Humans lived upon the vast earth.
The Gods resided in a special paradise, separate from the world.
According to Brynhildr, that paradise was a super-scale divine artifact. It had been created after the Gods defeated every being they could still call an enemy.
It was the crown that placed the Gods above all living things.
Under normal circumstances, without the guidance of a God, humans had no way to reach the Gods' domain.
That was under normal circumstances.
That was also assuming there were no traitors among the Gods.
Jaden held the key to that special space.
The key Brynhildr had given him before she left.
He stepped forward and entered the paradise of the Gods directly.
Sunlight poured down endlessly. The world before him was flawless, bright, and unreal in its beauty.
Jaden looked around.
The smile on his face slowly widened.
"The Gods who keep humanity like pets in their backyard..."
"Heh."
"I hope you'll be decent challengers."
As his words fell, Jaden completely released his Observation Haki. The moment he located a God, he prepared to move toward the nearest one without hesitation.
Then-
He stopped.
A familiar aura entered his perception.
Jaden turned his head.
Brynhildr was approaching.
Behind her followed twelve Valkyries, each different in height, appearance, and presence. Together, they moved toward him without haste.
"You still came."
Brynhildr spoke when she saw him.
Jaden kept his smile and shrugged at her, as if greeting an old acquaintance.
"I said before that I'd bring a real Twilight of the Gods to those arrogant Gods."
"So?"
"What are you planning to do now?"
The moment he said it, all thirteen Valkyries felt it.
A sharp, instinctive sense of danger surged through them.
From a purely rational perspective, Jaden was just a human.
A human without a divine artifact.
And yet-
The feeling was completely reversed.
It felt as though they, Gods and demi-Gods, were the weak ones.
And the human standing before them was the strong.
That sensation, paired with the calm confidence on Jaden's face-confidence that wasn't ostentatious or forced-created a strange illusion.
As if it wasn't Jaden challenging the pantheon alone.
But the pantheon preparing to gather everything they had...
Just to challenge him.
The positions felt inverted.
But in truth, Jaden didn't feel they were inverted at all.
To him, this was simply how things should be.
Brynhildr had already given him basic information about the Gods. It wasn't complete. It didn't include their final trump cards.
But it was enough.
Enough to understand them.
The God King Zeus he had defeated before...
He really had been the God King.
The strongest God in the current divine realm.
But Zeus hadn't carried a divine artifact in that battle.
And that was crucial.
A large portion of a God's strength could only be fully brought out through their divine artifacts.
Especially Zeus, who was rumored to possess more than one.
Because of that-
Jaden felt something rare.
If he faced a pantheon like this...
Even he might be able to go all out.
A truly satisfying battle.
One he hadn't experienced in a long time.
Perhaps one he would never experience again.
So in his eyes, this situation wasn't complicated at all.
The conclusion was simple.
-The weak challenge the strong. That's all.
Brynhildr could more or less read Jaden's thoughts from his expression. He wasn't hiding them.
So she spoke plainly.
"We're here to help you."
"Help me?"
Jaden paused.
Brynhildr smiled.
"Yes. Challenging the entire pantheon alone would indeed be an unprecedented feat."
"A grand achievement."
"But even legendary heroes are allowed to arm themselves before facing a powerful enemy."
Her expression turned serious.
"All Valkyries have the ability to choose a warrior."
"And through Divine Artifact Forging, we can transform ourselves into that warrior's equipment."
She extended her hand toward him.
"King of Man."
"Please use our power."
"Let us face the Gods with you."
Jaden felt an immediate urge to refuse.
Because he genuinely didn't feel he needed it.
However-
Light erupted behind Brynhildr.
The twelve Valkyries released rays of different colors, one after another, and transformed into twelve Royal Orbs that hovered in the air behind her.
Jaden looked at them.
He paused.
Then he laughed.
"So you're the Royal Orbs."
"In that case..."
He reached out and grabbed Brynhildr's hand.
"Come."
Light burst from Brynhildr's body as well.
Her form began to change within it.
As she transformed, her voice rang out clearly.
"The hero who faces the Gods alone for humanity."
"The unprecedented."
"And perhaps never-to-be-surpassed."
"Please use our power however you wish."
The thirteen Royal Orbs surged toward Jaden in the light.
Jaden snorted softly.
"Don't misunderstand."
"I didn't come here for humanity."
As their power settled onto him, Jaden continued walking forward, guided by his Observation Haki.
His tone remained casual.
"The only reason I'm here..."
"...is because the weaklings here provoked me."
"That's all."
-
Inside the largest building of the Gods' paradise, more than ninety percent of the resident Gods were gathered.
Unlike humans-who panicked, felt pressure, and even rushed to curry favor when they learned the King of Man had offended the Gods-
The Gods felt no pressure at all.
There was anger.
There was disdain.
But above all-
Mockery.
It was like a tiny insect flying around your clothes.
You wouldn't even notice unless you paid attention.
And if you did, you'd either swat it away in irritation...
Or laugh at it.
Laugh at its ignorance.
Laugh at its arrogance.
Laugh at how little it understood its own place.
That was exactly how it felt to them.
Such a trivial matter couldn't affect their lives in the slightest.
While humanity held its breath, the Gods were holding a banquet.
They even used the incident as entertainment.
"Only the King of Man himself is left in the royal capital now. I hear humans have started calling him the 'Foolish King.'"
"How amusing."
"Humans are nothing more than hairless monkeys. Ignorance is natural for animals."
"Hahahaha! Humans challenging the Gods? That joke never gets old."
The discussion echoed throughout the hall.
Those not participating merely watched.
Some sighed.
Some sneered.
But without exception, every God present believed Jaden's actions were ridiculous.
Foolish.
Then-
Clap.
The lights went out.
Before the Gods who could create light had time to react-
The doors of the grand hall were kicked open.
A blinding white light poured in from outside.
A light that seemed capable of swallowing everything.
Within it stood a single black silhouette.
The figure stepped forward.
Slowly.
Some Gods recognized him immediately.
Because the one who walked in-
Was Jaden.
He entered calmly.
He looked at the Gods submerged in darkness.
There was no fear in his eyes.
No reverence.
No hatred.
Only a smile.
He spread his hands slightly and spoke, his tone peaceful-almost friendly.
Like greeting a neighbor.
"Gods."
"Are you ready to welcome the twilight?"
He laughed softly.
"Oh, I'm really looking forward to this."
"Go on."
"Show me everything you have."
"Use your abilities."
"Pour out all your strength."
"Entertain me."
As he spoke, Jaden's eyes fully opened.
He had always been someone who grew excited in battle.
It was just that, after becoming too strong, most fights no longer stirred that feeling.
But now-
Facing the Gods alone-
Just imagining it sent a thrill through him.
Even the weakest challengers, if there were enough of them, could become decent toys.
And the Gods?
They were excellent toys.
Feeling that long-lost excitement, Jaden smiled wider.
"Come on."
"Satisfy me."
"Let me fight with my full strength."
"Just once."
"Gods."