Leveling with the Gods

C209

A black light shone before his eyes.

A spear plummeted from the sky. In front of the spear, over four meters long, Amaterasu felt threatened like never before.

"It's dangerous."

He remained vigilant.

But the sword before him was more menacing than the spear flying at him from afar.

Therefore, he chose to defend against the spear as much as possible.

But it couldn't be done.

"I must avoid it."

He had to avoid it since he wasn't sure he could stop the incoming flow of energy even if he conjured a shield of flames with all his might.

Moreover, it was even more difficult to block now that he was keeping the fire giant at bay.

Furthermore...

-I see you don't have the Magatama Jewel with you.

Susanoo chuckled as if he had realized something.

Soon, his gaze turned toward the giant battling Yamata no Orochi.

Fire-.

Black flames surrounded the giant as it struck Orochi with its massive sword.

A familiar sensation came from the giant.

-That snake is scary, isn't it?

No matter how fraudulent the ability was, it wasn't easy to continuously unleash such power.

And Yamata no Orochi was a monster that could only be sealed away when it was at its peak.

Moreover, at this moment, Amaterasu was facing both him and YuWon.

-The Magatama Jewel is being used in that giant.

If that was the case, Amaterasu had no means of defense left.

"It's a lose-lose situation."

Kwak-.

Thick flames surrounded Amaterasu's body.

To protect it from YuWon's Lightning Bolt.

Amaterasu prepared for the spear that would come from above.

This would surely cause Susanoo to widen the distance. If caught in the middle of something like that, Susanoo would suffer considerable damage.

However...

Hwaaak-.

Breaking through the flames surrounding him, Susanoo forged ahead, his entire body ablaze.

With a mischievous smile on his face.

"What are you doing?"

-I'm dead anyway.

Susanoo was well aware of his strengths.

-Even if I die again, that guy will resurrect me.

Undead.

The dead have nothing to fear.

Susanoo was certain that this strike from YuWon would be the last in this fight.

Therefore.

-So...

Instead of dodging backward, Susanoo helped YuWon's spear descend.

-You're coming with me.

Immediately, the spectral sword moved.

Whaaak-!

Hundreds and thousands of cuts in an instant.

It sliced through the flames, dispersing their power.

"Mad..."

Profanities flowed from Amaterasu's mouth.

Thanks to that, the flames protecting Amaterasu opened up.

And in the moment he quickly raised his mana and tried to protect himself once again...

-Too late.

Flash...!

A black light burst through the sky.

Thud!

With a sound, a spear flew over Amaterasu's head and crashed into him.

Kyaaaaaaah-!

Yamata no Orochi screamed.

A giant hole appeared in its body.

Through the wound, Orochi's heads writhed in agony.

Pajik, Pajijik-.

Not only that.

A massive hole in the ground.

And within it, a powerful current of electricity that refused to dissipate.

Inside it, Amaterasu writhed.

Crackle-.

Amaterasu, barely attempting to rise, fell back to the ground.

He couldn't get up.

He had holes in his back and stomach, and a strong energy that corroded his entire body, leaving it blackened.

Amaterasu's body had been completely destroyed by the force.

"This... is insane..."

Kulk-!

Black, lifeless blood spurted from his mouth. He wanted to spit it out again and again, but if he did, he might die.

"I can't fight anymore."

He couldn't do anything with this body. He couldn't fight against Orochi, whose head had been opened, nor against Kim YuWon.

Wounds that would take months to heal.

Losing both Sacred Treasures to him was a bitter pill to swallow, but continuing to fight here was no longer a good option.

Kak-.

The fire that formed the figure of the giant dispersed.

[The Magatama Jewel has been recovered]

[Your health is rapidly restored.]

[Your wounds are partially healed.]

At the same time, the Magatama Jewel reappeared in his hand.

Simply by holding it, the Magatama Jewel would help him recover his wounds and stamina to some extent.

Feeling more comfortable than before, Amaterasu propelled himself and staggered to his feet.

And then.

Kak-.

Pfft-!

"Kuck!"

Someone stomped on Amaterasu's back as he tried to rise, slamming him back to the ground.

"Kim YuW-"

Amaterasu, naturally assuming it was YuWon, lifted his head and couldn't help but widen his eyes at the unexpected figure.

"Tsuku... yomi?"

"You don't look well."

A face so pale it was almost transparent, and an expression so cold it could have been frost.

From her expression, Amaterasu realized that something was wrong.

But...

"Great..."

A part of him wondered if maybe, just maybe, she would help him overcome this.

"Kim YuWon... deceived us. He... targeted us from the beginning, and..."

"Not him, but you."

"...W-What?"

"Amaterasu."

Her voice warmed up a bit as he called him by his name.

Tsukuyomi looked at him with a strange expression in his eyes, and then asked in the same cold voice as before.

"Why did you kill Susanoo?"

"......!"

Amaterasu's eyes trembled.

Why would Tsukuyomi ask him that, especially now?

No...

Since when did she know?

Amaterasu's eyes faltered, and then returned to their normal color.

"There's... There's a misunderstanding..."

"I heard everything earlier."

Amaterasu's eyes reflected Tsukuyomi's.

A reflection of himself having a conversation with Susanoo.

Apparently, Tsukuyomi had been watching her since that moment.

'Has she been suspecting?'

Since when... did she start doubting?

Tsukuyomi was a Ranker who wielded powers of darkness and ice. Unlike him, she was immersed in stealth ability and was good at hiding her presence during battle.

She doubted himself and constantly kept an eye on him, wondering if he was truly involved in Susanoo's death.

"Tell me."

Kaaaaaak-.

Quadduk-.

The force of the stomping on his back grew stronger, and the wounds widened as his ribs broke.

"Quaaaaaagh!"

Amaterasu screamed in pain from the chest.

Tears fell from Tsukuyomi's eyes.

Though she knew everything, she couldn't maintain composure while watching Amaterasu die at her feet.

"Tell me, tell me why you did it."

"Kheu, heuh-."

Amaterasu laughed as he coughed up blood onto the ground.

Behind Tsukuyomi, he could see YuWon walking, and behind YuWon, the blurry figure of Susanoo walked.

-Even if I die again, that guy will resurrect me.

He didn't die.

The dead couldn't die again. Susanoo's form was blurry because YuWon's Arcane Power was depleted, not because he had suffered significant injuries.

Kak-.

Susanoo approached.

Tsukuyomi and Susanoo.

And Amaterasu.

"The Three Precious Children have gathered."

Susanoo walked forward.

-It's time to end this.

It was a tragedy.

They were no longer friends, lovers, enemies, or allies.

One was dead, and the other was on the verge of death.

All that remained was Tsukuyomi.

-Don't worry. Life after death is not as bad as you think.

Skak-.

Susanoo, who had been annihilated by Amaterasu and revived by YuWon, drew the Totsuka Sword again.

-Of course, you won't be going to a good place.

The tip of the sword aimed at Amaterasu's throat.

Then...

"I didn't hear the answer. Why?"

Tsukuyomi blocked Susanoo's path.

Shortly after, her gaze turned back to Amaterasu again.

"Tell me, why."

"...why."

Amaterasu lifted his head and looked at Susanoo.

A gaze filled with resentment, jealousy, and a myriad of other emotions.

It was a face that neither Susanoo nor Tsukuyomi, who had been with Amaterasu for thousands of years, had seen before.

"From the beginning, I had no friends."

Susanoo and Tsukuyomi.

Neither of them was Amaterasu's friend.

"For me, one was a woman I loved, and the other..."

With his mouth full of blood...

Pudeuk-.

Amaterasu gritted his teeth and looked at Susanoo.

"A lifelong rival."

-......

"So, I had no friends. And that was how it was."

Yawn.

A yawn came from the other side.

Susanoo and Amaterasu's gazes turned to YuWon, who shrugged and waved his hand at them.

"No matter, finish it. I'm not interested."

He wasn't saying it just to say it.

He genuinely wasn't interested.

An obvious and annoying story.

The fact that Amaterasu liked Tsukuyomi was a well-known story in the future. After gathering the Three Sacred Treasures, the first thing Amaterasu did was start courting Tsukuyomi.

Because of that, after YuWon found out about the relationship between Tsukuyomi and Susanoo, he could vaguely understand why Amaterasu betrayed Susanoo.

Blinded by love, one becomes foolish.

Sometimes that can be charming, but this time, it was definitely the opposite.

'Whatever...'

YuWon's gaze shifted to Tsukuyomi's complex face.

'It's a mess, but it's over.'

-...Well said.

Having finished speaking, Susanoo pushed Tsukuyomi aside and took a step forward.

Tsukuyomi no longer stopped Susanoo.

The Totsuka Sword was filled with Arcane Power.

It was an ugly and worn-out sword, unworthy of the name Susanoo.

But Amaterasu didn't resist.

Thud.

Susanoo's sword pierced Amaterasu's heart.

Splat-!

A fountain of blood gushed from Amaterasu's body. Susanoo didn't stop at the heart; he immediately cut Amaterasu's body in half.

Tsukuyomi averted her gaze.

Even though he had helped kill Susanoo, he couldn't bear to watch Amaterasu die.

'Amaterasu is finished, and...'

Kyaaaa-!

YuWon looked at Yamata no Orochi, who was fighting with his wounds.

'Now the problem is there.'

In the fight with Amaterasu, Yamata no Orochi had three of his eight heads cut off and two set on fire.

Only three heads remained.

His body had a fairly large hole made by a lance thrown by YuWon.

And Yamata no Orochi, who was wounded, was no longer on YuWon's side.

'He has completely lost his mind.'

Yamata no Orochi continued to express his anger through his wounds.

Countless players and Rankers were crushed by the giant. Orochi would continue moving until he had exhausted all his endless rage.

Because he was the disaster of this very place, the 44th floor.

'It has to stop soon.'

After Amaterasu, Yamata no Orochi was next.

Originally, his original purpose was to stir the pot.

But Amaterasu only managed to cut off half of Yamata no Orochi's heads.

Now all that's left is....

Growl.

"Baaa-."

It was the Danpung part.

Unable to contain his hunger any longer, he drooled on YuWon's shoulder.

YuWon turned to him and asked.

"Do you remember?"

"Baaah?"

"The marshmallow experiment."

To the guy who coveted Kusanagi, YuWon told him to wait.

If he was patient, he would let him eat more marshmallows.

"Baaat-!"

Danpung was excited and raised both arms.

To the hungry boy, the giant snake in front of him was nothing but delicious meat.

But...

"Then you'll have to help me."

For that, he now needed Danpung's help.

"That Divine Power..."

YuWon's eyes locked with Danpung's.

"I can use it too, right?"