Chapter 517

On the floating stone occupied by Olympus.

Zeus watched the progression of the war with a hardened face.

…What a headache.

The initial plan had already gone awry, and now the situation had devolved into a chaotic brawl where no one could predict what would happen next.

Of course, the main forces could still be considered preserved for now…

But if they tried to field their great heroes or chief gods, deities like Thor or Loki would never let them be.

“Move it! You muscle-bound gorilla!”

“tsk tsk. Don’t you realize you’re just insulting yourself? Ares?”

Thor was squaring off against Ares.

Similarly, Apollo was up against Baldur. Hermes faced Heimdall, Athena was marked by Loki—all one-on-one matchups.

Hades, too, was locked in a fierce fight against the giants of Jotunheim.

“…”

Zeus, as if having made a decision, drew out Astrape in his right hand.

He now planned to step in personally and sweep away all the nuisances.

Fzzzt… Crackle!

Ominous blue sparks scattered in every direction.

[Skill ??? ‘Blessing of the Twelve Olympians’ is activated!]

As golden energy mixed in, a new wave began to spread out, countering the radiance of Yggdrasil.

“Zeus! There are still many of our allies below. If you use that in the chaos, you’ll wipe out not just them but everyone else as well.”

Poseidon urgently tried to stop Zeus.

“For victory, sacrifices must be made.”

“How can you call them ‘few’ when two-thirds of our strength has been committed? Not to mention, there are chief gods among them.”

“…”

Zeus clamped his mouth shut.

His power wasn’t meant for duels—it was a weapon specialized for war, not individuals.

At this point, he had to admit it.

Olympus’s strength alone couldn’t turn the tide.

‘I didn’t want to be in debt… but it can’t be helped.’

Zeus looked across at the two factions standing comfortably opposite.

‘Eden’ and ‘Celestial Realm,’ who were picking off only minor factions without fully engaging the Norse, still had most of their power in reserve.

“Looks like it’s time for us to step in.”

“If you want more support than your contract stipulates, just pay a fair price.”

Shiva and Uriel responded as if they’d been waiting for this moment.

By ‘fair price,’ they meant recognition of their rights to divide up the bases of the minor factions later.

But there was no choice.

With Hermes pushed back by Heimdall, no one could predict how much longer the barrier would last.

In that case…

“Kang Jinhyuk… Can you kill him?”

At the very least, they needed justification worthy of the price.

The biggest unpredictable variable at the moment.

If they could kill Kang Jinhyuk, it wouldn’t be such a bad deal.

At Zeus’s words, Shiva pulled out his scythe, dark as night.

“Don’t worry. I’ll go and finish him myself.”

If Zeus was a war machine specialized in fighting armies,

Shiva was specialized in thoroughly destroying any designated target.

—

Kwaaang!

Kwa kwa kwa kwaang!

“Aaaargh!”

“Ugh!”

The battlefield was filled with explosions and screams.

In the midst of the chaos, a quiet disturbance was occurring.

“Reinforce the left wall a little more—cough!?”

Commanders leading the Olympus warriors were being picked off one by one.

Of course, it was hard to distinguish friend from foe in such a melee, so the disappearance of a centurion-level commander didn’t attract much attention.

‘…That makes seventeen…’

Assassinations carried out with ‘Phantom Shadow Swordsman.’

The steady targeting of small units was starting to pay off.

In fact, gaps were slowly starting to appear in the Olympus formation.

‘Good…’

Now, it was about time to target the higher-ups.

With careful preparation, the effect would be even greater than expected.

Jinhyuk, having chosen his next prey, melted back into the shadows.

His target: Bellerophon.

A named hero, just like Achilles and Hector.

“Bellerophon! The giants… the frost giants are pouring in!”

“Anubis’s army isn’t easy, either! Damn it, for a deity to have that much power… what the hell is going on?”

“More importantly, the Valkyries… Agamemnon’s main camp in the center might get overrun!”

“I’ll handle that, don’t worry. Focus your forces on making sure the center doesn’t break.”

Bellerophon calmly issued his orders.

His skill in prioritizing and responding effectively was outstanding.

Even amidst countless variables, he always chose the right option.

But just then—

[Alice activates Lv?? ‘Blood Spear’!]

[Teresa activates Lv18 ‘Song of the Angel’!]

Countless spears rained down where Bellerophon stood.

A mix of vampire blood magic and the paladin’s holy power created an unusual attack.

It was strange not only in form but also in magic.

But just before the spears could turn the area around Bellerophon into a wasteland—

Bellerophon’s ability activated.

[Bellerophon has used the unique ability ‘Reins of Victory’!]

Golden reins appeared, and a pure white Pegasus, formed of magic, spread its wings.

At the same time, a translucent barrier completely enveloped Bellerophon.

Kwa kwa kwa kwaang!

The spears shattered against the barrier.

“You’ll have to do better than that.”

Bellerophon mounted Pegasus.

He was said to be the best at handling Pegasus, along with Perseus. His reputation was well-earned.

But from the start, Alice and Teresa’s attack was never the main goal.

It was all just flashy skill usage to attract attention.

Squirm!

The shadow beneath Bellerophon rippled.

Jinhyuk’s dagger moved like lightning.

Voom!

A sneak attack aiming directly at the nape of the neck.

“…Kuh!”

Bellerophon barely reacted.

The sword in his right hand met Jinhyuk’s dagger head-on.

But then.

Crack…

The moment the swords clashed, Jinhyuk’s dagger shifted in an unpredictable direction.

It moved as smoothly and flexibly as a snake slipping through a crevice in the rocks.

Slash!

A long stream of blood spurted from Bellerophon’s neck.

“Unbelievable…”

Dodging was nearly a fluke.

It was luck born of honed reflexes.

The strike was so sharp and perfect it sent chills over Bellerophon’s entire body.

His balance broke, his stance faltering badly.

“Commander!”

“Lord Bellerophon!”

The watching warriors shouted.

Bellerophon was no mere lower-ranked commander—he led an army of over five thousand.

No one could imagine how devastating it would be if such a great hero were to fall.

Spartan warriors immediately closed ranks, raising their shields between Bellerophon and Jinhyuk.

That was their mistake.

“Wow, you’ve set yourselves up in a tight little formation for me?”

A smirk curled up Jinhyuk’s lips.

[Unique Ability ‘Poison Lord’ is activated!]

A green poisonous mist billowed in the center of the cluster.

Poison spread through their respiratory systems.

The moment anyone breathed in, they felt something wrong in their bodies.

“Gh!”

“Ugh!”

The warriors hurriedly held their breath.

At the same time, they tried to expel the poison within using Olympus’s unique magic.

They’d survived countless brushes with death, handling every kind of poison exactly as they’d been trained.

But—

“Gh…!”

“W-What is this…?”

The poison that entered their bodies was unlike anything they’d ever experienced.

It wasn’t just about how toxic it was.

It was… fundamentally different from anything they’d trained for.

In other words, the pain struck in strangely unfamiliar places.

Gurgle…

Gurgle, gurgle.

Violent abdominal pain made the warriors’ faces go pale.

Their hands and feet trembled uncontrollably.

They clenched their muscles with everything they had, desperate to avoid the worst.

But this pain, unlike anything they’d ever felt, was enough to threaten the very sanctity of life.

“Please… spare me…”

“Ugh… I have to get away. Anywhere…”

But where could they go?

There was no paradise for them in the middle of this battlefield.

And above all, Jinhyuk didn’t let them go.

Thunk!

“Guh…”

As Jinhyuk struck the back of their heads with his dagger’s hilt, the warriors dropped one by one, like puppets with cut strings.

It was all over—too easily, and far too quickly.

Jinhyuk had collapsed one side of the battlefield.

⁕⁕⁕

“What a terrifying guy…”

Bellerophon smacked his lips bitterly.

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

Jinhyuk, meanwhile, replied with a bright smile.

“Don’t push yourself. The more you resist, the harder it gets for you.”

“…”

Bellerophon didn’t look well.

He’d fallen victim to that poison just moments ago.

If it weren’t for the poison… if they’d fought one-on-one…

Would he have won?

‘No… even without the poison, it wouldn’t have been possible.’

The movement he’d just shown in his ambush, the intensely honed swordsmanship.

Even facing him once was enough to tell.

No matter how hard he fought, the outcome wouldn’t change.

‘What kind of monster like this… could even exist?’

He’d lived through an age of myth, meeting countless powerful beings—great heroes like Heracles and even the chief gods of Olympus.

He was sick of monsters beyond all reason.

But why was it?

The one before his eyes seemed even greater than any of them.

Step.

Jinhyuk slowly closed the distance.

Bellerophon flinched, but didn’t resist.

He knew better than anyone that, in his current state, there was no point.

But just then—

Vwooooom!

With a sound like the wind being ripped open, a terrifying force slammed down from above.

That…

Jinhyuk crossed his daggers above his head.

KWAANG!

In that instant, a bone-crushing pressure smashed his entire body.

The shock he couldn’t absorb fractured the ground beneath his feet like a spiderweb.

“Ho. You blocked that?”

The one holding the black scythe—Kali.

A deity of the Celestial Realm.

Behind Kali’s back, a translucent giant serpent was coiled.

The divine beast of the Celestial Realm deities: ‘Kundalini.’

So they’d finally gotten up and moved.

That meant Olympus was truly struggling.

“For someone called a chief deity of India, ambushing people like that… aren’t you embarrassed?”

“When hunting a wolf, you put aside your pride. Besides, Zeus is breathing down my neck.”

If a chief deity stepped in directly, things were different.

Nothing ordinary would even buy time.

In that case…

He had to bring out something worthy.

A golden apple appeared in Jinhyuk’s left hand.

[Unique Ability ‘Golden Apple’ is activated!]

The power to manifest the unique abilities of Greek deities.

And then—

A blue aura surged in his right hand.

[The ability called forth by the Golden Apple resonates with your existing ability!]

[‘Limited Fusion’ is activated!]

Once again, a new ability began to emerge.