Chapter 571
Click.
A sharp chill spread from the Frost Spirit’s Spear.
Having already exhausted every card he had, Hades’ unique spear was on the verge of shattering.
The only thing left for him was to charge in with his body and meet a glorious end.
That was assuming Jinhyuk gave him the distance. If Jinhyuk kept bombarding him from range, he wouldn’t even have the chance to die with honor.
Wooooong!
Hades released the unique spear himself.
At the same time, all his remaining mana gathered into his hand.
[Hades consumes all of his mana.]
[The ultimate skill ‘Blade of the Underworld’ is summoned!]
A final weapon forged by burning through even his life force.
Along the blade, blackened and twisted, countless souls screamed in their death throes.
“Even if I must go, I’ll at least take one of your damn limbs with me.”
Hades gathered the souls in full force.
Swsssh….
Black smoke completely enveloped his form.
A skill that transformed his body into shadow to close the gap on his target.
This way, he could withstand ranged attacks to a certain degree.
Slash!
Hades appeared right before Jinhyuk, raising the sword with both hands.
The blade was covered in such a deep, sinister aura it made one’s skin crawl.
“Now die already!”
Hades let out a scream that bordered on a wail.
A strike fierce enough to split the earth apart.
The final blow that carried the fate of the Underworld itself….
Jinhyuk deflected it by angling the Frost Spirit’s Spear.
The sword landed precisely on the tip of the spear’s blade.
Kwooooom!
Mana clashed against mana, sending out countless ripples.
At a glance, it looked like a perfect balance of force.
But there was one fatal difference.
While Hades had to use both hands, Jinhyuk’s right hand was still completely free.
“As befits a chief god’s last strike, it was strong.”
Normally, this was the kind of scene where one would groan, sweat profusely, exchange looks of respect.
‘Hmph. This is the kind of opponent I acknowledge.’ That sort of line would be exchanged.
But what could he do?
This was reality.
The Tower of Trials was not a place for fair duels. It was a place where showing an opening meant getting stabbed without mercy.
Jinhyuk swung the dagger in his right hand.
Aimed precisely at a vital point.
“Ghh!”
Hades tried to dodge immediately, but the dagger sank into his abdomen half a beat faster.
Thwuck!
The grotesque sound of flesh being pierced rang in his ears.
“Guaaaah!”
It had poison, holy power, and demonic energy mixed onto the blade.
Having poured everything into his own attack, Hades was overwhelmed by the shock that nearly knocked him out.
“Khhghh… guuuhhh….”
Thud!
His body bent into a ‘ㄱ’ shape as he collapsed.
Foam frothed from his mouth as his arms flailed.
The desperate desire to cling to life oozed from him.
Jinhyuk silently watched.
“Don’t worry too much. The rest will be joining you soon.”
There would be plenty of companions for the road to the afterlife.
The Frost Spirit’s Spear touched squarely against Hades’ forehead.
With just a bit of mana, the god of the Underworld would be frozen whole.
But just as Jinhyuk was about to end him—
Wooooong!
A strange surge of mana was felt.
“…!?”
The once dry wind now carried biting static.
A blinding light scrambled his vision.
This was—
Jinhyuk’s pupils quaked.
There was only one possibility.
A powerful attack skill was being hurled directly at him and Hades.
“Zeus! I gave everything for you and Olympus…! And this is how you repay me!?”
Hades roared to the sky.
But no answer came back.
Kwakakakakakak!
Astrapē struck directly where Jinhyuk and Hades stood.
…Kwooooom!!!
—
Ssshhhhh!
The site of the greatest spear strike was utterly devastated.
From a bottomless crater, thick smoke rose.
It was a hellscape where no living being could possibly survive.
Zeus’ might, just as described in myth—greater than all other divinities combined.
“F-Father….”
Hermes swallowed dryly at his side.
He hadn’t expected Zeus to dispose of Hades along with the enemy.
Not a shred of guilt crossed Zeus’ expression.
He had only done what the absolute ruler of Olympus was meant to do.
That inevitable duty drove out every other emotion.
“What of the Titans?”
“Eh? A-ah, well…”
Hermes stammered as he gathered the information.
“As ordered, Hercules was dispatched there. With Lady Hera’s support and the new armament crafted by Lord Hephaestus, he is achieving overwhelming results.”
With the explanation, Hermes projected a mirror into the air.
There, Hercules swung a massive club without rest, while the Titans were being crushed one-sidedly.
Especially Cronus, who was gravely injured and barely able to move.
“Good. That will suffice. Withdraw all other gods and forces except for Hercules.”
Losing Hades and the others was unfortunate, but the objective had been achieved.
Even if Jinhyuk survived, all they needed was to buy time.
If Hercules finished off the Titans, the battle would be as good as over.
No matter how strong Jinhyuk and the Veteran Corporation were, they couldn’t fight both Hercules and Zeus’ lightning together.
‘By now, he must’ve realized just how overwhelming my power is.’
As Hermes hastily left, Zeus reclined on his throne.
All was silent—until.
“Hm. That ambush should’ve ended him, yet you don’t intend to finish it? If you manifested there yourself, you could’ve snuffed him out completely.”
A tall figure approached Zeus’ side.
A resident of the 50th floor, one of Cthulhu’s Pillars.
Nyarlathotep.
“……”
When Zeus didn’t reply, Nyarlathotep chuckled.
“Or… are you perhaps afraid? That he might have hidden, waiting to counterattack…?”
Nyarlathotep couldn’t even finish.
Kwoooom!
The throne’s armrest shattered.
Zeus’ murderous glare locked on him.
If provoked further, he might strike without hesitation.
“Whoa, calm yourself. Just a comment.”
“Just a comment? You dare spout such words and call it ‘just’?”
“Haha, truly. I spoke thoughtlessly. But if you overreact and threaten me like this…”
Kukukukuku!
Murderous aura was swallowed by an even greater malice.
“…I might be so startled I accidentally kill you instead, Zeus.”
Purple tentacles sprouted one after another around Nyarlathotep.
Chill!
It felt as if a venomous snake had coiled around Zeus’ neck.
Even Olympus’ sovereign couldn’t take him lightly.
“……”
Zeus’ aura softened slightly.
Though still filled with rage, the will to confront him head-on was gone.
“Hahaha. Just a jest. Truly. Olympus and we are in the same boat, after all. I’ve no intent to make you uneasy.”
Nyarlathotep pressed no further.
A cornered beast could do anything.
“Then state your business.”
“Hoho. Nothing much. Just hand me this map.”
“A map? What map?”
“You don’t need to know that part.”
Nyarlathotep shrugged nonchalantly.
That calmness sharpened Zeus’ suspicions.
Piece by piece, the clues fit together into a single conclusion.
“For someone of your stature to personally come and entrust this to me…”
No way.
Zeus’ brow furrowed sharply.
He understood Nyarlathotep’s intent.
“So that was it. You want to plant bait on me to lure Kang Jinhyuk.”
“Oh? As expected of you. You see it clearly, worthy of leading a mythology.”
“You dare utter such things to me!”
Rumble!
Lightning surged violently.
If he fell to Jinhyuk, the map he carried would drop.
Even if Olympus collapsed, Nyarlathotep would have laid another scheme.
The audacity of treating Olympus’ supreme god this way reignited his fury.
But what choice did he have?
His opponent was a monster who ruled the 50th floor.
Even the greatest spear, Astrapē, would not pierce him.
“Though unpleasant, this is merely insurance. If you handle that human, nothing else matters.”
Whether Zeus won or lost—it didn’t matter.
Jinhyuk would never reach the Necronomicon.
—
“It should be around here…”
“Over here!”
“Always causing trouble, aren’t you.”
Through his hazy vision, Jinhyuk heard urgent voices cutting through the drowsy haze.
He saw familiar faces looking down at him.
Jinhyuk twitched his fingers.
What was the last thing he remembered…?
Ah, that brutal chief god hurling lightning.
‘What a brainless bastard.’
Knowing a shield wouldn’t be enough, he had instinctively used [1-Second Invincibility].
But Zeus’ lightning didn’t stop until the target was scorched completely—one second of invulnerability wasn’t nearly enough.
This was the result.
He hadn’t died, but taking it head-on left him heavily damaged.
“Hehe. I knew you’d be alive.”
Andrea greeted him with a bright smile.
“Really, thank goodness you’re safe… We were so worried something might’ve happened….”
Teresa looked on with her usual warm gaze.
“Safe, my ass. That damn cockroach wouldn’t die from something like that. His vitality’s tougher than a cockroach’s, I swear.”
Chun Yoosung had been hoping Dionysus would finally beat him down, but of course such petty hopes never came true.
Jinhyuk carefully crawled out of the crater.
“How long was I out?”
“Over half a day.”
“What!?”
Now it was his turn to be shocked.
He expected to be unconscious for a while, but over twelve hours?
But it didn’t add up.
‘If I was incapacitated, that would’ve been the perfect chance to attack us.’
Were they intimidated by how many chief gods had already fallen?
Or perhaps—
Jinhyuk’s face darkened.
“Yes. They brought Hercules to where the Titans are.”
Chun Yoosung spoke heavily.
Damn it.
Why was his worst hunch never wrong?
Though they had managed to cripple much of the enemy’s power, they had taken a critical blow in return.
The Titans had been the key card in their campaign against Olympus.
“Don’t worry too much. We’ll find another way. For now, we should rest for the night. How about a hot bath?”
“Yeah. Jinhyuk-nim, there’s a lot of delicious-looking food around here too.”
Teresa and Andrea’s eyes sparkled with anticipation.
Their exhausted bodies and spirits from the ceaseless battles needed this recovery time more than anything.
Hmm.
Jinhyuk glanced around.
Though battered, the grand, antique mansions of the gods still stood.
And just as Teresa and Andrea said, plenty of fine food remained.
Then—
“…Huh?”
Something unexpected caught his eye.
Lush and vibrant.
‘Fruits.’