Typhon's Story - (5)
"You will be cast into Tartarus for eternity."
After finishing my provocation, I felt the familiar sensation return as I used Quineae.
It felt as if I had temporarily vanished from this world and stepped into another space.
"Where... where have you hidden, you wretch!"
Kwah-ah-ahng!
Typhon struck the place where I had just been with his fist, sending a storm raging, but I was already gone from that spot.
[Let’s proceed as Zeus and Athena suggested.]
[Alright, I’ll send the clouds at the right moment.]
I realized with certainty through the strike I launched at Typhon.
I could inflict wounds on him with the Squite, but I could not sever his head in one blow.
Even though he had been weakened, he was still the monster that had defeated all of Olympus.
His physical strength was beyond imagination, so even Zeus's lightning, which could tear the world apart, only caused him pain.
Kwah-ru-ru-ruung!
"Take this! Typhon!"
"Kraaaah!"
While using Quineae, I infiltrated Olympus, which he had occupied, and retrieved the Squite.
I had intended to sever Typhon's head myself.
However, when I arrived on the battlefield and asked the other gods to create an opening, only Athena voiced a different opinion.
[Uncle, only Lord Zeus can strike that monster's neck.]
[I hold the scythe made of Adamantine in my hand.
Are you saying that doesn’t matter?]
[Yes.
Please reveal yourself to him for a moment.
Typhon is strong only because of his power; he is an inexperienced young monster who has never faced war.]
With my strength, even wielding the Adamantine-made Squite, I could not inflict a fatal wound on him.
If we engaged in a war of attrition, he might escape.
Zeus, who could sever his neck in one blow, was the one Typhon was most wary of.
Therefore, I would distract Typhon's vigilance towards me and secretly pass the Squite to Zeus.
While Typhon was on guard against me, the unseen assassin, the Squite would already be in Zeus's hands.
That was the strategy of the goddess of war and wisdom.
"Hades! You hide like a rat! Kraah!"
Kwah-kwah-kwah-kwah!
A storm fiercer than ever swept across Mount Olympus.
The monster, agitated by the fact that an assassin armed with the most threatening weapon was targeting him, thrashed about.
Inevitably, the intensity of his vigilance towards Zeus weakened.
"Weren't I fighting Ares? Don’t let your guard down, Typhon!"
In the fierce battle, the god of war could fully unleash his power.
Ares, who had crashed into the mountain, leaped back into the fray and charged at Typhon.
"See what the flames of the Olympus forge are like!"
As Hephaestus, the god of blacksmiths and flames, raised his hammer high, the nearby earth was engulfed in flames.
With the consent of Demeter, the goddess of the earth, the firestorm intensified, growing large enough to reach the clouds.
Typhon, in response, summoned another massive whirlwind, creating a colossal storm of fire that connected the earth and sky.
Ku-kwah-kwah-kwah-kwah—
[Now is the time, Zeus.
I will deliver the Squite.]
[I will send the colorful clouds, so place it there, brother.]
Now that Typhon's vision was obscured by the storm of flames, it was the perfect opportunity.
A strange cloud filled with vibrant colors thickly settled, and I quietly placed the scythe in the clouds.
"Kra-ah-ah!"
The snakes that made up Typhon's hair emitted lightning and venom, glowing fiercely.
He himself was aware that the tide was gradually turning in favor of the Olympian gods.
If it weren't for the hateful Moirai and the audacious humans who dared to deceive him!
"Monster, Poseidon is here!"
Kuku-kung! Kwah-ng!
Once again, Poseidon’s trident, infused with blue divine power, struck directly at Typhon's face.
But the real threat was elsewhere.
"Hades! The lord of the underworld is like a gloomy rat!"
The unseen assassin, wielding the most powerful weapon, the Squite, was lurking in the shadows, targeting him.
The Squite had wounded Typhon even before he fell into the trap.
If there was an opening, the azure blade made of Adamantine would fly towards his neck.
While fighting the gods, Typhon sensed something in his awareness, feeling the presence of the unseen assassin.
A sinister attack was coming from behind; it was him!
Skaak—chwaak!
With a sinister strike, his back split open, spilling golden ichor, but a smile appeared on Typhon's lips.
An assassin is only feared when unseen; his position was revealed by the recent attack.
Kwah-ah-ah-ng!
A storm wrapped around Typhon's feet as the strike was launched in the direction from which the attack had come.
The ground was deeply gouged, creating a tremendous noise and causing a minor earthquake.
"Hah... I’ve got you, you wretch!"
"Cough..."
On the ground lay Hades, stripped of Quineae, collapsed.
He seemed to have sustained considerable injuries, lying there while spilling ichor from his mouth.
Typhon smiled victoriously as he searched for the Squite.
If he could just reclaim the scythe that Hades had, he would have nothing to fear.
This time, he would sever the tendons of all the gods and bury them in the earth!
Yet, he could not see the Squite in his sight.
Had he not scanned the area around Hades with his transcendent divine vision?
"Krah..."
Typhon's eyes caught the cold smile of Hades, who was mocking him.
Along with that, he felt a powerful force approaching from behind.
Zeus!
"You put up a good fight, but this is the end! Typhon!"
Now that he thought about it, it had been a while since his lightning had struck...
Dang-gong—
Typhon's vision flipped upside down, and he fell into darkness.
Kuwung!
"Hu..."
With the Squite in hand, Zeus severed Typhon's head in one blow.
At the same time, the storm that had been raging fiercely came to an abrupt halt.
Typhon's body crumbled, no longer moving, and his head rolled on the ground, covered in dust.
Yes, we have won.
The weapon of Gaia that had aimed at Olympus was ultimately defeated by the combined efforts of the gods.
If Typhon had directly invaded the underworld and released the Titan gods of Tartarus to fight alongside him, we might have lost.
His only blunder was to rely solely on his own power and display arrogance.
"Cough...!"
Ugh...
I took quite a beating from his attacks on purpose.
Look at the ichor flowing from my mouth; it’s quite a lot of power.
For now, I picked up the Squite that had fallen along with Typhon's head.
Was his neck too tough for Zeus to miss it?
I gently poked his head to see if he had truly fallen.
His fierce eyes, which had been glaring, closed, and he seemed to have fallen into a temporary stupor.
[It would be even better if you could take a hit to create a definite opening.
At that moment, if you also reveal Quineae, you will surely deceive Typhon...]
Athena, you’re not holding a grudge from that personal matter during the great flood, are you? Did I make you work too hard back then?
"Hades! Are you alright?!"
I’m fine, so don’t get all teary-eyed, Hestia.
We gods are immortal beings; you know that, right?
Even a seasoned god who has experienced war with the Titan gods can feel weak at heart...
But when it comes to fighting, we are merciless.
"This was truly dangerous; I never thought Gaia would create such a creature."
"What should we do now that Mount Olympus has collapsed?"
"Well, we’ll have to restore the mountain. The nymphs and lesser gods will have a hard time."
As the battle ended and the gods began to gather one by one to heal their wounds and catch their breath, the air around them began to glow with a golden radiance as gods spilled golden ichor.
Especially Ares seemed to have sustained serious injuries...
Now that we have defeated Typhon, it is time to clean up.
"Hades, I will surely repay you for coming to Olympus's aid."
"Hmph, Zeus. Of course, I want a reward too."
".... Poseidon, you too."
"My arrows, like rays of sunlight, could not pierce him..."
"I almost got hunted by my prey."
"My land, which is like my child... has been completely ruined. I’m sorry. It couldn’t be helped."
"Demeter, I will do my best to restore nature."
"Pan, let’s put off reviving nature for now and follow me. Let’s check if there are any remnants of the monster."
"I understand, Lord Hades."
For now, I moved with Pan, who was bouncing on his goat legs, to search for any remnants nearby.
There was also a monster named Delphine, said to be Typhon's subordinate, so we needed to deal with it properly.
With Typhon's head severed, he was no longer capable of fighting, so leaving him as he was didn’t matter.
There were only a few gods here, so whatever happened, we should be able to handle it well.
Soon, small animals dispatched by Pan began to spread out in search of the monster.
After a moment, Pan, who had pressed his ear to the ground to listen to the whispers of the forest and fields, called out to me.
"Um... there’s a creature I haven’t seen in a cave somewhere?"
Found it.
Following Pan to the nearby cave, I indeed felt the presence of a monster.
It seemed weaker than the power emitted by the Delphine monster I had seen not long ago, so there were indeed more remnants.
"This is the cave."
As we entered the cave pointed out by Pan, a black dog greeted me, lying sideways on the ground and yawning.
Its eyes sparkled with the unique gleam of a monster, and feeling Typhon's faint energy, it was surely one of his offspring.
Upon sensing our presence, it immediately stood up and growled, which was somewhat cute.
But... three heads?
"Um, it seems to be a weak monster, so I will handle it."
As Pan reached out, the grass near the cave intertwined naturally, forming a sharp spear.
The plant-made spear seemed ready to pierce the three-headed dog at any moment, but...
Grrr! Ar-ar...
Oh, Pan's spear was caught, and the dog bit it?
No matter how weak the monster, it was impressive to see it counterattack against a careless strike.
"Hah... that monster..."
Pan glanced at me and concentrated green divine power in his hand.
It seemed he thought he had lost face in front of me.
"Alright. I’ll just do it myself."
"Eh? There’s no need for you to intervene, Lord Hades..."
There was no need to use the Squite on such a weak monster.
Drawing the Styx sword and approaching, the dog, which had been chewing on the plant spear, flinched and looked at me.
The three heads quickly examined my appearance and sword...
Kiiing! Yip! Yip!
And then it fell back...?
"It seems... that is what they call surrender."
Pan looked at the monster in disbelief and then spoke to me.
If it was Pan’s translation, who understood the words of lowly animals and monsters due to being the god of nature, I could trust it...
But seeing the yellow monster, which seemed to be a descendant of Typhon, act this way left me dumbfounded as it slowly approached.
It came close enough to look at me, sticking out its tongue and wagging its tail vigorously.
Heh-heh! Heh! Kiiing!
"It is an honor to meet you, great one... I will do anything, so please spare me..."