The Novel’s Villain

69. Disrespect (1)

Everything was going smoothly.

When Odin caught his eye disease, nothing interfered with Jin-woo’s plans anymore. Thanks to this, he was able to proceed more daringly.

The Dopplo clan replaced all of Asgard’s Valkyries, kidnapping the most prominent ones first, then replacing them entirely.

In the past, the Valkyries were tasked with bringing the brave warriors of Midgard to Valhalla, but now they only served as Earthlings’ officials or Valhalla’s defenders.

They were the unit that Odin trusted the most.

All of the real Valkyries had already been sent to the underworld. He turned them into an additional workforce, though they resisted at first.

“We noble warriors are unfit for such lowly chores!”

“How evil you are doesn’t matter! This is just too much!”

“Even if you’ve gained control over our bodies, we won’t let you manipulate our minds!”

They often spouted complaints along those lines.

Although they surrendered to the God of Evil, they still couldn’t let go of their pride. After all, they had always treated humans as bugs, ignoring and punishing them as they saw fit.

They demanded they be treated like goddesses.

But no one listened to them. It was obvious they’d soon give in anyway.

Jin-woo didn’t even torture them. After all, the Valkyries would’ve had difficulty working if they were to get hurt. Hence, instead of tormenting them physically, he just sent them to Tartarus and made them stay there for a while.

However, he forgot about them at some point. Only when Prof. Kim Dae-jin mentioned something about them did he finally remember them.

By the time he retrieved them from the darkest abyss in existence, the Valkyries’ behavior and attitude had completely changed. Having experienced the horrors of Tartarus, they begged never to be sent back to its premises, their noses runny and their tears flowing.

“I-I’ll do anything you ask of me!”

“We’re nothing but garbage!”

“I promise to work as hard as I possibly can!”

“Long live humanity!”

Tartarus’ effect on them was quite strong, considering some even pleaded to be treated as slaves instead of being brought back in there. From that day on, the Valkyries relentlessly poured as much effort as they could into their jobs in the underworld.

With the Western World’s warriors becoming their competitors, they worked even harder.

All of Asgard’s Valkyries had now been replaced by the Dopplo clan, allowing Jin-woo to receive every last drop of information relating to the said realm. As a result, their opponents’ movements became clear and completely visible to him.

Odin’s eye disease was getting worse day by day. However, upon hearing that Loki had renounced his allegiance to him and defected to the God of Evil’s faction, he came to a realization.

The God of Evil was the one who inflicted him with his current illness, but he still didn’t antagonize him. He needed to conquer the Western World first if he wanted to defeat him.

Jin-woo, of course, knew his intentions.

‘He must be nervous.’

Odin and the Asgardian gods began to act in earnest. They made their move earlier than expected.

Jin-woo resurrected Cronus’ regressors by reverting their time flow; the authority over them automatically passed to him. Set, the Western World god, also returned to life.

With their affiliation changed to Team Ragnarok, he couldn’t help but feel proud. He had just integrated an entire army of Emperor-level combatants into his military force.

Jin-woo stopped by the underworld for a while. Nitocris immediately asked him for help when Asgard finally set their plan in motion, saying she’d like to hire Team Ragnarok in exchange for dimensional gold coins.

When he accepted her request, the pharaoh and her warriors collected all the dimensional gold coins they had accumulated so far and borrowed a member of Team Ragnarok.

‘I didn’t think they’d choose the Sphinx.’

The most cost-effective was the Sphinx. He already possessed great power, but he grew even stronger because of the nonsensical quiz book he gave him as a gift.

Sometime after, Uranus approached Jin-woo as he stared at the newly assembled pyramid, his expression quite bright and joyful.

“Thank you, God of Evil!” He bowed deeply. Cronus had already been sent to him. After he was done exacting vengeance, the former god of time was imprisoned in Tartarus, just like he was.

Jin-woo looked at him for a while and lowered his gaze, remembering his dark history.

“Ah, Uranus. Do you want me to restore ‘that place’ for you?”

“No, it’s okay! This is much better!”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes! Do you want to see it? Prof. Kim Dae-jin made some adjustments to it!”

“No, keep it to yourself. It’s okay.”

Uranus looked like he wanted to brag about that part of his. His eyes even dazzled so much that the Valkyries working hard around them showed a lot of interest.

Just then, Prof. Kim Dae-jin walked over to Uranus. Loki was by his side, who had also been quite busy lately. After he became a staff member, a lot of work was concentrated on him since Jin-woo entrusted most of the important matters to his reliable hands.

Prof. Kim Dae-jin greeted the Great Emperor, then directed his attention to the primordial god.

“We need your strength, Uranus.”

“How can I be of service?”

“Our staff came up with an idea. And it’ll require expansion work.”

“That’s not it, professor… All I meant was… that I miss Valhalla…” Loki mumbled lowly, seemingly recalling his memories as an Asgardian god. “Wait, no, I don’t miss it. I just can’t help but think about it from time to time.”

Nevertheless, his words came across as a brilliant idea to the head researcher.

“You have nothing to worry about! I, Kim Dae-jin, will create a masterpiece that surpasses even Asgard’s Valhalla!”

“You really don’t have to…”

“I do! After all, your wisdom never ceases to amaze us all!”

Loki was extremely popular among the God of Evil’s subordinates. Through his intellect and wisdom, he found Cronus’ base and, with his master, defeated him and his allies. The story was becoming a legend.

Even Uranus respected him.

Jin-woo nodded in agreement, then looked at the professor.

“There shouldn’t be any problem, considering it’s Loki’s idea. I’ll provide support, so be sure to begin the construction efforts as soon as possible.”

“Got it! As you wish!” Prof. Kim Dae-jin exclaimed passionately, bowing deeply. Since even the God of Evil had joined in on this matter, Loki no longer knew what to do.

Jin-woo patted his shoulder.

“You’re as reliable as always.”

“Your words honor me, sir.” He flinched and lowered his head, to which his master only grinned in reply. In his eyes, he truly was humble.

According to his idea, they’d have to build a huge castle on the northern side of the amusement park.

That location was exquisite.

It would provide a great view no matter where one might be in the area.

“This place’s theme is all over the place, which left this certain sense of disorganization. It makes people think we can’t see the bigger picture.”

They needed a pivotal landmark to establish this amusement park’s unity. Seemingly recognizing that issue, Loki apparently came up with a solution immediately. Jin-woo really couldn’t help but admire his wisdom, which always put him a step ahead of the others.

Jin-woo decided to observe the construction efforts. Naturally, if he came to the site, Loki had no choice but to follow. Even the Valkyries rushed to his side after observing them for a while. The Western World warriors tilted their heads, attempting to understand the situation, then soon trailed behind them as well.

To the north of the amusement park was a large canyon.

Prof. Kim Dae-jin showed the map to Uranus. He had circled an entire sector of the canyon and drew an ‘X’ on it. The primordial god nodded and took a few steps forward, seemingly already getting what had to be done without needing an explanation.

He was so large that he cast a gigantic shadow over it just by standing beside it.

The professor took out sunglasses from his pockets and handed them to Jin-woo and Loki. Loki watched Jin-woo put it on, then decided he should probably do the same.

With all of them now wearing eye protection, the head researcher turned his gaze to the god of the skies.

“Let’s begin, shall we? Uranus, feel free to use it.”

“Alright.”

‘Use what?’ Jin-woo thought. Uranus was a primordial deity whose power revolved around ruling the heavens above. The only reason Cronus managed to defeat him was because of his own carelessness.

He wondered what the ancient being had in store for them.

Uranus soon spread his arms, that simple movement alone was enough to distort the surrounding space. The motion dyed the sky of the underworld black and caused the beginning of a raging storm.

Whiiiw!

He slowly circled his arms around and bent them, placing his hands on his waist.

Clap!

When he assumed the standard superhero pose, mechanical rattling sounds echoed from within him. Soon enough, a long, gigantic shaft sprang up from his lower body.

It shocked even Nitocris so hard she lost her grip on her water bottle, accidentally allowing it to fall to the floor. Naturally, the Western World warriors’ faces were also filled with astonishment.

“Oh my goodness.”

“Damn, that’s amazing.”

“Truly magnificent…”

On the other hand, the Valkyries seemed to like what they were looking at.

Shiiing!

Light rushed towards his groin. With the power of the heavens condensed, Uranus created an earthquake centered around him. The tremors it unleashed brought the Western Worlders and the Valkyries flopping to the ground.

The sky soon cried, a piercing sound echoing through its clouds.

However, at some point, all of those phenomena disappeared. Silence once again dominated the area, allowing not even the weakest noise to be heard.

Uranus opened his eyes, causing blue light to burst out and emanate from them. Despite what was happening around him, his expression remained serious and focused.

Soon enough, he roared.

“Sky God’s Colossal Magnum Atomic Missile!”

His voice sounded like volcanoes erupting, the echoes of which reverberated throughout the heavens.

Pyeing!

At that moment, Uranus’ groin launched a gigantic sphere so bright it was as if the sun itself had been compressed. Its illumination was even far stronger than Olympus’ sun chariot.

It flew in a long parabola and fell into the center of the canyon.

Paaaah!

It then exploded, releasing light so intense it created an overwhelming sight. It was as if yet another Big Bang had just occurred. Ceaselessly detonating, it engulfed the entirety of the canyon.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

A massive mushroom cloud soared up, and a thunderbolt imbued with large amounts of energy struck the surroundings. The great heat it emitted melted everything in the canyon, while its sheer force twisted and disrupted space and this dimension itself until it released iridescent colors.

Seemingly satisfied, Prof. Kim Dae-jin smiled.

“This is Team Ragnarok’s firepower and the new ability of Uranus, the god of the sky!” He exclaimed.

When Uranus took his hands off his waist, a huge cartridge case dropped to the ground with a click.

Nitocris collapsed on the floor at the unbelievable sight. Loki’s legs shook.

‘… I’m scared.’

‘Asgard… doesn’t stand a chance…’

They looked at each other, feeling a strong sense of sympathy. The commotion stunned the Valkyries and the Western World warriors as well.

Jin-woo took off his sunglasses, though he still stared at the scene with a blank expression.

‘That’s insane… What even was that?’

Not even he could describe what just happened. He didn’t think they’d install such a destructive weapon to that part of Uranus’ body.

He could now see why the primordial deity refused to have that area of him reverted to its former glory. Prof. Kim Dae-jin’s technological prowess seemed to have already transcended the concept of science itself.

“What do you think? If you want, I’m willing to install it into the people here. It won’t be as strong, but it’ll still be quite useful.”

Nitocris and Loki avoided Prof. Kim Dae-jin’s gaze. However, the Western World warriors showed strong interest in his offer.

“I-I’ll apply!”

“Me too!”

“Is it possible to adjust the size?”

“Can I also keep the original function…”

They flocked to him, and he kindly provided them with counseling.

“We can install a vibration function at an affordable price as well.”

“Woah!”

“That’s cool!”

They set the surgery dates immediately.

‘It’ll be fine.’ Jin-woo thought, trying to convince himself as best as he could.

Situations like this were always present.

* * *

Odin and Asgard’s Aesir gods marched toward the Western World, having already exhausted all through their supplies of Midgard warriors. They hit their opponent’s territory hard, but not as much as they expected.

The Norse supreme god couldn’t help but be nervous.

After the God of Evil took over Svartalfheim, he became the new master of the golden ring. Having heard it was all part of Loki’s plan, his head hurt.

‘God of Evil…’

His actions were truly terrifying.

Using the power of his eyes for a bit to spy on Loki, he instead stumbled upon the epitome of darkness with his seal released, having just used the god of mischief to usurp Cronus’ power and free him from his mortal shell. Tears of blood flowed from his eyes just by looking at him.

‘I need to take the Eye of Horus and the Western World’s energies as soon as I can.’

Upon accomplishing his goal, he could become a being that transcended gods, thus making him worthy of fighting the God of Evil.

When Thor returned from fishing, he joined the army of gods and Earthlings Odin led to the Western World.

The hot desert greeted them.

Odin’s wife, Frigg, stood next to him while the other gods marched around them, treating them as their center. The most famous of them were Thor, Baldur, Heimdall, and Freya.

Odin’s army overwhelmed their adversaries.

The Asgardian gods and tens of thousands of Earthlings trampled over the Western World warriors with ease, the atmosphere they exuded remaining quite calm and collected.

Horus, Nitocris, and the soldiers looked at the incoming invasion with firm expressions.

Soon enough, Odin lifted his Gungnir, releasing a burst of immense energy that blew away the sands of the desert before him.

“I, Odin, Asgard’s supreme god, has come. Surrender.”

“Odin… Your eye is as ugly as it’s always been!” Horus shouted in reply, to which his opponent only grinned. His eyes, shining blue, contained the power to protect the Western World. However, that would no longer work against them.

Thor came forward, carrying Mjölnir in his hand. In war, momentum was of great importance. Hence, he always stood at the vanguard in every battle, ensuring he’d destroy his opponents’ momentum.

“You cowards of the west! If any of you dare stand against me, the god of lightning, then step forward! Let us have a glorious battle!”

Lightning erupted from his body, blasting the sand around him. Odin waited for Horus to come. Activating the power of his eye, he discovered he was severely wounded. Though he pretended to be calm, he was in no shape to fight properly.

He felt quite grateful for what Cronus and Set did to him before the God of Evil obliterated them. He was the one who instilled greed in Set, after all.

He chuckled.

‘Good.’

Thor offered a one-on-one battle, but it didn’t matter if they were to accept it or not. Either way would result in a great loss for the Western World anyway. If Horus were to fight Thor, a being whose strength was comparable to Odin’s, he would lose. That outcome would ultimately force their morale to drop significantly. On the other hand, he would be considered a coward if he were to refuse his challenge.

Staring at the Norse supreme god and the god of lightning, he nodded.

“Alright.” Horus accepted his offer.

Thor immediately flew through the air and landed in the middle of the desert.

“Come, Horus! Feel the wrath of my hammer!”

“I’m sorry, but I won’t be the one fighting you.”

“What?” He tilted his head in confusion. Among the Western World’s gods, he was the only one strong enough to fight him.

After a few moments of brief silence, the sand beneath him vibrated and swirled, forcing him to back away from the vortex it was creating.

Boom!

A monster soon burst out of it, revealing its physique to be a combination of a human head, wings, and the body of a lion. It was so huge Thor looked like a child next to it.

Odin and the Asgardian gods were bewildered. He already knew its true identity.

“The Central World’s… Sphinx!”

“Why’s that monster here?!”

Frigg shouted in disbelief, clearly shocked by his words.

Now up against the Sphinx, Thor couldn’t help but be nervous. The aura he emanated weighed on his entire body.

“It does not matter who the opponent is!” He roared, lifting Mjölnir up.

Their battle began.

His weapon returned to him when thrown. Combined with his own abilities, he wielded great power. However, when he threw it at his opponent, light erupted from his body and soared high into the sky.

“Field of Power, activate!”

The Sphinx’s brilliance gradually spread and wrapped around their surroundings.

Whoosh!

A transparent hemispherical barrier enclosed their battlefield and turned the ground beneath them into sturdy marble. Panicking, Thor threw his hammer again, but it fell to the floor before it could even reach anywhere near the Sphinx.

“M-Mjölnir…?”

“Welcome to the Field of Power! The rules in here are different from the ones out there!”

He tried to break through the barrier with his fists, but it remained indestructible.

“You can’t get out of here until the game is over!” The Sphinx explained. Glaring at him, Thor shot lightning bolts towards him, but they all soon disappeared.

At that moment, he came to the conclusion that he could neither use his abilities nor his weapon in here. Nevertheless, he tried to keep his composure.

“Alright. I’ll play. How do we decide the winner?”

“Finally!” The Sphinx took a strange pose and reached out to thor.

“I’ll go first! I’ll start my attack with a nonsensical quiz question!”

“What?!”

“What is the most obscene thing in the forest?”

Thor blinked. A clock appeared in front of the Sphinx, its second hand spinning quite fast.

‘Do I have to guess the correct answer?’

He grew anxious but soon remembered what Loki had told him.

Aphrodite of the Central World was apparently quite naughty, often visiting forests for reasons obviously not related to a simple walk.

“Aphrodite?” He answered.

Ding!

A bell rang in the Field of Power.

“Wrong.” The Sphinx replied, causing Thor’s body to be bound. He tried to break free with all his might, but he couldn’t even move a finger.

A huge hammer appeared in front of the monster, which he then took and used to strike him in the head.

“Argh!”

Blood dripped from his head, having just suffered a fatal blow.

Barely holding onto his fading consciousness, he listened to the Sphinx’s words.

“The correct answer is ‘mushrooms.’ I end my turn!”

With his turn now finished, his bonds disappeared.

His turn had come!