The Story of the Gigantes
Here lies the underworld, ruled by Hades, the god of the dead.
It is a cold and dark space where the souls of the deceased come to find rest.
Due to the nature of the underworld, most gods also avoid this place, making it very quiet.
I find a certain comfort in this underworld.
When I close my eyes, the tranquility I feel brings me peace rather than loneliness.
However, there are wicked intruders who dare to invade Hades' sanctuary...
"Indeed, as Mother Gaia said, the underworld exists!"
"Let us attack! We shall kill Hades, the king of the underworld, and free Tartarus!"
"O Gigantes brothers! Let us release the Titan gods!"
They were hideous monsters, with the lower half of a serpent and the upper half of a human.
These gods, who call themselves Gigas, must have been sent by someone to attack us.
Listening closely to their chatter...
It seems that Grandmother Gaia is quite displeased with us for imprisoning the Titans in Tartarus.
The Earth Mother, who married Uranus, the god of the sky, and gave birth to our father, Cronus, is not someone to be taken lightly.
Surely, she has her pride, so she wouldn’t directly intervene to expel us...
[Huff...
I'm sorry, Hades.
I couldn't stop them with my power!]
The urgent voice of the goddess Styx echoed in my mind.
These intruders causing chaos in the underworld are all gods born from the power of Mother Gaia.
With dozens of them arriving with hostility, it is no wonder that the goddess Styx cannot handle them.
I also sent her a message to take refuge in a quiet place for now.
[I will run to Zeus and request support! If all your brothers gather, no matter how strong they are...!]
I appreciate the goddess Styx's intentions, but asking for help would be futile.
These Gigantes, who call themselves such, have invaded the underworld by the command of Grandmother Gaia.
If that is the case, they surely have also invaded the seas ruled by Poseidon and Mount Olympus where Zeus resides.
[Then... wouldn't other gods be in danger?]
"It depends on how many of them there are."
But there is no need for the goddess Styx to worry.
The underworld will not fall to such creatures.
The entrance to the underworld is narrow, and they came thinking they could easily handle it without powerful weapons like Poseidon or Zeus, bringing only dozens...
I couldn't help but let out a hollow laugh.
They may be gods, but I felt no immortal power from them at all.
After all, they are invading my home ground; how is this any different from fighting Poseidon in the sea?
I laughed heartily at these foolish bugs.
The workers who manage the underworld have come in on their own,
I could just kill them all and make their souls my slaves.
Rising from my throne, I donned the transparent helmet, Quine, which perfectly concealed my form from this world.
Swearing an oath here, a promise that even the gods must keep, I drew the sword forged from the waters of the Styx.
The darkness naturally clung to my body, forming armor, and I climbed up to the walls to survey the intruders.
Dozens of them, monstrous beings of divine power, were pounding madly on the gates; they were the Gigantes.
Bang! Boom!
I observed the half-human, half-serpent giants, the Gigantes, pounding on the gates and quietly leaped down from the fortress.
It would be nice to sweep them away using divine power or authority, but they are strong, rivaling the Titan gods.
Not knowing how many enemies are outside the underworld, it would be less exhausting to slice their necks one by one with the Styx sword.
Just like this.
Swish—
"Ugh!"
"What, what is happening! We were suddenly attacked!"
"I felt nothing at all!"
I moved to another position and struck below the waist of another Gigantes.
I turned my gaze to the next enemy, leaving behind the Gigas who fell with expressions of disbelief.
"Ugh!"
"I can't sense anything! Where are you, Hades!"
The Gigantes stood back to back, on guard in all directions, but it was of no use.
These monsters, looking as if they had just been born, had strong powers but did not know how to use them.
"Throw the rocks on the ground! Brothers!"
"Sprinkle blood to locate the enemy!"
If they had the experience of surviving long on the battlefield, it might have been different, but they were just like puppies.
For me, who has years of battle experience against the Titan gods, killing them was far too easy.
"Why! I clearly checked this direction!"
"Ugh! My waist... my waist...!"
Do you think my helmet, rivaling Astrafe and the Trident, would only show this much of my position?
Whispering into the ear of a terrified Gigas, I pierced its heart with the Styx sword.
Now that I have enough corpses, shall I start creating my subordinates?
[Arise]
"Ugh... ugh..."
"...ugh"
"The souls of the dead brothers are rising! It is the power of the god of the underworld!"
"We should have brought more brothers!"
The dead Gigantes were enveloped in black smoke, and only white forms rose to attack the other Gigantes.
All souls that come to the underworld belong to me, Hades.
There are no exceptions, even for gods.
"Ugh! Save... save me!"
"Our mother is Gaia! We are your kin!"
What does that matter? You came to kill me, and now you speak such nonsense.
The last remaining Gigas was surrounded by translucent souls, and I quietly removed the Quine.
Wearing a helmet is more suffocating than I expected.
Especially this Quine, which wraps me in intangible energy, makes it feel like I have something covering my entire body.
Finally, the last intruder, who discovered me, trembled and begged for its life.
Did you not think of this when you boldly invaded the underworld?
"Wait! If you spare me, I will never return to the underworld..."
Swish.
Thud!
The ravages of time can turn even the weak souls of the 21st century into the cold-hearted god of the underworld.
Those who dared to step into the underworld have all turned into mere wisps of souls.
[Hades.
You have killed all the intruders who came to the underworld.]
[You may come out now.]
[What in the world is happening...?]
I commanded the Gigantes, now in a state of soul bound to my will, to clean up the filthy underworld and summoned the goddess Styx.
Soon, a stream of water shot up from the Styx, and the goddess Styx, bleeding from one arm, appeared before me.
"Haah... It seems that Lady Gaia truly desires war."
"The Earth Mother may have been quiet until now because she was focusing on creating those Gigantes."
This era has not yet seen the establishment of the Twelve Olympian Gods.
No, there are not even humans in this age.
Gradually, my knowledge of the future and myths was fading from my mind, but one thing remained clear.
Like Odin from Norse mythology, preparing for the Ragnarok war, Zeus is also nurturing human heroes to aid us.
However, there are not many gods in Olympus now, and there are no human heroes to side with the gods.
Now is the perfect time for Gaia and the Titan gods to plot rebellion.
I commanded the foolish spirits who dared to dream of sweeping away the underworld to fortify this place and prepared to head to Olympus.
With the invasion of the Gigantes happening now, the most urgent place is not Poseidon, who boasts of invincible power in the sea, but the temple of the Olympian gods.
"Are you going to Olympus now? If so, I will go with you..."
I told her to stay here and guard the underworld, as they might come again.
If Tartarus is breached, our defeat is certain, so someone must remain here.
"Then I will go, and how about you guard the underworld?"
The Gigantes gathered in the underworld are powerful gods, but only a few dozen.
Grandmother Gaia must have guessed that they alone could not defeat us.
Surely, hundreds or more Gigantes are causing chaos in Olympus.
To have meaningful reinforcements that could influence the battle, I must go myself.
Though I do not expect much from that Zeus.
"Ugh... Be careful."
I comforted the goddess Styx, who looked worried, and crossed the five rivers surrounding the underworld, heading to the surface.
The warm sunlight and vibrant plants of the surface welcomed me after a long time, but the air was very heavy.
It was proof that the grand scale of the gods' war was affecting the world.
Indeed, I must hurry to Mount Olympus.