Chapter 42: Ominous Signs - (4)

"If only... it weren't for this body...!"

Kronos, who had lost the light in his eyes and collapsed, now looked at Echidna.

Typhon's wife, a mix of a beautiful woman and a snake, was growing cold with a hole in her chest.

Does she know that she was used by Gaia?

No. Even if she knew she was being used as a disposable pawn, she probably went along with it for the chance to avenge her husband.

"Phew..."

I slowly caught my breath.

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

I used too much divine power dealing with Kronos.

I tried to regulate it as much as possible since a human body can't handle all of my power, but...

A short distance away lay Enkelados, the Gigas whose entire body had been burned by the sun's radiance.

Golden ichor dripped from various parts of Apollo's body as he looked at the monster's corpse.

"Apollo, when I leave, please take a look at this human body. Its lifespan has probably been significantly reduced because of me."

"Understood, Uncle. I am the god of medicine, after all. That's no problem for me."

He smiled at me brightly like the sun, readily agreeing.

"You arrived sooner than I expected. Were you watching Thebes from above the clouds?"

"Yes, when Styx's messenger arrived at Olympus, Father immediately dispatched me. As I was flying around near Thebes, I sensed an unusual power from the cave..."

He must be referring to when Kronos released his power.

He probably thought he was drawing out power to adapt to Echidna's body...

But instead, it helped Apollo distinguish between friend and foe.

I wonder if Zeus, who sent Apollo after hearing that I had manifested in the mortal world, is in a meeting now?

"Ah, I've already sent one of my attendants to inform Olympus about Kronos's manifestation. To think they could summon a divine being trapped in Tartarus to the mortal world... The Protogenoi gods are truly remarkable."

Gaia is one of the Protogenoi (Primordial Gods) who split from Chaos when the world was created.

She possesses countless knowledge and wisdom unknown to us, making such feats possible.

However, to manifest Kronos, who once held dominion over the world...

This is a serious situation that no one could have predicted.

"Also, a Gigas appeared near Athens, and Athena and Ares have gone down to deal with it."

"In Athens too? Gaia is making quite a grand declaration of war."

Since it's too risky for the Earth Mother to appear before us directly...

She has no choice but to move her subordinates or use beings like the Gigantes.

"I'll be returning to the Underworld now. I trust you can handle the aftermath."

"Then I'll take care of comforting the humans in Thebes."

The Gigas has been dealt with... and I no longer sense any monstrous presence nearby.

Apollo, with his incredibly versatile divine attributes including art, archery, and prophecy, should be able to handle the cleanup well.

***

As I returned my consciousness to the throne in the Underworld, I saw god Hypnos before me.

Instead of his usual sleepy eyes, he had his arms crossed with a sharp look.

Hypnos, meeting my eyes, urgently spoke.

"Were the Gigantes dealt with? Or could it be..."

"Kronos god descended, but I repelled him."

"What?! Kronos in the mortal world?"

"For now, please gather all the gods. I have something to tell them."

Not long after Hypnos left the audience chamber like smoke,

Soon most of the gods belonging to the Underworld gathered here.

Some gods had donned armor and held spears, ready for battle with the Gigantes...

This presence of souls I sense outside the fortress... have they put soul soldiers on standby?

"For now, we don't need the Underworld's forces. We've repelled the Gigantes' invasion for now."

"I thought a full-scale war was about to break out..."

Goddess Styx, seemingly relieved, orders the troops outside to stand down.

The other gods also seem to be at ease for now.

"However, Kronos, who should be imprisoned in Tartarus, has descended to the mortal world."

"Is this Gaia's doing?!"

"To think they could extract the consciousness of one imprisoned there..."

"There must have been a great sacrifice or offering. Isn't that right?"

Many gods murmur as the topic of Kronos comes up.

I relayed to them what I had seen and heard while possessing the priest's body.

Echidna, Typhon's wife, the commanding Gigas, Apollo, and even Kronos.

Silence fell among the gods after hearing the whole story.

"...So, I want to make some preparations in the Underworld. Morpheus!"

"Yes, Lord Hades."

"Check the situation in Tartarus and deploy additional guards in that area. Also, inform the Hecatoncheires brothers that Kronos has emerged in the mortal world."

Next, I turned my gaze to the old god with fluttering black wings.

"Thanatos. Can you immediately inform me if there are any souls who have met an abnormal death?"

"You probably mean humans sacrificed or killed by the Gigantes... Honestly, it's difficult."

"Then just tell me when a large number of humans die without any natural disaster occurring."

"That much I can do."

Kronos's manifestation this time was possible because numerous humans were sacrificed.

If Thanatos, Death itself, can just inform us of places with many suspicious human deaths, we can respond quickly.

"While I was manifesting in the mortal world, was there any news from Olympus?"

"Yes, Hades... Iris visited the Underworld."

Goddess Lethe relays the news Iris brought.

First, near Athens, a Gigas calling himself Porphyrion appeared, rampaging and threatening to rape Hera...

"He tried to rape the Queen of the Gods?"

"These lunatics are not few in number."

"Didn't those Aloadae guys do something similar before?!"

"Enough, let's hear Goddess Lethe out to the end."

...An enraged Zeus sent Athena and Ares to tear the creature limb from limb.

Porphyrion's soul has been dragged to the Underworld and is awaiting my judgment.

"I'll send him to Tartarus. Please continue."

"Uh... and Zeus held a meeting on Olympus."

The news that Kronos, who they thought would be eternally trapped in Tartarus, had emerged again,

Was enough to instill a sense of crisis in all the Olympian gods.

The biggest problem is that it's difficult to quickly detect when Gaia sends the Gigantes.

It means that Earth Mother Gaia's power is far above Demeter's.

The solution that came out of the gods' meeting was...

"They decided to entrust the Omphalos to Demeter for a while."

"They're thinking of using Demeter's power to find the Gigantes' base."

"Well, the Omphalos does amplify a god's power..."

"But do we really need to use that object symbolizing the world's center?"

"We might have to go that far. Since Gaia is the Earth Mother herself, with Demeter's power alone..."

The Omphalos, the stone that Kronos swallowed and vomited instead of Zeus.

If Demeter temporarily holds this treasure at the world's center, she can somewhat contend with Gaia's power.

In other words...

"Demeter said that if the Gigantes attack the surface just one more time, she can trace the earth's footsteps to locate their base."

Since the prophesied hero hasn't been born yet,

We can't immediately invade the Gigantes' base even if we find out its location.

However, it should be possible to track their movements and deliver a blow in the preliminary battle.

Also, sudden attacks like this time will completely disappear.

Zeus's judgment seems appropriate.

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

"But Gaia must have also noticed that the Omphalos has been moved elsewhere... She must know that if she moves the Gigantes, their base will be revealed."

"Yes. Athena and Metis argued that we must absolutely prevent that one attack."

"If we fail to stop it, the tide will turn in their favor."

The next Gigantes attack...

Unlike before, it's likely to mobilize numerous forces, not just one or two commanding individuals or traps.

They might thoroughly prepare and launch a surprise attack on the Olympian Palace.

There's a possibility they might come to the Underworld and try to open Tartarus,

Or they might completely destroy human nations and use living sacrifices to summon the Titan gods.

The gods who received the results of the Olympus meeting murmur among themselves.

"Where do you think they'll attack?"

"They might destroy human nations in one go and bring the criminals of Tartarus to the mortal world..."

"They might launch a surprise attack on the Olympian Palace."

"We must absolutely avoid an all-out war. At least until the prophesied hero appears..."

The Gigantes won't move now.

To be precise, they'll be sharpening their daggers for a single surprise attack while watching our movements.

***

Hades' Temple in Thebes.

The priest Penedeia, who had been kidnapped by the Gigantes and then released, was telling her story to her colleagues at the temple.

"You're saying such monsters were near Thebes?"

"My goodness... To think Lord Hades descended into your body..."

"Did he really say that? 'Don't worry now, I have arrived'...!"

Penedeia, who had Hades descend into her body and was directly healed by Apollo, emerged as a strong candidate for the next high priest.

The fact that a god descended into her body itself proves her faith.

"Lord Hades must truly be merciful."

"Unexpectedly, could it be that the Lord of the Underworld cares for his followers?"

"Wouldn't it help expand the temple if we spread this news widely?"

All the dead become Hades' subjects.

The more humans die, the stronger his authority becomes.

But there's a god who thinks of his followers before strengthening his own authority?

He even descends in times of mortal danger?

And not just any god, but one of the Big Three?

Penedeia, having thought this far, opened her mouth.

"Could it be... that He also has the divine attribute of mercy? Since the Underworld is the final destination of life, maybe He's generous to the living..."

The surrounding priests seemed to have realized something.

"Indeed... that could be possible?"

"To think He wouldn't ignore a follower and extend His hand, even though He must be busy ruling the Underworld...!"

"To prioritize believers over His own authority..."

A few days later...

The influence of Hades' Temple increased explosively.

The cause seemed to be the priests spreading word about Pluto's mercy.

"It seems Hade... Pluto cherishes His followers more than any other god."

"Ahem, that's right. Although His other names are quite frightening..."

"Could the rumors be true that He's so merciful to the living in the mortal world?"

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

Began to be spoken of more highly than the name of Dionysus, who was originally the main deity of worship.