From Today, I'm a Player

Chapter 249. A Horrifying Battle Pt. 9

Asgard was the evidence of the hellish Andlangr that Odin had gone through, which was the darkest point in his life. However, it was also the source of his power.

‘His Territory, Asgard, is special.’

Something that only Odin had—that was what anyone who had ever set foot in Asgard would say. Asgard had a completely different structure and use than the Territories of other Heroes. It was like Merlin’s Territory, which was where the Round Table was hidden.

The fundamental ability of a Territory was to strengthen the owner within its area and weaken any intruders. Yet, Asgard’s fundamental ability was on a different level compared to the others.

There wasn’t a single person who could explain exactly what was so different about it. The moment one set foot within it, they would realize that the Territory was unique. Asgard, which had reigned as the secret organization behind Korea, was the golden castle. Now, its true nature and secret were about to be revealed.

RUMBLE!

The golden castle appeared, tearing apart space and revealing its majesty. Of course, not all of Asgard was revealed as some parts of it materialized across the boundaries of space, flickering like an illusion.

However, there was something different.

RUMBLE!!

After the golden castle appeared, the mana within the entire district of Yeouido greatly fluctuated.

“Snort.”

As Fenrir and Gleipnir prepared to end things, Odin did the same.

RUMBLE!

After revealing itself, Asgard was forcibly distorting space.

“T-the structure of mana is changing!!”

While space’s material form didn’t change, the flow of the countless streams of mana that encapsulated Yeouido began to shift.

Crack!

Some began to burn.

Crack, crack!

While other streams broke off and began to join together at Odin’s gesture. They seemed to be used as fuel for the golden castle’s emergence.

Odin raised his spear with his back to his Territory. No one had launched an attack yet as the very aura of the power that each of them had compiled began to compete in the air. The first to gather all of their strength would move first.

RUMBLE!

The golden castle that twisted mana and shook space began to emit light.

“Wha… What is that?”

Something was coming into existence right now from within the space and mana that was being twisted.

“Is that another Asgard…?”

“No! That’s…!”

A ruined, pitch-black castle was revealed, appearing almost as a blurry afterimage that seemed to split from one to two. Eventually, the dark as a shadow structure fully emerged.

Jeong In-Chang muttered absently while blocking the Valkyries, “Asgard…”

The pitch-black castle seemed exactly the same as the golden castle, and the only difference being that its walls were a dark black, as if it had been destroyed. As they stared at it blankly, the Valkyries, who were covered in wounds from the battle with Jeong In-Chang, began to move, flapping their wings.

Ssss.

They weren’t trying to attack anymore, but rather, they were going back to the two vastly different Asgards. Jeong In-Chang was momentarily taken aback by the sight before soon groaning and falling to his knees.

“Ugh!”

Thud!

He fell to his knees, leaving a deep crater in the ground as a loud rumble resounded. He had lost the power of his Sponsor, Siegfried, and his union with the Princess ended. That wasn’t all. There was something else weighing him down now, something weighing them all down.

“Th…the mana!”

It was an enormous amount of mana that was twisted and arranged according to Odin’s preferences.

“Fenrir…!”

Opposing him, Fenrir emitted a terrifying mana, which weighed upon them, collateral to his battle. Jeong In-Chang kneeled in the dirt, his leg refusing to get up from underneath him.

Thud!

Still, he drew Gram and plunged it into the ground.

Even at this moment, he would be their shield.

“I will protect them.”

All of the mana that weighed upon his companions began to siphon towards Jeong In-Chang.

“Ugh–AGHHHH!”

He chewed his lip, blood dripping down his chin as he shouted at Fenrir.

“Hu…rry…. Up…!”

The black and gold Asgards began to collapse as the light from the two castles began to converge on Odin’s spear.

***

The collapsing Asgards were reduced to pure mana that gathered around his spear. Odin was filled with mana, so much so that he was shaking.

Tremble.

It was a force that could not be endured.

“This is the first time I’ve ever used this power,” Odin said in a tone laced with insanity.

What he said was true. It was the first time since he had ever become a Hunter, a Hero, that he had used this power. He focused only on a single point and poured everything he had into it.

Fenrir and Gleipnir were worth using this power on.

Rumble.

A swirling brilliance enveloped Odin's spear as his Asgard was special. After all, Odin had received two territories all those years ago from Andlangr: a golden castle and a pitch-black castle.

Asgard wasn’t one, but two.

“That was the compensation for the pain I went through.”

The Andlangr that Odin had experienced had been special. It was different from what Chi-Woo, who had experienced it once through his own sponsorship and then again accompanying Zeus’ on his own.

‘I went through the two Andlangrs at the same time.’

Although the time they had spent was the same, the density of their struggles was different. Odin had been forced to live each second as if it were a minute. He had two Sponsors who had sponsored him at the same time, and those bastards had forced upon him two Andlangrs.

It was a double rain of enemies. For him, rest had been like an oasis in a desert, something almost impossible to find. But, after going through all of that, he had been granted two Sponsors and two Territories.

One was the brilliantly shining city of light. Those who had set foot within it weren’t able to see the shadow of the gold. Most probably hadn’t realized that a part of their mana had been taken away by Asgard, stolen by the shadow of Asgard, the pitch-black castle.

It always existed within Asgard and was like a repository for storing the mana taken from the Hunters who set foot in Asgard. And, that repository that was always tightly closed had now opened.

Tremble.

An enormous amount of force that even he couldn’t handle swept through the spear and throughout his entire body. It was a force that felt as if his bones would be crushed and his life would end if he weren’t careful.

“Aaahhh.”

However, Odin could feel an incredible fulfillment under its pressure.

“Aaahhh.”

Moreover, in the mana that surrounded him, he got a glimpse into his inner self and the secrets he had been curious about.

At least in this moment, he was a Sponsor. An afterimage appeared on his face as if his face had been overlaid with another face.

–Are you satisfied?

–This is the truth.

–This is our sincerity.

–You, to us.

–You have taken one step closer.

The voices he didn't want to hear were overlapping in his head. That was another of his secrets that Odin had never told anyone. He could directly hear the voices of his Sponsors, which was something no one else had been able to do.

However, the more they spoke, the more he struggled. Their voices were what he feared most.

‘Nothingness.’

They led to an empty space where nothing, not a single existence, existed. It was a world where there were no targets for revenge and where there was nothing to wonder about.

Thus, he continued to push the voices away. However, the reality was different.

“Khahahaha!”

Odin, who was going insane—he knew.

He knew that his Sponsors had targeted his body from time to time. Hearing these voices meant that the time had come for them to come and steal it away. That was why he struggled so—in order not to have his body taken away. To avoid ending up without being able to get revenge.

However, the mana that filled him at this moment made him think differently.

“I will soon become a Sponsor, and you two will serve at my feet.”

Odin began to feel as though the voices that had been bothering him so much were beneath him, and the power of those who had tried to take everything from him had been stolen in return.

Nothing could stop him anymore, and right now, at this very moment, he had succeeded in his revenge! Although he hadn’t achieved his end goal of killing the Sponsors, since he had taken away their powers, wasn’t this also a great ending?!

Odin, falling deeper into insanity, glared forward with madness in his eyes. The adolescent and the child he saw before him, perhaps because of the twisted mana, appeared to overlap as one.

He couldn’t last much longer. He had to do it like this.

‘Stab forward.’

He gathered all of his strength into a single point. He had gone beyond the power of the Rulers to reach the power of the Sponsors in order to destroy the two before him in a single blow. It would be an honor for them to be sacrificed to this power.

Thus, Odin slowly lowered his spearpoint and aimed it at Fenrir.

CRACKLE!

Gleipnir was nothing more than a parasite. Killing its host, Fenrir, was the way to get rid of it.

“Gungnir.”

A ray of light that seemed like the sun itself condensed and shot forward. Then, at that moment, all Odin saw was a massive steel tooth flying towards him.

‘A tooth…?’

***

Darkness ruled the whole world, as all he saw was black darkness. Odin found himself within the darkness, where not a single flash of light shone.

‘Have I lost my mind?’

He knew that this black darkness was the great power he wielded. He had lost his mind.

‘What a shame.’

He felt regretful at the realization. With the enormous power he wielded, it was very disappointing that he didn’t get to see the results it had.

‘Well, he must be dead.’

Most likely reduced to shards of bones. No, that brat must have died without even leaving behind any dust.

Not only him but also the entire Yeouido. No, everything in a straight line must have turned into dust and disappeared, the same way that the Demon King had sunk England.

Odin smirked, laughing. That Demon King with such overwhelming power—he felt as though he had that Demon King had become equals.

Moreover, he had taken revenge. Instead of his body being stolen, he had actually confined the powers of his Sponsors within and used it for himself, putting the bastards who had always been targeting him under his control.

‘This revenge is only the beginning.’

There were even greater possibilities as Odin saw even greater ambitions. If he continued to refine things like this and polish himself just a little, he would completely absorb the power of his Sponsors. Moreover, as he had said earlier, he would then become a true Sponsor.

If things would go that way, then the whole world…

No, even beyond that.

It could all be his.

His ambition, which had been hidden behind revenge, was revealed.

He could do it all. Even the Demon King could be defeated.

If it was the powers of the Sponsors, then he could do it all.

Odin couldn't help but laugh. He was happy.

‘But why am I not waking up?’

Even though his mind was so clear, the world was still dark. It didn't change as time passed. Almost…

‘Damn it.’

Almost like Andlangr. Was he back in that damn hell?

No. That couldn’t be possible.

No, the backlash was only lasting this long simply because the force he had used had been so enormous, or so he thought as he waited. However, the darkness refused to dissipate.

Odin gritted his teeth in nervousness as a quieting chill descended. It was then that he realized that there was a problem.

‘Something is wrong.’

Odin struggled. However, mana didn’t exist within him anymore, and now, he was just… He was the same as an ordinary human, not a Hunter. The worrying chill grew thicker as nervousness took hold of him and wouldn’t let go.

Then, it was then that he saw it.

‘Ha. Ha… Ha…’

There were huge teeth that were enveloping him like a trap he could never escape from. It was only then that he had realized it.

‘I…’

He had failed.

Crunch.

An eerie cracking sound resounded non-stop.

Crunch. Crunch.