There were numerous gigantic statues the size of skyscrapers with extremely detailed decorations. But the surprising thing wasn’t their size or the details on them: most of the statues were up in the sky supporting even larger buildings. An overbridge connected buildings in the sky. The floor of the bridge was golden, and the handrail was made of white silver, and there were animals with wings flying next to them.
Looking at the scene, which was against the law of physics, made Sungjin speechless for a while. So this is the center, is it?
There were two long paths in front of him. Each path led to two mysterious gigantic temples. Along the paths were several huge buildings. On the left path, there was a pure white temple with blooming flowers that reached to the sky, and on the right path, there was a golden temple of the same size decorated with jewels
The Valkyrie came to them again.
[Now that you are here, let me explain again.]
The Valkyrie continued.
[There are two guardians of the center. Each path will lead you to one of the guardians. The buildings on your way will give you food, training and rest, and each building will have a magic square for teleporting, so you can get around easily.]
“Two…”
[You can challenge the guardians twice each. If you fail both times, that will be the end of your challenge, so be careful.]
So the first time is to learn about the guardian, and on the second fight, I have to win. Sungjin’s brain started to calculate quickly. And that’s it… so, until now it was a league, but now it is a tournament?
It was a tournament where there wasn’t a consolation round and where he couldn’t go back with his result. It was his choice to come there, but it was a rough future that he had to face.
Hmph. I will win this. That was the only way, not just for him but for the girls who came there for him. He felt his heart pounding to think of the strong guardians waiting for him. And there are only two. It won’t take too long. As soon as he defeated them, he would be able to go back to the continent to take care of the people there. “So who are those two?”
[The two guardians are those who unified this world and challenged the gods.
They were defeated and stuck here as a punishment.
And those guardians will try to stop you.]
When the Valkyrie revealed the identity of the two guardians, the girls were terrified.
The enemies in the center… the legendary two Kaisers who were invincible…
There were only two people who had won the power to rule the whole world in the history of Valhalla. They were undeniably powerful and legendary people. Unlike Kapitle or Pedrain, who had conquered one part of the world during a short amount of time, they were the strongest of the world throughout history.
And they were staying here to stop the challengers…
[If they win, they will get another chance as well. Gods are expecting a great battle.]
The Valkyrie disappeared as soon as it finished the sentence, and Sungjin’s girls became even more terrified. They will try their best… to get their second chance… They wouldn’t let their guard down even for a second in order to get their second chance. The girls wondered if they had any hope in this fight.
“Hahahaha.” Sungjin’s laughter lightened up the heavy atmosphere around them. “They are awesome opponents.” He looked back to see everyone. “They are strong, but let’s win this so the extras from other continents can live happily without abuse from the heroes.”
Sungjin’s words made the girls smile. His new opponents were much stronger, but Sungjin was a man who could take that challenge, and that’s why the girls had followed him. There was no reason to be scared. “Yes.”
“Good. So which way should we go first?” Sungjin looked at the two paths. One is silver, the other is gold. Two Kaisers… that’s right. The history of Valhalla said that the first Kaiser opened the golden era and the second Kaiser opened the silver era.
Those eras were a long time ago, and there was no clear record of the eras, and what records remained were not coherent, so it was difficult to know what kind of era they were.
At least there are some records on the silver era, which was the recent one.
Kaiser of white silver Varka. He was praised as the great emperor who ruled the world with order and peace and was called the symbol of merciful rulership. It was told that he took care of national affairs, and that his power was absolutely indisputable.
“He was invincible… Should we face the legend and check out how strong he is? Let’s try the left first.”
“Yes.” It was Sungjin’s choice. The girls were happy to follow.
They headed to the temple on the left side. The path had so many spectacles on the way that they actually enjoyed the walk and took their time. The buildings on their way provided heavenly services, just like the Valkyrie had told them.
“Huh…” Ereka tasted a dish and sighed.
“What’s wrong?”
“I don’t think I can cook anything better than this.”
Endless food was provided but Ereka’s concern was not the shortage of food. It was my little pleasure to cook for Sungjin… sigh. The pleasure she had in cooking for her guy would be challenging to find here.
“I kind of like the food here, but I prefer your dishes.”
“Really…?”
“Yeah.” Sungjin didn’t want to criticize Ereka’s dishes, which were made with love and care, by taste and skill.
Sungjin’s kind words made Ereka blush. Sungjin… She was happy that he told her that. But I can’t be happy with that. After the fight, I will analyze ingredients and techniques to cook something amazing for Sungjin.
They walked for a while talking about insignificant things, but the important moment was before them. The gigantic temple stood in front of them.
In the center of the pure white temple was a huge statue of a giant. The statue was made of pure silver without any dust on it. The giant sat on a throne with his right leg on his left leg and his head on his arm. He looked like he was in deep thought.
Is it a semi-seated contemplative pose?
The giant statue’s eyes started to shoot rays of light to create a person in front of Sungjin. He was also in a semi-seated contemplative pose on the throne. With a crown decorated with jewels on his head, he wore a robe that looked like the royal robe of an emperor. It was a rare style here, but it was a familiar robe to Sungin.
It looks like a royal robe from the empire of some Chinese historical drama.
But it was difficult to define the era just by the look.
Well, there’s no reason that robe is from the China from my earth.
Sungjin looked at the guy more closely. He was a middle-aged man with black hair. His firm lips, thick eyebrows and sharp nose showed that he was a dignified man with strong faith. He was covering himself with his huge royal robe, but Sungjin was able to see that the body under the robe was well-trained just from glancing at its silhouette.
He is a Kaiser who conquered an era. His body is strong from the battlefields.
But it was strange, because Sungjin was not able to feel a strong energy. It was stronger than the energy from regular people, but it was less than what he expected from the legendary Kaiser.
Well, I’m sure you are hiding it. I shouldn’t judge a book by its cover.
Then, the guy opened his eyes. “A new challenger… it’s been a while.”
“You must have been bored?”
“Yes. It was a long time to wait.”
“Would you like to introduce yourself? No, let me start first.” As the one who was challenging him, Sungjin decided to be polite. He was the one who conquered the world before Sungjin, even if Sungjin was planning to defeat him, so Sungjin wanted to show his respect.
“I’m Cha Sungjin. I conquered the southern continent to get the qualification to challenge the center. I’m from earth. I was a player who wanted to become a pro gamer. My current level is 1, and…” Sungjin pointed at him with his index finger. “I’m the one who will defeat you.”
“Earth… I miss that name.”
“What?” That surprised Sungjin and the girls. Is he… the former Kaiser who was from earth?
Sungjin asked, “Did you come from the earth as well?”
“Haha. I’m not sure if my earth is the same as yours.” The guy smiled. “That doesn’t really matter. I, and the Kaiser before me, challenged here to become a god by the end of our reign only to fail and become stuck here as guardians. But I’ve defeated five conquerors who challenged here. Now you are the sixth. When I defeat you, I will be able to change my place with yours.”
“So, this could be your second chance that you won’t miss?” Sungjin smiled to show him that it was what he wanted as well.
“But I’m not wanting that chance.”
“What do you mean?”
“I can just let you take over, depending on you.”
“What is this?” It was a good offer, but Sungjin frowned. He was expecting a fierce fight, and the withdrawal of his opponent was a disappointment, but it would be meaningless to push an opponent who didn’t want to fight.
“There’s one condition.”
“Ha. That’s what I expected.”
“If you become the new Kaiser, you have to create the world that I wanted to create.”
“Ha. That’s your condition.” Sungjin smiled as if he now understood everything, and Sungjin was able to understand him: he was someone who was a seeker of truth. What he wanted was to pursue his vision and follow his truth, not his victory… although that didn’t mean he was an easy opponent. A seeker of truth would use everything to find his truth.
“So let me ask you: what is the world you want to create?” A few circles appeared on Varka’s pupils. It looked like the loops to turn the world were in his eyes. “Hmph. There’s nothing to hide.”
“I will become an Arc Master to create a world of democracy with natural human rights,” Sungjin answered with his chest out.
“Democracy… is that what you want?” The loops started to shine in Varka’s pupils. “Do you know the word?”
“Yes. It’s a system where the people take their own responsibility for their fate.” Is he really from earth?
“And that’s why you want to become an Arc Master?”
“That’s right. Becoming a Kaiser wouldn’t be enough to create such a world.” It was an impossible world when there was still an absolute power difference between the heroes and the extras.
“But there’s a limit for regular people. You came here with your power, not with people’s power.”
“I won’t deny that.” The people had tried to help him in his latest fight. That was meaningful, and Sungjin was grateful for their help, but it only happened once, and…
he would have won regardless, even without their help.
A moving image appeared in front of Varka. “People are stupid. When they have freedom, they use it to destroy themselves. I’m sure you’ve seen it, if you are from Earth.”
It was a country suffering from tyranny. People had to follow the freedomless rule of the tyrant made from steel and blood. They were able to eat, survive, and sleep under a roof, but that was it.
A revolutionary force tried to bring democracy and freedom to the country, and finally… freedom came: the freedom of destruction.
Tribes started a war among themselves. Social classes started a war among themselves. Religions started a war among themselves.
The order kept by the tyrant was gone, and people killed themselves in chaotic civil wars. The result was famine and orphans who looked for their mothers in ruins.
“Do you think those kids wanted a vote or a house to live in with their parents?” Dead bodies were everywhere on the streets. Some had been beaten to death and some had been killed by diseases. “People are stupid. Giving them freedom will only lead them to their destruction. Can’t you see?” Varka asked Sungjin with a stern attitude.
It was not a fiction, but Sungjin also saw it on the news and read it in history books..
“What they really need is stability and order to survive and eat, not a chance to put a stamp on a piece of paper. So now, I ask you again: would you say leaving a child next to water is love or holding the child to keep it safe is love? You are beyond a normal human; why don’t you try to control them for their well-being?”