Chapter 438: Unreaching Voice (1)

An absurd new law was placed through Gaia; entry into the physical realm was restricted to all gods who did not receive permission from Gaia and the God of Splendor, and the Deific Essence of those who broke this law would be annihilated without question.

"How are they taking it?" Oh Kang-Woo asked.

"As you can predict." Gaia nodded, having an expression of mixed feelings.

Kang-Woo nodded back. It was not difficult to guess how the gods, who were finally free from their restrictions, would react to being restricted again right after. Although they could not complain in the past since they were restricted by the Law of Titans, a set of rules created by beings superior to them, this instance was different.

The ones restricting them this time were Gaia, a Top-rank goddess but a fellow deity nonetheless, and the God of Splendor, a retainer of Gaia who was once human. Being kept in check by a human, albeit one possessing Deific Essence, was as humiliating as having a pet, whom one raised, placing a collar on them.

'There's no way they would stand for it.'

No matter how powerful the faction of Olympus was, they would never accept this absurd level of dictatorship.

"At this rate..." Gaia slurred anxiously.

Kang-Woo nodded. "They would band together."

An anti-Gaia faction would be formed to combat Olympus's dictatorship. There was no better way for people to join forces than against a common enemy.

Uranus stepped forward as he was listening to Kang-Woo and Gaia's conversation. He gave off an aura as sharp as a knife despite his barbaric appearance.

"With the way things are progressing, it seems the gods who oppose this plan are gathering around the forces of Asgard with Odin at the center," he remarked.

"Odin..." Gaia narrowed her eyes.

Odin was one of the Top-rank gods as well as one who had once been Earth's guardian deity. He stepped down from the position after being greatly injured in the battle against Demon God Bauli, but that was a very long time ago. He possessed power on par with— no, even greater than his prime.

"Hah, there's Odin too?" Kang-Woo chuckled after hearing the name.

He was having a hard time taking in the fact that the gods he had only read about through cartoons and books were alive and breathing.

"Yes. He was once Earth's guardian deity. His son Thor is as powerful as Zeus," Gaia remarked.

"Has Thor lost some weight?" Kang-Woo asked.

"Hm?"

"I honestly didn't think he'd be that fat in the end."

"What do you mean?" Gaia asked as she tilted her head.

Kang-Woo shrugged and changed the subject. "Anyway, are there any gods who have joined forces with Asgard?"

"There is a god named Susanoo."

Kang-Woo had not heard that name in a long time.

'What was his name again?' Kang-Woo fell into thought as he narrowed his eyes. 'Tsujimoto? No, that man is a god[1], not a Player... Was it Fujimoto?'

Fujimoto Ryoma was a Player who had managed to manifest Susanoo, albeit for a moment.

'Well, regardless.'

Susanoo was a god of Japanese mythology.

'There are so many fucking gods.'

If every god from every myth existed, their number would be countless.

'No wonder Heracles called me insane.'

Olympus had practically declared war on an unfathomable number of gods, so their insults to Kang-Woo were valid. Rather, it was a surprise that his plan was agreed upon just from him beating the crap out of Zeus.

'It must be because even Gaia knows what will happen if gods are left to their own devices.'

Kang-Woo could tell that Gaia was thinking about how absurd this plan was even now from how she looked as if she had died several times over. However, regardless of whether it was absurd or not, she had gone with Kang-Woo's plan anyway since she had no other choice. Unlike the gloomy Gaia, Kang-Woo was pulling down the rising corners of his mouth with all his might.

'Gods in revolt, huh?'

The more uncontrollable their numbers grew, the better it was for him.

Badump, badump.

His heart beat faster and his hunger pained his stomach. He licked his lips as he recalled the message he had seen as he was trying to suppress the Rift connecting Aernor and Earth.

'Transcendent-rank Deific Essence.'

It was the rank above Top-rank Deific Essence. Kang-Woo was cheering at the fact that he was gaining more nutrients as he was on the cusp of attaining it.

'Bael... Perhaps you were a saint.'

Kang-Woo had been enraged out of his mind when Bael had initially trolled, but he couldn't help but think that things were heading in a favorable direction now that they were progressing.

'Besides, getting rid of the Demon God's heart wouldn't have been a permanent fix.'

The Gaia System's collapse was inevitable; it was only a matter of time. Rather, Gaia and Layla wouldn't be fine as they were now if Bael hadn't taken ownership of the Gaia System.

'And if that happened, Si-Hun's mind would have shattered completely.'

Considering Kim Si-Hun's personality, leaving the collapsed Gaia System aside, he would not have been able to bear Layla falling apart in front of him. Worst-case scenario, he could have turned into a demon like last time, leaving Kang-Woo with no way of fixing it.

'I can't let him become Doom Si-Hun.'

Si-Hun and Layla had both become people whom Kang-Woo couldn't abandon.

'Anyway, things haven't gone completely to shit.'

There was nothing that could be done at the moment about the otherworldly invasion; leaving the Nine Hells aside, he could not prepare for invasions from worlds that he had never heard about or seen.

'Without a way to block all invasions from outer worlds like the Gaia System...'

There would be no other choice but Kang-Woo himself to take on the role of the Gaia System.

'I have to suppress the otherworldly invasions by force if necessary.'

For him to do that, he needed to attain Transcendent-rank Deific Essence; there was nothing more perfect than overwhelming power to deal with any variables that arose. No matter how skilled he was at deceiving the enemy and influencing their actions with his eloquence, he would just be all bark and no bite without the power to back it up.

'And most of all.'

Kang-Woo's eyes sank deeply and a cold flame lit up from within the endless abyss.

'Bael.'

He needed to emerge victorious against the demon that he had not been able to defeat even once. The battle against Bael was inevitable and there was no one but Kang-Woo who could face him— no, not even Kang-Woo himself was not a match for Bael at the moment.

'There was no way for me to beat him even before he ate the Demon God's heart.'

Kang-Woo's head hurt just thinking about the unfathomable power Bael had gained after eating the heart.

'Maybe...' Kang-Woo's eyes narrowed as the worst-case scenario that he didn't even want to imagine popped up in his head. 'Even opening the Doors might not be enough.'

He could only open up to the second Door. He had never opened the third Door ever since he created the Ten Thousand Demon Core.

'I can't open the third one... no matter what.'

Kang-Woo shook his head. He would lose control of the Demonic Sea completely once he opened the third Door. He was not being figurative when he said that the entire world would be eaten up by the Demonic Sea.

'I can only open up to the second one.'

Even with that restriction, his consciousness would be blown away if he kept the Doors open for too long. For him to control the Doors while staying as conscious as possible, he needed the Transcendent-rank Deific Essence.

In the past, just opening the first Door caused him to lose consciousness, but he was different now. Not only had he become incomparably more powerful than his past self, he was now able to keep two Doors open with full consciousness. He had never put it to the test, but he felt like he could keep the first Door open for days.

'It would've been unimaginable in the past.'

Even during his days in the Nine Hells, the Doors were like a self-destruct button. He had refrained from it so strongly that he could count on one hand the number of times that he opened them before his battle against Bael.

'I hope they gather as much as possible.'

Kang-Woo had no idea if the condition for attaining Transcendent-rank Deific Essence was to eat an immense amount of Deific Essence, but he would eat as much as he could since an opportunity had arisen.

"Haaa. My child, I still think this is far too reckless," Gaia remarked with a serious expression as Kang-Woo was thinking about the gods of the anti-Gaia faction. She stood up and continued, "I will go to Odin myself and see if I can resolve this with words."

Kang-Qoo quickly grabbed her arm and replied, "Lady Gaia, you already know that the situation has escalated too far for it to be resolved that easily."

"You never know until you try. Fortunately, Odin is not a stubborn man. He will listen as long as—"

"No," Kang-Woo said firmly.

'Words? Over my dead body.'

Gaia was trying to ruin a feast that had already been laid out in front of Kang-Woo.

"Only the powerless humans will be hurt if we do not set an example," Kang-Woo stated.

"..."

Gaia lowered her head. She knew why Kang-Woo was saying such things; although he possessed Deific Essence now, he would always take the side of humans since he used to be one.

"I will think it through a little more," Gaia answered hesitantly and averted her gaze from Kang-Woo.

Kang-Woo stood up and replied, "In that case, please continue to monitor the movements of the Asgardian forces."

It would put him in a bad light if he were to push Gaia any further.

'Maybe I should take some sort of measure,' Kang-Woo thought but shook his head. 'No, I'm sure Odin will make a move first as long as we bide the time.'

The law had already been announced in Gaia's name. The anti-Gaia faction was already growing in number, so it was only a matter of time until their suppressed emotions burst.

'I'm sure they'll burst.'

There was no way that the gods would stand for this level of dictatorship.

"Well then, I will excuse myself." Kang-Woo bowed courteously and turned around.

The gods were not the only problem. The Gates on Earth had been showing abnormalities lately as well.

'I need to make preparations for that as well.'

However, it was far easier to deal with thanks to Guardians.

Whoooom.

Kang-Woo walked through a gate in the Hall of Protection and went back to Seoul; to be more precise, the mountain on the outskirts of Seoul that Kang-Woo frequently used as a training ground.

"I might as well have dinner with Seol-Ah tonight."

He had not been able to spend much time with Seol-Ah because he had been busy resolving the problems regarding the divine realm. He was watering at the mouth thinking about the warm kimchi stew she always made for him.

Step, step.

"Are you the God of Splendor?"

Just then, a blond man with a rectangular hammer walked toward Kang-Woo.

"And you are...?" Kang-Woo asked.

"Thor, God of Thunder."

'Oh, what? They're already here? Dayum, and here I'd thought it'd take a little longer.'

The anti-Gaia faction had only just formed, so Kang-Woo had thought it would take some time until they took action.

"To think you'd manifest into the physical realm without Lady Gaia's consent... Have you not heard the new law?" Kang-Woo asked in a low tone with Ingrium in hand.

'He's apparently as strong as Zeus.'

Kang-Woo's mouth watered from his desire to test that statement.

"No, I am not here to fight," Thor answered.

"Pardon?"

"I am here to converse with you."

'Converse? What the fuck are you on about? You're not trying to resolve this with words too, are you?'

1. This is referring to Fujimoto Ryozo, the producer of the Monster Hunter series and a man whom the Korean gamers consider a god (for some reason lmao). ☜