Episode 16: The King of the Underworld is Tired

Episode 16: The Story of Typhon – (5)

"You will be imprisoned in Tartarus for eternity.”

After finishing my provocation and donning the Helm of Darkness, I once again felt that familiar sensation.

It was as if I had temporarily vanished from the world and stepped into another dimension.

"You... you scoundrel! Where have you hidden yourself?"

BOOM!

Typhon struck the spot where I had just been with his fist and swept the area with a storm, but I was no longer there.

[Zeus, let’s go with the plan Athena suggested.]

[Alright, I’ll send the clouds when I see an opening.]

The slash I landed on Typhon made it clear.

Even though I could wound Typhon with the Skýthe, I couldn’t decapitate him in one strike.

No matter how weakened he was, Typhon was still a monster who had defeated the entirety of Olympus.

His body was unimaginably tough; even Zeus’s world-rending lightning only caused him pain.

BOOM!

"Take this, Typhon!"

"Arghhh!"

When I infiltrated Olympus and retrieved the Skýthe while wearing the Helm of Darkness, which Typhon had stolen,

I originally intended to sever Typhon’s head myself.

But when I arrived on the battlefield and asked the other gods to create an opening for me, only Athena voiced a different opinion.

[Uncle, only Zeus will be able to decapitate that monster.]

[I have the Skýthe made of adamantine in my hand. Do you still say that?]

[Yes. Reveal yourself to the monster briefly on purpose. Typhon is strong, but he’s an inexperienced child when it comes to war.]

Even with the adamantine-made Skýthe, I couldn’t deliver a fatal blow to Typhon.

If we tried to exhaust him, he might flee.

Zeus, who could decapitate him in one blow, was Typhon’s primary concern.

So, I would divert Typhon’s attention toward me and secretly pass the Skýthe to Zeus.

While Typhon was focused on the invisible assassin, I would hand the Skýthe to Zeus.

That was the strategy of the goddess of war and wisdom.

"Hades! Are you hiding like a rat?! Gahhh!"

WHOOOOOSH!

An unprecedentedly fierce storm swept across Mount Olympus.

The monster was frantic, knowing that an assassin wielding the most threatening weapon was targeting him.

Inevitably, his vigilance towards Zeus weakened.

"Weren’t you fighting me, Typhon? Don’t get distracted!"

The god of war, who could unleash his full power in a fierce battle,

Ares, who had been thrown into the mountain, jumped back into the fray and charged at Typhon.

"See for yourself what the flames of the Olympus Forge are like!"

The blacksmith and god of fire, Hephaestus, raised his hammer high, and the nearby ground was engulfed in flames.

With the silent approval of the earth goddess, Demeter, the flames grew even stronger, reaching the clouds.

Typhon responded by summoning another massive whirlwind,

Creating a gigantic firestorm that connected the earth and sky.

WHOOOSH-

[Now, Zeus. I’ll hand over the Skýthe.]

[I’ll send the rainbow clouds; place it there, brother.]

With Typhon's vision blurred by the firestorm, this was the perfect opportunity.

A strange cloud filled with rainbow colors thickened, and I quietly placed the scythe into it.

* * *

"Graaahhh!"

The snakes that made up Typhon’s hair spewed lightning and venom wildly.

He knew it himself—victory was slipping away from him and toward the Olympian gods.

If only it weren’t for those detestable Moirai and the humans who dared to deceive him!

"Monster, this is Poseidon!"

BOOM! CRASH!

Once again, Poseidon’s trident, imbued with divine blue power, struck Typhon’s face directly.

But the real threat lay elsewhere.

"Hades! You, the so-called lord of the underworld, are nothing but a sneaky rat!"

The invisible assassin, holding the most powerful weapon, the Skýthe, was lurking in the shadows, waiting to strike.

The Skýthe was the ultimate weapon, capable of wounding Typhon even before he fell into the trap.

If an opening presented itself, the adamantine-made blade would fly toward his neck.

While battling the gods, Typhon remained on alert for the unseen assassin, when he suddenly sensed something behind him.

An ominous attack coming from behind—it was him!

SLASH- SHH!

Though his back was slashed by the sinister attack, and golden ichor spilled out, a smile formed on Typhon’s lips.

Assassins are only terrifying when they’re unseen, and the attack had just revealed his location.

BOOM!

A storm swirled around Typhon's foot as he kicked in the direction from which the slash had come.

The ground was deeply torn apart, a thunderous sound echoed, and a small earthquake followed.

"Heh... I’ve got you now, scoundrel!"

"Guh..."

Lying on the ground was Hades, with the Helm of Darkness knocked off.

He was severely injured, ichor pouring from his mouth as he lay there.

Typhon smiled victoriously and searched for the Skýthe.

If he could just reclaim the scythe from Hades, he would have nothing to fear.

This time, he would sever the tendons of every god and bury them in the ground!

But the Skýthe was nowhere to be seen.

With his godly, transcendent vision, he scanned the area around Hades, but...

“Curses…”

The cold smile of Hades, who seemed to be mocking him, entered Typhon’s bewildered gaze.

And then he felt a tremendous power behind him. Zeus!

"Though it was a struggle, it ends here, Typhon!"

Come to think of it, the lightning had stopped striking some time ago...

SLASH—

Typhon’s vision flipped upside down and then faded into darkness.

* * *

Boom!

“Whew…”

Zeus, holding the Skýthe, severed Typhon’s head with a single strike.

At that moment, the raging storm that had been howling fiercely suddenly came to a halt.

Typhon’s body crumbled to the ground, no longer moving, and his head rolled around, covered in dust.

Yes, we have won.

Gaia’s ultimate weapon, which was aimed at Olympus, has been defeated by the combined efforts of the gods.

If Typhon had gone straight to the Underworld and released the Titans from Tartarus to fight alongside him, we might have been defeated.

His one critical mistake was his arrogance, believing only in his own strength.

“Cough..!”

Hmm… Taking that hit on purpose has really taken a toll on my body.

Look at the ichor flowing from my mouth; his power truly is immense.

I bent down to pick up the Skýthe that had fallen to the ground along with Typhon’s head.

Was his neck so tough that even Zeus couldn’t finish him off?

I nudged his head with my foot to make sure he was truly down.

The eyes that had glared so fiercely were now closed, and he wasn’t moving. It seems he’s in a temporary state of suspended animation.

[If you take a hit on purpose to create a clear opening, it will be even better. And if you also remove the helmet at that moment, you will surely deceive Typhon...]

Athena, you didn’t hold a grudge and retaliate because of what happened during the Great Flood, did you?

Did I make you do too much back then?

“Hades! Are you okay?!”

I’m fine, so don’t cry, Hestia.

We gods are immortal beings; you know that, right?

Even though you’re a seasoned god who’s experienced the Titanomachy, you have such a soft heart…

But when it comes to fighting, you’re ruthless.

“This time was truly dangerous. I never imagined Gaia would create such a creature.”

“Olympus has collapsed; what should we do?”

“Well, we’ll have to rebuild the mountain. The nymphs and lesser gods will have a tough time.”

As the battle ended, the gods who were treating their wounds and catching their breath began to gather one by one.

As the gods gathered, golden ichor flowing from their bodies, the surrounding air began to glow with a golden radiance. It looks like Ares is seriously injured…

Now that we’ve defeated Typhon, it’s time to clean up.

“Hades, brother, I’ll make sure you’re properly compensated for coming to help Olympus.”

“Hmph, Zeus. Of course, I’d like to be rewarded too.”

“….Poseidon, you as well.”

“My arrows, like rays of sunlight, didn’t even penetrate…”

“I almost got hunted by the prey.”

“The land that I see as my own child… it’s completely destroyed. I’m sorry. There was no other choice.”

“Lady Demeter, I will do my best to restore nature.”

“Pan, let’s postpone the revival of nature for now and check if there are any remaining enemies. Follow me.”

“Yes, Lord Hades.”

I moved to search for any remaining enemies with Pan, who was hopping over on his goat legs.

There was also a monster called Delphyne that served under Typhon, so we should deal with that thoroughly while we’re at it.

Typhon, with his head cut off, is already incapacitated, so it’s fine to leave him as he is.

With just a few gods here, we should be able to handle whatever comes up.

Soon, the small animals under Pan’s command spread out in all directions to search for the monster.

After listening to the whispers of the forest and the fields with his ear to the ground for a while, Pan called out to me.

“Uh… there’s an unfamiliar animal in a certain cave?”

We found it.

* * *

Following Pan to a nearby cave, I could indeed sense the presence of a monster.

It was weaker than the power emanating from the monster Delphyne I had seen a while ago, so there were indeed more remnants.

“It’s this cave.”

As we entered the cave Pan pointed to, we were greeted by a dog.

A black dog lying on the ground, yawning lazily.

With its eyes gleaming with the characteristic sharp gaze of a monster and the faint presence of Typhon’s aura, it was definitely his offspring.

Noticing our hostility as we entered the cave, the dog immediately stood up and started growling, which was kind of cute.

But… does the dog have three heads?

“Hmm, it seems like a weak monster, so I will take care of it.”

As Pan extended his hand, the grass near the cave naturally intertwined, forming a sharp spear.

The plant-based spear looked like it could pierce the three-headed dog at any moment…

Growl! Snarl…

Oh, it caught the spear Pan threw and bit into it?

Even if it was just a minor monster, that's quite impressive to catch a half-hearted attack.

“Ha… the monster…”

Pan glanced at me, noticing me watching, and then focused green divine power in his hand.

He probably thought he had embarrassed himself with me around.

“That’s enough. I’ll handle it.”

“Huh? Lord Hades, there’s no need for you to intervene…”

There’s no need to use the Skýthe on such a weak creature.

As I drew the Styx sword and approached, the dog that had been biting the grass spear flinched and looked at me.

The three heads quickly scanned my appearance and the sword…

And then…

Yipe! Yip! Whimper!

It rolled over on its back…?

“It seems… it’s surrendering…”

Pan said, looking at the monster in disbelief.

Since Pan is the god of nature and can understand the speech of lower animals and monsters, his interpretation is reliable, but…

I’m stunned that a monster with Typhon’s blood would behave this way, and it’s now cautiously approaching me.

It gets close and then looks at me, sticking out its tongue and wagging its tail furiously.

Pant, pant! Pant! Whimper!

“It says it’s an honor to meet such a great being… and it’ll do anything, so please spare its life…”

What the…?

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