How dare you----! On my ship----!!!
With an immense Aura, a huge Tyrannosaurus emerged. A transcendent enveloped in an astonishing amount of soul energy; a mighty sorcerer who could slaughter thousands of enemies with a single spell.
But, Cheong Won welcomed him gladly. "Oh, you're finally here."
Nodding his head, he continued, "For now, get down on your knees there."
"…!!!"
To some, the Tyrannosaurus was a transcendent with power that was no different from that of a God's, and if this Tyrannosaurus was determined to destroy an entire civilization, he could. So of course, the dinosaur tried to resist the command.
But trying was all there was to it. The words suppressed the Tyrannosaurus in an instant.
Booooom!
"Keucckkkk…!"
Morne groaned, but his head was already down on the ground.
In the first place, an animal such as a Tyrannosaurus did not have the proper body structure to kneel down. No, not just the Tyrannosaurus, but most dinosaurs were like that. However, a single word from Cheong Won forced him to his knees.
"Oh my God." I gaped at the astonishing situation. Cheong Won could suppress his opponent just with words. The worse thing was, wasn't the Arch-Sorcerer Morne a monster who was revered as a transcendent? Even if Cheong Won was a Saint, his power was really on another level.
"Because he's actually on another level."
"What?"
Celestia turned her head mortifyingly, and glared at Cheong Won with a stiff expression.
"Cheong Won is a Saint that directly formed a contract with the First Emperor who founded the Leonhardt Empire. He has never disclosed it himself, but… We believe that he is an existence at the level of an intermediate-rank God. He possesses the strength of an Emperor-class, which is so rare that even if we searched the whole universe inside out, there wouldn't even be twenty people that carry the same level of power. Hence, if he wasn't a Saint, he wouldn't even bat an eye at us."
"What's the problem with being a Saint?"
Celestia continued elaborating as I questioned her explanation.
"To be honest, the forces of Elohim outnumber the Noblesse's by three times. Nevertheless, Elohim's power is weaker than Noblesse, and the reason for that is because of the beings from Saint Realm. The Saints are binded greatly by their mission."
"…Why do they carry those kinds of missions?"
"It's due to the Saints' origin. They rose to the realm of transcendence with the power borrowed from the Saint Realm, hence, they could obtain the power of a lower or intermediate-rank God easily Compared to the other Elohims. In return, they are bound by the taboos which come along with their missions up till the day they die. In severe cases, there are taboos that prohibit them from resisting, even against enemies that are trying to kill them, so even if they possess enormous strength, they cannot do as they please."
I stared at Cheong Won after hearing Celestia's elaboration. But, as a matter of fact, wasn't he doing things at his own discretion?
Celestia nodded as though she knew of my thoughts even before I had the chance to say anything. "Yes, that's right. This isn't normal. He always has the power to do so, but the problem doesn't lie with his power… His mission prevents him from acting freely. I've never seen him putting up this kind of reckless behavior before."
Celestia looked at Cheong Won because she couldn't comprehend the situation at all. And it seemed that she was not the only one who thought that way as Morne was also staring at Cheong Won with disbelief and dismay.
"No… f*cking way. What the hell are you? What the f*ck did you do to me?"
"I didn't really do much. And if you are asking me who I truly am… hmmm, yeah. I am from Elohim, that would be the easiest to understand."
"Elohim…"
Along with Morne's astonishment, hundreds and thousands of demi-humans stirred up a commotion by flocking together and surrounding the area again.
Perhaps because Cheong Won was delighted with the unfolding scene, he smiled and muttered, "You guys are really daring. The Union prohibited coming into contact with the Legion, and not only did you guys research and study about them. You guys actually dared to employ the forces of Legion. Can you please enlighten me? What was going through your mind when you decided to go ahead with something so audacious?"
Even though there were thousands of pairs of eyes staring at him, Cheong Won did not even have a hint of fear. No, rather, it was the hundreds of thousands of demi-humans who felt fear while staring at him.
"That… that is."
"Unless you're a fool, an Empire-class force such as the Tekea Federation wouldn't recklessly mess with something like the Legion. Well, I doubt you would have arrived at such an idea that complacently. Even if we are caught, we wouldn't be punished right away. We would probably be warned and then we would stop then. But I don't think those were your thoughts. Ohhhooo, don't tell me…" Cheong Won put on an icy expression and smirked, "'We have so many transcendents with us, so why would a ban from those losers even matter?' Were you guys thinking of something along those lines?"
It was a savage smile that completely deviated from the first impression I had the first time I saw Cheong Won. Even though it was just an icy smile, it gave me a heart-stopping shock. Regardless of whether Cheong Won really had that mighty power or not, all the demi-humans could obviously feel it, and even Morne looked at him with a horrified face.
"Uh, uh, I heard that Saints with that level of power couldn't exert their strength in the Physical Realm. Bu-, bu-, your actions right now, aren't you crossing the line? Ah-, above all, you don't even look like you're a Warrior Saint affiliated with the Saint Realm."
Though Morne was stuttering, he could finish saying everything he wanted to, albeit desperately. Indeed, Morne was a transcendent. Cheong Won seemed amazed by Morne's efforts.
"Hoho, obviously, you're right. I can't do anything that strays away from the path of my mission. I can't even casually enter an area that isn't related to my mission."
"Bu-, then, here?"
"Obviously, I can come because it is related. Cel."
I turned my head around as Cheong Won smoothly explained. All the demi-humans were staring at Celestia and me, since I was beside her. In fact, it should only be normal that someone would have noticed our presence or kept us under watch after all these while. However, no one paid us any attention because Cheong Won's presence was so domineering.
"Wait a moment, Cheong Won. The fact that it's related to your mission… No way?"
"That's right. Your husband is here somewhere. I discovered it in the past and chose him as a candidate."
Celestia was in a state of confusion, and as Cheong Won answered her questions, her expression distorted.
"Coward! Don't you have any pride as a Saint? This is an act of mockery to your mission! You're a Great Saint who reached the realm of an intermediate-rank God, I can't believe you're using such a trick to your advantage!"
I finally realized how he could pull such a ridiculous action, but it was too late. There was already nothing we could do. But we weren't the only ones who were flustered, and as if to attest to that, Morne expressed doubt, "Husband? The Imperial Princess's? The husband of the Imperial Princess is in our Carrier?"
"No, not to that extent. He's right in front of me."
"No way, it's not me, right?"
Morne tried to turn a blind eye to reality, but Cheong Won was calm and composed.
"That's right. Morne, Arch-Sorcerer of the dinosaur tribe. You are to mate with Celestia and give birth to a child. You two will have to officially get married and it shall be announced to the world."
"…My God."
Needless to say, Morne was not the least bit delighted about this. I mean duh. Celestia was a great beauty and she was a star in the great universe, but that was limited to the human's aesthetic point of view and standards.
Just like how humans wouldn't regard the most beautiful female hippo as a sexual partner, it seemed that Morne did not see Celestia as a sexual partner at all. And aside from that, they had to marry officially and even announce it to the whole world?
"What a load of bullshit. The Leonhardt Empire and the Tekea Federation are mortal enemies. And I can't even force myself on her just once and call it quits?[1] I still have to marry the Imperial Princess? Above all, she and I are of a different species. It's impossible for us to have a relationship, and even if we do, it's not possible for us to give birth to a descendent."
Morne's counter argument was sound, but Cheong Won shook his head in disagreement, "I'm sure a child will be born. And that child will even possess considerably great potential. I'm old enough to be able to see a glimpse of the future, so I'm at least confident about that."
Then, Cheong Won slightly turned his head and stared at Celestia. Celestia was pale with rage, but perhaps because she knew that whatever she said right now would be useless, all she did was shoot an icy cold stare towards Cheong Won.
"…How?" Morne asked.
"You have to figure that out yourself. I can only see a small part of fate. And above all, you cannot hurt her in the process, nor can you let her die. Misleading behaviors are also not allowed. I know forcing yourself on her might be inevitable, but at least hypnotize or anesthetize her, and you can't hurt her body more than you should when you are mating her."
The atmosphere was getting worse. Not just Celestia, but even Morne looked dejected.
"Do you really think I'll comply with that?"
"You have to comply. If you break even one of the conditions I've just stated, I will be notified from anywhere in the Universe. And also the moment I find out that you break the terms I've set…" Cheong Won laughed before continuing, "I'll inform everything about Legion to the Union. No, I'll report it to Elohim. Elohim will seek disciplinary actions, and if they requested for it, they would obtain the royal seal of the Almighty God for the permission to free me from all restrictions for a short while."
His words made me realize that the Saints weren't devoid of their freedom for life. If the Almighty God of the Saint Realm permitted it, they would temporarily be free from all restraints.
And while I was lost in thought, Cheong Won continued explaining in a deep voice, "And so, if I come back again in this manner…"
Everyone was looking at Cheong Won. Everyone was acting as though they were possessed with none being able to take their eyes off him. Except for the oriental silk robe he was wearing and White Fan on his waist, Cheong Won looked like an elderly man who'd accumulated various life experiences. Yet for an instant, he was the personification of the image of destruction.
Cheong Won continued, "I swear. I will have the Tekea Federation walk the road to destruction within a week. The name Tekea Federation will never be muttered anywhere else in the Universe ever again."
Cheong Won was serious. Instantly… I knew he meant everything he said. Cheong Won really had such power and he fully intended to execute it if necessary. And his will was greatly conveyed to all the demi-humans around.
"Kreukk!"
"Ughhhhhh…"
And with his location as the core of his conveying willpower, the demi-humans who were around us began to lose consciousness successively. They weren't able to withstand the overwhelming pressure that Cheong Won was emitting.
Cheong Won disregarded it and continued, "So you'll have to act with prudence."
Then, his figure slowly turned cloudy and he soon disappeared. That was the last time I saw him at the Carrier.
*
'That damned bastard.'
I murmured casually while recalling that moment. In the end, that bastard did not talk about the deal he made with me.
1. Guys, before you get worked up, just remember that Morne is a dinosaur and not human, hence barbaric.