Thunder God's Reincarnation

Chapter 265

Despite the absence of any Hellgate signs for over a month, Mu-Gun remained composed. While it would have been a concern if they overlooked any Demon Church activities or failed to detect Hellgate indications, the fact that the Hellgate had not yet opened suggested a lack of movement on their part.

The crucial factor lay in the timing of the Demon Church's actions. If they adhered to the Demon God's initial strategy, the Avalon Continent would be preoccupied with the war against the monsters. Seizing the opportunity amidst the chaos, the Demon God would instruct the priests of the Demon Church to initiate the opening of Hellgates across the continent.

Yet, due to Mu-Gun's exceptional accomplishments, all monsters were eradicated, mitigating the anticipated confusion. Consequently, it was probable that the priests of the Demon Church encountered difficulty in executing their intended actions. Nevertheless, it remained certain that the Demon God would persist in his endeavors to open the Hellgates.

With this understanding, persistent vigilance and monitoring became necessary. Mu-Gun and the Dragons were fully aware of this necessity, unwaveringly conducting their search around the Avalon Continent without letting their guard down. While Mu-Gun personally scoured for any signs of the Hellgate, he primarily entrusted the surveillance and monitoring duties to the Wind Spirit King Nervatum and the Earth Spirit King Nordic.

Meanwhile, Mu-Gun devoted the majority of his time to applying the Thunder God Enlightenment Spell. Daily, he transformed an Expert Knight into a Master Knight through the spell. Some were concerned about the potential surplus of Master Knights, expressing concerns that the Avalon Continent might plunge into a vortex of war with the heightened number of formidable knights after the Demon God's defeat.

Mu-Gun held a different perspective on the matter. He reasoned that if the rise in Master Knights was confined to either the empire or one of the six kingdoms, it might instigate a conflict fueled by ambitions to conquer the continent. However, Mu-Gun harbored no favoritism toward the empire or any of the six kingdoms. Consequently, he equally used the Thunder God Enlightenment Spell on knights hailing from all seven nations.

If the forces of both the empire and the six kingdoms experienced parallel growth, the likelihood of war would remain minimal even with an increase in the number of Master Knights. Moreover, an increase in the number of Master Knights would only amplify the damage in the event of a war. Consequently, both the empire and the six kingdoms would exercise caution in deploying their forces, ultimately diminishing the likelihood of a conflict.

Contrarily, the surge in Master Knights might actually diminish the probability of a war. Furthermore, despite the substantial rise in the count of Master Knights, a significant portion of them would probably lose their lives when the Hellgates opened, summoning the Hell Realm's legion.

The prevailing circumstances did not afford the luxury of contemplating the future. At present, such considerations took a back seat. The primary focus was on increasing their strength to the maximum extent possible to thwart the Demon God and its legion. However, merely escalating the number of Master Knights had its limitations. Equally vital was the expansion of the production of Chevalier Armors, enabling the Master Knights to don the advanced equipment.

Certainly, there were available Chevalier Armors that could be immediately worn. However, the capabilities of a C-Class Chevalier Armor proved insufficient to fully optimize the potential of a Master Knight. At the very least, equipping an E-Class Chevalier Armor was necessary to unlock their maximum potential.

In a collective effort, the Pamar Empire and the six kingdoms reached a consensus to pool all their resources and collaboratively manufacture Chevalier Armors. The magic engineers from the six kingdoms, under the guidance of the Pamar Empire's engineers renowned for their superior technical expertise, gathered to undertake the production of E-Class Chevalier Armors.

The most challenging aspect of constructing an E-Class Chevalier Armor was acquiring the Mana Heart of a high-ranked monster to fuel the armor. However, this no longer posed a dilemma. Following the recent expedition in the four great mountain ranges, they had successfully amassed an ample supply of high-ranked monster's Mana Hearts. Consequently, their current focus shifted solely to the production of the Chevalier Armors.

The cadre of magic engineers and production laborers toiled tirelessly day and night, without rest, churning out Chevalier Armors. As soon as a Chevalier Armor was completed, it was immediately dispatched to the awaiting Master Knights. The surge in the number of Master Knights, coupled with the widespread deployment of E-Class Chevalier Armors, marked a sharp ascent in the prowess of the Avalon Order.

Notwithstanding their bolstered forces, the might of the Avalon Order still fell short when measured against the formidable legion of the Demon God. Meanwhile, Mu-Gun, even amid his demanding schedule, remained dedicated to his personal training. While, by human standards, Mu-Gun had attained the pinnacle of rank, it seemed as though he had reached the peak of his strength. However, viewed through the lens of the Gods, he recognized that he still had considerable room for growth.

Setting aside all other considerations, becoming stronger was imperative for the complete annihilation of the Demon God. Mu-Gun dedicated his efforts to enhancing his strength in two primary dimensions. Firstly, he aimed to achieve harmonious integration of the different divinities he had acquired. Mu-Gun now possessed the divinities of the Sky God Yupir, the Dragon God Bracant, and the Spirit God Vahara. Each of these divinities bore a formidable will, presenting the challenging task of achieving synergy among the trio.

Thankfully, the divinities did not exhibit any outright rejection or clashes with one another. Nevertheless, without successful harmonization, there remained the risk of the divinities operating independently, leading to a dispersal of their power. Mu-Gun was determined to optimize the potency of these divinities by seamlessly blending all three into one.

Mu-Gun possessed the Heavenly Thunder Constellation Divine Art, renowned for its capability to harmonize all the energies present in the world. However, the power wielded by the divinities surpassed that of the Heavenly Thunder Constellation Divine Art. The art dared not attempt to control the divinities, rendering it incapable of harmonizing them.

However, it could serve as a beginning. Mu-Gun persistently sought methods to align the divinities with the Heavenly Thunder Constellation Divine Art as its core. Then, at a certain moment, he came to a realization. The essence of the divine power was fundamentally alike. Whether it belonged to the Sky God, the Dragon God, or the Spirit God, the underlying will within it remained unchanged.

The mission was to eliminate the Demons attempting to obliterate not only the world but the entire universe, ultimately safeguarding both. The identity of the divinity holders became inconsequential. The crucial aspect lay in the shared will. As long as the will within the three divinities intertwined as a unified force, there existed no rationale or necessity to categorize them.

Upon this realization, the confines of the divinities within Mu-Gun's Origin Spirit vanished. It ceased to be merely another God's divinity; instead, it transformed into a divinity aligned with a common purpose. Swiftly, it evolved into Mu-Gun's own will and a manifestation of divinity itself.

Mu-Gun had transitioned from a recipient of divinity to an entity that had independently attained it. [1] By nurturing the power of the divinity he now held, he could ascend to the rank of a True God.

In the truest sense, he wouldn't be a mere incarnation of a God; instead, he would genuinely transform into a God. This potential was undeniably real. However, for Mu-Gun to ascend to the status of a True God, he would have to amass several times the divinity he currently held. Achieving this would require, at the very least, hundreds of years. At present, such an accomplishment remained unattainable.

Mu-Gun harbored no immediate inclination to become a God. His contentment stemmed from successfully harmonizing the three distinct divinities.

Having achieved harmony among the divinities, Mu-Gun embarked on practicing the utilization of the Spirit King's power. Clad in the Chevalier Armor bestowed upon him by the Dragon clans, he initiated the process. Initially, he adorned the Dragon Scale Divine Armor, an S-Class Chevalier Armor, and endeavored to forge a connection with all four Spirit Kings.

Mu-Gun bestowed upon his Chevalier Armor the name "Dragon Scale Divine Armor." Initially, merging with the four Spirit Kings, each bearing distinct attributes, seemed an impossibility. However, for Mu-Gun, now infused with the divinity of the Spirit God Vahara, this posed no challenge whatsoever.

Following the fusion with the four Spirit Kings, Mu-Gun initially harnessed the power of the Wind Spirit King Nervatum to enhance the Chevalier Armor's agility. Empowered by Nervatum, Mu-Gun could maneuver with the swiftness and freedom of the wind, even while adorned in the towering twenty-meter Dragon Scale Divine Armor.

The Fire Spirit King added power to Mu-Guns attacks. By merging the Fire Spirit King's power with Mu-Gun's Thunder God Qi, a new form of qi emergedthe Blazing Thunder God Qi. This fusion produced a synergistic effect, amplifying Mu-Gun's attacks with increased power.

The Ice Spirit King played a supporting role, assisting the attacks that used the Blazing Thunder God Qi, allowing Mu-Gun to use more diverse attacking options.

Lastly, the Earth Spirit King contributed to thwarting opponents' attacks by erecting a barrier of dirt and stones around Mu-Gun. Additionally, it disrupted adversaries' movements through tactics like inducing powerful earthquakes, creating an effective defense mechanism.

While formidable on their own, the powers of the four Spirit Kings attained an even greater potency when seamlessly merged and unleashed simultaneously. Mu-Gun diligently strived to optimize his strength by naturally harmonizing the Dragon Scale Divine Armor with the collective power of the four Spirit Kings. Over time, he grew accustomed to donning the Dragon Scale Divine Armor and engaging in combat while seamlessly integrating with the four Spirit Kings.

Gradually, Mu-Gun prepared himself for the impending confrontation with the Demon God.

* * *

Under the command of the Great Demon God Baal, the Demon Church had clandestinely operated in the shadows for millennia on the Avalon Continent. Their activities were veiled in such secrecy that only a handful were aware of their existence in that realm.

Their pursuits didn't revolve around the riches or prestige of the nobility. Singularly focused, their interest lay in fulfilling the mission assigned by the Great Demon God Baal, whom they devoutly served. Baal's directive to them was explicitto unlock the portal to the Hell Realm and facilitate the descent of the Great Demon God Baal onto Avalon.

After a millennium of meticulous preparations, the Demon Church successfully crafted the Demonic Bodyan entity capable of housing the soul of the Demon God. Subsequently, they opened the gateway to the Hell Realm, enabling the descent of the Great Demon God Baal. Baal descended, utilizing the Demonic Body forged by the Demon Church, and as it recuperated its strength, orchestrated the movement of monsters to sow chaos throughout the Avalon Continent.

Subsequently, through the priests of the Demon Church, preparations were made to unlock the Hellgates, capable of summoning the legion from the Hell Realm. However, a complication arose. The monsters, intended to spread chaos across the Avalon Continent, were eradicated before they could fulfill their role.

Baal's orchestration of the monsters' movements aimed not only at causing havoc in the Avalon Continent but, more significantly, at absorbing the vengeful souls of humans. The crossing into the Middle Realm had depleted a substantial portion of Baal's power. To replenish this power, absorbing the souls of humans, particularly those saturated with fear and resentment, became necessary.

As the monsters attacked the nations of Avalon, a cascade of vengeful souls was inevitably generated. Baal's strategy was to absorb these vengeful souls to rejuvenate its strength. The crucial aspect lay in the scale of the damage inflicted by the monstersthe greater the devastation, the more vengeful souls available for Baal's absorption, hastening the recovery of its power.

Nevertheless, the monsters assigned to generate vengeful souls proved ineffective and were systematically annihilated. Baal's recuperation was decelerated due to the insufficient availability of vengeful souls for absorption.

Baal was frustrated because of that. To hasten the restoration of its power, an increased number of humans needed to perish in fear and agony. With the elimination of all monsters, the sole method for causing mass human casualties was to unlock the Hellgates and summon the legion from the Hell Realm. Regrettably, even this approach yielded no success.

Foremost among the hindrances was Baal's insufficiently restored strength. To unlock the Hellgate, a Demon God Stone imbued with Baal's power was required. Given Baal's current strength, the creation of only two or three Demon God Stones was feasible, limiting the number of Hellgates that could be opened.

Initially, the plan was to simultaneously open thirty-six Hellgates, delivering Avalon to destruction in a single stroke. However, with the current capability of only two or three Hellgates due to Baal's restrained strength, there existed a constraint on the number of legions that could be summoned from the Hell Realm. Each Hellgate could summon one legion, and with a maximum of three Hellgates, only three legions could be summoned.

Having the representative of the Sky God Yupir and the Dragons taking the forefront made it challenging to inflict the intended damage with only three legions. There was a substantial likelihood that it would prove difficult for Baal to absorb a sufficient number of vengeful souls to fully restore its power within the Middle Realm.

Nonetheless, confronted with the prevailing circumstances, there existed no alternative but to unlock the Hellgates and summon the legions from the Hell Realm. The plan was to unleash them upon humans, causing widespread carnage to generate additional vengeful souls. In response, Baal directed the priests of the Demon Church to hasten the process of opening the Hellgates.

The predicament lay in the relentless vigilance of God's representative and the Dragons, who consistently scoured for signs of the Hellgates. Simultaneously, the knights of the Avalon Order escalated their surveillance efforts to pinpoint the whereabouts of the Demon Church's priests.

To initiate the opening of the Hellgates, establishing a magic circle with the Demon God Stone was imperative. However, the ongoing search and surveillance posed a challenge to proceeding secretly. A viable strategy involved diverting God's representative's and the Dragons's attention to another front.

Baal devised a strategy to wield its power, transforming the knights of the Demon Church into Death Knights. Their mission was to orchestrate a massacre in a specific location within the Avalon Continent. In exchange for pledging their souls to the Demon God, the Death Knights would be endowed with the authority of the Demon God, the prowess of a Grand Master, and an immortal body.

The Death Knights, possessing immortal bodies that defied death even from decapitation or the destruction of their hearts, presented a formidable force. If these Death Knights made a move, God's representative and the Dragons would be compelled to intervene. The Demon Church saw an opportunity in this scenario: precisely at that moment, their priests could proceed with opening the Hellgates with minimal interference.

The knights of the Demon Church voluntarily embraced the transformation into Death Knights, pledging their allegiance to the Demon God. Comprising a hundred knights, the entire Knight Order of the Demon Church underwent a metamorphosis under the authority of the Great Demon God Baal. Afterward, Baal dispatched the Death Knights to the domain of Count Baster, a noble aligned with the Pamar Empire.

1. Erm Did Mu-Gun just become a God?