Reincarnated as a failed hero?! Watch me Defy Fate! - Chapter 178

Chapter 178: Cycle of Endless Struggle
Zarion’s POV:

The battle had escalated without warning.

Zephyria and I suddenly found ourselves face-to-face with Gor’mundr, the towering, stone-skinned juggernaut. I lunged forward and delivered a devastating Divine Thunder Kick, launching him backward and tearing him away from Kraytheon.

That was no random move.

I did it deliberately—to separate the two unique monsters and weaken their combined strength. If they fought side by side, their synergy would be devastating. But alone, isolated? That gave us a fighting chance.

“Zephyria, come with me!” I called out, and without hesitation, she followed.

We sped toward the location where Gor’mundr had been hurled. As gods of speed—she of the wind, and I of the storm—we were the perfect match to take on a brute like Gor’mundr, whose movements were slow and deliberate.

When we arrived, the scene was chaos.

Gor’mundr had already gone into a wild frenzy, slamming his massive fists into the mountains around him. The landscape was being torn apart by his rage. He was like a walking earthquake—completely berserk, a mindless force of destruction.

But that madness made him vulnerable.

Zephyria and I didn’t waste the opportunity. We closed in at full speed.

I surged forward with crackling thunder trailing behind me and delivered another explosive [Divine Thunder Kick], aiming to smash him back into the mountains. At the same time, Zephyria unleashed [Divine Wind: Silent Slash], a blade of air so sharp and silent it could slice through steel without a whisper.

We were sure our attacks would do serious damage.

But then—he laughed.

“I won’t be fooled again, you cursed fools!”

Before our attacks could connect, his body changed—its surface transforming into gleaming obsidian, hard as the deepest rock of the underworld.

My kick barely made a dent.

Zephyria’s wind slash didn’t even scratch him.

“Tch! Damn you, that stone hide of yours has always been annoying!” I growled, frustrated, as I launched another series of lightning-charged punches and kicks.

Gor’mundr sneered, his voice laced with scorn. “I knew it was you… Back then, you were nothing without Gaia’s help. She’s not here now. Can you still defeat me without her?”

His words struck a nerve.

Memories surged up—of our first battle years ago. I had been reckless then, younger and less focused. That mistake had nearly cost me my life. We only won because Gaia had intervened. Her elemental sealing magic was the key to bringing Gor’mundr down.

But now Gaia was gone.

It was just me and Zephyria.

And we were going to finish what we started.

There was no other choice.

I clenched my fists and steadied my stance. I could feel the dark aura wrapping around Gor’mundr—it was heavier than before. Stronger. Definitely the influence of the Outer God.

I had to go all out.

“Tch… I thought that smug voice of yours had faded with time, but it’s just as revolting as ever!” I shouted. “Zephyria!”

She turned to me with fierce determination. She understood.

We had to finish him now—before he brought out his ultimate magic.

“I hear you, Zarion! Let’s shred this oversized rock!”

She channeled her power and cast [Speed of the Wind], granting me a tremendous buff. My limbs became lighter, my steps sharper.

I followed up with [Power of the Divine Lightning], sending surges of godly voltage through my body. My speed and explosive power increased by 50%. Divine thunder danced around me, while sacred winds coiled around my legs.

I had become a storm incarnate.

I shot toward Gor’mundr like a bolt of lightning, ready to end this—but he wasn’t idle. He slammed his colossal arms into the ground.

[Seismic Dominion]

The earth rumbled violently. Tremors erupted in all directions as he shaped the terrain to his will, raising walls of stone around him. The ground split and realigned. Pillars of bedrock exploded from the earth to guard him.

At the same time, his obsidian armor thickened. He was entrenching himself behind a fortress of moving earth.

I weaved through the obstacles at breakneck speed, my frustration growing.

“Cowardly giant! Hiding behind rocks?!” I shouted, grinning. “Fine. Let’s turn it up!”

I summoned one of my strongest spells—[Wrath of the Lightning]. Wings of pure lightning unfurled from my back, while a dragon-shaped bolt coiled around my right leg.

With a roar, I leapt into the air, electricity trailing behind me in golden arcs.

I didn’t care about the stone walls anymore.

I would break through all of it.

I spun mid-air and unleashed my mightiest kick.

CRASH! BAM! BOOM!

My divine lightning tore through the barriers, smashing rock after rock until I reached Gor’mundr’s core.

And then—impact.

My thunder-charged kick slammed into him with earth-shattering force. Obsidian cracked, splintered, and then shattered. His armor couldn’t withstand the divine fury I unleashed.

“HRAAAHH! BREAK!!” I roared, landing a devastating blow to his right side. My kick pierced through, tearing a gaping wound in his abdomen.

Gor’mundr screamed and was launched backward—crashing into the side of a mountain and burrowing deep into the ground, creating a massive crater.

Smoke and dust billowed across the battlefield.

Zephyria landed beside me, panting. “Did… did we beat him, Zarion?”

I didn’t answer immediately.

Something didn’t feel right.

And then—

Zephyria’s eyes widened. “No… this can’t be… I can still sense his breath. He’s… he’s gathering energy again! A powerful one!”

My heart dropped.

It wasn’t over.

“What the hell is that?! No… don’t tell me—Zephyria! Cast a protection spell and get behind me, now!”

I shouted with urgency, and she obeyed instantly, sensing the danger I felt in my bones.

This feeling… I’ve experienced it before.

That cursed brute, Gor’mundr, was about to unleash his ultimate skill—the one that nearly brought us to our knees in the past.

And it wasn’t just here. I could feel something else—off in the distance, where Flareth and Aqualia were battling Kraytheon. That beast had also begun channeling his ultimate magic. The skies above were darkening rapidly, warped and twisted by the sheer force of his power.

This couldn’t be real.

These two Unique Monsters weren’t growing weaker from the strain of battle—they were becoming stronger, far beyond the power they had during the last great war!

The earth began to shake violently beneath our feet. Deep fissures opened, tearing through the terrain like claws ripping through fabric. Mountains split apart. Jets of magma erupted into the sky like volcanoes awakening from an eternal slumber.

There was no mistake.

Gor’mundr had activated his ultimate skill: [World-Crusher’s Wrath].

He drew upon the raw power of the land, commanding it like an extension of himself. Molten rock surged upward, and titanic chunks of stone began to levitate, forming a chaotic storm of earth and fire. Then, slamming both arms into the ground, he unleashed a massive tectonic explosion—a shockwave that sent pillars of molten earth and razor-sharp rock flying in every direction.

It was terrifying—an apocalyptic vision come to life.

Zephyria and I had no choice but to withstand it.

Zephyria quickly cast her spell: [Absolute Wind Defense]. A dome-shaped barrier of divine wind surrounded us, slicing apart anything that tried to break through. The barrier didn’t just deflect—it eroded everything that touched it, turning flying stone and lava into harmless dust.

At the same time, I released [Lightning Area], spreading divine lightning across the battlefield in wide arcs. The electricity surged through the air and shattered the incoming boulders, leaving nothing but scorched fragments.

Then—he rose.

Gor’mundr emerged from beneath the earth, his body now fused with his ultimate magic.

He had transformed—becoming something even more monstrous than before.

His form was now clad in a colossal armor of black stone, magma glowing in the cracks between plates. In his hands, he wielded a massive warhammer, easily the size of a mountain itself. His presence radiated unholy power, the dark aura around him growing more intense by the second.

He was larger than he had ever been in the past war.

He looked down upon us like a god of ruin.

But we did not cower.

We had made our choice. We would stand and fight.

“I’ll block his strike,” Zephyria said firmly. “Zarion—you finish him.”

I nodded. There was no time for words.

I leapt from rock to rock—using the levitating stones as stepping points—as I ascended rapidly toward Gor’mundr. The air sizzled around me as I gathered my magic.

Zephyria covered me, readying her own divine spell.

As Gor’mundr raised his monstrous hammer to crush us, Zephyria unleashed [High Divine Wind Magic: Wind of Annihilation]—a titanic cyclone of razor winds that spiraled around him, disrupting his movements. The whirlwind began eroding the armor protecting his joints. Even his hammer, mighty as it was, started to slow under the force of the storm.

It was the opening I needed.

I activated my most devastating spell:[High Divine Lightning Magic: Final Voltaris!]

From the clouds above, a storm began to form—a storm not of rain, but of raw lightning.

Bolts began converging, coalescing into a radiant giant—a towering avatar of pure thunder and light, as tall as the mountains. The giant fused with my body. I became its core, its heart, its will.

I charged forward, now a being of elemental fury, and drove a glowing, thunder-charged fist into Gor’mundr’s chest.

A blast of unimaginable power exploded outward.

BOOM!

The heavens split.

The very fabric of the sky trembled.

A blinding light erupted, accompanied by a sound that shattered the silence of the world. Gor’mundr’s massive obsidian armor cracked, splintered, and exploded into the winds. His body was electrocuted to the core, flung through the air like a broken doll.

He crashed far in the distance, into the western mountains—where Flareth and Aqualia were still locked in battle with Kraytheon.

Without wasting a second, Zephyria and I raced toward the crash site.

When we arrived—we were relieved to find Flareth and Aqualia still standing, their bodies battered, but victorious. Kraytheon lay motionless nearby, smoke rising from his charred wings.

It seemed we had won.

But that relief was short-lived.

Before our eyes, both Kraytheon and Gor’mundr, now defeated, began to stir.

Dark energy began to swirl around their shattered bodies.

Their wounds closed. Their strength returned.

Piece by piece, they began to resurrect, exactly as they had been before.

“This can’t be…” I said in disbelief. “Flareth, what’s going on? Why aren’t they staying down?”

Aqualia and Zephyria stood frozen, eyes wide in horror.

Flareth’s fists clenched, her voice filled with rage.

“There’s no doubt now… this is the power of the Outer God. They’re drawing strength from it. As long as that connection exists… they can keep reviving indefinitely.”

A chill ran down my spine.

This was no longer a battle.

This was becoming a war of attrition against the will of a cosmic force.

And we were just getting started.