The King of the Underworld is Tired

Chapter 100: The Expedition to Mount Athos – (3)

Chrysaor, wielder of the golden sword.

A monstrous creature in the form of a giant serpent, controlling a floating golden sword in midair.

Born alongside Pegasus when Medusa was beheaded by Perseus, Chrysaor has a far stronger monstrous nature than Pegasus. By the time Medusa sought him out, he had long disappeared.

Orthrus.

A massive, two-headed dog monster with a serpent-headed tail.

The eldest of Typhon and Echidna's children, Orthrus is the sibling of Cerberus, guardian of the underworld, and Chimera, who was slain by Bellerophon.

Though the two demigod-level monsters stood out the most, the other monsters following them were equally formidable.

There were harpies—creatures with the heads of women and bodies of large raptors—moving trees, man-eating deer, giant lizards, and more…

“The ones hiding in the mountains are swarming in! Focus on taking down the ones in the sky first…”

“Don’t back down! This is a war with monsters, and the gods are watching!”

“The messenger who went to request reinforcements from Macedonia will take some time to return! We need to hold out until then!”

“I dedicate my fight to the god of war, Ares!!!”

Grrrrr! Roar! Ssshhhh-!

As the monsters kept coming, the heroes quickly assumed battle stances and engaged them.

Soon, javelins and arrows filled the air, and the monsters, eager to devour humans, rushed forward.

As the two opposing forces, each filled with bloodlust, collided, the battlefield became a chaotic blend of human screams and monstrous howls.

The sound of spears and swords clashing with monstrous claws created a twisted harmony, opening the brutal scene of battle.

Even in this chaos, several heroes stood out.

One of them was Orion, the leader of the expedition.

Thwack—Thud.

Another arrow from his bow pierced through the throat of a monster. The son of the sea god, famed as the greatest hunter in Greece, targeted only the monsters, even in the midst of the chaotic mêlée.

Once again, Orion's powerful arms drew back his bowstring, aiming at his next target—the child of Typhon, who was ravenously devouring humans with its two heads.

Thud. Grrr?!

Orion’s arrow, famed for its deadly accuracy, pierced the monster’s leg.

Noticing Orion for the first time, Orthrus dropped the human it was holding in its mouth and charged at him.

“You wretched beast…!”

“Orion! It’s coming your way! Watch out!”

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The nearby heroes tried to stop the charging monster, but their attacks only left scratches on its tough hide; they couldn’t stop it.

Its skin, while not as impervious as the Nemean Lion’s, was still thick enough that ordinary heroes’ attacks didn’t even leave a mark.

Grrrrr—!

“Its hide is too thick! It may not be the Nemean Lion, but…”

“Damn it! Orion, I don’t think…”

“I know! Get back, all of you! I’ll be the one to kill that thing!”

Thanks to Orion’s immense strength as the son of a sea god, he had been able to pierce the monster’s leg.

Realizing this quickly, Orion tossed his bow aside and drew the massive club and shield he had been carrying on his back.

In the midst of the battlefield, where heroes and monsters clashed,

On the other side, Chrysaor, with his venomous fangs and flying sword, fiercely pressed the heroes, while…

The horrifying screams of humans being torn apart by the ferocious, man-eating deer echoed across the field.

Orion, charging through the center of the battlefield, locked eyes with the monster charging at him and gripped his club tightly.

Grrrrrr!!!

“If you’re Typhon’s offspring, you’re a fitting trophy for my legendary hunt!”

The fierce clash between Orthrus, baring its fangs as it leaped forward, and Orion, swinging his club, began.

* * *

At the palace of Olympus, Apollo stood with his arms crossed, looking down.

Though Zeus, his father, had accepted the offerings from the heroes as they entered Mount Athos…

“Apollo, you should watch over them and lend them aid when appropriate.”

“I understand, Father. But what do you mean by ‘when appropriate’?”

“Exactly what I said. Gaia, who is wary of the heroes’ achievements, will not let the expedition reach Mount Athos unscathed.”

“So…?”

“You may intervene ‘as you see fit’ to a reasonable extent.”

Zeus had ordered Apollo to watch over the expedition and help them as needed.

It was a precautionary measure, in case something went wrong and Heracles, the newly born hero, couldn’t fulfill his destiny or was killed by Hera.

The more heroes the gods could nurture, the greater the chances that one of them would become a great hero to lead in the war against the Giants.

Reflecting on his conversation with Zeus, Apollo looked down through the clouds when someone quietly sat beside him.

It was his sister, the moon goddess Artemis.

“Brother, what brings you here?”

“Sister. Shouldn’t we help the heroes, seeing that they are struggling down there?”

“But overcoming challenges like this is part of what makes them great heroes, right? We can’t rely solely on Father’s precious Heracles, can we?”

“But…”

The beautiful goddess gazed down at the lower realm with a worried expression.

Noticing the love, concern, and anxiety in her eyes, Apollo sighed.

His sister, Artemis, was a virgin goddess sworn to purity.

However, at some point, Apollo had noticed her growing close to a certain mortal.

“That hero bravely fighting Orthrus… couldn’t we at least save him?”

“…Hmm.”

The only human Artemis had ever shown any closeness to, aside from family.

No, technically, he was a demigod. After all, the father of that giant hunter was Poseidon.

It was only natural that Artemis, the goddess of hunting and archery, would grow close to Greece’s greatest hunter.

But how dare a mere human seek the favor of the virgin goddess, sworn to the River Styx? How could he even think of it, with me, Apollo, watching so closely…

“…I don’t particularly like him.”

“Huh? What did you say, Brother?”

“Nothing. If that’s your wish, I’ll send a raven to help the humans.”

As the son of their doting uncle, Poseidon, Apollo couldn’t directly punish him with divine wrath.

But… what if an “unfortunate accident” were to occur while fighting the monsters?

* * *

Near the Kingdom of Macedonia, the battlefield had long been stained with blood.

The tide of battle between the heroes gathered from all over Greece and the mythological monsters was gradually turning in the monsters' favor.

Although the monsters attacked the humans first, the heroes were confident in their skills. 

Those who had trained in the underworld through Thebes and honed their abilities by hunting monsters in this world were no pushovers.

However...

"Damn it! Someone do something about that flying sword... Ugh!"

"Huff... Is there no one else left with the blood of the wind god?"

Swish!

Chrysaor, with his thick scales that deflected the heroes' weapons, his sharp fangs, and his massive body that was itself a threat, was a problem. He could also freely control the golden sword that flew through the air.

"Gah... urgh!"

Another scream echoed out as an arrow pierced the abdomen of a hero who had introduced himself as the son of Notus, the god of the south wind.

While Orion was dealing with Orthrus, who would take down that terrifying monster?

If it hadn't been for the heroes from Thebes, who seemed accustomed to fighting giant serpents and had managed to distract him, they all might have been killed by now...

Despite the ongoing battle, Chrysaor remained unscathed, while the morale of the expedition members gradually waned.

Then something flew above their heads.

Caaw! Caw!

"What... is that sound?"

"That shadow in the sky... a Harpy?!"

Even in the midst of fighting monsters, the humans glanced up at the sky at the strange, powerful cry of a bird and breathed a sigh of relief.

The unique cry, the large black body, and the sacred aura that resonated through all their bodies...

"It's the divine crow said to be raised by Apollo!"

"Is it the same crow that was burned for delivering news about the Princess Coronis of Thessaly?"

"The god of the sun watches over us! O radiant Phoebus Apollo!"

Apollo, who had once been in a relationship with the Thessalian princess Coronis, had sent a white crow as a messenger to deliver news to her.

However, Coronis cheated on him with a mortal named Ischys, and the crow immediately reported this to Apollo.

Enraged, Apollo shot Coronis dead with his bow, but he regretted it immediately and turned his gaze upon the crow.

Under the scorching gaze filled with the sun's power, the white crow's feathers were all burned black.

Thus, the divine beast, Apollo's black crow, appeared here on this battlefield.

The divine crow soared through the sky of the battlefield for a moment before diving straight toward Chrysaor.

What looked like a mere dot in the sky grew larger and larger as it descended to the ground...

Soon, the divine beast, now enormous as if several people had been combined into one, swooped down and slashed Chrysaor's back with its talons.

Shiiiick!

The serpent monster writhed in agony as a fountain of blood spurted from its back.

Seeing this, the heroes regained their fighting spirit and rushed at Chrysaor once more.

The flying golden sword was now preoccupied with fending off the crow from the heavens... and Orthrus was being held back by the expedition leader, Orion.

If the two demigod-level monsters could be taken out of the fight, victory would be within reach!

The rema

ining monsters were no match for those who had trained in Thebes, battling the Sphinx, Python, and other legendary beasts.

"That's it, we can win! We've survived the training grounds of Thebes! These creatures are nothing compared to that!"

"O god Ares, grant strength to my sword!"

"Let's finish them all quickly and help Orion...!"

Unless another unexpected twist occurred, the expedition seemed likely to end in the heroes' victory.