Game of Divine Thrones

Chapter 253: Demigod Atreus 3

Kwa-Ji-Jeek!

An intense current swirled between the collided weapons and reverberated out toward their surroundings.

After protecting his body with a defensive barrier, Woohyuk stepped back and watched Atreus’ following movements.

‘He’s definitely a demigod, so this won’t be easy.’

Moreover, all the equipment Atreus wore were masterpieces forged by a legendary blacksmith.

His Armor of the Immortal couldn’t be damaged with a grade A or lower weapon. The armor also evolved by absorbing the equipment of the person killed by its owner.

His spear, the Thunder Lord Spear, could teleport its owner up to 3 times, within a short distance, at the speed of light, and could cast numerous lightning magic.

It was a really cheat-type item, so it was difficult for even Woohyuk, who had defeated the ancient demons, to contend against Atreus and his equipment advantage.

‘I guess it’s still better than fighting without knowing anything in advance.’

Thanks to reading numerous ancient documents in his previous life, it was possible for him to understand what kind of propensity Atreus possessed and what kind of armament he had at his disposal.

On the other hand, Atreus didn’t know much about Woohyuk.

If Woohyuk used this information asymmetry to his advantage, he could sway the battle to his side.

Ahhhhhhhhh!

Verserios was covered with a vortex of pitch-black magic.

Atreus, who saw this, recalled his spear and opened a blue magic circle.

“The skills and abilities of the demons do not work in me because I’m a demigod,” Atreus calmly stated.

“Oh yeah? What about this?”

As Woohyuk stepped forward, the whirlpool expanded. The surroundings were soon covered under darkness.

He used Lilith’s Unholy Grail to amplify Verserios' magic.

Despite the overwhelming force, Atreus waited for Woohyuk to finish without even moving.

Sa-Ah!

A jet-black whirlpool left the tip of Verserios and flew towards Atreus with fierce momentum.

Afterward, the inner space was shaken with a crashing sound. The space-time of this place seemed to be shaking and fragmenting.

Kwang!

There was no visible crack in Atreus’ defensive barrier.

However, Atreus immediately realized that something was wrong.

“… So, you’ve crippled my abilities?” he asked.

“I don’t want to take a long time,” Woohyuk replied.

[Liandry’s Ring].

The original name of the ring was a Nocturne of the Crescent Moon. Through its use, it was possible to block an opponent’s three abilities for 10 minutes.

Of course, if the user’s power level was relatively inferior compared to the target, it didn’t work, but Woohyuk had grown powerful enough to not be pushed by Demigod Atreus.

‘If I compete purely with skill, it may take days or weeks.’

So, even if he had to take some risks, it was important to finish the duel as quickly as possible.

Beyond this quest, there was a pile of things still left for Woohyuk to do.

Woohyuk opened up his inner mana and tried to dominate the space first.

Sa-Ah!

The gloomy demonic mana field covered the area.

It was Asura’s absolute space.

Within the absolute space, it would be difficult for anyone, even a demigod, to fully demonstrate one’s abilities.

“To possess such a strong power with a human body… I’m starting to gain some interest in your identity,” Atreus stated with surprise.

“If you listen, you’ll be quite surprised,” Woohyuk answered, as he had no intention of hiding anything about his past life.

Furthermore, it would be beneficial if he could hear Atreus’ story in return.

However, right now, taking the lead in this duel was Woohyuk’s first priority.

Ka-Rang!

Verserios struck the Thunder Lord Spear, making an electrified static-shock sound.

At the same time, the sparkle of two colors fiercely clashed together.

Woohyuk and Atreus faced each other and fought for a momentum advantage.

“I see. Your weapon, and the power of the demon, is sealed,” Atreus commented.

“Yes. Only with this can I beat the Creator who has been jerking me around,” Woohyuk replied.

“Jerking you around? Oh, you mean the Creator telling the lowly creatures to fight for the empty seats of the Divine Thrones. In my lifetime, the gods didn’t revolt, so I didn’t get that opportunity,” Atreus calmly explained.

In the celestial world, demigods were bound by all kinds of restrictions and were treated similarly to the contracted civil servants of the Joseon Dynasty.

In order to prevent the order of the gods from becoming disturbed, the logic of one household, one conscience, and one movement was used.

Atreus didn’t like that reality, and he always wanted to live freely.

That’s why he came down to this continent, ignoring the warnings of the gods in the past.

If he had the chance to challenge for a Divine Throne seat, he would have jumped into the survival game without looking back, just like Woohyuk.

Ka-Rang!

Ka-Rang!

As the duel continued in earnest, the eyes of the two fighters sharpened.

The battle was so fierce that it was difficult to say which one had the advantage.

When Woohyuk used the magic stored in Liandry’s Ring to narrow the distance, Atreus responded by momentarily strengthening his defensive barrier, or avoiding the attack using teleportation magic.

On the contrary, when Atreus cast a blue flame and wide area-of-effect spells with the Thunder Lord Spear, Woohyuk wrapped his body with demonic powers and dispersed his alter-images into various locations, making it difficult for Atreus to accurately target him.

“How were you able to obtain and use the 72 Demon King’s unique magic spell? Did you get Lemegeton as well as the Demon Kings’ weapons?” Atreus asked in surprise.

“That’s right. I’ve almost reached the Demon Lord throne,” Woohyuk answered.

“… I don’t understand. How can such a fatal singularity occur under a system based on logical causality and vertical hierarchy,” Atreus muttered aloud.

After a few minutes of fierce battle, Atreus, who had been fighting with Woohyuk for a while, was dumbfounded.

Even if such a thing happened after making hundreds of concessions, the Creator wouldn’t let Woohyuk be without taking any countermeasures.

For anyone watching, it was clear that there was a reason for Woohyuk’s existence.

“There’s no need to be so surprised. In my previous life, I was one of the Archangels who fought against the Creator,” Woohyuk stated.

As if he expected Atreus’ reaction, Woohyuk went on to briefly explain his past.

After hearing Woohyuk’s story, Atreus looked at him with a more guarded expression.

“You’re not an ordinary human. Now I understand why I’ve been called here,” Atreus said with a sigh.

“Is there anything specific about you for you to be chosen?” Woohyuk asked.

“I was confined to Valhalla’s lower dungeons. I was told it was because I was difficult to control even though I became an Einherjar.”

Atreus chose the Einherjar’s path, even though his wife and children were killed by the army sent by the gods.

His reason for choosing the Einherjar path was for revenge.

It was because of his tremendous determination to destroy the celestial world one day, to destroy the order centered around the gods.

However, the gods also knew of Atreus’ heart and intention, so they locked him up under the guise of closed-door training.

However, there was only one reason to release the restraints on him and send him out.

The only reason was that a major problem had occurred, threatening the celestial world and its system.

After listening to Atreus’ reasoning, Woohyuk nodded.

“That sounds accurate. I did cause a problem within the Creator’s system in my previous life.”

“… I have heard of that story. When the gods rebelled, they referred to the plans the archangels tried in the past,” Atreus stated as he recalled the story he had heard long ago.

The Odyssey Plan.

Its ultimate goal was to combine the Holy Grail with the power of light and Verserios with the power of the abyss to bring about a universal transformation.

Of course, in the process, in order to fully control the two diametrically opposing forces, a vast forbidden library called the Ark of Knowledge was needed.

So, like Etheria Rodinus, the gods were trying to rebuild the Ark of Knowledge that was lost in the Great Demon War.

“Surely, the Creator was upset over that. If the Odyssey Plan succeeded, the system would have fundamentally collapsed,” Atreus commented.

“If not, he wouldn’t have started the Game of Divine Thrones like this. Perhaps his purpose is to indirectly control the power of the demons by folding in this previously outside power.”

Asura, the previous Demon Lord, detested the Creator’s system.

As a result, he antagonized the Creator, was defeated, and ultimately perished. Afterward, the power of the demons was sealed within Verserios.

However, it was impossible to hide Verserios, which was like a ticking time bomb, forever.

The Creator needed to reinstate control, so Woohyuk was chosen as the medium.

Woohyuk was the archangel Rafael, who first conceived the Odyssey Plan in his previous life.

Just like the saying that only the perpetrator can make amends, the person who broke the system was able to be used to restore it to its intact state.

By reinstating the irregular code that was secretly injected into his own soul, canceling out the irregularity, and restarting the system.

Of course, Atreus didn’t know this much and just thought that Woohyuk was being used as a pawn in the Creator’s overall plan.

“But humans need an intermediate step to take the Demon Lord seat and control the demonic powers. I can’t jump over a high wall at once,” Woohyuk commented.

“…!”

Atreus’ expression froze at once.

That means that he was offered as a kind of sacrifice.

It was true that there was a serious problem in the celestial world, but it was Woohyuk, not himself, who’d solve it.

“Demigod Atreus. We have similar ideals and values, but this duel is inevitable. I have to absorb your power to become stronger,” Woohyuk flatly stated.

“I also covet the power of the demons. If I get that weapon in your hand, I will be able to escape the Einherjar’s confines and complete my long-standing revenge.”

In the past, it was the God of Light who ordered the Einherjar army to kill off his wife and children.

Only his father, the God of Blacksmithing, was not involved in the slaughter.

Atreus never forgot the rage that he felt at that time.

“Then let’s make a decision. I think I heard enough of your circumstances,” Woohyuk said.

“I like it. It’s about time that my abilities are about to be released anyway,” Atreus replied.

When the three abilities that Woohyuk had previously blocked were released, Atreus would be in a more advantageous position.

Atreus’ fighting spirit burned anew as he stared at Woohyuk, who moved his body calmly.

***

Northeast of the Holy Aperian Empire, where the Empire bordered the Croix Principality.

Emperor Tiberius was heading to the epic dungeon, escorted by the Imperial Army.

“Be sure to do a constant reconnaissance of our surroundings. An impure party might try to assassinate me,” Tiberius stated.

“Yes, Your Majesty,” The Paladin Commander, Hugo, who was next to him, bowed his head solemnly and replied.

The other paladins were nervous because it was a mission to escort the Empire’s Emperor over a long distance in a chaotic, confusing time.

Due to the recent quest for the Divine Thrones, there were quite a few people aiming for the Lord’s neck.

This was because people needed to build achievements in relation to social influence.

In fact, the monarch of the Owen Kingdom, who was trying to enter a ruin with only his elite forces, was beheaded when ambushed by lawless forces.

“By the way, have you not yet found out the whereabouts of the Hero King? To disappear at such an important time… It’s definitely something suspicious,” Tiberius asked with a concerned tone.

“According to the most recently obtained information, he headed east on a flying object, but his exact destination is unknown,” Hugo replied.

“East… He wouldn’t dare plan to set foot in the epic dungeon located in the Croix Principality before me, right? Well, if it’s that guy, he’s probably vying for a position on the Divine Thrones,” Tiberius said with a snicker.

“Hahaha, could it be? Although he’s not officially married to Princess Eleanora, he wouldn’t do anything to be hated by His Majesty, his future father-in-law,” Hugo said, trying to reassure Emperor Tiberius.

Hugo was breaking out into a cold sweat.

At that time, dark clouds suddenly covered the previously clear sky, and thunder and lightning began to scream with an impending storm.

Rumble! Kwang!

An unusual ominous change.

The Imperial Army, including the Seven Paladins, surrounded Emperor Tiberius with firm expressions.

“What suddenly happened?”

“Are you a demon?”

When everyone was anxious, a crack in the abyss appeared in the dark sky, and a woman with red flaming hair revealed her appearance.

She was 2nd ranked Demon King Agares.

“Oho… He was right. I really just had to wait here,” she said in surprise.

“W-Who are you! Are you one of the 72 Demon Kings?!” Emperor Tiberius screamed out while making his body as small as possible.

Agares looked at him as if he was pathetic and then raised her hand.

“Come on, let’s get it done. Those who interfere will be sternly reprimanded,” she said with a deflated voice.

Numerous black fireballs fell from the crack in the abyss and changed into demons once they reached the ground.

The maximum troops that the 2nd rank Demon King could mobilize from her Demon Territory was approximately 350,000 demon warriors.

Among them, only the elite who were in the top 10% were put into the plan to assassinate the Emperor.

“S-Stop t-them! It is only one Demon King’s army! You don’t need to shrink away and lose confidence at all!” Emperor Tiberius yelled as he urgently ordered the seven paladins around him to enter into combat.

At that time, several new abyss gaps appeared in the black sky, and other Demon Kings appeared.

Even though the hard-liners, such as Baal were excluded, the number of Demon Kings present was 35.

About half of the 72 Demon Kings gathered in one place.

“Now I’ll be able to see how far along the human race has developed and strengthened during the time I was sealed. You guys ready?” a Demon King said in passing.

Agares glanced down at the confused Imperial Army with a large smile.

Eventually, on the ground, desperate screams and terror unfolded.