CH 237

71. The Final Battle (1)

The reactions to the teasers were intensely positive!

Based on the God of Evil’s myth, the Olympus War was praised as the greatest among New World’s many events. And when history changed after conquering the Norse and Egyptian mythologies, its evaluation increased even more.

Now, however, stories from the Bible unfolded before their eyes!

Not only gamers but theologians admired and praised it as well. If they were to connect to New World and go to Mount Olympus, they’d find quite a number of historically accurate and well-documented ruins. The Vatican even expressed their gratitude and appreciation to the New World developers.

The God of Evil religion was the largest faith followed on the Earth where Jin-woo originated from, and in other dimensions. Since it was a world that had no magic or power, more of its inhabitants relied on his mythology than Another Earth.

In fact, they had widely accepted the claim that the source of all the powers people had gained was the God of Evil’s blessing as a theory since all the high-ranking people who had devoted themselves to him had been granted abilities.

Under such circumstances, the ‘New World: Apocalypse’ update was essentially bound to receive great reactions and expectations. They even designated it as a special subject, stating that experiencing it was mandatory for those attending seminaries. Upon hearing the news, G&P provided them with multiple connectors.

Meanwhile, Jin-woo prepared to welcome the New World players.

First and foremost, he had to decorate Asgard, which was currently empty since his subordinates had put Seized Possession Tags on every object in it, moving it to his dimensional store. It wouldn’t be wrong to say all that was left here was its land itself, though it also belonged to him now.

He took a portal to the said realm, finding his underlings already waiting by the time he arrived. Loki was among them, but he seemed a bit uncomfortable.

Jin-woo was worried about him.

His colors seemed to have improved since he started hanging out with Nitocris, Luna, Bread Jam, and Maze, but he was recently deteriorating again.

Maze, Luna, and Bread Jam’s pranking tendencies were far too strong. Moreover, Nitocris also secretly played with them, leaving Loki alone to deal with the aftermath of their actions. Fortunately, he always did manage to fix the damages they had done, but he often sustained injuries as a result. In fact, he recently just suffered grave wounds and still hadn’t moved on from it.

He had apparently gone back and forth the Sci-Fi World following Bread Jam. He didn’t want to go, but in accordance with Maze’s suggestion, Nitocris gave him sleeping pills and dragged him away.

While traveling across the universe using a spaceship, Maze accidentally pressed a button that ejected Loki out of their vehicle.

It would’ve been easy for him to return to their vessel if he had just been ejected into outer space. Unfortunately, the force sent him deep into a nearby icy planet, burying him completely and freezing him in place.

After failing to find him in the span of a few days, Jin-woo was left with no choice but to mobilize the Cockroach clan to find him. At the time of discovery, Loki was already frozen solid, and Nitocris had to bring a robot to thaw and melt him out of the ice, but he got burned in the process.

As a result, he no longer had any eyebrows.

‘… I’m sorry.’

There weren’t many people who could suppress Maze alone. When she got paired up with Bread Jam, their trolling capacity had become so powerful that not even Vanity could stop them.

Luckily, Loki was around. If Jin-woo were being honest, he’d admit that he left it to him because dealing with them hurt his head. Jin-woo made him take a vacation since he was worried about him, but Loki had already returned earlier than he expected.

He truly was a reliable advisor.

“How are you, Loki?”

“I’m… I’m fine.”

“You should get some rest.”

Loki’s face darkened sharply.

“… I feel a lot more comfortable working. I don’t want to stay at my house…”

“Hmm?”

“Those four come visit me every day… Every single day without fail… Sniff…”

I understood what the situation was. Jin-woo gave Loki great accommodation, but it had already become their hideout.

He tapped his shoulder.

“Tell me if you want anything. I’ll listen.”

“Huh? Oh, uh… If so…”

Jin-woo wanted to listen to whatever Loki wanted if he could.

However, amid his hesitation, he didn’t answer.

The only reason he came to Asgard even though he hadn’t fully recovered yet was that he heard the news about Jin-woo’s intention to visit it. He wanted to keep this realm intact.

That was all in his mind lately.

‘For everyone working hard to pay off their loans…’

Wouldn’t Odin one day clear his name of his crippling debts?

It was almost impossible, but not entirely so. Despite the difficulties Loki would have to face, he wanted to keep hoping and waiting for his family to return to Asgard. It would be far too hard to endure if he didn’t have such a belief to hold on to, after all.

Swallowing his saliva, he looked at Jin-woo with a determined expression on his face.

“About that…”

“Everything’s ready.”

Just as Loki was about to open up to him, Yoo-na approached from behind him and interrupted their conversation, leaving him no choice but to stop talking.

“Take your time thinking about it.”

“Ah, alright. I will.” He replied weakly, feeling a tad frustrated.

Jin-woo had decided to focus on the task at hand first.

Yoo-na handed her tablet PC to him.

“This is the concept art for this project. As per the event title, its design is centered around the apocalypse.”

Just as she said, the screen displayed a concept art drawn by his subordinates. Checking it out, he couldn’t help but admire it.

‘It’s almost like the end of the world has come.’

It didn’t give Asgard any sort of splendid appearance. Ensuring it would completely capture the essence of an apocalyptic reality, its atmosphere made it seem as if all civilizations had been eradicated. Some parts of it contained a bit too much gore, but that just made it seem more like watching a dark fantasy film devoid of hopes and dreams.

He liked it quite a bit.

It was a completely different atmosphere from the previous New World, making it great for instilling tension.

“I like it. Let’s proceed with this.”

“Alright.”

“Then…”

Jin-woo retrieved the halls of Valhalla, which now belonged to the dimensional store, and returned it to its old place along with everything else Asgard used to own.

Loki watched the scene standing next to him, his eyes slowly becoming redder. He never thought he’d see his hometown again, but it quickly reappeared before him. This sight was something he had accepted would only ever be a dream.

The gods of Asgard were no longer in power, but Asgard itself still existed!

For as long as it did, he still had hope.

He gazed upon the beautiful and magnificent palace before him.

Built with all kinds of precious stones and valuable materials, it was considered one of the most treasured treasures in the World of Gods. For Odin to express his authority over the Northern World, he decided to have it constructed, even if it meant having to use force, using Midgard’s resources.

Buildings the gods resided in lined up in an orderly manner around the majestic hall. He could even see his among them.

Just as the scene was about to make him tear up, Jin-woo’s subordinates went to work.

The demons came carrying the avatars.

Pujik! Pujik! Bam!

They then destroyed them, using their bodies as decorations representing the Asgardians’ horrible deaths. Some of them looked at the proposed design while having a serious discussion.

“Wouldn’t it be nice to sprinkle some guts here?”

“That would put too much gore in one place. I think it’d be better to cover it in blood and burnt skulls.”

“Let’s go with that for now.”

“I have brought a giant severed arm! I’ll put it here… Oh, I cut it off using a saw blade to give it that natural butchered feeling.”

Loki was astonished.

They slowly turned the beautiful Asgard into a hellish nightmare. Unable to bring himself to watch them desecrate their holy land any further, he turned his eyes to Frigg’s garden, hailed as the most beautiful of its kind in the World of Gods. Many rare flowers grew inside its premises, attracting the attention of fairies.

But that was no longer the case.

Whoops!

Demons in gas masks and work clothes set fire to it, causing the fairies that had flown towards it, hoping to admire its elegance, to scream as they scattered. They set even Yggdrasil’s trunk in flames along with many other trees.

Afterward, they placed fire drums all over the place and laid incinerated corpses around them.

“Hey, what is this…”

Loki staggered forward.

He had many childhood memories in Frigg’s garden.

He had always hidden amid its flora to play a prank since it had so much space and plants growing. Now, however, it had been turned into a miserable and demented graveyard.

Having no information about their plans since he had to go through a recovery phase, he wanted to ask Jin-woo what the hell was going on. Unfortunately, his colleagues just left him to his own devices, saying he probably knew better than them since he was the God of Evil’s advisor.

Loki felt desperate.

“Um, I have a question.

“Hmm?”

“That palace…”

He couldn’t get the words out. He wanted to tell him to leave it alone, but before he could, Jin-woo had already nodded, seemingly agreeing with him.

“It doesn’t look good, does it?”

“Huh? Oh, um… Yes…?”

“That’s a pity. It can’t be helped, though.”

Jin-woo misunderstood Loki’s intentions. Since it was the only building left in good shape, it didn’t live up to the theme of the atmosphere. Ruining it was a waste, but Odin should be able to repair it with ease later.

He stretched out his hand.

Wooooosh! Bagag!

Summoning a meteorite directly from outer space, he struck the beautiful hall with it. Its splendid towers collapsed, and its roof adorned with blue jewels fell to the ground.

The Halls of Valhalla, known as Asgard’s symbol, had been demolished!

Considering how badly damaged it was, it would be more appropriate to call it a ruin now.

His subordinates then littered disfigured avatars around its remnants.

In doing so, they shared and eradicated all of Loki’s memories, leaving him with nothing but nightmares.

“Ahhh…”

He almost fell to the floor.

Jin-woo completely altered Asgard. Even the armors he had confiscated had been broken and dented despite being treasures that constantly appeared in this realm’s long history.

All that mattered to him was that their work progressed quickly.

In that regard, he couldn’t help but admire Loki, who watched their work unfold without moving an inch from where he was. It was just what he would expect from his advisor.

His presence even greatly motivated his underlings.

“Our superior is watching!”

“His emotionless eyes… scares me. I don’t think he likes it! We need to make it look a lot more brutal and desolated!”

“I am looking at the garden… .”

“Burn more things!”

With Loki holding his ground, their subordinates worked hard without a break.

Jin-woo soon waved his hand, covering the clear skies with dark clouds. He made them thicker and more exaggerated than the concept art, but that only made the atmosphere even more menacing. He also sent his minions to acting workshops, ensuring their ordeal would be as perfect as could be.

Jin-woo turned his attention to Loki.

“What do you think?”

“I… I think it looks good.”

“Hmm…”

He observed the god of mischief’s expression, which seemed to tell him he didn’t like it. Loki always did seek the epitome of perfection, making him pay even more attention to the little details.

When he relayed that information to his employees, they worked even harder in turning Asgard into the most accurate depiction of hell.

Holding back his tears, Loki gave up Asgard.

But there was still hope.

There was still a being that had the power to resurrect Asgard!

“God of Evil! I have thought of what I want to request from you.”

“Is that so? Then do state your wish.”

His memories of Asgard had all been desecrated already, but he still had the sibling with whom he shared said memories with. He joked around a lot, causing their relationship to deteriorate until they could no longer tolerate each other, but he was still quite affectionate.

While Odin and the deities of Asgard were all busy working to pay off the debts they had accumulated, Thor was being subjected to an entirely different punishment in the form of training.

Jin-woo remembered sending him to Zhuge Mi-xian at Loki’s request, which wasn’t that hard to do, just like this one. He simply nodded at him, then told Yoo-na to retrieve him.

“He’ll be coming with Zhuge Mi-xian.”

“Good.”

All of his underlings were to gather here, and Mi-xian was no exception.

At that moment, a portal opened connected to the other side of the moon base. Jin-woo and Loki immediately approached it, knowing full well that Thor would be able to provide tremendous help to them since he was as strong as Odin.

More importantly, the God of Evil was just glad he managed to do something for the god of mischief in return for all of his efforts.

Whik!

His people from the moon base began to exit the portal just as the two reached it, with Loki seemingly unable to hide his smile.

Jin-woo looked at his back with joy along with Yoo-na. It had been a long time since they had seen him so happy.

They were truly great brothers.

The lower-ranked individuals were the first to make their entrance, and only after they had all exited the portal did Zhuge Mi-xian and Thor come out.

Loki’s expression darkened as soon as he saw his brother.

“Thor…?”

He should have been happy, but he couldn’t even bring himself to smile anymore.

Thor no longer seemed like the god he used to be.

It was almost like he was looking at a complete replica of One-Handed Swordsman. Wearing only black glossy underwear, he carried Zhuge Mi-xian on his back, almost as if he was her horse.

He did move swiftly, at least, with each action from him causing lightning to flash from his arms and legs. Thor had essentially achieved the speed of lightning itself but at the cost of becoming Zhuge Mi-xian’s mount!

Nevertheless, he had become faster than any of the deities living in the World of Gods.

“Grrr…” The god of thunder growled lowly, his mouth seemingly stuffed.

Loki couldn’t even find any reason left in him.

“Stay still.”

Washksh!

The female riding him whipped him. Though he already did stop on her command, he became meeker before the might of her whip. That was only natural, considering his bottom was already burning red.

Bop.

Loki plopped to the ground.

‘Is this a dream?’

There was no other way to explain the sight before him. Thor was ignorant, but not to that extent.

The scene dazed even Jin-woo. He didn’t expect she’d be able to train him to such an extent that he’d be conditioned to fall to such a level.

Unlike them, Yoo-na simply nodded.

“Looks like Zhuge Mi-xian’s training program proved effective.”

Unable to decide whether they could even call what he did as training, the God of Evil looked at the god of thunder with the Devil’s Eye.

[-SSS] Thor, God of Thunder(mount)

‘I have discovered who I truly am.’

Zhuge Mi-xian’s training program has awakened Thor, releasing him from all the restraints he had cast upon himself to protect his dignity and pride as a god. In doing so, his physical ability and power have increased dramatically.

As his name suggests, he can become lightning itself and move at great speeds. However, since his intelligence has been greatly reduced, someone is needed to mount and control him.

*[SSS-] Sprint: Releases lightning and sprints at great speed.

*[SSS-] Love Whip: Getting whipped increases all of Thor’s ranks by one level.

*[A] Two Bodies, One Head: Following his rider’s instructions faithfully, Thor can move along with them as if they share a single soul.

Looking at Thor’s information window, Jin-woo came to a realization.

Thor had become a great mount.

‘… He’s truly been disciplined.’

Zhuge Mi-xian’s training was amazing. Abandoning intelligence to maximize the abilities he excelled in seemed to have given Thor a true awakening.

What did she even put him through for him to reach this state where he had completely cleared the darkness within his soul?

“Ha ha ha ha ha…”

Loki laughed, his expression filled with dejection.

He looked like he had been driven to insanity, his heart now completely broken.

Jin-woo didn’t even know what to say.

They weren’t related by blood, but they were still brought up as brothers.

“I won’t acknowledge this as your wish. Tell me what you desire.”

“I don’t want anything else. I’ll just work hard.”

“I… I see.”

Loki staggered to his feet and went back to work.

Though he seemed only half-enthusiastic, his involvement in the project made Asgard even more devastated. Admittedly, what he went through apparently just made him contribute even better ideas to the current task at hand.

‘We’re pretty much ready now.’

Midgard was already in ruins anyway, so it didn’t need much preparation.

Jin-woo shifted his gaze towards the Eastern World’s gates, which were slowly opening back up.

There wasn’t much time.

The final battle was dawning upon them!

It was time to face the end of his long, long journey.