After Roan finished dismantling the sea monster…

“Good work. I’ll leave it to your clan to dispose of this monster’s body.”

Woohyuk praised the surviving members of the Amaterasu clansmen and gave them a reward, the body of the sea monster.

Even the leftovers of elite monsters possessed high value as alchemy and production material.

At Woohyuk’s benevolent treatment, Ryosuke bowed down to his waist with a surprised expression.

“T-Thank you! How can we ever repay this grace…”

“Keep an eye on the island until I return. That’s your only job.”

Of course, it would be foolish to blindly believe in Ryosuke without taking any action.

Before leaving, Woohyuk summoned Ryosuke and made him sign a master-slave contract.

“Eh, were you a d-demon? I hadn’t felt any demonic energy…”

“My situation is a little bit peculiar.”

In his previous life, Woohyuk was an archangel, and in the present life, he was a human. After being called into this world, he succeeded the position of a former Demon Lord.

If one thought about this progression with some common sense, his image and reputation seemed to be getting worse and worse.

However, Woohyuk didn’t care about this perception.

‘Whatever others choose to call me, I’m just me.’

A being who keeps moving forward with his own subjectivity.

In this turbulent world, he thought this approach was enough.

Before long, he arrived with his party at the ruins of Einherjar…

“In the past, there was one king who conquered vast territories. Do you know what he did when he visited a small village and saw a carriage tangled in rope?” Woohyuk summoned Verserios and asked Helena a question.

She tilted her head in confusion at his sudden, outrageous words and looked at him.

“Well, what did he do?”

“He pulled out a sword and cut the rope. He didn’t consider untying the knot.”

Sometimes, there were situations that required bold decisions.

Those bold decisions could be counterproductive in the end, but it was an easier decision at the moment.

‘It’s probably impossible for Helena to lift the G.o.ds’ complex security barriers.’

If so, destroying it with demon power would be enough.

As Woohyuk swung Verserios in the air,

Ji-Ji-Ji-Ji-Ji-Ji!

A spark flashed momentarily on the steep rock wall, and the main landscape began to crumble.

It was a form of stealth magic.

In addition, there were two layers of exclusion magic that blocked the access of unauthorized intruders into the ruins.

“Keuk!”

When the exclusion magic was triggered and the shockwave emanated out, Woohyuk clenched his jaw.

If he was a normal human being, he wouldn’t be able to bear the damage and would have instantly perished.

However, Woohyuk had a much higher mental power thanks to the hidden cla.s.ses he had earned so far, so he managed to withstand the shockwave. 

ChwAh!

With Verserios, he destroyed the double barrier. Between the cracks, a ruin that was carved into the rock wall appeared.

“So, that’s where the dimensional transmission device that leads to heaven is,” Helena remarked.

“Do you want to go? To the upper level where the G.o.ds stay…” Woohyuk replied.

“Not really. I’m fairly certain I won’t be welcomed.”

It was rare for even holy disciples to be given preferential treatment by the G.o.ds.

As Helena followed Woohyuk feet into the ruins, she asked aloud,

“But where is the guardian who maintains this place? The G.o.ds wouldn’t have left such an important base unattended with only a double barrier magic spell.”

“There certainly is a guardian. However, it’s more like a ghost that can’t sleep,” replied Woohyuk.

The ghost Woohyuk referred to was Einherjar.

As soon as he finished speaking, a dry man’s voice echoed in the pa.s.sage,

“Amazing. Did you know of my existence from the beginning?”

It was the voice of one of the many heroes recorded in this world’s history.

However, even among these heroes, this man was very special.

Without him, the Holy Aperia Empire would have collapsed during the Demon War.

“Of course, Reinhardt. You’re a proud paladin who existed in unfortunate times.”

“…”

Step. Step.

Reinhardt silently walked toward Woohyuk.

He was not a mere mirage, but a ghost that possessed a corporeal body.

However, his lifeless body carried a cold energy.

“I will set you free from the bondage that lasted for past thousands of years. I apply for a prestigious one-on-one duel.”

“… What’s your name? I’ll refuse the duel unless you reveal how I arrived in this predicament,” Reinhardt said, raising his s.h.i.+eld instead of his long sword.

His actions represented a willingness to defend to the end.

Woohyuk spoke with an expression of expectation,

“I am Chun Woohyuk. I learned about this in the past when restoring the Nag Hammad Chronicles. You met me then.”

“No matter how much I think about it, what you’re saying is a lie. Even though the G.o.ds have turned me into this state, the memories of my past have not been touched.”

“What you’re saying is true. However, my words are absolutely true. After I defeated you in the past, I met the G.o.ddesses of Fate and returned to the past,” Woohyuk said. He went on to briefly explain the past to Reinhardt.

Reinhardt was silent for a moment before speaking,

“There’s no way for you to prove that. Thus, I will ask… Why did you visit this place without the Nag Hammadi Chronicles?”

“Many things have changed from the past. The existing plan I had has been derailed, and I don’t have much time to spare.”

“… Such a troublesome man. What’s your purpose for doing such unreasonable things?”

“I will radically change this world. I will prevent an exclusive transcendental person, like the Creator, from ever controlling the system again.”

That was the ultimate goal of the Odyssey Plan.

After hearing Woohyuk’s words, Reinhardt looked puzzled.

‘You’re an amazing human in many ways,’ Reinhardt thought.

A long time ago, his friend had said something similar.

He was Roland of the Trinity Knights.

He helped Etheria Rodinus, who was being pursued at the time by the Empire for stealing the Holy Grail and eventually faced a miserable death.

Roland was like himself, a person who was eliminated by his enemies after pursuing only n.o.ble ideals.

‘Also, the woman next to him looks very much like Sophia.’

Sophia was a beautiful Saintess who became Solomon’s disciple.

Helena mirrored Sophia’s figure and looks.

Reinhardt glanced at Helena and saw the ring that she was wearing.

‘Etheria Rodinus.’

He wasn’t just feeling things or was mistaken.

Once he roughly grasped the situation, Reinhardt spoke to Woohyuk,

“I think I know why you guys are here. Now the question in my mind seems to be resolved to some extent.”

“If so, will you choose to let us through without objection?” Woohyuk asked.

“No, that’s impossible. The object you want is designed to be obtained only after defeating me,” Reinhardt replied

Thus, no matter what the circ.u.mstances were, their battle was inevitable.

Woohyuk nodded his head and summoned Verserios.

“I will make you sleep comfortably. I believe that you too are hoping for a complete death.”

“Of course. But I cannot close my eyes comfortably unless a true successor appears.”

The reason Reinhardt remained here without becoming Einherjar was that he wanted to convey his will to posterity.

It was the historical restoration of Solomon’s line.

Reinhardt went on to describe the underhanded a.s.sa.s.sination plans that the Church of Light had continued to carry out after his absence. Thus, he thought he was obligated, as a proud paladin, to correct the Church’s wrongs.

“That will, I will become the successor and make your vision a reality. I didn’t know of all this last time because you didn’t tell me,” replied Woohyuk after hearing Reinhardt’s will.

“First off, I will take a look at your skills to see if you qualify. This mission is not something anyone can carry out,” Reinhardt remarked.

Reinhard finally lifted his long sword to the height of his chest.

His action expressed his willingness to fight the opponent.

Woohyuk closely watched Reinhardt’s movement while holding Verserios with both hands.

‘Previously, I fought with him for three days and nights.’

As the best paladin to have ever lived, Reinhardt was easily able to attack and defend at will. He also possessed tremendous strength. He was also very strategic, showing openings to lure his opponent before countering, something that Woohyuk had almost succ.u.mbed to many times in his past life.

‘But this time, I don’t have time.’

Seeing that he was looking for a successor, it was unlikely that he would die easily.

However, if Woohyuk summoned the Demon King, he wouldn’t be recognized as Reinhardt’s successor.

Therefore, Woohyuk had no choice but to win a one-on-one battle with his own battle strength.

“HAp!”

Seeing that Woohyuk wasn’t planning on attacking first, Reinhardt rushed forward in a short spirit.

The balance was broken.

Woohyuk stopped Reinhard’s ambitious attack after observing the blue aura that was left by the trajectory of his long sword.

‘It’s still not easy.’

However, Woohyuk felt that he could deal with the situation much better than last time.

His confidence came from the experience of facing off with extraordinary opponents up to now.

Even though his stats were much lower than Reinhardt’s, Woohyuk was able to predict the movement of Reinhardt’s sword and s.h.i.+eld fairly well.

‘In a battle like this, the smallest difference determines the winner or loser.’

He instinctively knew this from his long experience.

The opponent was a paladin who beat dozens of Demon Kings during the Great Demon War.

It was good to have confidence, but he had to remain vigilant.

Woohyuk leaned his upper body back to avoid the swinging s.h.i.+eld. At the same time, Woohyuk slashed at the bottom corner of Reinhardt’s s.h.i.+eld using Verserios.

KRang!

As the sparks flew, the s.h.i.+eld was lifted upwards momentarily.

Using that timing, Woohyuk moved inward/ Immediately, the blue aura long sword was coming down on Woohyuk’s head.

Hwi-Ing!

The long sword cut the demonic energy barrier Woohyuk created. Reinhardt’s long sword, which carved diagonally away from Woohyuk because of the demonic barrier, then changed direction and immediately aimed at Woohyuk’s heart.

However, as if he had expected it all along, Woohyuk twisted his body and safely avoided Reinhardt’s attack.

‘If you’re feeling relieved here, you’re not worthy,’ Reinhardt thought.

The s.h.i.+eld, which had lost its direction just a moment ago, was starting to descend on Woohyuk again.

Avoiding the long sword would allow the s.h.i.+eld attack to connect and avoiding the s.h.i.+eld would cause the long sword to pierce his heart.

If Woohyuk couldn’t overcome Reinhardt’s speed, he’d have to repeat this process over and over.

‘However, I finally found the paper-thin difference.’

Although the difference was paper-thin, any margin, if used properly was very meaningful in the fight between skilled fighters.

Woohyuk focused his nerves on his senses and drew the expected path of the long sword and s.h.i.+eld in his mind.

After several iterations of following the pattern…

Pu-Ook!

Finally, Woohyuk’s long spear struck Reinhardt’s side utilizing a razor-thin gap.

“Keuk!”

Reinhard sat down, vomiting dark red blood.

Soon, blood flowed through the cracks of his silver plate armor.

It seemed very painful, but Reinhardt praised Woohyuk without changing his expression.

“It was a duel that I will never forget, even if I perish forever.”

“The same is true for me as well.”

“Have I ever been defeated so quickly before? I’m curious to hear since you said you fought me before,” Reinhardt asked.

“At that time, we fought non-stop for three days and nights. When the battle was over, we each had a lot of wounds,” Woohyuk respectfully replied.

However, Woohyuk continued to grow after that fateful, drawn-out fight, reaching his present mental and physical level, though his reset stats and cla.s.s when he re-entered this world was an initial difficulty.

Reinhardt nodded at Woohyuk’s explanation.

“Excellent, young man. I hope you can achieve your goal. In that sense, I wish for you to take this,” Reinhardt said as he leaned on his long sword and held out the dagger on his waist.

After receiving and observing the dagger, Woohyuk made a surprised expression,

‘Wait, what’s this?’