[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

Chapter 228: Ascending to Godhood (4)

[Bestow grace upon my land first.]

The light disappears from Greece.

The world turns pitch black.

Not only do the sun and moon lose their light, but even artificially generated light, like electricity, vanishes, plunging everything into complete darkness.

“What’s going on…?”

“It’s Zeus, it’s Zeus!”

Those who had accepted soul imprints began to panic.

A sudden divine summons, without any warning.

No one could remain calm in the face of such fear.

[Beings of the body. Halt.]

With just one word from Zeus, people's hearts stopped beating.

No exceptions—old or young.

Everyone succumbed without resistance, their hearts coming to a halt.

“Ugh… Th-this power…!”

Awakened beings were different.

They didn’t die instantly.

Instead, they suffered excruciating pain.

And as time passed…

“Aaaaargh!”

An F-rank awakened, clutching his chest, collapsed first.

He was soon followed by E-rank, then D-rank awakeneds…

The time they could endure varied slightly by rank, but none could truly resist death.

It took only one minute for everyone in Greece to die.

The C-rank held out the longest—barely.

[Enter into me.]

Souls began to rise from the fallen bodies.

All of them were drawn into the skies, sucked into the thunderous vortex that loomed above Greece.

“Is resistance… impossible?”

I tried to block the movement of the fake soul once, but the suction force was overwhelming.

A voracious vortex devouring souls.

To avoid drawing attention to the fake soul, I left it alone, without controlling it.

Chomp. Chomp.

The soul was chewed by something, then disassembled.

Like food, it was digested and began being absorbed.

Ultimately, it broke down into SP and entered Zeus.

[You gain resistance to the Chaos Authority, 'Disassembly'.]

Disassembly.

Is this the fourth authority?

An ability that breaks down souls into fragments and converts them into SP.

Technically, I can do this too…

But the Chaos Authority is far more destructive, and harvests SP with greater efficiency.

With over ten million people in Greece gone and the fake souls devoured,

My resistance to ‘Disassembly’ increased three more times during the process.

That’s about once per 4 million souls.

The disassembled fake soul…

Became part of the massive “something” assumed to be Zeus.

I tried to analyze it…

“But it’s not enough.”

Was it because the disassembly and absorption process was too efficient?

The fake soul alone wasn’t enough to discern Zeus.

I need to be consumed more.

Only then can I understand Zeus.

[Insufficient.]

Apparently, he thought so too, because he expanded his authority.

The thunder vortex in the sky above Greece began to grow larger, and people beyond it started collapsing.

“Urgh… Uuurgh…!”

But this time, something was different.

Earlier, their hearts stopped instantly—but now, everyone was suffering extreme pain.

And the pain wasn’t just in their hearts.

It spread throughout their entire bodies—from head to toe—driving them insane.

[Human souls… what trash. I shall mature you.]

Was it because the SP gained from the soul imprints was too low?

Zeus decided to inflict pain rather than kill outright.

“Please… spare me…!”

“Aaaaaaah! Gyaaaaah!”

People thrashed in unbearable agony, unable to die.

The pain was enough to kill from shock alone, but somehow, they were kept alive.

“…Interesting.”

Among the tormented, some of the soul imprints began to change.

Some sprouted shoots, like Lee Jinseong's did.

Others warped or bulged strangely.

Breaking down these altered souls would likely yield more SP than regular ones.

Could it be that inflicting soul-searing pain transforms the soul itself?

[Your SP capacity limit increases.]

Perhaps due to observing soul transformation, my SP capacity increased again.

An unexpected gain.

Should I be cheering Zeus on?

After about ten minutes of prolonged agony…

[Now, be still.]

Zeus gave the command for rest.

As if waiting for it, the people collapsed at once.

[Enter into me.]

Another ten million people lost their lives.

Is he targeting ten million at a time?

“Then to wipe out seven billion people, you’d have to do it 700 times.”

A fake soul is once again sucked up into the sky over Greece.

Chomp. Chomp.

Another fake soul is disassembled through the same process.

[You have developed resistance to the Chaos Authority: ‘Disassembly’.]

Only now, after eliminating ten million at once, does resistance begin to form.

SP begins to spread into the vast "something".

Its size is unfathomable—so massive that the thunder vortex in the Greek sky looks like a mere grain of rice in comparison.

Just how big is Zeus’s soul body?

[Even if human souls are trash, this is strange.]

Zeus’s voice echoes from the sky.

A voice filled with suspicion.

He hasn't realized they’re fake souls yet, but he’s starting to sense something is off.

[They’ve become more rebellious after maturing... but the SP is too low.]

Damn.

Has the resistance to the Chaos Authority been applied to the fake souls too?

If so, he’ll gradually sense something’s wrong...

[Kim Jiho! Kim Jiho! What are you doing? Zeus has appeared on Earth! He’s in Greece. That area isn’t letting any light through!]

Artemis sent me a communication.

It came relatively quickly, but it’s still a bit late.

“I know.”

[You know? Then you’re just going to watch?]

“For now, understanding Zeus’s power is more important. We haven’t fully grasped his essence yet.”

Since I haven’t fully analyzed Zeus’s soul body, it's time to observe.

But if he continues to feel suspicious, I might need a way to divert his attention.

“You and Apollo shouldn’t be there either. Come over here. I’ll call all the other Apostle Gods too.”

I decided to evacuate Artemis, Apollo, and all the Apostle Gods who were helping Asgard.

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

[Evacuate? To where?]

“There’s a world my father is creating.”

The first spirit realm I had prepared.

My father said he was setting it up, but he’s been focusing on soul transformation, so I don’t know how it’s turned out.

In any case, I need to send them there.

Earth is going to turn into a complete mess.

[Understood.]

I sent Artemis and the other Apostle Gods to the realm of spirits.

While analyzing Zeus’s movements, a sealing stone beside me begins to glow.

[Oh Soul God, may I see how things are going as well?]

Athena, who had been watching my conversation with Artemis.

She politely asked me.

With Athena’s intellect, she might be helpful.

“Alright. Though it’ll probably just look like a black screen, at least you’ll hear Zeus’s voice.”

I opened up the Earth feed and explained the situation.

[So he couldn’t immediately activate the Authority of Death.]

“Yeah. He was killing ten million per minute, but the SP absorption isn’t going as expected, so he’s stalled.”

[Zeus is cunning and sharp. He may soon realize something’s wrong with the humans.]

“Right... I might need to divert his attention before that happens.”

My Kim Jiho avatar on Earth is drifting through space...

Should I strike with another main body?

But his authorities—‘Disassembly’ and ‘Assimilation’—are concerning.

If my main body gets captured and disintegrated, he’d gain a massive amount of SP...

And assimilation is also worrisome.

Until I gain perfect resistance, attacking with the main body feels too risky.

“So instead, I’ll send a clone to harass him.”

[That would be wise. Even without major attacks, it’ll raise his guard.]

Alright, I’ll send a clone first.

From the main body on Earth, I create a clone.

To avoid giving him too much SP, I configure the clone with one-time power and self-destruction capabilities.

“Let’s boost the SP of the fake souls too...”

The goal is to keep Zeus from realizing the souls are fake.

I generate hundreds of thousands of clones—some to boost the fake soul’s SP, some to attack Zeus.

“Let’s go.”

With a significantly expanded SP limit, clone generation is ultra-fast.

Hundreds of thousands of Kim Jiho clones launch simultaneously.

They cross the distance from Korea to Greece in an instant.

“There it is.”

In a world bathed in sunlight, one region alone is cloaked in darkness—that's the land where Greece once stood.

Everything around it has been consumed by Zeus.

[Ho... Soul God. You’re late.]

Crackle crackle.

Black lightning rippled in the darkness.

A power entirely different from anything he’s shown before.

[Even if it’s a clone, it's still tastier than a human. Become my meal.]

From the darkness, a massive bolt of lightning lashes out like a whip.

The moment I see it, I know.

That can’t be blocked.

“Soul Barrier.”

The clones simultaneously activate their barriers.

But not to block—it’s to buy even a moment of time for self-destruction.

“Self-destruct.”

[Useless.]

Slash.

The barrier is sliced instantly, not even buying a moment.

But I was just a bit faster in my judgment.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The screen turns a blinding white.

When the SP that composed the clone was completely detonated, a powerful explosion occurred.

The darkness slightly cleared due to the explosion of light.

"What is that...?"

A writhing liquid catches my eye.

No—maybe it's metal...

Something like molten iron is floating in the darkness, and it gives me a bad feeling.

What the hell is that?

[To think that just a clone’s explosion has this much power. This time, I’ll kill him for sure.]

The world is soon covered in darkness again.

But Zeus’s voice carries a tone of wariness.

Did the clearing of darkness just from the self-destruction make him cautious?

[We should keep sending more clones.]

"Yeah. SP hasn’t been absorbed, so we need to find out what that molten iron in the darkness really is."

[Understood. And… his movements seem too slow. He could kill the humans in one blow if he wanted to…]

"Hmm…"

Could he have another goal?

That bastard.

He should’ve just quietly devoured the lingering souls.

He’s being cautious.

"That aside, I need more power."

Fighting Zeus made it clear.

At this rate, I can’t win against that thing.

I can’t block attacks filled with the authority of destruction.

"I need to observe the process of soul sprouting more. Just like Zeus did earlier."

The way Zeus inflicted pain gave me fresh inspiration.

Those kinds of changing souls usually belong to the awakened ones.

I need to experiment more… and increase my power.

[All the Apostle Gods have arrived in the Spirit Realm.]

Hearing Artemis’s report, a good idea came to mind.

When I move into the realm my father created, a completely transformed world appears before me.

The buildings are still lined up, but other than that, a modern-style park stretched widely.

A world full of greenery.

Feels like Elprian’s touch is strongly present here.

As I looked around the Spirit Realm, I walked toward the biggest tree.

Judging by its size reaching the sky, it looks like a World Tree.

“Everyone, gather around.”

As I summoned the Apostle Gods, the gods all arrived at once.

Even my father and Elprian.

Elprian naturally linked arms with my father, and he accepted it just as naturally.

Looks like their relationship has progressed quite a bit over the past month.

“I have a mission for you.”

“Yes, understood!”

“I’ll select humans, and you will give them trials. The trials can follow your individual nature, but they must be painful enough to be etched into their souls.”

“Trials, you say?”

“Yes.”

The awakened ones on Earth.

Send the high-level ones to another world, inflict trials there, and observe the development of their souls.

Like Lee Jinseong.

I left Kang Shia and Lee Jinseong to their own devices, but…

I’ll push the other humans to the brink through my Apostle Gods and force their souls to grow.

Just like I was inspired by Zeus.

I explain this plan to them in rough detail.

The gods accept it without much resistance.

Rather, they’re happy that I’ll gain more power.

“Giving trials to humans is part of a god’s duty.”

“If it strengthens the Supreme God, we’ll gladly do it.”

Elprian, still arm in arm with my father, is smiling broadly too.

“That’s a wonderful idea. Let’s implement it right away. I’ll help you in every way I can from Kevrian.”

Everyone warmly embraces my plan.

“Wouldn’t it be better to kill a few of the awakened as an example?”

“Right. That would spread fear.”

“Discrimination might also work well. Focus blessings on only a few.”

“That’s a great idea.”

The Apostle Gods, who seemed to have experience dealing with humans, discussed without hesitation.

In this cheerful atmosphere, only one person had a hardened face.

“Jiho.”

My father, who had been silently listening, gradually stiffened his expression.

He released Elprian’s arm and approached me.

“You… what exactly are you saying?”

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]