On Hiatus: God's Personal Reasons-Chapter 228: #Twilight of Gods, Ragnarok (1)

“You, what is that...?” Ant Emperor asked with a blazing gaze. “Your benevolent god, malevolent god, and even the God of Destruction—all of them possess the divine powers of a High-tier god?”

I didn’t say anything.

“Since the dawn of time, only the fallen God of Harmony has ever wielded the divine powers of two opposing extremes. Did you attain their power?”

In a trance, I couldn’t comprehend his words.

Woooong!

A violent vortex roared inside me, where three clashing forces fought for dominance, like a powder keg about to explode. Before I knew it, the emperor’s arm was severed.

I must stop him...

I had to save Il-Ho and my followers. Clinging to that one unyielding thought, I held Demon Lord tightly in my mouth. As a last-ditch effort, I called Yi-Shin and Sam-Shin back.

Sss!

The powers of the malevolent god and the God of Destruction returned to me, merging as my alter egos were ruthlessly slain by the emperor.

[The innate power Blind Eyes of God has been activated!]

Then, I saw it.

“Hic, hic! O’ great and merciful God Yu Il-Shin, please get up!”

“Waaah! Please, rise once more!”

Anty, people of the Gayami Nation, and the Divine Beasts were all on their knees, praying fervently to me.

“Yu Yiboo! Il-Ho Aboo! Aboo Aboo!” Fairy Queen Aran cried out despite still not being able to speak. She put her hands together, praying along with Cycler of All Things and her cactus girl.

“God Yu Il-Shin! Warrior Il-Ho! Please stay strong!”

Plop! Plop!

“Ugh...”

Beneath the colosseum, the gathered elves collapsed one by one. Allohym was tearful as she clasped her hands together.

-I believe in God Yu Il-Shin. Please save our precious Earth.

“I believe in God Yu Il-Shin!”

“I believe in God Yu Il-Shin!”

The people of Earth and the Great Cosmic Empire, though vastly different in number, were all praying to me. Among them was a middle-aged man, praying through his sobs—my editor-in-charge.

Ding!

-----

[Quest: High-tier Benevolent God Promotion (In Progress)]

Have at least a trillion intelligent beings, or accept ten thousand intelligent beings of S-rank or higher as your followers.

Normal followers of intelligent beings: 1,000,000,000,000(↑)/1,000,000,000,000

-----

Ding!

[You have completed the High-tier Benevolent God Quest.]

[Congratulations. God Yu Il-Shin has been promoted to a High-tier Benevolent God.]

Craaaack!

Angelic wings, emitting pure, dazzling light appeared on my back. And no, it wasn’t some special effect.

Il-Ho swept in like a whirlwind, arriving at the Fiftieth Floor of the Tower of Warriors.

He crushed the skull of the beautiful yet lustful Demon God, burying it alongside the other demons’ remains, and tore apart the heart of the Dead Dragon that spread death across worlds.

The scales judged even the smallest evil—like a starving, malnourished child stealing and eating moldy bread. In the name of justice, he even had his wings ripped off and his head smashed in by the lawbook he wielded at the creations of god.

Pssss!

The remains of the gods and their familiars disintegrated, and Il-ho offered them up as sacrifices to the god he served.

-----

[Quest: High-tier Malevolent God Promotion (In Progress)]

Sacrifice over a trillion intelligent beings and accumulate karma, or sacrifice ten thousand intelligent beings of S-rank or higher with potential for transcendence and assimilate their powers.

S-rank or Higher Intelligent Sacrifices with Potential for Transcendence: 10,000(↑)/10,000

-----

Ding!

[You have completed the High-tier Malevolent God Quest.]

[Congratulations. God Yu Il-Shin has been promoted to a High-tier Malevolent God.]

Tzzz!

My wings reappeared once again, this time in a contrasting color of black and white.

Kwaaaa!

I was bursting with the powers of both High-tier benevolent and malevolent gods. There was also Faith nurtured from Jeanne Lehman—who adored the cute little Sam-Shin—and my fans from across the Great Cosmic Empire. With the added power of God of Destroyer, I could perform my ultimate move—Three Gods Fusion!

However, putrid black blood trickled down the corner of my mouth. The powers of three contrasting gods were too much for even a High-tier god like me to handle. I was also a human. Like the emperor who gave his life to surpass his limits, I was breaking under the weight of this power. As I bit on Demon Lord, my tears kept on flowing.

Ant Emperor disdainfully clicked his tongue. “Tsk. A god crying? Pathetic. And to think you’re my arch-nemesis!”

He added more strength to his tail, which was still latching onto Il-Ho.

“Koff! Lord Yu Il-Shin! Aaaargh!”

“A god should be a symbol of fear and despair! And yet here you are, crying over physical pain! What a weakling! You’re unworthy—”

Swish!

Il-Ho and his crumpled tail fell off, crashing to the ground. I glanced at my followers, who were watching my battle from the ground.

“Huh?! Kang Geom! Take this!”

“I’m not Kang Geom, I’m Sword Demon!”

Sword Demon launched himself, and both he and Shin Yoo caught Il-Ho.

“How dare you...!” Furious at his severed tail, Ant Emperor pointed his flaming index finger at me. “Carnage Flames of God!”

Kwaaaaa!

The flames set the sky ablaze. Not even Three Gods Fusion could save me from that.

Skill Sharing, Sung Mi-Ri, Thunder God.

Pzzz!

My eyes glowed eerily red, like Sam-Shin’s. At the same time, the divine powers of the benevolent and malevolent gods fused into one, amplifying Thunder God’s aura by leaps and bounds. I turned into a streak of red lightning.

Dodging the raging flames by a hair’s breadth, I slashed at the emperor nonstop with Demon Lord.

Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish!

With each fierce lightning flash, the emperor’s flesh was sliced away, as if condemned to death by a thousand cuts.

“Gaaaah! You bastard!”

Sung Mi-Ri looked up in awe at the majestic and beautiful red thunderbolts struck across the sky, muttering, “Aah, that’s the true Thunder God... As expected of Mr. Yu...”

Soon, the sky returned to normal.

Psss!

I staggered back as red, steamy smoke billowed out of me.

“Koff! Koff!” I coughed up black blood.

“Keke, you’re about to die.”

Ant Emperor had lost all limbs, while his torso was covered in gashes. He struggled to speak, “Why didn’t you kill me when you had the chance...?”

I was rendered speechless. I’d seen his sad and appalling history—he had lived hundreds of years, tolling in despair to avenge his mother. Besides, he probably didn’t have much time left. How could I bring myself to kill him?

Above all, we shared a common enemy—Despair. Should we really be fighting among ourselves? Perhaps, there was a way to save the emperor. If I used my healing power to the maximum, then maybe...

“Are you pitying me?!” His face contorted like a wounded beast. “I can endure your fear, your anger—even your insults! But pity? How dare you pity me!”

Psss!

His ashes turned the sky gray

“Yu Il-Shin! Don’t underestimate me! I’m far stronger than you!” His angry cry rang in the air, and he transformed once more.

Craaaack!

His transformation was on another level. Beast of Deceit and Rapacity, Ruler of the Abyssal Swamp—along with the countless gods and sacrifices he’d consumed over five hundred years—he unleashed them all in a final, searing blast of flame.

Ruuumble!

The satellite hovering over the African continent detected a strange phenomenon. Like a horrifying nightmare, an unidentified, massive creature was engulfing the continent—it was the emperor.

-I’ll kill you, Earth, and Despair all at once!

With a resounding sound of something tearing apart, the emperor’s flesh split, revealing godly raging flames that threatened to swallow Earth whole.

He’s strong—so strong, he’s beyond my reach.

Of course, he endured hellish trials and devoured even high-tier gods—a testament to his indomitable will. I was a weakling, but I wasn’t alone.

With tears streaming down my face, I looked down.

Thank you.

I was grateful to everyone who’d placed their faith in me, giving me the chance to save them all.

You’re right, Emperor. I’m not worthy of being a god.

Tzzz!

I was no god. I was just a weak, ordinary man struggling to survive. However, there were those who wanted to save me.

Three divine powers gathered at Demon Lord in my mouth, transforming me into a red thunderbolt.

Baaaam!

Just as Ant Emperor was about to spew out all his malice and anger onto Earth, I burrowed myself into his mouth.

Right before I could be consumed by his flames, I swung Demon Lord.

Demon Lord’s Disintegration!

The human’s sword of void clashed against the emperor’s vengeance and despair.

***

White House in Washington, D.C, America. POTUS was watching the unparalleled disaster unfolding during the Hunter War.

With a grim face, the Secretary of Defense shouted, “Mr. President! There’s no time! Please, make a decision!”

The vice president gritted his teeth, staring at the latter. “Are you out of your mind? What about our Hunters and citizens present on site?”

“The sacrifice of the few is necessary for the greater good! Have you not seen the reports from NASA and the scientists?!” He then pointed at the emperor on the big screen. “That monster’s MP has already surpassed the Despair Dragon from fifteen years ago!”

“B-but the elves and our allies are still there... What about the ongoing Mighty God Project...?”

“That isn’t important right now! You’re missing the forest for the trees!”

“Stop, all of you.”

Sitting in the middle of them was Avanka Ronald, the first female president of America.

“I wonder why God put me in this important position, in such crucial times.”

Like Truman, who dropped an atomic bomb on Japan, she’d go down in history. Still, it had to be done.

With cold sweat pouring down like rain, she said, “...I hereby authorize the use of the new tactical killing weapon, Ragnarok IV Requiem.”