Player's Journey In Anime World

"Hey! Hurry up, I can't keep this hidden for long!"

At this moment, the goddess of revenge, Erinye, looked anxious, faint beads of sweat dripping from her forehead. It was evident that she was the key to allowing these deities to sneak into the dungeon silently.

"Relax, it'll be quick!"

A savage grin spread across Zeus's face. The king of Olympus raised one hand high, and a spear of lightning instantly formed in his palm. The once untamed thunder suddenly became obedient in Zeus's grip.

"Die, insect!"

Zeus hurled the spear of thunder at Ryou. In an instant, accompanied by electric sparks scattering in all directions, the spear unleashed a cacophony akin to thousands of birds screeching in unison. It pierced through the space between them, appearing before Ryou in the blink of an eye.

Not daring to be careless, Ryou raised his right hand and used the energy gem to absorb all of Zeus's lightning. However, this time, he distinctly felt an overload of energy conversion, making it hard to endure; his entire body ached faintly. With narrowed eyes, Ryou realized that even the seemingly invincible root gems revealed unexpected vulnerabilities in his grasp. It proved that true strength came from within. Otherwise, possessing all six root gems would only make him another imitator, not a true powerhouse like Thanos.

Ryou quickly cast aside these distracting thoughts. This opponent was unlike the minor enemies he had faced before—any lapse in attention could mean death. When Zeus saw his full-strength attack neutralized so effortlessly, his expression turned ghastly. The battlefield was crowded with other gods, all watching.

If he couldn't quickly defeat a mortal, where would the dignity of the King of Olympus lie?

Zeus's fury was matched only by his growing greed.

If such a lowly mortal could wield power to rival him with this artifact, what would happen if it fell into his own hands?

The thought thrilled him.

Zeus's face twisted further as he extended a large hand, his palm facing Ryou. From a distance, he mimed a grasping motion, and countless dazzling bolts of lightning materialized, forming an enormous electric prison that descended upon Ryou.

Nearby, Loki sauntered up to Athena with a sly grin.

"Who do you think will win?"

Athena's face immediately turned icy.

"Loki, I warn you, we're not close. Stay away from me!"

Unperturbed by her hostility, Loki merely chuckled suggestively.

"Oh, come now, darling. After all, during that time, we shared so many wonderful nights. I can still recall your adorable, bashful expressions in bed. Truly irresistible~"

Boom!

The gods watching the battle were startled by a sudden loud noise nearby and turned their heads in shock. It turned out Athena had drawn a massive golden staff and smashed it onto Loki's head, reducing her to a puddle of pulp. Hera, who often clashed with Athena, immediately wore a schadenfreude-laden smirk. Recently, rumors of Athena and Loki's scandal had been spreading like wildfire among the gods. The proud goddess of war had been tricked and imprisoned by the goddess of mischief for over six months. When she was finally rescued by the Olympians, she had been pushed to her limits.

Normally, such a scandal would be buried by the Olympians, but Athena's arrogant personality alienated many deities. Consequently, no one defended her, and many took pleasure in her humiliation. Now, seeing Athena crush Loki in a rage, the surrounding gods showed no surprise.

"Ah, what a close call~"

Loki emerged unscathed from the shadows as the pile of pulp on the ground vanished.

"Hmph!"

Athena snorted coldly, turning away, but a fleeting, venomous glint flashed in her eyes.

Back on the battlefield, facing the overwhelming electric grid, Ryou calmly raised his gauntleted right hand. This time, the blue gem on the gauntlet glowed brightly, and his body transformed into a flash of blue light, appearing directly behind Zeus! Having absorbed and converted Zeus's energy, Ryou's vengeance energy surged to its peak, wrapping around his right fist.

Amplify Damage! Enhance Strength! Mana Burst! World's Ruler! Reversal of the War God!

Just like a seasoned skeleton undead stacking buffs before a battle, Ryou activated every skill to amplify his strength. He tightened his core, drew back his fist, and stepped forward with his left foot, channeling his full power into a punch aimed at the back of Zeus's head. The air cracked under immense pressure as countless fist shadows merged into one, hurtling toward Zeus's skull. If this punch landed, Zeus would undoubtedly suffer catastrophic damage, if not death itself.

At the critical moment, Zeus's battle-hardened instincts saved him. Sensing danger, he reflexively transformed into lightning, darting forward to evade. Though he narrowly avoided a direct hit, Ryou's punch grazed him, causing Zeus to spew golden blood. The gods gasped audibly. Even a glancing blow had severely injured Zeus. Had the punch connected fully, it might have crushed his head entirely! Their gazes fixated on Ryou—or, more precisely, the mysterious gauntlet on his right hand. Such a divine artifact, capable of allowing a mortal to overpower an ancient god-king, was unprecedented.

Zeus's face turned ashen. Publicly humiliated by a mortal, his reputation as King of Olympus lay in shambles.

"Odin! Have your people join me! Let's kill this insect and split the artifact!"

Zeus shouted in desperation, ready to abandon all pretense. The one-eyed Odin agreed without much hesitation.

Who wouldn't be tempted by such a divine artifact?

After all, gods are merely more powerful beings with their desires and cravings.

Unbeknownst to him, the gods surrounded Ryou at the center. "Mortal, if you hand over the artifact in your possession now, I shall grant you a painless death. Otherwise, I will rip out your soul and subject it to eternal torment!"

Zeus threatened. The other gods displayed malicious smiles, their intentions clear. Only Loki felt a sliver of unease. Ryou's composure was unsettling. Despite being surrounded by ten powerful gods, his face showed not the slightest hint of panic.

Does this guy have some sort of ace up his sleeve?

Loki muttered inwardly, subtly retreating a few steps while his fingers behind his back moved in cryptic gestures.

The gods, fixated on Ryou, failed to notice Loki's small actions—except for Athena. She kept her eyes on Loki's every move from start to finish. Athena's sharp gaze caught every one of Loki's actions, yet she remained silent. Instead, a mocking smile flickered across her face.

Facing the encircling gods, Ryou calmly scanned them and gave a slight nod.

"Not too many, not too few. Ten is just right. Their strength makes them perfect as sacrifices."

"What nonsense are you muttering about!" roared Thor, the most hot-tempered among them. He raised his massive hammer, crackling with lightning, and swung it toward Ryou.

"World Separation!"

Ignoring Thor's devastating strike, Ryou coldly uttered those words. In the next instant, the world changed. The sky turned into an endless expanse of stars, and the ground beneath their feet transformed into a mirror-like lake reflecting their images.

The gods were shocked. They immediately felt their connection to the world severed! This was no small matter. The gods' superiority over mortals stemmed from their dominion over divine powers and the world's laws. Without these, they were merely mortals with extraordinary strength.

"You despicable mortal! What have you done?!"

Thor's hammer halted mid-swing as he realized in horror that his divine power had completely vanished. The once-mighty Mjolnir was now nothing more than an ordinary iron hammer.

Ryou smirked inwardly.

Haven't they heard that villains meet their end through their hubris?

In the next moment, Ryou appeared directly before Thor and launched a punch aimed at his head. Thor instinctively raised Mjolnir to block the attack.

Boom!

The hammer, stripped of its divine power, shattered instantly under Ryou's fist. The punch continued with unstoppable force, crushing Thor's face and causing his head to explode. Thor became the first sacrifice. A surge of pure, indescribable energy flowed into Ryou's body. It felt as though it illuminated his path forward, opening the door to the next stage of his journey.

Meanwhile, the gods' faces darkened. Zeus, Odin, Ouranus, and their brethren exchanged solemn glances, fully aware of the gravity of the situation. This power—none understood it better than these god-kings. It was the hallmark of a creator god. Though it seemed crude and undeveloped, the world Ryou had created was clearly functional and entirely severed from the Danmachi World. Its unique laws governed it independently. This mortal couldn't possibly possess such an ability on his own; it had to be the artifact he held. Zeus and the others directed their greedy gazes at the gauntlet on Ryou's hand. Desire blazed in their hearts like wildfire.

After eons of scheming, their ultimate goal was to seize the dungeon's core artifact to ascend to the rank of creator god.

Now, another artifact of similar power was right before them.

What to do?

Fight!

Without exchanging a word, these ancient foxes unleashed their ultimate moves simultaneously.

Ryou was startled as the gods suddenly erupted in power. Their overwhelming auras surged, splitting the world into two halves. One half remained his starry expanse with the mirror-like lake, while the other formed a patchwork of environments: raging thunderstorms, vast oceans, barren wastelands, expansive skies, and a colossal, sky-shrouding tree.

Ryou's expression darkened. The gods had shed much of their suppression, regaining enough power to threaten his life. It wasn't going to be that easy after all, he thought. Ryou had acted alone deliberately, hoping to bait the gods into revealing themselves. With World Separation, he silenced their interference and completed the first stage of his ascension. But now, he'd drawn out far more formidable opponents than expected. No more tricks—this would come down to raw power.

Scanning the gods, Ryou quickly assessed the situation. Ouranus matched his strength, while the others were slightly weaker. The gods refrained from attacking immediately, taking time to adapt to their fluctuating powers. But Ryou had no intention of fighting fair.

In a flash of blue light, he appeared beside Erinye, the red-haired goddess. He buffed himself with every enhancement and punched straight through her chest.

"Impudent mortal!"

Zeus roared, hurling a thunderous spear toward Ryou. Erinye was a critical piece in their infiltration of the dungeon, and her loss jeopardized their entire plan. Ryou, however, remained unfazed. To the gods, mortals were ants—tools to be used and discarded. But to him, the gods were no better. With Zeus's spear as a signal, the gods finally abandoned their dignity and launched a unified attack. And at that moment, Ryou made his move.