Ch.70Ep.70: Breaking and Entering

“Usage rights… shared?”

“Yes. Of course, it’s limited until you obtain your Order.”

“Why did you suddenly make that choice?”

How could she share the usage rights of a weapon that’s like her own extension when they’ve only met for a few minutes?

It’s an incomprehensible action unless she’s truly lost her mind.

Is it some unwritten rule that all Olympians have a screw loose somewhere?

Radios wasn’t the only one with this reaction; the others felt similarly confused.

Poseidon hadn’t even properly seen how Radios fights yet.

They questioned why she would hand over Triaina’s usage rights while knowing that Radios was completely hostile toward Olympus.

[Actually, I wanted to make you my apostle, but I found there was already a connected channel.]

[..!]

While the atmosphere remained bewildered, Poseidon sent a telepathic message to Radios.

She had wanted to make him her apostle but failed.

This meant she had realized that Radios was an apostle of the Blind Idiot God.

[But I’m not as stubborn as my siblings. There’s a saying that the enemy of my enemy is my ally, isn’t there?]

[Are you really… okay with abandoning Olympus?]

[I already told you. I’ve abandoned blood ties. The current Olympus is a regime that needs to fall, no matter what happens.]

Coups breed more coups and give rise to worse societies.

Cronos did this when he castrated Uranus and took the throne.

Zeus repeated this vicious cycle when he killed Cronos in the Titanomachy and claimed the throne.

Poseidon herself had contributed to establishing Zeus’s regime through a coup.

[I just… wish for an end to this cycle of killing and being killed. For this, I would give up my Divine Order at any time.]

[W-what are you saying…]

Radios widened his eyes in shock at Poseidon’s casual statement about giving up her Divine Order.

The level Poseidon had achieved was an admirable state that only seven beings had ever reached.

How could she so easily talk about giving that up?

[If peace can be maintained, I’m willing to give up all my power. What I want is true peace.]

Of course, small conflicts might still occur.

Even in the most peaceful world, people’s ideologies will differ.

And when ideologies clash, intense movements are highly likely to emerge.

But what Poseidon wants is:

[I don’t want to see people dying anymore.]

[Poseidon…]

Poseidon looked at Radios with her arms crossed, her expression unchanged.

But after hearing her telepathic message, Radios saw her differently.

Poseidon was a being with a different ideology than the Olympian gods he had imagined.

“…I misunderstood you. I’ll make good use of your gift.”

“Oh? Why the formal speech suddenly?”

“Because I’ve acknowledged you as someone worthy of respect, Poseidon.”

“Well, that doesn’t feel too bad.”

Until now, Poseidon hadn’t chosen any apostles in Kadinant.

She had no particular desire to spread her faith.

Even without spreading her faith, the name Poseidon was the first to come to mind when thinking of the sea.

But she wanted to make Radios her apostle.

Though she was shocked to discover that an Outer God’s creator had already claimed that position.

Having heard most of the story in Yog-Sothoth’s prison, she knew that:

The Blind Idiot God had been betrayed by Yog-Sothoth.

And it was Yog-Sothoth who had proposed the aggressive policy of invading Olympus.

Considering there had been little trouble when the Blind Idiot God led the Outer Gods,

It seemed reasonable to lend him some support.

“Well, that issue is settled. The next problem is getting to Yog-Sothoth’s residence.”

[I can solve that.]

Whoosh.

With those words, Namgung Ihyun summoned the Necronomicon, a grimoire emanating ominous energy.

However, Poseidon frowned, perhaps due to unpleasant memories associated with it.

“It’s a disgusting book… but that should be enough to get us there. Are you ready, Radios?”

[Wait, before that… I have a question.]

Namgung Ihyun faced Radios with a serious expression.

Having lived as Yog-Sothoth’s apostle for a long time, she knew well what kind of being he was.

[How can you be sure this isn’t a trap?]

“Yog-Sothoth invaded the Underworld. I told you my damn brother is making a fuss about coming back.”

[Do you really think Yog-Sothoth would leave the most important fragment just sitting in his residence?]

“…”

Poseidon fell silent at Namgung Ihyun’s question.

Although Radios possessed the Divine Fragment: Replication,

And the rest were in Yog-Sothoth’s hands.

He still couldn’t properly use the power of the three fragments because he hadn’t removed the Blind Idiot God’s lingering consciousness.

Would he leave them at his residence and depart for the Underworld conquest without any defenses?

[From the perspective of someone so meticulous, I don’t think that’s possible.]

“…You have a point.”

Even if the Divine Fragment: Replication was the most powerful fragment,

The other fragments clearly possessed earth-shattering power as well.

Especially since Yog-Sothoth had used the fragment’s power to interfere with Namgung Ihyun’s past and even came to meet Radios.

‘This is when I should properly ask—’

Whoosh!

At that moment,

Darkness enveloped Radios, and in an instant, he was swallowed by pitch blackness.

“W-what is this?!”

He hadn’t sensed any presence, yet he was under attack?

‘The space has been isolated. This kind of spatial manipulation attack can only be from Yog-Sothoth—’

Thump.

As Radios was running through various possibilities, the sound of a heartbeat hammered in his ears.

It was coming from himself.

“What’s happening? Why am I suddenly—”

[It seems this is the first time we’re having a proper conversation.]

Shiver.

Radios’s whole body trembled at the deep voice he had heard once before.

A voice he had heard only once but could never forget.

The identity of that voice was:

“…Blind Idiot God?”

[Correct, my apostle.]

The god who had arbitrarily appointed Radios as his apostle and then gone silent,

Had finally made contact with him.

***

Slap!

“Ugh!”

“Finally awake.”

“Veichel… Breate…”

Athena bit her lip at the stinging pain rising from her cheek.

She had clearly been impaled through the abdomen by Veichel’s Gungnir and had collapsed unconscious.

But when she opened her eyes, she found her penetrating wound completely healed!

Of course, that didn’t mean she could move.

Whatever Veichel had done while she was unconscious had left her magical power completely immobilized.

Even her Order.

“If I wasn’t mistaken, those three back then were…”

“The three Hekatonkheires brothers. I consumed their power.”

“Ugh. So that’s what happened?”

With just one exchange, Athena understood the driving force behind Veichel’s explosive growth.

She was forcibly breaking her limits and advancing by usurping the power possessed by living beings.

“That’s not a power permitted to mere mortals…”

“I know. But I’m not just some mere mortal, am I?”

“What?”

Athena glared at Veichel with a look that said it couldn’t be true.

Even if she had awakened the Order of Struggle by burning herself,

Her origin was nothing more than that of an ordinary human.

There was no reason behind her decision to raise her as an apostle.

Why? Because she simply wanted to make a human her puppet.

But what? She’s not just some mere mortal?

“Don’t talk nonsense! Your soul doesn’t possess divine lineage!”

“So… who decided the difference between gods and humans? You all decided it yourselves.”

Veichel growled as if she’d heard something absurd.

Gods and humans? Sure, there are differences.

But the presence or absence of those differences signifies the presence or absence of Order.

“So couldn’t you say I’ve become a god?”

“How dare you, a mere human!”

“I told you I’m not an ordinary human!”

“Gahk!”

Veichel squinted one eye and drove her knee into Athena’s solar plexus.

As Athena struggled to breathe, coughing violently,

Veichel tore the sleeve of her right arm and showed her a tattoo.

“Cough… hack… what is that…”

“This? It’s a tattoo that appeared on me since I started devouring souls.”

With those words, Veichel grabbed Athena’s hair and locked eyes with her.

“It’s the remnant of someone you know well.”

“Know… well?”

“This tattoo is from Olympus’s—”

BOOM!!

Just as Veichel was about to reveal something, an enormous impact struck Tartarus.

“N-no way..!”

“Ha! Why now of all times?!”

Veichel and Athena simultaneously sensed the cause of the impact and couldn’t help but lament.

It was clearly because:

“Those Outer God bastards… they decided to invade already?”

It was clear that the Outer God forces had invaded the Underworld.

Meanwhile, Athena saw this as an opportunity.

“Veichel! Release me!”

“Huh? What nonsense.”

“You need to cooperate with us to survive! If you turn both Olympus and the Outer Gods against you—”

Slash!

Veichel, with a disgusted expression as if she’d eaten something foul, cut Athena’s throat without listening further.

“What bullshit is she talking about.”

Join hands with whom?

If she had to join anyone, she’d rather join those Outer God bastards.

“I was going to absorb you anyway, but you had to say that crap.”

Whoosh.

Veichel then used her spirit devouring ability to consume everything that was Athena.

She knew the Outer Gods would invade the Underworld, but she didn’t expect them to come so quickly.

“Trying to steal my prey from somewhere.”

It was still too risky to turn both factions against her.

But taking sides was even more impossible.

She had no foundation.

So there was only one option left.

“Might as well do some burglary.”

Veichel chose to strike at the Outer Gods’ main base while they were away.

But she didn’t know.

That there, she would encounter an unexpected reunion.