I Became the Guild Leader in Exile

96 – 4# The God of Thunder and the God of Mischief (4)

The atmosphere has changed drastically.

The fight, which I thought was a stalemate, has turned into a one-sided thrashing. Even Zick, who was considered a worthy opponent, is now struggling to defend himself.

However, Zick hasn’t been injured much, not because he’s defending well, but because his opponent is holding back. Zick knows that fact better than anyone.

“That kid, you’ve been hiding your skills!”

Zick gritted his teeth. Even his speed, his strongest asset, has been perfectly matched by Loki. From the start, their speed was evenly matched. Then, what’s left is physical strength and technique.

Of course, Zick has never been told he’s lacking in any way. However, his opponent is none other than Loki, the second-ranked White Knight, who naturally has superior physical strength and technique.

Boom! Crash!

Zick, who had been punched in the chest and abdomen, stumbled backward, and Rocky just watched him until he sat down.

“Even if it looks like this, I’m still the second-ranked Baekgisaseo.”

“Damn, you’re ridiculously strong.”

“Don’t be too hard on yourself. It’s just the difference between gods and humans.”

Yes, Rocky was marveling at the fact that they could fight like this. Unlike us, who used tricks to force our way to the top, they had built themselves up one by one.

If the end really did come.

It wouldn’t be our gods who stopped it.

It would be those heroes who had become strong on their own.

It’s not just about using power; it’s about reaching the extreme with their own abilities. Rocky admired that.

In reality, even gods couldn’t solve the constraints that humans had broken. Ah, humans had infinite possibilities, unlike the arrogant gods.

So, this was the right thing to do. Rocky’s confidence grew stronger, and he turned his head. There would be no more interference. But that was also Rocky’s arrogant misconception.

“So, if you cut that off, does that mean all the gods’ authority will disappear?”

“That’s right.”

“Then what about you?”

“……”

Rocky didn’t say a word. Zick must have hit the nail on the head. From that expression, Zick gained confidence that Tyr’s words were true. Anyone who wasn’t a fool wouldn’t be unaware of it.

“Gods are immortal, but if all their authority is taken back and they return to the divine realm, you’ll be included too, won’t you?”

“……You’re ridiculous. Do you think I wouldn’t have a plan for that?”

“I thought so too, until I heard it directly from Tyr.”

Even so, this guy had set up a scenario like this. Would he be caught so easily? Zick had thought that. But Tyr had explained everything to Zick.

Thanks to that, Zick could be confident. Rocky was planning to sacrifice himself. If the connection between the human and divine realms was cut off, many gods would be furious.

In the worst-case scenario, they might find a way to come back to the human realm soon. If that happened, the kids would be in danger. They had to buy some time, no matter how little.

“What, you’re just making excuses. That’s not the real reason, is it?”

“What do you know? You’re just talking nonsense.”

“Can’t you just accept yourself?”

Rocky’s words had hit the nail on the head. Rocky shut his mouth. Ah, everything was just an excuse. Rocky could find a way to escape no matter what. That was his specialty, after all.

But.

He didn’t run away.

Instead, he was willing to get caught.

Because he couldn’t just sit comfortably while his kids were caught right in front of him! What had he done when his kids were in danger? Had he even tried to stop it?

No.

He had just watched powerlessly.

That was cowardly!

“Thanks to my useless father, our kids only suffered.”

“……”

“I can never forgive you. Odin, the gods who agreed with him, and… myself!”

“Now you’re speaking honestly. You’ve been wavering until now.”

It was difficult to discern the true intentions of the god of lies and jokes, who could deceive even his own emotions and wear a mask. So, Zick continued to test him until the end.

“Are you going to save me or not?”

“Me? You’re the one talking?”

“Honestly, I just want to let you go.”

Looking at Rocky, who was openly mocking himself, Zik’s blood pressure suddenly skyrocketed. Yet, his intention remained unchanged. After all, he had learned something from watching his master.

Above all…

“A child needs a good parent, that’s the rule.”

Zik understood the sorrow of a child without parents.

The atmosphere had changed drastically. Rocky was the first to notice it. No, he couldn’t help but notice. What she had triggered was similar to their own kind.

Incarnation

But how?

She didn’t have the granted power, did she?

At least, that’s what Rocky knew.

And that wasn’t wrong. Of course, the red, transformed eyes and the boiling aura belonged to the incarnation. Fundamentally, it was different. It was because the god who descended upon Zik was different.

Isaac

“Those kids will laugh if you’re needed.”

That’s what a parent who thinks of their child would say.

* * *

There’s a saying that 30% of one’s abilities should be hidden.

Most warriors or heroes would dismiss it as nonsense. But surprisingly, it’s a phrase that warriors should carve into their hearts, even if they don’t practice it themselves.

There’s no guarantee that the opponent won’t do it. Especially someone like Rocky, who had been hiding his true power all this time. Very thoroughly. Without revealing it to anyone.

So that Odin could let his guard down. But surprisingly, time didn’t pass that slowly. Perhaps it was because of Odin’s arrogance, thinking that everything was going according to his plan.

Yes, let him stay arrogant like that.

So that I can stab him in the back when the time comes.

Can’t I have some fun too?

Luckily, there are people who can’t write novels, so they can’t interfere with our problems. They sympathize with us, which is fortunate. Ah, of course. I never thought of using them and then discarding them.

On the contrary, I plan to reward them.

That’s the dominance of the continent.

If the Empire falls, realistically, only Gideon can confront the demon king. Then, all the kingdoms that didn’t cooperate with Gideon will flock to him.

Even if Gideon doesn’t like it, there’s nothing he can do. What if the three disasters come, or a god appears and attacks? Then, we’ll really have to worry about the nation’s survival.

If! that happens, Gideon’s glory will become a thousand-year legend, passed down for generations. Naturally, the glory and honor that follow will be unimaginable, and the wealth will be astronomical.

But why?

Why do you guys reject such glory and wealth?

Is this how you’re going to stop me?

Rocky couldn’t understand. Human greed has no end, doesn’t it? They can trample others for their own success. Even if it’s not that…

At the very least…

You can ignore your enemies, right?

Just let them be. Why do this?

Zik thought the same. But even if everyone else agrees, there’s one person who won’t accept this conclusion. That’s why Zik did his best to block it.

“It’s not just about speed. The overall specs have increased significantly.”

It felt like I was facing Isaac Silverter. Although my overall specs were still lacking, I had managed to increase them this far. It was already an incredible ability, close to the strongest.

Thanks to that, Rocky had to go all out to confront Zik. Moreover, Zik was not just trying to buy time, making it even harder for Rocky to fight back.

But Zik was not a weak opponent to be underestimated. Rocky had to give it his all in the battle. And finally, he reached his limits.

“……That’s amazing. If you were my enemy, it would have been really terrible.”

“Damn it.”

“But time’s up now.”

Zik was determined to suppress Rocky. However, Rocky, as the second-ranked knight, would not be easily suppressed. He barely managed to withstand the fierce attack.

Thanks to that, Zik’s true form was revealed. Although Zik’s true form was not his real self, but rather closer to self-hypnosis, it still had a weakness that put a burden on his body.

Rocky quickly identified the weakness and strengthened his defense. As a result, Zik failed to break through his defense. But Zik’s expression was not one of anger, but a smile.

“Is this enough? Master.”

It was a question that seemed like it wouldn’t get an answer.

“Yes, well done, Zik.”

But the answer came back clearly.