Leveling with the Gods

C323

Boom-.

A spear was thrust toward Michael's back, aiming to pierce through him.

Michael, breaking the shoulder of an Angel, quickly turned around.

At the same time...

Clang!

Michael's outstretched hand firmly gripped the spear's handle.

"Hng!"

"Thanks."

Swoosh!

Michael easily pushed away the spear that had slightly pierced his back, striking the chest of the approaching Angel.

The Angel was sent flying and crashed into the wall, falling unconscious on the ground. Michael, glancing briefly at the fallen Angel, twirled the spear in his hand.

Whoosh...

"For bringing me this spear personally."

Buuum.

As Michael gripped the spear, the Angels around him hesitated.

There were already dozens of fallen Angels around him. All of them were elites of the Angel Race with abilities close to those of Rankers.

There were even two Archangel-ranked Angels among them.

However, Michael had effortlessly subdued them all without using his main weapon, the spear.

"This is more troublesome than I thought."

Raguel's expression slightly distorted amidst the developing situation.

He had no proper weapon and was surrounded. It was an unfavorable situation for Michael.

But even so, Michael resolved the situation without difficulty.

It was a different situation than expected.

"Maybe I should intervene as well..."

As Raguel took a step towards the sword at his waist.

"Is it much stronger than expected?"

YuWon's voice resonated nearby.

Raguel abruptly turned his head.

When had he approached his side? The fleeting question in his mind was dispelled by the coffee cup beside him.

"Did he remain still all this time?"

Amidst this chaos, YuWon showed not even the slightest movement. When Michael told him to stay put, YuWon remained completely motionless.

YuWon's gaze remained fixed on Michael the whole time.

"No one has died in this fight. Until now, and probably in the future too."

Whoosh...

YuWon turned towards Raguel.

"If you get involved, the story might change, right?"

Tztztztz...

Arcane Power gathered in YuWon's eyes.

[Golden Cinder Eyes]

Perhaps he was careless?

Raguel's body momentarily stiffened as their eyes met.

It was at that moment...

-If you move even a little...

Whoosh...

The tip of a red sword neared Raguel's neck.

-I will cut you.

An ominous aura was transmitted through the blade of the sword. Raguel, swallowing hard, stared back at his opponent.

It was evident from his pale face.

He was definitely skilled enough to behead an Archangel of the Heavens Guild.

"Susanoo..."

A High-Ranker who was once called the strongest of the Three Precious Children.

As the person who controlled all the supplies in the Heavens, it was impossible for Raguel not to have known him while Susanoo led tens of thousands of undead legions and danced across the battlefield with ghostly sword skills.

It was known from previous tests that YuWon could summon Susanoo as an undead.

Maybe Susanoo's skills weren't as good as they were in his prime.

So...

"I have to escape somehow."

Spaaat-.

Raguel's body moved.

He twisted his neck to free himself from the sword and prepared to attack Susanoo directly.

But...

Chaaa!

Raguel's staggering body trembled as blood gushed from his mouth.

In that instant, he didn't understand what was happening.

How...?

-You've been sitting at the desk for too long; you've become quite slow.

"Ugh..."

Just before turning his body, Susanoo's sword moved.

Susanoo's sword was faster than any attempt to dodge it. As Raguel, who was wavering, looked at Susanoo with the intention to counterattack, YuWon's hand grabbed Raguel's head.

Kwaaang!

"Ugh...!"

Raguel, with his head slammed on the ground, writhed.

But strangely, his head, held by YuWon's hand, didn't move at all.

Grrrr-.

Veins on YuWon's arm stood out.

[The strength of a Giant roots itself in your arm]

At the same time Susanoo was summoned, YuWon activated his Gigantification.

"Don't move unnecessarily and stay put."

Grrrr-.

"Mmm, ugh...!"

He felt as if the pressure of YuWon's grip would make his skull explode. Raguel knew very well that YuWon was capable of handling Gigantification, a skill of the Giant Slayer Hercules.

In terms of strength, he couldn't compete with YuWon. That much was clear in his mind.

The unexpected part was Susanoo.

'He's beyond his prime.'

A moment ago, Susanoo's sword moved at a speed that far surpassed Raguel's field of vision.

Moreover, despite being a swift and light movement, the blade of the red sword easily cut through his wings.

Susanoo no longer had the power to command an army of undead, but the speed and power of his sword clearly exceeded the levels of his prime.

'Is this the power of a summon of Kim YuWon?'

The power of the undead depends on the abilities of the Necromancer.

No matter how powerful an undead being is, if the Necromancer is nothing special, they won't be able to unleash their full power.

On the other hand, even the corpse of an ordinary Player could manifest a Ranker-level power depending on the Necromancer's abilities.

In this case, it was the latter.

Raguel, with his head slammed on the ground, looked up at YuWon with a different expression.

"You... You're more dangerous... than we expected."

"Dangerous?"

Kwuuk-.

YuWon's hand tightened.

As if not wanting to escalate things further, Raguel closed his mouth and suppressed a scream.

"I'm glad you figured that out."

YuWon's eyes gleamed as he looked at Raguel.

'His ability isn't all that great compared to his ranking. Is his ranking within the top 100 due to his position as the Chancellor (재상) of Heaven?' (Note: '재상' this word has many meanings, which can be Chancellor, as well as, Chief Executive, Chief Minister, Prime Minister, Minister of State, etc. But for now, I will use 'Chancellor' to refer to this title)

If he was the Chancellor of Heaven, he practically held the role of being second-in-command of a Great Guild. Due to his high ranking, he naturally thought he would have the skills to back it up, but it turned out to be completely different from what was expected.

And thanks to that ability, he had even more certainty.

"You've been promised a position as Chancellor in exchange for succumbing to Metatron's whims."

Tremble~

He could feel Raguel's body trapped in his hand trembling.

As expected.

That moment was enough for an answer.

"For now, stay here quietly and rest," YuWon said as he maintained his grip on Raguel.

Woong...

Crack, crack...

The scattered piles of paper in the library scattered with the wind.

Meanwhile, Michael, who had a spear in his hand, was preparing for the final blow.

"Because I have many questions to ask."

The angels fell to the ground.

A few were seriously injured. And those who were, it was only because they were scratched by the wind, but nothing that endangered their lives.

The tip of Michael's spear stopped.

Finally, Michael looked at YuWon and Raguel.

"Is it over?"

"Yes."

YuWon sat on Raguel's body.

And Susanoo, aiming the tip of his sword at the defenseless Raguel lying on the ground.

Although he occasionally caught their attention during the fight, it was a truly unusual scene.

He, the Chancellor of the Heavens, was lying on his butt under a Human.

"What kind of situation is this, Raguel?"

"...And you, what are you doing, Michael?"

Raguel responded disdainfully.

He himself knew that his current appearance was unbecoming.

"This is a clear betrayal."

"I know."

"Even knowing that, are you doing this?"

"If I am wrong, I will accept the deserved punishment. Whether it's having my throat cut or my soul delivered, I will be willing to endure eternal punishment in Hell."

At first, it was just a simple suspicion.

Michael sought Metatron to resolve his doubts. However, the suspicions grew stronger, and he began moving with YuWon to obtain certainty.

And now that he came here to meet with Raguel...

Suspicions about the Great Heaven Demon War grew even deeper.

"This is..."

"Calm down, calm down."

The edge of Susanoo's sword came closer and closer.

The same one that had threatened Michael with anger moments ago was now trembling and closing his mouth.

YuWon, who was sitting on Raguel's body while waiting for the end of the fight, stood up from his place.

Susanoo, cautiously looking at Raguel as he stood up, showed an ironic smile.

Then...

"That's enough."

Upon hearing YuWon's words, Susanoo averted his gaze and turned around.

Slightly disappointed, he sheathed his sword and spoke.

-I hope to fight someone stronger next time.

"I'll call on you then."

-Alright.

Susanoo returned within YuWon's shadow.

Being a long-time High-Ranker, Michael also knew Susanoo and looked at YuWon's shadow as he spoke.

"You handle someone quite formidable."

"He's useful."

"That sword he held in his hand, was it the Kusanagi?"

"Do you know Kusanagi?"

"I know it's an item coveted by the Three Precious Children. It seemed to have considerable energy."

The Kusanagi Demon Sword.

The Archangel Michael, who possessed unmatched divine energy, immediately recognized the presence of the sword.

"I see. Susanoo should be fine. He has always enjoyed killing people."

"It seems you know him well."

"I'm just stating what everyone knows. There was even an agenda in the Guild for his capture and punishment. But I see Susanoo killed Humans and Angels alike."

The Heavens rarely intervened in the affairs of Humans.

However, the fact that Susanoo's capture and punishment were discussed in the Heavens meant that Susanoo's notoriety was high.

'You're truly something else.'

-...

Though he surely heard everything, Susanoo remained silent.

YuWon sighed quietly as he looked at Raguel.

An evasive look.

YuWon lowered his head and held Raguel's gaze.

"Raguel."

"...I have nothing to say."

"What Metatron is doing is wrong."

Was it due to the provocative words?

Raguel looked at YuWon with fiery eyes.

"How dare you mention his name like that?"

"Don't you have something you've been ordered to do in exchange for the Chancellor position?"

Whether because he had heard a similar story before, Raguel's face showed no change. He only tilted his head in response to YuWon's question.

"There's nothing like that."

"...Really?"

Ging-.

YuWon's eyes gleamed in a golden hue.

"You're lying."

[The "Golden Cinder Eyes" see through lies]

Pff!

"Ugh!"

Raguel's back bent. Feeling the fist plunged into his abdomen, Raguel seemed about to vomit due to the sensation that he could spew blood at any moment.

"There's a world where the art of torture is more developed than in the other hundred worlds, and it's the Murim World!"

Cook, cook-cook-.

YuWon's fingers repeatedly stabbed into Raguel's body.

Then, Raguel's eyes opened as if they were about to tear apart, and pain spread throughout his body like a wave.

"…!"

He couldn't scream. His voice got stuck. An unknown agony ran through his body from his spine to the tip of his head.

"Both Humans and Angels experience pain similarly. I can inflict from several times to tens of times more pain."

Cook, cook-.

YuWon pointed at his own eyes.

"Obvious lies won't work. So, if you're planning to lie again, think carefully."

As long as he had the "Golden Cinder Eyes," lies wouldn't work when looked straight into the eyes.

Unless Raguel bit his tongue, he had no choice but to tell YuWon what he knew.

"I'm tired of asking the same questions, so let's change it," YuWon said.

It was clear that Metatron had promised Raguel the Chancellor position without even hearing his response.

But that wasn't important at that moment.

"It's not possible for the Great Heaven Demon War to have lasted this long without any hidden manipulation."

In the Heavens, Raguel was present.

So...

"Who is the person behind the Demons on the Demon King's side?"

This time it was time to search for the bat on the Demon King's side.