Chapter 61: Chapter 61

[Translator - Night][Proofreader - Gun]

Chapter 61: The Garden of Olympus (1)

Oh-ho.

[Don’t be conscious of it. They might notice. I’ll secretly inject it into the Dragon Heart.]

Die, undead!

“Phoenix, maximum firepower, let’s go!”

[Huh? All of a sudden…]

“Quick, quick! Go for it!”

[Understood.]

The phoenix tilted its head in confusion before soaring into the sky.

Its body swelled up massively, and it unleashed a wave of flames upon the undead.

“Die, you wicked undead! Thunder God!”

I, too, stood my ground and rained down lightning.

From the dark, cloud-filled sky, bolts of lightning crashed down, reducing the undead to dust.

But this isn’t enough.

Time to unleash all my mana.

“Focus enhancement: Thunder God!”

Boom!

Lightning filled the battlefield.

The yellow bolts cascading from the sky struck the ground, spreading in all directions and causing secondary damage.

The battlefield, which had been dark due to the setting sun and thick clouds, suddenly lit up as if it were midday.

[You have leveled up.]

I’m already level 87.

After three days and nights of nonstop fighting, and with the bonus experience gained as an Apostle Commander, my leveling speed is insane.

In contrast, I’ve barely gained any SP, and my ability absorption rate is close to zero.

I knew SP gains decreased over time when fighting the same type of monsters, but I never thought it would drop to as low as 0.001 per monster.

And my ability absorption rate is practically nonexistent.

These monsters are solely specialized for experience points.

Fine, let’s just focus on leveling up!

[You have received a Fragment of Chronos.]

[Elysium has been recognized.]

[Chronos, who governs time, and Elysium, the heaven of Olympus, must be related. There’s something else I discovered…]

[You have received a Fragment of Urd.]

[Valhalla has been recognized.]

Valhal…?

Ah, focus.

Let’s take out these undead!

[Urd is the goddess of the past from the neutral faction of Asgard. She, too, governs time. The fact that fragments from the neutral faction are within Yggdrasil is… concerning. I wonder if this is too heavy a burden for you to carry.]

Argh!

These burdensome undead are way too many!

[These fragments were undoubtedly placed in Yggdrasil intentionally by both factions. Removing them all at once would alert them. For now, I’ll give you a portion and investigate further before handing over the rest. I’ve adjusted the Dragon Heart while placing the two cores. You can now think freely.]

With that, the roots untangled from my feet and disappeared.

Sigh.

I hate having my thoughts read.

I have about 140,000 SP now…

I need to hit 100 fast and finally gain the freedom to think clearly.

“Hyaap!”

I swung my sword effortlessly, slaughtering the undead as I mulled things over.

Chronos, Urd…

Fragments of gods who govern time, and these two are allies…

And Urd is the goddess of the past.

Could it be related to Kevrian, the broken planet that keeps rewinding time back to its origin?

I need more information for now.

Sure, Elysium and Valhalla were recognized, but so what?

Frustrated, I massacred the undead.

I kept wiping out enemies until my level hit 90, but at some point, no reinforcements showed up.

The dark clouds were still hanging above, and the sun had completely set.

The battlefield had plunged into night—a time when the undead grow stronger—but no new enemies appeared?

“This is unsettling.”

“Yeah. The constant waves of enemies just stopped…”

Thud. Thud. Thud.

Suddenly, the ground trembled.

Beyond the barren wasteland, thick white mist began to billow and creep toward us.

That… is that the ghost I’ve seen before?

And within the mist, something massive was walking toward us.

“A black skeleton…?”

“It’s way too big…”

Its sheer presence was enough to shake the ground with every step it took.

Three giant skeletal titans were approaching, accompanied by an army of ghosts.

“Up in the sky…!”

Above us, undead mages—the liches I had seen before—were advancing with their army.

Hovering around them like bodyguards were Death Knights.

The skeletal knights, clad in jet-black armor, rode gray spectral horses as they escorted the liches.

[Ah, people of Earth. At last, you’ve become a worthy feast.]

The Archlich’s face appeared, illuminated within the dark storm clouds.

Even on the screen, he wore that same eerie smile.

[D-class? Seriously? What have Earth’s gods been doing all this time to remain at such a pathetic level? At the very least, I need to devour something at the C-class level to break even. But I’ve fattened you up nicely over the past three days, so it’s time for the harvest. No time to waste.]

He smacked his lips, then grinned menacingly.

His bright, gleaming eyes sent chills down my spine.

[Bon appétit!]

Clap!

With a loud clap of his hands, the enemies surged forward in unison.

[The Archlich has finally stepped in. I will join the battle as well. I’ll handle the sky.]

The angel in charge of our side spread their wings, and light radiated in all directions.

Emerging from that light were pure-white warriors.

They were semi-transparent, like spirits, but their forms resembled humans.

When the angel unsheathed their sword, the warriors began to sprint through the air, heading straight for the liches.

The sky was taken care of…

"Let’s block them too."

"Understood."

Boom. Bang. Boom. Bang.

The skeletal giants suddenly picked up speed.

The ghosts, who had been moving in sync with them, fell behind.

"Thunder God!"

Lightning was unleashed, but as soon as it touched the skeletal giant, it was absorbed.

Huh.

What’s this?

Zero damage?

As they drew closer, their sheer size became even more overwhelming—only their lower bodies were visible.

"Fire!"

Arrows imbued with divine power flew all at once, and spells to hinder their movement were cast.

Stone walls rose, and the ground morphed into a swamp-like mire.

But none of it worked.

"Focus enhancement!"

The weapon was expanded after concentrating its enhancement, prioritizing divine power and cutting force.

The weapon extended with radiant light and dazzling brilliance.

Holding it, I steered the Flame Chariot straight into the sky.

"Haaah!"

I split the skeletal giant’s waist cleanly in half.

With a clang, the sword seemed to bounce off.

Gripping the sword with both hands, I poured my strength into it once again.

The skeletal giant’s waist began to burn slowly.

But as if to catch me, its massive arm swung down menacingly.

So this is what it feels like to be a mosquito caught by a human?

I quickly shrank the sword and sent the Flame Chariot plunging downward.

Whoosh.

A gust of wind blew where the attack had missed.

If I’d been hit, I probably wouldn’t be here anymore.

Looking at the waistbone I’d attacked earlier, I saw the divine flames burning.

It’s not ineffective.

The flaming waistbone finally snapped at some point.

And the skeletal giant’s upper body began to fall slowly.

As it was falling toward me, I spurred the Flame Chariot and got out of the way.

Crash!

The ground caved in deeply.

How heavy is just the upper body of that thing?

Even though it’s undead, can it still move with just its upper body?

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

"What?"

The fallen giant’s body slowly began to disintegrate.

Piece by piece, the particles seeped into the ground, dyeing it pitch black. S~eaʀᴄh the nôᴠel Fire.nёt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

From there, black skeletons started rising one by one.

They were human-sized compared to the giant.

After creaking for a moment, they charged straight at the Awakeners as if flying.

And then the massacre began.

"Arghhh!"

"Our attacks aren’t working!"

Many of the Awakeners had risen to C-rank over the last three days, and they’d been brimming with confidence after seeing their attacks work on enhanced undead.

But these black skeletons were on a completely different level.

"Phoenix, autonomous combat. Use all your strength!"

[Got it. I’ll take on the smaller skeletons since I can’t deal much damage to that giant skeleton.]

The phoenix soared, sending out a massive wave of flames with a flap of its wings.

Thankfully, its attacks seemed effective; the black skeletons caught fire.

However, they didn’t instantly disappear and charged at the Awakeners while ablaze.

Ugh… the Awakener forces were crumbling like a disorderly mob.

We’d put so much effort into leveling them up over the last three days; it’s heartbreaking.

Boom!

The other two skeletal giants were crushing the Awakeners like ants.

Knowing that maintaining formations was meaningless, everyone scattered and tried to flee, but it was futile against the huge, fast skeletal giants.

I have to take these giants apart first!

"Thunder God!"

I charged at one of the skeletal giants, focusing the Thunder God’s power into my enhanced weapon.

I aimed for its spine—the part I had pierced earlier.

Whoosh. Whoosh.

I dodged the giant’s attacks and closed in on its waist.

I thrust my sword into it, but without the focus enhancement, it didn’t penetrate at all.

"Tch…"

Clang! Clang!

No matter how many times I struck, the spine was ridiculously sturdy.

My hands were already torn apart, and my shoulders were wrecked.

If not for the blessings of the World Tree constantly healing me, I’d have collapsed long ago.

But I kept breaking, healing, and breaking again.

Before the skeletal giant could take another step, I focused all my attacks on a single spot and struck it dozens of times.

Fwoosh!

Just as my entire body was drenched in sweat, a crack appeared in its waistbone, and divine flames burst forth.

Good.

This part is done.

I immediately moved to the other skeletal giant and repeated the same pattern.

"Huff… huff…"

Thanks to the power of infinite stamina, I didn’t tire easily, but I had expended all my strength in those brief moments, leaving me extremely fatigued.

Controlling the Flame Chariot to keep myself steady while driving the sword down was incredibly challenging.

It would've been impossible if not for my high skill and agility.

"Arghhh!"

"Help me!"

"They’re tearing us apart… eating us alive…"

Though I managed to take down two skeletal giants, the battlefield was in a dire state.

The formation had completely collapsed, and black skeletons were sweeping through the battlefield.

Looking at the situation in the sky, it seemed that neither side had the upper hand—stalemated.

The phoenix was doing its best to use its magic, but this enemy was strong.

It was impossible to sweep them all away alone.

I need to join quickly.

Descending to the ground, I let the Flame Chariot roam freely.

It had recently been used only for transportation, but now was the time to use it as an offensive weapon.

The Flame Chariot rampaged, setting everything around it ablaze.

Thankfully, even the black skeletons couldn’t avoid its flames.

[Level Up!]

Checking my level, I was already at 93.

When did it rise so much?

At this rate, I might hit level 100 while fighting here.

I have enough SP, so... this should be fine.

With both the phoenix and the Flame Chariot out, I set foot on the ground.

As soon as they saw me, the black skeletons curled their mouths into sinister grins.

Their jawbones trembled as words began to spill out.

“You should quietly surrender here.”

“Heh heh heh.”

“I'll make your comrades my precious SP.”

“Heh heh heh.”

Surrounded on all sides, the black skeletons cackled as they closed in.

They leapt at me all at once.

Wielding my blade, I slashed the sky, enlarging my reach.

The black skeletons ignited in flames all at once.

“Thunder God, Ice Storm.”

One hand unleashed lightning, while the other cast magic.

The black skeletons froze, were electrocuted, and slowly disintegrated.

When they approached, I stopped my spells and swung my blade again, slaughtering them.

Only I could subdue them.

But… these things, their numbers seemed endless.

[Level Up!]

To secure a retreat, I pulled back, unleashing spells and thunderbolts all around.

Though my mana had once been at 100, it was quickly drained by the Flame Chariot, the phoenix, and my magic and thunderbolts.

“How long do you think you can keep using mana like that?”

“Heh heh heh.”

“Just surrender.”

Argh!

Why are so many of them popping out?!

I should retreat for now…

Before I knew it, the battlefield was overrun with ghastly black skeletons and ghosts.

I unsummoned and resummoned the Flame Chariot.

As I tried to withdraw the phoenix as well, my remaining mana was suddenly drained.

The battlefield, which had been dark, suddenly burst into blinding light, engulfed in flames in an instant.

My level rose twice in a row.

[Master. I’ll take a rest for now...]

A sharp pain in my forehead signaled the phoenix retreating, just like the last time.

At the same time, my mana was completely gone.

[Dragon Heart Mana Regeneration activated.]

With my reserve mana pool triggered, energy quickly refilled from my core.

Wow!

This is incredible!

It’s like a backup battery fully charging me at once.

“No!”

“The mana regenerated!”

“There’s something strange about this energy!”

“Something’s up!”

“Catch them!”

The skeletons, who had been cackling moments before, dropped their laughter, becoming frenzied as they charged toward me.

They seemed two or three times stronger as they came rushing in.

Even when struck by lightning or my blade, they didn’t disappear immediately, but instead charged at me ablaze.

The ghosts also accelerated.

Hmm, this calls for a retreat.

Summoning the Flame Chariot, I fled.

“Capture them!”

“Capture them!”

The combined cries of skeletons and ghosts sent chills down my spine.

Even as I pulled back, my escape route was blocked, and I was surrounded on all sides by enemies.

Argh!

When did my allies get wiped out?!

The roots of the World Tree emerged from the ground to assist me, but it wasn’t enough.

I’ll escape into the sky!

“Capture them!”

“Capture them!”

As I ascended, a Death Knight charged madly toward me, leading ghostly horses.

The angels summoned by my allies attacked them, but they continued their relentless charge, unfazed by the attacks.

“Tch.”

Round two: aerial battle, huh?

At least I had more allies here.

As I prepared to unleash a thunderbolt to counter the Death Knight’s charge, a message window suddenly popped up.

[Pollux has detected your danger. He will incur a penalty to use his power directly to summon you.]

What?

But I’m not in that much danger?

Didn’t I escape to the sky just fine?

Before I could react, my body was sucked into the light descending from the sky.

SP was still sufficient, and my level was at 96.

Only four levels away...

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]