[386] : God of War Artosh Level—Origin Point of Gods!

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After the past two days, Mika and Ivan were already quite familiar with each other.

Compared to the reserved Riku and the excitable Aley, Ivan was much more talkative. According to the others, he was like the big brother of their group, always looking out for them.

'Recalling that scene from my memory, Riku must have been in immense pain when he ordered Ivan to die,' Mika thought, shaking his head slightly.

He then turned his attention to the little girl who was curiously staring at him. It was Ivan's daughter, Nonna. She was nestled in her father's arms, peeking over his shoulder at Mika.

"Why are you staring intently, Nonna?" Mika reached out and gently poked her cheek with a smile.

He remembered her as well. In the original story, when Riku and Aley returned to the settlement, they had met her as she was looking for her father.

The sorrow of that scene was unforgettable. To lose her father at such a young age, in such an environment—she would have been forced to grow up far too quickly. And for a child, growing up too soon is never a good thing.

But this world was cruel like that.

Now, watching her held tightly in her father's arms, a bright smile on her face, a genuine smile also spread across Mika's lips. Although he never saw himself as a savior, never made "saving others" the basis for his actions, seeing people saved because of what he'd done gave him a deep sense of satisfaction.

It might have been self-indulgent, but he quite liked the feeling. As long as it didn't interfere with his own goals, he didn't mind creating more scenes like this.

"Because big brother is handsome. Even prettier than daddy," Nonna said without a hint of hesitation.

Her words made Mika, Athena, and Ivan all laugh at the same time.

"No, Nonna, you have to say daddy is the most handsome," Ivan playfully protested.

"Now, now, Ivan. A father shouldn't teach his child to lie," Mika chimed in, continuing the lighthearted banter.

As a father, Ivan didn't want to lose this battle, even though there was no real comparison.

Mika was handsome to begin with, and after several physical transformations, he had become even more so. The people here, on the other hand, barely managed to stay healthy.

In their environment, food was scarce. Even with Riku's leadership ensuring the two thousand people were fed, it was only at a subsistence level.

Only those who went on expeditions received better rations to maintain a healthy state. To send anyone less than healthy out into the harsh wilderness would be a death sentence.

As a result, Mika and Athena, simply by standing among the people of the settlement, stood out like a crane among chickens. Their appearance, their complexion, their very aura—it was completely different.

It was no wonder Nonna had made such an innocent remark.

Nonna's comment broke the ice, and the atmosphere around Mika's group became more lively.

The surrounding settlers, who had been too intimidated by Mika and Athena's special status to approach, now gathered around, joining in on the teasing, mostly at Ivan's expense for thinking he was handsome.

When Couronne returned from preparing their room, this was the scene she found.

"It seems Mika and Athena are quite popular," she teased with a light laugh, walking up to them.

"It's not about being popular. It's just normal interaction. It's probably just because you rarely get outsiders here," Mika retorted easily, not one to be easily flustered. With just a few words, he left Couronne speechless. She conceded defeat.

After dispersing the crowd, she led Mika and Athena to the room she had prepared.

"Please follow me. You two will be staying in my room for the next few days. I've already cleaned it out."

"Oh, but we couldn't possibly take your room, Couronne," Athena said gently.

"It's no problem at all! I can just stay with a friend during this time. As Mika said before, because we don't get outsiders, we don't really have any spare rooms," Couronne quickly explained.

In reality, it wasn't just that they didn't have many spare rooms; they had none at all. This cave had been built when Riku became leader, when the settlement had only a thousand people.

Now, there were nearly two thousand. The population had grown by several hundred in just five years, all of them newborns.

And in all that time, only forty-seven people had died.

Even with their initial planning, the cave was now at its maximum capacity. It was inside a mountain, after all. Any careless digging could cause a collapse, leaving everyone homeless.

"Besides, whether we're in a room or outside, we're still living in a cave. It's not that different," Couronne said, waving her hands dismissively.

"I understand. In that case, we accept your kind offer," Athena replied, no longer refusing. Mika did the same. They knew that refusing further would only trouble Couronne more.

As honored guests who were here to save them, Couronne would never let them squeeze in with others. Even if they didn't sleep, she would prepare a room. To them, this was the only hospitality they could offer. Not accepting it would only make them lose sleep at night.

Soon, Couronne led them to her room. She had tidied it up, removing any personal touches, leaving it exceptionally clean. After settling them in, she brought them a meal.

Mika could tell at a glance that it was a lavish feast, far beyond their usual standard of living. Mika and Athena could only accept her heartfelt gesture.

Only after ensuring they were completely settled did Couronne finally leave.

The room fell silent, with only Mika and Athena remaining.

They looked at each other for a moment, then Mika sighed softly. "Such sincere hospitality. Now I feel like I have to work even harder."

——————

In a small, cramped room, Mika sat on the floor.

This was Couronne's room, and logically, as the sister of the settlement's leader and one of its few commanders, her quarters should have been larger. But considering the size of Riku's own room, it was no surprise that hers was just as small.

Mika wasn't sitting on the floor because he intended to sleep there, however.

He was on the floor because the tiny room was already full.

Mika, Athena, Yahweh, and Alfia.

Yahweh, who had been traveling with Mika in her Gabriel form, had finally emerged after two days of patience. With her came Alfia. Usually, Alfia would remain quietly within Mika, observing the world through his eyes. But this time, with another goddess for company, she had decided to indulge in a rare moment of willfulness.

Yahweh was currently sitting cross-legged on the bed, animatedly discussing her thoughts on this new world with Athena. Unlike the "floating pixie" form of Gabriel, this version of Yahweh was identical to her true self in appearance and form.

The only difference was that she was not an independent entity; she was a special existence that relied on Mika's power to manifest. If she were to fight, she would be using his strength.

Compared to her, Alfia was far more independent. Even without relying on Mika's power, she possessed considerable strength of her own.

But regardless, neither Yahweh nor Alfia could be of much use in a true battle here. The only ones who could act freely in this divine war were Mika and Athena, both in their complete forms.

"Athena, what's your assessment of our opponent, Artosh? What level of power are we talking about?"

"His power?" Athena pondered Mika's question for a moment before answering cautiously. "I estimate he's at my level, perhaps even slightly stronger."

"Just as I thought," Mika nodded. Athena's answer matched his own deductions.

Although his memories of Artosh's performance in his past life weren't particularly impressive, in this real, tangible world, he was a being who stood at the pinnacle of the gods.

The only level above him would be that of a Creator God.

"Wait, the God of War is 'that' strong?" Alfia asked, surprised. "But this war is still contained within a single planet. I can't imagine the gods participating would be that powerful."

Stronger than Athena? What does that even mean?

Alfia had never seen Athena at her full strength, but she had witnessed the full power of Poseidon's reincarnation. Through Mika's eyes, she had experienced the might of that ultimate warrior. And Poseidon's true form was on the same level as Athena.

From that, Alfia could only imagine how terrifying Athena's true power must be. Yet both Mika and Athena believed this planetary god of war was at least on Athena's level, if not beyond.

Alfia couldn't wrap her head around it.

"You can't think of it that way, Alfia," Mika chuckled, beginning to explain. "Just as the gap between two humans can be unimaginably vast, the same is true for Celestial bodies."

The term "Celestial body" was incredibly broad. The Earth was a Celestial body, but so was the Sun. Could the two be equated? Of course not.

The planet beneath their feet was the origin point of all the gods in this world. It had even birthed the Star Grail, a device that could bestow supreme power. Such a planet was in a league of its own.

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