Chapter 68: Persephone's Story - (3)

As I hurriedly drove the chariot northward, I soon discovered Gigantes massacring nymphs.

Nymphs dying with screams, and one blonde goddess struggling to resist.

Crack!

"Kyaaah!"

"Please save us! Lady Demeter!"

"Sob... I don't want to die...!"

A goddess I hadn't seen at the recent feast on Olympus,

judging by her power, appearance, and combat experience...

She seemed to be a young goddess less than 200 years old.

Though her divine power, likely from powerful parents, seemed just below the level of the 12 Olympian gods.

Thump thump thump-

Although a bit far, we arrived quickly as the ghost horses galloped swiftly across the earth.

What I saw was a Gigas commanding unit lifting the goddess by her neck with a sadistic smile.

"You seem to be a young god, resent your fate."

The power I sensed from it was just below Apollo or Ares, about the level of the 12 Olympian gods.

And there were three others with power no less than his.

The Gigas digging into Mount Etna to unearth Typhon's body were about lesser god level.

An army of monsters numbering roughly hundreds to thousands.

Quite a lot of vermin have gathered.

Pop-

I summoned Bident and struck hard.

The Gigas's head exploded instantly, and blood splattered on the earth.

I drove the ghost horses, lightly lifted the exhausted goddess, and placed her on the back of the chariot.

My chariot is the safest place on the battlefield.

"Are you alright?"

There was no answer, but it didn't matter.

Judging by the ichor flowing profusely from her body, she must have been seriously injured.

"Who are you!"

"Even if he's an Olympian god, it's just one more! Attack!"

"What can you do alone..."

Numerous vermin noticed their comrade's death and swarmed in.

Mount Etna is a bit different from ordinary mountains.

A god with enough power can erase a mountain.

Especially if it's Typhon's body.

But why is the seal containing him still maintained...

It's because of various precautions like the enormous size of Mount Etna, Zeus's divine power, seals directly created by the gods, etc.

Looking at the state of Mount Etna...

"Take this-"

"What do you think you can do alone!"

Boom!!!

Where was I thinking? Ah yes, the state of Mount Etna.

Those terrible monsters, the Gigas, seemed capable of digging up the mountain if given just a little time.

But since I'm interfering, the commanding units will swarm to stop me...

And those comparable to lesser gods...

"Eurytos! Let's attack together!"

"You create an opening, Thoas!"

Three beings with power far superior to other Gigas surrounded my chariot.

Even so, they're only at the level of Dionysus and Ares. These two alone could handle them.

Now that I've arrived here, the situation is as good as settled.

There's no rush now, so shall I kill them slowly?

I thrust Bident into the earth and used divine power to create a path to the underworld.

Crack-

It seems I'm causing too much damage to the earth, Demeter's domain,

but she should understand to some extent since Gigas attacked.

The underworld is not just an underground world.

It's a completely separate world from the mortal realm.

You can never reach it just by digging into the ground.

"Damn it! It's Hades, the god of the underworld!"

"Uwaah! Die!"

"Even if he's one of the Big Three, he's alone!"

"Those already dead are coming to the mortal world!"

Unless I connect the worlds with my power like this.

A wave of semi-transparent dead crawled onto the earth and clung to the Gigas.

These are forces that don't die even when killed. They'll keep reviving unless the entire underworld is blown away.

Although their plan to quickly snatch Typhon while avoiding Olympus's eyes had essentially failed,

the three Gigas before me still seemed to hold hope.

"Take- this!!!!"

A huge tree club swung down towards my head.

Oh? Quite strong? That was my thought as I drew the Styx Sword from my waist and held it out.

Crash!

But it's useless no matter how hard you grit your teeth and swing with both hands.

It's not like Zeus or Poseidon swung it...

Another one's gaze turned to my lips, then he jumped in with extreme rage.

Gigantification, superhuman strength, rapid regeneration, bestowing earth's divinity, etc.

"Damn it! Don't look down on us, Hades!"

"Wait...! Eurytos!! Don't rush in excitedly..."

Oh my, wasn't it impolite to smile on the battlefield?

You seem very angry. But...

Slash- Pop!

"Kyaaah!"

It's just so amusing that you hold vain hope of winning.

You should be running away now, yet you try to defeat me?

Did you think you could defeat me just because I don't have my invisible helmet, Kynee?

If this were a full-scale war, I might lose.

But this is just a skirmish, the prophecy doesn't activate.

***

As I watched the dead killing the remaining Gigas, I sensed a god approaching quickly.

Flying here from the sky... Hermes?

Hermes, holding his caduceus, quickly looked around and then met my eyes.

The messenger god approached me with a slightly relieved expression.

"Uncle Hades! Was it a Gigas attack?"

"Yes, it seems to be Gaia's strike mentioned in Prometheus's prophecy."

"They came to steal Typhon's body. It would have been really dangerous if you weren't here, uncle."

Hermes, looking around a bit more, was surprised to see the peak of Mount Etna.

I did blow it away a bit while fighting earlier...

"Gasp...! The entire mountain peak... Did you do this, uncle?!"

"...It was a mistake."

"...Typhon's body almost broke free."

I tried to minimize the impact on Typhon's seal as much as possible,

but those guys were quite strong, so it couldn't be helped.

"But I don't think Prometheus's prophecy will end just here."

"I summoned the underworld forces earlier, and I'm guessing that means we'll win if the mortal world and underworld are connected."

"Hmm... That's one way to look at it, but I feel uneasy about something."

Hermes frowned, pondering.

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

"For now, go to the underworld and report on the current state of Mount Etna. Also, tell them that all enemies have been killed, so no support is needed."

"Are you planning to check Typhon's seal?"

"I'll inspect it for a while, so tell Olympus not to worry and prepare for other areas..."

There might be additional attacks from Gaia, hidden ambushes, or more Gigas remnants left,

so it's better if I personally take care of the seal.

This place, Typhon's sealing site, is an important strategic point.

So I need to check the state of Mount Etna and infuse it with divine power to make it more solid...

"Also, stop by Demeter's and ask if she's found out about the Gigas's base."

"Yes. I understa..."

"I'll ask! She's my mother!"

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

Looking at us with sparkling eyes, she...

"Are you Demeter's daughter?"

"Yes! And my father is Lord Zeus!"

Demeter and Zeus's daughter?

***

After Hermes left, I faced the blonde goddess.

Looking at her smile that seemed to say ask anything you're curious about, she reminded me of someone...

"The messenger god Hermes can go... There's no need for you to ask Demeter personally."

"Lord Hades. But it would be better if I talk to mom..."

"Never mind, since you're Zeus and Demeter's daughter, you can just call me uncle comfortably."

"Yes! Uncle Hades!"

The blonde goddess, reminiscent of a warm spring day, answered with a bright smile.

...? Why is she so happy about it?

Well, I do have a high status...

"So what should I call you, niece?"

"Call me Kore! Everyone close to me calls me that!"

A nickname? Why are you telling me to call you by your nickname?

We just met today.

"What's your name?"

"Call me Kore!"

"...I'm asking for your name, not your nickname."

She pouted for a moment,

then soon answered with a bright smile.

"I'm Persephone! Uncle Hades!"

"What... did you say?"

For a moment, it felt like I'd been hit on the head with a club.

A very old memory from a past life that I had forgotten along with Menthe.

Knowledge flooding in like an overflowing river.

In my past life's memory, wasn't she... Hades' wife?

Eros (Eros), the god of love, son of Aphrodite and Ares.

He accidentally shot Hades with an arrow that makes one fall in love while practicing archery,

and Hades, who happened to see Persephone, fell for her and abducted her to the underworld...

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

If that's the case, could Eros be practicing archery around here too?

As this thought occurred to me, I used my divine power to detect presences in the surroundings...

Whoosh-

Soon, I belatedly noticed an arrow flying towards me from a close distance.

Love, a hot and passionate emotion, tends to come suddenly anytime, anywhere.

That's why Eros's arrows were fast and stealthy.

But it wasn't at a level that would hit if I was on guard beforehand,

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

Whoosh-

Wait, if I avoid the arrow, in this direction...!

Thud.

"Huh?"