Chapter 614
‘Keh keh… Puhahahaha…!’
Jinhyuk barely suppressed the laughter rising up in his chest.
So this was what it felt like to command an army of thousands?
Seeing countless divine beings lined up on both sides, each leading their own forces, filled him with an unexplainable grandeur.
“To think you gathered all of us here.”
“And for the purpose of going to war against the Celestial Order, no less.”
“This is utterly absurd. I’ve never been treated like this before.”
The divine beings each voiced their complaints.
Even having gods from different pantheons gathered in one place was overwhelming in itself—
But to think the reason for it all was the Celestial Order of the 45th floor.
They, who had spent millennia carefully staking out territory, now felt like fools.
Then again, who could have imagined someone would forcibly create a battlefield that decided the survival of entire mythologies?
“You… really are an incredible bastard.”
Cronus clicked his tongue with genuine admiration.
He’d known ever since Jinhyuk overthrew Zeus that this human was anything but ordinary.
“Damn it! What am I supposed to do about Yggdrasil now!?”
“All my prayers have turned to dust in an instant!”
“I expect proper compensation for ruining my tea time….”
Complaints erupted from every direction.
‘So this is why emperors always suffered from stress.’
With this much rebellion from subordinates, how could anyone hope to achieve greatness?
He now understood why obedient soldiers were necessary—
And why indoctrination existed.
“Ahem. Thank you all for sparing your precious time. The reason I’ve called you here today is to make you a magnificent offer.”
“A magnificent offer?”
Loki’s brow arched like a crescent moon.
What kind of “magnificent offer” justified moving all of Yggdrasil itself?
If Jinhyuk dared to present something trivial, Loki wasn’t sure he could contain his fury.
Odin, Thor, and the rest of the divine beings waited for Jinhyuk’s next words.
‘As if I’d come unprepared for this.’
Jinhyuk’s lips curled into a grin.
At the same time—
Woooong!
An old microphone, the kind used eighty years ago, appeared from subspace.
[‘Goebbels’ Microphone’ has been activated!]
[Due to the privilege of the Greatest Propagandist, the user’s credibility increases by 500%.]
The last of Jinhyuk’s three non-tradable items—Goebbels’ Microphone, belonging to Hitler’s closest aide.
It was said that propaganda and politics were even more powerful than direct combat.
And the ability to sway masses would shine brilliantly in a setting like this.
Of course, his audience was made up of divine beings.
No matter how powerful the artifact, it alone could not deceive gods who possessed absurd mental resistance.
But—
‘That’s only when an idiot uses it wrong.’
Depending on who wielded the item, the results could be vastly different.
[‘Coin Exchange’ has been opened.]
The grand trading interface of the Tower, where countless items could be bought and sold, appeared before him.
The items he selected were—
‘The Magician’s Seven Tools (B)’
– 70,000 coins
‘The Great Singer’s Final Album (D)’
– 5,200 coins
‘The Master Watchmaker’s Toolset (C)’
– 12,000 coins
Three in total.
After a quick round of shopping, Jinhyuk fused two of the items together.
[‘Goebbels’ Microphone’ and ‘The Great Singer’s Final Album’ have been combined!]
A dazzling golden light filled the space.
Fusing a non-tradable item was a gamble—no one could predict the outcome.
‘Luckily, I’ve always had an eye for the most probable success paths.’
It also helped that his luck stat had skyrocketed from being the first to climb the Tower.
Jinhyuk carefully adjusted the flow of mana.
Just a little more…
A little more…
The threads of mana aligned perfectly.
Ding!
[Fusion successful!]
A golden notification window appeared.
[You have obtained the Relic ‘Goebbels’ Portable Radio’.]
Acquisition Difficulty: S
Special Effect: ‘He who controls the crowd seizes power.’
– Those who hear the owner’s voice through this radio will be strongly charmed and influenced.
Perfect.
Yes, this was the thrill he missed.
The years of struggle were worth it once more.
After fine-tuning the radio with ‘The Magician’s Seven Tools (B)’ and ‘The Master Watchmaker’s Toolset (C)’, its rank rose to SS.
Preparations were complete.
Now, it was time to hard-sell to the gods.
“The proposal I have for you all is this.”
Jinhyuk reached into subspace and tossed something onto the ground.
Clang.
“What’s that?”
“Huh?”
As the piece of metal hit the floor, the gods tilted their heads in confusion—
Until their eyes widened in shock.
“T-That’s… could it be?”
There was no mistake.
It was one of the highest-grade items in the Tower.
One of the only seven ‘Crowns’ in existence.
It wasn’t news that Jinhyuk possessed a Crown.
But what shocked them was its appearance.
“That Crown… what is it?”
“I’ve never seen that kind before.”
Each main god knew well the forms of the Seven Crowns.
But the one Jinhyuk revealed was unfamiliar—radiating power and majesty that dwarfed all others.
A new Crown.
Judging by its divine energy, there was no doubt.
An eighth Crown had appeared.
Jinhyuk brought the microphone to his lips.
“The truth is… I can manufacture Crowns.”
A short, bold statement—
Yet its impact was immeasurable.
Gasps echoed through the hall.
To create a Crown?
That was absurd.
In all the eons they’d existed, none had heard such a claim.
“I know it sounds hard to believe, but just like every other item in the Tower, Crowns too were crafted by someone. With the proper formula and materials, anyone could make one. The beings on the 50th floor knew this—and that’s why they joined the Celestial Order to trigger the so-called Apocalypse of the Covenant.”
Combining his absurd fusion skill with clever manipulation of context, Jinhyuk spun a new narrative.
And with the ‘Goebbels’ Portable Radio’ amplifying his words, even gods found themselves swayed.
“Are you saying… your proposal is to share the method of crafting Crowns with us?”
Cronus spoke cautiously.
“Of course. I have no intention of hoarding power. I believe good things should be shared.”
“Especially—”
“When they’re with comrades who have endured hardships together.”
[‘The Magician’s Seven Tools’ – ‘Stage Lights’ & ‘Trained White Doves’ have been activated.]
A soft halo of light glowed behind Jinhyuk.
White doves fluttered around him, creating the illusion of a merciful god descending upon them.
Indeed…
It made sense now—
That ancient beings, dormant for countless eons, were suddenly stirred to action.
That the absurd Apocalypse known as the Covenant had occurred because of one man.
If he could truly forge Crowns—then everything aligned.
And if he was willing to share that power—
Greed gleamed in every eye present.
“So that’s what this was all about.”
“With our own Crowns, we could finally preserve peace.”
“Sacrificing Yggdrasil for this reason makes sense now.”
“Morning prayers for a hundred years? Hah, I can manage that.”
Admiration and awe spread throughout the gathering.
The cold atmosphere was gone—
Replaced by warmth and unity.
“When your mythology was in peril, who stood beside you?”
Jinhyuk raised his microphone toward the crowd.
“Kang Jinhyuk!”
“It was you!”
“Yes! Then when the wicked 50th floor and the Celestial Order threaten this world, whose side will you stand on?”
“……”
“……”
Silence fell for a brief moment.
Then Jinhyuk shook the Crown on the ground, making it clatter.
Clang, clang…!
“Ooooh!”
“We stand with Veteran Corporation and Kang Jinhyuk!”
“Not because we covet the Crown, but because loyalty matters more!”
“Indeed!”
[Multiple mythologies have formed an alliance.]
[A special event has been triggered!]
[If you achieve victory against the ‘Celestial Order’ of the 45th floor, you will receive one ‘Primordial Relic’ as a reward!]
Olympus.
Ragnarok.
Eden, the Demon Realm.
And even Egypt, soon to join.
The grand alliance of mythologies declared war upon the Celestial Order.
Jinhyuk looked at the united crowd beneath the Crown.
A satisfying sight.
‘Now I can execute strategies exactly how I want.’
With such overwhelming power at his command, the possibilities were endless.
But then—
A stranger stepped forward from among the gods.
No one had noticed his presence until now.
That’s how seamlessly the intruder had appeared.
“Well, well… seems quite a few uninvited guests have entered our mental world. I didn’t expect the easy path to become this complicated.”
A kind face with calm composure.
Jinhyuk already knew who it was.
“Brahma….”
The most troublesome major god among the Celestial Order had arrived on the frontlines.
“From the looks of it, you all intend to fight us. It’s not even a festival, yet the Tower’s finest have all gathered here.”
The gentle air turned sharp and tense.
The reason the Celestial Order reigned atop the 45th floor—
Was because it possessed the largest number of gods and armies among all mythologies.
Even facing the united alliance, they would not falter.
“I’m a pretty social guy, you know. You should’ve expected things to escalate when you picked a fight with me.”
Jinhyuk shrugged.
“Well, someone like you would indeed drag all your friends into this mess. But it’s fine. We were planning to clean up our bothersome rivals anyway.”
For too long, the Tower had stagnated.
Each faction bound by their own levels, living complacently in their little worlds.
Now, it was time to break that balance—and ascend even higher.
“Then let’s see how strong you all really are. After all, not all major gods are created equal.”
Rumble, rumble, rumble!
A surge of golden waves erupted.
[Brahma has activated the Unique Ability ‘Brahma’s Lotus’.]
—
The world shifted violently.
Darkness swallowed everything.
Sight, sound, and smell vanished—
Even the flow of mana could no longer be sensed.
“Tch!”
Jinhyuk clicked his tongue.
Brahma was troublesome precisely because he possessed the divine authority of ‘Creation,’ capable of reconstructing all things in existence.
[‘Primordial Flame’ has been activated!]
Fwoosh!
Flames burst forth, illuminating the darkness.
“Groooaaar!”
As his vision returned, a gigantic bird’s maw appeared before him—
The mythical beast Garuda, trying to swallow him whole.
Boom!
He barely escaped using the Heavenly Demon’s Lord Step.
A moment later, those monstrous fangs would have torn him apart.
Then—
The surroundings bloomed with countless pink lotuses.
The petals scattered all at once.