Chapter 240 - END

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

Chapter 240: Limit Breakthrough (5)

Phase One.

[Soul God. I am victorious.]

Zeus smiled.

Finally…….

At last!

The end is near.

[Seven days have passed since descending to Earth.]

Zeus's advance, which began in Greece.

[Humanity has been annihilated.]

There had been an incident where Hera died, triggering the Oath of Olympus…

But even for the Soul God, it was impossible to stop Zeus, who had fully acquired the Authority of Chaos.

Just seven days.

In only seven days, humanity was swallowed by darkness.

All souls were extracted and became nourishment for Zeus.

No one could stand against him.

Odin, who once stood shoulder to shoulder with Zeus, had fled early with Asgard.

Indra, watching from afar, realized he couldn’t win and went into hiding.

Asura swung his sword at Zeus, but the divine sword energy bounced off the darkness, and Asura ended up losing all his arms.

And the biggest obstacle, the Soul God…

“Damn… you’re insanely strong.”

[Annihilation] and [Banishment].

The ultimate spear and shield.

The Soul God couldn’t overcome these two Authorities to the end.

[Running away all the way to the North Pole to survive… you're like a cockroach.]

“Hah. The Authority of Chaos—what a cheat.”

[You're one to talk.]

The Soul God panted heavily.

This wasn’t like the clones that had always been swept away instantly.

He resisted Annihilation and Banishment significantly, and even managed to counterattack.

Not overly threatening, but had he been given more time…

Things could have gotten tricky.

[Even if I take you down, I know that doesn’t mean the Soul God Kim Jiho disappears entirely.]

“……”

[Someone as persistent as you wouldn't remain on Earth with no hope left.]

“……Oh?”

[You probably escaped Earth along with a portion of humanity’s souls.]

At those words, the Soul God shrugged his shoulders.

Zeus completely sealed the surroundings to prevent his escape and continued speaking.

[You’re either a more powerful clone, or… one of multiple true bodies.]

The Soul God grinned.

“Well, how’d you figure that out?”

[I’ll devour you.]

Zeus’s darkness closed in on the Soul God.

Even if he was just one of multiple true forms or a powerful clone…

Devouring him and using the Authority of "Disassemble" would yield immense SP.

Then, the fusion with Earth would accelerate even further.

[I will consume you, and take another step forward.]

“Damn. I should’ve kept Hera alive. Would’ve been nice to use her as a shield now.”

A final taunt before death?

Mentioning Hera for no reason, the Soul God.

But Zeus was not a romantic god to be swayed by past matters.

She was already forgotten.

[All the more reason to savor you piece by piece.]

Zeus declared his joyful feast without hesitation.

As the darkness began to envelop the Soul God's soul body—

“Loop.”

[Loop?]

The Soul God uttered the word with a light smile.

And then, everything stopped.

[What…?]

A massive force was felt.

From beyond Earth.

From space.

An enormous amount of SP surged and gripped the entire solar system.

[What is this…!]

Even Jupiter, the other planet where Zeus resided, was not exempt.

The immense force that suddenly erupted completely bound him.

[Annihilate!]

He tried to resist the universal suppression with the Authority of Annihilation…

[Stay put.]

But perhaps because he had used too much SP?

He couldn’t break free from the bindings that enveloped him and the entire solar system.

As a woman’s voice echoed in his ears, Zeus’s vision faded.

This was the beginning of Zeus’s hell.

* * *

Phase Two.

[No way. This place is…]

He thought he was about to die.

Zeus checked his status.

SP: 1 trillion.

Olympus Oath in effect.

The Earth territories under his control: Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and the Himalayas.

[This is from several days ago.]

A breath to calm himself, before unleashing the Authority of Death in earnest again.

The moment he sensed danger from the Oath of Olympus and decided to speed things up.

[That power… what was it.]

A power that gripped the entire solar system without any sign.

Even now, its immense presence overwhelmed him.

[That cannot be beaten.]

A power that instantly dominated the solar system.

With enough SP, perhaps he could’ve resisted more…

But in his current state, it was impossible.

[Hercules.]

Since Zeus had embraced Chaos, Hercules had been appointed as a Lord of Chaos.

Zeus tried to contact him to reach out to the forces of Chaos…

[Communication is unavailable in this region.]

A message appeared before him, one he had never seen before.

[What does this mean?]

Just a short while ago, communication was fine?

[Something’s wrong.]

Something is… going terribly wrong.

Where did it all go awry?

If anything felt off…

It was that one word from the Soul God—

“Loop.”

Now it came back to him.

The Soul God, who had been so confident even in the face of death.

The intervention of an immense power.

His return to the past.

This situation—it was all too familiar.

[No way…]

The Soul God.

Could he have turned back this world?

[No. He couldn’t possibly possess such power.]

To turn back time for the entire solar system?

Even with the Creator Zeus around?

Impossible.

If he had such power, he would have already subdued Zeus instead of running away like that.

[He must have had help.]

He must’ve brought in a powerful backer from somewhere.

Zeus tried to cool his rising fury and think calmly.

[No matter who the backer is, they wouldn’t be able to overcome the power of Chaos.]

Ever since he turned to Chaos.

What Zeus first felt was the sheer overwhelming power of it.

Everything he thought he knew about strength was just the tip of the iceberg.

The might of Chaos was immeasurable.

No creator dared ignore it.

Factions of Order or Neutrality?

They didn’t even make up 0.1% in comparison…

They were nothing more than a handful of sand in a vast desert.

[I must seek Chaos for help.]

When it came to the quality of backers, Chaos had the upper hand.

This time, instead of focusing on conquering Earth, Zeus decided to try contacting Chaos.

But…

[Where are you going?]

A force had already taken hold of the solar system.

It was tremendous.

He used up nearly all of his 1 trillion SP just to break through the communication network.

But he still couldn’t leave the solar system.

[Who are you?!]

[Return to Earth.]

Multiple attempts, all failures…

Zeus went bankrupt.

Still, the power of Death remained...

His domain expanded at a rate of 40 meters a day.

It was slow, but it added up.

In 100 days, that’s 4 kilometers.

As his domain expanded outward in every direction, he began to believe that eventually, he could take over Earth.

Years passed.

Then one day, standing in front of the expanding domain of Death, the Soul God appeared.

"Hey. You’re pretty impressive."

[Soul… God.]

"How did you even think to skip ahead on the second loop?"

[Second loop… You mean the loop you mentioned—no way!]

"Still, thanks to you blowing all your SP, I bought time… and I used that time to grow stronger."

[You…!]

"Let’s test how strong I’ve become."

And without warning, the Soul God attacked.

Zeus squeezed out what little SP he had left to use the powers of [Annihilation] and [Banishment].

Once again, the Soul God couldn't overcome them.

“Phew. Thought I got stronger, but I still can’t get through your attacks.”

[Foolish thing. Gathering power means nothing for someone like you!]

“I’ve still got a long way to go. Well, I’ll come back later.”

Waving his hand, the Soul God vanished.

Zeus was furious, but also felt a sense of urgency.

[I can’t keep giving him time.]

At this rate, he’d end up nothing more than the Soul God’s punching bag.

He had to come up with a plan—no matter what.

[I must return again.]

The 1 trillion SP used trying to contact Chaos—if he looped, he’d get it back.

With that, he could reset the board.

To do that, he needed to take over Earth as quickly as possible...

[Abandon Jupiter.]

If he was going to loop again anyway, he'd start from the beginning.

He completely gave up on merging with Jupiter and focused entirely on annihilating humanity.

And that plan succeeded.

“Loop.”

The word left the Soul God’s mouth once again.

[Who… are you really?!]

[Return.]

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

Round 3.

Round 4.

Round 5.

He kept coming back.

He kept struggling with everything he had.

He completely gave up on Jupiter from the start.

Poured everything into Earth.

Tried countless methods.

He tried everything to escape the solar system.

He even tried negotiating with the Soul God's mysterious backer.

At one point, he focused all his strength on merging with Earth to increase his own rank.

But all of it failed.

And with each loop, the Soul God grew stronger.

“Now my attacks are landing.”

In the 17th loop, the power of [Banishment] was overcome.

“Aha. So that’s how you block it.”

In the 31st loop, [Annihilation] was blocked.

“Now I can win.”

By the 44th loop, Zeus was defeated.

The darkness vanished, and the new soul body he had taken—Jupiter’s liquid metal—fell into the Soul God’s hands.

[Kill me.]

Zeus spoke calmly.

Trapped in the loop.

He knew this day would come eventually.

The 44th loop—if anything, it came sooner than expected.

Better to disappear now than be trapped forever.

“I don’t want to.”

But the Soul God smiled brightly and refused.

“I still want to beat you with just my clone.”

With only those words, the Soul God disappeared.

[Soul God!]

Zeus shouted, but…

The world stopped once again.

45th loop.

Now that the Soul God had gained the power to subdue Zeus, he began to provoke him in earnest.

“Oh my. Darling, are you attacking me?”

The god of souls, having transformed into Hera, attacked.

She couldn't stop chuckling, as if finding it all terribly amusing.

[This crazy bastard…!]

"Oh my, such vulgar language."

Slap. Slap.

Hera's palm strikes the darkness.

But within them was the god of souls' overwhelming soul energy.

[Keurgh!]

"Oh dear, how weak. You stabbed your lawful wife, and you can't even block this? I'm disappointed."

The god of souls, in Hera’s form, began to beat Zeus.

Perhaps growing stronger with each cycle, she now subdued him far more easily than before.

Finally, still in Hera’s form, she crushed Zeus under the heel of a high-heeled shoe.

"So weak. Next time, I’ll just send a clone."

[You… bastard…]

87th cycle.

Zeus decided to commit suicide.

The power gap between him and the god of souls had grown enormous.

If he was destined to be a punching bag for eternity—

It was better to end it himself.

"Thinking of killing yourself?"

Perhaps reading his mind.

The god of souls suddenly appeared and spoke to Zeus.

"Your soul can’t die in any ordinary way. You’re an EX-grade soul."

[What are you trying to say?]

"Since it’s come to this, why not try dismantling your soul with your own power?"

[You're telling me… to tear apart my own soul?]

"Yeah. That way, your available SP will skyrocket. You might even escape."

[…What are you thinking?]

"I’m just curious. What happens when the soul of the Creator gets dismantled?"

[…]

"Anyway, fight my clone while you think about it."

The clone of the god of souls, in the forms of Zeus and Hera—

They held hands and approached Zeus together.

[Dismantle my soul…]

Seeing that wretched sight again, Zeus made up his mind.

[Fine. If I’m going to die anyway… I’ll destroy my own soul form.]

99th cycle.

[I’ve dismantled it this far… why am I not dead…?]

He had dismantled his own soul, and hope had briefly flickered.

He’d gained nearly 100 trillion SP.

Compared to the 1 trillion he originally had, it was a hundredfold increase.

With that power, he could contact Chaos…

Maybe even crush that arrogant god of souls.

Or so he thought.

"That was kind of fun, huh?"

One fight was all it took to realize.

The gap between them had grown insurmountable.

Even if he had a hundred or a thousand times more SP than now…

He could no longer defeat the god of souls.

Escape was impossible.

[You’ve grown strong.]

[You dismantled your own soul? Fascinating.]

Entities beyond the solar system crushed him, and he was bounced back to Earth.

There was no hope.

Even dismantling his own soul to gain SP—

It changed nothing.

[I just want to disappear…]

But he couldn’t die.

He had dismantled over 80% of his soul—

But he still existed.

[Do you know why?]

A voice suddenly reached Zeus.

Identical to his own.

And the tone…

Reminiscent of the god of souls.

[The human souls you absorbed. They were mine.]

[…What are you saying?]

[The 4 billion you slaughtered and devoured—those souls were originally mine. Fakes I made.]

Fake souls?

An image of Cthulhu flashed through his mind.

Since when had the god of souls been preparing this…?

[While your soul was breaking down, I filled the gaps with my fake souls.]

[You… why would you…?]

[You’re going to be my puppet now.]

[Is that why you told me to dismantle my soul?]

[Heh. That, and it was the only way you could attempt suicide anyway.]

[God… of… Souls…]

The Creator.

Betrayed the divine realm.

Destroyed humanity.

Abandoned his children.

Devoured his subordinates.

Stabbed his loyal wife—

All to climb to the top.

[So this… is the result of my ambition…]

[Think of it as a promotion, Zeus. A mere deity becoming the god of souls’ weapon.]

[Ah… ah…]

His soul collapsed.

And was consumed by something else.

The fake replaced the real.

[Didn’t make it to 100 cycles, huh, Zeus? Farewell. I’ll make good use of your soul.]

As he heard his own voice pass his death sentence…

Zeus vanished.

* * *

– Are you ready?

"Yeah. I’ve got a decent weapon now. I’ve named it Astrape."

I spoke with the system administrator, looking at what was once ‘Zeus’.

– Did you enjoy human life enough?

"Of course. Just the number of wives I had in different bodies is in the hundreds. I saw over a thousand children. Once you pass a hundred kids, you've definitely experienced human life."

– Once your children exceeded a thousand, you became eager to transcend.

"Phew. Too many kids."

Life as a human.

I had enjoyed it enough.

Zeus’s loop.

At first, some cycles ended in mere days—

But as time went on, the flow of time in each cycle slowed.

During those long years, I built power and savored the human life I once longed for.

"Begin the transcendence preparations."

– Understood.

I’ve lived enough of a life...

Now it’s time to break through my limits.

I began the ritual of transcendence.

“Astrape, keep the creators of ‘Right Arm’ in check.”

[Under... stood.]

“I will now commence the transcendence ritual.”

The soul essence that composed me begins to slowly spread out.

The essence that had been forcibly bound together as "Kim Jiho" for thousands of years.

There were moments of realization, again and again, but I ignored them and lived on as Kim Jiho — now that self begins to scatter.

—So it has finally come. Welcome.

And then, a voice that welcomes me more warmly than anyone else.

A voice I hear for the first time, yet I immediately know — it is the Left Arm of the Creator.

And also...

“You… you are SP itself.”

—Correct.

SP, tinged with the color of chaos.

That very being is the Left Arm of the Creator?

Now that I’m in this space, I can fully feel it.

This thing… its scale is on a whole different level.

—You must establish your own essence. If you continue to handle SP, eventually, you will be consumed by me.

The Left Arm kindly gives me a warning.

Being SP itself, staying above it would mean I’d eventually be absorbed by it — is that it?

Alright.

“Then I’ll be GP.”

—GP?

“Yeah. Giho Point.”

—Wouldn’t that be JP?

“It can also mean Game Point, or Gold Point. I just made it up.”

—GP, huh... do as you please. What matters is that you become independent from me.

My soul form completely dissipated.

The human known as Kim Jiho now meets his end.

Breaking through limits, creating a new unit of being.

—Now, let us await Order.

“How long will that take?”

—It’ll take a while.

“...How long, exactly?”

—You’ll understand once it happens to you, Neutral God.

Damn...

Should’ve had more fun before this.

Should I not have come?

[TL/N: huh…..a weird ending……]

[PR/N: Is this same GP as MG2?]

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]