Leveling with the Gods

Side Story 40

YuWon gripped his sword. He just held it, not moving.

"Is he not going to move?"

Athena frowned slightly at her motionless opponent. It was as if he was challenging her to make a cut.

Does he trust his skills so much?

"It's fine if he's that confident."

After all, the goal of this battle was not to win.

It was confirmation.

That was what really mattered in this battle.

Paff!

Despite his confidence, there was no need to give him the chance to attack.

"Let's see how good he is."

Kwaaaat!

Athena's sword cut YuWon's body in half, or at least that's what it looked like. But there was no sensation in her fingertips.

Tss.

A figure that faded like an illusion.

YuWon's form, cut by the sword, reflected in the Aegis.

Athena was surprised at how quickly YuWon had reached her back.

"Fast."

Although she was taken by surprise, she didn't flinch. She hadn't underestimated her opponent's skills, so there was no reason to be surprised.

"However..."

Athena's true power didn't lie in the sword.

"Speed is not an issue."

The reason she was really strong was...

Kiiiiiiing.

[Activating "Aegis Shield."]

"Target "Deceleration" begins."

"Target "Petrification" begins."

Deceleration and petrification.

Those were the built-in abilities of the Aegis.

Aegis.

One of the masterpieces of the Tower's chief blacksmith, Hephaestus.

After it broke once, Athena asked Hephaestus to reinforce it even further.

The Aegis was an item-type object created by Hephaestus using the head of the monster "Medusa." The power of the Aegis was so formidable that it could turn even the body of a High-Ranker into stone.

"He won't be able to avoid this."

The range of the Aegis's power was everything reflected in the shield.

Ziiiiiiing!

The influence of the Aegis spread across the entire battlefield.

Crack, crunch!

Grass and trees turned into stone.

Even Athena's subordinates who were far away were affected by its power, and their bodies froze.

"Is Athena-nim using the Aegis?"

"With this power, it must be in full activation."

"Does that mean she considers the opponent so dangerous?"

They were her subordinates who had been helping her since Athena became a Ranker for the first time.

The Aegis was a shield that didn't distinguish between friends and foes.

Athena didn't resort to the power of an object for trivial matters.

That was her philosophy, as she didn't consider it her own strength.

However, now, Athena had activated the Aegis for the first time since the last war.

That meant...

Crackkk.

In this battle, Athena was putting the name of Olympus at stake.

"We won."

"At that distance, if he was hit by the petrification of the Aegis..."

"He could be petrified for several years."

YuWon's figure, petrified in ash color.

The Olympus warriors, confident of victory, quickly relaxed.

Until now, there had never been a case of someone who had been turned to stone by the Aegis and had returned to normal on their own.

However...

Crack.

YuWon's figure, clearly turned to stone, began to crack.

"Is it possible?"

In an instant of doubt, Athena's body moved first.

She quickly stabbed into YuWon's chest, who had turned to stone.

Athena's instinct told her that if the petrification was broken, she had to deliver a final blow before that happened.

But...

Clang!

Dang!

...!

YuWon's sword, which broke the petrification in an instant, diverted Athena's sword.

A chill ran through her body. She was overpowered in the sword power struggle.

It was a reckless act.

It was an error on her part not to put all the strength into the hand that held the sword, thinking that YuWon's body was still petrified.

No.

Even leaving that aside.

"His stats are higher than mine."

Crash!

Gripping tightly the sword that had been deflected, Athena attacked YuWon again.

Defense through the Aegis, attack through the sword. The balance between attack and defense was Athena's greatest advantage.

Fwoosh, swoosh!

Boom!

With all her strength, the sword cut through the empty air. Athena, who had cut down Aemon's trees, lifted Aegis, which she had been using to defend, feeling that this was not enough.

"Ugh!"

The veins on her arms swelled, and Arcane Power flowed into Aegis.

A considerable amount of Arcane Power.

Hercules, who was observing the battle, opened his eyes in disbelief.

"Sister? Seriously...?"

In the brief moment Hercules hesitated,

She descended with all her might the shield, which was now too heavy for her.

Guuuuuum!

Zzzzzz!

The ground sank.

The impact of Aegis overturned the ground and engulfed Hercules' house, which wasn't too far away.

While Hercules, who had suddenly found himself on the ground, jumped high and shouted,

Athena looked at YuWon's figure reflected in Aegis and recited the final incantation.

"Answer my call..."

Ssssaaaa...

The sound of snakes echoed on the battlefield.

Athena, sweating profusely, released the seal of the monster residing in the Aegis.

"Medusa."

[Aegis Shield activated.]

[Medusa responds to your call.]

Sssssss!

A pattern of snake heads appeared on the Aegis.

Hundreds of snakes emerged from the pattern.

"It's Medusa!"

"Everyone, close your eyes!"

As soon as the monster's head appeared, Athena's warriors closed their eyes and turned away. If one encountered the eyes of one of those snakes or was bitten by their fangs, they might never wake up from petrification.

But...

"With this, I won't have any regrets."

YuWon stored his sword in his inventory and faced Medusa's snakes directly.

Medusa's head was the same as the main body of Aegis. Its petrification ability couldn't be compared to a simple enchantment. If one met its eyes, and even got bitten by its fangs, even a High-Ranker would have a hard time coming out unscathed.

"You're too confident."

Athena, who had thought of stopping Medusa due to the danger it posed, soon reaffirmed her decision. If this person were to lose his life due to his arrogance, it meant he was originally not worthy of Zeus's attention.

Stopping Medusa wasn't a suitable trial for him.

However...

The power of Lightning Bolt.

Crack, crack-le-.

At that precise moment, a Golden Lightning Bolt began to flow from the ring that YuWon had on his hand.

A familiar flow of Arcane Power.

Athena knew that only three people in the vast Tower possessed that power.

"How is this possible...?"

The Lightning.

The power that only Zeus and his descendant Hercules, Hargan, should possess.

Bang!

The moment that power sprouted from YuWon's hand.

Bang!

Shuuuuuuiiiik一.

The bodies and heads of hundreds of snakes were torn or burst.

Waves of Golden Lightning filled the space around Athena.

The Lightning-type Arcane Power, boasting a wide range, swept the battlefield through the ring that YuWon wielded.

"How did you get that?!"

"No, it's a bit different from his."

Crack-le-.

Brushing aside the waves of Golden Lightning, YuWon moved towards Athena.

"This is the original."

What remained for Zeus was not Lightning but only the remnants of the Lightning he had carried for so long.

Therefore, the true power of Lightning that Olympus now knows...

Was closer to the power manifested in YuWon's hands.

Kukuduk, kukukduk-.

"Of course, this is not fake either."

YuWon's fist extended forward.

A slow-moving fist.

It was as if he was deliberately giving her time to dodge it.

However...

"Gigantification?"

At that moment, Athena was petrified in surprise and couldn't evade.

The power coursing through YuWon's arm...

Was the ability symbolizing Hercules, the High-Ranker who represented Olympus alongside Zeus.

Bang!

Athena's body, who hastily raised her Aegis shield, soared into the air.

A resounding impact echoed on the shield.

Papak, papak-.

The hands gripping the shield seemed on the verge of breaking.

She was being overpowered in strength.

It wasn't just that.

"Bill Zeus for the repair costs."

YuWon's voice echoed from the other side of the shield.

Ujjikkun-!

The Aegis, into which YuWon's fist had plunged, cracked.

Kwaang-!

Together with the shield, Athena's body crashed to the ground.

After that, she remembered nothing.

----------------------

It didn't take long for Athena to regain consciousness.

Thirty minutes.

That was the time it took for Athena, who had fallen alongside the cracked Aegis, to come to her senses.

"Have you awakened?"

Under the shade of a tree. Athena, who slowly opened her eyes, met the worried faces of her subordinates looking at her.

Athena stood up with a slightly dazed expression.

The subordinate holding the cracked Aegis, upon seeing Athena's expression trying to understand the situation, opened her mouth.

"We were worried. You fainted suddenly."

"Have I lost?"

"Yes. Unfortunately..."

Athena nodded at her subordinate's additional words.

"What's there to regret? The difference in skill is so vast."

In the last moment, the power of Gigantification and Lightning that YuWon unleashed was overwhelming for Athena.

Just by looking at the cracked Aegis in front of her, it was evident.

An item considered one of the most defensive in the Tower had been completely crushed.

If YuWon hadn't restrained his strength in the end, it wouldn't have ended with just a faint.

'The fact that he broke free from petrification proves it.'

Athena had fought against many formidable opponents in her life. Among them was Poseidon. Athena had challenged him to test the resilience of the Aegis, and other High-Rankers.

They all had something in common:

Petrification didn't affect them at all.

However, YuWon didn't resist petrification.

He did it because he trusted his ability to break free from it.

YuWon slowly approached Athena. He sat on the ground in front of her, who was leaning on one knee, and asked while looking at the cracked Aegis:

"Will you be able to move soon?"

"Thanks to you."

Athena lowered her head.

"I appreciate your consideration."

"Ah, Atenea-nim?"

The warriors surrounding her were surprised by the change in Athena's attitude. It was unheard of to see her use honorifics and bow with such reverence.

There were only two people in Olympus to whom she showed such deference:

Hades.

And Zeus.

Athena was now adopting the same attitude towards YuWon.

Ignoring the commotion of her subordinates, Athena stood up and greeted YuWon with respect.

Now that she had confirmed it, she couldn't continue treating him as she had before.

"Since we're going anyway, my attitude should change."

YuWon had said from the beginning that he had matters to attend to in Olympus.

However, he mentioned Athena's behavior as an issue.

He didn't seem like someone who cared about formalities or appearances. Yet, YuWon mentioned "attitude" and demonstrated his true strength to Athena.

Initially, she wasn't an opponent he should treat so rudely.

"His Majesty has invited you to Olympus."

With a different attitude than before, Athena offered YuWon a formal invitation.

"Do you accept the invitation?"

She handed YuWon an official invitation to the Grand Olympus.

-KO-FI

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