Leveling with the Gods

Crackle, crackle, crackle-.

A massive pit appeared on the ground.

Amaterasu landed in the center of the city and looked around.

Charred remains and players reduced to ashes, not even their bodies remained.

Paji, Pajijijit-.

Penalties flowed through his body. This was the price for killing so many players.

"This is exhilarating."

It had been a long time since he felt this kind of punishment.

After descending, he rarely had to fight these newcomers.

"I'll have to refrain from being too much of a troublemaker."

Floor 44 was still high enough to significantly weaken the penalty. Moreover, Amaterasu's body was strong enough to withstand most penalties.

However, the number of players he killed in a single strike must have been in the hundreds.

Naturally, the Tower's Will would not tolerate this behavior.

However.

However, Amaterasu's narrowed eyes did not return to their original position.

"Where did he go?"

Amaterasu's gaze turned to where YuWon had been.

Apparently, just a moment ago, he was standing there, but in that brief moment of confusion, he had disappeared.

And not only that.

Kusanagi and the Yata Mirror had also vanished.

Everything had disappeared.

It was strange.

It was impossible for them to have escaped his own eyes.

"Where did he go..."

Gee-ing-.

A flash of white light cut through the faint flames.

Only then did Amaterasu remember another object in YuWon's hand.

"The Yata Mirror."

One of the Three Sacred Treasures.

The Yata Mirror was no ordinary shield. It was an object with special powers, like the Magatama Jewel.

Perhaps it could have been used to escape.

The corner of Amaterasu's mouth twitched.

And then...

Flash!

A beam of light fell from the sky.

Kwareung-!

The pit in which Amaterasu stood grew deeper from the force of the lightning blast against the ground.

A surge of electricity ran through his body. Amaterasu lifted his head and raised his arms to protect herself.

"How dare you..."

Amaterasu's eyes met YuWon's.

YuWon, who had escaped to the sky, prepared another lightning bolt and hurled it with all his might.

Kwareung-!

Amaterasu was engulfed in flames. Then, black flames instantly enveloped the lightning and turned its existence into nothing.

"Fire and darkness. A high-ranker with two attributes."

It was the most basic yet representative characterization known of Amaterasu.

The corrosive power of darkness and the destructive power of fire.

Amaterasu wielded both types of Mana with complete freedom. The same could be said for YuWon, but he relied more on objects.

The sky turned red.

"It reminds me of the Tutorial."

It wasn't the first time he had seen a scene like this.

The boss that was destined to perish in the Tutorial.

Surt's 176th son, Surtra.

He was powerful enough to change the color of the sky upon appearing.

Of course, that was using the limited power he was allowed to use in the Tutorial, and it wasn't his true strength.

Thanks to this, YuWon was able to defeat Surtra and obtain the Giant's Heart from him.

But now, it was a completely different story.

But now, it was a completely different story.

"He's a monster far worse than Surtra."

Amaterasu was a High Ranker who ruled over fire, one of the best in the Tower.

His fire was much hotter than Surtra's, and even hotter than Apollo's.

Moreover...

"The elemental power of fire grows stronger with emotional states. That's why most Mana fire Rankers have a fiery temperament when they fight, be it a big fight or a small one."

And Amaterasu pushed the Arcane Power of that fire attribute to the limit.

"Once set in motion, Amaterasu will never stop. Perhaps..."

Crackle-.

Flames rose from Amaterasu's feet as their gazes met.

It had begun.

Pow!

With an explosion, Amaterasu's body jumped up. At the same time, a mirror formed around YuWon's body.

"The 'Yata Mirror' reflects you."

"Moving to the designated point."

Pak-.

Pow-!

Flames engulfed the spot where YuWon stood. In an instant, their vision flipped, and searing heat coursed through their face.

The attack was too fast and too wide to dodge.

Appearing atop a building, YuWon looked at the fragments of mirrors surrounding them.

"It's a very useful object."

It was rare to find an object with such instantaneous movement capabilities.

YuWon had handled countless objects, but this one, however, was worth wanting.

An object that traveled to the place reflected in the mirror.

"However..."

YuWon looked at the players who had started surrounding them.

There was no time to rest.

Kaat-.

Jjaeok-!

The building they stood on was cut in half. It was the Rankers who were waiting for YuWon to come down.

"The Rankers."

YuWon dodged the weapons of the Rankers mixed in with the group of players.

It seemed that they had already decided to help Amaterasu. Perhaps they realized that if they helped capture YuWon here and now, they could secure a share of the action.

"It's practically no different from dealing with a guild."

Even Amaterasu alone was an enemy they couldn't handle.

But adding so many to the mix?

-Do you need help?

A voice that exuded confidence.

Susanoo's voice resonated in YuWon's head. It was the first time he had offered to help.

"I already told you I would only help you against Amaterasu, and it seems this is the moment."

"I appreciate that, but..."

After thinking for a moment, YuWon shook his head.

"Not now."

Susanoo was the last resort.

If the situation became urgent, he would have used him without hesitation, but the Yata Mirror was enough to contain them for now.

"Just wait a little longer."

"For how long..."

"Noisy."

Hwareuk-.

YuWon's gaze surveyed the surroundings.

['Cinder Eyes' are activated.]

['Sensory Field' is activated.]

"It's a distraction."

Focusing all attention on Amaterasu, YuWon concentrated on the thousands of fire orbs floating around her.

It was an ability created by Amaterasu.

The numbers are numbers, but each one had more power than most Rankers' abilities.

"You can't avoid it anymore."

Amaterasu clenched his teeth as he looked at the Yata Mirror held by YuWon.

"You used your head."

He knew more than anyone about the Three Sacred Treasures. It's no wonder he also knew how to exploit the abilities of the Yata Mirror.

The Yata Mirror had the ability to travel through the space it reflected. It involved a great expenditure of Mana, but it wasn't a waste as it excelled in evasion.

"It's impossible to avoid all these numbers using the mirror..."

He had enough power, so he lowered the power and increased the numbers and speed.

It was a reasonable choice.

Hwareuk-.

Pulsating Arcane Power.

"Here it goes."

The fireballs on the ground began to move.

Boom, puff, puff, puff, puff-!

The flames swept across the ground. YuWon pushed his mind and senses to the limit and dodged the rain of fire.

"I have to focus."

The numbers are numbers, but the range of each fireball was too wide.

Calculating the range and trying to avoid it wasn't difficult.

Sometimes he used the Yata Mirror to dodge the inevitable, but occasionally he looked up and watched his feet.

"Not yet?"

It took longer for him to react than he thought.

Originally, he should have responded immediately.

Boom!

Meanwhile, a fire fell at YuWon's feet.

No matter how well he dodged, the numbers are numbers, and it was difficult to avoid all the flames that enveloped a wide area.

But fortunately...

"The 'Blessing of the Sea' dwells within your body."

"Resist the 'Fire Calamity'."

Kak-.

A bubble spread around YuWon, protecting his body from Amaterasu's ability.

Protection/Blessing of the Sea.

One of the abilities of the Divine Crystal of the Sea combined with the Heart of Uranus.

He had an even greater resistance to fire. Moreover, he wasn't completely hit by the ability, and YuWon couldn't receive damage.

"Good."

It was better to avoid attacks whenever possible, but the mere existence of that defense had the effect of increasing the radius to avoid attacks.

Now that he had confirmed that the Blessing of the Sea could protect him from Amaterasu's abilities to a certain extent, all he had to do was avoid being hit by them.

"Of course..."

Chak-.

Yu-Won looked at Amaterasu, whose body was engulfed in black flames.

"Although that guy seems to know that too."

Now that he had seen that YuWon had the means to defend himself against such a sneaky attack, it was natural for Amaterasu to choose a different tactic.

The countless fire pits that had spread in all directions gathered around Amaterasu.

The sky darkened, and the air around his grew hotter. It was enough to make it difficult for some players to stand still.

"Hot, hot, hot!"

"Amaterasu-nim! We're on your side..."

"Water! Someone with a water-based ability, please!"

Chaos erupted in the city, as those who had hurried to dodge Amaterasu's abilities now struggled to protect themselves from the scorching heat.

The sky turned black.

Smoke billowed in the air, and the air burned the skin even if you stood still.

It was literally a disaster.

Having absorbed all the fire and generated his own Mana, Amaterasu's body was now a giant reminiscent of Gigantes.

And then.

Flash-.

The eyes of the giant Amaterasu opened and stared at YuWon.

"Where is Kusanagi?"

In the hand of the fire giant, Amaterasu held a flaming sword long enough to pierce the clouds.

In the moment he saw it, Yu-Won realized clearly.

"There is no way to stop or avoid this."

Amaterasu could kill YuWon now if he wanted to. He had the power to turn a city into a sea of fire with a single strike.

The 52nd High Ranker.

The reason he had a higher rank than Poseidon or Hades of Olympus appeared right before his eyes.

"The reason he doesn't kill me immediately is because of the absence of Kusanagi."

Surely, it must be making her stomach turn.

The sudden disappearance of Kusanagi is like giving a candy to a child and then taking it away.

"I'll make it simple for you. If you give me Kusanagi and the mirror, I'll pretend nothing happened."

It was such an obvious lie.

And finally, the time had come to answer Amaterasu's question.

"Do you want to know where it went?"

Goo-goo, goo-goo-.

The ground trembled.

It was an unusual vibration.

There was only one person in the world who had experienced this kind of vibration.

"It has truly begun."

Susanoo.

Even though his body was already a dead soul, he felt a tingling in his body once again.

It was because of this exact moment.

The reason why Yu-Won wanted to clear Susanoo's dungeon and get his hands on Kusanagi...

"Kusanagi hasn't gone anywhere."

Goo-goo-goo-.

The vibrations felt closer and closer.

"It has simply returned to where it's supposed to be."

"Where is it supposed to be?"

Amaterasu's eyes trembled with anxiety.

Over this city, he realized the struggle that had taken place.

"If you truly want it..."

At that moment...

"You just have to seize it, but it will cost you."

A common message emerged in the minds of the many players in the city.

["Yamata no Orochi" has awakened from its slumber]

The strongest hand that YuWon had prepared for this battle began to stir beneath the city.