Chapter 385:

Chapter 385:

Magni was the eldest son of Thor, the god of thunder, and a half-god with the blood of a giant, born from the giantess Járnsaxa.

However, no one dared to belittle him merely because of his giant’s blood.

Magni was strong enough to be deemed the rightful heir to the power of Thor, the mightiest in Asgard.

In terms of rank, Magni belonged to the second-generation Divine Spirits, but considering his power, he was in no way inferior to the first generation. Above all, with Mjolnir, the thunder hammer passed down from his father, he was nearly invincible.

“Of course, this isn’t the real one. They say it was passed down from my father, but it’s just a replica, modeled after the legend of Mjolnir. Still, it’s a fine item. After all, it was created with help from the blacksmith god of Olympus.”

Magni candidly revealed this important fact to Yu-hyun.

Even though the Mjolnir he held was a fake, he exuded confidence, certain that its sheer power would still be enough to defeat Yu-hyun.

In reality, Yu-hyun did not feel any relief even after Magni disclosed the truth about Mjolnir.

From the moment he received Magni’s blow, Yu-hyun instinctively felt it. No matter how much of a fake it was, it was an imitation that came dangerously close to being real.

The pillar of light that had just descended wasn’t mere light—it was Mjolnir’s lightning, compressed to its limits. Directly confronting it, Yu-hyun realized it was on a whole different level.

Of course, Magni was equally impressed. Yu-hyun had managed to block his Mjolnir strike, even though it was a surprise attack that Magni had swung with all his might.

‘Is this guy really human?’

Magni, who had wondered just how great the one called the "Book Pile Lord" could be, found himself genuinely astonished that such a strong person existed among humans.

A desire to fight stirred within him. He wanted to wield his hammer in a bloody battle and claim victory.

But Magni quickly shook his head, suppressing his growing desire.

‘No. This isn’t the time for that. There’s a reason I came here.’

Sending the Einherjar from Asgard was just an excuse. Whether Piren succeeded in her mission or not didn’t matter. No matter the result, Magni intended to personally step in and hold the enemy accountable for the deaths of his warriors, delivering divine punishment.

The only unexpected outcome was Piren’s defeat despite the significant force she brought with her.

And to a single individual, no less.

‘Well, whatever happens, it's fine. If I kill this guy and stir up conflict within the alliance, it’ll work out in our favor.’

Though the Salio Empire had temporarily aligned with Asgard, it was inevitable that they would one day turn their swords on each other.

In such a businesslike relationship, there was no room for friendship or trust. Naturally, thinking ahead, it was necessary to weaken the Salio Empire’s forces in advance.

Magni had successfully eliminated Piren, but the core target, Yu-hyun, was still alive and well.

Magni had no choice but to admit it. Yu-hyun was strong. Very strong.

That there still existed a human who could stir his warrior's blood into a boil was both exciting and frustrating.

‘What a shame.’

The pounding of his burning heart clashed with the frustrating reality of having to prioritize the interests of the group he belonged to over his personal desires.

Well, it couldn't be helped. Even gods couldn’t have everything they wanted at their fingertips.

If he had to do this anyway, it would be better to enjoy it with a smile rather than begrudge it.

With that in mind, Magni raised Mjolnir in his hand.

‘It’s coming.’

The moment Yu-hyun saw Magni’s movement, he reacted immediately. As soon as Mjolnir pointed to the sky, a blinding light flashed and surged toward Yu-hyun like a tidal wave.

A searing hot Lightning Wave. There was something reminiscent of the fourth verse of the hymn Chulaphantaka had once displayed long ago.

Though both Magni and Chulaphantaka were second-generation Divine Spirits, the sole difference was that Magni’s strike was far stronger.

Chulaphantaka had been unable to exert his full power due to his incomplete incarnation, but in the hybrid realm, Magni was free from any restrictions on his strength.

A blow from a second-generation Divine Spirit, on par with the first generation.

Faced with this, Yu-hyun had no time to spare and had to move immediately.

The Seventh Demonic Black Sky Divine Art’s Flame Point of Heaven.

Nine vortexes merged into one, piercing through the center of the lightning surge rushing toward him like a tidal wave.

He couldn't completely neutralize it, so he aimed to pierce straight through the center.

Magni wasn’t just standing idle either.

“Not bad!”

Mjolnir pointed toward the sky again. However, unlike before, instead of emitting lightning, it swung downward.

Boom!

A massive shockwave radiated out from the ground where Magni’s hammer struck. The earth quaked, causing tectonic shifts. Instantly, a massive rock wall rose before Magni, blocking Yu-hyun's path and obstructing his view.

‘Is that really just the result of swinging a hammer with one hand?’

Magni’s sheer physical strength, enough to have lifted the giant Hrungnir when he was only three years old, was no exaggeration. His brute power alone was nearly akin to a natural disaster.

Yu-hyun didn’t stop; instead, he sped up. A rock wall like that was nothing more than a sandcastle before a lord-level warrior.

A massive hole was blown through the wall, creating a clear path straight toward Magni.

Yu-hyun moved like a shadow, closing in on Magni in an instant.

“Good.”

Magni, seemingly pleased by Yu-hyun’s bold approach, raised Mjolnir with a broad smile.

Facing him head-on, it was clear that Yu-hyun was still far from victory.

So, he decided to change his approach.

‘If one isn’t enough, I’ll use two.’

And if two wasn’t enough, then three.

Yu-hyun channeled energy into the Wings of Icarus spread behind him. The black wings, now tinged red from the influence of Blood Light Chaos of Heaven, warped into a twisted, demonic form.

The Sixth Demon of the Seven Demonic Black Sky Divine Art—Blood Wing King.

The massive wings enveloped the lightning storm from both sides, hugging it like a cocoon. In this state, Yu-hyun infused energy into Baekryeon for his third attack. The sword, now transformed into a spear, quivered and turned red.

Just as he was about to throw it through the collision point and strike Magni—

Magni emerged, breaking through the clashing powers.

‘What the...?’

For a moment, Yu-hyun’s thoughts froze. He had barely reacted to Magni’s sudden move.

‘Did he break through that?’

It was a bold move, even for a Divine Spirit. Magni had forcefully pushed through the collision of his own lightning and Yu-hyun’s Blood Light Chaos of Heaven.

Magni, now in plain sight, was bleeding from several parts of his body.

But if suffering a few wounds would secure his victory in this battle, Magni was more than willing to endure them.

His charge was reckless, a gamble that transcended common sense.

Magni grinned broadly as he charged at Yu-hyun. He didn’t need to get close. Even from this distance, Mjolnir would be enough to kill Yu-hyun.

‘I’ve won.’

Magni acknowledged Yu-hyun’s strength.

If he hadn’t taken the risk and pressed forward, Magni himself would’ve been the one to lose.

It was only because he had broken through at the last possible moment that he realized Yu-hyun had been preparing a triple-layered attack beyond the explosion.

A brief, subtle difference in timing. That was all it took to decide the outcome of this fight.

‘Though I know you still haven’t gone all out, this is the end.’

Magni swung Mjolnir straight toward Yu-hyun’s head.

“...!”

But just at that moment, Magni suddenly felt a sense of danger and pulled back.

Why did he throw away a perfect opportunity so suddenly?

Before Yu-hyun could process the strange feeling, a violet beast dropped down from the sky.

“You...”

Magni, now retreating, glared at the violet beast, gritting his teeth.

Instinctively, he had withdrawn, but seeing the unexpected intruder, Magni felt he had made the right choice.

Had he continued to swing Mjolnir, aiming to kill Yu-hyun to the end—

He would have been the one to die.

“Damn it. Of all times, you had to interfere...”

Magni ground his teeth. Though he didn’t know exactly what this creature was, he was certain about one thing: he knew the power it wielded better than anyone else.

If he continued to fight, he would definitely die. The creature before him had the power to make that a reality.

Though retreating was a greater humiliation to a warrior than dying, Magni forced himself to swallow his rage and step back.

“Next time, I’ll kill you for sure.”

With bloodshot eyes, Magni spat out the warning before disappearing into the sky, enveloped in lightning.

Having narrowly survived, Yu-hyun turned to face the massive violet beast that had blocked his path.

Though it was the first time he had seen it, the creature somehow felt familiar.

Rustle.

The beast’s form slowly vanished like a mirage, and in its place stood a woman.

As she turned her back to him, Yu-hyun stared at the figure in a daze and muttered.

“Kwon Jia?”

“Yes.”

Answering his question, Kwon Jia turned around and met Yu-hyun’s gaze.

Her steady eyes, her confident tone.

They were just as he remembered.

Kwon Jia smiled faintly.

“It’s been a while.”