The sun was setting beyond the horizon, its crimson glow casting long, stretching shadows across the battlefield. All around, no one knew how many corpses lay scattered; the ground looked as if it had been draped in a red-colored sheet. Eight hours had already passed, and the monsters were growing stronger and stronger with every moment. Ansh, who had only just crossed the limits of humanity and become a god, was fighting in desperation alongside Kavi and the remaining guild members against the countless monsters continuously pouring out of the portals.
It had been more than seven hours since the first portal opened, and despite their combined efforts, the situation was only getting worse. Nearly 80% of the guild members were either injured or had already been martyred. The remaining ones had given up hope and surrendered themselves to fate. Despair had surrounded everyone.
From the rifts, hordes of monsters surged forth, their sharp claws and fangs glinting in the fading light, their eyes shining with bloodthirsty intent. The struggle continued, but their backs were already broken, and the monsters kept advancing toward the village boundary.
Gaurav, Maya, and Rekha were also in an extremely critical condition. Gaurav had lost both his hands while fighting. Maya was unconscious, and Rekha lay face-down on the ground, drenched in blood. Standing before them were three SSS-rank monsters—Behemoth, Dragonoa, and the Dark Elf Queen.
Gaurav, having lost both hands, held a dagger in his mouth, his god transformation already gone. Somehow, he stood in front of his last two remaining companions, Rekha and Maya.
The Elf Queen spoke,
"Warrior, I admit that you are powerful, and I praise your courage. How did you manage, even after becoming just a low-tier god, to push my so many soldiers and even my eight SS-rank companions into the abyss? If you accept my proposal to join the Dark Lord's army, I will heal you and grant your companions a painless death."
Then she laughed cruelly, her face twisted with savagery.
Gaurav replied,
"No matter what happens, I will never side with people like you."
Dragonoa roared in a booming voice,
"And how exactly will you do that? You can't even use your divine weapon. Look at your severed hands—how will you stop the attacks coming toward your companions with those?"
Behemoth growled,
"Enough of this nonsense. End it."
The Elf Queen shot an Abyss Arrow at Gaurav.
On the other side, Ansh had only recently become a god. His body was covered in shining water-like scales. He was powerful, but his control over his divine powers was not what it appeared to be—he was extremely unstable. His water powers were now surging out of control, and every swing of his sword exacted a heavy price from his divine energy. With every attack, Ansh's breathing grew heavier.
Kavi, meanwhile, was on the verge of breaking. Blood flowed from his hands, his body was wracked with pain, and continuous combat had blurred his vision. Blood dripping from his fists dyed the ground red as he continued to strike until his last breath using his metal-controlling powers. Every monster felt stronger than the last, and he could clearly feel the widening gap between Ansh and himself. Where Ansh could take down multiple monsters with a single strike, Kavi struggled just to stop one.
The war had broken everyone. The guild's external support had already fallen, their lifeless bodies scattered across the battlefield. Those who remained were on the verge of collapse from nonstop fighting. Kavi felt the weight of the situation press on his chest like a massive stone. The monsters had reached extremely close to the village, and it felt like it was only a matter of time before the boundary broke.
Kavi looked ahead and, for the final time, shouting with all his strength, placed both hands on the ground to protect the village with an iron dome, pouring all his power into it. The moment the iron dome formed, an SS-rank monster—the Black Shadow Panther—emerged from the shadows behind him and attacked.
Kavi was unable to defend himself, and the panther's claws tore through his chest.
Ansh saw this and immediately hurled an icicle blade through the air, injecting it with his divine energy, slicing the monster cleanly in half. Ansh rushed toward Kavi.
Darkness clouded Kavi's vision. His body had completely given up. Ansh reached him, and Kavi collapsed onto the ground, gasping, his body already completely cold.
But as Kavi's consciousness began to sink, he found himself in a white world. In front of him stood a door from which golden light poured out, as if it were the path to heaven. He began to walk forward when he suddenly felt someone calling him. He turned back and saw a shadow approaching him. The figure was blurry, like a mirage, yet it was there. A voice echoed through the fog of his mind—soft, yet commanding.
"Stop, Kavi. The time has not yet come," the voice said.
Kavi turned fully and saw a child standing before him—strange, yet somehow familiar. The child gestured for him to move forward and led him into a vast, unknown landscape. In the blink of an eye, Kavi found himself standing before a grand throne made entirely of knives. Each blade radiated a cold, lethal gleam.
"What is this place?" Kavi asked, his voice echoing through the void.
"This is the Throne of Knives, where the God of Knives awaits you."
Suddenly, Kavi found himself before an old man seated upon the throne. His eyes glowed with a faint silvery light, and his skin was covered with scars and marks from ancient wars. He seemed more spirit than flesh. He gave a faint smile.
"Kavi," the old man said in a resonant voice, "you have come to claim what is rightfully yours."
Kavi hesitated.
"Who are you?" he asked.
"I am Tvasta—once the God of Metal. Now, I am called the God of Knives. My story is one of betrayal and transformation. I was not always bound to this throne. Once, I was a high-tier god, worshipped for my craftsmanship. But everything changed on the day the gods rebelled against Oranos, the god-tier ruler. I sided with Oranos, but in the end, we lost, and I was punished."
Tvasta's voice grew heavy with the weight of memory.
"They stripped me of my powers, but they could not take my immortality. So they bound me to this throne—turning my existence from metal into blades. I have been trapped here for ages… until you arrived."
Another figure appeared near the throne—ancient and weary. The burden of time was clearly visible on his hunched form. He looked at Kavi with compassion and curiosity.
"You have come very far, Kavi," he said. "Do you know who I am?"
As Tvasta continued to speak, visions flashed through Kavi's mind. He saw the rebellion against the gods, where Tvasta—an immensely powerful, god-origin being—fought alongside his beloved friend Oranos against the Satadariyas. Oranos, a great god-tier entity, was betrayed by the other gods, and Tvasta stood by him until the very end. Together, they had tried to change the order of the universe.
"We fought for the freedom of gods and mortals," Tvasta said with regret. "But we were betrayed. My powers were taken from me, and I was imprisoned here—on this Throne of Knives. I can no longer forge metal. My punishment was to become the God of Knives, a symbol of failed rebellion."
"But you passed the God Trial and mastered metal. You met me there as well, but that was only one of my keys. That is why you could not become a god there. However, if you pay attention, the changes that occurred within you after completing the God Trial do not happen to everyone. You are standing at the bottleneck of godhood. I do not know how you managed to reach this place, but now that you are here, you must understand something."
Kavi felt the weight of those words descend upon him. He could sense the immense power hidden within Tvasta, waiting to be released.
"Why are you showing me all this?" Kavi asked.
"Because you are my successor," Tvasta said. "You have the potential to become the new God of Metal. This child did not bring you here without reason."
At that moment, Dhara—the spirit of Earth who had been guiding Kavi—appeared beside him.
"The time has come to reveal the truth, Kavi," she said. "We spirits are born from the union of Earth and the Subtle Realm, and we chose Shiva as our god. He sent us to protect you."
Kavi stood frozen. Spirits, the fusion, Shiva—everything finally began to make sense. He was not alone. The spirits were with him, and they had chosen him.
"We are not merely spirits," Dhara continued. "We are the living embodiment of this new world, and now our power is yours."
Tvasta stepped forward and touched Kavi's forehead with his frail hand. Dhara merged completely with Kavi.
"From this moment on, you and I are one. My knowledge, my power—everything that I was—is now yours. You are not the God of Knives, but a new God of Metal," Tvasta said.
A tremendous surge of energy coursed through Kavi's body. The knives embedded in the throne began to melt, transforming into radiant golden metal that wrapped itself around Kavi's body. The throne itself shattered into golden dust, swirling and sinking into Kavi's skin, filling him with divine energy.
Kavi's body blazed with light. His bones transformed, his muscles hardened, and his skin began to shine like metal. He felt the weight of mortality lift from him, replaced by the power of a god.
Tvasta's voice echoed in his mind one last time.
"You now possess the power to oppose even the divine order. Kavi's power shattered the human limit and advanced further on the path to godhood. But unlike Ansh, he did not stop at low-tier godhood—he reached mid-tier godhood. You are no longer a low-tier god, Kavi. You have become a god-tier existence—one who can forge metal and bend the fabric of creation."
As the transformation completed, Tvasta's form dissolved into golden dust, circling Kavi's hand before merging into his divine aura.
Meanwhile, Ansh was attacking in rage in all directions. His entire body was covered in injuries, and his anger had reached its limit. There was no pain in his eyes—only fury, as if he had decided that even if he died today, he would drag all the monsters down with him.
Kavi slowly opened his eyes. His injuries were filling with golden divine energy. He looked at his hand—it glowed with a faint golden light, the power of creation flowing through it.
When he looked around, the battlefield had changed. The monsters that once seemed invincible now appeared fragile. Kavi felt the earth beneath him, the metal in the air, and the power of the world bend to his will.
Without wasting a moment, Kavi raised his hand. A massive wall of metal rose from the ground and crashed into the roaring horde of monsters. Their advance was halted, and they were forced back before the overwhelming force of his will.
The guild members who were on the brink of defeat stood stunned. The ground trembled as metal spears erupted from the earth, piercing the monsters that dared approach the village.
Ansh, still fighting despite his injuries, saw Kavi—standing tall, radiant with divine power. For the first time, a sense of relief washed over Ansh. Kavi was no longer just a companion; he had become a god, one who had turned the tide of battle. Ansh was crying, but with happiness.
With a thunderous roar, Kavi charged at the enemies. With every movement, waves of metal surged forth, cutting down monsters with precision and beauty. What had seemed like a hopeless war moments ago now tilted in their favor.
When the last monster finally fell, Kavi stood at the edge of the battlefield, his breathing heavy. The golden glow around him dimmed, but the power within him remained stable and unwavering. He was no longer the Kavi who struggled just to survive. He was now the God of Metal—a power meant to be feared.
Behind him, weapons emerged from the earth, their radiant forms gleaming in the twilight.
"You did well, Ansh," Kavi said. "But this is only the beginning. Greater battles lie ahead, and you must be prepared."
Ansh nodded. Countless possibilities raced through his mind. He had received a blessing—power beyond imagination. But with that power came responsibility, and he knew this battle was far from over.
Night began to descend upon the battlefield. Kavi looked toward the village, where Tara and the others were still holding the front. He had become a god, but his duty was not yet complete. The portals were still open, and monsters would continue to come.
"Rest now," Kavi said to Ansh, and then protected him inside an iron barrier.
Kavi stood fully prepared to face every challenge that was yet to come.