The kiss happened before he could stop it. Geon-joo tilted his head, supporting Sa-yoon’s, and pressed their bodies together. A slight weight leaned into him. Their lips met and parted, again and again, each drawn into the other’s mouth.
The sound of their tongues tangling echoed in his ears. The man’s kiss, his hands cradling Sa-yoon’s cheeks and head, felt less like a leisurely indulgence and more like a desperate plea. It was strange. He hadn’t lunged at him in a frenzy, so why was he kissing him like this?
“That’s enough!”
Scowling, Sa-yoon pulled his head back and pushed Geon-joo’s head down. What was he doing, in the middle of a gate, during a battle no less? The bewildered thought was short-lived. Geon-joo caught his pushing hand and licked his palm.
A shiver ran down his spine. At the unfamiliar sensation, he immediately snatched his hand back. Geon-joo, with a completely nonchalant expression, pulled a bottle of holy water from his inventory.
He’s planning on using the Demigod Body.
Come to think of it, he had asked to borrow it. Could he even take the Demigod Body that was attached to the Divine Artifact set effect?
As Sa-yoon pondered the limits of Geon-joo’s copy skill, an unfamiliar sensation rose from his wet palm. He kicked Geon-joo’s knee, feeling a surge of annoyance that had nothing to do with the Demigod Body.
“Where do you think you’re satisfying your selfish desires?”
Geon-joo, who had been calmly catching his breath, opened the holy water.
“I did it in advance.”
“…?”
“Because I don’t think I’ll be able to for a while.”
“What kind of bullshit is that?”
“It just is.”
“You…”
At the cryptic words, Sa-yoon reached out to grab Geon-joo’s tilting hand, but he was a second too late. Before he could be stopped, Geon-joo had tipped the bottle of holy water and swallowed its contents without leaving a drop.
“What in the world are you two doing over there? Stop fooling around and help!”
Mi-jeong, who had been struggling particularly hard in the fight against the snake, finally lost her patience at the absence of their main damage dealers and roared. The giant snake had already coiled around Ho-cheol and Taeseok and was constricting them. Yi-han, Dong-ju, Mi-jeong, and Jaehee were desperately trying to save the two, who looked as if their bones were about to snap, but they weren’t strong enough on their own. It was a situation that certainly warranted her outburst.
Deciding he couldn’t delay any longer, Sa-yoon was about to move when Geon-joo grabbed his arm and opened his mouth.
But.
“Cough!”
Before he could utter a word, a torrent of dark red blood burst from his lips, staining his mouth and collar. His hand flew up to cover it, but it was too late to stop the flow. Blood continued to seep through the gaps between his fingers and trickle down from his palm. Sa-yoon’s expression hardened.
“Han Geon-joo!”
A hand as pale as his now-ashen face cupped his cheek.
What has this crazy bastard done?
Geon-joo hadn’t done anything, so it was impossible that he would suddenly suffer an internal injury as if from a curse. It must have been something he did himself. Just as he reached that conclusion, the Keltar necklace around Geon-joo’s neck shot upwards.
Fwoooosh!
A brilliant light poured out.
“You son of a bitch, you really used the Demigod Body…!”
It wasn’t hard for Sa-yoon to guess what Geon-joo had done. That madman had actually borrowed and used his Demigod Body. The overload was likely what caused him to cough up blood.
As if to confirm his suspicions, a system notification appeared. A distant voice whispered in Sa-yoon’s ear.
Be magnificent. And defy heaven.
Ting, ting!
The ground vibrated. As the light from the Divine Artifact touched the floor, the flow of air changed. It felt as if the dominance of the temple was shifting from the giant snake to Han Geon-joo. The Noah members and the snake, sensing this, turned to look at Sa-yoon and Geon-joo. But the two, who were the center of everyone’s attention, only had eyes for each other.
“Cough!”
The man, enveloped in light, coughed up more blood. He pressed a trembling hand to the ground and looked up at Sa-yoon, who was holding him. Thump. A hand, still shaking, touched Sa-yoon’s chest.
“I’m okay.”
The reassuring words came out in a voice that was anything but okay.
“This was my part to play.”
Sa-yoon wanted to dismiss the words as a hallucination. How could he take them at face value when Han Geon-joo was coughing up blood and dying before his very eyes? He tried to get a closer look at his face to check his condition, but the hand on his chest pressed down with force.
Thwack!
In an instant, Sa-yoon was pushed back. It was a monstrous strength, unbelievable for the Han Geon-joo he knew. His eyes widened in shock as Han Geon-joo’s lips parted.
“Do you know what it means when our mantras are combined?”
“…”
“A magnificent defiance of heaven.”
Drrrrrrrrr-!
At the spoken mantra, the temple shook violently, as if it had heard something forbidden. The violent earthquake even made the snake stagger, forcing it to release Ho-cheol and Taeseok.
“So that… was a ‘mantra.’”
The whispered realization reached Sa-yoon. It was then that a change came over the standing Geon-joo.
“Han Geon-joo!”
Sa-yoon, who had been standing there stunned, ran forward, but a formidable shockwave pushed him back. The force stopped him in his tracks, and he had to brace himself to keep from being sent flying. He bit his lip. Through narrowed eyes, he saw Geon-joo’s transformation.
Scales covered his arms and legs. His body slowly turned black, losing its original form. Or perhaps, it was regaining its true form.
Just as the dead Sa-yoon had turned into an Unknown, Han Geon-joo was changing into something else entirely.
The human form crumbled, the pupils blurred, and the black eyes transformed into golden, vertical slits. Now massive, he grew a triangular head and slowly opened his eyes.
A snake.
Han Geon-joo had become a snake, identical to the temple’s guardian.
—Keeeeeeeeek!
The guardian snake, which had been raising its scales and hissing at Geon-joo since the vibrations started, opened its mouth. The eyes of the two reptiles met. The clash was instantaneous.
BOOOOOOOOM!
Without warning, the two snakes lunged at each other. Geon-joo, now as large as the guardian, went for its neck first. He bit down, injecting his venom. The bitten snake shrieked and thrashed.
CRASH! BOOOOOM!
In its violent struggle, Han Geon-joo’s body was slammed into the ground again and again. Yet, with the same tenacity and temper he always showed, he did not stop injecting his venom.
—Kieeeeeek!
The guardian, shrieking in pain, used its tail to batter Han Geon-joo.
“What… What is happening?”
The Noah members, unable to believe what they were seeing, watched the battle of the two snakes with their mouths agape. Sa-yoon was just as stunned. His kid had stolen his Demigod Body, turned into a snake, and was now fighting. What was he supposed to say to that?
K-K-KRAK!
The temple crumbled and the garden was thrown into disarray in the fierce battle between the transformed Geon-joo and the guardian. The ground split, and the entire area of the Forgotten Temple was turned into a wreck. The guardian, seeing this, shot upwards. It was like watching a dragon ascend.
Geon-joo, still clamped onto its neck, followed, refusing to let go. Their violent struggle now took place in the sky. The two black snakes twisted around each other, slammed their heads together, and coiled around one another.
RUUUUMBLE!
Each time they clashed, the sky roared as if in anger. Dark clouds gathered in the clear sky, and soon, rain began to fall, soaking the ground and their clothes. The remaining people stood in the downpour, their eyes fixed on the sky. The sharp shrieks that occasionally pierced through the sound of the rain made it impossible to look away.
Whose scream is that?
Sa-yoon clenched his fists, his eyes locked on the snakes baring their venomous fangs at each other. As time passed, it was clear that one of them was tiring. It was the guardian, whose neck had been bitten at the very beginning.
“…Looks like he’s about to end it.”
Dong-ju, who had also read the flow of the battle, let out a low hum.
—KIEEEEEE!
The two snakes shrieked and collided. As if sensing it was the end, their fangs sank into each other’s scales. At that moment, FLASH!, a bolt of lightning struck, illuminating them both. The thunder that followed deafened them. Having used up all their strength in the final clash, the two snakes, which had soared to unknowable heights, plummeted to the earth.
CRASH! BOOOOOM!
Their fight continued even as they fell. The Noah members started to run toward the expected point of impact, but Sa-yoon and Jaehee stopped them. Yi-han, not understanding, swatted Sa-yoon’s hand away.
“It’s dangerous if they fall like that. You know that, don’t you?”
“I know, so shut up and stay put.”
If I’m not moving, why are you?
Sa-yoon glared at Yi-han as if to say just that and held his breath. Han Geon-joo had said this was his part to play. In a situation where he didn’t know what picture he had painted, the least he could do was not ruin it.
So, all he could do was wait.
How long had it been since the feeling of helplessness had seeped into him along with the rain? Finally, a cloud of dust rose from the earth, and a great vibration spread. The two snakes had hit the ground.
Amidst the roar, the two snakes twitched. Then, one of them jerked its head up, tilted to the side as if its life had been extinguished, and with a final thud, went still. The group held their breath.
Slitherrrr.
The remaining snake slowly slithered toward them.
Golden eyes.
It was Han Geon-joo.
“…Looks like he won.”
“I’ve lived a long time and seen many things, but how can a person become a snake…”
“Wait a moment.”
Just as a relieved Mi-jeong and Ho-cheol were talking, Yi-han, sensing something amiss, drew his sword.
—Keeeeeeeeek!
Han Geon-joo opened his mouth, baring his fangs. His menacing golden eyes were filled with the untamed excitement and wariness of battle.
Sensing that he didn’t recognize them, even Jaehee’s face hardened. He looked as if this was outside his expectations. Seeing this, Sa-yoon sighed.
“Han Geon-joo.”
At the call of his name, Geon-joo, who had been hissing and acting as if he would attack the Noah members, froze.
“Stop making a scene and come here, you brat.”
At the rough words, Sa-yoon extended a hand. The snake turned its head and flicked its tongue. Slowly, it slithered over and explored Sa-yoon’s palm with the tip of its tongue. When Sa-yoon took a step back, Geon-joo followed like a child following the Pied Piper.
After about ten steps, Sa-yoon, now certain that Geon-joo had completely calmed down, reached out. His palm touched the cold scales. The snake, as if seeking warmth, rested its head against him and soon closed its eyes.
Just as its body was about to slump to the side, Sa-yoon caught its head and supported it, embracing it. Not long after, the cold scales regained their warmth, and the massive snake’s head transformed back into a human body. Haa, haa. The sound of even breathing could be heard. He looked down and saw Geon-joo, held in his arms, sleeping with a peaceful expression.
“…You reckless bastard.”
He looked as if he were having an important dream, so Sa-yoon restrained himself from tearing out all his hair and, holding back his temper, gestured with his head toward the other snake. Jaehee, who thankfully understood the silent command to check on the guardian, approached the corpse. He found something and held it up. The clouds parted, and in the revealed sunlight, the Divine Artifact, whose form they could finally see, glittered.
A golden brooch.
It was the very same object worn by the god-version of Geon-joo that Sa-yoon had seen in his past life.