Episode 68: The King of the Underworld is Tired

Episode 68: The Story of Persephone – (3)

Rushing north in the chariot, I soon discovered the Gigantes slaughtering the nymphs.

Screams filled the air as nymphs died, and one blonde-haired goddess struggled desperately to resist.

Crunch!

“Ahhhhh!”

“Please save us! Lady Demeter!”

“I don’t want to die...!”

I hadn't seen this goddess at the banquet held in Olympus before.

Judging by her strength, appearance, and combat experience, she seemed to be a young goddess, not even 200 years old.

Her divine power suggested that she was the child of a strong god, close to the level just below the Twelve Olympians.

Dudududu-!

Although I was still some distance away, my phantom horses swiftly galloped across the land, and I arrived in no time.

What I saw was a Gigantes commander lifting the goddess by the neck with a sadistic grin on his face.

“You look like a young goddess. Curse your fate.”

The strength I sensed from him was slightly below Apollo or Ares, around the level of the Twelve Olympians.

And there were three others just as strong as him.

The Gigantes clinging to Mount Etna, digging into Typhon's body, were at the level of lower gods.

There seemed to be hundreds, if not thousands, of these monstrous creatures.

A swarm of vermin had gathered.

Whack!

Summoning my bident, I slashed it powerfully.

The Gigantes' head burst apart instantly, and blood splattered across the land.

I maneuvered the phantom horses and gently lifted the exhausted goddess, placing her behind me in the chariot.

This chariot of Hades is the safest place on the battlefield.

“Are you alright?”

There was no response, but it didn’t matter.

From the ichor pouring out of her body, it was clear that she had sustained serious injuries.

“Who are you?!”

“Even if you're an Olympian god, it’s just one more! Attack!”

“What can you do alone...?”

Noticing the death of their comrade, a swarm of vermin rushed toward me.

Mount Etna is not an ordinary mountain.

A god with enough power could easily destroy an entire mountain.

Especially when that mountain contains Typhon’s body.

But why has the seal holding him still remained intact?

That’s because various measures had been put in place—Mount Etna’s enormous size, Zeus' divine power, and the seal crafted by the gods themselves.

Taking a glance at the condition of Mount Etna...

“Take this-”

“What do you think you can accomplish alone?!”

Boom!!!

Now, where was I? Right, the state of Mount Etna.

Given a brief moment, these horrifying creatures, the Gigantes, would be able to dig into the mountain.

But since I’m interfering, the commander’s forces would have to focus on me...

As for the ones on par with lesser gods...

“Eurytus! Let’s work together!”

“You create an opening, Toas!”

Three of them, far stronger than the others, surrounded my chariot.

Even so, it would only take Dionysus and Ares to handle these lot.

But now that I’ve arrived, the battle is practically over.

No need to rush, I can take my time killing them.

I drove my bident into the ground and used my divine power to open a path to the Underworld.

Crack-!

It feels like I’m causing too much damage to Demeter’s domain, the earth, but...

Since the Gigantes attacked, she’ll likely understand to some extent.

The Underworld is not just the world beneath the surface.

It’s a completely separate realm from this one.

You can't reach it simply by digging down.

“Damn it! It’s Hades, the god of the Underworld!”

“Ahhhh! Die!”

“Even if he’s one of the Big Three, he’s alone!”

“Send him and those already dead back to the Underworld!”

Of course, unless I use my power to connect the two worlds, that is.

A wave of translucent souls crawled up from the ground and clung to the Gigantes.

This army can’t be killed. Unless the entire Underworld is destroyed, they’ll keep reviving.

Though their plan to quickly steal Typhon without Olympus noticing has already failed,

the three Gigantes in front of me still seem to cling to hope.

“Take this!!!!”

A massive wooden club swung down toward me.

Oh, not bad. As I drew the Styx sword from my waist to parry, that thought crossed my mind.

Clang!

No matter how hard they gritted their teeth and swung with both hands, it was useless.

It wasn’t Zeus or Poseidon wielding it...

The other one glanced at the grin on my face and flew into a wild rage, charging toward me.

Gigantification, brute strength, rapid regeneration, divine blessing from the earth, and so on.

“Damn it! Don’t underestimate us, Hades!”

“Wait...! Eurytus!! Don’t charge in recklessly...”

Oh right, smiling on the battlefield is considered rude, isn’t it?

Looks like they’re very angry. But...

Slash- Splatter!

“Arghhhhh!”

How could I not laugh at the foolish hope that you can defeat me?

You should be running for your lives, not trying to fight me.

Did you think you could defeat me just because I’m not wearing my Helm of Invisibility?

In an all-out war, I might lose.

But this is just a skirmish, the prophecy won’t activate here.

* * *

Watching the dead finish off the remaining Gigantes, I sensed the presence of a god approaching quickly.

Flying down from the sky... was it Hermes?

Hermes, holding his caduceus, swiftly surveyed the surroundings and locked eyes with me.

The messenger god approached with a somewhat relieved expression.

"Uncle Hades! Did the Gigantes attack?"

"Yes, I believe this is Gaia's strike, as foretold by Prometheus' prophecy."

"They came to steal Typhon's body. If you hadn’t been here, things would have been very dangerous."

Hermes continued surveying the area, then looked up at the summit of Mount Etna in shock.

I may have blown part of it away during the fight...

"Gasp...! The entire summit... Was that you, Uncle?!"

"…It was a mistake."

"...We were this close to having Typhon’s body unleashed."

I had tried to minimize the impact on Typhon’s seal, but those creatures were stronger than I anticipated.

"But I doubt Prometheus’ prophecy ends here."

"I summoned the forces of the Underworld earlier. I suspect that the prophecy implies we’ll win by connecting the Underworld to this realm."

"Hmm... That’s one way to interpret it, but something about it feels off to me."

Hermes frowned, deep in thought.

Could this really not be the attack mentioned in the prophecy?

"For now, head to the Underworld and report the situation at Mount Etna. Also, tell them that we’ve killed all the enemies, so no reinforcements are needed."

"Are you going to check on Typhon's seal?"

"I’ll inspect it for a while. Let Olympus know not to worry and have them prepare for any other attacks elsewhere..."

There could be more of Gaia’s forces, a hidden ambush, or remnants of the Gigantes. It’s better that I personally handle the seal.

This is a crucial point, being the location of Typhon’s seal.

I’ll also need to check the condition of Mount Etna and reinforce it with my divine power.

"And stop by Demeter’s to ask if she’s found the Gigantes’ base."

"Understood. I’ll..."

“I’ll ask her myself! She’s my mother!”

The blonde-haired goddess, who had been listening to my conversation with Hermes, suddenly interrupted.

With sparkling eyes, she looked at me...

"Are you Demeter’s daughter?"

"Yes! And my father is Lord Zeus!"

Demeter and Zeus’ daughter?

* * *

After Hermes left, I stood face-to-face with the blonde-haired goddess.

Her smile seemed to invite me to ask any questions I might have, reminding me of someone...

"Hermes can handle the message. There’s no need for you to ask Demeter."

"Hades, Uncle. But still, if I tell my mother myself..."

"Enough. Since you're Zeus and Demeter’s daughter, feel free to call me uncle."

"Yes, Uncle Hades!"

The golden-haired goddess responded with a beaming smile, like a warm spring day.

...Why is she so happy about that?

Well, I suppose I do hold a certain status...

"So, what should I call you, niece?"

"Call me Kore! Everyone close to me does!"

A nickname? Why are you asking me to use your nickname?

We’ve only just met today.

"What’s your name?"

"Call me Kore!"

"...I mean your real name, not the nickname."

She pouted for a moment but then smiled brightly and replied.

"I’m Persephone, Uncle Hades!"

"What... did you say?"

For a moment, it felt like I had been struck in the head with a club.

A long-forgotten memory of my past life came flooding back, like a river bursting its banks.

If I recall correctly... Wasn’t Persephone Hades’ wife in my past life?

The god of love, Eros, son of Aphrodite and Ares...

During archery practice, he accidentally shot Hades with an arrow of love.

Just as Hades saw Persephone, he fell for her and kidnapped her to the Underworld...

"Uncle Hades? What are you thinking about? Is there anything I can help you with...?"

Could it be that Eros is practicing his archery somewhere around here?

Realizing this, I quickly used my divine power to sense the surroundings...

Whoosh-!

Soon, I detected an arrow flying toward me from a short distance.

Love, that fiery and intense emotion, always comes suddenly, without warning.

That’s why Eros' arrows are fast and stealthy.

However, if you're already on guard, it's not something you can’t dodge.

I quickly twisted my body to avoid the arrow coming from behind.

Whoosh-!

Wait, if I dodge the arrow, in that direction is...!

'Thump'

"Huh?"

* * *

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