Leveling with the Gods

C258

"He did it after all."

"I knew he would."

"He must have liked him in some way."

The Demon Kings following Diablo and YuWon chattered as they watched the ground slowly turn red.

When the ground turned red, it meant that Diablo's Arcane Power had started to move.

And it also meant that Diablo was taking this fight very seriously.

"But why is Diablo so interested in him?"

"Isn't it because of Li Jing?"

Li Jing, a High-Ranker who had stood out in the ancient Great Celestial War, was that why Diablo was interested in him? Or perhaps...

"Does he really believe in that absurd rumor?"

Astaroth, who had been defeated by Li Jing in that battle, took those words with the utmost sensitivity.

Li Jing, of all people, had been defeated by a brat like him.

It made no sense, he thought.

"From what I've heard, they had some kind of connection during a Trial."

"During a Trial?"

"Yeah, was it when he gave him those horns?"

The reason why Diablo was interested in YuWon. At least, the reason could be confirmed now.

The attention of the Demon Kings focused in the distance, where the fight between Diablo and YuWon was beginning to unfold.

As the Demon Kings watched the battle with their arms crossed, their mouths slowly opened.

"...What the hell is that guy doing?"

[The power of a giant fills your body.]

[The power of a giant fills your arm.]

Hwaaak-.

YuWon's hand extended forward.

It reached towards Diablo's head but was blocked halfway.

Kwaaak-.

The hand was intercepted.

The muscles in Diablo's arm tensed as he gripped YuWon's arm tightly.

"Look at this guy."

His eyebrows furrowed.

He tried to move it, but it wasn't easy.

His arms were very strong.

Probably due to the unique flow of energy running through his arm.

"Gigantification."

Gigantification.

A unique ability of Hercules, who was said to have the highest level of strength in this Tower.

Thanks to that ability, YuWon's arm was comparable to Diablo's strength.

And so, as YuWon waited for his moment...

Shukat-.

A sharp sense of anticipation was felt at his nape.

A red line was drawn in the air. At the same time, Diablo's remaining hand extended towards the line.

Twack-!

Arm and sword collided.

Susanoo's Kusanagi made a small mark on Diablo's arm.

Susanoo's eyes glowed.

-What an incredibly tough body.

Sssht, sssht-.

No matter how much Susanoo swung his Kusanagi, it was the same.

Not very fast.

No.

It was too slow for a man with the name Diablo.

Still, Susanoo's sword was unable to leave any real marks on Diablo's body.

"What a waste of a demonic weapon."

Kuuuk-.

Diablo's fist clenched.

"Just because you're fast doesn't mean you're good."

Feeling threatened, Susanoo hurriedly flew upward.

And at that moment...

-...!

Diablo's fist stretched toward Susanoo's head.

Jjaeeoeoeong!

Pyeo-eong!

With a single punch, Susanoo's upper body was annihilated.

Diablo smiled satisfied as he watched Susanoo fade into the shadows.

"Being precise and strong is more important than being fast."

Kuduk, kududuk-.

Diablo looked back at YuWon, who was still holding his hand.

"Don't you think so?"

"Think whatever you want."

Thud!

They punched each other in the face simultaneously.

A blue light emanated from the Uranus Heart, enveloping YuWon's hand.

['Blessing of the Sea' enters your body]

['Blessing of the Sea' protects your body]

Arcane Power enveloped his body.

But even that was nothing more than a thin layer of fabric against Diablo's fist.

"What a useless ability."

Kak-.

His grip tightened.

Kwak-!

Kii-ii-ing-.

The protection of the Blessing of the Sea shattered. Without his armor, it felt like being naked on a battlefield.

But he didn't think he could last long with this anyway.

Faji-Jijik-Jijik-!

A burst of electricity surged from their clasped hands.

A black lightning bolt erupted, and at the same time, YuWon's fist struck Diablo's face.

Kwaang!

Diablo's head turned to the side.

Diablo, who was slightly taken aback, smiled satisfied.

"You're tougher than you look."

Boom, boom, boom-!

A distance that made it impossible to even wield a sword.

Bruises and wounds appeared on YuWon's face one after another. The black lightning burst, and his fist struck Diablo's face, and his fist returned to him repeatedly.

"As tough as steel."

"His endurance is impressive too."

"I like it."

"Yes, this is how a fight should be."

The Demon Kings seemed satisfied.

Even Pluto, who had voted against, began to sympathize with YuWon.

"...He's a fiery guy."

Thud!

YuWon's fist struck Diablo's forehead once again.

Bam...

Diablo's body began to tremble.

As they exchanged punches in front of each other, YuWon's physical strength was gradually depleting.

At that moment, Diablo, who was about to extend his fist once again, stopped moving.

"Why don't you surrender?"

With a gentle movement, Diablo touched his own face with his finger.

"I think this is enough."

The wounds tore and burst open.

Not only YuWon suffered damage. Diablo's lips and skin, which hadn't even been injured by Susanoo's sword, were torn and bleeding.

"Is... that so?"

YuWon's grip loosened as he staggered.

Covering his face with one hand, he struggled not to faint.

How on earth was his head trembling?

Thud-.

The ground they stood on seemed like it could collapse at any moment, with a sudden crack appearing.

Looking at YuWon as he sat on the ground to rest, Diablo asked perplexed, "Why did you do that?"

"I don't understand."

"It doesn't seem like you enjoy this kind of fight."

First of all, YuWon's fighting style was nothing like Diablo's.

Unlike Diablo, who ignorantly relied on his tough and strong body for close-quarters combat, YuWon favored medium and long distances.

You didn't have to be a low-level player to realize how important distance is in a fight.

However, YuWon put himself at Diablo's distance and exchanged fist blows.

"Anyway, it's not about winning this fight..."

Thud~

YuWon slapped himself in the face.

"Just to be sure, I thought this would be the fastest way."

Swoosh-.

Diablo wiped his face with the back of his hand.

There was blood on it. That meant YuWon had fulfilled his initial condition.

But it didn't seem to be the only reason.

Diablo turned his head to look at the other Demon Kings in the distance.

His eyes were different from before.

Now he understood why YuWon had engaged in such an ignorant battle.

"Just for the show."

YuWon knew he wouldn't win anyway.

No matter what he did, it was an inevitable conclusion.

For him, the process was important, not the outcome.

Diablo was convinced by the satisfied expression on YuWon's face.

That in this fight, he had achieved what he wanted.

Indeed, what YuWon wanted was the favor of the other Demon Kings.

"If you attract Diablo, you've attracted half of the Demon Kings. Or to put it another way..."

YuWon's gaze turned towards the gathered Demon Kings.

"That means we're halfway there."

After all, YuWon's core job was to preserve the Tower's power.

And as a guild based on a race, the Demon Kings were one of the strongest among the Great Guilds.

The Demons.

After experiencing Ragnarok and winning the Great Celestial War, their power had been halved.

Although they were far better off than the completely extinct Angels, it was clear that their power had plummeted.

"In the process of this fight, I turned the Demon Kings into an ally. Furthermore, I also gained the opportunity to make a request to Diablo..."

Not bad for the time invested.

Just one thing.

'It's a shame.'

Zas-.

YuWon's gaze landed on Diablo's hand, which was extended towards him.

'If I had done well, I wonder how far I could have gone.'

Diablo had physical resilience comparable to that of Hercules.

Even though it wasn't a physical manifestation, the fact that he was engaging in a physical battle with such a Diablo in a confined space was a disadvantage for YuWon.

However, if he directed the combat to medium or long range, as he usually did...

Kwak-.

Getting up and holding his hand, YuWon stared fixedly at Diablo's face.

'Then I would have been able to see the main body.'

YuWon remembered Diablo's body, with its two enormous horns and massive flames.

Anyway, he still couldn't reach it.

The High-Rankers within the top 20 rankings were formidable opponents for YuWon.

'I'm still greedy.'

For now, he would have to settle for just injuring him.

Ragnarok was just around the corner.

There was still time to grow.

'Anyway, with that, I'm ready to go.'

Ding~

Just then, the player kit beeped.

YuWon checked the message and nodded.

'Ragnarok, here we come.'

[Hercules: Successful Escape]

***

***

Boggle-.

The lava boiled.

And amidst the reddened Surt, Foolish Chaos peeked out.

"Did you hear that?"

"Yes."

Nodding, Surt's eyelids opened.

It was after tearing apart the subordinate who had brought the news.

"The Great Sage, Heaven's Equal, has escaped."

"The Giant Slayer was with him."

"You mean Hercules."

Hercules, the Giant Slayer.

He had recently led the destruction of Olympus and ousted Zeus, and his rank had risen several positions, reaching the 18th spot.

But the giants feared Hercules more than his rank.

"I've heard the rumors, and I dare say he's the sworn enemy of us giants."

The giants of the Gigantomachy were a different race from the giants of Muspelheim.

Unlike regular giants, the giants of Muspelheim were a race that inherited the blood of demons.

They could be called demons within the giant race.

"It's strange," he said, "that these two, who have nothing to do with what you've said, are now interested in Ragnarok..."

Boggle-.

Surt's words trembled, and the boiling lava slowly gathered around Foolish Chaos.

With that, Surt's jet-black eyes reflected Foolish Chaos.

"I trusted you for that little thing. And now that trust is slowly breaking."

"Don't worry too much. A few dead giants won't make much of a difference."

"That's how it should be."

"Well, then, I'll tell you what you need to do."

Foolish Chaos rearranged the scenario based on the flow that would be disrupted by the convergence of OhGong and Hercules.

But...

'This makes it clear.'

Despite that, he couldn't shake off the uneasy feeling.

The pieces were starting to crumble.

Just the appearance of the Great Sage, Heaven's Equal, and Hercules was enough to feel it.

'Someone there is looking one step ahead of me.'