Chapter 138: #There’s Nothing You Can’t Cut With Muscles!

“What are you asking me to see here?”

The confident and gleeful birdhead’s expression turned to stone.

-

Waaah!

Long live God Yu Il-Shin! Long live Divine Beast Akdol!

-Akdol is amazing!

-Long live our Gayami nation, protected by God Yu Il-Shin and Divine Beast Akdol!

The people of the Gayami nation cheered toward Akdol who was raised high into the air by Yi-Ho.

-

Kyak, kyak!

Akdol cried in embarrassment, his blue cheeks dyed with red hue.

I snickered.

Nice, well done, Yu Il-Shin and Akdol.

I was worried for a moment, but that idiot did better than I’d expected.

Tzzz—

I clenched my fists. The cheers and faith of my followers were being translated into my power, increasing my winning odds.

-N-no way! How could this be! I even sent my divine power through the Goddess... Goddess?! Answer me! What happened?!

Birdhead yelled at the top of his lungs, but there was no response at all.

-

Argh!

Do you not hear me?! Answer me right now, lest I punish you! Goddess Arachne!

Birdhead reached into the fire, and the scene on the fireball changed.

Sss—

However, there were no signs of Arachne nor the crocodile monsters anywhere. Only traces of flesh and broken armor littered throughout the ruins on the battlefield, without a single living being in sight.

-Worthless, insignificant creatures! To think that I trusted them! What a waste of my divine power!

Gritting his teeth, Birdhead screamed.

“Yeah, such a pity. What are you going to do, Baby Bird?”

He glared at me with burning eyes.

-You bastard! Are you looking down on me?! I’m not done yet!

He pointed toward another fireball.

-I’m sure you’ll be happy if your apostle dies!

The fireball showed the desert in Waternia, on the Forty-Second Floor of the Tower of Warriors.

-

Aaargh!

Il-Ho coughed out blood while being restricted by millions of snakes. He was about to meet his end at the hands of the apostle of the Ruler of the Abyssal Swamp.

***

Hiss!

Black snakes washed over the desert like an ocean.

Wriggle!

They gathered once more, transforming into a giant snake that was about to tear the sky apart. The giant serpent that seemed to span to hundreds of meters long, the apostle of the Ruler of the abyssal Swamp, looked down at Il-Ho, sneering.

-Still not going to surrender?

“

Huff! Puff!

”

Instead of replying, Il-Ho kicked the ground, leaping into the air.

“

Hyaaa!

Muuuuscles!

”

Baaam!

Il-Ho flew like a rocket, slamming his dumbbell sword onto the apostle’s head, crushing it, sending chunks of flesh onto the dry desert.

Despite being as tiny as an ant, he unleashed such a powerful blow, definitely worthy of the title warrior.

-The same move won’t work on me twice.

Hiss!

With a creepy hiss, the snake’s head regenerated once again.

Hiss!

Opening its eyes, it stared down at Il-Ho.

-We’re one! No matter how hard you try, you’ll never be able to kill us all! Unless you kill us all at once, we’re as good as an immortal!

The millions of snakes that made up the giant serpent separated and rained down on Il-Ho.

“

Argh!

” Il-Ho tried to dodge the torrential downpour of snakes, but there were simply too many of them! Soon, he was surrounded by foul-smelling snakes.

“Let go, you filthy snakes! Skill, Super Strong Body!”

Rooooar!

The skill made his muscles swell like mountains, before compressing with terrifying force. It resulted in an explosive power that had helped him avert crisis time and again.

-

Keeheehee!

Is that the only skill you know? Take this!

Plop!

With the snake’s grim laughter, Il-Ho’s sight was covered with dark liquid.

“

Aaaargh!

”

Having been through a series of ordeals, Il-Ho was resistant to most poison. However, the venom from this giant serpent was far superior. His eyes were burned, plunging his world into pitch-black darkness.

Tzzz!

-This is the end, Lowly Apostle.

Hisss!

Countless snakes swarmed Il-Ho as if sinking him into a swamp. The chilling sensation of snake scales covered his entire body as their sharp, venomous fangs stung him all over. His muscles, which were harder than steel, resisted the bites, but the persistent snakes slowly but surely dug into his flesh.

God Yu Il-Shin!

As death loomed over him, Il-Ho fearfully cried to his god within the pitch-black darkness. The Cactus Girl, who’d accompanied him, was nowhere to be seen. He was struggling in his own plight, so he had no time for her.

God Yu Il-Shin, please teach me how to get out of this predicament! How do I kill an enemy that won’t die no matter how much I crush it?

Just then, a voice from some gods rang in Il-Ho’s ears.

-Look at your pathetic apostle, beseeching you so desperately. Will you let him die?

Just then, an unfamiliar voice rang in his ear. The grim and fierce voice belonged to none other than the Sun God.

-If you want your precious apostle to live, then surrender!

The Sun God was threatening Yu Il-Shin using himself as the hostage. Although Il-Ho couldn’t see, he could still feel Yu Il-Shin’s gaze on him. Yu Il-Shin kept silent for a moment, then finally spoke.

-What do you think, Il-Ho, Apostle of Yu Il-Shin and the Warrior of Antrinia? Should I submit to this shitty Birdhead?

Unlike his usual benevolent self, Yu Il-Shin’s voice carried a coldness that made Il-Ho barely recognize him.

Il-Ho shuddered. Had he disappointed his god by his display of weakness? Would his god abandon him just like that?

If God Yu Il-Shin were to forsake him, there was no point for him to continue to live in this world!

-So you still refuse to come to your senses! First Apostle of my ally, Ruler of the Abyssal Swamp! Kill that worm at once!

Furious, the Sun God cried out.

-Yes sir! At your command, Sun God!

Then, the serpent restricting Il-Ho cried out.

Crack!

“

Aaargh!

”

The snakes began attacking Il-Ho’s muscles and bones.

-Il-Ho, stop playing around.

That was when Yu Il-Shin spoke.

Il-Ho couldn’t understand what God Yu Il-Shin was saying. Playing around? When he was scared senseless?

Yu Il-Shin clicked his tongue disapprovingly.

-Fool. Remember how you killed the gods for me? You can always do that again.

At last, Il-Ho recalled the malevolent god that threatened the Fairy Queen’s world. He’d slain the god and offered it to God Yu Il-Shin in order to save him.

-Let me ask you again, my warrior, Il-Ho. Are you going to let yourself be defeated by a serpent of that caliber? Did I overestimate you?

Yu Il-Shin whispered in a quiet yet assuring voice.

Trickle—

Hot tears flowed down his poisoned eyes.

God Yu Il-Shin hasn’t forsaken me yet! He still believes in me...!

Still wrapped by the snakes, Il-Ho spoke with his thick lips, “No! No one can defeat the warrior of the great God Yu Il-Shin!”

-Yes. That’s my warrior!

Yu Il-Shin then exclaimed triumphantly,

-Then show that Birdhead and those snakes your true power, Il-Ho!

“Understood, God Yu Il-Shin! Warrior Il-Ho shall obey!” Il-Ho then activated the power he earned from saving the Fairy Queen’s world on the Forty-First Floor of the Tower of Warriors. “Lend me your strength, Aran! Skill, Enlarge!”

Colorful light, a signature of the Fairy Queen’s skill, poured out from Il-Ho like a rainbow. At the same time, he grew larger by the second.

Tsss!

-W-what?!

The snakes panicked, tightening their grip on Il-Ho, but to no avail. Unable to overcome his explosively growing body, they were eventually torn apart.

-

Kyaaak!

“

Hyaaa!

”

Baaam!

The ant-sized Il-Ho transformed into the size of an average adult thanks to Aran’s skill. In spite of that, the difference between him and the serpent apostle was still overwhelming.

Il-Ho leaped into the sky.

-You bastard! Do you think you can defeat me just because you got bigger?!

Hiss!

The snakes gathered together, forming a giant serpent once again. It went for Il-Ho, opening its mouth at him.

-I’m the First Apostle of the Ruler of the Abyssal Swamp! A mere insect is no match for me!

Il-Ho felt the serpent’s aura coming from beneath his feet.

“Dumbbell sword!” he raised his sword high into the air. “Maximum weight!”

Tzzz!

Then, his sword grew to a size incomparable to anything he had seen before.

Craaaack!

The sound of bones cracking and muscles tearing could be heard, but Il-Ho paid no heed to them. The dumbbell sword covered the sky like dark clouds.

-B-by gods! What’s that?! That’s just...!

The serpent charging at Il-Ho was startled at the sight, and quickly changed direction. They screamed and scattered for safety.

-

Kieeek!

“It’s useless to run.”

Blinded by the poison, he cared not where his enemies fled. The moment he swung down his sword, he recalled how God Yu Il-Shin had executed the Demon Lord’s Heavenly Sword. Of course, he didn’t dare to compare himself to his god’s graceful and majestic swordplay. All he had were muscles—only muscles.

So, he struck the snakes with them.

“

Hyaaa!

Look, God Yu Il-Shin! I dedicate this attack to you!” Il-Ho cried out, slamming his dumbbell sword to the ground. “There’s nothing my muscles can’t cut through! Death Blow, Muscle Chop!”

Ruuumble! Baaam!

The snake-riddled desert splintered under the crashing dumbbell sword.

Swaaaa!

At the same time, the impact stirred the dormant water deep underneath the desert. It exploded, and the sweet rain of life rained down on the parched desert.

***

Back at the Sun God’s temple...

-God Yu Il-Shin! Are you watching me?

Il-Ho was reflected on the fireball, seen shouting toward the heavens, drenched in rain.

-I dedicate this victory to you!

Well done. This is my Il-Ho.

I watched him with content.

Tzzz—

The power from the serpent he killed seeped into me, letting me gain a little more strength.

Good, now this is worth a shot.

“How about that, Birdhead?” I sneered at the Sun God, who clenched his beak in anger. “My familiars are much better than yours.”

-

Kekeke.

How dare those lowly creeping creatures humiliate me, the pinnacle of all gods!

The Birdhead began transforming all of a sudden.

-I don’t need them anymore! I’m going to burn all of your worlds to the ground!

“

Urk

.”

I instinctively withdrew. As unprecedented heat surged from the Birdhead, he began to transform.

-Lowly God! Revel in the majesty of the true Sun God!

“

Huh?

This is kinda unexpected.” I stiffened at the sight of his sudden transformation.

He didn’t call himself Sun God for nothing. He was a far cry from the fire apostle I fought against during the holy war in Antrinia.

The sun was descending upon the temple in the sky.