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On the second day of confrontation at Brahma’s throne,
the overwhelming strength of the wandering Martial God was evident.
Crackle crackle…!
As the Martial God extended his hand, a fierce current surged toward Brahma’s throne
It completely enveloped the wall and even began to grow larger than before.
[How… how can you wield the power of Thor’s might…!]
[This should be sufficient.]
The wandering Martial God replicated the opponent’s power and unleashed it more potently.
Yet despite replicating many powers of the Thunder Gods, there was one he did not.
The red current entwined in the Brahma’s throne.
‘Even to the very end, the master doesn’t replicate the Crimson Thunder…’
Compared to the other Thunder Gods’ powers, was the Crimson Thunder created by the mere human Seong Jihan not impressive enough?
Yet, the Crimson Thunder was one of the most intense powers known.
Swoosh…!
As the red lightning flared upon Brahma’s throne, which had withstood the Martial God’s barrage, it reignited.
The wall quickly restored itself.
The Crimson Thunder, supplying force to Brahma’s throne, seemed to be the key factor preventing it from destruction.
For the wandering Martial God, dealing with this Crimson thunder was a priority over the other Thunder Gods’ powers.
But…
[How bothersome.]
The wandering Martial God simply commented upon seeing the Crimson Thunder, not showing any attempts to absorb or replicate it.
‘Crimson with the void, yet within the master’s control… but why resist?’
Dongbang sak was perplexed as he watched the Martial God.
The void within the Crimson Thunder could be deadly even to immortals.
The Martial God could have easily controlled it.
‘I don’t understand… We can’t delay any longer, we might even fail in our invasion at this rate.’
Brahma’s throne, and the collective of Thunder Gods.
Among the various worlds invaded by the Martial God and his disciples, these were among the strongest.
The Thunder God was already a formidable entity, and Brahma’s throne amplified their power intensely.
Although the Martial God was dominantly pouring attacks using powers copied from the opposing Thunder God, a delay at the wall could potentially force his retreat.
‘The intervention from the BattleNet must be resolved before it arrives, but why doesn’t the master use a simpler method?’
Why continue to observe the Crimson Thunder?
As Dongbang sak tapped on Brahma’s throne, his gaze never left the Martial God.
And then…
[Longinus.]
[Yes, master.]
The wandering Martial God, showing no intention to utilize the Crimson Thunder.
[Create the spear.]
He summoned the Spear of Judgement instead.
‘Replacing Crimson Thunder with the power of death…’
Dongbang sak’s eyes darkened upon seeing this.
It was equivalent to forsaking the easy path for a more difficult one.
‘…It seems necessitating some trials.’
He sent a meaningful glance at the Martial God, then moved toward Pythia, who had just returned from reconnoitering.
* * *
Meanwhile,
‘The Martial God… he is straightforwardly ignoring the Crimson Thunder. Is it because it’s antithetical to the void’s power?’
In the controlled room now made comfortable, Seong Jihan also harbored doubts similar to Dongbang sak.
Numerous Thunder Gods had attempted to intercept the Martial God, but instead had their powers stripped away, facing severe counterattacks.
Thus, though the Brahma’s throne nearly crumbled several times, it somehow revived due to the Crimson Thunder.
For the Martial God, attacking the Crimson Thunder was essential for overcoming the wall…
[Ha, hahaha… Martial God, you cannot absorb the Crimson Thunder for some reason. Keep at it! Just a bit more!]
Cheered by Seong Jihan’s impressive performance deploying the Crimson Thunder, the Red Lion transported life’s pulp non-stop, unable to conceal its glee.
Though more composed than its initial alarm,
Seong Jihan questioned while reaching for a fruit.
“It’s holding out well but… is there a way out of this situation? It keeps getting pummeled by the Martial God.”
[Protection requests have been submitted to BattleNet, and the forced expulsion of the Martial God will soon commence.]
“Why wasn’t this done sooner if possible?”
[The request process is quite complex and time-consuming. So far, the wandering Martial God had conquered the other before the procedures concluded, reigning with terror across the universe…]
“How long will it take?”
[Three days remain.]
“Three days? I’ve got a Space League match. If it overlaps, I’ll log out.”
Fzzzt!
Hearing this, the Red Lion discharged lightning in all directions.
[That damn Space League…! Can’t you skip just once?]
“I can’t. Humanity needs me in every match. Otherwise, relegation looms.”
[A monster like you is worried about relegation?]
“Humanity’s level still has a long way to go. If I start getting banned, who knows what might happen.”
With Seong Jihan predicted to top the Space League rankings post-match, opposing interstellar teams might soon target him actively for banning.
Unlike national matches, the ‘Premium Pass’ at least provided a 30% chance of not being banned in the Space League.
‘Better secure points while I have a chance.’
Depending on those odds could result in future losses, so Seong Jihan aimed to seize victories whenever possible.
But…
[Ugh… Fine. How about this? If we overcome this crisis, I’ll give you full support! Hundred humans from your race will receive our sponsorship. Even missing one match, the results could still surpass your expectations, right?]
“Hmm… Is that so?”
The Thunder God, Brahma tempted Seong Jihan with an enticing offer.
‘The Thunder God reverberates with powerful constellations. Support for a hundred humans may prove useful…’
Space League rankings weren’t just about matches. Regular gaming performances added points too.
Human players’ daily point gains ranked at the bottom among the twenty races of the Space League.
However, support from powerful constellations like the Thunder God could significantly elevate these harvests.
“Alright, let’s go with two hundred.”
[Two hundred?! That’s excessive! We can’t bestow undue favoritism to one race!]
“How many can you manage then?”
[That’s…]
While Seong Jihan and the Thunder God haggled,
[Longinus. Initialize the spear.]
[Understood, master.]
Changes unfolded on the screen with the wandering Martial God instigating an order to Longinus.
The tides of the battle shifted drastically.
Swoosh…!
From Longinus’s entire body, blood extracted to create a colossal Blood Cross.
It was at least twice larger than the Spear of Judgement that Seong Jihan had faced of Longinus during their BattleNet clash.
And then,
Choaak…!
A massive cross etched onto the Brahma’s Throne.
As the spear emitted violet smoke, letters appeared.
[Target conditions, incompatible.]
[Destruction code, unmanifested.]
Differing from Seong Jihan’s encounter, the Spear of Judgement indicated incompatible target conditions.
Just as the Blood Cross’s momentum waned,
Swoosh!
The Martial God stretched a finger, adjusting the smoke-engulfed letters.
The system message was amended on the fly.
[Target conditions, matched.]
[Destruction code, unleashed.]
‘…Did he really interfere with the system message like that?’
Stunned, Seong Jihan widened his eyes.
Though he’d witnessed the wandering Martial God’s power prior, the emotional impact was minimal.
Despite greater potency than Seong Jihan’s powers,
His martial arts were a mirror image from his past life filled with nameless martial arts practices.
In fact, Dongbang Sak’s Taiji Sword or the Nine Palaces Eight Trigrams were more impressive.
But now…
‘This is intriguing…’
Interfering midway and altering the BattleNet message on the spot was unforeseen.
Then…
[Hand the spear over to me.]
[…Yes.]
Swoosh!
As Longinus’s Blood Cross transferred to the Martial God,
[Ugh!]
Blood flowed from Longinus, and the spear expanded.
Now of ample size, it matched the larger-than-human-figure Martial God.
[It’s done.]
The Martial God hurled the Blood-Crimson spear towards the barrier upon Brahma’s Throne.
And then,
Swooosh…
As if never present, Brahma’s Throne vanished entirely.
Though only the cross-shaped area disappeared,
Crackle crackle…!
The exposed barrier, both sides’ currents trying to fill the gap, failed to restore.
[Choke!]
Longinus coughed blood and lowered his head.
The Martial God turned his gaze toward him.
[No more, it’d be too taxing on you. Rest now.]
[…Understood, master.]
A flash bathed Longinus, and he disappeared.
The Blood Cross lodged in the cross simultaneously dissipated.
‘…The Martial God employs the Iron Blood Cross just like me.’
Although the scale differed, Seong Jihan’s extermination was a similar method, conjuring a cross and planting a spear, albeit uncomfortably.
‘Also, Longinus summoned the spear, not self-done. This feels awkward…’
Why such an approach?
Contemplating the Martial God’s Iron Blood Cross seen moments earlier, Seong Jihan felt an odd sensation,
[Disaster, disaster!]
As the panicked Red Lion began wailing, further thoughts were shelved.
[The barrier was broken in one hit… What kind of monster is that? Can Crimson Thunder not restore the barrier?]
“Crimson Thunder isn’t a cure-all. Do you think it would work in that situation?”
[…It’s too well defended. I thought we might be able to hold our ground as long as the Thunder God’s leader, Brahma was there. But it seems impossible…]
Whoosh!
The situation on the screen started to progress urgently as the Martial God and his followers entered through the breached wall.
[The wall is breached…!]
[Do not fight here. Gather around the Brahma’s Throne!]
[If we unite as one Thunder God, there’s still a chance!]
The Thunder Gods composing the wall of the barrier dispersed and began to retreat towards the Brahma’s Throne. However…
However…
[Let’s end this.]
Swooosh!
With a flick of his finger, the Martial God caused sparks to fly, vanishing the Thunder Gods en masse. Unlike before, when they relied on the barrier, the retreating Thunder Gods were defenseless.
Crackle crackle…
[…Already, 10% of the Thunder Gods have been slaughtered. There’s no solution. It’s over.]
“No, is it really over just because one wall was breached?” Seong Jihan questioned.
[Yeah, the wall was crucial… It was the primary defense protecting the Divine Throne. We knew we couldn’t resist the Martial God, but we had hope because of your Crimson Thunder…]
As the Martial God massacred the Thunder Gods on screen, the red lion turned to Seong Jihan.
[Log out. I need to find my own way now.], the red lion urged.
“How?”
[…I’ll stick to the original plan. Through the Crimson Thunder you provided, I’ll live as a being with ‘new concepts’ outside the realm of the Thunder Gods.]
“Got anything left for me?”
[Nothing. Get out of here! You’ve taken enough from me, you thief! Now, I must wander the universe as a pauper!]
Seong Jihan smirked at the enraged Red Lion.
‘I’ve obtained enough already.’
Over the past few days, Seong Jihan had gained considerably from his time in the Brahma’ control space.
Merely deploying Crimson Thunder, he significantly enhanced his Seal of Thunder stat by over 100 points and replenished his life force beyond his previous level.
Furthermore,
‘Witnessing the Martial God’s power is invaluable.’
Moreover, witnessing the Martial God’s power was the greatest reward. After all, he had practically paid for a VIP seat, gaining stats and even eating fruits while watching.
“Alright then, I’ll be off. Take care and stay safe,” Seong Jihan said as he prepared to leave.
[…Got it.]
As he moved to depart, a voice interrupted him.
“Just a moment. Where are you going?”
It was Pythia, one of Martial God’s Disciple, pushing her face through the currents.
“The leader of the Thunder Gods… is indeed here. You should surrender quietly.”
[What? How is she already here?! I’m leaving first, human!]
As the form of the red lion dissolved, Pythia furrowed her brow.
“Running away is futile, but you insist on making things complicated.”
“Are you in charge of pursuit too?”
“Yes. It’s my duty to chase down stragglers. Hmm… You, on the other hand… should log out before you get caught by the master.”
“Fair enough.”
Accepting Pythia’s suggestion, Seong Jihan moved to log out.
“Oh, wait. Before you go…”
“What is it?”
“Dongbang Sak wanted me to give you this.”
Pythia retrieved a worn-out book from the void and handed it to him.
***
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