Translator: Pai_
The Absolute God who once reigned over the world in the past was fading away.
Before the beginning of Destruction, Odin had brought despair not only to the so-called invincible Master Level beings, but even to the rare Grand Masters throughout the continent's history.
He had finally been defeated.
Perhaps having lost his strength, Odin knelt on one knee and hung his head low.
And soon, the overwhelming energy flowing from Odin’s body began to disappear.
‘We won!’
Just as Iron thought that...
[You have won the battle against the Absolute God! You have gained a massive amount of contribution points!]
[You have blocked the Hell Gate! You have gained a massive amount of contribution points!]
[You have thwarted the schemes of the external gods. You have gained a massive amount of contribution points!]
(Omitted)
As the system voice symbolizing humanity’s victory rang out, a veil of light spread out from where Odin and Iron stood.
Then, a whirlwind of light formed around the area where the Absolute God had descended, beginning to push back the nearby Masters and the two Family Heads.
“Commander-in-Chief!”
At the same time as a voice called out to Iron from a distance, the raging whirlwind of light blocked out even the sound.
Then, Odin, who was thought to be dead, came back to life.
-There’s no need to be tense.
Odin spoke while looking at Iron with a weary expression.
But even at Odin’s words, Iron couldn’t let down his guard.
Of course, despite his wariness, Iron’s body couldn’t move.
He had already gone beyond his limits, and there wasn’t a shred of strength left in his body.
‘I don’t even have the strength to lift my sword.’
He had used all his power.
The Divine Beasts had poured out so much strength that they couldn’t be summoned again for some time, and Iron himself had suffered internal injuries so severe that he couldn’t even think of holding a sword or operating aura for the time being.
Just ‘imitating’ a full fusion for barely ten minutes had left his entire body in shambles.
That was why he remained wary as Odin rose again.
-Ugh...
As Odin stood up with great effort and reached out his hand with impure intent, he swallowed a moan upon seeing his body turning to dust.
It had been expected, but even his very actions were now being restricted by the system.
From the moment his defeat was confirmed by the system, Odin’s power was once again sealed.
As if his very existence didn’t belong on this continent, Odin himself was vanishing.
The only reason he was still maintained in this form was entirely due to the power of the system.
The whirlwind of light that had imprisoned only Odin and Iron was the power of the system, keeping Odin’s existence from collapsing entirely.
‘Are they telling me to just do what I’m told and get lost?’
As Odin thought this, he obediently lowered his hand.
His body was already slowly disappearing, there was no need to hasten the end with unnecessary actions.
-#!$!%!%^^*$%
An incomprehensible voice echoed in Odin’s ears.
And it was pushing him to do the last task he had left.
-Those damn bastards...
Odin frowned, but now that he had lost, there was no choice left for him.
From the beginning, a god game was merciless to the loser. If he hated it, he should have won.
His own disappearance was already predestined, and only by complying with the system’s will could even the remaining external gods hope to survive.
-I'm not here to fight, so don’t be on guard.
Odin said that as he slowly walked toward Iron.
Even though it was a short distance, a significant portion of the legs that supported Odin turned to dust and disappeared.
He had to finish his last task before more of his body vanished.
Eventually, Odin reached Iron and slowly raised his hand.
Flinch!
Iron flinched at Odin’s action, but couldn’t move.
At first, he thought it was because of Odin’s power and tried to resist, but it wasn’t that.
The power wasn’t from the now-disappearing Odin. It was too overwhelming.
Moreover, it felt a level higher than any power Odin had previously shown.
‘Is it the system?’
Just as Iron had that thought.
Unlike when he had raised his hand earlier, this time it didn’t turn to dust and maintained its complete form.
Piiing!
The moment Odin’s fingertip touched Iron’s forehead, knowledge began to pour into Iron’s mind.
“This is…”
When Iron blankly stared at Odin and asked, Odin, whose body was turning to dust, gazed at Iron with the one eye he had left.
-Destruction.
Odin, who revealed the identity of what Iron had seen, silently looked up at the sky.
-The Fire Giant who once destroyed my world in the past. He is returning.
As Odin said this, he looked at his own hand with a tired expression.
Back then, and even now, he was unable to protect those who followed him.
“Is this... the end?”
To Iron’s question, Odin gave a slight laugh.
A smile as if mocking him, questioning whether Iron could bear it.
At that, Iron bit his lip.
Piiing!
Odin once again brought his finger to Iron’s forehead as he bit his lip.
And once more, Odin’s memories pierced into Iron’s mind.
“Ah…”
Unable to utter a word, Iron slumped to the ground.
Even at the sight of Iron collapsing, Odin did not scold him.
‘For I was the same…’
Thinking that, Odin gave a bitter smile.
“What I saw was…”
-Fragments of Destruction.
“Ah…”
At Odin’s words, Iron’s expression hardened.
“Then… Surtr too?”
-Yes. Surtr is merely one of the fragments of Destruction, not Destruction itself.
At Odin’s affirmation, Iron’s expression twisted.
He had thought it was all over.
But Destruction was far more vast than he imagined.
-Even if you stake your entire life, erasing just a part of Destruction will be difficult. That is how immense it is.
Odin said this with a sigh.
He, too, had once tried to stop Destruction.
With the knowledge and prophecy he had gained from Mimir’s Well, he had struggled to change the events of the future.
But in the end, the future could not be changed.
-So… struggle. Since you defeated me, try stopping Destruction until the very end. Then...
Odin paused and stared directly at Iron.
-You might be able to save your world too.
“What?”
Iron’s eyes widened at Odin’s words as he asked again.
Then, Odin smiled faintly, as if he had known from the beginning, and spoke.
-But first, you’ll have to save this world.
“……”
At Odin’s words, Iron fell silent.
But perhaps Odin hadn’t expected an answer to begin with, as he smiled and accepted his own disappearance.
-May you survive Destruction.
With his final blessing, Odin vanished.
At the same time, the whirlwind of light began to spin fiercely.
The whirlwind of light that had enveloped Iron and Odin slowly ascended into the sky, sucking in the dust that had been Odin.
And the moment all the light vanished and every trace of Odin disappeared from the continent.
[You have cleared the third story of the Apocalypse! You are awarded a massive amount of contribution points!]
[All incomplete Sub Quests are now terminated!]
[Calculating contribution points. Rewards will be determined based on your contribution.]
As the system voice rang out, Iron blankly looked up at the sky.
Then, particles of light began to fall from the sky.
At first, he thought, ‘Am I seeing things?’ But that wasn’t it.
“Huh?”
“What is this…?”
As everyone was startled by the suddenly falling light particles, the system voice rang out once more.
[The Lord God bestows a blessing upon the humans who have overcome all trials.]
“Ah…”
“This is…”
As the system voice echoed, people began to murmur blankly.
Their wounded bodies slowly began to heal.
Moreover, their exhausted bodies were also recovering.
Even the Masters and the two Family Heads, who had been prepared to spend several months in recovery due to the battle, checked their physical condition with expressions of amazement.
And Iron was no exception.
The internal injuries he had sustained from Odin were healing at a rapid pace.
-Tweet!
“You’ve recovered too?”
Iron asked with a surprised expression as the Baepsae suddenly appeared.
-Tweet!
The Baepsae gave a short reply and settled on Iron’s head.
“Don’t push yourself. Seems like you don’t need to.”
-Tweet.
At Iron’s words, the Baepsae gave a small nod.
-The Lord God's blessing… It’s been a long time since such a direct blessing was bestowed.
Hræsvelgr spoke, reminiscing of times long past.
“You know who the Lord God is?”
-…Yes.
Hræsvelgr gave a short reply and gazed intently up at the sky.
Then, as if trying to say something, no sound came out.
-Damn restrictions… Are they still in place?
Hræsvelgr grumbled and looked at Iron.
-You’ll find out everything eventually anyway. Don’t be impatient and wait.
“Mm… yeah.”
At Hræsvelgr’s words, Iron gave a small nod in response.
By then, all of Iron’s Divine Beasts had appeared and were recovering their strength under the blessing of the Lord God.
Just as the contribution point calculations seemed to have concluded, the system began distributing rewards to everyone.
[Contribution point calculations are complete. Based on the combined results of the Main Quest and Sub Quests, the following rewards will be granted.]
-Steel Body is upgraded from Stage 3 to the max stage.
-Fusion Skill has increased significantly.
-The Essence of the World Tree is transformed into the Heart of the World Tree.
-Hræsvelgr’s power is greatly restored.
-The Baepsae’s power is unlocked. You can now partially use the power of the Sun God.
-The powers of the Divine Beasts are significantly enhanced.
Was it because of his outstanding contribution in clearing the third story?
An overwhelming amount of rewards poured in.
-As a reward, you are granted the Body of a God. Beep! The Giant King’s Body and the Body of a God are combined.
The Body of a God and the Body of the Giant King.
As the two skills merged, Iron’s body immediately began reacting.
-You have acquired the Body of the Primordial God. Due to its high rank, it can only be used for a short time.
“Ugh…”
The effect of the reward came immediately.
Though the Body of the Primordial God was instilled in him, Iron, at his current level, could not fully endure it, and the power soon fell dormant throughout various parts of his body.
And the Essence of the World Tree, which was too powerful to handle, was transplanted into his heart, releasing an even more potent natural energy.
However, the Steel Body, now enhanced to max level beyond Stage 4, along with the preexisting max-level natural constitution and the elevated level of his being, barely managed to accept that power.
The strengthened Divine Beasts also barely endured by sharing some of the energy being emitted from Iron’s heart.
“I’ve still got a long way to go.”
As Iron muttered those words, the Baepsae sitting on his head began to emit a radiant light and started evolving.
Although the strengthened Divine Beasts and the gradually recovering power of Hræsvelgr were impressive, they were no match for the Baepsae.
“What exactly… are you?”
Even at Iron’s question, the Baepsae did not respond.
Instead, it quietly released the power it had received as a reward.
Just as shown in the system window, another hidden power within the Baepsae’s small body, the energy of the Sun, began spreading around.
And it was a power even stronger than that of Hræsvelgr, who had stood beside the World Tree.
It carried a level of pressure reminiscent of the Absolute God Odin, but soon the light faded, and the power slipped back into the small body of the Baepsae.
[All reward procedures are complete! This marks the end of the prelude to the Apocalypse. Now, the story of Destruction begins in earnest.]
Just as the Baepsae’s energy finished settling, the system voice echoed again.
“So this is… really the beginning?”
Iron hadn’t been too surprised, he had suspected it beforehand, but hearing the system declare the true start of Destruction still left a heavy feeling.
Even stopping the Absolute God had required a string of fortunate coincidences and barely succeeded.
But all of that had merely been preparation.
A device the system had arranged to stop the true Destruction.
[The final story of the Apocalypse, ‘True Destruction’, begins now.]
[A World Tree has been planted in the North. The number of descending Corrupted beings will be significantly reduced.]
[Ancient species will join humanity’s side. They will defend the northern region of the continent!]
[The Merfolk will join humanity to defend the eastern region!]
[Spirits and Sacred Beasts will join humanity to defend the southern region. Also, due to the influence of the still-growing young World Tree, the number of descending Corrupted beings will be reduced.]
Hearing the system voice, hope began to fill the eyes of the people.
Because they realized that all their past struggles had not been in vain.
However, that hope was short-lived, their expressions soon hardened.
[The human race in the western region has been annihilated. Due to the weakening of the Lord God's influence, the God of Destruction will descend.]
[In the desert of the western region of the continent, the army of the Corrupted will surge forth. Prepare for the final war for survival against them!]
-Humans who have endured a long and difficult journey… only the final battle remains. May you overcome Destruction and survive.
As the system voice ended, humanity fell into a heavy silence.
***
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