King Of Underworld [EN]: Chapter 12

The King of the Underworld is Tired 12 (12/82)

The Story of Typhon – (1)

Morpheus recounted that he had ascended to the surface to share dreams with the living and had encountered an ibis on the ground.

He found it strange to see the ibis collapsed and covered in blood, but then the ibis transformed into the god Hermes.

“Morpheus… I must see Lord Hades immediately…”

“What is this…?! God Hermes?”

So, Morpheus hurriedly brought him to the Underworld, where he is currently being treated.

“Something urgent must have happened on Olympus!”

Hermes is the messenger of the gods, delivering Zeus’s orders.

He is the son of Maia, daughter of Atlas, and Zeus, and one of the twelve Olympians.

As is typical of messengers, Hermes is exceptionally fast.

Strictly speaking, Iris, who travels via rainbows to transcend space when covering long distances like those between the Underworld and Olympus, is faster.

Almost no god can outpace Hermes when he is running at full speed.

Yet, this swift god was found lying at the entrance to the Underworld, covered in blood.

Moreover, the twelve Olympians possess such high divine status that few would dare to harm them.

I calmed my racing mind and entered the room where Hermes was resting.

“Lord Hades…”

“…What state is this, Hermes?”

The usually vibrant god, who always brought cheer to Olympus with his bright smile and clever wit, was in a terrible condition.

His face, once that of a handsome rogue, was smeared with blood, and there was barely an uninjured spot on his limbs.

Servants were diligently changing bandages, and lower-ranking gods were injecting divine power to bolster his energy, but blood continued to seep.

Hermes’s eyes, visible between the bandages, met mine, and tears welled up.

“There was a monster… there was a monster…”

“Tell me in detail. Does Zeus know of this?”

An ordinary human, or even a nymph or lesser god dwelling in nature, would be unable to utter a word with such grievous injuries.

Only one of the twelve Olympians, those granted a golden throne on Olympus, could still speak.

“…An ordinary banquet was being held on Olympus… A monster calling himself Typhon… struck Zeus with a single blow…”

To summarize his stammering account:

As the gods of Olympus were enjoying a banquet, a colossal hand crashed into the hall…

Zeus was seriously injured by the sudden attack and retaliated with lightning, but the monster barely flinched.

The monster, identifying himself as Typhon, resembled the Gigantes [giants born of Gaia], with a human upper body and a serpentine lower body.

Heat comparable to Hephaestus’s [god of the forge] fire emanated from his eyes, and terrifying storms raged around him.

The other gods were instantly defeated or fled, and Zeus remained to the end, resisting with the Scythe, but eventually…

“It came to the point where he had to use the Scythe?”

“Yes… Poseidon’s Triaina [trident] and Father’s Astrape [lightning bolts] could not injure him at all…”

Scythe (Schythe).

A sickle made of Adamas [an extremely hard substance] that Father Cronus used to castrate Uranus.

His skin is so tough that Zeus had to resort to a weapon crafted directly by the earth goddess Gaia.

But Typhon… Typhon… I definitely sense something amiss. I know this name. Somewhere in the hazy memories of my past life…

“Father… Zeus was caught in his grasp… and told me to go to the Underworld and ask for help…”

“Continue.”

“That monster laughed and struck my leg… sob… Please help Olympus, uncle!”

Hermes, who boasts the fastest speed on Olympus, tried to escape, but was caught in the monster’s storm that enveloped Olympus.

Typhon, who allowed the other gods to escape except for Zeus, mocked Hermes and struck his leg.

The messenger god’s leg was horribly twisted by that single attack.

He transformed into a small ibis to escape the monster’s notice.

Hermes lost consciousness shortly after relaying this information.

It was only natural, as he was forcibly clinging to consciousness to convey the dire situation on Olympus to me.

“Hades… are you going to help Olympus?”

The goddess Styx looks at me with a worried expression.

Unlike the Gigantes’ invasion of the Underworld, this time the battle is taking place on Olympus.

Poseidon in the sea and I in the Underworld are virtually invincible.

But what about Zeus in the sky?

“There’s a monster that defeated Olympus single-handedly. This time it’s truly dangerous…”

Zeus is the absolute ‘god’ itself that rules the world.

In the sky, even if all twelve Olympians except me gathered, they could not stand against Zeus.

Yet, the king of the gods and chief god of Olympus fought in his own territory, the sky, with his strongest weapon, the Scythe, and was defeated.

If one doesn’t recognize the threat posed by the monster called Typhon after hearing this, they are truly a fool.

“If we can rescue Zeus first, we have a chance of winning to some extent.”

“Even so…”

“Even if it’s dangerous, I can protect myself, so don’t worry too much.”

Since Zeus is an immortal god, that monster must have subdued him and imprisoned him somewhere.

Then my course is clear.

To rescue Zeus and confront the monster called Typhon.

Even though that powerful Astrape only caused him pain and no real injuries, I can at least distract him until Zeus can sever his neck with the Scythe.

“But… shouldn’t you take the forces of the Underworld with you…?”

“It would be a meaningless sacrifice.”

If Hermes was caught in the storm surrounding Typhon, then overwhelming him with numbers won’t work.

Even if I bring the entire army of the Underworld, Typhon wouldn’t even notice them.

I forcibly turned away from the goddess Styx, who had tears in her eyes, and left.

* * *

I returned to the fortress of the Underworld.

To be precise, I returned to the audience hall where my throne is located and sat down.

Why do these troublesome things keep happening?

Busy work always awaits me, and if the Underworld is ever quiet, problems arise elsewhere.

I sighed and reached to the side of the throne.

A plain, seemingly old helmet caught on my finger.

Kynee (Kynee) [Helmet of Invisibility].

Until now, no creature has been able to detect me while wearing the Kynee, but will it work on that monster too?

I have no choice but to trust the helmet made directly by Arges, one of the Cyclopes [one-eyed giants] brothers.

I gripped the Kynee tightly and donned my weapons and armor.

I secured the Styx sword to my waist, and black armor forged from the river of the Underworld covered my entire body.

As I finished equipping myself, Thanatos [god of death] fluttered his black wings and entered the audience hall.

He spoke in a serious tone.

“Hades, I heard that Olympus is in danger.”

“Thanatos.”

“The monster called Typhon possesses immortality. My authority has no effect on him, unlike our gods.”

Did Thanatos see Typhon?

He dispatches avatars day and night to travel the world, so he might have encountered Typhon.

“I only observed that massive form from a distance. When I attempted to use my authority to extract his soul, he turned his head towards me. Fortunately, he was focused on something else, so he didn’t pursue me…”

If he possesses immortality like us, Typhon is likely a member of the divine family.

Perhaps a descendant of the Titan gods… Since he resembles the Gigantes, Gaia might have dispatched him.

Is she sending him to eliminate us, who repelled the first offensive of the Gigantes?

“Tsk. You’re clearly eager to depart immediately. Be careful.”

I passed Thanatos and left the fortress.

After a long time, I crossed the river of the Underworld fully armed and stepped into the world.

Thud.

Instead of the gloomy air of the Underworld, the clear and clean air of the earth greeted me.

I appreciated the feel of the land, abundant with Demeter’s [goddess of agriculture] blessings, but I hadn’t come to admire the scenery.

The current time is night.

With the transcendent eyesight of divinity, I could see the moon goddess Selene traversing the sky in her silver chariot.

One black horse and one white horse were diligently pulling the moon.

But they don’t usually fly so high. The horses are trembling as if they are afraid of something on the ground.

Is it because of Typhon’s influence? I donned the Kynee and headed towards Mount Olympus.

* * *

The towering Mount Olympus was… partially destroyed.

The divine palace in the clouds above the mountain had also been reduced to ruins, littered with debris, as if some colossal being had trampled upon it.

No other presence was felt, but a monster resembling a Gigas was visible.

A fierce storm emanated from the massive monster that dominated Mount Olympus.

Whoooooo…

The monster, whose shoulders reached the sky and whose head brushed the stars, was seething with rage.

Each time it grew angrier, the snakes attached to its hair spewed lightning and venom.

Kwaaaang! Kugugugu…

When the monster struck Mount Olympus with its fist, one of the peaks crumbled.

“Kaaaa! Moirai [the Fates]! How dare you deceive me?!”

If it’s the Moirai, the three goddesses of fate, then what happened?

“Lord Typhon! What on earth did they do?”

A monster with the lower body of a dragon and the upper body of a human addressed Typhon.

Presumably, it is Typhon’s monster subordinate.

“The fruit they gave me, claiming it would grant me great power, is making me weak!”

“Those guys…?”

The three goddesses of fate on Mount Nisa aided us.

But I am weakened, and there is no chance of winning by fighting head-on, so I must find Zeus first.

“Udeudeuk… But it doesn’t matter! The only one who posed a threat to me was Zeus, and he is already trapped in the cave!”

Judging from the fact that he was divulging information because he believed no one was around, it was clear that he was a monster who had not been born long ago.

Experienced gods or Titans who have endured war would never do that.

The suspicion that he is a monster recently created by Grandma Gaia, who created the Gigantes, has increased.

Doesn’t he know about my Kynee?

Or did he think I wouldn’t help Olympus?

I was about to locate the cave where Zeus was imprisoned when I noticed a strange animal.

A creature with the upper body of a goat and the lower body of a fish, which I had never seen before, was trembling with fear and hiding in the bushes.

I passed by the creature, which must have been a god in disguise, and sighed.