CH 298

[Help! Ahhhhk!]

[Breaking news! Three more monsters like Red Eye have appeared!]

[It’s similar to twenty years ago, when Red Eye— No, this is a bigger crisis!]

[Humanity might become fodder for the unknown civilization— Ahhhhk!!]

The entire world was screaming because of the monsters’ surprise attack. Everyone had a premonition of their deaths in the chaos.

Around the world, the future of humanity was being taken by War, Famine, and Death. Everyone thought they would die just like that. However…

[Lee Gun…!! Lee Gun has stepped forward!]

[Although he looks different, it’s Lee Gun!]

[Lee Gun defeated one of the enemies!]

[That isn’t all! Thanks to the power of the Serpent Bearer temple, no one was taken prisoner, unlike twenty years ago!]

[The Zodiac Saints and disciples are borrowing the skills of the Serpent Bearer temple to successfully defend the cities!]

[It is like twenty years ago when Lee Gun took care of Red Eye! Lee Gun is saving humanity again!]

People cheered when they saw what was happening on the news. Communications had been paralyzed in some locations by the invasion, but people had no problem getting their news through their phones.

It was to be expected since humanity’s communication system was run through the magic of the Pisces temple.

And after receiving the right to the succession to Pisces’s Seat of power, Lee Gun had maintained the communication system. This was why the channel prepared for disasters remained alive and well despite the invasion.

Chun Sungjae wailed in joy when he saw Lee Gun through the channel shared by the world

“Ooh-uhhhhng! Uncllllllllle!!!”

Sungjae had been defending the city, and at that moment, he looked like he wanted to jump through the screen of the phone.

[Did you see it? Lee Gun got rid of one of the monsters!]

[Ah! Stop filming me!!]

“Uhhhhng! Unclllllllle!!”

[Humanity was saved by Lee Gun once again!]

[I’ll get rid of this channel! I’m serious!]

“You can get rid of me! Ooh-uhhhhhng!”

Chun Sungjae didn’t know what to do with himself, because he loved what he saw. The small snake and Chun Yooha were with Sungjae, and they reacted similarly.

Goat started to sweat. His subordinates had asked for more manpower. This was why he had left his assigned region to Hailey and come here as soon as possible.

Thankfully, the Serpent Bearer temple and the other disciples had taken care of the monsters and the people that were behaving oddly.

“Ooh-uhhhng! I want to see Uncle from up close!!”

The nearby disciples tried to comfort them when they started to wail.

“This place is safe now. Wouldn’t it be ok to go help Lee Gun-nim?”

“T-That’s right. Then we’ll be able to see him for ourselves…”

However, Chun Sungjae became gloomy. Did they think he wasn’t doing it because he was unaware of that? If he had his way, he would go watch Lee Gun’s exploits live!

“Damn it! Uncle gave me an order that I can’t approach him!!! He said we shouldn’t enter the holy ground for a while!”

Goat groaned in understanding when he heard Sungjae’s full-throated wail.

‘Now that I think about it, I told Hailey-nim to go to Lee Gun-nim, yet she was unable to.’

It seemed they were all in the same boat.

Brrrrr!

“!”

Sungjae became surprised when he suddenly received a text. He wondered if it was from his uncle. His uncle might be asking them to return.

However, the young man pouted after he checked the message. “What the hell? It is only Dad.”

However, the content of the message was a bit odd.

[B3 careful, Sungjae. A m0narch is in hman form. He wll try to approach you guys.]

[He’ll lok like a child.]

[It is highly lik3ly that he’ll look like Gon.]

[Da will be there soon. Wait 4 me.]

The text was full of typos, but Sungjae somehow knew what it said. He was surprised.

‘A monarch will try to approach us?’

Sungjae’s expression surprised Goat too.

“If he looks like a child, the monarch must have taken the appearance of the current Lee Gun-nim. Is this like the time with Pisces when she tried to approach us in secret?”

Chun Sungjae looked very offended by those words. “What nonsense. Does Dad really think we won’t be able to recognize uncle?”

“Hmmph. You didn’t recognize him last time— Kuh-huhk!!”

Chun Sungjae furrowed his brow after kicking Goat. His father had sent a text in such an urgent manner.

‘This is serious.’

Chun Sungjae had an odd feeling, so he thought about visiting his uncle for a brief comment. If he used the Return skill, he would be back in no time.

“!”

When Chun Sungjae’s expression hardened, the Archer disciples tilted their heads in puzzlement.

“What’s wrong, Sungjae?”

“I can’t use my Return skill.”

“What? Really?”

It wasn't just the Return skill. He couldn’t make contact with his uncle. The power of Confusion seemed to interfere with the communication between the disciples and their Zodiac.

‘No wonder I wasn’t able to hear Uncle’s voice for some time.’

He had merely thought his uncle had been busy. Of course, Lee Gun had sent them an instruction during all of this.

[Don’t fight anyone suspicious. Just alert me.]

When he referred to someone suspicious, he was probably talking about Confusion in human form.

‘If he took on the appearance of Uncle, I’ll know immediately.’

At that moment…

“The Zodiac Saint of the Serpent Bearer temple!”

“!”

A familiar face appeared in front of them. He was a young man similar in age to Sungjae. He gave off a gentle impression.

Of course, they weren’t acquaintances. They just knew the face. It was why Goat tapped Chun Sungjae.

“Hey, isn’t that Lee Gun-nim’s younger brother?”

“!”

They were sure of it. The Seat of power of the Serpent Bearer temple had shown its previous Zodiacs. Basically, it also showed images of Lee Gun’s family. It showed Yeonwoo and Junwoo.

To be precise, they had watched those two get slaughtered by the magic Zodiacs and the monarchs.

This was why even the affiliate disciples remembered what the two looked like.

“Isn’t that kid already dead? It happened twenty years ago…!”

He had been killed by Pisces, who had changed herself into a monster.

“I’m pretty sure his name is Junwoo….”

The young man was oblivious as he spoke. “Excuse me. You are the Zodiac Saint of the Serpent Bearer, right? You are Life’s…!”

“Yes, I am.”

“Thank you very much for protecting this region! I would like to repay him. Also, I have something to ask of him!”

“!”

Sungjae, Goat, and the Archer disciples raised their guards.

‘He wants to meet Lee Gun-nim?’

‘This is suspicious.’

He had worn the face of someone who had died twenty years ago.

“Sungjae…!”

‘!’

Hahn Jimin had a serious expression on his face as he approached Sungjae. This suspicious child had asked him for directions, so he had brought him here.

Realizing this, Sungjae urgently grabbed Hahn Jimin.

“What happened, Jimin? That child is…!”

Hahn Jimin nodded in acknowledgment. He had a serious expression on his face. “That kid asked me if I knew where the Zodiac Saints of the Serpent Bearer were.”

“!”

“His face was too suspicious. That is why I brought him here for now.” Hahn Jimin had also seen the faces of Yeonwoo and Junwoo through a picture.

“I was wondering if this is some trap by the other side…”

Chun Sungjae nodded. “You’re probably right. In fact, Uncle and Dad warned us to be careful.”

Their enemies probably had one goal. Someone with this face wanting to ask Lee Gun for a favor meant he was trying to target Lee Gun.

“Our enemies probably have no idea that we know that face.”

When Goat whispered his words, Sungjae stealthily prepared his magic. 

As Sungjae carefully approached the child, Hahn Jimin laughed. It wasn’t without reason.

‘Is that so? Lee Gun had already warned them to be careful?’

It was a laugh full of contempt. Hahn Jimin! No, Confusion had been by their side for a very long time. He had been stealthy. He had used a special method that made sure that he would never be revealed. 

Although he had hidden, there was the danger of being found out if he got too close to Lee Gun. However, monitoring Lee Gun would be too hard if he was too far away. 

That meant the most ideal spot was the role of Hahn Jimin, and he had been aggressive in helping Lee Gun grow.

‘When Lee Gun came to the house, he did scare me.’

He really had a nut loose.

[Hurry up and throw it away. In fact, these items make it more likely that a monster comes out.]

[What? These are high-rank holy items developed by the Saints. Moreover, the famous and beautiful Saint kissed it...!]

It had been ridiculous, even when he thought back on it right now.

‘I felt like dying since I had to hide my energy under the same roof.’

There was the incident with the spider. There was also the incident with the Gemini Saint. Then there was the incident where the outer gods had attacked not too long ago.

At the time, he had purposefully sent Hugo to the Divine world because Hugo started talking about the Seat of power.

‘I did it because the Serpent Bearer’s Seat of power was there.’

He had also caught and handed over Giselle at the Alps too. Of course, he had only one reason for doing this.

[Master, you are so close!]

[That’s right. Master consumed all the Zodiacs and the humans. You will become peerless as the great monarch…!]

[No. It’ll be impossible because of Time.]

[…!]

Yes, just because he was the brother of Time, Confusion kept getting swept up in Time’s return to the past. It happened whenever he was about to acquire his power!

[Why do you always return to this point in the past?]

[Who knows? At this point, why don’t you just accept this is how it will be?]

[Hey!!]

It was inevitable that he was angry since he always returned to the past.

‘As long as Time is alive, I’ll return to the past, when I reach the most important moment.’

Moreover, he was under a contract, so he couldn’t kill Time. However, this wasn’t true for Lee Gun!

‘With the power of Death, he can kill Time as well as the entire world.’

Furthermore, Lee Gun could even destroy the existence of the great Zodiacs! In other words, Confusion wanted Lee Gun to be the god of Death!

‘I won’t let him awaken as the god of Life.’

This power initially belonged to the thirteenth original owner, and it seemed he had been able to use the power of Life and Death simultaneously.

‘I don’t know how it was possible, but that crazy thirteenth original owner was born with that ability.’

Anyway, Confusion wanted the Divine status of Death! Moreover, he didn’t just want stage 5 of Death.

‘I want stage 6.’

A powerful rage was needed to accomplish this. It was why Confusion was currently in this place.

‘I’ll kill the ones he treasures first.’

This was why he had prepared a child who looked like Junwoo.

‘I’ll kill all of them while their attention is diverted toward the boy.’

Kwahng!!

“Kyahhhk!”

Suddenly, screams came from the heart of the city.

“Over here! People have turned into zombies!”

“Save us!”

Hahn Jimin quickly yelled, “Sungjae! Let’s hurry up and go help them!”

“Alright!”

However, one person was looking at Hahn Jimin with an odd look in his eyes.

“What’s wrong, Hyung-nim?”

“No. I was wondering if he always emanated such energy.”

“What?”

When the unknown civilization invaded, Lee Jaewon had become level nineteen. He furrowed his brows.