King Of Underworld [EN]: Chapter 137

The King of the Underworld is Tired 137 (137/140)

The Argonauts – (4)

The heroes of the Argo were taken aback by this unexpected situation.

The Golden Fleece of Colchis was the city’s treasure. Naturally, they had braced themselves for a fierce battle or a cunning scheme…

But the city was burning, and people were fleeing?

What would happen to the Golden Fleece in this case? No, shouldn’t they save the people as heroes first?

Jason, who had been frowning, grabbed the arm of a woman who was running away, her face covered in soot.

The woman, who had been running with a bewildered expression, looked terrified when she saw Jason grabbing her arm and the heroes behind him.

“Eek…!”

“We don’t mean any harm. We just arrived in Colchis by ship. What on earth is happening?”

“T-that’s… You should run away quickly! A monster… a monster is…”

“Monster? We are heroes who slay monsters. We might be able to help you…”

“T-the princess is over there! Please, let me go!”

“…Princess?”

Jason let go of the woman, who was still out of her mind, and murmured her last words.

The princess of Colchis is over there, and she wants them to help her?

“What kind of monster is it?!”

“Let’s go where the woman who just ran away said.”

“Yes. We need to hear the explanation, so let’s go there…”

“H-help me! My dad is trapped under the house…”

“Jason, go first!”

“You have to follow me soon, Heracles!”

Around the heroes who were about to move with their weapons drawn, people groaning amidst the shattered houses caught their eyes.

An old man coughing because he couldn’t escape from the burning house, children crying in front of a completely collapsed building…

Heracles and some other heroes left the ranks to rescue people. Asclepius [the Greek god of medicine] took out herbs from the backpack he always carried, and Orpheus [a legendary musician, poet, and prophet in ancient Greek religion] put down his lyre and moved the injured.

Kraararaㅡ!!!!

“Uwaaaagh!”

“Heok… Save… Save me!”

This place, where black smoke and ashes were flying, was unrecognizable as the once prosperous city of Colchis.

Everywhere, there were terrible screams, the sound of something breaking, the shouts of soldiers, and strange noises.

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Tak tak tak tak.

The heroes of the Argo, eager to find out the cause of this problem, headed to where the princess was, and soon they were able to discover the source of the chaos.

A monster breathing fire, overwhelmingly trampling numerous armies armed with spears and swords.

A body so huge it couldn’t be compared to a human. Red scales shining as beautifully as Pluto’s [Roman god of the underworld] treasure. A fierce flame spewing from its mouth.

A dragon. It’s a dragon!

The beginning of Thebes [an ancient Greek city].

The one who tricked Typhon [a monstrous giant and one of the deadliest creatures in Greek mythology] and retrieved Zeus’ [king of the gods in Greek mythology] tendons.

The first and greatest hero.

King Cadmus [founder and first king of Thebes], who achieved numerous achievements including these…

Was the Drakon Ismenios [the dragon Cadmus killed] that he barely managed to kill with all his might looked like that?

Hwareureureureuk!!!

“Kuaaagh!”

“Don’t back down! The citizens of Colchis are behind you!”

“Everyone, raise your shields! Princess, now is the time!”

A hot fire spewed from the dragon’s mouth.

The breath that burned everything in front of it seemed to swallow everyone in an instant.

“Haa… Haa… Ένας τοίχος από νερό που τους περιβάλλει όλους!!! [A wall of water surrounds them all!!!]”

A woman in a fancy dress, surrounded and guarded by soldiers at the very rear.

As an unknown spell popped out of her mouth, a huge stream of water sprang from the ground and blocked the flames.

Chiiiiikㅡ!!

The wall of fire and water met, creating a huge amount of steam that obscured the view, and the flames spewing from the dragon’s mouth stopped for a moment.

It was around that time that Jason and the other heroes ran to her.

“We are heroes from all over Greece who have come to Colchis! You seem to be an excellent magician, but perhaps you could explain the situation…”

“How rude! This is the Princess of Colchis, Medeia!”

The woman called Medeia, the Princess of Colchis, quickly looked around at the heroes.

For a moment, a blue light seemed to flash in her pupils, and she told the soldier who had stopped them.

“Wait! Bring them here!”

The Princess of Colchis, whom Jason and others saw up close, had very beautiful brown hair.

However, none of the heroes here could harbor any ulterior motives.

Kraararara!!!

“Maintain the front line! If we collapse… Keok!”

“Damn it!”

“Watch out for his claws! It easily pierces through steel armor!”

On the battlefield where mythical monsters were rampaging, a fool distracted by a woman could not become a hero.

The Princess Medeia, with a desperate expression, quickly opened her mouth.

Her face, seen up close, was covered in sweat, and blood was flowing from her nose.

“You are not from Colchis, are you? If you help us, I swear to Hecate [Greek goddess of witchcraft, magic, and crossroads] that I will repay you!”

“Of course, we will help! Nestor, take command for now! I need to hear an explanation from Her Highness!”

“Meleagros! Aim for his eyes or mouth with your javelin! Atalante, too!”

“Zetes, let’s go up into the sky and check on him!”

“Isn’t there anyone else who can use magic?!”

“Someone go and get Heracles!”

While Nestor and the heroes, who had temporarily taken command from Jason, fought against the dragon,

The captain of the Argo asked Princess Medeia a question.

“Your Highness, the situation is urgent, but please tell me in detail why that dragon is destroying this place. Is it a divine punishment, or have we touched something we shouldn’t have…?”

“That’s not it. That dragon is originally the undying dragon that guarded the treasure of Colchis, the Golden Fleece.”

The dragon guarding the Golden Fleece… the undying dragon?

But why is that dragon destroying the city now?

“I don’t know how it happened, but the dragon ate the Golden Fleece. As a result of my magic, it’s in the dragon’s stomach.”

“No… What is that…!”

“And that dragon is not in its right mind. It is consumed by madness and is destroying everything.”

“Madness… you say? The dragon’s mental strength should be superior to that of humans…”

Hwareureureureuk!!!

“…προστατεύω! [Protect!]”

“Heup!”

During their conversation… the dragon, blocked by the heroes, spewed out flames again…

Light flashed from Princess Medeia’s body, creating a translucent shield that enveloped the soldiers.

Although the princess looked very tired, her magic was superior to any magician Jason had ever seen.

Enough ability to be called the greatest witch in Greece.

The reason why that terrible monster did not wipe out Colchis in an instant was thanks to this princess’s magic.

Once again, Medeia, who blocked the dragon’s attack using magic, staggered.

Jason supported her as she grabbed her head, feeling dizzy from excessive use of magic, and said.

“Okay, I understand what you mean! We will help kill that dragon, too!”

* * *

Heracles, who rescued the people buried in the rubble, ran over.

The first sight he saw was Atalante’s arrow bouncing off the dragon’s scales.

Piyuungㅡ Tiing!

“No way! There’s no way the scales are that hard!”

“Kueu… What’s so strong about it?”

“It doesn’t get hurt! Damn it! What kind of blessing is it?”

The heroes were taking turns attacking, but the red dragon was very strong.

The flames spewing from its mouth were no less than Hephaestus’ [Greek god of fire] flames, and its huge body drove the soldiers to their deaths with just light movements.

On the other hand, ordinary people, including soldiers, became obstacles. Attacks that could be avoided had to be deflected with shields, and attacks that could be deflected had to be endured with the rear in mind.

Meleagros’ javelin and Atalante’s arrows flew sharply, but the dragon looked around with a growling cry.

As if looking for something.

“Jason! There are many people buried in the rubble, so I was a little late! I can kill that dragon, right?!”

“Yes! Heracles! According to Her Highness the Princess here, that guy ate the Golden Fleece!”

Heracles grabbed his iron club and looked at the dragon,

and the eyes of the ferocious monster and the great hero met each other.

Kraaaaaㅡ!!!

At that moment, the dragon stomped its feet with a loud cry. The earth shook, and the surrounding buildings collapsed.

It’s not just a simple stomp. What is this…

The heroes are bounced off like balls by the dragon’s subsequent charge. The soldiers holding shields instantly turn into minced meat, and blood scatters into the air along with embers.

The barrier created by Medeia shatters, and the princess sits down, bleeding from her nose.

“Kueueueuk! Suddenly such power…”

“Shield… Raise your shields! Don’t let him approach Her Highness!”

“Amphion! Erginos! Get out of the way!”

“Damn it… Butes was hit! That guy, he was saving his strength…!”

Red eyes approaching menacingly this way. And flying claws.

Kakang!

Sparks flew as the iron club and the dragon’s claws collided. Only then could Heracles look closely into the dragon’s eyes.

Red pupils full of hatred, emotions that feel madness rather than heat.

‘Is he aiming for me?’

Huuwoong- Kaaang!

Once again. Heracles blocked the fiercely swung claws with his iron club.

A heavy sensation was transmitted from his fingertips to his whole body. If he were a normal hero, his body would have been torn apart in an instant.

This undying dragon was trying to kill him without paying attention to anything else.

Neither Princess Medeia’s magic, nor the spears or blades thrown by the heroes… could not divert the monster’s attention focused on him.

Why is this happening? No matter how strong he is, he’s just a monster.

Kakakakang!! Hwareureukㅡ!

Once again, Heracles blocked the dragon’s claws and rolled his body to avoid the flames, and felt a sense of déjà vu.

A feeling that cannot be compared to the Hydra [a serpentine water monster in Greek mythology] or the Nemean lion [a vicious monster in Greek mythology]… a feeling similar to when he fought Triton [a Greek god of the sea, son of Poseidon] or the goddess Megaira [one of the Erinyes, goddesses of vengeance].

He didn’t know how strong the son of the god of war, Drakon Ismenios, was, but he had a feeling that he would never be stronger than this red dragon.

In the first place, he had already surpassed King Cadmus.

Kuuuwoong!

“W-what! To block that!”

“…Who is that guy?”

The great hero could somehow feel the gazes around him.

Admiration for him for single-handedly, and even head-on, receiving the dragon’s attack that burned the city.

Relief. Expectation. Hope. Entreaty. Earnestness. And hope.

In the slowly flowing time, the words that came to Heracles’ mind.

“…Simply having such thoughts will never allow you to become a god, no matter how great your achievements are.”

“You seem to need to mingle with humans instead.”

“Then, to become a god, wouldn’t you need something different from what I’ve said so far?”

There was a soldier staring blankly at him fighting the dragon. There was the Princess of Colchis chanting a spell with shining eyes.

The heroes who showed him feelings of jealousy and admiration were seen shouting desperately at him. The fleeing refugees point this way with surprised looks…

When he was saving people in the rubble earlier, what did they say to him?

Surely… they put their hands together and said.

Thank you. O God.

Humans seek gods. Gods grant wishes.

Every time he heard people’s sincere prayers, he felt a strange feeling.

* * *

Immediately after the front line completely collapsed due to the dragon’s charge, which seemed to have not exerted its full power until now.

Jason, who was lying on the floor because of the collision, was prepared to die.

There was no one who could intervene in the collision, and the aftermath of the battle seemed to cause a huge storm.

A voice heard in Jason’s ear.

“Jason.”

“Heracles, is that your voice? How can you speak from there to here…”