1060 Episode 66. The Wolf That Swallowed a God (8)

As if mocking Odin's declaration, Yoo Joonghyuk of the 1,865th regression swung the 'Black Heavenly Demon Sword'. The moment the regressor's sword, perfected through endless training, touched the god's neck, Odin's single eye flared with light.

The space around us warped, and Yoo Joonghyuk's slash vanished somewhere. I was startled by that astonishing power.

Others might not know, but I alone knew what that power was.

Ginnungagap. The primordial power that <Asgard> had once used to deal with me and the 'Demon King of Salvation'. That powerful force was now being manifested by Odin alone.

Yoo Joonghyuk paid no mind to the disappearing slash and continued pouring out attacks.

Every time a slash flew in, the void space of 'Ginnungagap' opened and closed repeatedly.

A power that nullified every single terrifying slash of the Yoo Joonghyuk of the 1,865th regression.

I knew Odin was a strong constellation. I had experienced it in the 40th regression, read about it in the main story, and even witnessed his battle against the Great Sage Heaven's Equal with my own eyes.

But the moment I looked at the Odin before me, I felt that I still did not truly know him.

He was the existence who had killed Ymir, the master of <Asgard>'s Primordial Void (太虛) — 'Ginnungagap' — and become a god himself.

An unusual and ominous aura flickered in both of his hands as he wielded the void dimension of 'Ginnungagap'.

Black and white stories resided in Odin's hands. The right hand resembled pitch black darkness, and the left hand resembled pure white light. Those two hands that grasped the void were precisely the power that differentiated him from other 'Myth-grade Constellations'.

I sensed the immense power of the stories dwelling in those two hands.

The power of those two stars was also the source that had placed Odin upon the throne of <Asgard>.

The Trinity of Will, Order, and Wisdom.

Faced with Odin's might, who alone exercised a status equivalent to the combined power of three 'Myth-grade Constellations', I forgot even to breathe as I became absorbed in the battlefield.

Goosebumps continuously rose along my spine. There were two reasons. The first was pure astonishment at Odin's status, and the second was—

"Even a monster that powerful fled from 'Snow White', huh."

Hearing Yoo Joonghyuk of the 41st regression's voice, I nodded.

The enemy we would have to fight from now on was a monster that made even that Myth-grade Constellation tremble in fear.

And another monster who did not fear such an Odin stood right before our eyes.

The Yoo Joonghyuk of the 1,865th regression. Using [Red Phoenix Shunpo] that had reached its absolute limit, he closed the distance and began unleashing slashes from a range far closer than before.

Odin moved both hands in a flurry and absorbed the slashes into the void dimension.

Yet Yoo Joonghyuk seemed not to care about such minor issues and began swinging his sword at an even greater speed. In the chain of slashes that had become fast enough to distort even space and time, suddenly Yoo Joonghyuk's sword momentum changed, and Odin's expression, previously composed, began to twist little by little.

Shooting Star Slash.

A trajectory of death that no star could evade flew toward Odin's neck. But Odin, as if he had anticipated even that, unleashed a story.

His single eye that saw the future was reading the trajectory of the Shooting Star Slash.

A strike he barely managed to dodge. But the attack did not end there.

Shooting Star Slash — Two Consecutive Strikes.

The slash that could cut down even Myth-grade Constellations increased to two. Toward the flying slashes, Odin blew a long whistle. Then a flock of crows that covered the sky appeared from somewhere.

Kkaaaaawww!

The crows soon melted like black paint and poured down onto the ground. The black paint erased the entire landscape of the area and even swallowed the Shooting Star Slashes. Within that metaphysical landscape, Odin spoke in his true voice.

Shooting Star Slash — Three Consecutive Strikes.

As a slash several times larger than before came crashing down, a look of bewilderment appeared on Odin's face as well.

Perhaps blocking the attacks was gradually becoming overwhelming. He avoided the first slash, barely blocked the second, but the third slash grazed his shoulder. Yoo Joonghyuk did not miss that opening.

Shooting Star Slash — Four Consecutive Strikes.

Odin's single eye trembled violently. He urgently waved both hands and summoned a massive void dimension.

As the void dimension that absorbed even starlight swirled like a black hole, every single one of Yoo Joonghyuk's furiously flying slashes vanished beyond 'Ginnungagap'. Since Ginnungagap was a 'Dimension Before Records', any slash that entered it inevitably lost its power and was dismantled.

Yet even knowing that fact, Yoo Joonghyuk did not stop attacking. And something unbelievable occurred.

Shooting Star Slash — Five Consecutive Strikes.

The moment the five trajectories were sucked into the void dimension, a crack appeared for the first time at the entrance of 'Ginnungagap'.

The void dimension that had absorbed the slashes was suffering.

The history of a regressor who had turned back time again and again. The slash carrying that story was advancing while shattering even the void itself.

Shooting Star Slash — Six Consecutive Strikes.

The collapse of Ginnungagap's entrance and Odin's scream occurred at almost the same time.

The slashes continued, deeply cutting his right hand and left hand, his abdomen, both of his legs, and then his chest.

Odin's incarnation body was being torn to pieces. Even after mercilessly severing Vili dwelling in Odin's right hand and Vé in his left, the Shooting Star Slash did not stop.

Shooting Star Slash — Seven Consecutive Strikes.

As if determined to shred every story of that star to pieces, the Shooting Star Slash carved out even Odin's scream. Odin's empty eyes blinked. The moment the tattered Odin slowly sank to his knees, Yoo Joonghyuk's 'Black Heavenly Demon Sword' pierced through Odin's heart.

The strange thing, however, was Odin's expression. Even in the moment facing his end, Odin was smiling while gripping the blade of Yoo Joonghyuk's 'Black Heavenly Demon Sword'.

In that instant, Odin's story flashed through my mind.

Odin's incarnation body was enveloped in dazzling rays of light. The moment the Yoo Joonghyuk of the 1,865th regression hesitated, the story that flowed from Odin's entire body grew like chains and bound Yoo Joonghyuk's whole body. Frowning, Yoo Joonghyuk tried to shake them off. But he could not cut the story chains.

It was a star relic that Odin possessed. Yet no matter how great a star relic it was, it should not have been able to control Yoo Joonghyuk. Under normal circumstances, that should have been the case.

If only it had not been for the story dwelling in the Disaster.

It was the story of 'Ways of Survival'.

Odin, resurrected within the rays of light, gripped the chain that bound Yoo Joonghyuk as if holding a leash.

Yoo Joonghyuk unleashed an even more powerful status to try to release the story chains, but the chains only tightened more strongly around his entire body.

Odin spoke with a faint smile.

Within the story of 'Ragnarok', 'Gleipnir' was the star relic that bound the disaster Fenrir.

As long as Yoo Joonghyuk from the 1,865th regression had descended as the 'Wolf That Swallowed God', he could not escape this restraint.

Accompanied by fierce sparks, a Probability storm began raging from Yoo Joonghyuk's entire body.

Part of Gleipnir was composed of the story of 'Ways of Survival' that Odin had obtained. And 'Ways of Survival' was the birth story that constituted Yoo Joonghyuk himself. Therefore, it should have been impossible for Yoo Joonghyuk to sever that 'Story' with his own power.

That would have been the case only if he had been the Yoo Joonghyuk of 'Ways of Survival'.

Gleipnir's binding, which should never have been broken, began to snap.

Odin's eyes began to widen as he confirmed the story flowing throughout Yoo Joonghyuk's entire body.

The Myth-grade Constellation who had witnessed a story he had never seen before shook his head and stepped backward instinctively.

It was the exclusive story of Yoo Joonghyuk who cleared the scenarios of the 1,865th regression.

Throwing the powerless, broken chains onto the ground, Yoo Joonghyuk of the 1,865th regression slowly rose to his feet.

The moment the 'Wolf That Swallowed God' unleashed his status, Odin also prepared for the final battle.

As the statuses of the two beings collided, a pitch black night descended upon the area.

Suffocating silence covered the battlefield. The 'Nameless Ones' that had been lingering nearby, drawn by Yoo Joonghyuk's story, could not endure the story pressure of the two existences that suddenly crashed down and exploded. Within that horrific feast, only I and the Yoo Joonghyuk of the 41st regression foresaw the conclusion of this story.

"We have to help Odin."

— No.

Without taking my eyes off Odin and the Yoo Joonghyuk of the 1,865th regression, I spoke.

— You know it too, don't you? How this battle ends.

Yoo Joonghyuk of the 41st regression did not answer. He also knew.

— This is the only way we can win.

A story was boiling within the Yoo Joonghyuk of the 41st regression. It was the story of 'Vidar, the Ender of Wars', whom he had once killed.

Within the pitch black night sky, Odin's beloved steed 'Sleipnir' could be seen galloping across space. Odin mounted his steed and gripped his exclusive weapon. A spear that spat flames of light (光炎).

The Divine Spear Gungnir.

Containing the story of <Asgard>, it was the spear that had tormented Yoo Joonghyuk and <Kim Dokja Company> again and again in the past.

Facing that spear, Yoo Joonghyuk also drew his Black Heavenly Demon Sword.

If he had been the Yoo Joonghyuk of the 1,865th regression, it would have been difficult to overwhelm Odin with pure martial power alone. But the current him was different.

Right now he was an incarnation who had seen the conclusion twice, a regressor who had reached the final point of regression. And—

Breaking the Sky Swordsmanship (破天劍道).

Secret Technique: Inner Mystery Transmission (超越奧義).

—the disaster that swallows stars.

Galaxy Slash (銀河斬).

Before the blade that cut down an entire myth, the strongest constellation who had ruled the primordial void smiled.

The final chapter of the grand 'Ragnarok' was at last raising its curtain.

Yoo Joonghyuk of the 1,865th regression exhaled roughly and withdrew his story.

His vision was hazy. It was probably because he had exerted excessive power.

A name he called without thinking. The sound of his own voice calling that name felt unfamiliar.

At some point it had come to resemble the voice of an Outer God.

His ominous face was reflected on the blade of the Black Heavenly Demon Sword stained with story.

The fragments of Odin that scattered like pure white starlight soon became part of the 'Stage'. Upon that stage stood another Yoo Joonghyuk blocking his path.

Odin had probably already foreseen his own death.

As the stage of 'Ragnarok' strengthened, an astonishing story power began surging throughout the entire body of Yoo Joonghyuk from the 41st regression.

Through his own death, Odin had passed the [Fate] of 'Ragnarok' to the Yoo Joonghyuk of the 41st regression.

Yoo Joonghyuk of the 1,865th regression watched that sight with indifferent eyes and asked.

As if looking down upon the stage of 'Ragnarok', the Yoo Joonghyuk of the 1,865th regression raised his status.

Certainly the Giant Story of 'Ragnarok' was powerful. But he was an existence who had already seen the ending twice. No story of this world could completely bind him to a 'Stage'. Yet at that moment the Yoo Joonghyuk of the 41st regression opened his mouth.

"You—"

The moment he heard that voice, he realized it was not the voice of the '41st regression'.

Another Kim Dokja dwelling within the Yoo Joonghyuk of the 41st regression was asking him.

"Does this place still look like 'Ragnarok' to you?"

Clad in Odin's starlight, the coat that Yoo Joonghyuk of the 41st regression was wearing shone pure white and took on a white hue.

For a moment, Yoo Joonghyuk from the 1,865th regression looked down at his own pitch black coat.

This was a confrontation between Yoo Joonghyuk and Yoo Joonghyuk.

Two Yoo Joonghyuks wearing coats of different colors faced each other.

One on the ground, and the other in the sky. The moment he realized that he himself was within that landscape, Yoo Joonghyuk of the 1,865th regression recalled a very old story.

In the days when he firmly believed himself to be the Yoo Joonghyuk of the 3rd regression. He had stood there together with Kim Dokja. Standing there, he had faced a certain Outer God that seemed absolutely impossible to defeat.

'So this is how you felt, you bastard.'

In the sky, where that Outer God had once stood, he now stood alone.

Perhaps it was only at that moment that Yoo Joonghyuk understood another version of himself from a very long time ago. The moment understanding was established, accompanied by the sound of an old page turning, the landscape of the surrounding area began to ripple.

The distant sound of water from the Tongtian River covered the battlefield of 'Ragnarok'.

The two Yoo Joonghyuks pointed spear and sword at each other, and at last an old story began to be reenacted.