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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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Chapter 133: First Battle with Olympus (1)
"Ugh...!"
Inside the massive lightning barrier, another bolt struck down.
Yellow lightning enveloped Hercules’ head and both arms.
He struggled to break free, but it didn’t seem easy.
Surrounding Hercules was a group of warriors—twenty in total.
They resembled the Greek soldiers I’ve seen before, but their attire was more relaxed.
Are all of them S-rank?
"Who are you?!"
"That man is a top-priority target for elimination."
"He’s a Soul God."
"Four of you, handle him."
Even with my sudden appearance, the warriors didn’t seem nervous.
Instead, they split up and moved toward me.
Spears, swords, and bows are aimed at me.
"Lord Zeus has ordered your death. I will take your head."
"I heard he’s a low-tier god. Let’s finish this quickly."
The warriors look skilled.
Stronger than Pollux, even.
But unlike back then, my danger sense hasn’t activated.
Swish!
One warrior charged at me like a bullet.
He’s faster than Pollux, but I can read his movements clearly now.
"I’ll be the one to—"
Too slow, too many openings.
At this level…
Squelch!
"Guh...!"
My soul sword pierced his throat effortlessly.
He clutched his neck, letting out a choked scream before collapsing.
His soul barrier was torn apart with ease.
His body ignited in white flames and vanished instantly.
Seeing their ally disappear in an instant, the enemy hesitated.
"Askleos was erased just like that...?"
"Is he really a low-tier god? He’s far too strong."
"Contact Zeus immediately. He needs to be restrained."
The enemy moves in perfect coordination.
Ten continued to keep Hercules surrounded, while nine prepared to face me.
Are they all skilled warriors?
They’re not careless anymore, and their formation is quick.
"Kim Jiho… run! These warriors are Ares' subordinates. Soon, Ares himself will descend!"
Hercules shouted at me while fighting back against his captors with his still-free legs.
Ares… the god of war.
He always gets outplayed by Athena, but he’s still a deity.
A direct confrontation with a god might be too much right now.
"Then I’ll go all out..."
I unleashed my full soul energy.
My soul body strengthened, and my soul sword expanded.
The blade stretched long.
I also summoned my phoenix.
The creature emerged, its entire body now glowing white-hot.
It looked at me and flinched in surprise.
[Master, have you already become a mid-tier god? Your power is immense.]
"Something like that. Let’s break through them at full force."
[Understood.]
The phoenix ignited into white flames and charged at the enemy first.
I follow right behind.
"Stop them!"
The nine warriors threw spears and shot arrows.
Their weapons aren’t uniform, and their timing varied.
But each attack is at a master’s level.
A single thrown spear split into hundreds, while arrows multiplied mid-air to form a blue barrier.
Are they attacking and defending at the same time?
But I can see through all their movements, and my danger sense still isn’t activating.
Fwoosh!
The spears failed to penetrate the phoenix’s flames and fell, burning.
The barrier was shredded apart like paper.
"Soul Barrier!"
Three warriors stepped forward, wielding swords and shields.
As they activated Soul Barrier on their shields, the white barriers grew massive—like a towering wall.
The phoenix’s charge was momentarily halted.
[That shield is quite sturdy… I can’t break through.]
"Step aside for a moment."
With the space cleared, I thrust my sword.
Squelch!
The barrier is pierced instantly.
As soon as a hole formed, cracks spread across the entire shield, and it shattered.
"This is insane…!"
"Scatter and stall him! We just need to buy time!"
The moment the shield was broken, the warriors retreated swiftly.
But I’m faster.
I slashed the closest warrior with my sword.
Before he can dodge, his soul body was cleaved in half.
"Kh…! I… I’m fading…! My immortal body…! Aaargh!"
He watches his upper body burn, screaming in despair before vanishing.
I checked my SP after eliminating him.
Was it because my efficiency had improved?
About ten million SP was consumed.
When I fought Pollux, I lost over three hundred million, but now the SP consumption had drastically decreased.
At this rate, I could take down all twenty of them.
"One strike…!"
"Don't engage! Fall back!"
The enemies didn’t block my way to Hercules; instead, they moved aside.
They immediately realized they couldn’t match me and chose to keep their distance, only attempting to hinder me from afar.
If I had more time, I would have chased them down immediately…
But I didn't.
"Phoenix, take care of them."
[Understood. With this much power, it should be more than enough.]
The Phoenix kept the enemies who had backed away in check.
Meanwhile, I closed the distance to where Hercules was.
His arms were bound by lightning, and he fought using only his legs.
Boom!
He kicked away spears and arrows flying toward him without hesitation.
Despite the enemies' relentless attacks, he blocked them all with just his legs.
In fact, he even managed to launch sharp counterattacks, deflecting weapons back at his foes.
It was incredible how he fended off more than ten enemies’ attacks at super speed.
If he hadn’t been restrained by Zeus, the gods here would have had their heads shattered in an instant.
"Tch… As expected of Hercules."
"The Soul God is coming too."
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
Join our Discord for release updates!
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"Fall back for now!"
As I approached, the warriors scattered like a receding tide.
I thought they'd be ready to fight to the death to protect their divine status, but they fled without even looking back.
"Hah… Just as I thought, Ares' men. More thugs than soldiers."
Hercules smirked as he watched them flee.
Then, when he turned to look at me, he urgently gestured toward the lightning restraining him.
"Zeus’ lightning—can you cut it? Since it's an EX-ranked lightning, it's quite troublesome."
"I’ll give it a shot."
"I'll try to shake it off as much as I can."
I swung my sword at the lightning binding his right arm.
Bzzzzt.
The moment my blade made contact, it was blocked for the first time.
It felt like striking steel—my sword didn’t budge.
This was on a completely different level from the previous lightning barriers.
"Focus Enhancement. Soul Energy Emission."
I hated wasting SP, but I had no choice.
I activated Focus Enhancement and slashed again.
This time, my sword began to cut through, little by little.
"Wait… why are you only using Soul Energy Emission?"
"Huh? What do you mean? This is the strongest attack I have."
"Hmm…? That’s odd… Never mind. Just keep going."
Hercules gave me a curious look but said no more.
Instead, he channeled power into his right arm and yanked downward.
Snap.
The lightning rope started to break apart.
With Hercules’ raw strength adding to the effort, the lightning shattered and vanished.
"Alright! Now the left one!"
"Got it."
I repeated the process, cutting through the lightning on his left arm.
"Stop them!"
[I will handle it.]
The enemies who had fled earlier now rained arrows and spears upon us from a distance.
But the Phoenix spread its wings wide, turning into flames and forming a protective barrier.
While it held them off, I quickly severed the left-side lightning as well.
Now, only one remained—the golden lightning embedded in Hercules’ head.
Unlike the ones binding his arms, this one was much thicker and sturdier.
And yet, he remained standing despite having such a thing lodged in his skull.
"Here goes!"
I struck it with my fully enhanced attack.
But nothing happened.
When I cut the ones on his arms, I could feel my blade slicing through, even if slowly.
This one, however, didn't even get a scratch.
BANG! BANG!
I struck again and again, but it was useless.
Was the one in his head the real core of the restraint?
"Ugh…!"
Growing impatient, Hercules exerted more force.
He grabbed the lightning with both hands and pulled it taut.
His muscles swelled to an insane degree, and a murderous aura surged from his entire body.
"Go higher!"
I leaped above him and started hacking at the lightning like chopping wood.
Once, twice…
Even after dozens of strikes, it didn’t move.
"RAAAHHH!"
Hercules let out a mighty roar and strained with all his might.
Only then did my blade finally start to cut through.
I concentrated my attacks on the spot that had slightly caved in.
I must have struck it hundreds of times.
KRRRRRRRRR
Thunder rumbled across the sky.
And at last, the cursed lightning shattered.
The moment he was freed, Hercules took off running.
"This way! We're heading to the main body!"
He was sprinting toward the coastline beyond the mountains.
His main body—the "Lone Colossus"—was waiting there.
It had only been a second since he spoke, yet he had already become a distant speck.
He was incredibly fast.
I hurried after him.
"Those guys……."
"Don't pursue them. If we go after them, we'll just die."
"Ares will be here soon."
"This actually works out well. If he eliminates the Soul God too, Ares will achieve the highest merit."
"It's a shame to lose both of them, but……."
As I ran desperately, I heard the enemy warriors chatting behind me.
Even though they lost us, they didn’t seem too concerned.
They believed that once Ares arrived, he’d easily subdue us.
Their arrogance made me uneasy.
Regardless, under their passive watch, we managed to flee to the shoreline.
Upon reaching the shore, Hercules began to fade away.
Swoooosh!
The ground trembled and fierce waves crashed.
Then, beyond the sea, a massive figure slowly emerged.
A giant made entirely of pitch-black metal—the Lone Colossus.
Its feet touched the sea, while its head reached the sky—a surreal and colossal being.
When I thought it was an enemy, its overwhelming presence struck me with fear.
But now that it's an ally, it feels reassuring.
[With this body, I won’t fall to mere lightning. Come forth, Zeus!]
Hercules lets out a tremendous roar.
The sheer energy within that roar is overwhelming.
It’s not directed at me, so I don’t feel threatened, but the sheer intensity is undeniable.
Had I been an enemy, that roar alone would have sent me sprawling on the ground.
"Ughhh!"
Yeah. Just like those guys back there.
"Just a roar… and it's this strong?!"
The eighteen lower-tier warrior gods who had been cautiously approaching from a distance are now writhing on the ground, clutching their ears.
Blood trickles from their ears, and their limbs tremble violently.
The gap between SSS-rank and S-rank really is like heaven and earth.
As I watched them collapse, my communicator suddenly beeped.
It’s Loki.
[Kim Jiho, where are you?]
"I'm at Eshtar. The Olympus bastards came to capture Hercules, so I've been fighting."
[What? Hercules? Those bastards… is it because of his Soul Reaper skill? Got it. Hold on a bit. I'll send reinforcements.]
With that, Loki abruptly ended the call.
What the hell?
Reinforcements…?
The situation already seems under control.
KRRRRRMM!
The sky rumbled again.
My vision turned red.
My entire body stung—no, it burns.
Danger sense.
Thunder and danger sense together mean…!
"Soul Barrier!"
I activated the barrier and dashed toward the sea.
CRACKLE!
A massive bolt of lightning struck the exact spot I was standing on.
If I had been even a fraction slower or hadn’t activated my barrier, I would have been vaporized instantly.
Even though I dodged, the sheer force of the attack…
I hurriedly check my status screen—just blocking that one attack cost me a hundred million SP.
An EX-rank god’s attack… Is this actually a cheap price to pay?
KRRRRRRRMMMM!
As another strike prepared to descend, Hercules roared.
[Not so fast!]
A violent gust swept through the battlefield as a massive shadow blotted out the sky.
I looked up.
A giant black metallic hand was intercepting the lightning.
It belonged to the Colossus Hercules.
Then, the sky trembled.
[You vermin… You've grown even stronger, haven't you? Ares. I’ve gathered Hercules’ data. Capture the Soul God first.]
The sky, blocked by Hercules’ hand.
Then, suddenly, a single ray of light pierced through.
Hercules groaned in pain.
[Kuh…!]
THUD!
A small hole appeared.
A piece of Hercules' hand vanished entirely.
And through that gap, someone descended.
"Understood, Father. From here on, I’ll handle this myself."
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
Join our Discord for release updates!
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