Chapter 193

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

Chapter 193: The Sword of Destruction, Laevateinn (3)

“Father……”

Why is my father here?

My mind feels frozen.

He was supposed to be the incarnation of Michael…

“What? Your father?”

“Wasn’t your father Michael’s avatar?”

Loki and Artemis asked me seriously.

But their words didn’t register properly in my ears.

Why?

Why is my father here?

He should be in the celestial realm as Michael’s avatar…

Suddenly, the scene from earlier comes to mind.

The angels of light that were blocking us.

They charged at us, ignoring death, chanting some strange incantations.

[...Protect us in the midst of this battle.]

[...Be our guardian against the malice and deception of ___.]

The words they chanted.

Now that I think back on it, they sounded like prayers.

I had a hunch, but I forced myself to ignore it.

I was too busy trying to stop Laevateinn—and I didn’t want to believe it.

[Can you see me, Jiho…? Run! Michael has made a deal with Ares…]

Fwoosh!

Before he could finish speaking, flames engulfed my father.

Damn it…!

Let’s go save him!

“Kim Jiho, stop!”

Loki grabbed my shoulder.

More sternly than ever, he scolded me.

“Calm down. If you rush in unprepared, what are you going to do? That could be a trap.”

“Tch…”

His words poured cold water over my head, calming me down.

Right.

I couldn’t see straight because it involved my father.

Even if it really is him, I can’t just charge into a sea of fire without preparation.

[Jiho… ugh… you must… survive!]

My father’s voice, filled with pain, echoed in my ears.

I want to stay calm—but my heart is racing.

What do I do?

Ah—right.

The Soul Sword.

I drew the Soul Sword and slashed at the world of fire.

Crackle.

White smoke rose where the blade made contact.

But the world of fire is resilient, and though the condensed soul energy is cut away little by little—

[Soul Absorption activated.]

[You gain SP.]

“Damn it, damn it!”

I slash, releasing light energy with the blade.

But while the Soul Sword chips away at the fire world bit by bit, the power of the Sun God is being easily repelled.

Damn.

So light powers aren’t enough to break through?

“Hmph… No matter how strong that power is, we can’t just sit here.”

“Destroying Laevateinn comes first.”

“Attack alongside the Soul God. Focus your strength!”

The gods concentrated their attacks where I struck.

Maybe it’s thanks to the focused assault.

The world opened slightly.

[Jiho… Jiho… Hah. Why… don’t you run? If you’re going to save me, then just come in.]

His previously desperate voice turned calm.

Wait a second…

What?

“You’re… not my father, are you?”

Flames swirled around a small angel.

No, rather than engulfing it, the fire circled around and merged with it.

The small angel form rapidly grew, its soul reshaped by fire.

An angel formed of blended light and flame.

In a flash, it swelled into a towering figure blocking the fire realm.

Fwoooosh.

A round flaming shield appears before us.

The large round shield, about the size of my body, has the words Quis ut Deus inscribed on it.

The Latin phrase translated automatically.

“Who is like God?”

Who dares be equal to God?

A holy declaration from an archangel, punishing heretics under divine will.

As I see the inscription, his identity comes to mind.

[Soul God. It’s unfortunate to meet you like this.]

“You… You’re Michael, aren’t you?”

[Indeed. Servant of God, ruler of the Fourth Heaven. Commander of Heaven’s army—Michael.]

So it’s true… Michael really did betray us.

I don’t even feel anger—just confusion.

Why?

That’s what I want to know first.

“Michael! What the hell are you doing!?”

Loki shouted before I did.

[Kim Jiho, it’s thanks to you. You’ve done very well.]

Suddenly, Michael praises me.

I suppressed the anger rising inside me.

This is a moment that requires utmost composure.

Losing reason in anger would be fatal—there’s no room for error.

“What do you mean by that?”

[You defeating Apollo was the turning point.]

“What…? Apollo…?”

[After Apollo died, Ares approached us with a proposal.]

Ares… again?

[He said he’d open the way for us—to the place where the Lord resides.]

“Didn’t your God leave to become the Creator and remake the universe?”

[Yes. But souls—souls are not easily made. The heavens and the earth were created, but souls were needed to fill them. SP supplied from Earth was not enough.]

“Souls…”

[When you defeated Apollo, Ares was greatly surprised by your power. He couldn’t ignore even the slightest possibility. So he approached us.]

“What!?”

[With Zeus’s permission, he said he’d open Earth’s barriers. That he’d open the path to the Lord, and allow soul extraction.]

“You… betrayed us!”

Thor gritted his teeth and hurled Mjolnir.

The hammer struck Michael’s shield directly.

Boom!

Michael was pushed back by the impact.

The flaming shield flickers and started to regenerate.

But it didn’t fully restore—its center was sunken in.

The words Quis ut Deus are partially smudged.

[Betrayal? I am only a servant of the Lord. I merely follow His will. Was it not you who betrayed first, gods of Asgard?]

“You bastard traitor… I’ll kill you!”

“Wait. Hold on, Thor.”

I grabbed Thor’s shoulder as he bristled with fury.

“The Soul God…”

“I have a few questions to ask.”

[Heh. Ask away. I gained much from you, so I’ll grant you answers.]

The angel of fire spread his arms and shrugged.

“What happened to my father?”

[Your father was disappointing. I acknowledged his merits, his faithfulness. I wanted to guide him into our new Eden.]

“…And?”

[The new Garden of Eden created by the Lord—only those full of faith in Him may enter. I thought your father would qualify. But… in the final moment, his faith was lacking.]

Michael shook his head in regret.

“I see… So where is my father now? If he’s not in that damn Eden.”

[There.]

Michael points.

A massive sword is stuck in a glowing sphere like the sun.

The Sword of Destruction—Laevateinn.

He's saying my father is there?

“Wait. How can I believe that?”

[This concerns my avatar. I do not lie.]

“Besides, it's suspicious that you're suddenly rambling on like this after betraying us. What are you really after?”

[Heh heh…]

At Loki’s question, Michael glanced at his shield.

Still damaged, not yet fully regenerated.

[I have no desire to fight you. Nor do I need to.]

“What?”

[I’ve fulfilled the tasks Ares demanded in exchange for opening the path for me. He asked that I subdue the Soul God if possible, but the bait failed.]

The bait…

He must mean the voice that pleaded in my father’s voice.

This bastard, Michael…!

[I’ve bought enough time. I even granted power to Baldr and forged this sword. We’ve upheld our end of the contract.]

“So Baldr was with you too…”

That strange smile when I asked if he trusted Zeus.

He knew—and chose their side.

[Indeed. Now, we shall transfer our believers from Earth into Eden. There’s no need to fight you.]

This bastard… he plans to slip away quietly?

Leaving Olympus and the rest of the gods to tear each other apart?

[Kim Jiho. Before I go, one piece of advice.]

“What? Advice? You bastard…”

[Abandon your humanity. Ares feared the true potential of the Soul God and thus negotiated with us, but at the same time, he’s confident of victory because you cling to your humanity.]

What…?

Humanity…?

What does he mean by humanity all of a sudden?

[Remember, your opponent is a full god. He’s putting everything on the line to hunt you. You must discard all restraints and focus solely on victory if you wish to stand against him.]

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

Michael’s wings begin to fade.

Along with that, the realm of fire started losing its soul energy.

[That’s just in time for the contract to end. I’ll be going now. Kim Jiho, pull yourself together and face him properly. So that we may continue our migration. Hahahaha…]

As Michael’s laughter fades, the realm of fire dissipates.

And with it, the realm of light we stood in also began to dim.

“Laevateinn’s power…”

“It’s vanishing rapidly.”

“Was most of it from Michael…?”

“Likely mixed with the power of Yahweh, who became the Creator. He couldn’t have done this alone.”

Odin and Loki spoke.

But Michael’s words remain lodged in my heart.

Was he saying I didn’t truly seek victory?

That I should have used every possible means…?

“Kim Jiho. The path is open. Let’s go.”

“…Yeah.”

Together with the gods, we headed toward the glowing orb where the sword was embedded.

Once as radiant as the sun, it now barely emitted any light.

By the time we approached, it had already dimmed completely, resembling a giant glass bead.

“That glass orb… looks like a massive seal.”

“Yes. What’s floating inside…”

Inside the large glass orb, a whitish swirl churned.

Wait.

Is that…?

“Soul Disassembly.”

I analyzed the object’s nature.

Then, unlike anything before, a message appeared.

[This item was created by the Creator. He has named it the ‘Oblivion Sphere of the Apostate.’]

A message triggered by Soul Disassembly—for the first time.

Is it because this item was made by the Creator…?

Oblivion Sphere of the Apostate.

The name alone suggests its function.

Could my father's soul be trapped inside this?

Then another message arrives.

[Would you like to safely release the Oblivion Sphere of the Apostate? It will cost 70% of the Soul God’s SP. The minimum requirement is 100 million SP. If the sphere is broken by external force, the soul inside may be damaged or destroyed.]

70% of the Soul God’s SP…?

A sphere designed solely to target me.

The rest of the message takes my father’s soul hostage.

“Michael… was this what you meant by abandoning humanity?”

The Oblivion Sphere.

It doesn’t demand all my SP, but asks for 70%.

With a hard lower limit of 100 million.

It’s a steep price—but for my father’s soul, I would have paid it.

The version of me until now would have.

But doing so would weaken me for the coming battle against Ares.

Michael knew that—and so gave me his "advice."

To abandon humanity.

To destroy the sphere, forsake my father’s soul, and preserve my SP.

…So what now?

Should I give up?

Let my father, once Michael’s avatar, now branded as an apostate, be lost forever in that sphere?

Just to survive.

Just to win.

To abandon the soul of the person who meant the most to me?

“Loki.”

“What is it?”

“Contact the other pantheons. See if any are under attack. Communications should work again now.”

“Understood.”

“I need… just a few minutes.”

“…Okay.”

The turmoil in my heart settles quickly.

If it had been a different situation…

If it hadn't been just my father's soul, but if Michael himself had tried to seize and erase my father's soul…

I would have been more shaken.

Perhaps I would have made a different choice than I did now.

But this isn't that kind of situation.

I am the God of Souls.

Dealing with souls is my domain.

This is my area of expertise—even the Creator cannot interfere.

"Soul Disassembly. Fusion."

I analyze and divide the soul within the sphere.

The Soul Obliterator, which was about to shatter due to my interference, was patched through fusion, and I continued searching for souls.

In the process, the souls of the apostates started to resonate with me emotionally.

Those who were abandoned by God as traitors.

Were they truly so wicked to deserve that fate?

"You all…"

But they weren't…

It wasn’t a lack of faith.

They were more devout and sincere than anyone, spreading love according to God's teachings.

It’s just that—

They hesitated to be saved alone.

They faltered, just a little, at the idea of ascending to Heaven alone.

Their families weighed on their hearts.

Their relatives, their children lingered in their minds.

And so, they couldn’t bring themselves to take the hand of the angel—Michael’s hand.

Yes.

These people… are good people.

They simply didn’t meet Eden’s standard.

But my father's soul… is not among them.

I know these are some of the purest souls, but his is not one of them.

"Soul me—huff. Mediation."

It isn’t my father’s soul.

If I had destroyed them, maybe it would’ve been easier to find him.

But the words that were about to say ‘soul reaper’ instead shifted to ‘mediation’.

"Soul Fusion."

Using the shattered Soul Obliterator, I form a new Soul Sphere.

Into it, I place the souls of the apostates.

A waste of SP.

A waste of time born from unnecessary humanity.

Yes.

It's all pointless.

These good people who believed in God more than anyone and practiced love toward their neighbors are now of no use to me.

But I continue the work in silence.

Ignoring Michael’s advice.

Holding onto the humanity I once thought to discard.

I continue crafting Soul Spheres one by one.

These people…

Yes.

I want to save them.

As a human.

Souls who were abandoned by the one they believed was God.

Souls who lived sincerely and kindly more than anyone.

If I just try a little harder, put in just a bit more strength…

Surely, I can save them.

As quickly and safely as possible.

With all senses heightened, I repeatedly create Soul Spheres and insert the apostates’ souls.

I repeat the cycle of mediation, fusion, and disassembly countless times.

"Soul Mediation."

"Soul Fusion."

"Soul Disassembly."

I kept uttering the skill names, over and over…

At some point, I stopped speaking.

At some point, I no longer needed to say the words aloud.

At my will, the souls moved.

Disassembling, fusing, mediating… without consciously invoking the skill names, the souls begin to divide and flow precisely as I intend.

"This is…"

A sensation I’ve never felt before.

My soul-based skills manifesting outside of the system, purely by will.

Freed from the framework of skills, they are now more efficient and limitless.

Yes.

This is my true authority.

The Authority of Souls.

[User ‘Kim Jiho’ partially breaks free from system constraints.]

[Conditions for promotion to SSS-rank are partially fulfilled. Remaining conditions are now revealed.]

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]