Leveling with the Gods

Pajik-.

A stream of yellow light and another of blue light collided at the center.

Before Zeus was imprisoned in Asgard, Thor, who had brought him here, had shown strong hostility towards Zeus.

He was clearly a sinner of Asgard.

"Why are you here?"

He must have been imprisoned.

As evidence, he still had shackles on his arms and legs.

Holding a heavy chain with balls to hinder his movements, Zeus looked at Thor.

"Why, aren't you here too?"

In the face of his snide remark, Thor became even angrier. He had already been considering risking his life in this fight, so it wouldn't change anything if there was one more enemy.

One more opponent wouldn't change that.

"We don't have time."

Fazizk-.

A blue lightning pushed back the golden waves.

"Let's go."

Thor seemed ready to attack at any moment as he tightly gripped his hammer, Mjolnir.

And then...

"I'm not here to fight you now."

Thor noticed that Zeus's gaze had turned towards the angels of the Heavens, who were now quite close.

"I was asked to do something."

Zeus's brow furrowed as he said it.

It was a decision he had made after much thought, but he still didn't like it.

"With the Demon Kings on our side, the Heavens will probably join Muspelheim."

YuWon's prediction was correct.

Zeus also thought the same.

"Angels are like that. Their opposition to the Demon Kings is so great that even if they are at an absolute disadvantage, they will still join the opposite side."

"And Foolish Chaos will take advantage of that to destroy the Golden Castle."

Foolish Chaos.

Zeus's eyes twisted at those words.

The one who had long ago shaken Zeus and Olympus and had given him the Power of the Outer Gods.

But he had long since lost his connection with Zeus.

"To make Odin stagger?"

"The Golden Castle is Asgard itself, and to touch its symbolism is to touch Asgard."

"Will that guy appear here too?"

YuWon shook his head.

The chances were not zero, but they were too slim.

"Ragnarok is not that guy's stage. That guy's final stage will be when Surt's neck is about to roll."

"I see."

"Do you want to capture him?"

"I knew I was being used, and I endured because I thought it would be worth it... but..."

Zeus's eyes swept over the narrow, dark cell.

"I can't take it anymore."

In his gaze was clear hostility towards Foolish Chaos.

It was difficult to justify simply because "it would be worth it," but it was a good reaction, at least for YuWon.

But Thor, who knew nothing about these things, couldn't understand his reaction.

"A favor?"

From whom?

He still couldn't believe it, but if Zeus was on their side, that would be a great support.

He was the leader of Olympus, one of the most powerful forces among the great guilds, and ranked within the top ten.

He might not be as powerful now that he has lost his Lightning Bolt, but that doesn't change the fact that he is Zeus.

"I don't care who he is... but..."

Paz-zuz-.

A golden wave pushed against Thor's lightning.

Thor's eyes widened as he held Mjolnir in his hand against Zeus's power.

It didn't seem like he was exerting much force.

Zeus was overwhelming his power so easily.

"Don't be so arrogant. We don't need your help to stop those guys."

Klang, Kururur-

Then, dark clouds filled the sky.

The appearance of a great thunder dragon emerged behind Zeus. Even Thor, who wielded the same lightning ability, felt as if his body had been paralyzed by the overwhelming pressure.

Gulp-.

He couldn't move.

Just by approaching, he felt as if his whole body was paralyzed by an electric shock.

'A different dimension.'

He only thought about the size of the visible ability.

But it wasn't just that.

He thought that losing his Lightning Bolt would make Zeus just a scarecrow, but it wasn't the case.

He's a tiger, even if he's missing teeth. His big body and sharp claws were still there.

Chick, chick, chick-

The Arcane Power writhing in the clouds moved.

And in the next moment...

[Lightning Bolt]

Flash-!

A bright yellow light burst through the sky.

Thud!

Zeus's lightning struck down on the angels from above.

------------------

There was a pause in the battle.

Odin, who had been advancing towards the center of Muspelheim, heard that the Golden Castle had been attacked and prepared to retreat.

But that was only for a moment.

Upon hearing that Zeus was coming to aid the Golden Castle, Odin canceled the retreat.

The advance continued.

At a rather fast pace. Valkyries rode on horses, soldiers on floating boats.

The destination was set.

'The battle will be fought there.'

Odin thought of the place YuWon had chosen.

The center of Muspelheim.

Where the hot lava flowed from this Tower.

That was where YuWon had said this great battle would end.

'It's not far.'

A few days had passed since they arrived in Muspelheim.

After the first day, the fight had been easier than expected.

All that remained of each city were the few giants who had fled.

Most cities were empty.

"Are they preparing for the final battle?"

Strange, he thought.

For a great war like Ragnarok, was this all they had prepared?

Although Surt was not a very intelligent being to say the least, the plans for the Ragnarok in the Great War seemed too loose and weak.

"All forces on this side are already gathering at the promised place."

The great army of Asgard, including the Great Sage, Heaven's Equal, the Giant Slayer, the Demon Kings, and the Valkyries, who rested exhausted, were all gathering at the place YuWon had mentioned.

What could Surt have prepared to stop such a force?

The idea that something was still at stake did not disappear from Odin's mind.

But then...

Kyaaah-!

Somewhere in the sky...

A distant scream made Odin, riding a celestial horse, look up.

Gooo-!

A whitish shadow crawled through the ink-black clouds.

Slowly, as the distance closed, they became larger and more numerous.

Dozens.

No, hundreds.

"Leviathans?"

Odin's brow furrowed at the identity of those things.

It was a monster that even some of the top rankers would find difficult to handle. Even among the Leviathans of the Dragon Race, they were a breed that could fly.

"A Leviathan is a type of monster that does not qualify as a player. But there is only one group of Leviathans that could have such a large number."

As expected...

Goo-goo-goo-.

Kee-hee-hee-hing-!

The celestial horses of the Valkyries, including Odin's own, roared.

Dragons were one of the races that ruled this Tower, and they were also the top predators of all races, except for the players.

Even if it was a precious Celestial Horse with the ability to fly, it would be a mouse before a cat in the presence of a dragon.

Furthermore, the creature that began to reveal its form now was a monstrosity that occupied the pinnacle of that dragon race.

Kraaaa-!

Guuuu-.

With a single roar, the thick clouds tore apart. Several Celestial Horses crashed to the ground unconscious, and the airships that had been flying in the sky also lost their function.

The torn clouds revealed the form of a giant dragon, including hundreds of Leviathans.

Red scales, sharp and thick.

The creature moved with great pomp without hands or feet, as if it covered the entire sky with its body.

It was only the second time Odin had seen something like this.

"Britra..." (Note: Other names, Beritra or Vritra)

If the other Leviathans were small fish, this one was a whale.

One of the creatures at the top of the dragon race.

A dragon known to be the most dangerous creature in the Tower.

"So, you were Surt's hand, huh?"

Roooar-!

Odin smiled at the roars of the Leviathans.

The identity of the unease that had been shrouded in a veil was revealed.

Ung, ung, ung-.

Kkwaaak-!

Odin's spear trembled in his hand.

At that moment...

"Come forth!"

Odin's spear, Gungnir, emitted a light.

***

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***

A cave without light.

It was tall and wide but narrow for the giants.

"Do you really think someone is hiding here?"

"Still, search every corner meticulously..."

"Stay calm, you fools. If we can't find it, we're finished."

"It's just that it's narrow here."

A group of giants walked laboriously, grumbling and complaining.

They were searching for the culprit, as ordered by the King of Muspelheim, Surt.

"But what the hell are we looking for?"

"I don't know. He just said to capture any human."

"Whoever it is, they've offended the king and are in trouble, so we must bring them to him."

Surt was famous for clinging stubbornly to anything once it angered him.

Most notably, he still held a grudge for his banishment from Asgard long ago.

So much so that, after an unimaginable amount of time, he has never stopped seeking revenge against Odin.

Thump, thump-.

The cave echoed with the giants' footsteps.

It was a cave that delved into the earth, so it was to be expected.

"But why does it keep getting hotter here?"

A giant asked, and the other giants who had been silent until now nodded in agreement.

"Yes, you're right. It's getting quite hot here. Is it because it's narrow?"

"Hey, move a bit to the side."

"You, move a bit!"

The giants were crowding together.

Thump-.

At that moment, a giant walking ahead suddenly stopped and collided with the giant behind him.

"What's the matter?"

"It's not because it's narrow..."

Fwoosh-.

The giant's eyes lit up.

"That's why."

Fwoooosh-.

A flame suddenly burst forth in the dark, lightless cave.

The violet flames seemed small at first, then grew uncontrollably in an instant.

A scorching heat engulfed their bodies. It was a temperature so high that even the fire-resistant giants could barely bear it.

And there, amidst it all...

The giants were able to spot a small human figure appearing like a shadow in the fire.

"We found him, Cha!"

"It's the human!"

"Here's the human!"

They shouted as loudly as they could, but it was futile.

Their voices were inaudible from above.

"You found me sooner than I thought."

A drowsy voice as if just waking up.

"No matter..."

Hwaah!

Immediately after that voice, the flames enveloped the giants.

"A monster?"

"Why is the king here...?"

"What, what is that?"

Through the flames, the giants saw different things.

Some saw a shapeless monster.

Some saw their king, Surt.

Some saw Odin, whom they had heard about since they were children.

For a moment, their bodies froze in fear.

Zuruk-.

The bodies of the giants began to melt like liquid.

"Aaahhh!"

"Hot, hot!"

"Save me...!"

Step, step-.

YuWon walked among the giants.

None of them thought to stop YuWon.

The bodies of the giants melted away completely. YuWon walked while looking at his palm, where the purple fire returned to his body.

"Is this the 'Fire'?"

It was, and it was hotter and bigger than he had expected.

Now it existed in such a small form, but he couldn't imagine how much larger it could be if he used it correctly.

Above all, it was the Holy Fire that had consumed this great fire.

"On the contrary, I have to be careful not to be consumed by it."

"Abba...?"

Danpung peeked his head out of his embrace and looked at YuWon.

YuWon smiled and ruffled his head.

"Yes, yes. Thank you."

This time, YuWon had received a lot of help from Danpung. Danpung made an exaggerated gesture and nodded his head to show his satisfaction at being praised.

'The preparation is complete.'

He had already obtained the Holy Fire and had familiarized himself enough with it to be able to control it.

All that was left was one task.

"Let's go there."

Towards the prepared battlefield.

YuWon took a step forward.