[The power of Cycle is being used.]
[Time is being dismantled.]
The Divine status of Death was at stage 6, and Life had reached that stage as well. Stage 6 was the stage where the powers went berserk. In other words, it was the greatest strength that the Divine status could reach.
Lee Gun’s two Divine statuses had combined to activate the most powerful Cycle.
Koo-goo-goong!
It was powerful enough to instantly break down the power of a great monarch, who had become the best through returning through time for the 18,733rd time!
[Kuh-huhk!]
Time ground his teeth as the light of Cycle swept him up. This was the power that he had wished for. In his numerous returns to the past, this was the power that he wanted to see! He just never expected to see it in this fashion!
[Shit!!]
Time gnashed his teeth as he glared at Lee Gun. He was sure of it. Hailey was the reason Lee Gun was able to follow after him.
Like how he was able to temporarily use his power after losing his core, Hailey would have been able to do the same thing.
‘I was the one who gave Hailey her time ability and her knowledge about magic.’
Of course, there was no way she could best him with just that. He had naturally sealed her power when he sent her to humanity.
‘That is…!’
Time gritted his teeth when he saw something. Something was shining inside Lee Gun’s pocket. It was Confusion’s core. This was why Time made angry eyes.
‘My brother was always with me when I returned to the past.’
He didn’t know why that happened. The brothers just assumed it was influenced by heredity.
Time and Confusion were made from the thirteenth original owner and the original owner of the Sagittarius temple, respectively. They were siblings.
The younger brother was full of discontentment, but that had been advantageous for Time. His younger brother acquired EXP, and he didn’t have to explain what had happened in the previous returns to the past. Time didn’t need to go over the plan again, so it was convenient for him.
‘How dare that girl use it in this way…!’
Lee Gun couldn’t chase after him just from possessing Confusion’s core. However, it would be possible if Hailey was involved.
Hailey had used magic to place Confusion’s core within Lee Gun’s body and made it register Lee Gun as Confusion. This had only one implication.
“You will never be able to escape me!”
[Damn it!]
Lee Gun let out a menacing smile as he dismantled Time. However, he then dashed toward Time as if there was something more important than dismantling him. Lee Gun was aiming for Hailey’s Core!
‘I can heal Hailey if I have that!’
The core was like the heart of a human.
When Lee Gun extracted Hailey’s Core, something surprising happened.
– What? You found a way to get rid of Time?
– Are you sure, Princess?
“!”
A familiar sight unfolded before his eyes. It was probably one of Hailey’s memories.
This memory was from a time after Lee Gun had died and the world had crowned the Zodiac Saints as the heroes of humanity. Hugo held a grudge against the Zodiac Saints and had waged a battle of life and death against them.
It seemed Hailey had rescued him and was treating his unconscious self.
In Hugo’s fight, the royal holy item of the Archer Saint had been destroyed. Lee Gun had read in an article that an enormous island had wiped off the world from the fight.
Hailey was in bandages since she had been hurt trying to look for the missing Lee Gun within the tower.
– Yes. I wasn’t able to find Lee Gun, but…. I was able to find Confusion’s core.
– What? Confusion’s core…! Isn’t he Time’s younger brother? I heard he’s a human right now…
– Yes. This core was probably a leftover after Confusion was turned into a human. It was being used to run the tower.
Hailey seemed to have seen a part of Confusion’s memories from his core. It was unclear as to which memory she had seen, but she ground her teeth.
– I’m not sure who exactly was the true culprit, but Time is connected to Lee Gun’s death. Time is interested in Lee Gun.
– What? I thought Time wasn’t on the earth?
– With this core, I’ll be able to chase him when he time travels.
– That means…!
– I’ll help Hugo and keep leaking new reports that imply Lee Gun is still alive. If so, Time might show up here.
– !
– Then I’ll use this core to get rid of Time.
– My god! We were worried because you kept avoiding him. You finally plan on fighting your father!
– You suffered so much under him! You probably planned on getting your revenge against him for a very long time. Do you finally want to take over the seat of the great monarch?
Hailey didn’t answer them.
Lee Gun realized something when he saw this.
‘Was Hailey helping me because she wanted to kill Time?’
Hailey originated from the unknown civilization, so it always puzzled him as to why she kept helping him. He had assumed she helped him because she was afraid of him. But this made more sense. Lee Gun nodded as if all his questions had been answered.
Finally, Lee Gun put Hailey’s core in his pocket, and he was about to take out his hand.
– How are you doing, kitty?
“!”
Lee Gun was surprised by the unexpected voice. It was another one of Hailey’s memories. However, that wasn’t the reason for his surprise.
‘This memory…’
It was from Hailey’s point of view. She didn’t seem to be a human yet in this memory.
‘I’m pretty sure this is a four-legged animal.’
A familiar face hugged Hailey as he rubbed ointment on the cat. Lee Gun was surprised to see that face.
‘That kid is me.’
Yes, the young boy that Hailey was looking at was him. The young Lee Gun spoke as he rubbed the ointment on her.
– I hope the burn mark on your face heals.
Lee Gun clearly remembered this memory.
‘It was when I was in high school.’
At that time, while coming home, he had found a severely wounded kitten with a burn on her face.
Lee Gun had doted on that kitten, which had almost died, for a long time. That memory was still vivid in his mind.
However, the kitten had suddenly disappeared one day, so he had been very sad.
‘If I think back on it, it didn’t strictly look like a cat from the earth…’
That wasn’t all. There was another incident, after the monsters had appeared but before he had become an awakened being.
– Yeonwoo! Junwoo! Are you ok? A monster appeared at the house!
– Yes. We’re fine. It was already dead.
– Really? What happened here?
This incident was from before the twelve heroes had appeared. It seemed the cat version of Hailey had stayed nearby and protected them from monsters.
This had continued for several months, until Junwoo was killed. Hailey had protected them until she had gone on to become the Zodiac Saint of the Scorpio temple.
Lee Gun bit his tongue when he saw that memory. He had no idea what had caused Hailey to collapse in front of his house in her cat form, but…
‘It’s you.’
When he had met the twelve Zodiac Saints for the first time, Hailey had a peculiar reaction. He now understood why.
[Let’s negotiate.]
“!”
Time spoke as he was being dismantled. His upper torso was the only thing left. It made him desperate.
[Don’t you want revenge for your family? I’ll turn back time for you. I’ll send you back to the point before humanity was invaded.]
“!”
[I’ll send you back to a time when nothing had happened.]
“…”
[In the end, you plan on turning me into a holy item, like Confusion. However, you won’t be able to use the full extent of the power of Time…]
Lee Gun contemptuously laughed. “Shut up! You aren’t worth the trouble to turn into a holy item.”
[!]
“It seems you’re mistaken. I’m not trying to change your personality as I did to Confusion.”
[…!]
“If I make a holy item from someone of your caliber, you’ll continue to reset time and cause me trouble.” Lee Gun let out a harsh laugh. “I’ll return you to a state before you are born. I’ll erase your existence itself. I’ll do what you planned on doing to Space-Time”
Time looked shocked. Dumbfounded, he glared at Lee Gun.
[If I cease to exist, Hailey will cease to exist. Do you not know this?]
“Fuck off! She isn’t your biological child.”
[…!!]
“Moreover, although Cycle will get rid of your existence, it doesn’t mean the past will be changed!”
The next moment, Time screamed. His head was the only body part left.
[Cycle is dismantling the rest of Time.]
[With the power of Cycle, the being that makes up Time will be revived.]
Time shouted as he feigned a smile.
[Do not think it ends here like this.]
“No one worth a salt says such a thing.”
Time laughed as if he couldn’t believe Lee Gun was so oblivious.
[You were able to chase me to this timeline because I am here.]
“!”
[In other words, you won’t be able to return if I disappear.]
After saying those words, Time smirked as if he could read what was going through Lee Gun’s mind.
[Don’t even think that you’ll be able to use my data. I have placed a curse on Time.]
It seemed he was determined not to die alone. Time squeezed out his last remaining power to place a curse on Time.
[If you use my ability, you’ll be broken down like me.]
Time spoke mockingly as he took in the sight of Lee Gun.
[No. That isn’t needed in the first place.]
“…!”
Lee Gun was surprised.
When Time was dismantled, changes started occurring to Lee Gun’s body.
[Warning! Time has aggravated the timeline.]
[Lee Gun is a being that shouldn’t exist on this timeline. He’s considered a foreign substance, and the being will be eliminated.]
Lee Gun’s body started to break down. Time laughed at this.
[You’re a mere bug that can exist only on the 18,733rd timeline. You cannot exist on the other timelines.]
“!”
[To keep the balance of this world, the timeline will have to erase a foreign substance like you.]
Time knew it well since he was a time traveler that jumped timelines. The timelines didn’t like intruders. In other words, only the 18,733rd timeline wouldn’t treat Lee Gun as a foreign substance. That was the only place he could live.
Time laughed.
[Without the power of Time, you won’t be able to return to your world. Do you really think you’ll be able to survive this?]
The gods considered Time troublesome for a reason. Even they had a hard time going against the flow of time.
A timeline was one of the untouchable facets of the order of the universe.
Lee Gun tried using a variety of skills, yet he couldn’t stop his body from being dismantled.
‘Shit!’
Moreover, the speed at which the process was happening was too fast. Lee Gun’s arms and legs had been dismantled. The process soon reached his neck.
[Your Divine status ceases to exist.]
[You cannot use your abilities.]
At this point, Time’s chin and mouth were the only body parts remaining of him. Yet, the monarch laughed.
[You, who share the same root as me, will die together with me!]
Lee Gun groaned. The ruthless power of the enormous universe pressed down on him to get rid of him. It was an irresistible force.
‘This is dangerous.’
A power that he could never escape by himself clutched at his body. It wasn’t a power that Super Regeneration could handle. His feet were ruthlessly broken apart, and his arms turned into dust. Then it was his lower body and upper body!
The ruthless power of disassembly kept climbing until only Lee Gun’s head was left.
‘Shit!’
Lee Gun used the data of time, which he had gathered by killing the numerous Times. However, it was useless.
[It has failed.]
[You cannot return to your original world.]
‘Shit! I have no way of returning…!’
Lee Gun’s mouth soon disappeared, and his eyes were about to disappear. But then…
[You disciples are looking for their god.]
[The disciples wish their god would appear in front of them.]
“!”
As the notification rang out, Lee Gun suddenly stopped disassembling. Then, something surprising happened.
[The faith of those looking for the Serpent Bearer can be felt.]
[Hundreds of millions of beings with strong faith are calling for the Serpent Bearer.]
[Will you answer their call?]
