Leveling with the Gods

C290

There was a moment of silence.

Son OhGong, standing at the top of Ru Yi Bang, awaited Indra's reaction with a perplexed expression.

"Is he already dead?"

He tilted his head and looked down, beneath Ru Yi Bang.

As Indra showed no signs of reaction, Fafnir looked at Vritra.

-What happened?

In fact, Fafnir had called for Vritra's help.

But the presence of Son OhGong, who had come with them, was unexpected for Fafnir.

Vritra responded to his question.

-We can't capture that guy on our own.

Indra.

The Dragon Slayer, the natural enemy of their race, held the title of Dragon Slayer just as the Giant Slayer, Heracles, did with the Giants. Indra gained an unreasonable advantage over Dragons in such situations.

For example, the Magic Power of Dragons couldn't touch Indra's body.

-We need external assistance.

-So, we need help from humans?

-Is there any other way?

-Still...

-If the price we have to pay to preserve the pride of our race means the destruction of our species, then it's not worth it.

Vritra's words silenced Fafnir, who was showing his fangs towards Son OhGong.

He wasn't wrong.

Pride.

It was too high a price if the species had to be destroyed just to protect that insignificant pride.

The problem was that they still didn't trust humans as a species.

The times they had suffered under Indra had been so long.

Then...

Gugu, gugug-.

The ground shook, and Ru Yi Bang, beneath Son OhGong's feet, trembled.

OhGong's gaze widened with the hope that it wasn't what he thought.

"Eh?"

Tremble-.

Ru Yi Bang lifted slightly.

Indra, who was below, lifted OhGong along with Ru Yi Bang with one hand.

"The Ru Yi Bang..."

Thud, thud, thud-.

Muscles coiled around Indra's arm.

OhGong blinked at the flow of Arcane Power he felt beneath his feet.

"It can't be..."

Buuuuung-.

Ru Yi Bang soared upwards.

Indra, holding Ru Yi Bang in his hand, launched it straight into the sky.

At the same time, Indra appeared above Son OhGong's head.

Zap-.

His fist was filled with powerful lightning.

Kaboom-!

He struck down with his fist.

Thud-.

The end of Ru Yi Bang sank into the ground. OhGong's eyes rolled back, and his body trembled as he received the impact of the lightning.

Clang, clang, clang-!

Indra's fist relentlessly pounded OhGong's body. In the end, Indra tightly grabbed OhGong's neck, preparing to slam him to the ground.

No.

He tried to slam him to the ground.

Crack-.

A gripping force seized Indra's arm. Son OhGong, hanging from Indra's arm, smiled.

"Hey, you..."

Flick-.

Indra's face was reflected in the Golden Cinder Eyes.

"You're really strong."

Yu Won encountered Zeus.

Zeus came out after preparing himself, and he was alone.

"Asura and Harggan, where are they?"

"They have already left. Harggan isn't really necessary in this fight."

"I see."

Asura moved first. He would probably be the first to arrive.

The battle erupted faster than expected. It was probably because Ragnarok had occurred more swiftly than anticipated.

"We'll have to hurry. Before Asura catches up with that guy."

He briefly conveyed the situation on the other side to Zeus.

Indra fighting Fafnir. Son OhGong joining the battle alongside Vritra.

Even with those three, they possessed tremendous power. Although Indra was the natural enemy of Dragons, with Son OhGong also present, things were getting complicated for him.

But if Asura were to join them too...

"It will be too easy."

"Yes, too easy."

Zeus responded to Yu Won's murmurs.

"Our strength surpasses theirs. If the four of us join forces, even if I'm the last to join, we will surely succeed."

Yu Won shared the same thought.

There was no doubt about Indra's strength. His ranking proved it.

However, despite that, Yu Won's side had much greater power.

"Strategy, tactics. We don't need them to such an extent. Even now, I want to rush without worrying about those things."

"Are you anxious?"

"I learned that from our fight."

The Destruction of Olympus.

In that fight, Zeus was defeated by Yu Won.

At that time, Yu Won was much weaker than he is now.

"What seemed easy turned out to be more difficult. Variables always exist everywhere."

Vague feelings and uncertainties.

A sense of vagueness and unease.

But Zeus had lived long enough to know that sometimes groundless anxiety was safer.

"If something is happening..."

Yu Won looked at his player kit in his hand.

"I will receive a message. I'm sure of it."

And so it was.

Whoosh!

A gust of wind suddenly blew in front of Yu Won, causing him to murmur.

"That's it."

The wind brought with it an Alter Ego of OhGong riding the Flying Nimbus. Sending an Alter Ego instead of communicating through the player kit meant that the situation was so urgent that he couldn't send a calm message.

"It must be an Alter Ego he sent."

An Alter Ego capable of riding the Flying Nimbus was a rather quick way of communicating.

Yu Won had specifically entrusted him to transmit information in case events diverged from the initial plan.

And it was Son OhGong, out of all the possibilities, who did it.

Yu Won believed that even in a situation like this, OhGong would provide him with information.

And this time, OhGong didn't betray that trust.

"It's an Alter Ego, right? I've never seen one before."

Son OhGong had the same face as him.

Zeus, who saw it for the first time, showed an amazed expression.

Descending from the Flying Nimbus, OhGong looked at Zeus, and then opened his mouth.

"I encountered Indra."

"I know. I thought that would happen around this time."

"But that guy is really strong."

Son OhGong was saying that he was strong.

Such cases were rare. Opponents with a strong sense of pride rarely acknowledged their opponents unless they were truly formidable.

How strong must he be?

As Yu Won was thinking about that, he received the continuation of the message from the Alter Ego.

"It seems that guy has broken through the ceiling."

"He broke through the ceiling?"

"What did you say?"

Yu Won wasn't the only one surprised.

Zeus was too.

Taking long strides toward OhGong's Alter Ego, Zeus grabbed him by the shoulders.

"Did you just say Indra broke through the ceiling?"

"Yes, that's what I said."

Blurring... the figure of the Alter Ego became fuzzy.

And then...

"I'm busy with urgent matters on the other side, I'm leaving."

Poof!

The duplication turned into debris of magical energy and disappeared without a trace.

Yu Won and Zeus.

Both stood there with the same bewildered expression. Son OhGong's words hit their heads like a hammer.

"The ceiling..."

The ceiling of the Tower.

The World beyond Floor 100, the World above the Rankers' Rating.

That's what Zeus yearned for so much. And it was also the reason why Zeus sought so much power.

But it turns out Indra broke through that ceiling.

On the other hand, the impact on Yu Won was different from Zeus'.

"I'll have to change my plans."

This was the biggest variable of all considered.

At this moment, Yu Won didn't know that Indra had broken through the ceiling. That meant he had become an existence on a completely different level.

If that was the case, Son OhGong, Fafnir, and Vritra.

Just with those three fighting on the battlefield, they wouldn't be able to defeat Indra in any way.

"We need to establish positions."

Position referred to their focus on close combat, ranged combat, and the overall flow of battle, each fulfilling their role.

When fighting as a team, establishing perfect positions increases collective strength and provides a way to defeat stronger opponents.

They had concluded that they couldn't defeat Indra with a conventional fight.

For High-Rankers, individual power isn't effectively used against dozens or hundreds of Rankers.

Especially for someone like Zeus, who was the leader of a Great Guild and considered one of the top High-Rankers, it made no sense to worry about positions.

However...

"I will throw the spear."

Fortunately, Zeus was not someone who clung to his pride in situations like this.

Even a lion does its best when hunting a rabbit.

Not to mention the fact that not doing one's best to hunt a larger and fiercer beast than oneself was far from being a king.

"Since you have the ability to turn into a giant, you will stop his attack. It may be difficult for you alone, but with the Great Sage, Heaven's Equal, and Asura by your side, you will be able to withstand it."

"No."

Yu Won shook his head.

"I will throw the spear."

Zeus furrowed his brow.

At a time when they didn't have much time.

He didn't want to start a dispute over something trivial.

Besides, he also felt that Yu Won and he had similar thoughts, so he didn't think they would have differences on this matter.

"Did you forget who I am?"

Fzzt-.

"I am Zeus."

The tip of his fingers filled with a golden Lightning Bolt.

Despite losing his 'Lightning Bolt,' it instantly formed into the shape of a spear.

When looked at closely, it was even more astonishing.

Even without the power of the item, he could construct a spear with such speed and an amount of Arcane Power comparable to his own.

"Only Odin can throw a more outstanding spear than me."

Speaking with confidence that reached the heavens.

He had enough qualification to do so.

However...

"A few days ago, I gained a small thing."

This time, Zeus's thoughts were wrong.

Tststst-.

A black spear emerged in Yu Won's hand.

And as its form revealed itself, Zeus's eyes widened more and more.

"I will be the one to throw the spear."

Crack!

OhGong's fist struck Indra's chin.

The punch resounded loudly. Even his tough fist had difficulty piercing through Indra's body.

Crackle, Fzzt-.

A suit of blue lightning enveloped Indra's body.

That was why OhGong couldn't penetrate it.

"A head-on clash... is not the best option."

Indra's hand reached out.

"It wouldn't be a favorable choice."

Whack-.

A swiftly extended hand.

It would grab Son OhGong by the neck and bury him into the ground.

But...

Whoosh-.

Indra's hand passed through empty air.

It was close.

OhGong's hand, which had evaded Indra's hand, was now gripping the Ru Yi Bang.

"Grow-."

The tip of the Ru Yi Bang pointed at point-blank range.

"Ru Yi."

Thump!

The extended staff pushed Indra's body and sent him flying through the air. The tip of a distant mountain peak crumbled as Indra soared high into the sky.

Cold sweat dripped from his forehead.

As his vision became blurry, the clarity of his sight sharpened more than ever.

Son OhGong spun his body.

"So those are the Golden Cinder Eyes."

Indra stood before his eyes.

There was a wound on his chest. It was a wound caused by the impact of the staff he had just received.

"It's really complicated. It seems like I can grab him, but I can't..."

Although he murmured as if this truly was something difficult, Indra still felt calm. Instead, it was Son OhGong who seemed taken aback by the situation.

Despite receiving the blow from the staff at such close range, he only had such an insignificant wound.

'He's stronger than Heracles.'

Of course, Indra's body wasn't the most important thing.

Crackle, Fzzt-.

Through the Golden Cinder Eyes, the flow of magical energy surrounding Indra could be seen.

A suit of lightning enveloping Indra.

If he couldn't penetrate that armor, it would be impossible to strike Indra.

But...

'There are no weak points.'

There was no way to break through it with the Ru Yi Bang. Not even in the Golden Cinder Eyes could any weak points be seen.

So, there was only one way.

'There's only one strike powerful enough to pierce through the armor.'