My Two Status Windows-Chapter 147

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Chapter 147: Ambush (2)

Michael and Freya exchanged serious looks.

“This god was a lieutenant of the sun god Mithra. He was clearly responsible for the military.”

“I recognize this one too. He was a god from Celtic mythology. He used to court me persistently from the neighboring region...”

Michael and Freya spoke in turn as they observed the soul bodies burning due to the release of soul energy.

So these guys were gods?

Mid-tier deities, they said?

“What exactly qualifies as a mid-tier deity?”

“It refers to gods who were once prosperous but have now declined.”

“They’re barely able to sustain their soul forms with SP revenue.”

Freya spoke formally to me but casually to Michael.

Is it because I’m her creditor?

In any case, they weren’t from major pantheons like Christianity’s angels or the Aesir of Asgard, but rather a declining minor faction.

“Zeus can make gods his pawns?”

“A god would rather be sealed than be controlled like a puppet… But since Zeus has reached EX rank, even this seems possible.”

“Fortunately, these seem to be only S-rank, lower-tier gods…”

If only lower-tier gods are being turned into these thunder slaves, then it’s still manageable.

But if today’s attackers are just the beginning and SS-rank ones show up later, that’ll be a problem.

As Michael watched the fading divine soul, he turned to Freya.

“Olympus and Asgard are still officially in an alliance, correct?”

“Yes.”

“These thunder slaves were stronger than normal lower-tier gods. It was only because the soul god Kim Jiho subdued them so easily that it seemed otherwise. The barrier they used appeared to be a variation of a soul barrier. If five of them attacked you together, wouldn’t that be a violation of the alliance treaty?”

Freya thought for a moment before nodding.

“You’re right. If this level of force attacked me, Asgard’s representative, Olympus and Zeus would immediately incur penalties.”

“And yet they attacked you anyway…”

“Does this mean they no longer care about penalties?”

“That’s possible. However, the system’s penalties are severe, no matter how powerful an EX-rank being is. Perhaps Zeus is trying to use a stratagem to avoid them?”

A stratagem where one borrows another’s blade to kill.

In this case, is Zeus using mid-tier deities as his borrowed blade?

“Olympus didn’t directly attack me, so it’s not technically a violation of the treaty?”

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“Correct.”

“But Michael, you saw it too, didn’t you? These gods lost their will and were dominated by Zeus. They’re effectively his subordinates. The system will recognize this as Zeus breaking the treaty.”

“So wasn’t this an experiment? Freya, this is just your avatar, isn’t it? Even if you’re Asgard’s representative, damaging an avatar wouldn’t be serious enough to break the alliance, just enough to incur some penalties. Zeus is testing whether this counts as breaking the treaty.”

“But thanks to Kim Jiho, I suffered no damage…”

“Exactly. Which means Zeus still doesn’t have his answer. He’ll try again.”

KWA-RUUUUUUUUM!

Before Michael could finish his sentence, black lightning struck down through the gaping hole in the auditorium ceiling once more.

All at once, the black lightning bolts shot toward Freya.

“Soul Barrier.”

With a simple gesture, she erected a barrier, deflecting the lightning across the auditorium.

From those spots, just like before, more figures transformed into black thunder slaves.

Are these guys gods too?

I prepared to face them, but Michael stopped me.

“Kim Jiho. Do you have enough SP?”

“SP?”

“Yes. You wiped out five gods earlier.”

Oh, right.

I hadn’t been paying much attention to my SP levels lately...

Following Michael’s prompt, I checked my status window.

“Damn… I only have 100 million left.”

I had quite a bit before.

When did I burn through so much?

Looking at my usage history, I saw that using the soul sword consumed the least SP, while dragon’s power burned through an absurd amount.

Since the soul sword refunds SP when killing enemies…

The soul sword only cost me 15 million SP, but using dragon’s power had drained 80 million in one go.

Wow.

I should stick to just using the soul sword from now on.

[You have annihilated an opponent of similar rank. The soul sword is slightly strengthened.]

The system message noted an enhancement, but no rank-up.

[You have slain a god. Absorbing divine abilities.]

[Absorbing Zeus’s Black Lightning.]

[Converted into soul energy. Soul power increased.]

Lose something, gain something else.

I lost a huge chunk of SP, but my soul power had increased significantly.

The increase was 200 points.

When I fought Ares’s subordinates, my soul power didn’t grow nearly this much.

Maybe it’s because I absorbed Zeus’s Black Lightning too?

An enormous boost.

Each point of soul power costs 500,000 SP, so 200 points is worth 100 million SP.

I still took a loss, but at least it wasn’t completely one-sided.

Now, seven more thunder slaves had appeared.

Each required about 15 million SP to eliminate, so my 100 million SP was cutting it close.

Still, this should be manageable.

I stepped forward, ready to fight, but Freya stopped me.

“Kim Jiho, you don’t need to help this time.”

“Freya? But you only came to the mortal world in an avatar form. You can’t exert your full strength.”

“Yes, but I am the leader of the Valkyries. Even in avatar form, I can handle them. Besides, I’m curious about the results of Zeus’s experiment.”

Freya advanced.

Michael crossed his arms and watched.

“An avatar alone won’t be enough. Are you playing into Zeus’s hands?”

“Yes. It’s better to figure it out now. If the alliance violation penalty is triggered, that works in our favor. If not, we’ll adjust our strategy accordingly.”

Step. Step.

With each step, Freya’s right arm grew larger.

The thunder slaves, sensing her advance, emitted eerie groans.

“Krrrgh…!”

Zzzzt!

Black lightning crackled across their bodies.

All seven charged at Freya simultaneously.

They kicked off the ground, transforming into streaks of black lightning as they shot toward her.

Each one targeted a vital point—head, neck, both arms, chest, and both legs.

Seven bolts of lightning scattered, then converged on a single target.

Their speed was like light itself.

If I hadn’t absorbed my soul clones’ experiences from Asura, I wouldn’t have even perceived the attack.

In the past, I would have just hidden behind a soul barrier, waiting for it to be over.

But despite their overwhelming speed, Freya only scoffed.

“Hmph.”

She extended her hand.

Slowly stretching out her right hand—

Though her movement was sluggish, her hand expanded enormously.

At this rate, it could grasp the entire auditorium and crush it.

Then—she clenched her fist.

Like swatting mosquitoes.

A simple motion—

Yet, between the massive fingers, an intricate web of soul energy glowed.

It looked effortless.

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But it was flawless and inescapable.

All seven bolts of lightning were absorbed into Freya’s gauntlet.

The moment she clenched her fist, the black lightning seemed as if it would disappear completely.

However, it was Freya who grimaced instead.

Within her massive grasp, the seven black bolts did not vanish—they endured.

It was thanks to the barrier surrounding the lightning.

"Is this a variation of a soul barrier? How troublesome."

Freya clenched her fist even tighter.

Yet, the barrier encasing the black lightning did not break.

Instead, Freya’s form was starting to blur little by little.

"No matter if it’s just an avatar, I can't even seal away these small fry?"

"Rather, it looks like you're the one running out of strength."

"Hmph. I only came to Earth with a weak avatar because I wasn't taking this seriously. Even you, Michael, wouldn’t have been able to seal them."

"Well, I won’t deny that."

So, even though they're both avatars, it seems they can’t completely defeat a god.

Freya’s soul form was gradually disappearing, starting from her feet.

Michael, watching the scene unfold, spoke in a relaxed manner.

"If your avatar is being destroyed, that should be enough proof for the system to recognize that Zeus’s faction has attacked you."

Even as her body faded away, Freya responded calmly.

"That’s true. But there’s no real change happening."

"So if they subjugate the gods of the lesser pantheons and attack Asgard, Olympus won’t receive any penalties?"

"Seems like it. Did they find a loophole in the system? We need to prepare for them as well. This soul barrier is too sturdy."

Freya continued clenching her fist, but the black lightning still writhed unharmed in her grasp.

Meanwhile, her lower body had now faded up to her thighs.

Hmm…

Looks like I’ll have to take care of this.

"I’ll handle that black lightning."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. Since Lady Freya has already subdued them, it shouldn’t cost me as much SP as before."

I imbued my soul sword with soul energy.

Approaching Freya, I carefully stabbed my sword one by one into the black lightning trapped in her massive grasp.

Each time my blade pierced through, Freya’s soul energy, woven like a net, conveniently dissipated at just the right timing.

Such delicate control… As expected of an SSS-rank divine being.

As I retrieved my sword, each black lightning bolt burst into flames and disappeared.

[You have slain a god. Absorbing the god’s power.]

[Absorbing Zeus’s black lightning.]

[All energy is converted into soul power. Soul power has increased.]

[Spirit sword has been slightly enhanced.]

Once again, my soul sword had been strengthened, and my soul power had risen after eliminating the seven black bolts.

Killing seven of them granted me 280 points of soul power.

Meanwhile, I had only spent 50 million SP—much less than before.

It was possible because Freya had already weakened them.

This was practically stealing the finishing blow.

In just one day, my soul power had increased by 480 points.

"Kim Jiho, thank you for your help."

"Not at all. I only finished things off."

"But you must have spent a considerable amount of SP..."

The once formidable leader of the Valkyries now blushed as she approached me.

With her body fading, she suddenly grasped my hand.

Her previously gigantic hand had shrunk into a more human form, and the gauntlet had vanished, leaving behind a beautiful, pale hand instead.

"I really want to repay you for today’s kindness. Please visit Asgard so I can properly express my gratitude."

"Haha. No need for that."

"No, I insist. Truly. I’m so grateful. Within Asgard, I have a palace called Fólkvangr. Please come visit."

Before vanishing completely, Freya entwined her arm around mine.

She smiled beside me, but this time, unlike before, her expression was filled with seductive charm.

One moment she seemed pure and graceful, and now she was downright alluring.

That smile made my mind spin for a brief moment.

"I’ll make sure you have a very enjoyable time… Fufu."

With a teasing giggle, she disappeared.

Even after she was completely gone, it felt as if her fragrance still lingered, leaving me standing there in a daze.

Logically, I understood.

She was the dignified leader of the Valkyries, speaking casually with Michael.

And now that same strong goddess had suddenly changed her demeanor entirely.

It was obviously an act.

She was probably just trying to lighten her debt a little.

But her beauty was so absurd that I couldn’t help but smirk.

"Kim Jiho… beware of that temptress."

Now that Freya was fully gone, Michael clicked his tongue and chastised me for standing there dumbfounded.

"A temptress…?"

"Yes. To obtain Brísingamen, the necklace that grants infinite beauty, she even lay with dwarves. She is a woman who will use any means necessary to get what she desires. Especially her beauty and her body—she does not hesitate to wield them. Among the Seven Deadly Sins, greed and lust suit her perfectly."

Michael warned me that many gods had fallen for her charms, given away all their SP, and ended up sealed.

Seriously… Hearing this from him while he has my father’s appearance makes it feel like I’m being lectured by my own dad.

I already know all this.

"I trust in your self-control, Jiho. You even resisted Olympus’s temptations despite possessing the Infinite Stamina skill, did you not?"

Michael praised me for not making any mistakes, even with infinite stamina.

Wait, when did he find out about that?

Feeling more and more like I was being lectured by my father, I quickly cut him off.

"Alright, alright, I get it, Michael."

"Good. I must be going as well. I need to gather the gods of the Divine Alliance and assess the lesser pantheon gods."

As Michael prepared to return, light once again descended from the sky.

His body slowly lifted into the air, creating a rather majestic sight.

Then, suddenly, he stopped midair.

"Oh, right… Your apostles can use your skills, correct?"

"Yes, though with reduced efficiency."

"Then… can gods be accepted as apostles as well?"

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