Chapter 616
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The ground trembled.
From the allied formation, a tremendous roar echoed in response.
[In the vanguard battle, the great myth ‘Ragnarok’ and the great myth ‘Olympus’ will each send their champions to fight.]
Two great heroes who stood at the pinnacle of strength within the Tower.
The demigod [Heracles] and the God of Thunder [Thor].
“Heracles! Heracles! Heracles!”
“Thor! Thor! Thor!”
“Woooooah!”
“Uwaaaah!”
The elite Greek soldiers and Valkyries cheered their names.
They had fought countless wars together and knew better than anyone how powerful the two were.
If those two fought together, victory was guaranteed.
They were the kind who never failed to seize victory, no matter the odds.
“I’ll take care of this myself, so just stand back and watch.”
Heracles pushed Thor with his shoulder.
Thud!
His bulging muscles flexed with the heavy impact.
But Thor, too, radiated lightning and refused to budge an inch.
“You stand back instead. I’ll finish off those fools in one go.”
Crackle!
Invisible tension crackled between them.
Both were the epitome of macho pride, and the fact that their previous one-on-one duel had ended without a clear winner only added fuel to the fire.
‘Good grief. They’re like overgrown kids.’
Jinhyuk pressed his fingers against his temples.
Those muscleheads were great at everything—except their damn pride.
Still.
They would definitely do their part.
They were the kind who always pulled their own weight.
While Jinhyuk watched with a weary sigh, Thor and Heracles advanced to the enemy lines.
“Oh? At least they’re not skinny wizards who just toss spells from afar.”
“Croaaaar!”
Rudra and Garuda stared at the approaching gods.
Rumble!
Magic power clashed head-on.
“Bring them to me.”
“Yes, my lord.”
At Rudra’s command, five hundred heavily armored cavalrymen moved forward.
Each was over three meters tall and clad in more than a hundred kilograms of steel.
They rode monstrous beasts and gripped long spears tightly, using their weight to maximize destructive power.
Dudududududu!
The cavalry charged in a wedge formation.
The ground quaked, and dust filled the air.
Then suddenly—
Boom!
Thor’s figure vanished.
Incredible speed that defied his massive frame.
A streak of lightning tore through the air.
“They’re coming!”
“Activate the Mandala!”
[Unique Ability – ‘Multi-Mandala’ has awakened!]
A storm of gales swept forward, and thunder rained down, turning the battlefield into a wasteland.
“Gaaah!”
“Ughaaa!”
Horrific screams erupted everywhere.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The earth was ripped apart, and the charging cavalry evaporated on the spot.
Thick smoke rose high into the sky.
Anyone watching would have believed nothing could have survived that.
But then—
Sizzle!
When the smoke cleared, a gigantic pair of wings came into view.
Garuda had perfectly overlapped his wings, forming a sort of divine barrier.
“Hahaha! You call that an attack? It doesn’t even tickle.”
Rudra’s chest swelled like a balloon.
A massive wind filled his entire body, and then—
Roaaaar!
It erupted into a devastating breath attack.
“Croaaaar!”
Garuda spread his wings wide, amplifying the destructive force.
[Garuda and Rudra activate the special ability ‘Unending Storm’!]
Rumble! Rumble! Rumble!
“Kh!”
Thor spun Mjolnir and met the blast head-on.
But his body began to be pushed back little by little.
Even wrapped in lightning, the sheer force of the breath attack was overwhelming.
Crackle… snap!
Tiny flames began to bloom across his body.
At this rate, he’d be overwhelmed.
Just then—
[Heracles activates the Unique Ability ‘Twelve Labors’!]
Heracles charged from the side and threw a powerful punch at Garuda.
Boom!
“Kuaargh!?”
Garuda’s massive body bent in half.
The shock rattled his entire insides.
“That’s why I told you weaklings to stand back and watch.”
Heracles clicked his tongue at the half-charred Thor.
“I only took that hit to see how strong they were!”
“If you can’t even admit that, tsk. I’ll take that big bird—can you handle the one on its back?”
“I’ll roast him and serve him as tonight’s victory feast.”
[The Power of Mjolnir – ‘Blue Thunder’ activates!]
Crackle… snap!
Thor’s entire body turned blue.
In an instant, lightning spread across the ground, surrounding Garuda.
At the same time, Heracles rushed in from the other side, club in hand.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Their blows collided—each artifact clashing with overwhelming might.
Strike after strike.
Such monstrous beings were evenly matched; victory wouldn’t come easily.
“…Not bad.”
“You too.”
After thirty minutes of fierce combat, they reached a point of mutual recognition.
The fight had been so intense that even a moment ahead was impossible to predict.
Sweat and blood dripped down their bodies.
Their labored breathing and burning muscles reminded them they were truly alive.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve felt this way. I take back what I said—you’re true warriors.”
“Agreed. No matter who wins, there’ll be no regrets. You’re worthy of leading the vanguard.”
Rudra, Thor, and Heracles gathered the last of their strength.
The end was near.
A few more exchanges would decide everything.
All eyes were fixed on the four divine beings when—
[‘Shadow Assassination’ activates.]
Silently, without warning—
Something rose from Rudra’s shadow.
—
Stab!
“Gah…!?”
Rudra couldn’t have predicted it. His focus had been entirely on the battle before him.
No one expected a third party to interfere in a sacred vanguard duel.
‘That’s one win for me.’
Having succeeded in his ambush, Jinhyuk quickly backed away.
After all, the true beauty of battle was in striking from the shadows.
Let others do the hard work—he’d just swoop in for the finishing blow.
[Copy Condition: During a vanguard battle between prideful divine beings, if you can upend the order by intervening, you may copy one of the divine beings’ Unique Abilities or Skills.]
Might as well make the most of it.
If he could steal their abilities and take a life in the process, all the better.
He’d intentionally let those macho idiots fight long enough to bond over brotherhood—and it worked perfectly.
Jinhyuk drew a dagger tinged with green.
He had mixed [Heaven-Slaying Venom] with [Blood Demon Energy], letting the poison flow through every vein in his body.
It was specially concocted for divine beings; even the most stubborn martial god wouldn’t survive it.
Especially now, when their mana was almost spent.
“Coward… don’t you have any… honor?”
Rudra glared at Jinhyuk with bloodshot eyes.
Of course he was furious.
He would’ve preferred to die at the hands of Heracles or Thor.
But what did that matter? Once dead, honor was meaningless.
“Hm. That’s strange. I usually get inducted into halls of fame for stuff like this. I bet I’ve earned more honor than you ever did.”
“What nonsense—”
Rudra never finished his sentence.
The poison had already reached his heart.
Thud!
Rudra’s body collapsed.
“Croaaaar!”
Garuda screeched as his comrade fell and soared into the air.
It would’ve been better to take them both down, but Rudra had been the primary target.
[Condition fulfilled!]
[Copy successful!]
[Level up!]
[Level up!]
[Level up….]
[…Level up!]
[You have obtained the ‘Bracelet of the North Wind’!]
A thrilling series of notifications rang out.
He had gained seven levels—and Rudra’s sacred relic.
The Bracelet of the North Wind…
‘An overpowered item that boosts movement speed by about fifty percent.’
But even better was what came next—he had successfully copied Rudra’s life-long Unique Ability.
He’d already decided which one to take.
[Jinhyuk has copied Rudra’s Unique Ability ‘Call of the Storm’.]
And before the ink of that ability had even dried—
The memories stored within the [Memory of the World] began to stir.
Books upon books filled the great library, and several golden tomes floated free.
[Unique Holy Spear ‘Thunder God’, Unique Ability ‘Domain of Wind’, Unique Ability ‘Call of the Storm’, and Skill Book ‘Raincloud Catalyst’ are merging!]
The previously copied abilities, along with the skill book stolen from Guntafer, fused together.
Vwoooom!
The merging of four powers unleashed an immense storm of mana.
[You have successfully created the Unique Holy Spear ‘Wind God’!]
[Wind God]
Acquisition Difficulty: Unmeasurable
Description: Grants full command over all wind-related powers and partial control over weather phenomena. The degree of mastery determines the level of dominion over the wind.
The pinnacle of wind control—even Rudra hadn’t reached it.
And now, Jinhyuk had it.
Another trump card added to his arsenal.
Next…
Jinhyuk’s eyes turned to his floating status window.
——————————————————
Name: Kang Jinhyuk
Gender: Male
Level: 313
Strength: 119 Agility: 131 Stamina: 198 Magic Power: 698 Gap: 100 Luck: 10 Adaptability: 78 Spirit: 315.26
Stat Points: 30 Coins: 42,669,151
Class: Ruler of Runes
Unique Holy Spears: [Wheel of Heaven’s Reversal], [Phase 2], [Eight Swamps], [White Night], [Final Genesis], [Down Fall], [Flare Eclipse], [Last Meister], [Iron Lotus Blossom], [Plague], [Whisper of the Moons], [Residual Moonlight], [Nemesis], [Thunder God], [Chrono Spear], [Wind God]
Unique Abilities: [Fusion], [Grave of Swords], [Blessing of the Stars], [Anubis’s Judgment], [Blood Demon Energy], [Mandala], [One Second of Invincibility], [Thousand Poisons], [White Beast], [Shared All Things], [Sanctuary of the Sun], [Black Heaven Demon Emperor Technique], [Triple Magic], [Strike of the Giant], [Dragon’s Breath], [High-Speed Sword], [Tombgrave’s Right Arm], [Berserker], [Domain of Wind], [Shadow Assassination], [Primordial Flame], [Blood Explosion], [Black Tears], [Tombgrave’s Leg], [Godlike Strength], [Core of the Legion], [Ancient Barrier], [Heavenly Demon God Art], [Mantra Taming], [Nihilism], [Heaven-Slaying Venom], [Red Hare Riding], [Machine Lord], [Extreme Taekwondo], [Oath of the Nightmare], [Will of the Sea Currents], [Apostate’s Golden Apple], [Devouring Growth], [Grasp of Subjugation], [Earthquake], [Acidic Tentacles], [Poison Road], [Cascadia Slav], [System Manipulation (Limited)], [Twelve Labors], [Plague Eruption], [Tail of the Plague]
(Skill details hidden due to excess quantity.)
His level had risen by ten in total—including this last seven.
[Magic Power has increased from 698 → 728.]
Crackle!
Magic surged violently around him, sparking the air.
[Unique Holy Spears ‘Wind God’ and ‘Thunder God’ activate!]
One hand wielded the wind, the other held lightning.
The emblems of Rudra and Zeus—both now his own.
“So, what now?”
Jinhyuk smiled toward Brahma’s side of the field.
As if daring him to try and come take back what had been stolen.