Chapter 220

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

Chapter 220: Sealing Stone (4)

Assimilation.

So this is the third Authority.

Only two more left now.

Maybe it’s because I’ve developed resistance to assimilation.

The color change of the Sealing Stone is much faster now.

[Oh... it doesn’t hurt anymore?]

Aphrodite stopped moaning.

[Ugh… Urgh...]

In contrast, Dionysus continued to scream in pain.

What caused this difference between the two?

Hmm.

Could it be...

“Aphrodite. Did you also cooperate voluntarily with Zeus?”

Aphrodite immediately clicks her tongue.

[Ha. Voluntarily? Yeah right...]

“Zeus wouldn’t have been able to forcibly seal you because of the Oath, right?”

[Of course, he didn’t drag me away and absorb me by force. But... he created the perfect atmosphere where I had no choice.]

“So it was practically coercion then.”

[Exactly. The so-called glory of Olympus, what a joke...]

Unlike Dionysus, who cooperated voluntarily.

Aphrodite was practically absorbed by Zeus against her will.

Maybe the difference between voluntary and involuntary submission is why one feels pain and the other doesn’t.

[But... who are you?]

“Enemy of Olympus.”

[Ah... are you the Soul God?]

“Yes.”

When I confirmed it, Aphrodite went silent.

Leaving her in silence, I resumed purifying the Sealing Stone.

After gaining resistance to assimilation, purification progresses much faster.

Even SP consumption has been significantly reduced.

Dionysus's Sealing Stone rose slowly from 85%, and at around 90%, the purification came to a complete halt.

Aphrodite’s, on the other hand, continued at a steady pace and soon turned completely blue.

[How fascinating. You weren’t this strong before...]

“Have you seen me before?”

[Hehe. I briefly inhabited the body of your elf woman.]

“In Diana’s body? Ah. So you were the one trying to seduce me.”

There was a time when Diana suddenly launched a physical attack.

That really caught me off guard…

Didn’t this woman even accuse me of being impotent?

[As expected of a soul-type class.]

“Something like that.”

[If I’ve been captured by you, then... what happened to Olympus? And Zeus?]

Unlike Dionysus, Aphrodite keeps asking questions.

But her voice is so charming, it didn’t even feel annoying.

Rather, as a man, I felt almost obligated to answer.

Is that the power of the Goddess of Beauty?

Even sealed in a stone with no real power…

“Olympus? I destroyed it. Zeus is still left, though.”

[Zeus is still alive, huh?]

“Yeah. Are your questions answered now?”

[Yes… it’d be rude to ask more. Thank you for your kind answers.]

“Now, it’s my turn.”

[You want information?]

Aphrodite responded cooperatively.

Completely different from Dionysus.

[Honestly, I was sealed by Zeus early on, so I don’t have much useful information.]

“Really? That’s disappointing.”

[But Zeus often gave me strange drinks and... pursued me. The drinks were so addictive they gnawed at my soul, even in astral form...]

“Dionysus must’ve made them.”

[So he did, huh?]

After I briefly recapped what I heard from Dionysus, Aphrodite nodded knowingly.

[I knew it. That creepy guy was behind it.]

[Pfft… spreading your legs and begging for more like a drunken whore.]

[Well, I was bored being sealed. Needed something to kill the time. Hoho.]

Aphrodite casually dismissed Dionysus’s words.

Then she turned to me.

[Soul God. When I was cuddling up to Zeus, he told me something interesting.]

“Oh? What was it?”

[If you promise to spare me… I’ll tell you everything I know.]

“Sure. Go ahead. I’m not really interested in opposing anyone other than Zeus. If your information is good, I’ll even reward you with some SP.”

[Oh my. How generous and merciful you are. So unlike Zeus.]

Her voice became even more seductive.

Too sexy for something coming out of a rock.

[Now that you’ve given permission, I’ll share the info I discovered right away.]

No hesitation—good attitude.

[Zeus... he talked about Hades. He laughed, saying Hades would eventually follow his lead.]

Aphrodite lowered her voice like she’s revealing a secret.

If I hadn’t known beforehand, I’d be shocked.

But… this was something I had already suspected, so it’s not worth SP.

“I know. That guy seems to have sided with Chaos. The power he uses comes from Chaos’ divine artifact.”

[Ah… you already knew.]

“Yup. Anything else?”

[Hmm… When I asked how long I’d be kept sealed, he said just a few more months. That he’d soon be free of the restrictions.]

Now this is valuable information.

It gives me a timeline.

To be free of restrictions likely means breaking through the system’s SP limit.

I did destroy Olympus and block off all the soul stones to cut off his supply…

But that doesn’t mean his SP restriction will last forever.

Especially not with Chaos backing him.

Assuming Aphrodite’s timeline is accurate, I’ll have to plan around that.

“When did you hear that?”

[Three weeks ago.]

“So there’s not much time left…”

A few months…

If Zeus moves in earnest, can I win?

I’ve developed resistance to three Authorities, but I still don’t even know the other two…

And that resistance can only block what SSS-class proxies use—not what Zeus himself, an EX-class, might unleash.

“That was useful. Worth 100 billion SP.”

[...100 billion?]

“Too little?”

[N-No! Not at all. Hoho! Um… did you maybe misspeak? Did you mean million instead of billion? Even a billion would be amazing...]

“I’ve got SP to spare, so no need to worry. If you have more good info, I’ll pay even more.”

[Wow... please wait. Let me gather my thoughts.]

Then she went silent.

Since she’s recovered, I left her be and moved on to the next Sealing Stone.

“This one’s not working well.”

Unlike Dionysus’s or Aphrodite’s, the color of this stone doesn’t change easily.

Still, thanks to my resistance to assimilation, it’s progressing—just slowly.

Aphrodite started talking around 60% too...

Should I just wait until this one reaches that point?

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

Is it taking so long to purify because the divine power hasn't yet spread on Earth?

“Dionysus. Don’t you know anything?”

[Ugh… Uuuuh… Uuuhhh… Ughhh…]

“You’re already like this after such a short time of pain? No endurance at all.”

Dionysus, nearly broken by pain, had almost lost his mind.

He just groaned, as if he had nothing more to reveal.

Might as well leave him be…

[Ah… What should I say? You already know about Hades, right? That he's the one to carry out the final judgment.]

“What? Final judgment?”

[Yes. Hades’ judgment.]

“What are you talking about?”

[What is Hades’ divine power?]

“He’s the god of the underworld…”

Hades, ruler of the underworld.

His power… the only thing that comes to mind is death.

“He probably wasn’t consumed by Zeus like you guys were, right?”

[But Zeus designated Hades for the final judgment. He must have had a method if he did that, don’t you think?]

“Damn. Fire and food were already problems… and now death?”

If the previous four gods guided users to death through their divine powers…

Then Hades would probably kill directly.

There wouldn’t be any intermediate stages.

“If you’re not an Awakened one, you die immediately…”

[Soul God, if Uncle Hades’ power manifests, even Awakened ones won’t survive. He’s the Lord of Chaos, and his synergy with Zeus’ chaotic artifact would be tremendous.]

“Yeah. If it’s called the final power, then even the Awakened won’t last.”

[Oh my. Ares, you were here?]

[Yeah.]

[Then why didn’t you say anything? That’s cold. Is that all we are to each other?]

[We broke up ages ago. Don’t act close.]

Ares and Aphrodite bicker, but their sordid affair doesn’t matter.

All attention is on Hades’ power.

“This is bad…”

Even if sealed stones can stop fire and hunger…

Hades’ power is on a completely different level.

This guy probably isn’t even sealed…

Ah, that’s right.

“If I take out Hades first, he can’t use his power, right?”

[That may be true… but how would you even find him? We can’t exactly invade the Chaos faction. And even if you did manage to suppress him, if Zeus descends within a few months, humanity’s extinction is still inevitable.]

“Sigh. That’s right. There’s still Zeus.”

Even if I somehow seal Hades first, if Zeus descends, it’s over.

If he unleashes his power fully on Earth, everything will be wiped out.

“Hmph. If I had more time, I could win… But I don’t. Humanity will fall before then…”

[So you could win, if you had time?]

Aphrodite, who’d been bickering with Ares, suddenly asked me.

“I could. Definitely.”

[Then why not just abandon humanity? If you’re strong enough to defeat the Creator, then you must be at the EX rank already… Just let these humans go and create a new race.]

“Abandon… humanity?”

[Aphrodite. That’s unusually sensible of you.]

[Oh my, Athena. You were here too? The Soul God really has all of us wrapped around his finger. Hoho.]

[Apollo and Aphrodite are also on his side. Honestly, most of Olympus’ gods are under him now.]

[Soul God. This is perfect. Let Zeus wipe out humanity, and let’s build a new world together. Elysium. We’ll be your hands and feet.]

Aphrodite said it with a cheerful smile.

And the other gods didn’t seem to object much.

To them, humanity’s worth was just that little?

If it’s destroyed, they could just make a new one.

But…

Surprisingly, I found myself tempted by that idea.

If I shed everything and unleashed my full power, I could win this war.

If I turned a blind eye to humanity’s sacrifice and just evaded Zeus…

And made it a long game…

It would be a guaranteed victory.

I don’t know how long it would take, but I’d win for sure.

But…

If I do that, the self I’ve tried so hard to protect—

The home that Kim Jiho could return to—would be completely gone.

The human part of me would quickly fade away.

With no humanity, just wandering through these stones, this universe, these worlds…

Running from Zeus and growing stronger…

I’d probably just end up losing myself.

If I lose the place and the society I can return to…

Then it’s no different from just fighting Zeus now with everything I’ve got.

“There’s no need for a new Elysium. I reject your offer. Humanity, as it is now, is necessary to me. It’s the hometown I need in order to live as Kim Jiho.”

[Hmm… but there’s no other way, is there? There’s no method to stop Zeus’ power…]

“You’re right. Ares. I currently have no means of stopping Zeus’ power.”

[Yes. With the chaotic artifact, Zeus' destructive force is unmatched. If his power hits Earth directly, it’s impossible to completely block it. It’ll break through.]

“Yeah…”

Humanity’s survival was already endangered with Hades’ power.

If Zeus unleashes his strength, even Earth itself might not survive.

There’s no way we can fend off their attacks on this planet.

In that case…

There’s only one method left.

“If I can’t block it… then I’ll take them and run.”

[Huh? Take… and run?]

“Exactly what it sounds like. All 7 billion humans. I’m taking them and leaving Earth.”

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]