"Take Poseidon with you."
The day Hades met YuWon...
After being told that he could bring Hercules into the fray, YuWon began to paint the big picture of the fight.
"He's in prison in Asgard right now."
"I know."
"You're saying that even though you know?"
"I'll try to make a deal. It's necessary to beat Zeus. Zeus must also be a thorn in his side."
He was not wrong.
Given what Olympus had done to keep Asgard and the Giants apart, it made sense for Asgard to keep Olympus in check.
Instead of escalating into all-out war, they only hoped for internal divisions.
"Releasing Poseidon will only increase the antagonism between the three Gods, as well as pit Poseidon against Zeus, and there is no reason for Asgard not to respond."
"What if they think we're trying to team up again and beat them?"
"Once they see that Hercules is on our side, they'll never think that."
Hades could only nod.
If the civil war on Olympus really got serious, if there really was a need for Poseidon in such a situation....
There might even be the possibility of freeing Poseidon from Asgard.
"For that, we need Hercules on our side first."
"I know."
"Are you sure?"
"I am."
The answer was so definitive that it was embarrassing to question.
After their conversation, Hades erased the picture he had painted and began to paint a new one.
But whatever he did, he couldn't draw anything as beautiful as a union between Hercules and Poseidon.
'It was a bet, and in the end...'
Hades couldn't believe what was happening.
'It really happened like that.'
At the bottom, Hercules was leading Zeus' army towards him.
And at the top, two of the three gods were keeping Zeus at bay.
All this....
No...
The whole scenario...
'Was it planned by that guy?'
What the hell?
He even got goosebumps at the thought.
Hercules, himself, and Poseidon.
And even Zeus in front of him.
All of them, like one man's chess pieces, moved into the positions the guy really wanted.
'The phase of doubt is over.
From the moment YuWon had recruited Hercules, he had decided to trust him.
He had already made it this far.
Now the fight was in his hands.
'What is the end of this painting?'
Kwareung-!
Boom, boom-!
Lightning exploded in front of him and a wave of water surged across the sky.
"What are you doing, aren't you going to help?"
Hades, who hesitated for a moment at Poseidon's shout, began to move again.
* * *
Hades.
One of the three Gods of Olympus, and of High Rank, ranked 61.
Poseidon.
A High Rank with the title of God of the Sea, ranked 72.
Both occupied high positions in the top 100.
Beings that could take on a single guild with their own strength, and even take on over a hundred High Ranked players.
However.
The opponent was someone with a much higher rank than those two.
Kwareung-!
"Kuk!"
BANG!
Poseidon's body crashed to the ground.
His body was covered in burns from the explosion, with open wounds and dripping blood.
Poseidon quickly straightened up and swung his trident.
Tang-.
A huge wave of water flowed through the air, moving along the tip of the spear.
In a world full of moisture, Poseidon condensed it into a single form.
Hundreds of spears of water.
Along the tip of the spear shot out toward Zeus.
Pajik, jik, jik-!
A veil of lightning that surged in front of Zeus blocked it.
Seeing this, Poseidon muttered in annoyance, wiping the blood from his mouth.
"Bastard."
"You and I are polar opposites - don't you know that?"
It hadn't been that long ago.
Poseidon had lost a fight with Zeus, and was imprisoned in Asgard.
What Poseidon confirmed in that fight was the overwhelming difference in abilities.
An unattainable heaven.
First of all, Poseidon, a water-based mana user, and Zeus, a lightning-based mana user, were not a good match.
"So..."
Ssshhh-.
A single palm stretched out in front of Zeus' nose.
"What if it was me?"
Thud.
The third god with a higher rank than Poseidon.
Hades' hand grasped Zeus' neck.
The corner of Poseidon's mouth lifted. The attack a moment ago had been a delaying tactic to create this situation in the first place.
Ssshhh-.
Dark attribute mana enveloped Zeus' head. It was the power of aging, melting skin and corroding bones.
The battle was won.
The same thought passed through both of their minds.
However...
"A very clever tactic, but..."
Quack...
Zeus grabbed Hades by the wrist, who was holding him by the neck.
"As expected, it's not enough."
"...!"
Kwareung-!
A lightning bolt fell from the sky.
To avoid that, Hades hid in the darkness again, but it was already too late
"Kuhh..."
Hades crashed to the ground, as did Poseidon.
Sitting on his knees in shock, Hades had a look of surprise on his face.
'It didn't work.
The wound on Zeus' neck/head was just a scratch.
That was the result of his collaboration with Poseidon moments ago.
The two of them, instead, had been struck by a Lightning Bolt and had plummeted from the sky to earth.
"They must have been neglecting their training."
Zeus' body floated to earth.
Olympus had a saying.
Even if everyone on Olympus turned their backs on him, they couldn't handle a single Zeus.
No.
It wasn't just Olympus, but the other great Guilds as well.
The power of a single-digit High Ranked Player was something else entirely.
Of course.
Although Poseidon and Hades, both equally powerful members, would never admit it.
'Is it that much of a difference?'
He didn't think he'd need another painting.
Maybe I can finish this fight before Kim YuWon arrives, he thought.
But no.
It had to be done.
It was a matter of pride, as one of the Three Gods.
"You've been holed up in your temple doing nothing, and you ask us about our training?"
Poseidon, with sinews popping out of his head, said in an angry voice.
Indeed, Zeus had been out of the public eye for a thousand years after the Gigantomachy.
The fact that he would even discuss training was absurd.
"I see..."
However.
"I guess it seemed that way."
Hearing this, Zeus laughed.
"You're the one who's been complacent and hasn't done anything."
"What?"
"Have you ever thought about going higher?"
Higher.
However, Zeus didn't mean the top of the tower, but higher.
It had been the same thing the first time, when Zeus had become Ranker with his brothers.
"I will climb to the top of this Tower."
"Then I can really be the king of this Tower."
It was a great ambition.
To do something that no one had ever done in this vast Tower.
Zeus simply could not be satisfied with Olympus alone.
"You are already the King of Olympus. Are you not satisfied with being in that position?"
"A life without looking up is as good as being dead, especially in this Tower."
Hades reminded.
It wasn't the first time they'd had this conversation.
Some wanted the top, some wanted complacency.
And then it happened...
Zeus, Poseidon and Hades.
A rift began to form between them.
"This is why I despise them."
Zeus no longer referred to the two as brothers.
His gaze upon them remained impassive. His thoughts were too ingrained to allow for emotions like contempt and anger.
There was nothing to be angry about, nothing to question.
They had already begun to go their separate ways.
"Is the Second Gigantomachy a stepping stone?"
Poseidon, who had planned both the Gigantomachy and Ragnarok with Zeus, realized what Zeus meant.
He was inclined to be halfway between Zeus and Hades. His goal was the expansion of Olympus through war, but it occurred to him that perhaps it had something to do with the "above" Zeus spoke of.
"Even if I told you, you wouldn't believe me, would you?".
Zeus no longer expected anything from the two of them.
Beings who became Rankers by receiving the blessings of the System, living a life close to eternity.
It was impossible to convince them.
"The next level, it doesn't exist. It doesn't make sense."
The top of the Tower no longer exists.
That was the common thought of the countless Rankers who had seen the top of the Tower, and it was the same for Hades.
But.
"No, it does exist."
The answer came not from Zeus, but from a completely different direction.
"The Top, obviously."
Hades turned his head.
Zeus had already noticed it for a while, so he was already watching him from that moment on.
A familiar face.
YuWon patted Danpung's head and said.
"Good job."
"Abbat, baa-."
The boy raised his arm to respond.
His reaction seemed to say, "Well, that's nothing."
Poseidon, who had also discovered YoWun, made a complex and subtle expression.
"That guy...."
Kim YuWon.
Not the most reliable of allies, but it was clear he was an unusual guy after hearing his story.
But he was partly to blame for Poseidon's situation in the first place.
It was YuWon who revealed the secrets of the Round Table and blocked Zeus' Thunderbolt.
Also, it was he who took the Sea Stone that Poseidon wanted.
Pudeuk-.
But anyway, they were allies now.
It was hard enough dealing with Zeus in front of him, and it wouldn't hurt to have another Ranker on this side... though YuWon wasn't one yet.
'For now, Zeus comes first.'
Poseidon sighed and swallowed his anger.
On the other hand...
For the first time in this fight, Zeus' eyes trembled.
"You..."
Zeus' voice trembled slightly.
To his ears, YuWon's words had not sounded like mere bravado moments ago.
"You know something?"
"Probably more than you know."
It wasn't a very sincere answer.
He hadn't even looked Zeus in the eye to answer in the first place.
'Fortunately, it's not too late.
The fifth temple.
It was the same number as before the Regression, when Hercules began his rampage.
And it was also the point at which Zeus, unable to see Olympus crumbling, had made his own move.
History does not repeat itself unless people change.
YuWon waited for this moment.
Pajik, pajik-.
A fierce current flowed through Zeus' body.
He felt like his body would burn just by getting close.
He was, in name and reality, a High Ranker within the Top 10 who was arguably the strongest in this Tower.
'I'm finally going against a monster.
The first opponent he should be nervous about.
Fortunately, Hades and Poseidon had arrived.
"This is our first fight together."
YuWon said to Danpung on his shoulder.
"Be careful not to turn your stomach."
Jjeouk-.
As YuWon looked at Zeus, the Predator opened his mouth.
