On Hiatus: God's Personal Reasons-Chapter 165: #King Il-Ho of the Great Cosmos?

Xu Zhu was the student I had failed to protect, but managed to bring back to life. Seeing her alive and well again filled me with an indescribable joy. Although, her appearance was a little different from what I remembered... Okay, that was an understatement.

However, I was in too much of a shock to register the change in her appearance right now.

Il-Ho is going to marry an octopus?! With tentacles?!

I usually wrote about the events Il-Ho went through when climbing the tower in my novel. But if I wrote something as bizarre as this, I’d be banned from serialization, for sure!

I pulled myself together.

“X-Xu Zhu. I have a sudden nature call. I’m sorry, but can you wait in the ward for me?”

Xu Zhu pumped her fist into the air, exclaiming, “Yes, Teacher! Please take your time!”

Xu Zhu, you don’t have to cheer for me.

So, I left her at my ward and hurried to the toilet, entered a cubicle, and locked the door. I looked at God-Maker, where a horrific wedding was currently taking place.

“Il-Ho! What the hell is going on?!”

***

The trial of the Forty-Fourth Floor of the Tower of Warriors, Trial of Space and Time, was about saving the Great Cosmic Alliance from the resurrected minions of the God of Destroyer. One would assume that the Great Cosmic Alliance was a massive-scale force, but most of its troops had been wiped out. All that remained was an old battleship commanded by Princess Esméralda, leader of the Great Cosmic Alliance.

They had no other spare forces to help the warrior. Moreover, the monsters that served the God of Destroyer were both powerful and overwhelming in number.

Il-Ho fought alone against the terrifying monsters that threatened to overrun the universe. As if trying to break a rock with an egg, Il-Ho’s attempt seemed like a reckless challenge.

“Take this! Ultimate, Muscle Mecha Cannon!”

-How many times do I have to tell you that it’s Soul Mecha Cannon... Ah, whatever. Suit yourself.

Soul Mecha NT2512R-1004 muttered in resignation as a dense, golden radiance poured out from Il-Ho’s gauntlet, taking after the form of a dragon’s head.

Flash!

Il-Ho flew toward the giant eyeball monster like a massive golden comet. In response, the monster used all its tentacles to form a shield.

Baaaam!

However, Il-Ho’s cannon tore through the shield like paper, piercing through the eyeball.

-Kieeeeek!

Finally, the last of the God of Destroyer’s minions fell, and its remains scattered in all directions.

“Muuuuuscles! Victory at last! Did you see this, God Yu Il-Shin?! I dedicate this victory to the great and merciful God Yu Il-Shin!”

Il-Ho flexed his muscles, roaring triumphantly. His indomitable fighting spirit and the Soul Mecha armor allowed him to win.

-You have 1% of soul energy left! I’m warning you, Pilot Il-Ho! I can no longer sustain your life support system, so please return quickly! You can’t survive in space as an organic life form!

“Alright!” Hearing the warning, Il-Ho quickly returned to the battleship.

Swoosh!

The entrance to the battleship opened as Il-Ho approached, and soldiers welcomed his return. The front line officer raised his hands in the air, exclaiming, “All troops! Salute to the great hero Il-Ho, who saved our universe!”

The soldiers saluted him in an orderly and respectful manner.

“Thank you! Muuuuscles!” Il-Ho was taken aback momentarily but soon mimicked their action.

“Impressive feat, Legendary Hero Il-Ho.” A voice rang out like a jade bead.

Then, the soldiers parted like the Red Sea, making way for Princess Esméralda, leader of the Great Cosmic Alliance and princess of the Cthulunia Kingdom. She approached Il-Ho, her eyes filled with tears of joy.

Ssss—

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Fluids flowed out of her tentacles with every step she took, soaking the floor.

“On behalf of the entire universe, thank you, Warrior. How can we ever repay this favor.”

Il-Ho shook his head. “I only did what I had to do. Besides, I didn’t accomplish this alone. I couldn’t have done it without this divine armor, bestowed by God Yu Il-Shin. If you want to thank someone, thank him.”

“God Yu Il-Shin? The god you serve?”

“That’s right.” Il-Ho’s eyes shone reverently as he thought of his god. “He is a great and merciful god. I especially miss the sugar he gave me.”

-Pilot Il-Ho, all soul energy has been spent. I can no longer maintain your fusion state. The soul energy requires a 12-hour cooldown to recharge.

Just then, the soul armor spoke to Il-Ho.

“Is that so? I’m not sure what a ‘cooldown’ is, but it sounds like rest is needed. Thank you, Armor! Well done!”

-...My codename is NT2512R-1004. Pilot Il-Ho, I advise you to refrain from engaging in combat as much as possible until soul energy recharge is complete.

Click click!

Sss—

Detaching itself from Il-Ho, the soul armor disappeared into his inventory. At the same time, his physique, enlarged by Fairy Queen’s skill, reverted to its original size.

Seeing that Il-Ho had shrunk to the size of an ant, Princess Esméralda was in shock. “How fascinating! Is this your true form?”

“That’s right. Your Highness, are there any remnants of God of Destroyer’s minions?”

“There are no signs of his minions within a ten-light-year radius. Thank you, Warrior, for finally granting us peace.”

“...That’s odd.” Il-Ho felt something was amiss.

After all, if he’d truly defeated them all, he’d have received a message saying that the trial was over.

Princess Esméralda reached out with her tentacles, pulling Il-Ho in. “We’ve prepared a banquet to celebrate your victory. Please join us.”

“Princess, I think it’s still too early to celebrate.” He politely shook off her tentacles. “I can’t shake the feeling that remnants of the enemy are still out there. I must train for the upcoming battle.”

Then, Il-Ho strode off to the training room.

“Ah, Warrior Il-Ho. You’re so dashing and cute.” Princess Esméralda stared at him in a daze.

***

“Ten thousand muscles! Ten thousand and one muscle!”

In the battleship’s training room, Il-Ho raised dumbbells with a single index finger, sweating buckets.

Thud!

But then, he dropped his dumbbell, visibly disgruntled. “Being in space is so uncomfortable!”

Only suffocating, pitch-black darkness stretched endlessly beyond the window. Furthermore, the weak gravity didn’t allow him to put in as much training as he wanted to. He couldn’t wait to clear this trial and move on to a place with solid ground. That way, he’d be able to get in some good, hard training!

Whiiiiir!

Just then, the training room door opened, and Princess Esméralda walked in.

“Warrior Il-Ho, I hope you won’t skip your meals over training.”

Upon hearing that, Il-Ho flinched ever so slightly. The bland food served on the battleship wasn’t exactly his favorite.

As if reading his mind, Princess Esméralda smirked and set down a large lidded plate in front of him.

“It’s different this time. I put a lot of effort into this dish. Tada~”

Princess Esméralda lifted the lid off the plate.

“Ooh!”

Il-Ho’s eyes sparkled at the sight of the steamed fish with dazzling silver scales. Not only did it look appetizing, but the fragrance that filled his nose hinted at a deep flavor unmatched by any other cooked meat.

“This is Space Fish! It swims through the Milky Way during this time of the year. Did you know? Every breeding season, it’d travel one light-year across space to mate. Romantic, isn’t it?”

“T-thanks for the meal!”

Il-Ho eagerly took a bite of the steamed fish, but Princess Esméralda stopped him.

“Wait, there’s one important sauce left to add.”

“An important sauce?”

Princess Esméralda inhaled deeply, and sprinkled the dish with her black ink.

“Please, dig in.”

Il-Ho was in disbelief. As much as he wanted to discard the inky dish, how could a gentleman refuse to eat food that a woman had specially cooked for him?

“Thank you!” Il-Ho shut his eyes and took a huge bite of the Space Fish.

Chew chew! Swallow!

Then, his eyes widened in shock. The black ink, which should’ve tasted horrible, instead tasted like the finest seasoning he had ever known. Moreover, it balanced the oiliness of the Space Fish, which could’ve been overwhelming.

“Ooh! How delicious! This is the best food I’ve ever had in space!”

“Hoho, I’m flattered by your compliment. Please eat it while it’s still hot.”

“I won’t refuse!”

Munch, munch!

Il-Ho scarfed down the meal as if he hadn’t eaten in years. The Space Fish, which was over a dozen times larger than himself, was quickly reduced to bones in minutes.

“Hoho, there’s plenty more where it comes from, so please take your time and enjoy.”

The empty plates piled up in no time. Il-Ho let out a ragged breath, his stomach bulging like a mountain. Princess Esméralda gazed at him lovingly, grinning in satisfaction.

“This is the first time I’ve ever produced that much ink. How is it? Do you like my cooking?”

Il-Ho gave her a thumbs-up. “It was the best! Not only are you beautiful, but you’re also an amazing chef! Your future husband is such a lucky man!”

“Oh, you’re making me shy.” Princess Esméralda covered her flushed cheeks with her tentacles, turning away shyly.

After hesitating for a moment, she mustered her courage, whispering softly to Il-Ho, “Warrior Il-Ho, in my hometown, there’s a custom where you woo your beloved by offering them a dish you’ve carefully prepared.”

“Oh, that’s such a nice and romantic custom!” Il-Ho smiled.

For some reason, his mind went to Saintess Anty back home. The holy, virtuous, and beautiful woman he dared not lay his eyes on. Although he didn’t have the courage to ask for her hand in marriage, he’d be equally as happy if she enjoyed the dishes he prepared wholeheartedly.

“Wow! Warrior Il-Ho! How delicious! What is this dish?!”

“Hehehe! This is a recipe I learned from space! Do you like it?”

“Yes! I’m so happy!”

That blissful fantasy was enough to make his heart pound so heavily that it almost burst.

Princess Esméralda approached Il-Ho, who was still in a trance.

Just as he was about to ask for the steamed fish recipe, Princess Esméralda spoke up. “Warrior Il-Ho, please join me in my mission to save the universe from destruction. Our universe needs your strength.”

“Hmm? But I’m on it?”

Princess Esméralda’s eyes, which were as dark as space, sparkled as if studded with stars.

“No. This is a proposal for you to be my lifelong companion. Great Warrior Il-Ho, I want you to marry me and become the king of the universe.”