Chapter 101: The Athos Mountain Expedition - (4)

Orion, son of Poseidon the sea god, thought while struggling with Orthrus who charged at him again.

'If this continues, we'll win. If the divine raven helps the other heroes capture Chrysaor, and I just kill this Orthrus...'

Orthrus, child of Typhon, was the toughest opponent he had ever faced.

Its two dog heads constantly tried to bite him, and the snake head on its tail targeted his legs whenever there was an opening.

And its hide? It boasted a thicker skin than any monster or beast Orion had hunted before.

Growl! Yelp!

"Huff... You're starting to get tired, beast."

Still, it wasn't enough to defeat him, a demigod and giant hunter.

Although Orion was bleeding from bite wounds all over his body, and his body ached from blocking the monster's front paws...

He was in better shape than Orthrus, who had to fight with an arrow-pierced leg.

Pant pant...

He looked down at Typhon's child, who had collapsed on the ground with its tongue out, spewing a large amount of blood.

Its dulled hide looks unsightly. The once glossy fur had become ragged from Orion's relentless clubbing.

Soon, the sea god's son would be able to catch the monster and achieve a tremendous feat.

If only he hadn't gotten involved with Apollo's sister.

Just as Orion was staggering towards the exhausted monster to deliver the final blow...

Apollo's divine beast, the raven, flew towards him.

The raven flying straight towards Orion suddenly spread its wings and soared up near him...

And Chrysaor's golden sword, which was fiercely chasing the raven, couldn't change direction and flew towards Orion.

"What...!"

Thud-

Orion turned his head belatedly, gasping for breath, but he already felt the sharp metal piercing his body...

Feeling the cold golden sword deeply embedded in his side, Orion sensed his end.

"No! Orion!"

"Damn it...! Focus on the monsters in front!"

"We'll come there soon... Tch!"

He was the sea god's son. If he received good treatment from a doctor, he might have survived, but this was a battlefield.

With heroes and monsters fighting desperately all around, it's fair to say there's no time to worry about just one person.

Realizing this, Orion mustered all his strength to glare at Orthrus.

He was already done for. He had long since given up hope of survival. In that case...!

"You'll be a suitable companion... to cross the River Acheron with."

As he lifted his club with his last strength, the wound in his side opened wider, causing excruciating pain.

But the blow he struck towards the monster's head immediately after was straight and unwavering.

Thud- Crack!

It was the moment when Orthrus, child of Typhon who had devoured countless people, fell into eternal sleep.

However, the hero who achieved this amazing feat staggered a few steps and fell to one knee.

"Ugh... Gah."

Caw! Caw!

The cry of the divine beast from the sky tickled the ears of the hero nearing death.

A feeling of everything slowing down. Is this the flashback before death?

The black raven was Apollo's divine beast. A faithful animal and subordinate that only followed the Sun God's orders.

So he had believed it would surely help the expedition by distracting Chrysaor's sword...

It couldn't have been unaware that if it suddenly changed direction in front of him, the golden sword following behind would pierce him.

But he hadn't incurred any particular grudge from the Sun God... why?

As the hero pondered, a goddess flashed through his mind.

Artemis, the moon goddess who had become close to him due to their shared hobby of hunting.

Her older brother was Apollo.

Ah. Ha. Haha... Indeed, getting involved with gods never ends well...

Realizing this, Orion smiled bitterly at the overwhelming sense of futility.

Is his body not moving now because of the wound in his side? Or because of the emptiness that seems to have hollowed out somewhere in his heart?

Despite his body growing cold, he doesn't feel the desire to live.

'I don't... know. I'll have to... keep thinking about it... in the Underworld...'

Even as a giant scorpion monster approached from behind the kneeling hero to sting him with its poisonous tail...

He met his death without moving at all.

***

Above the clouds, in the divine palace of Olympus.

The beautiful moon goddess was glaring at her older brother as if she could kill him.

However, Apollo merely shrugged as if it was no big deal.

"You ordered the raven to kill Orion, didn't you, Brother?"

"Sister. You may not know this, but that's how battlefields are. A moment's carelessness brings death."

"Why did you kill the human I cared for?!"

"Why would I kill that human? What benefit would there be for me?"

The moon goddess glared at the Sun God even more fiercely.

The raven that had been luring the golden sword must have changed direction right in front of Orion due to the Sun God's influence.

But she couldn't press him too hard.

There was no clear evidence that he had controlled the divine beast, and her brother's motive for killing Orion was unclear.

She wanted to ask him to swear by the River Styx if he really hadn't killed Orion, but...

Forcing an oath on another god is extremely rude. Even Zeus, the King of Gods and their father, doesn't force oaths on the River Styx.

"Why are you so angry over the death of a mere human, and even if I had killed him, what does it matter to you?"

"Orion was..."

"Are you saying that mortal is more precious to you than your own brother?"

A voice suppressing anger flowed from between lips bitten until they bled.

That's right. Getting upset with the Sun God over a mere mortal is nonsense... moreover, despite being one of the 12 Olympians, the versatile Apollo was even stronger than her.

"Eek! I'll be going now!"

"Ah, Artemis."

Apollo stops her as she tries to rush off somewhere.

For a moment, the Sun God's eyes turned cold as he looked at the moon goddess.

"Don't give too much affection to those mortals."

"......!"

"Aren't you a goddess who swore chastity? If you care too much about such mortals, you'll only suffer heartache."

***

Here, where the Mount Athos expedition and monsters are fighting fiercely.

When Orthrus and Orion both met their deaths and fell to the ground side by side, the tide of battle changed again.

The活躍 of heroes from Thebes, experienced in fighting deceased heroes and dead monsters.

Thanks to them, the surrounding monsters were gradually dealt with, and as a result, the pressure on Chrysaor of the golden sword increased.

Slash-

It was also their achievement that for the first time, a long wound pierced through the giant snake's scales.

Unlike previous attacks that ended up as mere scratches at best, this was the first significant injury inflicted.

Red blood sprayed everywhere, and the monster with demigod status howled in pain and anger.

Roar!!!

"Finally, the sword is getting through! Focus on that area!"

"Damn it, Orion..."

"While the raven takes care of the flying golden sword, let's inflict as many wounds as possible!"

The number of heroes killed by Chrysaor was not small, but the number of dead monsters was also countless.

The ground, completely covered in red blood, also showed Orthrus, child of Typhon.

What Chrysaor, who possessed not only great strength but also some wisdom, saw was... numerous humans rushing towards this place.

Along with that, the sound of horns and the strong scent of metal.

Bwooo-

"Huff. Huff. It's reinforcements from the Kingdom of Macedonia!"

"The kingdom's army has arrived, hold on a bit longer! No, let's kill them all here!"

"Glory to the gods! Let's honor the fallen Orion with the corpses of monsters!"

An army carrying spears, swords, and shields can be seen approaching from afar. It seems the kingdom has mobilized its entire military force, and their numbers were certainly not small.

The heroes cheer at this, while the monsters growl, baring their teeth.

Realizing the situation has turned unfavorable, Chrysaor uses all its strength to push away the surrounding heroes.

While the expedition members retreated in fear of its fiercely pulsating giant body, its goal was not to fight but to flee.

Slither-

"Uh... Wait. This beast is running away!"

"Into the cracks of the split earth...! But to chase after it..."

"Damn, we have no choice but to let it go. We can't go underground."

Chrysaor moved surprisingly swiftly despite its large size.

The monster disappearing into the ground while biting its golden sword looked like a defeated soldier.

The Macedonian army arrived moments later, and the monsters, exhausted from fighting the heroes, were overwhelmed by the wave of soldiers.

For monsters not as powerful as Chrysaor or Orthrus, the combined strength of the army and other heroes was more than enough to handle them.

Roar! Screech-

Although most of the monsters were dealt with thanks to Apollo's help and the活躍 of the Thebes-trained heroes, the expedition's losses were also severe.

Many heroes, including Orion, were killed or injured, and there were a concerning number who became disabled.

However, Orthrus, child of Typhon, was dead, Chrysaor had fled with its tail between its legs,

and the other monsters were exterminated, so couldn't it be considered a half-success?