C156
Athena.
She was a High Ranker with a rank far
superior to that of Ares.
Unlike Ares, who had just become a High
Ranker, she had been one for thousands of years.
Gigantomachy.
In that war, of which there is glorious
record in Olympus, she killed countless Giants.
She may even have killed more Giants than
Hercules.
"Remarkable."
Dagdak-.
Dozens of Chariots of the Sun.
The light they emitted was such that it was
difficult for a normal person to even look at them.
-Won't it be dangerous?
At Arthur's question, YuWon nodded.
How many Rankers are on board?
Probably a lot more than the number of Rankers
under Ares here.
There were many Rankers in Olympus, and the
Clan of Athena was one of the most prolific.
'Thirty? No, forty?'
It's probably more comfortable to think of
it as a generous fifty.
Of course, more dangerous than all of them
put together was the presence of Athena.
- 'What will you do now?
Arthur was already burning out his fighting
spirit.
A situation you can't run from anyway.
All around him, Athena's Rankers were
already encamped.
"Wait."
Amongst the ten Chariots of the Sun....
"Great allies will be coming
soon."
Looking at them, YuWon raised his mana.
Because one never knows when this place will
become a battlefield yet again.
Hwaaak-!
Intense sunlight flooded the temple.
The largest of the Sun Chariots descended
nearby. At the head of the chariot was Athena, clad in golden armor like Ares
and holding a shield.
"The Shield of Aegis."
Also known as the Gorgon/Medusa Shield, the
most powerful armor of Olympus.
The moment you make eye contact with the
Gorgon embedded in Aegis, you will be petrified and your entire body will turn
to stone.
Ew-.
Athena's gaze swept the entire temple.
YuWon and Arthur were standing in the
middle of the temple.
Just as the Rankers and Players at Ares'
command, and the remnants of his mana.
And objects like the shoes and gloves Ares
had worn.
"...Really?"
She put on a sad expression at the signs that
were revealed everywhere.
They hadn't always been close.
Though they had the same father, their
personalities were completely different.
However, there was only one thing they both
pursued equally.
To lead and fight for Olympus with their
lives.
And in that spirit, the two lived back-to-back
as close comrades before becoming siblings.
"Is Ares really dead?"
Woo~
The temple walls shook.
Thud, thud, thud~
The temple, which had been shaken by the
fight between YuWon and Ares, quavered, and the fallen debris began to tumble
down.
Athena's question was answered by Aphesis,
Ares' servant.
"Yes, my lady."
"...I see."
What if...
No.
It was a question that was better left
unanswered.
But it was true. Then, Athena's gaze
strayed to YuWon and Arthur.
"Then you must be my brother's
enemies."
Kakk-.
Through the Shield of Aegis, the cry of a
slender serpent was heard.
[You are scanning the screams of the
Gorgon.]
[Petrification' begins.]
['Sanctification' resists
'Petrification'].
['Cinder Eyes' resists 'Petrification'].
[Resistance was successful.]
I couldn't believe the shield was petrifying
someone by just listening to its screams, let alone making eye contact.
'This is the first time I hear it.'
Indeed, it was the original, not a replica.
Fortunately, there were skills to resist
petrification, but he thought it would be dangerous to make eye contact.
'Athena and Ares were known as comrades in
arms, not siblings.'
But a moment ago, Athena had said
'brother', clearly referring to Ares.
I could feel her emotions through the mana
that filled the air.
Anger and resentment.
But unlike the others, her emotions were
cold. She had a reputation for being cold, even cold-blooded.
This was what differentiated her from Ares.
She never got emotional.
"Are you Kim Yuwon?"
A heavy voice spread through the mana.
YuWon nodded and answered her question.
"Yes."
"I've heard the name a lot, but this
is more than what I've heard. I respect your strength."
Skak-.
Athena's sword was unsheathed.
A relatively short Sword that was used in
conjunction with a shield.
Athena, unlike Ares, was known to fight
both offensively and defensively.
Of course.
"And to respect that..."
That said, her sword was no blunter than
Ares'.
"I'll do my best as well."
Shhhh-.
Thud-!
The temple floor split apart.
Yu-Won looked at the deep scars on his toes
from Athena's sword cut and then looked up again.
A single step.
Perhaps if he hadn't taken a step back in
that brief instant, his body would have been sliced in half.
['Cinder Eyes' read the path.]
[‘Sensory Field' is active]
Keep the effect of Ash Eyes and Sensory Field
at maximum.
Athena's sword would be dangerous if it
grazed him even once.
'It's vicious'.
He tried his best from the beginning.
After the slash, Athena held her shield
forward and raised her sword.
"Everyone..."
At her gesture, the Rankers moved as one
body.
Fifty Rankers.
Athena ordered them.
"Destroy the enemies of Olympus."
Ttak~
Chuck-.
Arthur stood in front of Yuwon.
- Run away.
Yuwon's gaze turned to Arthur's back.
Arthur was standing with his sword held
high.
He was looking at Athena and the dozens of
Rankers in front of him.
- I'm dead anyway. You don't have to
worry about me, even if I die, I won't really die.
He was not wrong.
In fact, Arthur was a being that could
resurrect at any time as long as Yuwon had enough Mana.
The Necromancers never considered the
undead as companions but considered them expendable if necessary.
But.
"I don't want to."
-Yes?
"I've had a similar experience
before."
It wasn't a very good memory.
"If we fight here, we'll all die anyway."
Asura, who lost two of his three heads.
He dodged the Outer's assault, knocking
YuWon back.
It was probably the last time.
The last time he saw Asura's back.
"Then and now, the answer is the
same."
From then on, YuWon decided to take the
initiative, like Asura.
Together, fight and win.
Or, in the end, die all together.
"I do not accept."
-But...
"Arthur."
YuWon's voice was firm.
"I don't need a shield to protect me.
You are my Sword, so focus on your role."
YuWon's eyes burned red as he looked at the
Rankers.
"Besides, it's not our turn this
time."
Chanang, Chang-!
The Rankers' weapons were unsheathed.
They were aimed at YuWon and Arthur at the
same time.
Bows and spears.
The swords were enchanted, and the sharp
points of the weapons were about to pierce through their bodies.
Shuaaaaah-!
And then...
"Now it's your turn."
['Cinder Eyes' resound]
['The Twelfth Eye of the Great Sage,
Equal to Heaven' is looking at you].
Boom!
A long crosier fell in front of YuWon,
piercing through the curtain of mana covering the sky.
Tuhwaahak-!
"Kuak!"
"S-step back!"
From the center of the temple, an intense
wind swept out in all directions. The Rankers who had lost their balance for a
moment faltered; their movements halted by the suddenness of the situation.
"...What has fallen?
"It looks like a staff?"
"A staff?"
A long staff fell to the ground.
It caused a puff of smoke that encased the
entire temple.
Vision was blurry.
YuWon kept his eye on the smoke and looked
at the stick that had fallen in front of him.
"Too late, as usual."
['Cinder Eyes' are trembling.]
Maybe it's because he used Kyneē too hard.
His body was overloaded, his focus clouded
and his vision shaky.
As he rubbed his blurry eyes with one hand,
a voice spoke to him.
"Protagonists always appear at
dramatic moments."
A mischievous voice.
He didn't even have to wonder who it
belonged to.
At this moment, he had already been
watching this place for a long time.
Ssh-.
The smoke dissipated, revealing a long
staff that had fallen in the center of the temple.
It was as thick as a thin forearm and about
4 meters long.
There was a man standing on the crosier of
unknown material, balanced on the tips of his toes.
White hair, flaxen skin, mischievous
expression and glint in his eyes.
At the sight of him, the expressions of
some of the Rankers quickly turned to contemplation.
"No way..."
"Why is he here?"
Eyes wide open.
Athena, the boss, also looked surprised.
"Great Sage, Equal to Heaven..."
Known as a traitor of the Heavens, a High
Ranker member of the highest order.
An enemy that even his own father, Zeus,
distrusted.
"Oh, hello?"
She waved and greeted him.
He had seen her face once before, long ago,
even before he was a Ranker.
Athena.
She had been a test supervisor on one
level, long ago, as a member of Olympus.
"Long time no see, you know my main
body? I don't think I remember you."
"Is that your... alter ego?"
Athena narrowed her eyes and looked at Son
OhGong.
he remembered hearing it.
The Thunderbolt that fell on Camelot.
To stop it, the alter ego of the Great
Sage, Equal to Heaven, was involved.
He had wondered why one of his alter egos
was there, but apparently it was no coincidence.
"You're working with Kim Yuwon."
"That's what's up."
"Is he a colleague?"
Son OhGong scratched his head at Athena's
question.
A moment of reflection.
"Maybe?"
The answer was vague.
"To be called a partner, this guy has
to be pretty seedy. Besides, he still pales in comparison to my main
body."
After saying that, Son OhGong looked at
Yu-won with pitiful eyes.
"Isn’t that right?"
Yu-won narrowed his eyes.
For a moment he looked pathetic next to the
mischievous.
YuWon realized he was teasing him.
"Not far."
"Not far."
Son OhGong looked at the Rankers around
him.
"Take care of these guys, can you do
it?"
"Yes."
"Good."
Bang-.
Son OhGong slapped his fist with his palm.
Raising his fighting spirit, he looked at
Athena and got off the Ru Yi Bang he was riding on.
So Ohgong grabbed his staff.
Athena stared at him and gripped Aegis
tighter.
"Do you want to go to war against Olympus?"
"Let me answer you with this."
Son OhGong didn't like to talk too much in
a fight.
Chuck-.
The tip of the staff Ru Yi Bang pointed at
Athena.
At that moment, Athena pushed Aegis
forward.
Beyond the view blocked by the shield...
"Grow."
Son OhGong's voice was heard.
"Ru Yi."
Boom!