Chapter Title: The Tale of Typhon - (4)
Mount Olympus, the divine palace above the towering clouds.
Lying at an angle, reveling in his victory, Typhon found it strange that Cadmus had not returned.
He had promised to bestow a goddess in exchange for playing a tune on the lyre.
Could it be that he fled?
No human would refuse the reward of embracing a goddess.
Perhaps it was Zeus's scheme.
After a moment of contemplation, Typhon called for his subordinate monster, Delphine, intending to command him to find the audacious human.
If it weren't for the numerous divine powers approaching from afar.
"Are the minions coming to challenge me again?"
No matter how many gods who had fled gathered, it would be of no use...
"Typhon! I have returned!"
Zeus, holding the Astrafe above the black clouds?
His tendons must have surely snapped... that damned human!
As Typhon hurriedly rose, dark clouds gathered above him, unleashing a fierce lightning strike.
Flash - Boom!
"Ugh!"
It hurts.
It hurts so much.
It feels as if my entire body is burning away.
Was lightning supposed to hurt this much?
Typhon gritted his teeth against the power of Zeus's lightning.
Certainly, when he ambushed Olympus, it wasn't this severe.
Damn Moirai, those wretched old hags and their strange fruit!
"I will not be careless now. Let us see who truly deserves the throne of the gods!"
From Zeus's hand, having regained his severed tendons, destructive blue lightning flashed, showcasing his power.
A thunderous roar erupted from his mouth as the Astrafe was unleashed once more.
"Ugh!"
Typhon would not remain idle.
He, the god of storms, summoned winds fierce enough to topple even the highest mountains, devastating everything around him.
Though Zeus's lightning was painful, it was not enough to kill the weakened Typhon in one blow.
A massive hand, wrapped in a whirlwind, reached out fiercely toward Zeus.
If he could just crush the king of the gods...
"If I can subdue Zeus, the others will be nothing."
As Typhon thought this, a sweet voice whispered in his ear.
"Hey, could you take a look over here for a moment?"
A small, faint voice echoed from the ground.
Yet, unable to resist the enchanting tone, Typhon's attention was momentarily diverted, and his gaze fell downward.
A beautifully adorned woman, Aphrodite, smiled brightly and locked eyes with Typhon.
The hand that had been reaching out with the goddess's full charm lost its momentum.
"Zeus! It wouldn't matter if Mount Olympus was a little damaged, right?"
"Move instead of talking, Poseidon!"
"Then I won't hold back!"
The blue-haired god raised his trident high and thrust it down toward the earth with all his might.
As the power of the Cyclopes' masterpiece, the Triaina, was unleashed, the ground shook violently, and the mountain trembled.
"Earth, tremble. Show me your insides."
Demeter placed her hand on the ground with a cold, calm voice.
The goddess of the earth, Demeter, assisted in the earthquake.
The earth split uncontrollably, making it difficult for Typhon to move and throwing off his balance.
Next, Hestia's power enveloped the gods warmly, and the fierce flames from Hephaestus's hammer erupted, burning everything.
A storm raged, sending trees flying like dust, as the gods fought.
Mount Olympus was gradually losing its shape.
Some distance from Mount Olympus, the human city faced a great disaster.
Flash - Boom!
Thunder continued to roar from the sky, and the ground shook violently in an earthquake.
Buildings collapsed, and as the storm raged, people cried out to the gods.
"Ahhh! Zeus! What have we done wrong!"
"This earthquake must be the punishment of Poseidon! Did we offer our tributes to the sea on time?"
"Help us!"
Drumming sounds echoed.
People desperately fled the city, but some remained praying in the temples of the Olympian gods.
They didn't know which god they were praying to, but they hoped their pleas would be heard and that the gods would quell their anger.
Boom!
Once again, thunder and storms raged, causing buildings to collapse.
"This... this is strange. The gods would not punish us like this!"
The priest of Demeter residing in the city felt a clear sense of abnormality.
The disasters that had occurred so far included thunder and lightning, torrential rain, earthquakes, and fierce winds.
No single god could possess such power.
Yet, it would only take one god's strength to destroy this city.
"Could it be that the gods are fighting among themselves?"
The mortals soon realized.
This was merely the aftermath of a battle, like crumbs falling from bread or shards flying when mining metal.
The true disaster was occurring on Mount Olympus.
"Hahaha! War! It is war!"
Red divine power surged like a storm from Ares's entire body.
The divine steeds of his chariot snorted fiercely as they galloped through the air.
The god of war charged forward, driving his chariot.
His target was the face of the monster; it didn't matter if his attack didn't inflict any wounds.
Unlike the last time when he only caught the scent of defeat, he now sensed the melody of victory approaching.
"This... this insect!"
Typhon, mercilessly beaten by the combined forces of the gods, roared in fury, swinging his hands wildly.
Once again, a terrible mark of destruction was etched into the world.
Ares's chariot, which had bravely charged in, shattered, and he was violently thrown, crashing into the mountain.
"Ares!"
Even the clouds that had been floating calmly scattered, and the stars in the sky rose higher in fear of Typhon.
The horses of Helios's sun chariot fled into the sky in fright.
As the sky darkened, Zeus's lightning and Hephaestus's fire illuminated the world.
Boom!
"Ugh!"
Once more, blue thunder struck Typhon's body, sending smoke billowing and inflicting terrible pain.
As Typhon howled in agony, shining arrows pierced into his eyes one after another.
"I will aim for your right eye. You take the left!"
"The next prey is a big one, brother."
The sun god Apollo and the moon goddess Artemis.
The children of the great god Zeus unleashed arrows imbued with the powers of the sun and moon.
These twin gods, offspring of the great god Zeus and the goddess of motherhood Leto, were renowned archers.
Their arrows would never miss.
Next, the blazing flames of the smithing god wrapped around Typhon's body, while the heavily armed goddess of wisdom struck at the monster's ankle.
The combined assault of the Olympian gods continued in succession, but...
"If it weren't for the Moirai's tricks, they would have fallen long ago!"
The monster still stood strong.
Though the advantage lay with the Olympian gods, Typhon was a battle weapon created by Gaia with all her might.
Though he might tire and be injured, he would not easily fall.
Seeing Typhon still standing strong amidst the ongoing battle, the sea god prepared to unleash his full power.
If he could sink him deep into the ocean, no matter how immortal the monster was...
"Ugh. That monster... unleash the waves..."
"Poseidon! If you call forth the waves, all the humans on land will perish!"
Hestia hurriedly warned Poseidon, who was trying to summon a massive tidal wave to bring Typhon down.
The advantage clearly lay with the Olympian gods, so there was no need to sacrifice the lives of those on the ground to win.
"No, then how long will we stay like this..."
"Just a little longer, and a variable will occur!"
Athena shouted while dodging Typhon's kicks, but Poseidon sighed in frustration.
Typhon, like the gods, was also immortal.
Given his ability to control the raging winds, he likely possessed the divinity of the storm.
The three goddesses of fate had deceived Typhon and weakened him, but only Zeus and Poseidon could inflict meaningful damage on him.
Unless it was a wound inflicted with the powerful strength of the three main gods, he would heal and recover in an instant.
"Hahaha! Except for the two of you, everyone else is an insect... Ugh!"
At that moment, as Typhon laughed while easily deflecting Hera's attack, a pitch-black and ominous strike flew toward him.
Typhon hurriedly raised his arm to block it, but divine blood, ichor, flowed from his body.
The golden liquid splattered onto the ground, revealing the wounds of the storm god.
This level of power... was much weaker than Zeus but similar to when he was struck directly by Poseidon's trident.
Turning his head toward the direction from which the strike had come, Typhon noticed someone walking toward him, exuding a chilling aura.
A black-haired god, holding a large scythe and wearing an old, tattered helmet.
"... Hades!"
"Big uncle has succeeded. Now that monster's end is near."
That scythe was the one Typhon had secretly hidden after taking it from Zeus, the Skuyte!
A weapon made of adamantine, it was a threat even to Typhon.
"The judgment of Hades, the king of the underworld, one of the three gods ruling the world. Clean your ears and listen, monster."
The grim-faced god continued speaking as he lifted the helmet above his head.
"You will be cast into Tartarus for eternity."
As the king of the underworld fully donned his helmet,
even Hermes, who boasted of being the fastest among the Olympians, vanished completely from Typhon's sight.