Leveling with the Gods

C466

Sitting on the soft clouds, Foolish Chaos looked down under the purple-tinted clouds.

Slash!

A red line was drawn, and a massive tentacle was cut off.

It wasn't the use of a special ability or the deployment of extraordinary power.

It was simply a cut, utilizing the sharpness of Kusanagi.

"Hmm..."

Foolish Chaos watched the scene with one hand holding his chin.

It was as if he were enjoying an entertaining show.

The fight continued.

Purple waves relentlessly covering the sky.

YuWon's sword moved like a net, drawing patterns in the air.

Then...

Swish~

Slash!

The oncoming waves shattered into a thousand pieces. Since the beginning of the fight, YuWon focused on controlling his energy while wielding his sword.

Foolish Chaos: "I wondered where you went."

Why didn't he appear until now?

And why did he decide to do so right now?

The questions tangled. Although the being he sought finally appeared, he wasn't very pleased.

"Is this also your doing?"

An ominous feeling emanated from the workshop. It felt uneasy, as if a beast were showing its fangs from behind.

That shouldn't be completed. He moved with the certainty that it shouldn't be allowed to happen, but then Kim YuWon appeared.

"Are you so concerned about that?"

The mist enveloping Foolish Chaos spoke. It was only a small part, but it had come with Foolish Chaos.

"I'm not the only one, right?"

-Then, should we hurry? Before that thing lets out its first scream.

The being that always appeared whenever the purple sky manifested.

It probably wouldn't be different this time.

“I know.”

-Then...

"There's no other way to hurry it. It's already out of my control to allow those beings to cross the border."

Out of his control?

The mist, which didn't immediately understand the meaning of those words, floated around Foolish Chaos for a moment.

So for a while.

-Maybe...

With a thought that he didn't want to believe, the mist began to tremble unstably.

Maybe? There were no words to continue. It was because of the name that he didn't dare to speak aloud.

But, as if mocking that mist.

“Yog-Sothoh has moved.”

Foolish Chaos looked down, lifting his gaze.

"Anyway, soon the wall will collapse."

Kwaout!

Arcane Power surged into Kusanagi. The cut tentacles fell to the ground, releasing a viscous substance.

"Huff..."

The moment he released the breath he had been holding, a drop of sweat fell from his forehead.

Just one drop.

But that single drop was the problem.

'There are too many.'

They kept accumulating. At some point, there were more than he cut.

He couldn't help it.

He couldn't afford to exhaust his stamina to conserve Arcane Power.

['Uranus Heart' creates 'Lightning Bolt.']

Craaack!

A golden spear formed in YuWon's hand.

Holding it tightly, he threw it into the sky.

Then...

Flash!

Bum!

The golden wave engulfed the purple sky and clouds.

The tentacles turned into black ashes, dispersing.

[You have defeated ?.]

[You have defeated ?.]

[You have defeated... ]

[... ]

[Arcane Power has slightly increased.]

According to the System, Arcane Power that hadn't increased much during all this time had barely gone up.

Although Lightning Bolts consumed a lot of Arcane Power, this wide-ranging attack showed maximum efficiency.

YuWon raised his head to look at the sky again.

The sky, which briefly turned golden when the Lightning Bolt exploded, returned to a darker purple than before.

It was a quicker response than he had expected.

"... Has Sothoth already moved?"

It was a murmur from YuWon, almost simultaneous with Foolish Chaos.

Ba-dump!

The core of his heart was heating up.

Along with that burning sensation, a message arrived.

['Holy Fire' trembles.]

['Holy Fire' has decreased in proficiency.]

['Holy Fire' has decreased in proficiency.]

['Holy Fire'...]

A message that repeated incessantly.

The proficiency of the Holy Fire skill was decreasing. It was something he had never experienced or heard of in his entire life.

'What's happening?'

In that moment of confusion in not understanding the situation, the air temperature surrounding YuWon and the workshop suddenly changed.

Firee-!

The air enveloping YuWon and the others in the workshop changed drastically, feeling sultry and even hot. And purple-flamed fires filled the area around the workshop.

It wasn't YuWon's flames. The world's landscape turned into a hellfire, as if the 11th floor had changed to Muspelheim.

A world instantly turned into a sea of flames.

Although the Olympus players on the 11th floor rushed to evacuate the residents, considerable damage was still expected.

'Flames...?'

The owner of flames similar to Holy Fire.

There was a presence that came to his mind.

'I think I know who it is.'

Firee, firee-!

The purple flames enveloping the world shot up, creating countless columns of flames that seemed threatening.

As if they were intimidating.

No...

['The Dancer Who Dances With Fire' proclaims its name.]

As if it were shouting.

"It was you."

YuWon's eyes glowed.

When he encountered those flames, he had an idea of who might be calling that 'name.'

Firee-!

["The Dancer Who Dances With Fire" has discovered its own name.]

[Holy F--- rejects you.]

[The mastery of ----- resets.]

The name Holy Fire appeared blank. While listening to the confusing message, YuWon walked towards the columns of flames that appeared in front of him.

And at that moment...

["Flames of Death and Corruption" chooses a new owner.]

The true name of Holy Fire was revealed through the message.

Kaang-!

Unaware of the commotion outside, Hephaestus struck his hammer.

The Edge of Nightfall and the Otherworld Sword almost perfectly blended. The tempering process also came to an end, and now only the final work remained.

Firee-!

The vibration of the flames was felt.

For a while now, Hephaestus had been uncomfortable, wondering why he suddenly felt so at ease.

"I need stronger fire."

For the first time, a different thought emerged than hammering. Hephaestus turned his head.

"You don't ignite the fire properly..."

Firee-!

The flames gradually faded.

The shape of the huge flames gradually disappeared, leaving only ashes. He didn't know since when, but YuWon was no longer there.

"Where did he go?"

Surely, he should have been here without moving, ordering him to ignite the fire properly.

Without the flames that YuWon kindled, the work could no longer proceed properly. Although he could have used the flames Apollo gave him and worked diligently on the hammering, it wouldn't be enough to finish properly.

"This guy couldn't handle his new position..."

Tremble-!

There was a shake in the workshop as if something had exploded.

The senses, numbed by hammering, returned to him. The commotion outside was loud, and although he didn't bother to go out, he could have a general idea of the situation.

"...A fight?"

Every time a purple sky appeared, something strange happened, and here too, it seemed chaotic.

Swik-!

Hephaestus looked at the sword he held with the tongs.

Although it was an unfinished work, maybe he should throw it.

Firee-!

Within the purple flames.

The burning heat enveloped his face. The columns of flames threatened YuWon from various places.

'Maybe this is how Ahjussi felt?'

Hot and fiery.

How could Hephaestus have lived his whole life in a place like this? It was truly amazing.

Boom!

When he entered the flames, a huge pillar rose.

Unlike the other pillars, this one blocked YuWon's way.

-That name is not yours.

The voice of the flames resonated.

Seeking the flame that YuWon had, it fiercely stirred.

And then, right after...

Aaaaah!

The flames burning around YuWon instantly engulfed him.

Frrr, frr-

YuWon, shrouded in purple flames, covered his face with one hand. Although the flames were quite intense, YuWon had other flames even without Holy Fire.

["Heart of Fire" consumes the "Flames of the Giant and Demon."]

["The Flames of the Giant and Demon" resist against "The Dancer Who Dances With Fire."]

Frrk, frrr-

Red flames burned on YuWon's body.

Those flames pushed the purple flames outward. Amidst the fiercely clashing flames, a face that looked human appeared.

-That name is mine. Give me my name.

The name seemed to refer to Holy Fire.

Holy Fire. Gained in the trial on the 10th floor, a flame from outside the Tower.

YuWon remembered how astonished he was the first time he saw it. He had always thought that the day would come when he would meet the owner of those flames.

And now...

Holy Fire. An entity that had lost the name "Flames of Death and Corruption" was furious in front of him.

Of course...

"It seems to be the same. The lame spirit that lost a leg."

Whatever it was, YuWon didn't care much about that story.

In fact.

"Do you really like that name so much?"

YuWon laughed at the face that appeared in the flames.

"If you can take it, try it, Tulzscha."

Frrrr~

Perhaps because he had heard the provocation.

The flames surrounding YuWon trembled for a moment. It was a reaction as if he were asking how he knew his name.

Tulzscha.

It was the true name of the Outer with the names "The Dancer Who Dances With Fire" and "Flames of Death and Corruption."

It wasn't the first time YuWon had seen Tulzscha. He had seen him at least twice.

Once was in a very distant future. It was when the war with the Outers had just begun.

'Many people died to stop that flame.'

Widespread flames. At that time, he remembered that many died because there weren't enough Rankers to stop it.

After appearing once, Tulzscha disappeared somewhere and barely remained in memory. Furthermore, Tulzscha's flames and Holy Fire had similar colors but had completely different properties.

-You can't use that name correctly. It's too much for you.

"Of course. Because only now have I realized that was the name."

From a skill called "Holy Fire" to a "flame" called "The Flames of Death and Corruption."

The moment he recognized the name, the name also began to recognize YuWon differently.

"But well. It seems you're gravely mistaken about one thing."

Frrk~

The color of the flames emanating from YuWon's body changed.

["The Flames of Death and Corruption" recognizes a new owner.]

A brilliantly bright purple flame. The color burned much darker and more beautiful than YuWon was used to, and slowly began to engulf Tulzscha's flame.

"That name is not yours."

As if the owner was sure of himself.

The owner of the name smiled at The Dancer Who Dances With Fire before his eyes.

"Isn't it?"

YuWon had seen him at least twice.

Once in a very distant future...

"The other time was a very long time ago. (Az#t##th)"