Kwaaaang-!
Over the temple sky.
Clouds flew in a circle in all directions,
turning the sky into a big hole.
Jijin-.
Fortunately, Athena, who was pushed back by
the impact, was not seriously damaged by the Ru Yi Bang's blow.
Shield of Aegis.
As one of the items that symbolize Olympus,
it was an item reputed to be the strongest shield.
"Is it an item of Hephaestus?"
Son OhGong had a bewildered expression on
his face.
He didn't know how much adamantium it had
mixed in, but Aegis had an unbreakable defense, even for his Ru Yi Bang.
Of course, even more impressive was Athena,
who held the shield and blocked the staff's power.
Gig, gig-.
Athena's hand trembled at the impact
transmitted by the Aegis.
The Chariot of the Sun in which they were
traveling was already broken.
'The moment it passes through me, the whole
line will break.'
Athena unleashed her power through her hand
on the shield.
At that moment...
She was the center of the battlefield and,
if she was pierced, the fight would lose all meaning before it even began.
Gii-.
[Gorgon's shield is active].
[The blessing of War is upon your
shield].
Aegis power.
As the effects of the item took effect, Athena
raised her shield to block the staff.
Boom!
Ru Yi Bang's trajectory changed.
Skaaat-.
Athena, who unsheathed her sword, mounted
the staff and quickly approached Son OhGong.
Shiiik-.
Shh-!
"...!"
A thin, long staff blocked the sword.
Athena's eyes widened.
'The staff?'
When had it shrunk so much?
Turning her gaze to the side, she could see
the empty spot where Ru Yi Bang had disappeared.
Shiik, snap-!
Athena quickly turned her sword to block
Son OhGong's staff with her shield.
As the distance shortened, Son OhGong
shortened his staff and swung it like a sword.
Twack!
A heavyweight.
Not only was Son OhGong strong, but the
weight of the weapon itself was considerable.
"It's not just about increasing and
decreasing size, it's also fast."
A staff that could extend and shorten at
will.
Son OhGong's ability to wield it felt like
a phantom.
He could increase in size at a moment's
notice and strike his opponents from a distance or adjust the length of the
staff to the distance between them to keep the fight in his favor.
Although Athena had been through countless
wars, it was the first time in her life that she had faced such weaponry.
It was then.
"Get bigger..."
The tip of the Ru Yi Bang was right in
front of her.
'Ugh.'
Athena quickly raised Aegis.
"Kek."
Tooka-!
In an instant, Athena's body flew upwards
with the staff soaring skyward.
Ru Yi Bang soared high into the sky.
Son OhGong bit his lip, disappointed.
"Did you stop it?"
The decision to instantly raise the shield and
protect the body was quite effective. It would be impossible, even for Zeus, to
avoid Ru Yi Bang at this distance.
But despite the disappointment in his
voice, the corners of Son OhGong's mouth rose.
"It's fun, more than I thought."
Hwareuk-.
Son OhGong's Golden Cinder Eyes blocked the
petrifying effect of the Aegis and turned toward Athena, who floated upward.
She was indeed a High Ranker, the symbol of
War on Olympus.
Unlike the first time, when he thought it
would be easy, Son OhGong was beginning to enjoy this fight.
Swoosh-.
The clouds in the sky descended and
gathered at Son OhGong's feet.
"The others can take care of
themselves."
Swoop-.
Son OhGong's body floated upwards.
"Because I'm going to have to fight
her some more."
Hua-ak-!
Son OhGong, riding his Flying Cloud,
charged towards Athena.
Kwaang!
Ru Yi Bang and Aegis clashed again,
creating a wave of thick mana in the sky.
YuWon, who was watching the fight, shook
his head.
Even though he was an alter ego, it seemed
that his personality wasn't that different from his main body.
"At times like these, it would be much
easier if it was the real thing."
YuWon looked at the fifty or so Rankers.
"The number of alter egos is
proportional to the number of hairs on your head."
The Great Sage, Equal to Heaven had created
hundreds and thousands of alter egos to fight.
Thinking about that, YuWon sighed heavily
and shook his head.
After all, SonOhgong was stuck with Athena,
so they were on their own.
Hwareuk-.
['Cinder Eyes' shake.]
['Sensory Field' is activated]
Cinder Eyes were unstable.
Fortunately, Sensory Field activated
without a problem, but it looked as if he did not have much longer to fight.
"Arthur."
-Yes.
"Getting out of here is more of a
priority than killing the enemy."
In any case, they were Rankers.
Unless they have great loyalty, they will
probably go to another guild when Olympus collapses.
There was no need to settle scores by
killing them in cold blood.
Of course.
-You mean fight them without killing
them?
"No."
That didn't mean they wouldn't fight.
"If necessary, we'll have to kill
them."
It's about conserving energy by avoiding
unnecessary fighting, not about avoiding it.
"The war is about to begin."
* * *
Fifty Rankers.
No, it was over sixty if you counted the
people already there.
Fortunately, his alter ego was able to save
the day when the Great Sage, Equal to Heaven invaded.
'I can avenge Ares-nim.'
Aphesis looked at YuWon and took a step
forward.
Even before becoming a Player, he had
longed for Olympus and had grown up under the service of Ares, the son of Zeus.
Ares was his Master and companion.
And now Ares was dead.
It was time for revenge.
At that moment...
Saaaah-.
An ice-attribute mana dispersed throughout
the temple.
A shiver that penetrated deep into the
bones caused Aphesis' body to instantly stiffen.
Immediately after.
Suk-.
Arthur's sword pointed at Aphesis's head.
Pot-.
Turning backwards, Aphesis unsheathed his
sword.
A sword imbued with mana.
Kwagwagwagwagwat-!
While he swung his sword wildly, a dozen
sword strikes shot out.
However...
Zzerzer~
Is he frozen?
The mana that gushed out with the sword
attacks froze.
Frozen mana?
Even he, who had lived long before becoming
a Ranker, had never seen or heard of such a thing.
"Look out!"
Boom, boom, boom!
A colleague interfered and blocked Arthur's
sword. The colleague was forcibly pushed back and flew backwards, grabbing
Aphesis by the back of the neck and pulling him down.
Flick!
Aphesis, who had fallen to the ground from
the blow, looked stunned.
'Is this an Undead?'
In his innermost self, he glared at Arthur.
Even if he was the King of Britain and the
King of Knights, he would be weakened by becoming Undead.
If so, he had to be an ordinary Ranker or worse,
or so he thought....
'It's no different from the rumors, is it?
Rumors about the King of Knights have been
around for a long time.
Due to the fame of the Round Table, his
abilities were well known, and the ones Arthur displayed now didn't differ much
from the rumors.
So, he was not Undead?
Tsk, tsk, tsk.
Bang, cha-cha-!
Arthur scattered icy mana in all directions
as he fought against the Rankers.
At that moment, a Ranker froze and
collapsed on the spot.
And then....
"There!"
Aphesis' head turned as he heard a Ranker's
scream.
Shriek-.
YuWon, who had decapitated a Ranker, was
heading towards the exit of the temple.
"Are you trying to leave?"
He didn't know why he had entered the
temple and started a fight, but it seemed he had served his purpose by
defeating Ares.
"I can't let you get away."
Snap-.
Aphesis gritted his teeth and stood up.
He couldn't stay like this. He had to
avenge Ares.
[Lightning]
Tak-.
Aphesis, who had activated his ability,
appeared behind YuWon.
Lightning was the highest ranked skill in
Aphesis' arsenal, granting him several times his speed for a brief moment.
It was a skill that was mainly used by
assassins, so it was rarely used since it did not appertain the spirit of the
Ares Clan....
'If I only could avenge Ares-nim!'
Shuaak-.
A sword stabbing the heart from behind.
Aphesis had no doubt that his sword would
pierce Yuwon's body.
At that moment...
"I'm sorry, but I'm a bit tired right
now."
As if time had stopped, YuWon's voice was
heard completely before the sword touched his body.
No, it wasn’t like that.
'Did it stop? The sword?'
Without even touching the armor, his own
sword stopped.
An incomprehensible situation.
He was definitely bestowing it strength,
but the sword was not piercing, as if something was blocking it.
[The 'Blessing of the Sea' dwells in
your body.]
''I'll do my best to run away and rest for
a bit.
Shriek-.
A warm sensation ran down her neck.
The world was spinning, and time was
slowing down. Aphesis hurried to grab his throat with both hands.
But his hands never reached his throat.
Twack!
Her neck went flying.
YuWon turned his head to look at the
gushing fountain of blood.
"So, I hope you stay out of the
way......."
Thwack-.
Hwaahhh~
A single spear flew out and a chain of
explosions engulfed it.
When the smoke from the explosion dissipated,
YuWon looked at the spear stuck in the ground and muttered.
"I can't even have a
conversation."
Perhaps they realized YuWon's intentions,
there were already more than ten Rankers standing in the direction of the exit.
Arthur was fighting hard on one side, and
the fight between Athenas and Son OhGong was in full peak in the other
direction, upwards.
There was only one way out.
Then there was only one answer.
'I have no choice but to break through.'
Tsutsutsu-.
The color of the mana flowing from Yuwon's
body changed.
A dull, dark red mana.
The expression of the Rankers who faced
that color and the aura they felt changed.
"Demonic energy?"
"No, could it be?"
"But this..."
They had gone through countless trials to
become Rankers and had encountered Demons at least a few times in their lives.
The aura they perceived from YuWon was like
the aura they perceived from them.
"Have you heard of the dual
core?"
A power to replenish the mana spent from
going overboard with Kyneē and ending the fight with Ares.
Fire~.
The dark red mana bursting from YuWon's
body gave off fire.
The Demonic Energy was not mana, but a new
fuel for fire.
['Cinder Eyes' rule over the 'Holy
Fire']
The flames behind YuWon took shape.
A great purple flame leapt into the sky.
The flames spat scorching heat in all
directions, carving unnecessary parts to form arms, legs and a head.
"Um, what kind of ability is
that?"
"Is it a Giant?"
"Could that guy be a demon?"
The confused Rankers responded to YuWon's
skill and, one by one, they used their own skills to increase their power.
Some of them cast another ability, as if to
interfere with YuWon's, but it failed and dissipated.
Hwareuk-.
A long sword held in the hand of a Giant.
Swoosh-.
The Giant, in full Giant form, moved toward
YuWon.
“If you don't want to die, get out of the
way."
Kwak-.
Following YuWon's example of wielding the
sword with both hands, the Giant adopted the stance of a double-edged sword.
[The 'Heavenly Demon Spirit' rules over
the 'Holy Fire’].
"Well, if you don't like it, don't do it."