Kung, kugugugugung-.
BANG-!
The ship lost control and crashed to the ground. The wreckage of the ship was covered with rainwater and the corpses of several players who had failed to escape.
"Wow, what a welcome."
The boy pressed his tattered hat against his head and stomped lightly in the air.
Hermes, the High Rank of Olympus, clicked his tongue as he looked at the wreckage of the crashed ship on the ground.
And next to Hermes...
"Why didn't you dodge?"
Athena narrowed her eyes and glared at him.
The Sovereign of Freedom and Thieves.
Hermes, he could have moved the whole ship to avoid the sword attack.
Of course.
"It's not that he didn't, it's that he couldn't, sister."
From Hermes' perspective, Athena's words were a bitter pill to swallow.
Pak-.
His gaze moved to the side of the Heavenly Mountain.
A huge giant with a single sword made of red mana.
"I've never seen anything like that, not even in the Gigantomachy."
A huge mana like a mountain.
The Heavenly Demon's Power was comparable to that of a Dragon, if only in quantity.
The 'Heavenly Demon' was more monstrous than anyone had thought.
"...We must prepare ourselves."
Athena also felt the giant's presence in front of her eyes.
"Because we will fight the Murim themselves."
"Anyway, this father of mine only calls me for troublesome things like this."
"I'll take care of the Heavenly Demon."
Athena lifted Aegis.
Hermes looked at Athena with narrowed eyes and put on a puzzled expression.
"Are you going to start with everything?"
"Since the fight has begun, it's only fair that we give our best."
"I know."
"Don't be heavy either. Fight like a man."
"Ugh-."
Hermes groaned, scratched his head in annoyance, and pressed his hat tighter against his face.
"I just hate fighting..."
jjalang-.
A staff appeared in Hermes' hand.
A staff with a snake's head, decorated with some beads.
Hermes twirled the staff and it floated in the air.
"So let's finish quickly and go back. The smell of blood should be as short as possible.
Geug, gugguk-.
The trees planted on Heavenly Mountain trembled, and were soon uprooted.
Pak, pak, pak~.
The trees split at the ends, turning into giant spears.
"H-Huh?"
"Oh, it's coming!"
The Cult Members gathered on the Heavenly Mountain screamed when they saw it.
Thousands of flying trees.
At the moment when all the Cult Members were attentive to it....
Pajijijijiji-.
Shukaak-.
The four Heavenly Lords jumped forward.
Tak, tak, tak-!
Toucheck-!
Thousands of trees burst into pieces, chopped into tens of thousands of splinters and falling helplessly downward.
Hermes asked as he looked at the four Rankers that seemed as small as dots in the distance.
"Is it them, the four Rankers of the Heavenly Demon Cult that they are most proud of?"
"They are the ones who bear the arrogant name of Heavenly Lord."
"It's an arrogant name for what they're capable of doing, but they're still pretty good."
The four Heavenly Lords blocked his attack, and he instantly recognized his opponents.
"I see I'll have to take care of those guys personally."
"And the rest?"
"You're on your own, sister."
Hermes, who had already made up his mind, began to walk alone toward the Heavenly Mountain.
Individual action was an absolute no-no in war, but this was an exception.
Hermes, the High Rank of Olympus who symbolized freedom.
He was the type of person who only excelled when given freedom.
"Selfish bastard......."
Of course, that didn't sit well with Athena.
"Everyone..."
Chuck-.
Athena lifted Aegis and let out a mana-laden voice.
"Prepare for battle."
"Prepare for battle!"
Chuck, Chuck-.
The Rankers and players on the Olympus side who had survived the clash rose up in arms.
Looking at them ready for battle, Athena gave an order.
"From now on, the annihilation of the Heavenly Demon Cult will begin."
"Here we go!"
Doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo~.
The army, numbering in the thousands, began to charge towards the Heavenly Demon Cult. For some reason, the Heavenly Demon Spirit that stood firm beside the Heavenly Mountain did not move.
'Looks like the other side is thinking the same thing.'
Cheon Mujin did not look at the others.
He instantly recognized the leader of this battlefield and identified Athena as his enemy.
[You are Athena]
It was Cheon Mujin's voice.
Athena felt as if he was right in front of her, even though he must have been on top of that high mountain.
She didn't need to cross swords to know that.
He is strong.
Maybe even stronger than her.
'You say it's because he's been dormant for so long that he's become wasted....'
As time passed, the rumors about the Heavenly Demon diminished, and Athena secretly hoped so too.
But no.
'On the contrary, it has become much stronger.'
During all that time, the Heavenly Demon had not simply been holed up in the mountains, growing old.
Quite the contrary.
Every day of his life had been spent on Heavenly Mountain, and he hadn't missed a single day of training during that time.
He was stronger than the rumors said.
Much stronger.
'Maybe today will be the day when the Heavenly Demon ranking will change...'
At the moment when Athena was about to approach the Heavenly Demon....
"Oi, what do I do?"
A frightening/ muffled voice was heard from the wreckage of the ship.
Two pupils hovered in the air like ghostly flames, staring at her with eerie eyes.
'Spooky eyes, as always.'
What is she thinking and what are her feelings?
It was a beautiful voice, surely flowing with jade beads, but all she could feel was a shiver.
Athena looked back at him and gave him a cold reply.
"For now stay there and don't move."
"Stay there? Why?"
"Because you're a mess and you shouldn't be here."
Pandora.
The first time he heard of her, it was from his older uncle, Poseidon.
"The strongest woman on Olympus? You're not there yet."
"Hera? No. She's scary too, but maybe in a hundred years you'll catch up with her. There is someone else who deserves the title of strongest woman."
Athena questioned Poseidon about her.
After repeated questions, Poseidon finally answered Athena's curiosity.
"Once upon a time, there was a Ranker named Pandora. She's long since forgotten, though."
"Pandora?"
"That's a name you've never heard before, isn't it?"
"Yes."
"Well, you'd better never hear it again."
"Why, who is she?"
"Zeus is the only one who knows about her. She appeared out of nowhere one day and used terrifying power."
Olympus' strongest warrior.
Athena, who has lived her life with that goal in mind, has entered the prison to meet Pandora herself.
She did not know what she had done to deserve her imprisonment, nor what she was capable of.
Unaware of all that, Athena made her way to the prison.
And at the moment she met Pandora there....
Athena vowed never to open the prison doors again.
However...
'I never thought that my father himself would release him.'
In the end, disaster came out.
Zeus may have thought he could handle her, but it was too much for Athena.
Pandora.
The box hid a power that should never be opened.
"In other words, stay there until I give you instructions."
"...So, really, you're letting me out now, are you?"
"Yes."
Athena nodded weakly.
"After all, my father promised."
"Father...."
Pandora fell silent.
For a moment, Athena thought all the sounds of the world had disappeared.
"Zeus..."
The missing sound returned and Pandora's voice echoed in her ears.
"Zeus, Zeus, Zeus...!"
Rage at Zeus.
She screamed Zeus' name as if having a fit for a moment, and with that, an unearthly aura swirled around her and soared skyward.
Athena was quick to push Aegis forward.
Even being High Rank, her aura was a burden.
'Good thing we moved our allies earlier.'
Pandora was the reason they rushed before they could clear the ranks of their men who had fallen from the ship.
If Pandora attacked their allies first, it would be bad.
'An internal ally who cannot control his emotions is more dangerous than an enemy.'
Pandora's energy was blocked by Aegis' protection, but Athena stood there for a moment, unable to move.
At that moment...
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."
Like a manic depressive, Pandora lowered her head, hiding her eyes.
Pandora's voice came out as she delivered a series of apologies.
"I've done wrong, so please get me out of here. Please...."
"...Okay."
Biting her lip in exasperation, Athena looked at Pandora for a moment before turning away.
"Stay in there until I call you."
With a snap...
Athena finally made her way towards the Heavenly Mountain.
The enemy she had to face on this battlefield.
There was no way she was going to give such an opponent to Pandora.
She was the strongest opponent she had brought with her, but she was also the worst.
'I can't give in.
This war is yours.
It must be, and it must be written as such.
Skak-.
Sword and Shield.
Athena folded her arms and lunged at the Heavenly Demon Spirit.
* * *
The Sun Chariot sped through several levels.
Taking the fastest route, the Sun Chariot arrived at the center of the Murim World.
It was Hefei where the Namgung Family lived.
"Ugh, I really can't stand these kinds of trips."
After spending the night in the rocking Sun Chariot, Hargaan grumbled.
It was more a play on words than genuine discomfort, a way to relax for the combat ahead.
"It won't be long now."
"Yeah, looks like it. Hey, that's Hefei, right?".
"This is my first fight with Olympus."
"Well, it was going to happen anyway, so let's do it in advance."
Fortunately, he didn't seem too nervous.
Inside the rattling carriage, Hargaan channeled his Mana and relaxed a bit.
He had nothing else with him but his fists and gauntlets. Now was the time to find the right tension and prepare for combat.
Seeing Hargaan's mouth close again after their brief exchange, YuWon turned his head to look outside the carriage.
The direction was Hefei Heavenly Mountain.
'It won't be long now.
Perhaps by now, Heavenly Mountain had become a battlefield.
Rankers from Olympus, led by Athena. Perhaps even this Pandora.
'I'm sure Cheon Mujin can take care of Athena. The problem is, if Pandora is there...'
There was nothing he could do now.
For now, he could only try to picture the situation on Heavenly Mountain in his mind.
It was when YuWon was looking in the direction of Heavenly Mountain through the window outside the carriage....
[The '?' egg reveals its teeth.]
[The '?' egg swallows its saliva.]
[The '?' egg urges you to hurry up.]
The unexpected message startled YuWon, who dropped the hand he was resting on the window frame.
"...Oh?"
Why is the Egg reacting here all of a sudden?
Judging by its insistence, the Egg seemed to know YuWon's fate.
'I've already obtained the Sacred Fire from the Heavenly Mountain. There's no way for me to react now...'
There was only one thing to say.
'Is it Pandora?'
