Lee Geon looked at the coin shining in his pocket and smiled.
[Mission propagation in progress]
[Completion rate 80%]
The coin he had prepared for the second trial.
‘Well, Tak-su would definitely object, so I kept it a secret deliberately.’
But seeing the situation, it seemed that side was also progressing smoothly.
In that case.
‘I just need to take care of this side.’
Lee Geon’s eyes glinted sharply.
But Perio, who met Lee Geon’s gaze, trembled.
To be honest, he had been underestimating Lee Geon.
After all, over twenty years ago, he had already encountered Lee Geon.
It was when Lee Geon came to Belgium at the request of the Belgian government.
‘What are you staring at? I heard this place is famous for chocolate. Ever been hit by chocolate?’
Back then, Lee Geon was twenty-six. At that time, his hideous face was hidden by a mask, and he had no hair.
Of course, Perio thought he was eccentric, but he didn’t feel any sense of dread.
Why?
Because Lee Geon fundamentally gave off the impression of working for the good of humanity.
He wasn’t exactly the type to take losses, but when it came to saving people, he never weighed profit and loss.
Even if it meant his own body getting damaged.
Once, for an unpaid mission, he even entered a monster’s lair by himself to rescue a stranded squad. Perio thought he was insane. Anyway, his attitude toward Perio, and everything about him, suggested he was a little unhinged.
But that wasn’t it.
Back then, he simply hadn’t perceived Lee Geon as an enemy.
Now, in this moment, recognizing him as a foe—
“Ah. So you were a bastard who deals with these monsters?”
At that chilling smile, Perio’s breath caught in his throat.
Had he always worn that look when facing enemies?
Unaware, Perio’s legs went numb with fear, but there was no need to tremble.
“Lee Geon! Don’t you dare underestimate them just because you’ve reached Saint-level!”
With Perio’s shout, light burst from the ground.
[Equivalent Exchange - Pathway Creation]
A circular formation appeared as price was paid.
Black flames rose from the floor, revealing a circular summoning sigil.
And what emerged from the summoning sigil was none other than a hand.
Boom!
As a hand larger than a human appeared, Hugo went on alert.
“Dammit! It’s a summon!”
And it wasn’t just one or two.
From hundreds of circles, unidentifiable hands emerged.
Thud!! Thud! Thud!
Their identities were unknown, but instinct screamed.
‘Dammit, we have to end this before they come out!’
Flustered, Hugo and Gott drew their bows.
Twang! Twang!
As the mightiest long-range Zodiacs, their arrows never missed.
Every shot landed, the magic arrows, nearly akin to lasers, piercing the hands.
But.
“Kieeeek!”
The hands kept pouring out of the summoning sigils, making their shots seem insignificant!
‘Dammit, just how many of them…!’
But the bigger problem wasn’t merely the numbers.
“Kieeeek!”
“!!”
At the sight of the things revealing their faces from the summoning sigils, both Hugo and Gott—
Even Kevin, who rarely showed surprise, was stunned.
“This is absurd.”
“Those aren’t summons…!”
Indeed.
Those were definitely monsters from an unknown civilization!
The very beings people called calamities.
There was no mistaking it. The feeling of dread and revulsion just from their proximity.
‘Monsters.’
It was completely different from summons created by skills.
And that made it all the more bewildering.
‘A human is summoning the enemy of humanity…!’
What’s more, inside a Dome under the blessing of a Divine Seat!
At the same time, Gott had a sudden realization.
‘Isn’t this just like what happened ten years ago?’
Ten years ago.
That damn toad had appeared precisely in the area under Sagittarius’s blessing.
And as a result, Hugo’s wife and the Sacred Order leader of Sagittarius died, and five thousand people fell into comas.
It became the incident that earned Hugo global condemnation for incompetence and calls to remove him from the Twelve Divine Seats.
‘Which is why we’re still the lowest-ranked Seat.’
Anyway, back then Hugo was criticized for not noticing it at all.
But if someone could summon monsters anytime, anywhere, the story changes.
‘Then could that incident also have been…!’
Perhaps it had been orchestrated to eliminate the Sagittarius Seat, which was trying to clear Lee Geon’s stigma.
But this was no time for leisurely analysis.
Boom!
“Ugh!”
At the appearance of the monster horde, they grabbed their weapons.
Hugo and Gott launched fierce attacks, and even Virgo, who was in the middle of stopping her bleeding, switched her sword to her left hand.
And when Virgo raised her sword, lights poured from the sky.
[Starburst of July]
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Meteors fell upon the monsters’ heads as they tried to emerge from the summoning sigils.
But at that moment.
“Kieeeek!”
“……!!”
The attacks didn’t work at all.
And as the monsters opened their eyes and roared, their faces turned pale.
“Dammit! Unassailable types…!!”
They were commonly known as ???.
The same category as those that had appeared in Drachma, targeting Lee Geon’s bones.
New species that even Saints couldn’t assault, always sending chills down their spines.
Strong enough that attacks were useless.
Eventually, Hugo and Kevin simultaneously put away their weapons.
“Fall back!”
“What?! We’re falling back?”
“Those ones are impossible!”
Gott was baffled.
Good heavens, to make Saints put away their weapons at the same time!
But they were serious.
“I saw those things in the Tower of Demons! We avoided them back then too! We have to fall back….”
But at that moment.
Squelch!
“……!”
Next to Kevin, who was raising his voice, blood spurted.
Startled, Kevin turned his head to see a monster collapsing with a gush of blood.
There was no time for surprise.
Squelch!!!
All he saw was a long handle. An axe blade soaring into the sky.
And amidst the spraying blood fountains, a man smiling like a demon.
“Geon!”
“Long time no see, bastards!!”
With that innocent exhalation, a giant’s head was crushed.
Crrrack!!
The headless giant’s body toppled beside Kevin.
Thud!!
It was on a completely different level from fighting with a sword or fists.
Though he had mastered all weapons as a blacksmith, his movements with his primary weapon were worlds apart.
“This is perfect! Lately, I’ve only been meeting scrubs below standard, so I felt my body getting stiff!”
Leaping into the air, Lee Geon rotated swiftly among the clustered monsters.
Crrrunch!
“Kieeeek!”
“Kerhaek!”
Like meteors from the sky, monster heads crashed down.
At that sight, Gott was entranced, bow in hand, while Hugo felt a renewed sense of satisfaction.
Kevin, on the other hand, was extremely bewildered.
Of course, he knew Lee Geon’s skill well.
While others mocked Lee Geon as a half-wit, Kevin was the one who had acknowledged him and genuinely wanted to defeat him.
Thus, he had been more regretful than anyone about Lee Geon’s fading strength.
He had even secretly visited Aquarius, throwing money around to ask about treatments.
He had secretly slipped expensive tonics into Lee Geon’s food to help his body recover.
But.
This situation, this sight!
Wasn’t this completely different from the Lee Geon he knew twenty years ago!
‘He’s gotten much stronger…!’
Had he not just been locked away in the tower?
‘Was the report true, that not a single monster was left alive in the Tower of Demons…!’
Twenty years ago, when they had gone to assault the Red Eye, Lee Geon, just like them, had been busy avoiding the monsters.
But elated, Lee Geon smiled.
[Upgrading body with reward obtained from the Trial of Strength]
They said the upgrade would be complete in just about a full day.
‘I think I’m starting to feel it.’
Saying it was perfect timing for a test, Lee Geon’s eyes glinted.
But at that moment.
Just as Lee Geon swung his axe powerfully to decapitate a monster!
“Gasp…! Geon!”
“?!”
Even Lee Geon, who was putting strength into his arm, was startled.
His biceps and triceps had swollen up absurdly.
“……?!”
Flustered, Lee Geon slapped his forearm repeatedly, and it returned to normal.
He felt relieved.
Well, it didn’t matter.
“Now my body is finally loosening up!”
Like a whale spouting water, the axe whipped up a storm of blood.
The Sky’s Judgment howled in joy at its master’s return.
* * *
Perio was witnessing an unbelievable spectacle.
Crunch! Crunch!
Right before his eyes, a single human was going berserk.
That was no human.
That thing, covered in blood and pulling out an axe, was a demon from hell.
No, it was a Shura.
And the Shura deity, having instantly felled the summoned monsters, walked over.
50 meters.
30 meters.
10 meters.
1 meter…!
The moment the man, a head taller, stood right in front of him.
“Is that all of them?”
“……?!”
The strength left Perio’s legs.
“Then the only one left is your head.”
Damn!
Perio collapsed to the ground.
But just then.
Perio’s shadow rippled.
[It seems opposing that Lee Geon was indeed too much.]
“!”
A young man’s voice came from the shadow.
[Shall I help you?]
At that voice, Perio laughed.
‘As expected, Libra hasn’t abandoned me…!’
[Since it’s Lee Geon, I’ll help you as a special favour.]
Perio was deeply moved.
But at that moment.
Stab!
“Cough…!”
A shadow that had sharpened like an awl pierced Perio’s heart.
Perio coughed up blood and looked behind him.
“Wha, what is…!”
[I’m just giving you a little power-up.]
“!”
At that voice, this time Hugo and Kevin were shocked.
Because there was no way they wouldn’t recognize that voice.
“Cancer…!”
Jangrui Morang. It was the voice of Cancer’s Saint.
At the same time, Perio’s shadow rose up like a person.
Immediately, Hugo fired an arrow.
Boom!
The arrow mercilessly blew the shadow apart, but it soon coalesced again.
[Seeing a person, you shoot without even a greeting.]
“Won’t you get lost? You fallen cockroach who only eats trash!”
Hugo deeply loathed the Cancer Saint. No, honestly, there was probably no Saint who liked him.
‘Commonly known as the Crime Coordinator.’
He only appeared at the scenes of murder and crime.
So when he heard that bastard had shown up at a press conference, Hugo was utterly chilled.
In fact, that bastard had delivered both the news of Lee Geon’s death and his wife’s death.
And with a smirk, at that.
“There hasn’t been a single time your appearance led to anything good! Get lost, you filthy and disgusting bastard!”
[You’re too harsh. Do you know how much we like your duo?]
That same bastard had shown up at Lee Geon’s and Hugo’s wife’s funerals in a fancy party suit.
“I heard Geon definitely took your power.”
[Yes. Thanks to that, I can’t even use my abilities and am forced to move in this pitiful state…]
At that moment, an enormous explosion erupted.
Boom!
As if telling him to shut up, Lee Geon had driven his axe into the ground.
The shadow flattened under the axe was flustered.
[…Lee Geon!]
“Just a lowly henchman of Libra.”
Libra and Cancer are the southern Divine Seats. They had constantly targeted Virgo over the western lands, so their involvement wasn’t strange.
“How thoughtful of you to show up to offer tribute to me.”
Kevin, his complexion worsening, urgently shouted.
“Lee Geon! Don’t! Don’t touch that shadow! A human’s hand can’t withstand it!”
“Then it’s fine if I’m not human, right?”
At Lee Geon’s murderous smile, the human-shaped shadow flinched.
And as expected.
Squelch!
Lee Geon crushed the shadow with his bare hand, bursting it.
[Obtained data.]
The Cancer Saint seemed dumbfounded. His shadow was a mass of poison; touching it should rot a body beyond salvage.
[What kind of body do you even have?]
Lee Geon smiled.
[Shedding the mortal flesh.]
[Body upgrade in progress (80%)]
“Well, you don’t need to know that.”
As Lee Geon approached, the shadow flinched.
Flustered, the Cancer Saint said.
[I don’t know what you’ve done, but even you can’t handle that.]
“What?”
[Times have changed. A Seat’s power varies according to the divine favor. And that one is Saint-level, receiving that power fully. But what about you? What can you do without a single divine favor?]
Saying that, the Cancer Saint disappeared as if fleeing.
A massive surge of magic energy engulfed Perio. It was darkness.
Enveloped in that darkness, Perio’s form transformed into something demonic.
A form no longer possible to call human.
“Lee Geon, you’re first!”
Immense magic crumbled Virgo’s sanctuary.
Thud! Thud!
“Ugh…! As expected, the magic of the First Seat!”
But at that moment.
[Cleared the Trial of Honour]
[The first divine favor of Ophiuchus has been generated.]
Lee Geon grinned.
Without a doubt, it was that guy.
But it didn’t end there.
[The grade of the divine favor has increased.]
[The divine favor has been recorded in Ophiuchus’s bible.]
[From now on, the bible can be used.]
(To be continued…)