Chapter 303
Chapter 303
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 303
Chapter Title: Clash of Gods
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THUD-!
Thor's Mjolnir slammed down on Athena's shield. The shockwave spread out in all directions, flinging half of the gods who had charged alongside her backward.
Athena, who had blocked it with her shield, staggered as well. It was just one blow, but she could feel the extent of Thor's power.
She had to grit her teeth against the unexpectedly overwhelming strength.
But blocking just Athena alone wasn't enough.
There were still plenty of spearmen and Olympian gods left here.
Whoosh-.
Dionysus's poison engulfed Thor's body. For Thor, who fought with a weapon in hand, Dionysus—who wielded alcohol like a weapon—was a bad matchup.
But then.
BOOM-!
"……!!!"
A bolt of lightning shot from behind Thor, incinerating the poison and flying straight toward Dionysus's head.
The familiar sight caused the entire battlefield to freeze for a moment. Though much weaker, Soo-hyuk's strike resembled that of their king, Zeus.
Soo-hyuk stood a few steps back, parrying the attacks of the gods charging at Thor and protecting him.
In turn, Thor solidly blocked the gods lunging at Soo-hyuk.
Soo-hyuk didn't move a single step.
Trusting Thor to block the path ahead, he focused all his strength on hurling his spear.
RUMBLE-!
The spear left his hand once more and embedded itself in Dionysus's shoulder.
Only then did the gods snap out of it.
They finally realized that not only Thor, but Soo-hyuk was dangerous too.
But it was a little too late.
Soo-hyuk scattered the spears he had prepared in advance across a wide area. Lightning poured down from the sky, and several gods who failed to dodge staggered from the strikes.
CLANG-!
Thor, who had flung Athena away with all his might using his shield, said,
"Those bastards are finally starting to pay attention to you."
"You notice fast."
"You won't be able to just casually throw spears from now on."
"You won't be able to just casually block the front either."
"What? Hahaha!"
Thor laughed incredulously at Soo-hyuk's response. Where on earth did this confidence come from?
Where else? It was the effort and skill honed all this time.
"Is the lightning any good?"
"No."
"Why?"
"Haven't tried it yet. Can't use it right away."
He had acquired lightning, but he wasn't familiar with it yet. No matter how much of a genius Soo-hyuk was, it was hard to fight normally while utilizing a skill he'd just obtained.
Especially if it was something as tricky to handle as lightning.
Right now, he had to hold out as best he could with his existing abilities.
SHWOO-.
A massive arrow sliced through the space between the two conversing men.
Artemis's arrow. And above their heads, flames from her brother Apollo blazed fiercely.
Fwoosh-!
CRACKLE-!
Lightning and flames collided, sending sparks flying everywhere. Whether Apollo's flames didn't affect allies or not, the gods charged through the fire en masse.
"It's a melee."
Born a warrior, he grinned before the blood-soaked battle he'd longed for.
"Hold out well, friend."
CRACK-.
The temple floor flipped over, and the walls crumbled.
The sanctuary-like temple, the highest in Olympus, collapsed.
Hera watched from a safe distance away. She had expected this, but seeing the temple crumble before her eyes filled her with mixed feelings.
"Lady Hera."
Hermes flew to her side.
He knelt in midair and bowed his head toward her.
"The invaders' resistance is fierce. Lend us your strength."
"Invaders?"
Hera's eyes flashed as she gazed at the ruined temple.
"Who are you calling invaders?"
Hera's tone was far from normal.
A faint anger flickered in her previously vacant eyes. Hermes, who had come seeking her aid, sensed something was wrong.
"Wasn't it you who ignored Zeus's final words? Who struck first?"
"Even so, we can't just hand over the lightning to them, can we?"
"Why not?"
"Pardon?"
"It wasn't yours to begin with, so who decided?"
Hermes's mouth clamped shut. No matter what he said, he had no retort to that.
They knew this situation was unreasonable too. Olympus had struck first, not Thor or the human.
But they couldn't back down.
"We can't seat a human on Olympus's throne."
"What they want isn't the throne—it's the lightning."
"Isn't that the same thing?"
"Have your ears gone deaf? You heard it together."
Soo-hyuk had clearly stated in front of everyone that he had no interest in the throne.
But that seemed irrelevant to them.
There was only one thing they wanted.
"You're just greedy pigs who want to seize the lightning and become Zeus."
That was all—seize the lightning by any means and claim the throne of Olympus for themselves.
"Does that mean you're siding with them?"
"Am I an invader now too?"
Fwoosh-.
Hera's killing intent enveloped Hermes. The world seemed to染 in blood, and something sharp as a blade pressed against his throat.
Only then did Hermes realize whom he had dared to speak to so casually.
"I... I'm sorry."
As he barely squeezed out the words from his constricted throat, Hera's mana gradually subsided.
She still held her hands neatly clasped in front of her, as if she had no will to fight.
"I'm merely upholding the previous king's will."
"......Unexpected. Of all people, you were the last one I'd think would."
For a moment, Hera's eyes twitched.
She couldn't deny that. Truth be told, she hadn't expected herself to make this choice either.
Was it her aching heart? Her words came out sharper than usual.
"So you're going to drag me into it?"
"Of course not. You're the queen."
Hermes, who had been kneeling, stood up again.
It seemed impossible to get Hera's help.
'But it doesn't matter.'
RUMBLE-!
Hermes ground his teeth and looked up at the thunder-striking sky.
The god of thunder Thor and the human—their power was undoubtedly stronger than expected.
But this was Olympus.
To fight them, Odin himself would have needed to lead an army, not just Thor.
'They won't last long.'
Hermes took to the skies once more.
The battle had only just begun minutes ago, but it was already heading toward its climax.
Fwoosh-.
The flames engulfing his vision scorched his face. Apollo charged, swinging his flaming spear, then soared high into the sky to crush Soo-hyuk from above.
Soo-hyuk twisted his body reflexively at Apollo's strike. Right after Apollo's attack, support always followed.
SWOOSH-!
An arrow tearing through the air with devastating power grazed his side.
He thought he'd dodged it.
Sizzle-.
The arrow's power rent his side open.
There was no time to tend the wound.
Apollo's pursuing flames left no room for that.
BOOM-!
The moment flames and lightning collided, Soo-hyuk stepped on a bolt of lightning and leaped high upward.
Other gods pursued Soo-hyuk after Apollo. Thor, locked in battle with Athena, also leaped upward by stepping on Aegis.
CRACKLE-!
The output of lightning and thunder reached unimaginable heights.
This fight wasn't about rationing stamina. It was about pouring out everything you had, scraping the bottom, squeezing out every last drop.
He had to unleash it all. Everything he possessed.
Flash-!
"……!"
The strike Soo-hyuk swung unleashed lightning, pushing Apollo back. Apollo's hand went numb from the electricity, causing him to stagger as he tried to move again.
Artemis's arrows then rained down from the sky.
Sizzle-.
Soo-hyuk charged straight into the barrage. Artemis, loading her next arrow, swung her bow in panic as he closed in.
WHOOSH-.
CRUNCH-.
Soo-hyuk dodged the swinging bow and seized Artemis's throat. With the force yanking her neck, he hurled her down toward the base of Mount Olympus with all his might.
FWOOOM-.
"Artemis!"
Seeing his sister fly away, Apollo roared in fury and charged again.
This time, it wasn't just Apollo. Hermes had joined them as well.
Soo-hyuk gritted his teeth, enduring their onslaught.
'Manageable.'
The gods' assault was fierce.
Apollo's flames were intense, Dionysus's poison disorienting. Hermes moved faster than Min-jae, the quickest person Soo-hyuk knew.
Yet Soo-hyuk held out.
BOOM-!
Lightning burst from both his hands, repelling the clinging gods.
His stamina was plummeting at an unprecedented rate.
But like dumping an entire barrel of oil onto a fire, the flames blazed even brighter.
'Light, explosive.'
It was a sensation he'd never felt before.
Mana boiled over. The mana fused with the Hydra's neidan had reached a whole new level compared to before.
Thrown straight into this battle without a chance to test it properly, it was natural to feel different.
The output exceeded what he'd calculated in his head by a full step. The Olympian gods pressing on despite this power felt almost miraculous.
He'd never felt output like this even in his previous life. It finally felt real—he had surpassed the true Lee Soo-hyuk.
He wanted to keep fighting like this.
Until his stamina fully drained, madly, ceaselessly moving and moving.
But Soo-hyuk knew.
The greater the power, the more cautious he had to be. Walls appeared precisely when you felt the greatest strength. Intoxication with power led to mistakes.
He had to keep it in mind.
'This isn't a fight we have to win.'
Knowing the goal clearly prevented the battle from going astray.
A fight to endure, not to win. A fight to survive.
But one where he had to give his all.
Whoosh-.
It was then.
Pitch-black darkness blotted out the sun, draping the sky. His skin felt like it was cracking all over, sending chills down his spine.
From below, darkness thick enough to see its texture approached.
Hades. He was finally making his move.
'That's dangerous.'
First time facing it, but instinct told him.
The moment it enveloped him, no mere injury would end it. Hades's power was closer to death than anything.
Dodge? Block?
The dilemma didn't last long.
Fwoosh-.
The inky darkness suddenly split in two, bypassing Soo-hyuk entirely.
The target wasn't him.
Higher up.
Soo-hyuk's head snapped up, his masked eyes flashing.
'Thor?'
Hades's darkness headed toward Thor, who had been driving back Athena and the Olympian gods.