Leveling with the Gods

C497

Woo~!

All the Arcane Power in the world concentrated into a single point.

This was the impression of an Asgard Ranker witnessing Gungnir being activated for the first time.

'Amazing.'

Who would have thought that so much Arcane Power could gather in a single point?

But the most astonishing thing was not that but Odin holding the spear and assuming the throwing posture.

Kugugug...

The arm muscles that couldn't withstand Gungnir's Arcane Power painfully contracted.

It wouldn't have been strange if he had immediately released the spear complaining of pain.

But if he had given up so easily, Odin would never have been the owner of Gungnir.

"Everyone, retreat!"

When Gungnir was activated, Thor ordered the surrounding Rankers to withdraw.

The Rankers, who were half-dazed, stepped back in the face of Gungnir's proximity.

It wasn't easy for someone who wasn't a High-Ranker to survive Gungnir's activation without being dragged by its magic.

Step!

Odin took a step forward.

Thus, Gungnir, held in his hand, shot into the sky, emitting a white light.

Tukugugu...! Tuwaak!

A mass of white light began to clear the purple clouds gathering in the sky.

Kugung, Gugugung!

An explosion of Arcane Power successively erupted along the spear's path.

The Rankers who suddenly saw the sky return to its original state murmured in admiration.

"Wow!"

"The sky!"

"Truly, King Odin..."

In an instant, Odin restored the sky to its original state.

Praises for him were understandable. Rankers who saw Gungnir for the first time were proud to have entered Asgard.

But...

"Don't rejoice yet."

Plop...

With his arms crushed by Gungnir's pressure, Odin looked at the Guild's Rankers.

"Prepare yourselves."

"Prepare ourselves?"

"What does he mean by preparing ourselves...?"

Gugugugu...

The earth shook, and the vibration transmitted to the castle wall.

The sky screamed. As if it were suffering the pain inflicted by Gungnir as if it were a living being.

In the distance...

On the horizon, irregularly rippling, purple waves began to appear.

"What... is coming?"

"Are they the Outers?"

Glug...

How many were there in total?

From octopus-like forms with dozens of tentacles to gigantic whale-like monsters flying into the sky, and creatures resembling Dragons.

And even forms mixed with countless living beings.

"The wall already collapsed."

Thud!

Gungnir returned to Odin's hand without warning.

He ascended the castle wall, struck the ground grandly, and a white wave rose above Asgard Castle.

Kihikihikihihiin!

Chunk, chunk, chunk...!

A herd of white Pegasus flying with wings spread, with warriors dressed in golden armor mounted on their backs.

Asgard's strongest military force. The combat unit formed by all Rankers, led by Brunhilde.

"Even the Valkyries..."

The fact that so many Valkyries were moving meant that a large-scale war was taking place.

Thud!

Odin jumped from the castle wall.

Sacred divinity emanated from his body, flooding the battlefield. With Gungnir in one hand and dozens of floating magic circles in the other.

'Today is the day.'

It was faster than he thought, but the situation was already completely painted in his mind.

He recalled the conversation he had with YuWon in his mind.

"Someday, the wall will collapse."

"The wall? Do you mean the boundaries of the world?"

"Yes."

"Despite all attempts, it will finally collapse on its own. It's truly something incomprehensible."

The wall at the end of the world had never collapsed, no matter what they tried.

Not Gungnir from Odin. Not Son OhGong's Ru Yi Bang. Not Zeus's Lightning Bolt.

Nothing could leave a mark on the wall.

It was an incomprehensible barrier. Therefore, he thought it would be better if it didn't collapse.

But now, it was collapsing, and the Apocalypse was coming from the outside.

"When will that be?"

"The date doesn't matter."

"Why?"

"Because it can change at any moment. It could be a hundred years later, a thousand years later, or even tomorrow."

He knew the future, but he couldn't predict it. That's why YuWon left this message to Odin.

"So keep watching the wall."

"Is that my task?"

YuWon nodded.

That was a sufficient answer.

After that, Odin kept his eyes on the wall. Since he didn't know when it would collapse, he had to prepare for what would happen someday.

And just today...

The day has come.

"I'll stand at the front."

A calm declaration spread across the battlefield.

Although the enemy was unknown, the one standing out in front was Odin.

The Tower's greatest Ranker. A King who had written much of the Tower's history.

Just by looking at his back, morale soared.

"Everyone, take note."

A purple wave was gradually approaching.

Odin's eyes lit up as he waited at the forefront of the battlefield.

"This place is the first line of defense, and it's the last line of defense that must not be penetrated."

It was a long journey.

Leading the way without anyone noticing was Pandora at the forefront.

Just in case, YuWon used the Eyes of Foreknowledge several times to confirm the path. But, as expected, the path she took was not wrong.

'It's longer than I thought.'

Thus, walking through the Black Woods for about 30 minutes, another path was seen in the distance.

It was the edge of the forest, devoid of trees.

YuWon's steps momentarily halted.

"...Here it is."

A black throne stood in that place.

On it, sat the small Danpung.

Step~

Resuming his momentarily halted steps, Danpung crouched on the wide throne, his face resting on his knees.

He was still repeating the Name 'Azathoth' in a murmur. A Name he hadn't heard before, but this time, he heard it clearly.

"Hey, kid."

YuWon extended his hand towards Danpung.

"Stop doing that and get up."

"Azathoth."

"Yes. I know that Name now. So, stop..."

Danpung lifted his head.

Naturally, he thought Danpung would look at him, but his gaze went in another direction.

Automatically, YuWon's gaze followed Danpung's.

There she was.

'Pandora?'

Danpung's gaze towards her wasn't a mere coincidence.

Gradually, she began to look different.

She had gained Outer Power with the body of a Ranker.

She had read the hidden slabs inside Ubbo-Sathla.

Moreover, she knew the path in this forest.

Furthermore...

"Azathoth."

She knew that name.

Pandora reached out to Danpung. Carefully, as if handling something precious, she wrapped him in her arms.

"Foolishly. In the end, you're going to do this again."

Swoosh-.

Pandora and YuWon's eyes met as she turned her head.

"Azathoth."

She called him by another name that wasn't YuWon.

"Am I Azathoth?"

"Yes, it will be so now."

YuWon's eyes narrowed.

"Who are you?"

Instead of the Eyes of Foreknowledge, in YuWon's eyes appeared the Golden Cinder Eyes.

"You don't seem to be Pandora."

Since he entered here, he always felt that strange sensation. Through Pandora, someone else was reflected in her.

She had something in her body. It wasn't Pandora who showed him the way.

Moreover...

"Is it also your fault that Pandora is obsessed with me?"

Probably from the moment Zeus handed her the box. That entity had always been with Pandora.

Somehow, it seemed like she clung to him in a strange way.

"Don't misunderstand. There is a reason for that, but it's not just for that reason."

"Since when?"

"Since I found the slabs. Since I remembered that Name."

Not only YuWon changed after knowing the Name of Azathoth.

"Isn't it strange? Shouldn't you know a little more now? Azathoth. Do you know what that name means?"

That Name also had a strong influence on Pandora. Probably, she could read the Name of Azathoth because of something related to what was imbued in her body.

"Not everyone can read my Name. Even if they know it, they can't pronounce it lightly."

Pandora asked, looking at YuWon.

"How much do you know about me?"

At that moment, she looked down at Danpung in her lap.

"Are you Azathoth?"

"No. Azathoth is you."

"What are you saying, seriously?"

She claimed to be Azathoth.

Until now, YuWon thought that Danpung was Azathoth. It made sense, as Danpung had the Amorphous Chaos of Azathoth in his Name.

So, who was Pandora in front of him?

Why did she call herself Azathoth? And why was Danpung in her arms?

[Growth Rate: 100%]

[Growth is suppressed]

[Conditions have not been met]

Why wasn't he growing?

"You are Azathoth, but I know more about Azathoth than you do."

"What are you saying for a while now...?"

YuWon couldn't continue speaking.

Pandora, whom he had just spoken to, suddenly disappeared. The landscape around him instantly changed.

The nearby forest disappeared, and a purple desert stretched out before him. Perplexed, YuWon stood still for a moment, looking around.

-He has given up everything for you. He has always been waiting for your arrival and has tried not to forget your Name.

The autumn leaf had given up something for him.

What was he talking about?

-Do you want to know?

It was an obvious question.

Pandora, Danpung.

YuWon just wanted someone to answer that it was them.

-Then you should know. It's my duty.

Clacl!

A hand pulled YuWon's sleeve.

When he turned his head, he saw a small, thin child.

With a twisted body and an empty face, the child didn't say a word as he pulled on his clothes.

And at that moment...

Following Shub-Niggurath's bleats, a small and insignificant child appeared.

Memories rushed into YuWon's head.

Hoping it was like that, YuWon turned around. At his reaction, a bleat was heard from his feet.

Beeeh.

His gaze naturally moved following the sound.

Beeeh, beeeh.

It was a small goat with purple fur.

With a little boy pulling his sleeve and not saying anything, and a goat...

It was obvious what this goat would become in the future.

'Shub-Niggurath.'

The little goat and the small, skinny boy were following him. This scene was clearly read in the slabs.

In the brief moment when the world seemed to stop...

YuWon realized clearly.

To whom those memories belonged.

What was inside Pandora.

Apparently, she was instinctively drawn to him because of this.

['Azathoth's Memory' begins.]

She was clearly Azathoth's Memory. She wasn't Azathoth, but she knew more about Azathoth than anyone.