Chapter 617
With Rudra fallen and Garuda in retreat, the outcome of the vanguard battle was decided.
Naturally, the victors weren’t entirely pleased.
The bitter aftertaste lingered on their tongues.
“We could’ve finished it ourselves.”
“…It was practically a fair fight.”
Heracles and Thor couldn’t hide their displeasure.
A third party had interfered in what was supposed to be an honorable duel, and worse, they’d been close to winning. It was only natural for anger to flare.
“I understand. But please remember—this isn’t a war for personal honor.”
This was a battle that could alter the fate of the entire Tower.
In a fight like that, there was no room for restraint or sentiment.
“Even so…”
“Now hold on! You think I’m doing this because I enjoy playing the villain? You think I like being the bad guy here?”
Jinhyuk barked back sharply, then quickly pressed on.
“I’m doing it for everyone. If I have to dirty my hands for the greater good, shouldn’t the rest of you be willing to set aside a bit of pride? Wouldn’t that be fair?”
Across all eras, one of the most effective ways to manipulate others has always been gaslighting. (T/N: Even in the real world, gaslighting works lol)
The trick was to twist their psychology—make them question whether they were really in the wrong.
Of course.
“And once everything’s settled, I plan to share the crown-forging method with Ragnarok and Olympus first. You’ve fought the hardest up front, so it’s only fair you get rewarded first.”
Add the promise of a reward, and the effect doubles.
“R-really?”
“You’ll prioritize us?”
A faint shift appeared on both heroes’ faces.
“I’ll stamp your names first and make you top priority.”
“Ahem! Well… since you put it that way, I suppose I can overlook it.”
“Yes. It’s already over, anyway. It’s not that we have any hidden motives—it’s simply that your concern for the world has moved us.”
And thus, even mythical heroes succumbed to modern-day politics.
⁕⁕⁕
Crack…
“Tch, unbelievable…”
“He deserves to be torn apart!”
“Rudra, of all beings…”
“Do you even realize what you’ve done!?”
Boom!
Fury erupted throughout the ranks.
Of course it did.
The vanguard battle had always been a sacred rite among the gods—a contest that carried meaning beyond mere victory or defeat.
Brahma’s face was twisted into pure rage.
“I’ll kill him myself!”
Ganesha stomped his feet, shaking the ground violently.
But—
“Wait.”
Brahma didn’t take the bait.
Though his insides burned with fury, he suppressed it and calmly recalculated his strategy.
Losing Rudra was a serious blow.
But in the grand scheme, it was only a minor setback.
The war had barely begun.
“Central army, hold formation and observe. Right wing—advance and strike the enemy’s flank. I’ll issue further orders depending on their reaction.”
The coalition’s right wing was where Eden and the Demon Realm were stationed together.
A fragile alliance—resentment still ran deep between them.
If struck sharply, that fracture would surely split wide open.
“Hehe. Leave that to me.”
A small girl stepped onto a cloud.
At the forefront stood Indra, commanding one hundred thousand thunder soldiers.
Every one of them was a mage trained in storm arts.
[Indra activates Lv??? ‘Thundercloud Sprint’!]
Tiny bolts of lightning flared to life.
“I’ll show them something with a little spice.”
The thunder soldiers specialized in long-range barrages, like rolling storms.
And backed by a vanguard of divine beasts serving as tanks, their formation was formidable.
“They’re coming!”
As the fierce barrage approached, Berial roared.
Faster than expected—far faster.
“Manifest your divine power!”
Gabriel shouted, rallying the angels.
Blinding rays of holy light filled the sky.
But that light turned out to be their downfall.
“Argh! Damn bird-brained fools—what’s with this filthy light!?”
“I can’t see anything! Damn it!”
The demons screamed, writhing in pain.
To them, divine energy was poison.
What buffed the angels only burned their demonic allies alive—a cursed light rather than a blessing.
“You creatures from hell never stop complaining.”
“And you talk about filth? Pathetic.”
Tension flared on both sides—angels and demons snapping at one another.
And Indra wasn’t about to miss that opening.
In a blink, strange lightning bolts burst between the fractured ranks.
Crackle!
“Gyaaaah!”
“Aaaargh!”
Those struck didn’t burn—they were ripped apart.
Because they’d been packed tightly together, the damage was catastrophic.
The first line crumbled, leaving a gaping hole.
“Grrroooar!”
Huge divine beasts charged in to widen the gap.
Each over ten meters tall, their mass and momentum far surpassed even the previous heavy cavalry.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Warhammers swung wildly through the air, and waves of magic tore through angelic wings.
The formation collapsed beautifully.
“Ha! As expected, a ragtag army has no unity.”
Ganesha burst into laughter from his observation post.
“To think such a pitiful push would throw them into chaos. This battle’s outcome is obvious.”
Kali smirked, leisurely watching their enemies die.
But—
‘Something’s off…’
Brahma’s eyes narrowed.
They had caught the enemy off guard—that much was true.
Yet the speed and timing of their collapse were unnatural.
No matter how divided they were, this was too fast.
“Stop!”
He shouted just as it happened.
Among the advancing thunder soldiers—something shifted.
Squish.
The ground beneath their feet felt different.
“What?”
“What is this…?”
By the time realization hit, it was already too late.
[Osiris activates the Unique Holy Spear ‘Wrath of the Great Desert’!]
Rumble!
The ground beneath them turned to sand, devouring everything in its reach.
An unbearable thirst gripped their bodies, and the scorching heat made even breathing impossible.
“Ugh… cough…!”
“Ghhhk…”
They had advanced too deep—escape was no longer an option.
Indra’s army was completely trapped in the heart of a desert.
[Anubis activates the Unique Holy Spear ‘Army of the Dead’!]
From the front, countless jackal-headed soldiers bared their fangs and growled.
“That’s what you get for barging into someone else’s house uninvited.”
A smirk tugged at Jinhyuk’s lips.
Now, it was time to make those arrogant fools pay.
⁕⁕⁕
At the same time—
Outside the mental world, in modern reality, another fierce battle raged.
“Graaah!”
“Uwaaah!”
Black wolves and vampires clashed, their blood and flesh splattering the ground.
The longer the fight dragged on, the higher the casualties on both sides.
“Damn it! These bastards just won’t die!”
Ophelia screamed in frustration.
She hadn’t fought the black wolves much before and had underestimated their ferocity.
In contrast, the vampires of Ataraxia, who had fought endless territorial wars with the wolves, held steady, calm under pressure.
“They’re tenacious. Unless we kill Raktak, this won’t end.”
Belus wiped the blood from his face with an expressionless calm.
Despite fighting the longest, his breathing didn’t falter for a second.
“…I suppose so.”
Alice glanced at Belus.
An enemy within—one she couldn’t quite figure out.
Why he stayed silent, what his true purpose was—none of it was clear.
So she kept him close, watching carefully.
Yet Belus continued to act as a faithful member of Ataraxia’s bloodline, as he always had.
Still, his words weren’t wrong.
Only by taking down Raktak could they end this fight.
The problem was, that cunning wolf kept retreating into his kin whenever the fight turned against him, dragging things out.
He knew full well that as long as the Gate kept expanding, time was on his side.
[Unique Holy Spear ‘Apocalypse of Revelation’ – Summoning ‘Arrow of Desire’!]
Crackle…
Droplets of blood coiled together, forming a two-meter-long arrow.
Ancient runes blazed across its surface, fueling it with magic.
“I’ll open the path.”
“Yes, my Lady.”
“Follow the Lady!”
Alice gathered all her mana into a single point.
Then released it in one burst.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A crimson storm tore through the black wolves.
The arrow absorbed all blood within a ten-meter radius.
Anything nearby was devoured by its vampiric nature, causing devastating losses.
“Don’t get close!”
“Keep your distance! Don’t get pulled in!”
The wolves were forced to retreat from the overwhelming power.
Finally, Raktak’s figure came into view.
But then—
[Spell of the Abyss – ‘Ether Strike’ activates!]
Boom!
The arrow was intercepted mid-flight.
It spun off course and shot into the sky.
“For something like that, long-range is the right answer.”
Aperman, the one who annihilated a major guild’s rankers, appeared—leading a squad of elves onto the battlefield.
Half of them were engaged with Lee Tae-min’s drones, but even with his support, there was no way Tae-min could handle all these enemies alone.
“You’re here to kill the humans too?”
Raktak raised his head.
“There’s a handsome reward, after all. Gold, treasure, all that’s nice—but the best part? They’re offering us freedom. The chance to roam without chains.”
“Hah, true enough. I was tired of living in that cave. Didn’t expect the moonlight to taste this sweet.”
Aperman and Raktak slowly rallied their forces.
“They’re becoming more troublesome.”
“We need to end this before it’s too late. The longer this drags on, the worse it gets for us.”
Teresa and Chun Yoosung pushed their remaining strength to the limit.
Their stamina and mana were nearly gone, but this was the moment for an all-or-nothing strike.
They still had enough left to unleash one final move—if they played it right, they could turn the tide.
But then—
A new variable appeared, one that could shatter the hourglass.
“Hm. Things just got interesting.”
Aperman turned toward the Seoul Arts Center.
His blue eyes gleamed sharply.
The archmage’s keen senses had detected something.
[You have discovered a ‘Rift to the Mental World’.]
A hidden backdoor left open intentionally by Brahma.