A Human Who Fights Gods

"Why are you adding something like that?"

"Hmm? It seems like it'd be fun, right?"

There were two of them.

In some lights they resembled trees, in others flames. Sometimes they looked like light itself, sometimes transparent, sometimes like demons... or perhaps like gods.

One stared at the other with a baffled expression while the second laughed cheerfully.

"Why not? It's better than dealing with Frostia or the transcendents, isn't it?"

"Even if their stages were lowered and they were forcibly given names after arriving in this world, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠they were once absolute gods. Even with the penalty that comes from descending to the mortal plane... do you honestly think a mere human could defeat them?"

"Hmm, to be honest? No."

"Then why add an achievement like that?"

The one being questioned simply smiled.

"You've forgotten about that thing and that other thing."

"What?"

"Well... this is basically a game, isn't it?"

Still smiling, he entered something into the sphere floating before him, its surface covered in countless characters and runes.

"So having a few hidden elements is fine, right?"

"Hidden elements should still make sense."

The one in the shape of a man spoke as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"How could a human possibly defeat a god? Moreover..."

The moment he finished speaking, a new achievement was engraved into the sphere.

The one entering the data smiled brightly.

"Absolute gods were too boring. There was no thrill to them."

"......"

"It's fun precisely because you don't know what will happen. That's what Elyunar is. So... wouldn't an achievement like this liven up the atmosphere?"

It was a memory from a distant, distant past that no one could remember anymore. A memory that transcended even space and time.

Ding!

Beep.

Dre shut off the flood of system alerts ringing in his head and ground Poseid’s skull harder under his heel.

"Go on, beg for your life. Are your ears clogged? Want me to repeat myself?"

"......"

There’s a saying that when anger exceeds a certain level, a person grows calm. Poseid had never experienced it before and never understood it, but now he did.

"Hoooo..."

At the same time, he finally recognized the human before him not as a lowly creature but as a true enemy.

With All-Nist’s Equality active, there was nothing he could do about it. What he needed to do now was stop the reckless brawling and use proper power and technique to force this insolent bastard to his knees.

And then, in front of him, destroy everything he holds dear.

Splash!

A torrent of water surged violently around Poseid and Dre, only to be sliced apart mid-rise.

"What?! Argh!!"

Dre stomped down even harder, driving Poseid’s face into the ground, and sneered.

"Stop with the cheap tricks. This is your last chance, blue old man."

"......"

"If you behave now, I’ll just torture you to death and be done with it."

"Such arrogance pierces the heavens."

Boom!

Poseid’s body exploded into water that scattered in every direction. The force was enough to shatter even solid metal, yet Dre casually brushed it aside and snorted.

"You’re the one who chose the hard path."

"How laughable."

A massive trident had appeared in Poseid’s hand at some point. The moment he slammed it into the ground—

Crash!

Ripples spread from the trident and swept across the entire cavern. With this he could attack from anywhere within the cave, but… Poseid frowned.

The effect was far weaker than expected.

This cavern should have become my domain by now… That damned All-Nist’s authority has even forcibly erased my Mind Realm.

Even while grinding his teeth, Poseid calmly assessed the situation.

First, he released the creatures bound by All-Nist’s power.

It was unpleasant. With All-Nist’s authority, he could have annihilated the creatures outright rather than merely restraining them.

The only reason he had merely bound them was because leaving them to continue their one-sided slaughter of the people here would have been unfair.

Even so, it seems his authority equalizes status but does not create a truly equal situation.

Poseid understood that Equality simply brought statuses closer together. In reality, even the insignificant humans aside from Yeo Deure now carried faint traces of divine power.

But having it and using it were completely different matters.

Those like Emily or Rena—who could already be called monsters, demons, or even godlike in talent—might quickly adapt, but most would find it impossible to even understand the power.

If I kill the geniuses before they can master the new power, that’s the end of it.

In other words, if he eliminated Yeo Deure, the battle was over.

And Poseid decided to use emotion to do it. A shaken enemy made the best target. The God of Water had found a very effective way to respond to the man’s provocation.

"Are you that angry?"

"......"

"Just because you made that worthless little bitch kneel, you think you can—khhk…"

What?

His tongue had been cut.

At the same time, the killing intent pouring from Dre intensified.

"Yeah, that’s more like it."

"......!"

"You have to act this arrogant for it to be fun to torture you, Poseid!"

Joy. Delight.

Poseid was stunned by an emotion completely opposite to rage. For the first time, he felt something other than strength from Yeo Deure that made his skin crawl.

Me? Feeling this?

With divine pride, he slammed down the leg that had been about to retreat and commanded his creatures.

Mentioning Rena had only been to distract and disturb Dre’s focus in the first place.

But the creatures probably won’t work anymore… Then I’ll attack the psychological side.

For all his arrogance, Yeo Deure had a strange habit of trying to uphold morality. The kind of guy who insisted on protecting others even when he should only be worrying about himself.

And Poseid hated how the humans looked at that man with eyes that should have been reserved for a god.

He would attack the preliminary participants to scatter their attention.

First, the woman at the very front. The moment the fish swam toward her again, Mineu—who still remembered the agony of having her arm torn off—swallowed hard.

"H-Hiiik!"

"They’re coming! Get ready!"

Mineu answered in a pathetic little voice, but her body refused to move as her mind commanded.

The instant Dre looked in that direction, Poseid cheered inwardly.

"To lose focus in battle! The severity of combat—"

He stopped mid-sentence.

There was no pain.

But Poseid found himself buried in the ground.

When?

He had no idea, but Dre had already moved to Mineu’s side and was slicing apart the creatures.

"Huk… huk…! A-Ahh!"

Mineu suddenly flinched in terror.

It was understandable—Dre had grabbed her hand and forced her to clutch one of the smallest fish, a piranha-like monster.

The vivid memory of the agony those fish had inflicted made tears well up. At that exact moment—

"Crush it."

"Huh? Eh?"

"Hurry. If you don’t, I won’t block them anymore."

Threatened by Dre while he continued holding back the creatures with an invisible shield, Mineu reflexively squeezed.

"I-I did it!"

"Yes. Well done."

"......?"

What was that about?

What was the point of making her do that?

As Mineu stood there bewildered, Dre grinned.

"See? Your attacks work perfectly on them now."

"...Huh? Whaaat?!"

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

It was true. Just as Dre said, she had killed one of the monsters that had been completely immune to their attacks—simply by crushing it with raw grip strength.

"I’m going to fight that bastard. So protect your own bodies from now on."

"......"

"Don’t worry. You’re all much stronger than these crude things. Or do you not trust my word?"

There was no way they wouldn’t trust him.

In this hopeless situation, he was the one who had weakened the monster, beaten it down, and saved them.

The preliminary participants nodded vigorously.

"Meiyal. I’m counting on you to watch over the rabbit up there, Rena, and Miss Emily."

"Got it, Deuret...!"

Meiyal didn’t know exactly what was happening, but she understood Dre was finally getting serious. She nodded quickly. Still, even in this urgent situation, she couldn’t help feeling curious.

That person… was a rabbit? Well… her ears do look kind of like rabbit ears…

Unable to voice the question she had carried since the Floating Island, Meiyal hurried off to protect the unconscious people.

Dre slowly walked toward Poseid.

In the middle of it, I-pung approached. Dre recognized the desperate look in his eyes. Those burning eyes were the same ones Dre himself had once worn. He simply said, “Later.” As he passed the crestfallen I-pung, pleasant sounds rang out everywhere.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Bam! Bam! Bam!

Slash! Slash! Slash!

"You sons of bitches! Die! Die!"

The crack of whips like a storm, a symphony of blades.

The preliminary participants, who had been unsure until now, unleashed all their pent-up resentment on the endless swarm of monsters. Poseid’s creatures were torn to shreds, spraying blood and flesh in every direction.

Poseid, who had risen from the ground, sprayed bubbles from his eyes in rage at the sight of his precious creations being slaughtered by mere humans.

"What did you do?"

"Hm?"

"Is it an authority? Just how many divine authorities have you received?"

Dre didn’t bother asking what nonsense he was spouting. If the guy wanted to misunderstand, there was no reason to correct him.

Poseid rose with a creepy chuckle, his eyes glowing blue.

"Trash. If you hadn’t taken so many patron gods, the greatest one would have been the Creator—"

BOOM!!

Blood sprayed from his face.

Poseid staggered back two steps only for—

BOOM! BOOM!

"Kuhk, urk!"

More punches slammed into his face.

Dre snorted.

"You know what, Poseid?"

Even when Poseid tried to raise defensive currents, they were pierced helplessly. He couldn’t even tell what was happening.

"Without your divine power, you’re actually a total fucking joke. You know that, right?"

"What… are you—kuhk!"

"Shut up. Just listen, you pathetic piece of shit."

"Krrgh…!"

More than humiliation, the very real damage made Poseid twist in pain. He couldn’t even see the attacks coming.

If that last one had been a sword instead of a fist? Or if he had used proper martial arts?

"Want me to be honest? When you had that all-powerful cheat called divine power, you were actually untouchable. But now? You’re just an old man who knows how to use god powers. What did I do earlier? You think I’d waste special privileges on the likes of you? You saw it when you came out through Makia, didn’t you?"

The technique that had driven Makia into the ground multiple times.

Poseid remembered it.

"Makia is thousands of times stronger than you are right now. What? You want to show me power and technique, you pathetic bitch?"

A vicious grin split Dre’s face. He pulled his fist all the way back as if delivering the finishing blow.

"You don’t even have any real skill."

Bang!

"!"

Dre’s eyes widened slightly. His fist had been repelled.

He had used Space Sword to punch across dimensions, yet it was blocked?

"Why so surprised? I merely froze the space…"

"......"

"Most of my authorities are sealed, but a few remain… One of them lets me take on the traits of aquatic creatures."

Poseid grinned hideously as his muscles swelled and power surged through him.

"Muscle Scorpion. Water Eater. By borrowing the strength of these two monsters, my physical power has increased dramatically. And as long as water is nearby, my physical abilities multiply several times over for a short time…!"

As proof, Yeo Deure’s previously invisible attacks were now clearly visible.

"Come at me whenever you want…! And then taste despair, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠you foolish mortal who dared challenge a god—!"

Slice. Thud.

"...?"

"I told you not to open your mouth."

"Ah, ah, uwaaaaaaaaaah!!"

Poseid screamed as he saw his severed arms fall to the ground with a wet thud. His body suddenly tilted. His legs had been cut.

He couldn’t even scream anymore. He simply blinked, unable to process the impossible reality.

"Don’t worry."

"......"

"Chopping you into big chunks ends here. From now on… I’ll carve you piece by piece, one strip of flesh at a time."

".....!!"

What he felt wasn’t rage but something far more unfamiliar.

Poseid instinctively activated his final authority. It was Mind Realm Declaration.

For a true deity, a Mind Realm was as natural as breathing—a personal field. It was fundamentally different from what users employed.

But with all restrictions imposed by Equality, the divine space could only manifest in the form of Mind Realm Declaration.

Kwaaaaaaaaah!

Blue Runar instantly enveloped Dre and Poseid, creating a new space.

Mind Realm Declaration.

Abyss of the Water God.

Darkness descended.

No—it was darker and colder than pitch black… the bottom of the sea.

".....!"

"Puhahahahahaha! You fool! You let your guard down!"

This place was deeper than any ocean. No human could withstand this pressure—

"...Are you kidding me?"

Whoosh!

The water around Dre—and even around Poseid—exploded outward.

"What..."

"Even average users could handle this much. And you call this pathetic thing a Mind Realm?"

Crack… Craaaack…

"At least make it make sense."

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

Crash!!

The darkness shattered like glass, and Poseid and Dre were thrown back into the original cavern. The Mind Realm had been destroyed.

But Dre didn’t even consider it worthy of being called a Mind Realm Declaration. It was an insult to the very term.

Poseid didn’t even notice the single drop of cold sweat rolling down his cheek.

All he could think was that if he took his eyes off the enemy before him, he would die.

The God of Water unconsciously changed his goal. No longer was it forcing Yeo Deure to his knees during the duration of Equality. Now it was simply surviving until Equality ended.

"Oh? What’s this, Poseid?"

With a creepy, wicked laugh, Dre’s fist sank deep into Poseid’s solar plexus.

"Krrrrgh…?!"

"Scared?"

As he prepared a follow-up, a loud splash rang out.

"Hm?"

Poseid’s body had turned into water. In the next instant he had reformed far away.

"You really do have a lot of cheap tricks."

"Huk… huk…"

"From now on I’m going to ask questions. Answer honestly and I’ll lower the torture intensity. Understand?"

"...This is humiliation."

"Huh?"

Poseid shed hot tears from both eyes. Dre stared blankly for a moment, then burst into laughter.

"What? Are you that upset about getting beaten by me? Then maybe you shouldn’t have been such a pathetic weakling."

"...This is humiliation. To think that I… that I would have to ‘use’ my beloved children."

"...Huh?"

Gurgle. Glug glug.

The rising water wrapped around Poseid. At the same time, Dre sensed that something about Poseid had changed from before.

"Yeo Deure. You must have heard it before. That we deities were once absolute gods in our own worlds."

"......"

"I will teach you exactly what that means—"

Splash.

"...Mmph?"

His pronunciation was off because his torso had been sliced vertically clean in half.

Dre lowered his blue blade with a look of genuine disgust.

"Ah, you fucking idiot… I was trying to hold back."

"...Eh, kuhk..."

"Who told you to start getting all sentimental?"

Thud.

The sound of the bisected Water God collapsing echoed.

With his eyes wide and trembling, he stared at the approaching Yeo Deure… at that monster.

"So? What can you even do in that state?"

The preliminary participants forgot about the creatures’ attacks and simply stared at the scene in a daze.

Mari muttered blankly.

"A human… defeated a god?"

Dre didn’t answer that it wasn’t over yet.

Because it soon would be.