King of Underworld

Chapter 42 Ominous Signs – (4)

“If only… it weren’t for this wretched body…!”

Cronus, whose eyes had lost their light, collapsed, leaving only Echidna in sight.

The wife of Typhon, with the form of a beautiful woman merged with a serpent, lay there with a gaping hole in her chest, her body growing cold.

Did she realize that Gaia had used her?

No, even if she had known she was being used as a pawn, she likely accepted it for the sake of avenging her husband.

“Sigh…”

I slowly exhaled.

I could feel how badly damaged the human body I had possessed was.

I had drawn too much divine power to confront Cronus.

Although I tried to control it, it was still too much for a human body to handle…

A short distance away lay the charred corpse of the Gigas, Encelados, whose body had been incinerated by the radiance of the sun.

Golden ichor, the blood of the gods, trickled from various parts of Apollo’s body as he looked at the monster’s corpse, and it dripped onto the ground.

“Apollo, when I leave, please take care of this human body. I fear its lifespan has been significantly shortened because of me.”

“Understood, Uncle. After all, I am the god of medicine, am I not? This won’t be a problem.”

He responded cheerfully, smiling as radiantly as the sun.

“But you arrived sooner than I expected. Were you watching Thebes from above the clouds?”

“Yes, as soon as Goddess Styx’s messenger arrived at Olympus, Father immediately dispatched me. As I flew around Thebes, I sensed a foreign power emanating from a cave…”

He must be referring to the moment when Cronus unleashed his power.

Cronus likely tried to increase his strength to better adapt to Echidna’s body…

But it only helped Apollo pinpoint the exact location of the enemies and allies.

By now, Zeus had likely convened a meeting after hearing that I had manifested in the mortal world.

“Oh, I also had my servants notify Olympus that Cronus had manifested. To think that a divine being imprisoned in Tartarus could be summoned to the mortal world… The Protogenoi gods are truly remarkable.”

Gaia, a deity who split from chaos at the time of the world’s creation, was one of the Protogenoi.

Her vast knowledge and wisdom made such a feat possible.

But to manifest Cronus, who once held dominion over the world…

This was an unprecedented and grave situation that no one could have predicted.

“And a Gigas also appeared near Athens, so Athena and Ares have descended to deal with it.”

“Athens too? Gaia is certainly making a grand declaration of war.”

It would be too risky for the Earth Mother Goddess to show herself directly in front of us…

So she must be moving her minions or using the Gigantes.

“I shall return to the Underworld now. I trust you to handle things here.”

“Then I will pacify the humans in Thebes.”

The Gigantes have been dealt with… and I no longer sense any monstrous presence nearby.

With Apollo, who possesses such versatile powers in the arts, archery, and prophecy, the cleanup should go smoothly.

—

When I returned my consciousness to the throne of the Underworld, I saw the god Hypnos before me.

He wasn’t wearing his usual sleepy expression but instead looked sharp and alert, his arms crossed.

Hypnos, whose eyes met mine, quickly spoke up.

“Did you deal with the Gigas? Or perhaps…”

“Cronus descended, but I repelled him.”

“What?! Cronus came to the mortal world?”

“Gather all the gods at once. I have something to announce.”

Shortly after Hypnos left the audience chamber, almost like a wisp of smoke,

most of the gods of the Underworld had gathered there.

Some gods had donned armor and carried spears, prepared for a battle against the Gigantes…

And judging by the presence of souls outside the fortress… they must have mobilized the soul soldiers in preparation.

“We won’t need the Underworld’s army. The Gigantes’ invasion has been repelled for now.”

“I thought a full-scale war had broken out…”

The goddess Styx, relieved, ordered the forces outside to stand down.

The other gods also seemed somewhat reassured.

“However, Cronus, who was supposed to be imprisoned in Tartarus, descended to the mortal world.”

“Was it Gaia’s doing?!”

“To think she could extract the consciousness of someone imprisoned there and bring it to the mortal world…”

“There must have been a great sacrifice or many offerings, right?”

As the topic of Cronus came up, the gods murmured amongst themselves.

I explained to them what I had seen and heard while possessing the priestess’s body.

Echidna, Typhon’s wife, the Gigas commander, Apollo, and Cronus.

After hearing everything, a heavy silence fell over the gods.

“…So, the Underworld must be prepared. Morpheus!”

“Yes, Lord Hades.”

“Check the situation in Tartarus and assign additional guards nearby. Also, inform the Hecatoncheires brothers that Cronus has descended to the mortal world.”

I then turned my gaze to the ancient god with the black wings.

“Thanatos. Can you report to me immediately if there are any souls that have died under abnormal circumstances?”

“You mean humans who might have been sacrificed or killed by the Gigantes… Honestly, it’s difficult.”

“Then just notify me when large numbers of humans die in the absence of a disaster.”

“That much I can do.”

Cronus’s descent was only possible due to the sacrifice of many humans.

If Thanatos, the embodiment of death, informs us of places with a high number of mysterious deaths, we can respond swiftly.

“While I was in the mortal world, did Olympus send any other news?”

“There was. Hades… Iris visited the Underworld.”

The goddess Lethe began relaying the message Iris had brought.

First, a Gigas who called himself Porphyrion appeared near Athens and rampaged, declaring he would rape Hera…

“He tried to rape the queen of the gods?”

“There’s no shortage of insane creatures, is there?”

“Weren’t there those Aloadae brothers who tried the same thing?!”

“Enough, let’s let Goddess Lethe finish.”

…In response, a furious Zeus sent Athena and Ares, who tore the creature limb from limb.

Porphyrion’s soul, now dead, had been dragged to the Underworld, awaiting my judgment.

“I’ll send him to Tartarus. Please continue.”

“Ah… And Zeus has convened a meeting on Olympus.”

The news that Cronus, who was believed to be eternally imprisoned in Tartarus, had returned to the mortal world,

was enough to alarm all the gods of Olympus.

The biggest problem was that it was difficult to detect Gaia sending the Gigantes.

The power of the Earth Mother Goddess far surpassed that of Demeter.

In their council, the gods decided on a course of action…

“They’ve decided to temporarily entrust the Omphalos to Demeter.”

“They want to use Demeter’s power to locate the Gigantes’ stronghold, I see.”

“Well, the Omphalos does amplify divine power…”

“But do they really need to use such an important artifact that symbolizes the center of the world?”

“It might be necessary. Gaia is the Earth Mother Goddess herself, so Demeter’s power alone wouldn’t be enough…”

The Omphalos, a stone that Cronus swallowed instead of Zeus and later regurgitated,

symbolizes the center of the world. If Demeter temporarily holds it, she should be able to contend with Gaia’s power to some extent.

In other words…

“Demeter says that if the Gigantes attack the surface once more, she’ll be able to trace their footsteps and locate their base.”

Since the prophesied hero hasn’t been born yet,

even if they discover the Gigantes’ base, they won’t be able to launch an immediate assault.

However, it should be possible to strike them in a preliminary battle.

It would also prevent another sudden attack like this one.

Zeus’s decision seems appropriate.

Of course, the Omphalos is an important symbol and will have to be returned eventually.

“But Gaia will also realize that the Omphalos has been moved elsewhere… She’ll know that if the Gigantes move, their base will be revealed.”

“Yes. Athena and Metis argued that we must stop that one attack at all costs.”

“If we fail to stop it, the tide of battle will turn against us.”

The next Gigantes’ attack…

Unlike before, when there were only one or two commanders or traps, they might mobilize a significant force.

They might thoroughly prepare and launch a surprise attack on the Olympus sanctuary.

They might even invade the Underworld to attempt to free Tartarus’s prisoners.

Or perhaps they’ll annihilate an entire human nation and use the sacrifices to summon the Titans.

The gods murmured amongst themselves after hearing the results of the council on Olympus.

“Where do you think they’ll strike next?”

“They might annihilate a human nation and release the criminals from Tartarus into the mortal world…”

“They could also launch a surprise attack on the Olympus sanctuary.”

“We must avoid a full-scale war at all costs. At least until the prophesied hero emerges…”

The Gigantes won’t move for now.

To be precise, they’ll sharpen their blades, preparing for a single, sharp strike, while closely monitoring our movements.

—

At the temple of Hades in Thebes.

The priestess Penedaea, who had been kidnapped by the Gigantes and then freed, was speaking with her fellow priests.

“There were such monsters near Thebes?”

“My goodness… Lord Hades descended into your body?”

“Did he really say

that? ‘Don’t worry anymore, I have arrived…’? Just like that?”

Having been possessed by Hades and personally healed by Apollo, she was now being considered as a strong candidate for the next high priestess.

The very fact that a god had descended into her body was proof of her devout faith.

“Lord Hades is indeed a merciful god.”

“Could it be that the Lord of the Underworld truly cherishes his followers?”

“Wouldn’t spreading this news help expand the temple?”

The dead all become subjects of Hades.

The more humans die, the more his power grows.

But to think there’s a god who cares more about his followers than his own power?

And he even descends in moments of mortal danger?

Not just any god, but one of the three major gods?

As Penedaea’s thoughts reached this point, she spoke up.

“Could it be… that he also has a divine aspect of mercy? Since the Underworld is the final destination of life, maybe he’s compassionate toward the living…”

The other priests looked as if they had just realized something profound.

“Indeed… That makes sense.”

“He must be very busy ruling the Underworld, yet he doesn’t ignore his followers and even extends a helping hand…!”

“To think he prioritizes his believers over his own power…”

A few days later…

The influence of the temple of Hades began to grow explosively.

It seemed that the cause was the priests spreading the word of Pluto’s mercy.

“Lord Hades… or rather, Lord Pluto cherishes his followers more than any other god.”

“Ahem, indeed. His other names are fearsome, but…”

“Do you think it’s true that he’s so merciful to the living?”

Now in Thebes, the reputation of Pluto, the god of wealth and mercy…

began to be spoken of more highly than that of Dionysus, who had previously been the main deity of worship.