Translator: Pai_
At the truly overwhelming sight, the mages gasped in shock, but soon regained their composure.
They had already expected that a god would be strong, and Odin was a being who stood at the pinnacle among those gods.
"Just follow behind me."
At Lioner's words, several Masters followed behind him.
Then Terrion also moved to the opposite side.
As the two family heads began to move, the Masters simultaneously split to both sides.
"Let us block the magic."
At the Eastern Commander's words, the mages all nodded in unison.
The Southern and Eastern Commanders, who were the most experienced among the mages, primarily blocked Odin's magic, and the Tower Masters, who had only recently become mages, supported them.
Southern Tower Master Sierra, Eastern Tower Master Cornciel, Central Tower Master Santos, and the newly appointed Northern Tower Master, Mailte Preston, deployed barriers and unleashed their unique magic to block Odin's spells.
With the support of those mages, the Masters quickly approached Odin.
-Did you think you could approach so easily?
As Odin said that, he swung Gungnir.
Then, light burst forth and melted everything around.
Before they knew it, a massive crater had formed where the temple had once stood, and the ground boiled like lava.
And across that seething land, the Masters hurled their bodies forward.
Kwa-kwakwakwang!
-Indeed, for humans, you are quite strong.
Odin evaluated the Masters’ all-out attacks as he spoke.
Each Commander unleashed their final techniques to pressure Odin, but Odin easily blocked them all with a casual swing of his spear.
It was only because they were experienced Commanders that Odin even bothered to swing his spear.
Masters who had only recently ascended, having overcome the wall thanks to system rewards, struggled just to pierce the light that Odin emitted.
"...He's a monster."
Lioner, who was aiming for an opening in Odin’s defenses, muttered as cold sweat trickled down his face.
That was because he understood why the Masters were being toyed with by Odin.
"Mental images... Two? No... including magic, is it three? No... four."
Terrion also furrowed his brow as he looked at Odin.
The magic that was causing the mages to struggle contained the mental image of a Grand Master within itself.
Moreover, each rune that maintained the magic had its own self-awareness.
Even if one managed to pierce through such magic and reach Odin, they were blocked by the mental image contained in the light he emitted.
But that light was not all there was.
Odin himself, having experienced countless battles, was one of the incarnations of the complete body, and his spear technique had reached the supreme realm.
The realm of mental images, which Grand Masters barely attained after countless years of perseverance, was something Odin possessed multiple times over.
And those numerous mental images, accompanied by the knowledge Odin had gained over time, unleashed a terrifying power.
-What are you doing? Come at me.
Odin provoked Lioner and Terrion, who were watching for an opening, as he pressed the Masters.
Even though he fully understood the Commanders’ intentions to open a gap, he deliberately responded to them and waited for the two family heads to come in.
Despite that, the two family heads did not recklessly charge in.
That was because they knew well what their true goal was.
Flinch!
Terrion involuntarily flinched but endured with all his might.
'An opening. A trap... it must be.'
His highly trained senses, sharpened by extreme tension, told him that Odin’s defenses had opened, but Terrion held himself back.
It was the same for Lioner.
-Tsk! How boring.
As if he had lost interest, Odin began to unleash his power in earnest.
He was curious about what the Apostle of the Lord God, Iron, was preparing, but there was no need to take unnecessary risks.
As the light radiating from Gungnir began to spread, the Masters were pushed back all at once.
They tried to cut through the light with Aura Blades, but it was difficult even for Masters to completely block conceptual power.
Then the two family heads moved.
-So you finally move.
Odin looked up at the lights that covered the sky.
Those lights soon began to rain down toward Odin like mad.
Like meteors falling from the sky, each of those auras took the shape of a sharp sword.
-Not bad.
Odin smirked as he looked at Terrion's technique.
In the past, Aura took the form of simple slashes, but now each one clearly manifested in the shape of a sword.
Proof that each Aura was imbued with a mental image.
In contrast, Lioner had manifested only a single lion form.
Yet, the mental image contained in that lion was intense.
A powerful will to tear everything apart was vividly embodied in the lion’s claws and fangs.
At the full-force attacks of the two family heads, Odin gave a faint smile.
-Is this it?
He could now understand why Thor had smiled as he faded away.
It was the competitive spirit he hadn't felt in a very long time.
The all-out attacks of the two family heads, who had reached the realm of heroes, briefly stirred nostalgia in Odin, who always maintained a cold and composed mind.
Even so, it was disappointing.
-You're still far from Transcendence?
Transcendent.
A realm that surpasses the limits of one’s race or mortality.
Even a Grand Master had exceeded human limits to a degree, but had not fully transcended them.
That was why heroes of old had sought to reach the power of the Transcendent, even if only briefly, through technique.
However, the techniques of the two family heads had not yet reached that realm.
They had succeeded in imbuing their attacks with mental images through excruciating effort, but had not been able to refine them with precision.
-How disappointing.
As Odin said this, Gungnir swung toward the full-force attacks of the two family heads.
Then light extended from the spear and instantly tore the lion to shreds.
At the same time, spells exploded from the magic circles that had covered the sky, eradicating thousands of meteors at once.
At such an overwhelmingly majestic display, the expressions of the two family heads hardened.
Nevertheless, they once again unleashed their techniques and charged at Odin.
Seeing this, Odin gave a disappointed look and launched a counterattack at the two Grand Masters.
Each time Gungnir was swung, light scattered and neutralized the two family heads’ attacks.
Moreover, with Odin’s combat experience added in, the two family heads who had charged in were swiftly placed in danger.
Then the Masters who had been pushed back moved in.
They attempted to bind Odin’s movements, even if only for a moment, with their full-power final techniques.
-Annoying pests.
As Odin blocked the Masters' final techniques, the unique spells of the mages rained down from the sky.
Massive ice bound Odin’s feet, thunderbolts fell, and storms formed.
Each one unleashed immense power, but under Odin’s gestures, the attacks formed by runes moved and erased them in mere moments.
Even though all the Masters and mages had wrung out every ounce of their strength for these attacks, they couldn’t last even a few minutes.
The two family heads, having regained their stamina, attacked once more, but Odin pressed them back, as if he'd already seen everything there was to see.
Bang!
"...Kuhk!"
Lioner was flung by Odin’s spear, coughing up blood as he rolled across the ground.
Terrion was also launched high into the air before crashing into the ground.
The Masters and mages as well couldn’t withstand Odin’s attacks and were scattered everywhere, vomiting blood or collapsing.
Watching them, Odin clicked his tongue.
The entertainment was over, and the only thing left was for him to personally exterminate humanity.
Now that he was in the embrace of the Lord God, there was no longer any point in using humans.
Thus, exterminating humanity and using that as a price to summon more external gods to this place was all that remained.
-The entertainment after so long wasn’t bad.
As Odin said this, he raised Gungnir high into the sky.
At that moment, magic circles gathered around Gungnir, and a massive light descended from the heavens.
It was a technique meant to sweep away the Masters, the two family heads, and even Iron, who was preparing something.
Just as the divine light, akin to the judgment of a god, was about to fall, a massive sword rose toward the sky and split it apart.
-Hmm...
That last attack had been the full force Odin could currently unleash.
And it had been annihilated in a single blow.
-Is that what you prepared with Hræsvelgr?
As Odin said this, he looked forward.
A figure with enormous white wings and multicolored wings, along with smaller wings in red, blue, green, black, and white, unfolded before him.
From a body where all kinds of powers were gathered together, an immense force surged forth.
Using the fusion skill granted by the system, Iron had combined all the power he possessed into one, and even Odin felt fear in the face of it.
Even though he had reached a supreme realm, he had to receive such tremendous power into a body that was both restricted and imperfectly descended.
-…This is dangerous.
Even Odin, who had just displayed overwhelming majesty, judged it as dangerous and immediately brought out his full power.
Before anyone noticed, the composure had vanished from Odin’s face.
-Time...
Odin intended to buy time and continue thinking, but Iron moved at once, shattering that plan.
As if not willing to allow even a moment of respite, Iron pressed Odin relentlessly.
Bang! Bang!
-Kuh...
With Iron's frenzied assault, Odin let out a low groan and was continuously driven back.
The aggressive behavior, to the point of seeming desperate, was unlike Iron's usual self.
There was a reason for him behaving this way.
‘Time limit: 10 minutes.’
Iron muttered internally and attacked Odin with all his might.
In response, Odin also committed fully.
Countless magic circles launched spells at Iron, and Odin swung Gungnir, filled to the brim with the power of light.
The spells were completely shattered by the force radiating from Iron’s wings, and even Gungnir, unable to withstand the massive power condensed into Iron's enormous sword, kept being deflected.
At Iron’s current level, engaging in a proper battle with Odin was too dangerous.
If he faced the vast combat experience and accumulated knowledge Odin possessed, he would be defeated despite having the upper hand in power.
That’s why he simply overpowered him with sheer force.
As he began to subdue Odin with the most straightforward application of power, Odin continued to be pushed back.
Before long, Odin’s body began to be covered in wounds.
Iron’s decision to push forward using a difference in power that could not be compensated for by experience had proven correct.
‘At this rate, I’ll die.’
Thinking that, Odin gathered all his strength and forcefully knocked Iron away.
Odin, having bought just a brief moment of time, gripped Gungnir tightly in his right hand.
The proper way to use the divine weapon Gungnir.
It was, in fact, as a throwing spear.
The method to utilize Gungnir's ability to strike anything it targets was to compress his power of light to its absolute limit and imbue it into the spear before throwing it.
Iron, too, did not dodge but instead poured all his power into his sword.
The wings that had shone in all colors turned to dust and gathered into the massive sword Iron had formed.
Both Odin and Iron launched attacks at full power.
A beam of light that seemed capable of erasing everything collided with a sword swirling with every kind of power.
“…Huh?”
Ariel, who had been watching the clash between Odin and Iron, had a puzzled expression.
Despite the immense forces colliding, there was no shockwave, no sound of explosion.
It was quiet, as if no clash had occurred at all.
The power that had overwhelmed the Masters and Grand Masters, the power that had driven back Odin, had all vanished.
As everyone silently watched the scene, Iron staggered as he coughed up blood.
Having sustained severe internal injuries, Iron swayed, but stood firm with his sword planted into the ground.
Toward such a figure, Odin gave a bitter smile.
-…I’ve lost.
Odin said this as he looked down at his body, which was gradually turning to dust.
Before they knew it, even the remnants of the Hell Gate had vanished, and the rift that had been opened was now gradually closing.
***
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