Chapter 1079

〈 Chapter 1079 〉 1079. The God’s Atlantis

Elena, who had been leaning against a rock, suddenly sprang to her feet.

From the black pillar emerged a one-eyed giant. It was Valor. Valor had descended upon Atlantis.

It wasn’t a false god. If it were merely a false deity descending, they wouldn’t have gone through such a troublesome method, and Samuel, the boss of Helten, wouldn’t have even paid attention to this matter.

Valor appeared to be in an abnormal state. It seemed that the system’s restrictions were being imposed on him.

“Alright, I get that Valor has descended in his true form. But… why?”

There was no reason for a god to risk the system’s restrictions or face the crisis of destruction.

Atlantis is nothing but a playground for the gods. There’s absolutely no need for someone in an absolute position to cast it all aside.

“Elena, do you know the difference between a god and a human?”

Samuel asked. His voice, focused on Valor, was strangely excited.

“The differences are way too many.”

“Power.”

“Are you talking about authority?”

“That includes everything under the umbrella of the absolute power that gods possess. Everything else? Not much different from humans. They just have excessively strong power and individuality.”

“…Because that power is absolute, they are gods.”

Elena thought she understood what Samuel was trying to say.

“The proof that gods aren’t perfect is this world. Unable to endure boredom, they created Atlantis—a massive playground.”

“And we are nothing more than toys for the gods in that playground. …It makes me sick.”

“Agreed. Elena, do you think all the countless gods enjoy the playground the same way?”

“Those gods? No way.”

“Exactly. Some gods don’t care at all, some deliberately try to ruin the game, and others throw in all their assets.”

“…Is Valor the third type?”

“No. The fourth type. He went all-in, lost everything, and even bet his own life on the game. Gambling addiction applies even to the gods.”

This is the eighth Atlantis. There were seven Atlantises before, and they’ve already ended. Apparently, Valor suffered great losses in the previous Atlantis.

“I understand that Valors’ goal is to sweep up all the stakes placed in this Atlantis. But why isn’t the boss stepping in? This is a chance to kill a god.”

“It’s a rare opportunity, so it’d be a shame to let it end like this. I’ll observe until it gets too dangerous. The important thing isn’t Valors, but the gods watching from above. And there’s still something nagging at me.”

“…Something nagging at you?”

“There’s a high possibility another god is involved. This is too big for Valors alone. The problem is, we don’t know which god it is. It’s obvious they won’t reveal themselves, so it’d be good if we could find some clue.”

“Hmm. I’m going in directly.”

“Do as you wish. We’ve already confirmed most of what we needed to, so I won’t stop you.”

Elena turned away from Samuel and White, who were quietly observing the situation. It seemed they really weren’t going to step in.

Observe until it gets dangerous? Elena didn’t know where that line was drawn.

•••

I looked up at the giant and swallowed hard.

The one-eyed god. The matter of Valors. A god has descended into this world.

The situation is at its worst. Just as I was about to make that judgment, Valors’ massive body wavered. I didn’t miss that moment.

‘The system’s restrictions are hitting him hard. And since he just descended, he hasn’t fully adapted to Atlantis yet.’


“Ha.”

It might be a lot more winnable than I thought.

Gripping the sword hilt with both hands, I swung at Valor, who was over 30M away. A blue slash charged with lightning struck his body.

With a *fit*, the giant’s skin split open, and blood sprayed out. From my perspective, it was like 2-3 people’s worth of blood, but for him, it was just a minor loss.

Even though he wobbled, Valor planted his feet firmly and stood upright. He lifted his heavy eyelids and stared at me with crimson eyes.

I flinched as my body trembled involuntarily.

“You don’t die… Is it because you’re already dead…?”

Valor’s voice echoed through the space, similar to the death waves emitted by the black pillar.

“…Is Qing Guo Li dead?”

“Qing Guo Li?”

Valor caressed his wound with his own hand. The injury healed instantly, not naturally.

“Ah, you mean that human who summoned me? That human is right in front of you. He’ll live eternally as part of my body.”

“What happened to Qing Guo Li’s soul?”

“Seems like your head isn’t working well. Didn’t I clearly say it? He’ll live eternally as part of my body.”

“…”

Qing Guo Li got eaten. That’s probably how it went. Most likely, he got hit from behind by Valor. Whatever deal they made… Qing Guo Li trusted Valor too much. Just because someone’s a Spirit doesn’t mean they honor contracts.

“I can feel someone watching.”

Valor tilted his chin upward toward the heavens.

“Spirits, are you watching? I, Valor, am here. Here, I will rebuild my foundation. I’ll gather the primal forces and make this world my territory to start anew.”

「The Lord of the Sky sneers.」

「The Fallen Star giggles.」

「The Shining Spear remains silent.」

“Don’t forget! I remember the humiliation I endured! It will definitely be repaid!”

Valor roared, emitting a sound so loud it made eardrums want to burst and instinctively made listeners shrink back.

Valor’s gaze landed on me. Despite being attacked by me, there was no emotion directed toward me.

“The beginning shall be you, human.”

I summoned Storm Breaker, holding the massive spear in one hand and taking aim. I imbued it with Astrape, making the spear flash with lightning.

I aimed for Valor’s eyes and threw it. The spear flew like lightning but stopped abruptly in front of the giant, creating an illusion that time had frozen.

“Those who fought me always targeted my eyes. At first, it annoyed me, but I came to understand. To them, my gaze must be pure terror.”

Valor flicked the spear suspended in mid-air with his index finger. It flew off in a random direction and embedded itself into the ground. I let out a groan.

‘…That was a pretty strong attack, yet it got nullified so easily?’

Mana surged around Valor.

Magic.

Not the kind used by mages, but magic of a far higher dimension.

“I already knew my gaze wouldn’t work on the undead. My eyes are dangerous, but their limits were clear. So I pondered. How could I break those limits and kill the undead? What foolish thinking. If I can’t kill with my gaze alone… then physical force will suffice.”

Valor’s pupils burned fiercely. A red beam shot from his eyes toward me.

Startled, I narrowly dodged using a split-second window. The beam melted the sandy ground, turning the sand bright red and boiling it.

‘Unbelievable destructive power. If that beam hits even once, it’s game over.’

I used the power of Tutankhamun’s Golden Mask. With Qing Guo Li gone, nearby undead reverted to their wild state. I took control of them and sent them charging at Valor.

“Things reeking of corpses. I once tried to find ways to control you. But what can mere corpses accomplish against me? Stop defiling my territory and vanish.”

Undead, who know no fear even against a god, charged forward. The red beam swept through them, setting their bodies ablaze. They vaporized without leaving any ash. However, there were still many undead remaining.

Valor swung his arm casually, like swatting away annoying bugs. A Death Knight flew over 100M and slammed into the ground.


It totally shattered. The Death Knight, armor and all, was utterly annihilated and would never rise again.

“So a one-hit KO against a Death Knight, huh.”

I clicked my tongue and used Illusion to turn my body invisible as I sneaked up on Balor. His arrogance was working in my favor.

I arrived beneath the giant. Up close, he exuded even more overwhelming pressure than from afar.

“The bastard hasn’t noticed me yet.”

The conditions for a surprise attack were perfect.

Balor was showing off his power by smashing through the undead army. His movements were getting smoother – he’s adapting to his new body.

“To get maximum effect from the sneak attack, timing is everything.”

I quietly waited for the optimal moment. And it soon came. When Balor had wiped out half the undead army with overwhelming force, his tension slightly relaxed. He closed his eyelids, giving his fiery eyes a brief rest.

Heavenly Shadow Style: Thunder Light.

My ultimate fast sword technique activates. A crimson blade of light slashed through the air, severing Balor’s right ankle.

“AAAAARRRRGGGHHHH!!!”

Balor screamed and fell forward. Blood gushed from the severed ankle.

“You insignificant human! How dare you!!”

Balor’s mana surged wildly. I quickly leaped back as flames erupted from the ground. The fire spread in all directions, scorching even from a distance.

The earth touched by the flames turned black, eroding away.

“No… strictly speaking, this land is just returning to its original state.”

I surveyed the battlefield. The undead army was down to less than half and still decreasing as they were consumed by the flames. Wild undead were charging toward Balor, likely drawn by his massive life force.

“I need to take Balor down while there’s still undead around. Without them, my chances would be nil.”

Despite losing his right ankle, Balor rose again. Supporting himself on one foot, he opened his previously closed eye. The whites were bloodshot red.

“Never did I think I’d suffer such humiliation at the hands of a mere human… Very well, I acknowledge you. You’re no ordinary human but a hero. I sense the destiny of a hero within you. However, that destiny shall shatter here!”

I summoned a spear and hurled it straight at his eye. It didn’t penetrate. The spear bounced off an invisible wall.

“It’s not magic. The monstrous mana coursing through his body repelled the spear like some kind of automatic defensive aura.”

This wasn’t intentional defense on Balor’s part. Just a side effect of his immense mana usage.

The mana coalesced into shapes resembling eyes in mid-air. Twelve identical crimson eyes appeared in the air, matching Balor’s own, making thirteen total Eyes of Death aimed at the scorched land.

The ground burned. The undead melted away. Thirteen beams of red light reduced the surrounding area to ashes.

Heavenly Demon Art: Tyranny of Demons Step.

In the midst of indiscriminate bombardment, I used the Tyranny of Demons Step to evade the beams. But soon I reached my limit. The ground where the beams had passed was glowing red-hot, almost like molten lava. There was nowhere left to step.

“Shit…”

Getting close to fight was impossible. The area around Balor was boiling. Without heat resistance, I’d melt the moment I approached. Long-range attacks weren’t working either – even my full-strength spear throw failed.

“There has to be another way… Modern weapons are only effective against grunts. They mean nothing against Balor.”

Thirteen beams converged on me from all directions. It was too late to use the Tyranny of Demons Step. The technique requires control over the surrounding space, but the beams instantly destroyed any space I tried to dominate. I was trapped.

“I came prepared to die once… At least I thought I could take an arm with me…”

That’s when it happened. A bright blue butterfly fluttered lazily toward me, completely out of place in this battlefield of destruction.