Leveling with the Gods

C478

Bang-.

In the sky of Nibelung, thunder resounded.

The weather hadn't always been clear, but it was rare for thunder and lightning not to cease. Tower 91, blessed by the Dragons, had not experienced droughts or floods.

So, why?

Siegfried's gaze turned to Son OhGong's clone.

"What have you brought here?" Siegfried asked, frowning.

The Great Sage, Heaven's Equal, ranked in the top ten alongside YuWon. Even as a clone, his presence held a different significance.

'Maybe he's painting a bigger picture than I thought.'

Although he didn't know him well, the Great Sage, Heaven's Equal known in the world was far from cunning.

That meant the current situation was being manipulated by YuWon's intentions.

"What kind of picture are you painting?" The air vibrated with increasing intensity.

The meal couldn't continue. Son OhGong's clone, with clenched fists, looked out of the window.

"Even though you hate it so much, it seems like you don't feel anything, right?"

"Feel something?"

"There."

Craaack-le-.

The sound of thunder rumbled softly from the sky. It was then that Siegfried's attention turned outside the castle.

"Look what has arrived."

Siegfried stood up from his seat and quickly approached Son OhGong's clone.

The clone stepped aside so that he could look.

Then, as Siegfried peered out of the window, he saw an incredible sight.

"This… what...?"

Your Majesty!

Toc, toc, toc.

An urgent knocking sound echoed in the dining room. Despite knowing it was disrespectful, the knights entered without waiting for a response.

"Outside the castle walls…"

"I'm already seeing it."

Siegfried turned his head and looked at the knight, as if telling him not to interfere. A face that seemed somewhat angry.

When cracks appeared on Siegfried's always calm face, the knight bringing urgent news hesitated and took a step back.

"Stay outside until you're called."

"But..."

"Stay outside!"

In response to Siegfried's shouts, the knight bowed his head with a restrained movement and left the place.

Creak, the dining room door closed quickly. Siegfried's gaze turned back to the window.

Kyaah-!

Kyeok, kyaah-!

Rumble-.

Among the thunderclouds, enormous Dragons writhed.

How many of them are there?

They couldn't have moved so many at once. There must be a reason.

'It can't be...'

At that moment, Siegfried's mind recalled the words of Son OhGong's clone.

Whooosh-.

Siegfried turned his head and searched for Son OhGong's clone.

But where had he gone? Suddenly, his figure was nowhere to be found.

"He's gone."

"Gone?"

"He did what he had to do."

Looking at YuWon shrugging, Siegfried's eyes burned like flames.

It was clear from the reaction.

Kim YuWon and Son OhGong were the ones who summoned the Dragons.

Ultimately, this was what Siegfried wanted, but the conclusion came too quickly.

At this moment, when the sketch hadn't even been drawn correctly.

The sudden appearance of the Dragons differed too much from Siegfried's plans.

"What the hell are you trying to do?"

"I'm trying to change the picture you want."

"My picture?"

"I don't want a Dragon War."

Despite the name of the war (The Dragon War), it was actually a war between Nibelung and the Dragon race. And the result was not a victory for either side.

Siegfried survived, but that was it.

"But why?"

The question was why, even though he didn't want a Dragon War, Kim YuWon and Son OhGong brought the Dragons here.

Nibelung and the Dragon race were fighting for dominance of the 91st Floor. Although currently, dominance was in the hands of Nibelung, if the Dragons became active again, war was inevitable.

But YuWon himself, who moved the Dragons, didn't want the war.

At least in Siegfried's eyes, it didn't seem like YuWon was acting without knowing that.

"Usually, when facing a bigger enemy, we tend to unite forces."

"What?"

"My job here is done. Now, you decide for yourself."

"Decide?"

Siegfried, who was about to interrogate YuWon, who kept saying things he didn't understand, was startled.

YuWon's eyes, which were red before, changed.

Pupils that shone like golden pumpkins.

They weren't the Golden Cinder Eyes. However, he didn't have the commonly known black eyes.

So, what the hell...?

'...Unpleasant eyes.'

But any doubt about those eyes faded for a moment.

At this moment, Siegfried approached YuWon, emitting a threatening pressure, thinking that it wasn't the time to question that.

"You've been talking nonsense since earlier..."

Zip.

It was at that moment...

YuWon stood up from his seat and walked towards the window.

Or rather, he seemed to be walking.

Swish.

YuWon's body dispersed, turning into black ashes. Surprised, Siegfried reached out for his shoulder, but he didn't grab anything.

Pssht.

"..."

YuWon, the cause of everything, disappeared from the place.

A vein marked Siegfried's forehead. He had let things get complicated, and now, where the hell had he gone?

"Damn..."

Siegfried muttered under his breath and called the knights outside.

First, he had to somehow resolve this situation.

Who's there?

From below, Siegfried's voice was heard. YuWon exited through the window and was sitting on a higher roof.

To resolve the situation, Siegfried started to move. YuWon lifted his head and looked at the multitude of Dragons writhing in the sky.

"It's about time that guy comes too."

For this many Dragons to move, there must be someone directing them.

That meant one of the Dragon Kings had also moved.

But the guy YuWon was waiting for still wasn't in sight.

Kyaah!

Grrrr...

The roars of the Dragons echoed in the sky. Although they were still writhing in the clouds doing nothing at the moment, if an order came from the Dragon King, their flames would devour the land.

And when that happened, the war between the knights of Nibelung and the Dragons would begin.

'What do you plan to do? You.'

YuWon observed Siegfried's movements.

According to the appearance of the Dragons, he would surely show some reaction. And depending on the decision he made from now on, YuWon would decide Siegfried's fate.

Even with the vision of the Golden Cinder Eyes, the true identity of Siegfried was not revealed.

In fact, if he had known he was being controlled by the Outers through the Golden Cinder Eyes, or that he was fake, he wouldn't have joined the group to catch Ubbo-Sathla.

"The hero of The Dragon War."

The phrase that used to precede Siegfried's name in the future.

A hero...

YuWon decided to simply observe.

Would Siegfried really make a choice worthy of a hero?

Or would he make a decision that would become his downfall in the future.

The sudden appearance of the Dragons plunged Nibelung into chaos.

"W-What the hell is happening there?"

"Dragons?"

"Why the hell are they here all of a sudden? Shouldn't they be sleeping?"

"Well, Indra was hunting Dragons until recently, right? So, maybe..."

The residents of Nibelung, as well as the Players, looked at the sky with concern.

It was due to the worry of what to do if they descended and attacked Nibelung.

Of course, for that...

"Residents who are not Players, step back!"

"The first company of knights, forward!"

"Long-range attack ranker mages, support the knights from the rear…"

The forces of Nibelung were moving hastily.

For them, the situation mainly fell into two categories.

Knights capable of close combat and mages excelling in long-range attacks or support abilities.

When talking about Nibelung's Knights or Mages, it referred to individuals with abilities rivaling Rankers. They were experts capable of facing Dragons, making Nibelung a gigantic nation that surpassed the "Round Table" Guild several times.

Clank, clank...

It was at that moment...

Among the knights who quickly cleared the residents due to the appearance of Dragons, their king appeared.

"It's Siegfried."

"Siegfried-nim..."

"Is the king of Nibelung personally intervening?"

"Well, given the circumstances..."

The Players residing in Nibelung whispered.

They were not part of Nibelung, nor were they residents born and raised in this Tower.

For them, this situation was nothing more than a spectacle where they could see the famous Siegfried with their own eyes.

"Listen, everyone."

Siegfried's voice pierced through the crowd.

Clank, clank...

The knights knelt, and the mages bowed their heads.

According to Siegfried's orders that would follow.

Nibelung's response to the sudden appearance of the Dragons would change.

But...

"From now on, Nibelung will start a war against the Dragons."

"...!"

"My, my lord..."

Siegfried's statements caused surprise in various places.

Naturally, everyone thought Siegfried would negotiate with the Dragons. No one expected him to declare war simply because they appeared in the sky.

"We can't survive by fearing the fight. We can't coexist with them."

"But, my lord..."

"Silence. Focus from now on."

The firm responses made the knights around him fall silent.

The sudden fight with the Dragons.

Anyway, this was going to happen.

Even if the time was moved up a bit, Siegfried planned to fight.

Swish...

Drawing his sword from his belt...

As Siegfried prepared to move the blade towards the Dragons that appeared in the sky...

"It has finally come to this."

Clank, clank...

An overwhelming presence crushed the crowd.

Kyaah-!

Heeyah-!

The Dragons roared at that presence. The knights preparing to fight under Siegfried's orders were breathless due to the strong pressure squeezing their hearts.

It was a familiar presence.

However, its stature was much greater.

Siegfried's gaze turned to where he felt that presence.

"That guy really has a good head. He said nine out of ten would be like this."

"If he says nine out of ten, it's almost a hundred percent."

"Really? I see."

The imposing presence was not a single one.

There were two.

Individuals with power comparable to the Great Guilds, ranked in single digits.

'The Great Sage, Heaven's Equal... and Hercules.'

Kwahk-.

Siegfried's hand holding Balmung gained strength.

He instinctively knew.

That wasn't some kind of clone. Hercules, who was next to him, was the same.

Squelch...

The situation continued to entangle.

The outcome of this fight would be determined by whether they were enemies or allies. And that was a situation that deviated too much from Siegfried's plan.

Step...

Siegfried's steps headed towards OhGong and Hercules, who were approaching from a distance.

People blocking the way dispersed to both sides, creating a stage for Siegfried, OhGong, and Hercules in an instant.

Siegfried's sharp gaze.

He asked:

"What business do you have here?"

"It seems it wasn't necessary to go so far to find him."

"So it seems."

Instead of answering the question, the two exchanged enigmatic dialogues.

Seeing Siegfried's forehead furrow, Hercules responded.

"This nation must be evacuated."

Swhick, thud-!

Hitting the ground with the club he carried on his back...

"Now."

Hercules began to take actions that were not his concern.