Chapter 264
Above the slums that had been turned into an empty lot, Lunicus's blue eyes filled with murderous intent.
At the same time, deep blue rune power swirled like a storm in her hand.
“Don't get in my way…… If you're a worm crawling on the ground, then stay buried in the dirt where you belong!”
The goddess lowered her hand like a sentence being passed.
The particles of rune power soon transformed into a gigantic blue flash and fell downward.
KRAAAASH-! BOOM!
A thunderous sound erupted.
The falling beam of light swallowed the ground.
“Tsk……”
But Lunicus clicked her tongue.
It was a bolt of rune power that could have been a disaster for the residents of the slums, but it wasn't even half the power she could wield before.
Feeling how much weaker she had become compared to when she was in the Heavenly Realm made her feel even more irritated.
Of course, even half her power was more than enough to erase Minis and her detestable follower from the world……
BAAAAAANG!
Before she could finish her thought, a gray flash shot upward from below.
It collided with the magical lightning powerful enough to wipe out the entire area, and both disappeared together.
“What?!”
Lunicus's pupils shook.
But the abnormalities did not end there.
“You shouldn't let your guard down, you know?”
A voice came from behind her.
The human who had closed the distance from below had already prepared to swing his sword.
“Right now, I can actually fight you on equal terms!”
“Uuuugh!”
Lunicus hurriedly twisted her body and released an enormous amount of rune power.
ZZZT-! BANG!
The rune power scattered violently.
But there was no human there.
“He…… He's gone?!”
“Where else would I be? Behind you, you idiot!”
“?!”
CRAAAAACK!
The rune power surrounding Lunicus and the gray power of the human man collided at a single point.
A huge explosion erupted, sending a storm raging in every direction.
And then—
“Kyaaaah!”
The explosion had occurred at point-blank range.
The goddess was blasted away by it.
BOOOOM-!
Lunicus crashed into the ground.
Her deep blue eyes widened.
“W-What…… what……?”
What had happened?
But the moment she felt the rough ground against her back and saw the dust cloud obscuring her vision, she instinctively realized it.
“I-I…… I……?!”
She had already been furious about losing half her power after falling to the ground.
And now she had been struck by a being from the ground and slammed into the earth.
Her white hand, covered in dust, trembled violently.
Her sense of injustice and humiliation made even her breathing shake.
“Th-This…… this is impossible……”
“It can't happen…… To think that I…… I was beaten by such a worthless worm crawling on the ground……!”
“Haa……”
Glenn exhaled as he descended from the sky and landed lightly on the ground.
The area was filled with dust because Lunicus had fallen, but Glenn felt refreshed.
“That damn bitch…… She kept looking down on me from up there and acting like she owned the place.”
A relieved smile spread across his face.
“Hey, Goddess. How does it feel to be slammed into the lowest place in the world?”
He had used Holy Demon Power to neutralize the rune power while attacking, but Lunicus was still a high-ranking god.
The attack just now probably wasn't a fatal wound.
But she wasn't answering.
She was probably in shock from being beaten by a being from the ground and slammed into it.
Of course she is.
She has lived for thousands of years and probably never experienced anything like this.
But this was reality.
Through her Unique Potential Ability, Einhearia had raised her rank to the Mythic level, and with the power of Holy Demon Power, Glenn was now comparable to her.
Of course, I'm slightly inferior in terms of raw power.
Holy Demon Power was capable of eliminating any power it touched according to the user's will.
The fact that even that power could only neutralize Lunicus's magical lightning to a certain extent clearly showed the difference in their overall strength.
Still, I'm ahead when it comes to actual combat ability.
Technique.
Instinct.
Intelligence.
Experience.
Many things besides pure strength determined the outcome of a battle.
And in those aspects, the difference between Glenn and Lunicus was enormous.
Glenn had built up combat experience by repeatedly fighting and struggling to survive.
Lunicus, on the other hand, was a heavenly god who had possessed such overwhelming power that she had never even needed to hone her fighting skills.
There was no way they could be considered equal in combat ability.
Rune power really is incredibly strong.
Along with the power of spirits, it was considered one of the strongest forces after divine power and demonic energy.
Before Minis established the Holy See, rune power had even dominated the world once.
But no matter how strong the power is, it's completely useless if the person using it has terrible skills!
BOOOOM-!
With a tremendous roar, Lunicus stood up.
Rune power violently spread in every direction around her as she glared with eyes filled with humiliation and shock.
But—
BANG!
Glenn had already kicked off the ground.
“How dare you…… You actually……!”
WHOOSH-!
Before Lunicus could do anything, Glenn closed the distance and swung his sword through the air.
A crescent-shaped aura formed along the path of his sword, sharpened to an extreme edge before flying toward Lunicus.
“Get…… lost!”
ZZZT-! KRAAAASH!
Rune power shot forward as if carrying her rage.
It tore Glenn's sword aura apart without leaving even a trace.
Tap-
But that too had been a feint designed to deceive someone without combat experience.
The moment he released the sword aura, Glenn had already lowered his body, touched the ground, and changed direction.
Instead of attacking Lunicus from the front, he rushed toward her side and swung his sword.
“Kuh?!”
“You've got plenty of power, but your actual fighting skills are absolutely…… terrible!”
Einhearia came down with a light and powerful swing.
Once again, it collided with the barrier of rune power surrounding Lunicus and caused an explosion.
Lunicus was caught in the blast and thrown toward the opposite side once again.
“Aaaaaah!”
There was certainly a huge difference in combat power.
But contrary to Glenn's intentions, Lunicus avoided serious injury once again.
Ah…… I can't break through that?
The small wounds appearing on Lunicus's body as she stood up showed that his attacks were definitely having an effect.
But perhaps because the rune power she possessed was simply too vast and too powerful, even when taking her lack of combat experience into consideration, the Holy Demon Power that Glenn had expected to erase even Lunicus's rune power wasn't as effective as he had hoped.
This is different from the plan.
Glenn had plenty of combat experience but lacked overwhelming firepower.
Lunicus had almost no combat experience, but her raw firepower was tremendous.
Their strengths and weaknesses canceled each other out, creating a tense battle.
Of course, Glenn was the one holding the initiative and pressuring his opponent.
But as always, I have a time limit.
Glenn bit his lip.
To be honest, he could still leave this place with Radeo right now.
Lunicus was only after Minis.
And even if Minis remained here, she could not avoid disappearing.
It might sound a little cold toward Minis, but Glenn had nothing to lose by leaving.
But I wouldn't gain anything either.
Glenn looked at Lunicus, who was glaring at him with eyes filled with rage.
In the Paradise War, she was the strongest high-ranking god among the Nox faction after Nox himself.
Even though Minis was already on the verge of disappearing, Glenn did not want to let such a perfect opportunity to weaken the enemy's forces slip away.
If I let her escape here, she'll come back later with even more combat experience.
Because of that, Glenn accelerated his thoughts.
Before long, his gaze slowly shifted toward the lesser gods surrounding Minis.
“Lunicus is being pushed back……”
“I…… I heard that he caused Kalungod to disappear, but I never imagined he would be this strong……”
“Is this…… the mysterious power created by Silperinne?”
They were watching Glenn, who was simultaneously protecting Minis and driving Lunicus into a corner, with shocked expressions.
Let's see…… If only a few of them join in, we should have enough strength to fight her.
Some of the gods were strangers to him.
But several of them had appeared in the original story.
They couldn't compare to high-ranking gods like Nox or Lunicus, but some of the lesser gods should still be around the level of a 9-Star being.
And since they were gods, they should be able to fight their own kind even without Mythic-grade weapons.
“……Okay.”
After finishing his calculations, a strange light appeared in Glenn's eyes.
“Hey! Minis's followers, pay attention!”
His voice rang loudly across the area.
The lesser gods stared blankly at Glenn after hearing such a casual call.
“From now on, we're going to gang up on Lunicus, so anyone who can fight, come out!”
The lesser gods' eyes widened.
Is he actually calling us?
“How…… arrogant……”
“Or would you rather disappear here together with Minis at that woman's hands?”
There wasn't a single lesser god here who could stand against the high-ranking god Lunicus.
Minis had also wanted Glenn to leave with Radeo, so they all knew better than anyone what fate awaited them.
Even so, they simply stood around Minis, looking at one another without making a move.
Huh? They're still not coming out?
Glenn hadn't expected them to be this passive.
It was time for some mental training.
“We're just here to protect Minis……”
“If you're scared of fighting that woman, just say you're scared. Don't use Minis as an excuse.”
“……”
“You're gods, yet you're trembling in fear of another god just because she's a little higher-ranked than you.”
Of course, these gods had remained here because of their loyalty to Minis.
If they didn't have even that loyalty, they would have abandoned Minis long ago and gone to whatever few followers they had left.
“But if you're going to stay loyal, then stay loyal until the end. If you just stand around doing nothing and die alongside her, then you're slaves who chose to be buried alive when their master died. How does that make you friends?”
“……”
The lesser gods fell completely silent under Glenn's barrage of words.
They didn't even point out his disrespect toward the gods.
They simply stood there, chewing over every word Glenn had thrown at them.
And then—
Step. Step. Step.
One of the sturdy-looking gods slowly stepped forward from among the lesser gods surrounding Minis.
“My name is Alberios. I am the god who governs lanterns and pathways. From this moment onward, I shall assist you with all my strength.”
The first god had finally stepped forward.
Once someone took the lead, it became much easier for the others to follow.
“I am Salutaris, the god of medicinal herbs and poisonous herbs. I shall join you in bringing down that woman who is drunk on the glory of her past.”
“If we join forces with the mysterious being who is driving Lunicus back, we should have a chance of victory!”
Led by Alberios, the lesser gods began stepping forward one after another.
“I-I am Ludiker…… the god of poetry and theater…… I-I'll help too……”
“……Then I shall help as well.”
“Then this body shall also……”
In the end, more than a dozen lesser gods stood beside Glenn.
Their power varied from 7-Star to 9-Star, but what mattered was their numbers and their determination.
“Yeah. That's it. You should at least be able to protect a friend you believe in and follow with your own strength.”
Glenn raised the corner of his mouth.
When he glanced behind him, he saw that Minis was also staring at this strange development with wide eyes, seemingly surprised.
“……”
“Looks like our Supreme God hasn't lived such a completely worthless life after all.”
“……Pfft…… I suppose not.”
Minis quietly laughed.
Then she straightened her trembling eyes and spoke to the lesser gods.
“My body will disappear soon, but I don't want to die right now. So please help me.”
“As gods, shouldn't we naturally grant the request of an old friend?”
“Do not worry, Minis! We shall send Lunicus away so that your final moments will not be lonely! Whether you wish to reconcile or talk afterward, you may do as you please!”
The dozen or so lesser gods began releasing their respective powers.
Their powers were somewhat crude compared to Lunicus's rune power.
But at this moment, they were more reliable than anything else.
“Huh……? Things that don't even deserve to be called gods…… Why do you like a woman who smiles to your face and laughs behind your back like that……?”
Lunicus ground her teeth as she looked at the lesser gods who had chosen to oppose her.
“Fine…… Then this is even better. Since things have come to this, I'll wipe out every last remnant of Minis right here!”
Lunicus snapped her fingers.
A blue magic circle began forming beside her.
Several figures then appeared from within it.
They were wearing blue robes engraved with ancient-looking rune letters.
“Did you call for us, Supreme God?”
An old man who seemed to be the leader of the group removed his large hat and respectfully bowed.
Lunicus, her blue eyes cold and sharp, quietly raised her index finger and pointed toward Glenn and the lesser gods.
“There are people over there who deny your god. Use the power I have granted you and show them who the true master of this world is.”
“Understood, my Supreme God.”
The old man slowly turned his head.
ZZZT-
Thick rune power began blooming and swirling in his hand.
“I was wondering why that old man hadn't shown up.”
Sage Magnolian.
A 9-Star mage and the leader of the Rune Church.
But even at Magnolian's appearance, Glenn showed not the slightest trace of surprise.
Shing-
He simply raised his sword and lowered his body into a fighting stance.
Magnolian had appeared alongside Lunicus in the original story as well, so Glenn had already expected him as part of her forces.
Even taking that into consideration, Glenn had concluded that he and the lesser gods still had the advantage.
And so, this battle—
“I'm going to win.”
