King Of Underworld [EN]: Chapter 55

The King of the Underworld is Tired 55 (55/82)

Prophet Prometheus – (3)

I grabbed the letter and golden necklace from Pandora and set off to find the goddess Styx.

She was bathing in the Styx River and slowly emerged from the water as soon as she saw me.

The goddess’s thin clothes clung to her wet body, outlining her soft curves, but…

I had something to tell her, so I forced myself to look away.

“Hades, that necklace in your hand…”

“It is Pandora’s necklace, as you suspect.”

I told the puzzled Styx about Gaia’s prophetic abilities and Prometheus.

I explained that I would be leaving the Underworld for a while to persuade him, everything.

“So, I was hoping you could take care of the Underworld for a bit.”

“Hmm… I’ll let the other gods know. Persuading Prometheus… I hope it goes well.”

“If Tartarus [the deepest abyss of the Underworld] opens or something urgent happens, contact Thanatos…”

Persuading Prometheus is something I absolutely have to succeed in.

It’s the only way to deal with Gaia’s prophecy.

“Then I’ll head to the Caucasus Mountains where Prometheus is bound.”

“…Is there anything you want to say to me?”

“Ahem. It’s cold, so please change your clothes quickly.”

She’s been doing this more and more lately…

I quickly turned away and left, hearing her muttering softly behind me.

I crossed the River Lethe [river of forgetfulness] and rushed past the River Acheron [river of woe] to the entrance of the Underworld.

The Caucasus Mountains are quite far from here.

That’s why I asked Olympus in advance and borrowed Iris [goddess of the rainbow and messenger of the gods].

The goddess of the rainbow bowed to me as I came to the mortal realm.

“Lord Hades. Shall I take you to the Caucasus Mountains right away?”

“Yes, open a gateway to that place.”

Beyond the passage created by Iris’s gesture, I could see the towering rocky mountains.

Prometheus would be bound at the top of that mountain.

* * *

Whoosh-

As I crossed the space to the Caucasus Mountains, I felt the cold air.

The biting wind blowing from the high altitude stung my skin.

Despite being at the foot of the rocky mountain, I could feel all sorts of divine power.

Since it’s where Prometheus is bound…

There were precautions everywhere to prevent the Gigantes [giants born of Gaia], Gaia, or ignorant humans from approaching.

The owl that peeked out from between the jagged rocks seemed to be Athena’s sacred creature,

I could feel a clear and subtle divine power.

Even though it was clearly a rocky mountain, there was Demeter’s sacred tree.

There was also a barrier that made ordinary humans, not heroes, get lost and wander.

Swish-

I passed through the barrier and continued up the mountain path.

Yes. It seems that Olympus has set up a solid defense, so I am very satisfied.

I made the lion divine beast near the summit back away as it bared its teeth at me,

And as I walked around a large rock, I saw Prometheus.

The Titan god was bound to the rock wall with his arms and legs spread out in a 大 shape [crucified-like pose],

He was bound by chains made directly by Hephaestus [god of the forge], and his head was hanging low.

“Oh… Hades. The great god of mercy is coming. Heh heh…”

As I approached him, a middle-aged face slowly lifted towards me.

The words that came out with a playfully twisted smile were venomous.

“How does it feel to show a little mercy to humans and be revered?”

“It’s been a while, don’t joke around, Prometheus…”

“Heh heh heh…”

…This old man is doing this again.

He’s still the same Prometheus from before his falling out with Zeus, who fought alongside the gods in the Titan War.

“Heo! If you go that way, you’ll be caught by the Titans… Kekeke… Go if you want…”

“Ah… If it’s a prophecy, I can’t help it.”

“It’s not a prophecy, it’s just a hunch.”

“Tsk tsk… If you use your divine power like that, you’ll be defeated by Cronus [Titan ruler of the cosmos and father of Zeus].”

“…Another prophecy?”

“Well? It depends on your thoughts, Poseidon.”

“Ahem! Something big will happen to you if you keep doing that!”

“Hmm… If it’s a prophecy…”

“No? It’s just my feeling.”

“……?”

Back then, we were inexperienced young gods,

Prometheus was a seasoned Titan god and the best force with the power of prophecy.

Everyone trusted his words, but his personality was… well…

I have a reasonable suspicion that one of the reasons Zeus bound Prometheus was because of that.

“No, how can your personality remain the same after being punished for so long?”

“Just because you became the master of the Underworld doesn’t mean you can’t take my jokes? Show me some mercy.”

Prometheus laughed for a while, then stopped and opened his mouth.

“You must have come to persuade me to fight against Gaia’s prophecy, right?”

* * *

“As expected, you knew.”

“I’m curious what kind of method the master of the Underworld has prepared. Tell me quickly.”

You knew I was coming, but you don’t know the specific way to persuade you?

Well, that’s how your prophecies were.

We joined because of your certain prophecy that we would defeat the Titans,

But you couldn’t foresee everything, so we struggled in the war.

“Prometheus, don’t you cherish humans like your own children?”

“Me?”

“Otherwise, you wouldn’t have defied Zeus and given fire to humans.”

“Oho…”

“The Gigantes created by Gaia are strong, but they are the worst for humans. They eat humans and sacrifice them without hesitation.”

The Gigantes were created with a focus on strength rather than wisdom to drive out us who defeated Typhon.

Their power is comparable to the Olympian gods, but they are more like monsters.

“Well…? Aren’t you underestimating me too much just because I’m tied up here? Just look at the humans who were sacrificed by the gods…”

“They are better than the Gigantes.”

“Are you admitting that the gods are a slightly better lesser evil than the Gigantes?”

“…Yes. That’s right.”

“Oho… Zeus would be displeased if he heard that.”

To be honest, how many humans were sacrificed due to the whims of the gods?

There are many in the Underworld who died because of prophecies, curses, or simply for being arrogant.

I can’t lie to the world’s greatest prophet.

What is needed to persuade him is not sweet appeasement but the truth.

I summoned the most powerful weapon in the Underworld, the Bident [a two-pronged spear], in one hand.

And I immediately cut the chains that bound Prometheus.

Clang! Thud. Thud.

The chains that bound Prometheus were made by Hephaestus under Zeus’s orders.

But this Bident was also made by the blacksmith god, even more carefully.

Prometheus staggered for a moment as the chains that had bound him for so long were cut.

He looked at me with a bewildered face.

“Ha. Will the king of the gods condone this too?”

“I already finished talking to Zeus before coming here.”

The prophetic Titan brushed himself off and looked at me with curious eyes.

“What are you going to do if you don’t get any results from me?”

“…Then there’s nothing I can do. In the first place, the punishment given to you was too harsh.”

“Heo… You’re going to release me?”

It’s not bad to see the wise Titan god flustered.

Then, slowly now…

“What are these? And could this necklace be…”

“It’s Pandora’s letter and necklace. I swear to the Styx River that I did not use any oppression or threats against her.”

He seriously examined the golden necklace that was handed to him and then looked at the letter.

Prometheus concentrated on the scroll for a long time, as if he was dissecting each letter.

Whoosh-

Zeus’s sacred beast, an eagle, flies in to tear out Prometheus’s liver.

The eagle rushes towards him as he reads the letter.

Thud. Flap. Flap.

However, the divine beast was caught by the Titan of Prophecy, who quietly took his eyes off the letter.

Prometheus, whose playful appearance from before had disappeared in an instant, looked into my eyes.

“…Hoo.”

A gentle breeze blew between him and me,

He took a deep breath and opened his mouth again.

“…Hades, as you know, Gaia is capable of prophecy at the same level as me.”

“That’s why I need your help.”

“She knows exactly what she needs to do to win the war against you.”

He releases the eagle and continues to speak.

Zeus’s sacred beast noticed that its easy prey had regained its strength and flew away.

“No matter how well you prepare… the gods will be struck by Gaia, even if I tell you in advance.”

“Are you saying we will be hit no matter what?”

“Of course, it will be a pretty painful blow to your plans.”

Despite the fact that many gods, such as Apollo, Selene, Helios, and Demeter, are burning with anger…

We can’t stop the blow? Is that the last attack of the Gigantes, or something else?

“But after that…”

The intuition of the three main gods was telling me that Prometheus would open a way for us.

A strange energy emanated from the half-open eyes of the Titan.

I could feel a prophecy touching fate about to come out of his mouth.

“If the mortal realm and the underworld are connected, the gods will win.”

The mortal realm and the underworld, which are separated from each other, are connected… This is a definite prophecy.

Power was contained in the words, like a curse or a blessing.

“Maybe Zeus told you to get an apology from me?”

Prometheus turned his body and looked at the sky, as if he would not tell me any more.

He cleared his throat for a moment and then shouted.

“Zeus! I apologize for the ‘rough words’ I poured out on you!”

Rumble…

As soon as Prometheus’s shout stopped,

The sound of thunder, the symbol of Zeus, echoed.

Not a prophecy, but rough words.

Fortunately, the statement that Zeus would be driven out like Cronus and Uranus was not a prophecy.

It was Prometheus’s provocation against Zeus, who had bound him to the rocky mountain.

And by acknowledging that fact here…

Our Olympus has reduced one element of instability.

“Oh, and Hades, you should keep your lower body a little looser! Kekeke!”

“Wh- what?”

Flutter-

Prometheus left only strange words and flew away as a bird.