Leveling with the Gods

The message that came through Kyneē was different from the previous one.

YuWon noticed the eyes on the back of the hand, which were wide open.

The eyes that had been half closed for some time. They opened wide for the first time and a greater amount of mana spilled out than ever before.

Tsk-.

The mana flowing through Kyneē enveloped Yuwon's body.

As if it was his from the beginning, YuWon felt that familiar mana.

As if he was in the dark sea without a single light.

He felt the same as when he had fallen into it.

Almost infinite mana.

He felt as if he was swimming in it.

Knowing and not knowing.

The difference was far greater than YuWon had first thought.

Kwajijijik-!

In the middle of the half collapsed temple.

The mana emitted by Kyneē drove away Ares' golden mana.

The dark energy emanating from Kyneē quickly enveloped the room and filled the temple.

'This is the difference between knowing the source of power and drawing upon it, rather than merely relying on the effects of an item..."

King of the Dead.

The power of that title was not just being able to command the Undead.

"What is this?"

Ares' eyes widened as he felt the power of the dark element pressing against his mana.

'This is bad.'

Normally there was only one reason for such a sudden increase in power.

When you've spent all your mana and you're looking for a quick victory.

Yes...

While it was certainly a remarkable feat, YuWon's skills were only a step behind him.

The fact that he hadn't been able to land a single effective blow so far was proof of that.

On the other hand, his own sword had managed to reach YuWon.

'He has realized that he would be at a disadvantage if he drags this out.'

There was no need to reply.

If he prolonged the fight, he would win nine times out of ten.

But his crumpled pride wouldn't let him.

Hwaaak-!

The mana emanating from Ares' body drove YuWon's body back.

The mana glowed as brightly as the sun.

Tak-.

Ares took a step towards YuWon.

"It's useless to resist."

Swish-.

The tip of his short spear aimed at YuWon's head pierced through the darkness.

At the same time, Ares' toes twitched.

Chak-.

The distance shrunk in an instant.

The darkness enveloping the temple parted, and Ares' two spearheads struck YuWon's head.

Tak-!

Woo-!

The two spears collided with YuWon's sword.

Ares immediately withdrew the clashing sword and tried to continue his attack.

But then...

"......?"

His body did not listen.

His arms didn't move.

His body felt strangely heavy and uncomfortable.

At that moment, Ares and YuWon's eyes met.

Tsut-.

Mana began to flow through his arm.

Ares suddenly faced the deep darkness around him.

Surely, the Mana he was emitting must have pierced YuWon's power?

"You are weak in close combat."

Clack-.

YuWon's hand grabbed Ares' wrist that held the spear.

"I can't believe how easily you went in."

"What the sh*t......!"

Deuk-.

"......!"

Ares, startled, took a step back.

Tsut-.

As if going somewhere, Ares backed up a couple of steps and a wall of energy formed behind him.

Thud-.

A spear fell to the ground.

Wondering if he had dropped the weapon, Ares picked it up again, only to find himself empty-handed.

At that moment...

Ares found a familiar hand in YuWon's.

"That's mi.......?

Ares' eyes widened.

He saw his wrist in front of him, and his own arm, which was empty.

The scream came too late.

"Aaaagh!"

More than the pain, it was the horror of the missing hand that filled his mind.

Paget-.

He staggered back in panic, but the walls were still as solid as ever.

It was the power emitted by Kyneē.

"Even if you had two hands, it would be hard, would you be okay with one?"

He was out of breath.

Ares grabbed the sword upside down and waved it against the mana blocking his back.

Passt, ssshhh!

An impenetrable force.

The bouncing darkness with a strong repulsive force enveloped Ares' body again.

Ares quickly raised his strength to shake off the darkness that clung to his body.

And a thought arose...

'Did he give me the way... on purpose?'

YuWon had opened a path for him that led deeper and deeper into him.

The thought crossed his mind, but nothing else came to mind.

Ares was not confident that he could penetrate the immense power that permeated the temple as easily as he had just done.

Ssshhhh-.

The energy emitted by Kyneē soared skyward.

The darkness spread out like clouds.

It blocked the sunlight falling on the temple, and in an instant turned the sky into night.

['Lightning Fragment' reacts with Kyneē]

Cleack, Cleack-!

Lightning flashed through the blackened clouds.

YuWon extended his hand towards him.

"Punch."

Flash-!

* * *

Aphesis, one of the Rankers under Ares, tensed at the scene unfolding before his eyes.

'What the hell just happened?'

Crackle, crackle-!

Dark mana filled the center of the temple.

From within this mass of mana, thunder could be heard again and again.

And Ares and YuWon were in it.

Perhaps this is the strength of Ares' opponent, YuWon.

Tak-.

Aphesis took a step towards him.

Then...

- Stop.

Skang-.

Arthur's sword, which guarded him with him, stopped him.

Aphesis raised his fighting spirit and looked at Arthur. Arthur turned his head and their eyes met.

"Step aside."

- Sorry, but that won't work.

Arturo recognized YuWon as his master.

And YuWon gave the order to stop those who interfered with the fight. Arthur had to follow that order now.

"I must protect my Master."

Aphesis felt the mana give her goosebumps.

This power, which made her body tingle just being near him, was dangerous, even for her Master, Ares.

- Me too.

"...Then I can't help it."

Chaeng, Chang-!

Starting at the signal, the Rankers and Players who saw the fight drew their weapons one by one.

Now they could no longer stand idly by.

-Good posture.

Arturo liked their attitude.

Those who would lay down their lives for their Masters.

It was the very spirit of British chivalry, to protect the weak and serve the Master.

-I too will respond in kind.....

Just as Arthur was about to increase his mana.

Woo-.

The huge mass of mana enveloping YuWon and Ares began to writhe.

Right after that...

Chak, Chak, Chak!

The mana that ran through the center of the temple swirled rapidly and was sucked into a single point.

The hitherto hidden interior was exposed.

The darkness cleared and the first thing to be seen was YuWon's face standing there.

"No way..."

Aphesis' eyes widened.

Ares, who was shrouded in darkness, was nowhere to be seen.

The darkness had not yet completely dissipated.

Ares had to be safe.

For he was a High Rank, the symbol of war and fighting in Olympus.

Aphesis believed that and waited for Ares to slowly appear.

Flash-.

A flash of golden light pierced the darkness.

Aphesis' expression brightened.

But only for a moment.

It was a matter of moments before that expression turned to despair.

"Ah, S-Lord Ares?"

The golden glow shining outward was not Ares' Mana.

It was an object he carried, a gift from Zeus.

It emanated from the mysterious golden armor he wore.

And Ares...

"Ares-nim!"

"No!"

His whole body had turned black and was no longer recognizable.

-It was over.

Arthur lowered his raised sword.

The duel had been won.

The remaining Rankers seemed to have lost the will to fight, or seemed choked with grief.

This fight was their victory.

Ssh-.

The darkness returned to Kyneē again.

Yu-Won looked at Kyneē for a moment.

Along with immense fatigue, he was also surprised.

He had expected it, but he couldn't believe that he could get so much power from a simple object.

It must have many uses.

What if he became more familiar with this power?

If it really supported his abilities, he might be able to make all that nearly infinite mana he had seen before his own.

A power that could reduce even High Rank Ares to ashes in an instant.

YuWon could once again check the power of this Kyneē.

Pak-.

After the fight, YuWon walked towards Ares' corpse.

Ares was lying on the ground, clad in golden armor.

His body was already blackened and corroded by lightning. He could barely be considered whole.

Yu-Won reached out his hand towards Ares' corpse.

All the equipment he used were expensive items.

But he wasn't very interested.

What was important now wasn't just the golden armor.

'There it is.'

Zalgraak-.

Yuyuan picked up the golden necklace Ares wore around his neck, the same color as the armor.

The necklace came off more easily than he expected.

It didn't look like a carefully worn necklace.

'Well, that's a good first step.'

With the necklace on his chest, YuWon looked at Ares' corpse for a moment.

'I've collected another one.

In addition to the necklace, another additional achievement.

['The King of the Dead' calls out to the spirit of 'Ares.']

The soul being absorbed by Kyneē.

At the same time, the rest of Ares' body turned to dust.

YuWon, who was trying to get his whole body, bit his lip in disappointment.

"Was that too hard?"

A combination of Lightning and Kyneē.

The corrosion was so severe that Ares' body was completely weakened and shattered to dust with only his Soul escaping.

It was a shame, but it had to be accepted.

There was no point in being too greedy.

YuWon took Ares' armor, put it in his inventory and looked up.

'Also...'

It would be nice if they could move on without incident, but apparently that wasn't going to happen.

'Here they come.

Woo-.

Over the open sky of the temple.

A new ceiling rose high like a pyramid.

'There's no way they don't know about this commotion.'

Perhaps when he first entered the Temple of Ares, someone had given them the news.

Not only did the two temples symbolize similar things, but they were on the same floor and not far apart.

Kee, kee!

Dagdak-.

The sound of horses' hooves in the sky.

If Asgard had the Valkyries, Olympus had the Chariot of the Sun.

Replicas of Apollo's Chariot of the Sun.

"The symbol of war and wisdom".

In the midst of the Chariot of the Sun that began to descend from the distant sky.

A woman with coppery skin and golden hair, like Apollo, descended in a blaze of light.

An existence symbolizing the true 'war' of Olympus.

Before Hercules appeared, the most important Warrior who fought in the Gigantomachy.

The closest brother of Ares.

"Athena."

She had come here.