he had made had also disappeared.
In fact, the wristwatch he had been using as the Sagittarius insignia was something Igeon had modified into a talisman sacred object, but even the engraved inscription that was proof of his power had vanished.
Even Asran and the Primordial God had disappeared as well.
‘Well, Geon's subordinate gods didn't disappear.’
But they all scattered when their master Igeon disappeared.
Some left partly to monitor the gods that turned into tools, some went to find Igeon, and the rest did different things such as leaving to investigate the routes where monsters occasionally invaded or reincarnating as humans.
That was how the world forgot Geon.
Well, that didn't mean Igeon's existence was completely forgotten by people.
‘His presence just became faint.’
As if he were someone from hundreds of years ago, he was gradually vanishing from people's memories.
That was why Hugo was working even harder, writing his memoir and continuously putting out things about Igeon into the world.
So that he wouldn't be forgotten by people until Igeon returned.
As proof, Hugo steadily showed photos of Igeon to his young third daughter.
“Yes, Jisu. This is Geon. Geon-ie. You mustn't ever forget.”
But instead, Jisu pouted her lips into a duckbill as if she was 'ppoo ppoo' dissatisfied while looking at Igeon's photo.
At that, Hugo covered his mouth as if he'd raised her really well.
“As expected, our pretty Jisu…! You like Daddy more than Geon, right?”
“Well, I think she dislikes it because it's a photo where Mr. Hugo came out better than Lord Igeon.”
Hugo glared at Yi Jaewon.
“I'm telling you, Jisu likes Dad far more than Geon.”
“Is that really so…?”
“Enough! How's that bastard Jagyeolsa. Does he remember Geon a bit?”
It was a situation where the subordinate gods had nearly all scattered.
And when writing a memoir about Igeon, including the sayings of holy gods would have great impact, so he had asked.
Then the Sagittarius Saints who were bringing materials clicked their tongues.
“We are looking after Lord Jagyeolsa, but as expected, he can't remember his past life.”
“Because it's said that when it's passed down through reincarnation, abilities are inherited, but memories completely vanish….”
At those words, Hugo grumbled that he was a useless brat both then and now, but only Yi Jaewon's eyes sparkled subtly.
Well, __ was originally something where memories of past lives disappear, but…
‘Does he really not remember Lord Igeon?’
That was definitely a face that wasn't unable to remember, but deliberately pretending not to know.
Well, it didn't matter.
“It's been over 3 years since Lord Igeon disappeared. About a year ago, didn't Lady Yeonu and the Virgo Holy God go to find clues about Lord Igeon? Has there been any news since then?”
“There wasn't.”
When Hugo became dejected, everyone sighed.
It couldn't be helped.
“Lady Hailey also returned, so why can't Lord Igeon return?”
That was true.
Hailey had already returned 3 years ago. She had actually reincarnated.
But when he went to find her, Hugo couldn't help but be startled.
It was none other than because of the parents who were with Hailey.
Both looked human at a glance, but Hugo saw them clearly.
‘__, and a god…!’
It was none other than Hailey's original parents, the first-generation monarch __, and the former Great Sage God of Mahabharata, __.
And though he didn't know how __ had died, anyway, weren't they both people who had earned the hatred of the gods for staining the name of the great sage gods?
In any case, they, who had been annihilated and could never return, had somehow come back in human form.
And with a young Hailey at that!
Because of that, everyone thought.
- It's Lord Igeon!
Igeon had definitely done something in the Void World. Anyway, Hailey's growth speed was formidable, and her unexpected parents had also returned.
So everyone had great expectations.
‘Lord Igeon will return soon too!’
But what was this.
After that, there was no news of Igeon for 3 whole years.
Because of that, Yi Jaewon couldn't help but sigh.
‘Well, there was also a future that Mr. Hugo had foretold, and I did predict it wouldn't go smoothly….’
The prophecies Hugo had foretold at that time were two.
One was a future where they would all die, and the other was a future where Igeon would embrace a woman and grieve deeply.
‘And that was undoubtedly Lady Hailey.’
So when he heard Igeon went to the Void World, Yi Jaewon had heaved a sigh.
Well, he understood the heart that wanted to go save a beloved woman, but.
“You should have stopped him. Why on earth did you send Lord Igeon then?”
At that time, only Hugo had been inside. If they had been there too, they would have stopped him. They would have contrived to find another way.
“Somehow, with the power of __….”
“Geon said he didn't want that.”
“!”
That wasn't all.
Actually, Hugo had also tried to stop him.
Because he was Igeon's friend. He couldn't just stand by and watch a guy who was going to jump into the sea to die on his own.
So he had said this:
- Geon-ah. Do you really have to go? Hailey is precious too, but to me you're more…
- I would have gone even if it were you.
- !
In the end, Hugo was K.O'd by those words.
‘Damn, those blasted Creators.’
It was his own fault for falling for that clan.
Anyway, no matter who it was, Igeon would have gone. It was understanding that resolve that made him send Igeon off.
At those words, the Saints, who had been lamenting, grieved.
Because the empty space without him was too, too large.
But soon, Hugo asked.
“So. What business did you come for? Didn't you have something to report?”
Then the Saints who had entered scratched their cheeks with troubled expressions.
“No. Well, actually…”
After hearing the story, Hugo screamed as if the office was going to blow away.
(To be continued in the next episode)