Chapter 551
Pow!
Thunk!
Arrows rained down like mad, but since he already knew where they were coming from, they posed no threat.
The distance was closed in an instant.
“…Huh!?”
Artemis inhaled sharply.
Jinhyuk, with chillingly cold eyes, had reached her in a flash.
More than just being fast—his magic waves were unnaturally consistent.
Zzzzzt!
[Unique Ability ‘Grave of Swords’ has been activated!]
‘Barnard’ and ‘Crimson Lotus.’
Blood-red energy welled up at the tips of both blades.
Sensing danger, Artemis urgently summoned her wolves and layered defensive skills onto her bow.
“Argh! Bark bark!”
“Groooar!”
The wolves that had been fighting Behemoth responded in unison to their master’s call.
At the same time—
Two different trajectories crossed in an X-shape.
Boom boom boom boom boom boom!
A fountain of blood burst forth.
The sword strikes that slashed through everything in their path cut down the wolves entirely.
And as if that wasn’t enough, they even left deep gashes on Artemis’s hand.
“Aaaagh!”
A sharp scream tore from Artemis’s lips.
When was the last time she’d actually felt pain?
The searing sensation that penetrated to her brain was foreign yet piercing.
Though her wounds healed quickly, the shock imprinted on her mind did not.
“You dare… wound me? Me!?”
“Come on. You’re freaking out over that? I was planning to give you a nice, stylish scar.”
Jinhyuk mimed slashing her throat.
“Uwaaaah! I’ll rip you to pieces!”
Artemis completely lost control.
Athena had told her to retreat immediately if things went south and she had to go all out, but—
There was no way such advice had remained in her memory.
Vmmm!
The moonlight breaking through the clouds began to flow entirely into Artemis’s body.
[Artemis activates the Unique Holy Spear ‘Whispers of the Moons’!]
Her hair turned pure white.
A subtle radiance emanated from her skin.
Thunk.
Her bow and quiver dropped to the floor.
In their place, she held two crescent-shaped daggers.
“A sword suits you better than a bow, huh?”
Artemis gripped the pair of crescent daggers in reverse grip.
It was hard to imagine this was the same goddess who always attacked from mid-to-long range.
Abandoning even her pride—proof of how much hatred she held.
Boom!
Artemis lunged forward.
The moonlight’s trail erased the afterimage as she charged ahead.
…Left.
Jinhyuk quickly angled his sword.
Clang!
A piercing shock reverberated to his core.
This wasn’t just a heavy strike.
The blow struck his interior, reminiscent of a martial artist’s piercing technique.
Though, of course, this was on a whole other level of mastery.
Shfft… zap!
The sound of the wind being sliced brushed past his eardrum.
Without a word of greeting, Artemis began launching attacks like a madwoman.
Clang! Clang clang clang!
Afterimage upon afterimage piled up.
Their figures had long since disappeared from sight.
Only the sparks flying in the air and the sharp sounds hinted that the battle still raged on.
“Chills… She really is a monster.”
Behemoth, fending off the wolves, hugged her trembling body with both arms.
Her entire nervous system felt like it was burning from excitement and thrill.
Naturally so.
The opponent was one of the major gods managing the upper floors of the Tower.
A combat-type deity belonging to Olympus, no less.
And yet, even after manifesting her Unique Holy Spear and going all out…
…she still couldn’t bring down a single human from outside the Tower.
An evenly matched clash.
No—Jinhyuk was actually the one pressing the attack.
“Well, anyone who beat me should be at least that strong. If there’s one thing I’m good at, it’s spotting talent.”
A smile formed on her face naturally.
A life that had gone on far too long.
Days lived without purpose or meaning were finally reaching their end.
If it was with Jinhyuk, she would get to see places she could never reach before.
The godhoods rotting away while clutching all the Tower’s authority.
The corrupted administrators who had sided with them.
And even the final beings waiting at the summit of the Tower.
He would surpass them all.
[Behemoth returns to ‘Humanoid’ form!]
Behemoth canceled her semi-materialized state.
Fighting with a massive body wasn’t her style.
The beauty of battle was in close-quarters combat right in front of your eyes.
The tip of her long greatsword pointed at the wolves one by one.
“Let’s quit messing around and really throw down, huh? Our masters are fighting for their lives. We can’t be playing house over here.”
⁕⁕⁕
The sudden outbreak of war had thrown the entire Tower of Trials into chaos.
It wasn’t just a territorial dispute between large factions—this was an all-out war between the major gods.
Even mid and low-tier administrators, as well as the high-ranking ones, were now focused entirely on this situation.
And at present—
In the ‘Inner Layer’ of the Tower of Trials.
A kind of giant chamber where all the administrators could gather.
Crackle.
Sizzle!
The central campfire and flickering candles lit up the otherwise dark room.
Administrators sipped water to moisten their parched lips.
But more than thirst, it was the suffocating atmosphere that weighed on their hearts.
…Something had to be done.
But what exactly could they do?
A battlefield of abnormal monsters where even the next moment couldn’t be predicted.
No one could confidently say what to do next.
All they could do was remain seated, silently waiting for someone to offer direction.
The silence was broken by the group of high-ranking administrators.
“…We anticipated some upheaval, but this is too fast. It seems we’ll have to intervene directly.”
Bendivia stared grimly at the projection floating above the flames.
The wildfire spreading out of control wouldn’t stop until everything was reduced to ashes.
If they let this tangled war of giant factions continue, who knew what effect it would have on the Tower.
Especially—
‘The Blurred Domain’ being used…
The ‘Blurred Domain’ was a type of dimensional collapse.
A large-scale sorcery that moved Olympus’s stronghold right next to the Norse gods’ base in Yggdrasil.
With the physical distance between them minimized, there was truly no turning back now.
Luckily, the ritual hadn’t fully completed, so it wasn’t too late.
If they acted quickly, there was still a chance to prevent the worst.
“Normally, our policy is not to interfere with the Tower’s affairs, but this has gotten too big.”
Rick, standing nearby, added his thoughts.
As the two high-ranking administrators stepped up, others began voicing their agreement.
“I agree.”
“We can’t just stand by again.”
“Indeed! This is blatant disregard for the administrators!”
“But… if we interfere carelessly, we could get caught in the crossfire…”
“Olympus and Celestial Order both have quite the temper.” (T/N: I’m changing it from Celestials to Celestial Order. This is the name of the group where Shiva and all related deities to her are found.)
Though worry and concern were mixed in, the risks were high no matter which side they took.
“Then, we’ll consider that unanimous consent…”
As Bendivia was about to finalize the decision—
“Hm. I’d like you to stop right there…?”
A stranger’s voice echoed in the administrators’ chamber.
Step. Tap!
The sound of footsteps and a staff striking the floor rang rhythmically.
“Who dares!? Do you even know where you are!?”
“Seize him immediately!”
The armored Guardians instantly moved to subdue the intruder.
But—
Boom!
With a mere flick of the hand, a Guardian’s upper body vanished.
Wobble.
The unbalanced body swayed, then collapsed.
Thud! Thunk!
The surrounding Guardians met the same fate.
Overwhelming force.
A purple energy began to seep out.
The candle flames were snuffed out, and darkness filled the room.
“You… why are you…?”
“Heh. High-ranking administrators don’t need to know that. I kindly ask that you withdraw from this matter. Unless you want to end up like them.”
Nyarlathotep bowed deeply.
—
Clang clang clang!
A barrage of sword strikes from the front.
The crescent daggers weaved along strange trajectories.
…He couldn’t just block them head-on.
Unlike normal swords, the crescent blades’ odd shape meant that meeting them directly would result in injury.
He had to shift his aim.
He needed to read the timing a half-beat faster.
Jinhyuk entrusted his body to his hypersensitive reflexes.
Clang-clang!
‘Crimson Lotus’ and the crescent dagger scraped past each other at a slanted angle.
But only for a moment—Artemis vanished from view.
…Tap!
A presence was felt directly behind him.
Artemis, her body low, aimed for his lower abdomen.
As Jinhyuk slightly lifted himself, he slashed downward with a sword strike powered by [Sword Qi].
Slice!
What he cut was an afterimage.
The real body had already slipped into his guard.
“Got you… at last!”
Artemis’s blade was at the base of his throat.
And then—
‘Heaven’s Devouring Venom’ and ‘Poison Lord’—two different abilities merged into one.
Sssshhhh!
A greenish fluid evaporated into vapor.
Ssssss!
“……!”
Artemis hastily backed away.
The venom clung to her skin, threatening to melt her from the inside.
Vmmm!
Suddenly, the gentle moonlight intensified.
As she poured in mana, not only did her wounds heal completely, but she could move through the toxic cloud as well.
“Poison, huh…? Then I’ll show you the difference in caliber that can’t be bridged with cheap tricks.”
[‘Whispers of the Moons’ – ‘Twelve Sisters’ is activated!]
Reflected in the moonlight—afterimages.
Artemis’s clones.
Clones in name, but each possessed about half her power.
Step.
Shff.
Each clone took a stance, armed with crescent daggers and bows.
Now she could cover both close and mid-range simultaneously.
Jinhyuk clicked his tongue internally.
‘So making her back off for a moment was the limit, huh.’
And now even the Twelve Sisters, her special ability.
Such an annoying power.
But also something he wanted for himself.
[Copy Condition: Artemis is currently engulfed in greater rage than ever before. Anger and revenge are among the strongest motivations. If you can trigger a situation that shatters Artemis’s revenge, you will be able to copy one of her Unique Holy Spear, Unique Ability, or Skills.]
The condition was set.
He had bought enough time for Frey and Alice to act.
‘They should’ve arrived at their targets by now.’
Jinhyuk had already sent the two elsewhere before Artemis arrived here.
It was a strategic move for victory.
Good.
Time to wrap this up.
Jinhyuk activated another ability.
[You have used the Unique Ability ‘Golden Apple of the Heretic’!]
The power to borrow one of the Greek major gods’ abilities.
He already knew which one to use.
[You are borrowing Apollo’s ability!]
Rrrrummmbbble!
A chariot blazing like the very incarnation of the sun appeared.
It shone so brightly it turned night into day.
Artemis released her bowstring in shock.
Some of the clones dropped their daggers.
“That ability is…”
Right. Of course she recognized it.
How could she not?
The power belonging to her one and only precious brother.
“This ability looked pretty good to me.”
If your opponent was strong, there was no need to fight fair.
There were plenty of ways to rattle someone’s mind.
And one more thing—
He added the finishing touch to this dramatic performance.
[You have used ‘Impersonation Mask’.]
Jinhyuk’s face began to change.
Golden hair and blue eyes—the appearance of a male god of Olympus.
Into ‘Apollo.’
(T/N: Scamming in another level eh.)