Chapter 104: The Fourth Round—King vs. King
Assassins generally leave this kind of impression.
Normally, they operate under the cover of night, so to avoid standing out and leaving traces, they typically dress in black attire.
Such clothing helps them blend into the darkness, making them harder to detect.
Additionally, their outfits are usually lightweight and form-fitting to avoid hindering movement, so they rarely wear heavy armor or similar encumbrances.
Assassins aim for speed, precision, and lethality—to eliminate their target in one strike without alerting others. Thus, they avoid anything that might reduce their agility.
Naturally, assassins wouldn't wield heavy weapons either.
Yet, the assassin before him defied all expectations.
Dressed like a heavily armored knight—was this even an assassin?
Before his consciousness faded into darkness, the divine soldier captain noticed something eerie.
In fact, when he had approached to inspect his beheaded subordinates, his vision had already captured the assassin's figure.
The assassin hadn't even tried to hide, standing plainly to the side.
But at that moment, something strange had happened—his attention had fixated solely on the dead soldiers, subconsciously ignoring the figure at the edge of his vision.
That figure seemed to lack any presence, which was why he had overlooked it.
And when that figure moved behind him, it did so without a sound. By the time he realized, it was already too late.
This must be one of the assassin's abilities—to erase his presence, making himself nearly imperceptible.
Truly, this assassin was formidable.
But no matter how formidable he was, his journey ended here—let him meet his demise together with it.
Of course, he himself was powerless to fight back.
However, he carried a special divine artifact bestowed by his master, bound to his life. The moment his life ended, it would erupt.
In an instant, the entire small hall twisted in space. From the outside, it looked as though it had been encased in a transparent spherical glass dome.
That space was completely severed and transported away.
"Now, we've finally dealt with this guy."
"How arrogant, coming here alone!"
"Where did he get the nerve?"
The severing and transfer of that entire space had flung him beyond the universe—outside the cosmos. There was no way he could survive that.
It was like throwing an ordinary human directly into the void of space. No one could possibly live through that.
So, how had he gotten in?
At the moment, there was a suspicion—perhaps that foolish Norse sea god had been followed.
And the liaison who had received the artifact had been beheaded, his divine tool taken by the enemy before vanishing together.
But it didn't matter. Losing that artifact was just a minor regret. What they truly cared about were the higher-tier divine artifacts.
Then, they began discussing another matter—those who had been released from the Demon Star.
These were individuals who could be recruited.
They must know many secrets of the divine pantheons. With their assistance, reclaiming the entire universe would be within reach.
The Hall of Akasha.
"Sister Alvitr, who do you think will be chosen for this match?"
Göll asked the petite and adorable girl beside her—the tenth of the thirteen Valkyries, Alvitr.
"How should I know?"
Alvitr spread her hands and rolled her eyes at her little sister.
Asking such a question was pointless—she might as well go straight to their eldest sister.
"Sister Brunhilde, Göll wants to know who will be chosen for the fourth match."
It wasn't Alvitr who asked for Göll—it was another sister, Hlökk.
"Sister Hlökk!"
Göll let out a resentful whine toward her sister.
Her gaze shifted again, landing on another sister—one dressed like a scholar, Reginleif.
This sister had just finished her cup of black tea before standing up and walking toward Sister Brunhilde.
So, were all thirteen sisters present now?
No. Only these three had been summoned to stand by. Perhaps one of them would truly be needed for this match.
It was amusing—all three sisters had petite, doll-like figures.
Hmm, they didn't look any different from her, but she still had room to grow! She really was still a child, after all.
Thunk—!
Göll's head took a hit.
"Ow! W-what was that for, Sister Hlökk?"
"Heh heh heh, what do you think? I could feel you thinking something particularly annoying."
Göll could only force a dry laugh. How could she sense that?
"Sister, have you decided?"
Here, Reginleif asked their eldest sister, who was still hesitating among several candidates.
"Hmm, let me think a little longer."
Brunhilde was considering who should be sent down this time.
Should she continue with the so-called "Tian Ji's horse racing" strategy?
Suddenly, her phone buzzed with a message. When she opened it, her pupils dilated sharply.
The content inside was to inform them about who the fourth participant from the divine side would be. Unexpectedly, it turned out to be a truly formidable heavyweight making their move.
So, was she going to let the opposing side waste such a powerful figure for nothing?
Once they made their appearance, there could be no second match.
"Sister, I think it's necessary to go all out in every match."
The younger sister beside her suddenly spoke up.
"Do we really know everything about the gods? Thor's gloves and hammer, Beelzebub's anomalies, Zerofuku among the Seven Lucky Gods—all of them took us by surprise. So, sister, do you really think the gods only have those publicly acknowledged powerhouses on their side?"
Reginleif's words struck Brunhilde like a bolt of lightning, freezing her in place.
After a long pause—
"Thanks, Reginleif. I understand now."
The so-called "Tian Ji's Horse Racing" strategy could be discarded. Every match had to be fought with full effort.
This round, too, must be aimed squarely at victory.
So, was it confirmed that this god would be the one to step into the arena?
The person who sent the text shouldn't be lying to her, right?
Of course, the sender wasn't Heimdall—rather, it was her informant among the gods.
If it was this god, then it seemed the King would have to make an appearance.
Round Four: King vs. King.
The opposing god was also a king—the King of the Underworld.
Which [King] card should she choose?