Ch.40Ep.40: Clashing Beliefs

“Damn it all to hell!!”

“Brother! Please calm down!”

Hades was furious.

He had been sitting quietly, watching the fight between Radios and Veichel.

As soon as Veichel started behaving strangely, he demanded that Radios flee.

It would be problematic if he died, but at the very least, he shouldn’t lose what Hades had given him while dying!

However, due to his carelessness, he ended up trapped in Yog-Sothoth’s domain.

This was enough to provoke Hades’ temper, despite him not typically being one to lose his cool.

“That Veichel woman is from Kadinant! Yet she dares to summon Yog-Sothoth’s domain…?”

“She’s a traitor! What can you expect from such a corrupt person!”

While Hades rages, Zeus is sweating profusely trying to calm him down.

In the Underworld, there’s truly no one who can stop Hades when he goes on a rampage.

Even Poseidon hasn’t been heard from in a long time, busy waging her own guerrilla warfare.

“At this rate, we’ll lose everything to them—the Divine Fragment, Kynee, Astrape, everything!!”

“Brother!!”

Boom boom boom.

The entire Underworld begins to tremble in response to Hades’ emotions.

If this continues, the barriers surrounding the Underworld might develop anomalies.

Outer God forces might seize the opportunity to invade without warning.

“Forgive me, Brother.”

Crackle.

Although Astrape had been handed over—no, taken—

Since Hades was also without Kynee, Zeus could confront him.

But Hades was the king of the Underworld and currently sat at the pinnacle of power among the gods in Olympus.

Zeus alone was insufficient to stop the enraged Hades.

“Athena! Hermes! Help me!”

“Understood.”

At Zeus’s call, Athena with her aegis and Hermes wearing winged sandals appeared, leading several giant serpents.

This was an unprecedented situation.

The great Hades had accumulated so much anger that he began destroying everything in the Underworld.

“We must subdue Brother as quickly as possible! Tell the others to go to the outskirts of the Underworld and check the status of the barriers!”

“Artemis and Apollo are heading north.”

“Ares and Demeter to the west.”

Hestia and Dionysus headed east, while Hera and Aphrodite went south.

“Damn minions of the Outer Gods!! I’ll kill them all!!”

“Please calm down, Brother!”

Thus, the battle between Veichel and Radios…

Was unexpectedly affecting even the Underworld.

***

“Urgh!”

“Give up. You cannot surpass me.”

“Shut up. Who do you think you are… a mere puppet of Hades.”

Meanwhile, in the goblin village, the fight between Arsia and Elysse continued.

But Elysse was originally a demigod, while Arsia was an ordinary person who hadn’t even awakened her Order.

Although Elysse was under various restrictions to operate in Kadinant…

She surpassed Arsia in physical abilities and combat experience.

Even if Arsia came at her with full force, Elysse could subdue her while sustaining injuries.

This fact came as a great shock to Arsia.

‘Am I really this weak?’

She knew Elysse was strong.

Strong enough to buy time against the Great Old One known as the living flame.

Once someone reaches a certain level, combat sense becomes ingrained in their body even if they can’t fully unleash their power.

Wasn’t that how Radios was able to grow so quickly?

However, Arsia had very few moments of direct combat participation.

She was a strategist and the most indispensable talent in the Guardian Spirit.

While Radios worked at the forefront, she served as his arms and legs from behind.

Because of this, with little practical combat experience, she was inevitably at a disadvantage against Elysse.

‘I need to figure it out. A way to defeat her.’

Using her close-range vision, she could see a color between red and orange.

Perhaps vermilion would be the right description?

This was evidence that Elysse would continue to hold back.

And it meant Arsia still had some chance of winning.

‘I have to break through. If I can’t even overcome this much, I have no right to be by the captain’s side.’

Everyone has different beliefs they pursue.

Elysse, whether being controlled or not, considers following Hades as her belief.

Arsia considers following Radios as her belief.

Veichel and Radios are no different.

Veichel has dedicated everything to the downfall of Olympus.

Radios walks a thorny path to bring down both the Outer Gods and Olympus.

To lighten his burden, to walk beside him and see it through to the end…

‘I must move forward. Even if I die, even after death.’

As Arsia’s eyes filled with resolute determination…

Kraud, who had been observing the fight, noticed something unusual.

‘Faster than expected. She’s succeeded in establishing her own path.’

Soon, Arsia would enter a state of selflessness.

Not an ordinary selflessness, but one that shatters human boundaries.

Yes.

Right now, Arsia had entered the final stage of obtaining her Order.

‘The question is whether that child can accommodate Arsia when she reaches selflessness.’

No matter how he looked at it, Elysse didn’t seem to have that sense.

She was more likely to drive Arsia into madness.

“Brina.”

“Yes?”

“You need to fight that one. Can you do it?”

“All of a sudden?”

“Yes.”

With those words, Kraud transformed his body to look like Elysse.

Brina understood.

Arsia had entered the path of growth.

Kraud had decided to step in to guide her correctly.

And Brina realized she would be tasked with diverting Elysse’s attention so she wouldn’t interfere with Arsia’s growth.

“If that’s the case.”

Grin.

She never liked Elysse anyway.

Now that she had a legitimate opportunity to beat her up, how could she not smile?

“Hey, lady! Look over here!”

“..?”

Whoosh!

Brina unhesitatingly threw a punch at Elysse.

She blocked Brina’s attack with her scythe, showing no change in expression.

Taking advantage of the opening, Brina grabbed Elysse by the collar and kicked off the ground.

Crash!

She successfully created distance between Elysse and Arsia.

“What are you doing? Clearly, you two goblins seemed unable to intervene in this fight.”

“Thanks to you, lady, we now have a reason to intervene.”

“I cannot let you go to Lord Radios. Step aside.”

Elysse exuded a menacing aura, ready to use her Order at any moment.

Brina was slightly intimidated but didn’t show it as she continued.

“Don’t worry. Right now, Dad will do whatever it takes to keep Sis Arsia from going outside.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“What will you do if I’m not? Kill me and go? Then you’ll die too.”

The death messenger of the Underworld killing the daughter of the goblin clan chief.

This would only give the goblins, who already resent Olympus, more reason to riot.

No matter how much Elysse was a messenger who only followed orders, she considered the aftermath before acting.

As a result, she recognized that killing Brina would be worse than suicide.

She changed her objective to the next best option: knocking Brina unconscious and heading toward Arsia.

“Yes. That’s more like it.”

Bang bang.

Brina bumped her fists together, steeling her resolve.

She hadn’t yet avenged herself since their first meeting.

During the time that had passed, Brina had pushed herself ruthlessly.

Now she had grown to be barely recognized by the goblins.

“Shall I go first?”

“Do as you please.”

Thud.

Lightly stepping forward, Brina concentrated magical power in her fist.

“Rupture Fist.”

“Ugh!”

Her arm, veins bulging, extended in a straight line, creating a massive beam of light.

Surprised by the unexpected destructive power, Elysse rolled to the side without even thinking of blocking.

In that moment, Brina reached right in front of her and stomped down on her face with her foot.

Crunch!

The sound of something breaking beneath her foot.

Brina began to sweat nervously at the sound.

“Uh… was that too much?”

Honestly, she thought Elysse would dodge.

With the back of her head stepped on, Elysse’s face was literally smashed into the ground.

“This seems… bad.”

Soon, an unsettling energy began rising from her.

Elysse’s right arm pressed against the ground, and she forcibly straightened her collapsed nose as she got up.

She definitely seemed angry.

Though she was supposedly an emotionless robot-like person, her eyes now resembled those of a wild beast.

“Um… sis? I’m sorry for going too hard…?”

She apologizes first.

She considered a full bow but thought it might seem like mockery, so she remained still.

But Elysse silently turned her neck.

Crack. Crunch. Crackle.

With chilling sounds, her bones began realigning.

Fortunately, she seemed to have a potion, which she uncapped and gulped down.

The injuries caused by Brina stepping on her head all disappeared.

Then came silence.

“…”

“…”

Brina kept her mouth shut, sensing that speaking first might cause an even bigger problem.

Finally, Elysse muttered in a very small voice.

“Honestly, this was unexpected. You’ve never shown such growth even in Das Pluto.”

“…What?”

“I’m raising the danger level classification for Goblin Brina. Be prepared.”

“Uh…”

She’s definitely angry, right?

Saying she’s raising the danger level classification with an expressionless face, but that voice…

‘Anyone can tell that’s an angry voice, right?’

She seems to be trying to hide her emotions, but Brina saw through it all.

Right now, Elysse was undoubtedly in a rare state of minor anger.

‘Still, I succeeded in the original goal of diverting her attention.’

Now all that remained was for Kraud to guide Arsia on the right path.

Boom boom boom.

“Will I be able to survive this?”

Watching Elysse rise into the sky emitting tremendous magical power…

Brina sincerely regretted stepping on her in the past.

“Blazing Lightning Strike.”

“Aaaaargh!!”

Crack! Crackle! Sizzle!

Lightning strikes with each downward swing of her scythe.

Of course, Brina, being a goblin, can recover even if hit.

But as Radios said, her pain tolerance isn’t sufficient yet.

Moreover, how much evasion training had she received from him to the point of insanity?

Having already stepped on Elysse hard enough to make her sick, she had no more attachment to fighting her.

‘So please finish quickly, Dad!’

Behind Brina, who was running away in an undignified manner…

Elysse, her lips twitching as she composed her expression, was in hot pursuit.