King Of Underworld [EN]: Chapter 169

The King of the Underworld is Tired 170

An Oddly Familiar Trojan War – (4)

With shouts echoing from all directions, the two armies clash.

A gruesome battlefield where blades filled with murderous intent are swung, and arrows pierce the flesh of enemies.

The sound of fabric tearing through flesh, the brutal noise of metal against metal, the acrid scent of blood.

*Whoosh-* *Thwack.* *Splurt! Clang!*

“Die! Die. Die!”

“Let’s show them the valor of the Spartan army!”

“Lord Zeus, master of the heavens! Watch over me!”

“Ares, the god of war, is watching!”

Soldiers shout the names of the gods they serve as they swing their weapons at each other.

In such a fierce battlefield, those who have reached the realm of heroes stand out.

*Swoosh-* *Thwack.* *Slash!*

“They say the Trojan army is strong. But they’re nothing!”

“Don’t be careless, Achilles! Even for you, caution is needed!”

“Hahaha! Patroclus! You be careful!”

Achilles, considered the best warrior among the younger generation of heroes, and

Patroclus, who, while not comparable to him, possesses outstanding strength.

“We need to get the commander… I can’t see him well.”

“How about targeting that one rampaging over there! Lady Penthesilea!”

Penthesilea, the queen of the Amazons, fighting on the side of Troy.

“Hector! Let’s fight!”

“I’ve been waiting for this, Ajax!”

Hector, the greatest hero of Troy, acknowledged by all, Ajax, the prince of Salamis and a giant, and others.

Numerous heroes show off their martial prowess, slaughtering soldiers.

Those who have reached the realm of heroes cannot be stopped by ordinary forces.

Even if they are not the heroes of the previous generation who grew up fighting monsters.

“Ugh. Ughhh!”

“Monster! It’s a monster!”

Soldiers from each camp fall, spurting blood.

However, the battle situation did not lean towards one side and appeared almost equal.

The overall skill of the Greek coalition was superior, but… due to the frequent intervention of the Olympian gods, Hector’s tactics, and the morale of the Trojan soldiers, which was boosted by the construction of Hades’ temple in the city.

Clouds and fog rise here and there, and the seemingly coincidental interventions of the gods shake the battle situation.

“Aeneas! Flank them from the side! Penthesilea! Take on Ajax for a moment!”

“Understood, Hector! Soldiers, follow me!”

“Leave it to me. Amazon warriors! Let’s show our skills!”

“That one with the shining helmet is Hector, right?”

“If we can defeat him, the war will be over. Should we try?”

“That guy shooting arrows from the hill is the Trojan general, Pandaros! Raise your shields…!”

“Our Troy is protected by the sun god and the king of the underworld!”

“Ares, god of war! I offer this glory to you!”

“Pluto, the god of fairness and mercy, is on Troy’s side. Charge!!”

The number of soldiers falling and dying on the ground increases, and several incarnations of Thanatos [the personification of death], invisible to mortal eyes, appear to guide the dead.

Above the clouds, the two war deities bestow blessings on the forces they support, instilling courage.

“Damn it, why is the sun only shining on our side? It’s too dazzling…”

“The Trojans believe in the god Apollo, that’s why!”

“Cough… This bastard. My spear definitely hit first…”

“Hee… Thank you! Goddess Athena!”

Shouts and screams, the blood of mortals spilled on Demeter’s earth [Demeter is the Greek goddess of agriculture], the sound of chariots rushing with terrifying force…

Apollo’s gaze, watching all of this, turned to Achilles.

The prophecy that he would become greater than his father Peleus.

The fastest movement in the Greek army.

The armor of Hephaestus [Greek god of blacksmiths and fire] given by his mother, the goddess Thetis.

Achilles’ performance, wearing light armor and moving quickly, was the best in the Greek army.

No one could stop him as he rampaged in the center of the battlefield.

‘The Trojan army is at a slight disadvantage because of that Achilles. The armor he’s wearing is Hephaestus’s, and there seems to be Athena’s blessing on the tip of his spear?’

The sun god hid his form and went down to Pandaros, Troy’s best archer.

“Pandaros. I am Apollo. Do not turn your head and listen to me.”

“…!”

“Do you see that general rampaging across the battlefield?”

“Yes. Isn’t that Achilles? But because of that armor…”

“Kill him. I will help your arrow find the gap in his armor.”

“…I understand!”

A small light formed on Pandaros’s arrow, and it was shot at Achilles, who was rampaging on his chariot.

At this moment, the arrowhead, sharper than anything else, flew fiercely.

* * *

*Whoosh-* *Ting!*

“Ugh!”

The arrow that flew towards Achilles pierced the head of the horse he was riding, grazed his armor, and fell to the ground.

Because the goddess Athena, who had been watching him, knocked the arrow away with her hand. However, Achilles’ momentum, which had been scourging the battlefield, also decreased.

“Achilles.”

“A… Goddess Athena?”

“The gods are targeting you. Be careful, Achilles.”

Achilles thanked the goddess and stepped back to regroup, and the goddess Athena disappeared to help the Greek generals again.

A battlefield that can no longer be called a war between humans. The fierce power struggle of the gods affects the morale of the soldiers…

Of course, all of this was also being watched in the underworld ruled by Hades.

A war broke out in the mortal realm.

Then what about the underworld, where the souls of those who died in the war come? Naturally, it’s overflowing with work.

The wave of the dead, continuing to pour in beyond the five rivers of the underworld, fills the courtroom, and the heads of the three Minos brothers, who deliver judgments, turn non-stop.

“I heard a great war broke out in the mortal realm. It seems so.”

“It was called the war between the Greek coalition and Troy. Wait, those souls should be sent here!”

“Lord Hades. The souls that came this time have evil deeds…”

Hmm. As expected, it’s busy.

The number of dead wearing soldier uniforms due to the war between Troy and the coalition has increased dramatically.

Every day, the three Minos brothers suffer, and a dark cloud gradually hangs over Thanatos’s face…

“God of the underworld, Hades! Judge of mortals! Please judge directly!!!”

There was someone who was praying to me, not to Pluto, while mentioning the underworld.

With a very earnest cry.

* * *

After several clashes between Troy and the Greek coalition.

In the Greek camp, all sorts of injured people were lying on the ground, crying out in pain.

“Ugh… Ughhh… Mother.”

“The god Thanatos… I can see him before my eyes.”

“To die in this distant land, please put a coin and mint in my mouth…”

Those with arms cut off, those with bellies pierced by spears, those hit by charging chariots.

Those who died by the power of the deities who intervened in the war. Numerous lives die without receiving proper treatment.

Amid the screams erupting from everywhere, King Menelaus, who had summoned the Greek coalition, was moving with angry steps.

Crossing the Spartan army’s camp… his steps towards his tent.

*Whoosh-*

“…Ah.”

When he violently pulled back the curtain, he saw Helen, who had been dispirited in the tent.

The two people’s eyes met for a moment.

A muscular body covered in blood and wounds, the acrid smell of blood piercing the nose.

Helen, who had been the queen of Sparta, sheds tears when she sees him.

“Sniff…”

“Why are you crying?”

“…That’s…”

Menelaus looked at her for a moment, then chuckled and sat down.

“Because I killed Paris, that bastard? Or because I didn’t die?”

“That’s… not it.”

“Didn’t you fall in love with Paris and leave for Troy in the first place? Are you going to say that you miss me now?”

At Menelaus’s questioning, Helen burst into tears and lowered her head.

Tears like dew gradually flow down from her beauty, comparable to a goddess.

“The screams of our Spartan army outside must have been heard all the way here.”

“……”

“All the sacrifices were made because you abandoned me and ran away to Troy. You will have to pay the price for that as well.”

Now, not even a breath could be heard inside the tent.

But the outside was still noisy. It was a time for reorganization to advance to Troy once again.

“I will kill every living thing in Troy and cut off Paris’s head. And then…”

“…Please don’t do that.”

“What?”

“It’s all… my fault. Because of me, the Spartan people… it’s all my fault, so kill me.”

Ha! A sigh burst out of Menelaus’s mouth along with a rough breath.

A sense of responsibility as a king governing the country, hatred for Paris, resentment towards the gods.

Feelings of anger and affection for Helen, who betrayed him and left, the screams of the Spartan soldiers who were dying outside, crying out to the gods…

The momentum of the hero who had just slaughtered countless Trojan soldiers raged violently and then suddenly subsided.

He hated Helen, who had left with Paris, but when he faced her like this, he felt his heart weakening.

Did Helen feel guilty? About the deaths of the Spartan soldiers? That she was the cause of all this tragedy?

When did she betray him and leave… only now? Ha. Hahaha… Hahaha!

*Whoosh-*

King Menelaus, who had been looking at the ceiling and bursting into empty laughter, grabbed Helen and dragged her out of the tent.

He picked up a spear placed next to him and aimed it at the sky.

*Swaaaaa- Rumble!*

Just in time, the sky was pouring down with intense rain as if a hole had been torn in it, and thunder and lightning occasionally echoed.

Perfect. It’s like the gods are angry. Can’t his voice be heard well by the gods?

*Grip.*

Menelaus hugged Helen with a calm look.

But he was full of sadness and determination, as if he had prepared himself for something.

“I will entrust your judgment to the gods. Of course, I will also stand on that judgment seat fairly.”

“Ah. Aaa…”

“Dike, the goddess of justice… no. Pluto, the god of fairness…”

Menelaus’s words, which he was about to shout to the sky, stopped for a moment and then continued.

“God of the underworld, Hades! Judge of mortals! Please judge directly!!!”

His shouts echoed in all directions.

Menelaus raised the arm holding the spear and aimed it at the sky.

The goal is… to have the spear fall back to this spot! So that it can pierce through him and Helen at the same time!

*Whoosh-!*

The best warrior in Sparta knew the moment he threw the spear.

That the place where this spear would fall would be above Helen and his head.

*Grip.*

He closed his eyes and hugged Helen tightly.