Chapter 46: Wait a Moment

Lee Gun was taken aback. For a moment, he wondered if he had heard wrong. ‘No, I didn’t hear it wrong.’ He came to that conclusion when he looked at Chun Yooha’s expression.

Chun Yooha still had that expressionless face that he had first encountered when meeting her. However, the light in her eyes was a different story.

‘I think she’s serious.’

It was very hard to read Yooha’s expression. So, Lee Gun couldn’t tell if she was joking or not. The only thing he could read was the light in her eyes. If he had to make a comparison, right now, she looked like a dog staring at a human eating food…

Lee Gun was in an awkward position. “Yooha.”

“Yes?”

“Mmm. All right! Uncle heard nothing…”

“Please marry me!”

“…” Lee Gun had wanted to pretend as if he hadn’t heard her. However, she made sure to shoot down that idea. He then said, “Yooha.”

“Yes.”

“I didn’t get to properly introduce myself to you. I’m your father’s friend…”

“?” Chun Yooha tilted her small face in puzzlement. Her expression said she didn’t think this was relevant.

“Your body is around the same age as mine, right?”

“…”

That wasn’t the problem. In fact, Lee Gun was probably younger than Yooha in terms of how old his body was.

He knew that he could point out she was his friend’s daughter, but he didn’t think that reasoning would work on her. Therefore, Lee Gun seriously said, “My… My mental age is—”

“It’s fine. In terms of mental age, my dad is younger than me.”

That was true, but…

“…” In the end, Lee Gun realized he wasn’t going to get through to her, so he asked for help from her dongsaeng.

However, Sungjae seemed shocked by his sister’s words. He had been staring at her the whole time.

“Hey, Sungjae. Say something…” Lee Gun shouted.

“Wow! I’m so jealous that you’re a woman.”

“…”

‘What the fuck is wrong with them!’ Lee Gun wanted to shoot laser beams with his eyes. ‘Oh Taeksoo, you bastard! How did you raise your kids?’

‘What did he tell his kids? Why did they grow up this way?’ Even the mighty Lee Gun started to sweat, a rare sight.

Lee Gun’s reaction was understandable. Hugo adored his daughter so much that he had hidden her pictures from Lee Gun. He had tried to prevent a meeting between his daughter and Lee Gun. If Hugo were to learn of the incident that was taking place right now, he might try to stab Lee Gun as the latter slept.

On the other hand, Chun Yooha became serious after dealing damage to her uncle. Her reaction was due to a different problem, Lee Gun’s abilities.

‘He’s completely different from the stories.’

After confirming that this man was Lee Gun, Chun Yooha had realized Lee Gun was significantly different from the version of Lee Gun that everyone knew about. ‘I’m pretty sure they said Uncle was comparable to a B-rank User.’

Of course, both siblings had grown up listening to their father tell stories about Lee Gun’s heroics, so their estimation of Lee Gun was higher compared to the other disciples. Still, they assumed he was at most an A-rank User instead of a B-rank one.

Moreover, the younger brother had kept it discreet; he believed the heroic tales told by his father more than his sister did. So, he had thought Lee Gun was an S-rank…

‘I thought he could fight so well only thanks to the buffs the other Zodiac Saints placed on him. I guess that was wrong.’ Chun Yooha could tell that hadn’t been the case just by looking at Lee Gun. Even if his body had changed, it wasn’t as if he could magically learn his skills.

Chun Yooha was in disarray as she asked him, “Uncle.”

“No! No way! I won’t…”

“Did you really fall behind in the Demon’s Tower?”

“!” It was more of an attempt at a confirmation than a question. Lee Gun’s eyes flashed. “Do you think I would have?”

The Chun siblings flinched. Chun Sungjae had merely focused on the fact that Lee Gun had been alive. He hadn’t paid attention to what had happened. ‘In the official interview, it was said that he had voluntarily jumped into Red Eye’s trap.’

According to the rumors, Lee Gun had become afraid when he saw Red Eye. He had run away and gotten discovered by the monsters. In the end, he had died without doing anything. It was said that the twelve Zodiac Saints had packaged the story in a way that made Lee Gun a hero. This allowed Lee Gun to keep his honor.

“Then, the rumors are lies. As expected, you killed Red Eye with the others.”

“Nope!” Lee Gun flat-out refused that assessment.

“What? No?”

“I killed Red Eye by myself.” Lee Gun explained.

“Ah! I see. As expected, you did it by yourself… Wait! By yourself?”

Both the siblings were shocked. It was to be expected. ‘Red Eye was a Black rank Calamity!’

Black zone! The Black rank was above the Red rank, though it was an unofficial rank. Black Zones were locations where entry was forbidden. These were the areas the Zodiac Saints had given up on.

Basically, these were territories everyone had given up on. People had to practically remove these lands from their memories. Thankfully, these regions were very rare. Even Red zones, which were a rank below this, could easily wipe out S-rank Users.

Red Eye was the worst monster in human history, and it was comparable to the Black zone monsters!

‘He killed it by himself?’

‘Is he for real?’

The siblings looked at Lee Gun as if they had just seen a ghost. Their faces scrunched up.

Lee Gun could tell what they were thinking, so he spoke to them, “Ah! It’s fine. Whatever. You wouldn’t have believed me even if I told you, so I didn’t say anything about it.”

“Then…”

“I need to put forth a witness that can confirm my account. That would leave no doubts.”

“!”

Was it apter to call it a confession? 

Lee Gun dragged along the lizard as he looked at the time on his phone. It was 6:55 pm. If he started moving right now, he would probably make it to the press conference in time.

* * *

“What? It got defeated?”

“Are you sure?”

Meanwhile, pandemonium had erupted at the press conference. Four years had gone by since a Red zone in northern Seoul had been created. The monster that had been behind its creation had reappeared.

Back then, all the temples had fought together, but the only thing they were able to accomplish was to stop the monster from coming down past the Hangang River. It had been a bloody defensive battle. If not for the fickle nature of the monsters, the entirety of Seoul would have become a Red zone. 

So what the hell happened now?

“Is it dead?”

“Yes! The observatory can’t detect it anymore!”

Everyone was frozen from shock. In reality, every awakened being from Korea had participated in northern Seoul’s defense. All of them remembered the fear and the oppressive power of the monster. Even the citizens of Seoul remembered it.

“The tail that came flying here was…”

All the guards looked toward the same place.

“That’s it! I’m sure it’s that monster’s tail!”

“…!”

The tail of the Flame Monarch was quite distinct in shape. It was shaped like a hammer covered with armor. Therefore, people recognized it with just a glance. Still, no one could be certain. They doubted the tail of a monster as scary as the Flame Monarch could be severed. However, it was a certainty now.

“The monster from before has been killed!”

“At the very least, it was an S-rank monster!”

People started to shout.

A stir rose amongst the reporters who had come for Sophie’s press conference.

“Wasn’t it a monster even Saint-rank Users were unable to kill?

“Who killed it then?”

Sophie trembled as she listened to the news. Of course, she knew who had killed it. ‘It can only be Lee Gun!’

Her sweaty hands grabbed her robe. Lee Gun had told her that he’d attend the press conference, and it seemed he was nearby.

The generals standing around Sophie were unaware of this. Therefore, they were making a commotion.

“From what I hear, <Scarlet Light> was there.”

“What? One of the Ten Stars?”

“Yes.”

“Ah! One of the Ten Stars might be able to kill it…”

“No! The observatory said a young man made quick work of the monster…”

“What? A young man?”

“Ah! They said Chun Sungjae was there as well. Maybe it was him?”

“I see! He is a magician the Gemini Saints dotes on…”

“No! No magical energy was detected. Moreover, there was no sign of a skill being used!”

The disciples screamed. Everyone knew what this meant.

“That’s impossible! Are you saying someone defeated that monster with pure force?”

“Who is capable of that!”

For an instant, one could see lines on Sophie’s face as if she had aged ten years. As more and more people paid attention to that man, Sophie’s fear increased. If the world found out that Lee Gun had killed it…

Ddaeng- Ddaeng- Ddaeng-

“…!!!”

Sophie crumpled to the ground when she heard the abrupt noise. Finally, it was time; it was 7 pm. The alarm sound from the electronic display board made sure to let everyone know that.

The crowd’s gazes headed toward Sophie, who was on the podium.

“The press conference will start now!”

It was the time of her execution.

* * *

“Saintess-nim!”

“It really is the Saintess-nim!”

The square was noisy due to the people who had come to see the press conference. At a rough guess, one could say that hundreds of thousands of people had gathered there.

Helicopters were hovering over the skies to capture the news. Reporters and production trucks crowded the nearby area. Foreign press had appeared using teleporters. It wasn’t just the press.

“Why would the Saintess have a press conference about Lee Gun?”

Famous foreign generals, who usually delegated tasks to their temple’s disciples, had come to the press conference in person.

“Is it related to the recent rumor that Lee Gun is back?”

“No! It’s about a truth she hadn’t revealed twenty years ago.”

“Truth?”

Bbeeek-

The sound of the mic suddenly rang out. Everyone turned to look at the source. 

Sophie’s face became frightened when she felt everyone’s gaze. It couldn’t be helped. She had to carry out Lee Gun’s first request.

    [I want you to confess. Tell everyone about the lies you guys spouted.]

Sophie clenched her eyes shut. ‘He’ll kill me if I don’t speak about it.’ She’d die from the unknown item Lee Gun had force-fed her.

Left with no choice, Sophie started speaking. “Do you remember Red Eye from twenty years ago?”

A buzz swept through the crowd. Red Eye was the ultimate nightmare that had almost driven humanity to extinction. Everyone knew its reputation. Even children knew its name.

The twelve Zodiac Saints had saved humanity from that nightmare. It was the reason they were revered. 

“Didn’t the twelve Zodiac kill it without Lee Gun?”

“I’m pretty sure the Leo Saint dealt the final blow….”

The Saintess spoke at that moment. “The one who killed Red Eye was Lee Gun.”

A loud buzz rose amongst the crowd. This buzz was completely different than before.

“What is she saying…”

On the other hand, scary looks appeared in the reporters’ eyes as they wrote on their phones. The Saintess’s words had to do something with the messages that were assumed to be left behind by Lee Gun. This had far-reaching ramifications since the Saintess was saying it herself.

“Do you mean the twelve Zodiac Saints lied?”

“That is….”

Suddenly!

Kwahng!

“The Saintess is being blackmailed!”

“!”

The disciples of the Aquarius Saint interrupted the exchange. And this confused everyone else.

“What the hell? Is this some kind of a scripted show?”

“What is going on!”

The one who was most flustered by the current situation was Sophie. ‘Why did my subordinates step forward like that?’ She thought that when…

“!” Sophie turned her head in surprise. She had felt familiar energy in the area. ‘Gods!’ Of course, those presences were still away from her. 

Anyone could recognize these presences. Lee Gun was the best at detecting them.

However, for Sophie, this was enough. She bit her lips, knowing why this was happening. ‘Of course, they would be interested in my press conference.’

It wasn’t as if she hadn’t predicted this. They would naturally become nervous about a press conference that might expose what happened twenty years ago. The appearance of her subordinates was probably the work of her god. They were here to stop the press conference.

As expected, her subordinates yelled out loud.

“Lee Gun is not alive! It’s a lie!”

“Please don’t be swayed by her words! The Saintess is being used right now!”

“She is being held hostage by the deep state!”

“The deep state caused all the incidents that arose from the Devil’s Tower. It wasn’t Lee Gun!”

“She is being forced to say those nonsensical words!”

Sophie desperately stood up. She didn’t want her subordinates to cause a misunderstanding.

“Please stop right now! I’m not lying….”

Suddenly…

“If that’s true, why doesn’t he show himself?” A different voice rang out. Someone had appeared on top of the podium. 

This newcomer’s appearance prompted a large murmur from the crowd. It was to be expected.

“The cancer Saint!”

This man was a Caucasian in his mid-thirties with short, dirty blonde hair. His hick brown eyes looked shrewd. Although he had a young appearance, he seemed very experienced as well. He was an odd man, who dressed in the style of a dandy, similar to Hugo.

Sophie’s eyes shook violently. ‘Why is he here…!’

Cancer! This man was the Crab Saint.

The man wearing the brown suit took hold of the mic. “Lee Gun killed Red Eye? As if that isn’t enough, he’s alive?” He let out a gentlemanly laugh, but his eyes weren’t laughing. “Please speak! Where is Lee Gun?”

A commotion erupted within the press conference. When nothing occurred, the Crab Saint smiled. “Look here! You can’t believe this inflammatory speech about Lee Gun—”

The Crab Saint couldn’t completer his sentence.

Hweeeeng-

Something flew through the sky. It was an enormous being. By the time everyone registered what it was…

Kwahng!

The being that flew through the sky rammed into the Crab Saint, destroying the podium as collateral damage.

“Kyahhk! Saint-nim!”

“What the hell!”

This object that had come flying through the sky like a missile was none other than a lizard.

“That’s…”

Every person in Korea knew the shape of this lizard. Moreover, the tail of this monster had flown here not too long ago. The reporters screamed. The disciples of the Aquarius, who had interfered with the press conference, were taken aback.

“Fire Monarch!”

“Who would throw that!”

Suddenly, they saw someone appear at the press conference.

“What? Were you looking for me?”