Leveling with the Gods

C471

Craack, craack-le

The place where the Lightning Bolt swiftly passed...

Eyes, red like the moon, blinked slowly. Zeus felt his heart dropping to the ground as it seemed there was no apparent damage.

"How irritating."

It would be better to fight passionately.

However, those eyes simply stayed open, doing nothing more than reviving the Outers within their reach.

It was like dealing with a formless necromancer.

Bum-!

Once again, a spear formed in Zeus's hand.

Once again, he grabbed the lightning, but Zeus didn't throw it right away.

He also knew.

Throwing the spear that way would be a useless waste of energy.

'A different method is needed to bring him down.'

The strategy had been wrong from the beginning.

He knew. But the problem was that knowing it didn't provide a clear solution.

The moment Zeus made eye contact with the eyes in the sky and held the Lightning Bolt in his hand...

"It seems like you're suffering more than you should."

Woo~

Black darkness rushed in, dispelling the bright light created by Zeus.

There was no need to be alert.

Because he knew to whom that darkness belonged.

"How did you get here?"

"After coming to help with so much effort, you talk to me like this?"

"Even though it seems like you won't be of much help..."

Zeus's final words faded away.

Something was off.

Although they hadn't interacted much, brothers were brothers. That's why Zeus could feel the change in Hades.

"What are you thinking?"

"I wondered if I was the older brother Kim YuWon was waiting for."

"Wait? For me?"

Hades, confused by what he was saying, recalled the title he had been given.

King of the Dead.

It was YuWon who granted him that title. His behavior seemed as if he knew in advance that he would be here.

"You should join this fight too."

Hades realized late.

That he had moved like a pawn according to YuWon's intentions.

King of the Dead.

It wasn't a free gift.

He looked at the eyes blinking slowly towards him and Zeus.

Were you asking me to take care of those eyes?

"Well, it seems you did well in waiting for me."

A dark shadow loomed over the star's eyes. The "King of the Dead" devoured those eyes while absorbing the power they brought with them.

Tremble~

The eyes that didn't flinch at Zeus's attack began to tremble.

And over the red eyes, dry and wrinkled like dehydrated eyeballs, cracks began to form.

"A star that resurrects the dead and kills the living, that's what it is."

It was visible in Hades's eyes.

At first glance, they were just red eyes, but in reality, they belonged to neither life nor death.

"It neither dies nor lives. It's simply cowardly on both sides."

The King of the Dead said. Those eyes weren't meant to be killed but resurrected.

To inflict direct damage to the red eyes, he first had to resurrect them and bring them out into the world.

["The King of the Dead resurrects 'The Star That Brings Destruction'."]

Woong, woong, woong-.

The red star trembled. The star that revived the dead and killed the living and was on the border between life and death, under the control of the King of the Dead, came back to life.

"It seems like this is why he gave me this power."

The screaming star didn't have the power to protect itself.

The King of the Dead, who resurrected the souls of the dead and revived the bodies of the dead, was a natural enemy for the red star.

Of course, the red star didn't give in so easily.

["'The Star That Brings Destruction' resists 'The King of the Dead'."]

In an instant, Hades's eyes trembled, and he almost lost consciousness for a moment as if something were tearing his insides apart.

It didn't matter.

Anyway, it wasn't his role to finish that.

"...The time I can hold him is not long."

Craaack, crack-le.

Behind Hades, strands of golden hair gleamed.

"It's okay; it's enough time for me."

Zeus grabbed the Lightning Bolt, which was several times larger than him.

Thus, in the next moment...

Baaang-!

The Lightning Bolt released from Zeus's hand pierced through the red moon.

Tremble, tremble-.

Under the clouds, a shake was felt.

Under the torn clouds, a golden gleam was glimpsed.

It was such a powerful strike that it affected even the high sky. Despite not being in the best physical condition, the fact that he threw such a large spear confirmed certainty.

'Looks like they're doing well there.'

After being distracted by the strong Lightning Bolt for a moment, YuWon's eyes turned to Foolish Chaos.

Flap-.

The hat of the cloak that hid his face was torn off.

Despite being engulfed in flames, Foolish Chaos seemed calm and unperturbed.

Above all...

'That face never ceases to amaze me, even when looking at it again.'

Without eyes, nose, or mouth, not even a single hair, a face as white as snow.

It was like looking at a doppelgänger. But that's only apparent when seen with the eyes and nothing else.

Woong~

Over the face as white as snow, hundreds of faces crisscrossed. Among so many faces, it was impossible for ordinary people to distinguish which one was real.

Perhaps that's why...

'A face that can't be seen anyway. Whether covering it or uncovering it, it seems to be the same.'

He vividly remembered the surprise when he first saw that face.

Perhaps that's why...

The moment he saw that face, he vividly recalled what happened back then.

Woong-.

The sword held in his hand resonated.

Now that he thought about it, he remembered something.

Although it wasn't exactly the same item, YuWon defeated that thing with this sword.

"It's a sword that seems to show many things."

The eyes of the countless faces floating above Foolish Chaos were focused on the sword in YuWon's hand.

YuWon defeated many Outers with this sword. Since it was created by merging their bodies and souls, he also understood the true nature of the sword.

He understood that.

However...

Foolish Chaos: "I was cut by that sword too, right?"

YuWon's eyebrows trembled.

It was a look that hinted at knowing something.

There was a clue.

"He took Mimir's eye, didn't he?"

In the deal between Foolish Chaos and Mimir, he took one of his eyes.

Now he understood.

It wasn't him who won in the fight with Shub-Niggurath.

In that fight, Foolish Chaos gained more.

"It's too late to find out."

Firee~

['The Dancer Who Dances With Fire' controls 'The Flames of Death and Corruption.']

Clang-!

The flames flying towards Foolish Chaos cut through his body. Wrapped in fire, Foolish Chaos showed no resistance.

Thus, Foolish Chaos was consumed by the flames and revealed his form once again. Looking at Foolish Chaos, melting like marshmallow, YuWon sighed softly.

"Don't you have the intention to fight?"

"I didn't say I didn't. Regardless of the outcome of this fight anyway."

"Don't you covet the Name I have?"

"Of course, the name she had tempts me. But, as you can see, I didn't bring the name with me."

Names are like hearts for the Outers. The names surrounding a true name have the power to prove their existence.

Among the Outers that YuWon knew, Foolish Chaos had the highest number of names. And what was in front of him now was just a small fraction of those names.

Whoosh~

YuWon brushed away the flames.

Everything was clear. There was no point in fighting against that shell.

"Are you just going to leave?"

"I'll be back next time. Make sure to bring many Names this time."

"I haven't received a proper answer yet. Was I also cut by that sword?"

"It's meaningless to tell you that for free."

"Is there something you want?"

"Your neck."

"It's amazing that it's exactly what I want."

No more response was expected. Foolish Chaos knew that if YuWon didn't respond immediately, he wouldn't respond at all.

"Next time, bring them properly. So I can take your neck."

"I'll keep that in mind."

At Foolish Chaos's response, YuWon took a step forward after looking at him for a moment.

Under the clouds.

Watching the Lightning Bolts burst beneath his feet, YuWon opened his mouth.

"You're dreaming in vain."

Dreaming...

A smile appeared on Foolish Chaos's white face upon hearing those words.

Maybe that's what he thought.

"For many Names you accumulate, your true Name won't change."

"Who are you now?"

Many eyes watched YuWon.

Foolish Chaos felt a strange presence in YuWon's words.

It didn't make sense, no matter how much he thought about it.

How could he know all these things?

"Are you Kim YuWon, the Player, or...?"

Before the question continued, YuWon fell directly under the clouds.

Naturally, the conversation didn't continue. Foolish Chaos chuckled ironically as he watched YuWon walk away.

"Are you chasing something too?"

YuWon had the same goal as him. Surely, that was the only way to win this fight.

Foolish Chaos, now alone, looked around.

"... You've grown faster than I thought."

They were just a few Names.

Even before obtaining a Name, he already possessed a power stronger than many Named Outers.

Probably even in a distant future without a single Name, he defeated many Outers.

Moreover, they killed Shub-Niggurath. YuWon and Foolish Chaos, despite being enemies for a moment, joined forces.

Ius ad bellum (Using barbarians to defeat barbarians), a common strategy between the two.

But now...

Perhaps he also had the same goal as him.

"Who will be the King?"

Tremble, tremble, tremble~

The eyes pierced by the Lightning Bolt trembled.

The eyes that forcibly revived at the boundary between death and life thanks to Hades screamed in agony.

-Aaaaah!

[The Star That Brings Destruction cries in pain.]

[The Star That Brings Destruction sings to end the night.]

Sssshhh...

The eyelids of the red eyes closed slowly. Zeus instinctively realized that if those eyes closed, he would lose sight of them.

"Are you trying to escape?"

Craaack-le!

As if it were impossible, several Lightning Bolts formed around Zeus, aiming at the eyes.

If he lost it, who knows when he could catch it again. Letting that creature that revived dead Outers go free could become an even bigger problem in future battles.

A drop of sweat ran down Zeus's forehead.

Thus, when Zeus created dozens of Lightning Bolts, about to throw them at the eyes, something fell from a higher sky than where the red moon was.

Shkaaak!

A long line that cut the moon in half.

Following that line with his gaze, his eyes met YuWon's.

"I'm sorry for getting in your way."

YuWon's flames that cut the moon illuminated the night sky.

"I couldn't allow it to escape."

[You have obtained the name 'The Star That Brings Destruction.']

A new name was engraved after YuWon's name.