Chapter 156

= Is… isn't that…?!

= It's similar to the skill JiHan used! Was it originally Zeus's technique?

= It's much grander than when JiHan used it! There's a storm of lightning converging from every direction!

While JiHan's Heavenly God's Judgment ended with a spear striking down from the clouds, Astrape was like a condensed rain of lightning. Of course, anyone who saw it would've thought JiHan's skill was the inferior version.

= He's… alive, right?

= I can't see him…

= JiHan started shining with a white light before the attack hit him, so I'm sure he found a way!

Though they tried to remain hopeful, they were inwardly wondering what they'd say if JiHan had died. His opponent was Zeus, after all.

Then…

Swoosh-

The smoke cleared, and JiHan stood unharmed and wrapped in swirling sparks of electricity where the lightning had struck him.

"It's strangely similar…"

He was using the Heavenly Lightning Technique's 'Thunder God' form, which suffused his body with lightning and made him immune to Zeus's fearsome attack.

'It even has the same weaknesses as Heavenly God's Judgment.' Avoiding Zeus's attack with 'Thunder God' was almost too easy.

'Did it originate from Zeus? If that's the case… he feels weak.' JiHan gave Zeus a discerning look.

"You… your body! Are you one of Indra's characters?" The god had fully regenerated his body and was staring at him in disbelief.

"What does this have to do with Indra?" JiHan asked.

"So you're acting ignorant! Who else but Indra could embody the power of electricity so perfectly? Indra, how did you break your seal and create a character?!"

Zeus mistook him for Indra and continued to bombard him with questions after he saw 'Thunder God'. It could've been due to Indra's status as a fellow lightning-related god, but he also seemed less hostile.

'So the Heavenly Lightning Technique's 'Thunder God' belonged to Indra…'

If the Shadow Secret Technique was related to the Shadow Queen, then was the Heavenly Lightning Technique a collection of skills from Earth-born thunder-and-lightning gods?

"Then whose technique is this?"

Nameless Divine Arts Heavenly Lightning Technique: Thunderclap Lightning.

Zeus's eyes widened after a bolt of lightning sprang from JiHan's Phoenix Flag. "Th-that's Thor's…"

"I can also use yours," JiHan said.

Flash–!

He threw his spear into the sky, and Heavenly God's Judgment soon fell beside Astrape in a giant spear of light. The effect was rather simple since it didn't create a storm of lightning like Astrape did after it struck the ground.

"A… Astrape! No, this is…!" When Zeus witnessed it, he was even more disturbed than when he'd been struck by the red lightning, and for good reason… "It has been developed further…"

Most thought Astrape was more powerful due to its flashy effects, but Zeus saw things differently. He knew Astrape was so flashy because he couldn't fully focus its power, whereas JiHan's version of it managed to perfectly concentrate the lightning.

It was a realm of perfection that would take Zeus two or three more iterations to develop.

"Now that I think about it, your usage of Indra and Thor's techniques are slightly different as well… They're more evolved. Could it be…?! Are you related to *that* monster…?" Zeus gave him a horrified look.

JiHan assumed he was talking about the Wandering Martial God, but he feigned ignorance and asked, "Which monster?"

"Why would you ask when you already know?!" Zeus exclaimed. "The one who transcended dea—"

Tsss–

Before he could finish his sentence, a white-and-black pattern appeared on his chest and started to intersect—it was the familiar taiji of Dongfang Shuo, the one who'd previously reached the pinnacle of martial arts.

"No!" Zeus yelled. "Why was the prohibition activated…?! You… you aren't actually associated with that monster?!"

"Hmm," JiHan said. "I'm kind of related to him, but…"

Zeus continued to panic. "Jiang Shang! I really didn't know! I thought he was related to you! This isn't a violation of the prohibition!"

[No. You were required to never mention the Wandering Martial God under any circumstance, and you violated that rule.]

"Eek…!"

[Leave.]

Whoosh–!

The mighty King of Olympus, the divine head of the pantheon, was instantly sucked into the taiji symbol.

[I ended up unintentionally helping you, JiHan. That being the case… you must pick my class offering next time you advance.]

"No thanks."

[Tsk! You youngster… Take your time on the class advancement, and if things ever get too difficult, then become a servant and I'll warmly welcome you as my successor.]

Swoosh-

Dongfang's taiji vanished.

'What a shame. I was curious about the Wandering Martial God, but the only clue I have is that he transcended death.' It wasn't much of a clue, but not even Dongfang, a peak martial artist, had managed to truly transcend death.

'Let's focus on the game for now.' He began walking down the path of lightning laid out before him, and electricity surged beneath his feet.

WHOOM-!

Bolts of lightning cascaded around him from the sky.

'The Thunder God state should theoretically be able to absorb some of the lightning, but it's different from Astrape. There's no harm in being careful.'

He clearly knew the weakness of Zeus's technique, but the surging lightning emanated an even stronger authority. He dodged the lightning as he continued down the path until…

[Lightning Seal has increased by 2.]

'Oh…'

He naturally absorbed lightning energy along the way, and his stat increased. That only went to show how wasteful it would be to invest points in a rare stat.

Of course, he decided to gain as much as he could from the situation.

"Thundercloud Summon," he said as he used the skill he'd obtained after being recognized by the Cloud Thunderbolt Spear. A short moment later, a cloud containing a flicker of yellow lightning formed before him.

"Go absorb as much lightning energy as you can." It was originally intended to be used as a mount, but he sent it to where the massive bolts of lightning were striking from the sky.

BZZT-!

The cloud turned bright yellow after being struck by the lightning, and it seemed it would burst at any moment from the overflowing energy.

[Lightning Seal has increased by 1.]

'It's not as efficient as direct absorption, but it's better than getting hit.' Stats were definitely important, but there was no need to put his life on the line to raise a rare stat.

After a few hours…

'Lightning Seal already went up by 20.'

[You can no longer summon the Thundercloud today.]

Unfortunately, the thundercloud absorbed one too many bolts and dissipated after some time. He'd gained a lot, but…

'I still can't see the end.' He'd been moving quite quickly, but the Divine Throne still seemed to be the same distance away. It was clearly visible, but his skills somehow didn't look like they were getting him any closer.

'Well, going off the path doesn't seem like it would be a good choice.'

The darkness lying outside the path looked completely cut off from the world, so it couldn't have been the answer. Just how was someone supposed to get to the Divine Throne?

[3 players have died.]

[7 players haven't found the path.]

[You've failed to reach the Divine Throne.]

[Remaining players will fall to the temple.]

* * *

= Oh! As expected, JiHan survived! He's unharmed!

= He turned into lightning and dodged it!

= He dropped a spear nearly identical to Zeus's, but Zeus seemed to value his technique more!

= Are all of the techniques JiHan used… related to different thunder-and-lightning gods?

JiHan and Zeus's conversation was live-streamed, but their dialogue was filtered out after they started discussing the Wandering Martial God.

= Huh…? I suddenly can't hear what they're saying!

= What's happening? Their mouths are clearly moving! Is this a broadcast error?

= Ah, Zeus suddenly disappeared!

= Isn't that pattern over his chest the taiji symbol?

Since the viewers couldn't hear their conversation, they thought JiHan eliminated Zeus with the power of the taiji.

- Look! JiHan really does belong to the Wudang sect!

- You're spouting that nonsense because of a single mark? Didn't you see how he called lightning down?

- LOL, he even broke the 108th Form. Why are they so obsessed with this shit about sects? LOL.

- In the end, the taiji is what defeated Zeus. JiHan should accept that he's a disciple of Wudang!

- What are you talking about? Stop trying to associate him with China, LOL.

- Forget about that. Please, get the reward. I want a Gift~

While his Korean and Chinese viewers were discussing…

"Head! So you were alive! Yes, yes. I believed in you! But… how are you so untouched??" Kallein welcomed JiHan in the temple built of pure white marble that they ended up being summoned to.

His robe was all torn, and his body was releasing smoke. It looked like he'd been fighting for his life. "Did you get an easy difficulty? No… Your species is weak, so the 'Thunder God' you had to face should have been quite high-ranked, right?"

"I have my ways," JiHan said.

"Wow. As expected of the Head!" Kallein exclaimed. "You have great skill! You truly have the right to merge with me!"

"No matter how much I walked toward the Divine Throne, it always looked like it was still far away. Is it even reachable in the first place?" JiHan asked.

"Who knows? There aren't any cases of players reaching the Divine Throne after the Thunder God was summoned. Other gods at least welcome players." Kallein pointed to the ground. "At least there's still a way to clear the game…"

"Being among the last five survivors?"

"Yes. This is a survival map, after all. The others will be here soon as well, and we'll have to struggle to stay alive."

Swoosh-

Thick smoke rose from Kallein's torn robe, and his body began to grow in size as the resentful spirits of kings emerged.

- Kill… The… King…

- Another sacrifice will be made…

- Head? That person… How unfortunate…

Each ghost spoke in a pained tone.

"We should merge before the game ends, right?" Smoke rose from Kallein's darkness-shrouded face. He'd been denied the right to go to Earth, so there was no better opportunity for him to merge with JiHan.

"Alright, Head. Here we go!"

Swoosh-

Ghosts rose from every direction, and JiHan prepared Eclipse and his Phoenix Flag as if he already knew Kallein was going to attack him.

'This is great.' He'd been putting up with the Dead Star's nonsense for quite some time, and he couldn't wait to beat him up and eliminate his secondary character.

Just as JiHan was gathering his energy…

"Mother! I will protect you!" A voice echoed through the temple and broke their standoff.

Then…

Thud—!

A wooden sword pierced Kallein's robe.