Particles began to gather. With the resounding heartbeat, the god who had perished was returning.

It was then that the hero realized the true meaning of what it meant to be a "god."

No, to be born a mortal, and yet, with an unyielding will, to overcome the limits of one's kind and be reborn as an immortal being—what that truly signified.

He hadn't died. Even after taking that attack, Jörmungandr had not died.

Despite his body being shattered into fragments down to the cellular level and scattered across all space, he did not die.

"...Ha."

So what?

I’m still alive. If that’s the case, I’ll just keep swinging my sword.

A slash flew out, intended to disperse the gathering particles.

However...

——Clang!

It was deflected. Even though it was still just particles, they deflected my slash.

Belatedly, I completed the technique.

Spatial Slash.

Fourth Form.

——Extinction.

A jet-black slash was unleashed. It carried an intense aura, enough to slice through even Jörmungandr's scales like tofu.

But...

[...This is a strange feeling.]

It vanished. It wasn't just that it failed to reach; it simply disappeared.

The moment it approached him, the slash twisted and vanished completely, as if it was not permitted to exist in this world.

"What... is that...?"

The Sword Hero, Lee Jihoon's eyes wavered. He stared blankly at the being floating before him.

This was a being of a different dimension than before. The dark scales and blue eyes were gone.

White scales enveloped him. They gleamed softly like armor infused with radiant light, leaving no gaps to expose Jörmungandr’s body.

His blue eyes were also different. What were once transparent and sky-blue now resembled the eyes of a goddess.

Golden light shone in those eyes.

He was like a dragon, a serpent that had lived for a thousand years, finally ascending to become a dragon.

He had changed so much.

The hero could tell. His presence was now so elevated that he could no longer grasp it.

And such beings...

There were only two others he had known of that were similar.

"The Demon God..."

The Goddess and the Demon God. Two beings whose power was beyond his comprehension.

And now...

There were three.

He couldn’t believe it.

So now, Jörmungandr was...

"On par with the Demon God...?"

That couldn't be true.

The hero's eyes trembled.

That was a realm I had fought so hard to reach. And yet, he comprehended it so easily?

"That's absurd!!"

The tip of the sword quivered. The hero roared and swung his sword.

Spatial Slash.

Fifth Form.

——Void.

The black sword aura roared, pressing in on Jörmungandr from all directions.

Swords rose into the sky. Dark, blackened swords formed from the black blade descended upon Jörmungandr like judges delivering judgment.

But...

——Boom!

Heaven and earth twisted.

In this alien space where no natural phenomena should exist, unexpected dark clouds formed.

The earth split open, revealing erupting volcanoes, and somewhere, massive waves surged, bringing with them towering tsunamis.

It didn't matter.

Mere natural disasters couldn't block my attacks.

However...

They couldn’t reach him. The moment his sword touched the natural disasters, they disappeared like bubbles in water.

It was then that he realized—the natural disasters were imbued with Jörmungandr's divine insight and power.

His divinity had now risen far beyond the level the Sword Hero could comprehend.

"Haha... Haha..."

It was empty.

I thought I had gained enlightenment.

I believed I had broken through another barrier, drawing closer to victory.

I wanted to shout to the Goddess with pride.

To prove that she was wrong. To show that I, who had fought for countless millennia, was stronger than the one she had invested everything in.

I wanted to prove it.

I thought I had actually proven it.

That my final realization could finally kill even a god for eternity.

But...

[It was a misguided realization.]

It was nothing.

My realization was nothing compared to those who dwell in the lofty realms.

"…Shut up."

What do you know?

What do you know that gives you the right to speak to me like that?

Sure, you must know a lot.

You were born with the potential to be a god from the beginning.

You were born from the body of Jörmungandr, a god from Norse mythology!!

So for you, it was easy.

So, so...

"I’m not wrong!!"

The technique surged. The three techniques I had perfected through enlightenment were endlessly unleashed toward Jörmungandr.

They didn’t work.

The moment they touched his golden divinity, they vanished.

Natural disasters descended.

I swung my sword at the lightning that covered the sky.

I swung my sword at the volcano that shook the earth, and at the endlessly spewing magma and volcanic ash.

I swung my sword with the intent to cleave the tsunami rushing toward me, ready to engulf everything.

They didn’t work.

Surely the enlightenment I had gained was profound.

Yet none of my attacks could strike Jörmungandr.

I was bewildered.

This shouldn’t be happening.

My realization couldn’t be wrong.

But...

[……]

Jörmungandr simply floated in the sky, looking down at me with calm eyes.

Anger welled up inside me.

I swung my sword madly.

And then, once again, I unleashed the first technique I had ever pondered.

Spatial Slash.

First Form.

——Divine Punishment.

The sword swung.

It was a technique created to punish the gods.

I was sure it wouldn’t do any damage.

After all, in comparison to the realization I had recently gained, this technique’s destructive power fell far short.

I was sure it wouldn’t have any impact on the natural disasters that were descending upon him.

However...

——Slash!

"...What?"

The tsunami was split.

The wave that had descended with the force to annihilate everything was cut in half by his sword slash.

"…Why?"

I couldn’t believe it.

Surely, this technique...

Was weaker than the new realization I had gained...

[Not all techniques are defined by their strength alone.]

The hero’s gaze blankly turned toward Jörmungandr.

He floated in the sky, quietly speaking to him.

[What were you thinking when you created the Third Form technique?]

"…To kill the gods."

Born as a human.

I endlessly sought after techniques to kill the Demon God.

And those techniques allowed me to stand against the Demon God, even if just for a moment.

[Then what were you thinking when you created the other three techniques?]

"......"

I was ready to give up everything.

I thought it would be fine as long as I could protect her, even if I had to sacrifice everything.

I thought I could break the endless cycle of eternity.

I was willing to sacrifice all the karma I had accumulated.

I thought I could take the Demon God down with me.

The last three techniques...

Their true value only revealed when I sacrificed my own life.

That’s why I considered them my trump card to defeat the Demon God.

But...

What did I imbue into those techniques?

Already...

[Hadn’t you already begun to give up?]

"……!!"

[Every technique contains the will of its creator. But what meaning could there be in a technique born from someone who had already given up on himself?]

Against an average opponent, they might work.

In fact, they did work on Jörmungandr just moments ago.

But...

They couldn’t be a trump card.

Against a being imbued with full divinity...

An attack devoid of meaning, akin to self-destruction, is worse than not doing anything at all.

[Now, take it.]

Golden divinity descended from the sky.

The Sword Hero instinctively caught it with both hands.

The divine energy turned into particles of light and seeped into the hero’s body.

[Start again from the beginning. And when you’ve regained confidence in yourself, swing your sword.]

"Why... are you giving me this...?"

I was only thinking of killing you.

Jörmungandr then gave him a faint smile.

[Don’t you have someone to protect?]

"Eliserde..."

Thinking of his beloved, the hero clenched his fist tightly.

And at that moment...

"...Thank you."

He bowed deeply.

He sincerely expressed his gratitude to Jörmungandr.

Now, he understood why the Goddess had chosen him.

Having honed himself for tens of thousands of years, I had lost my humanity, leaving no room for such enlightenment.

After experiencing countless timelines,

I had traded my potential for power.

That’s why,

The Goddess had chosen him, not me.

[Stay strong.]

The two of them felt the world crumbling.

When they reopened their eyes, they would return to their original world.

Their gazes met.

They shared the same thought.

"[Protect it.]"

And as the world collapsed around them,

. . . . . . .

[……]

Jörmungandr opened his eyes.