An Ominous Sign - (3)
A monstrous being with the lower body of a giant serpent and the upper body of a beautiful human woman, yet the true identity of this entity is Kronos, the god of time and agriculture.
"Why, did you not expect me to appear in this world?"
"To be precise, it would be correct to say that Lady Gaia did not expect you to be summoned."
"Ha ha ha! How anxious must Mother have been to call for me?"
As Kronos laughed, time around him flowed chaotically.
The divine power of the first-generation Titan gods was unleashed, distorting the surrounding scenery.
Damn Gaia.
Was it Kronos who sought to summon dozens of humans as sacrifices?
Did you dislike it so much that your children, the Titans, entered Tartarus?
Still, it is fortunate that I can sense the hidden dagger Gaia has concealed even now.
If I had disregarded my consciousness and killed Echidna...
Olympus might have encountered a restored Kronos somewhere in the distant future.
"Gaia intends to make you fight us, thinking you can be used and then thrown back into Tartarus."
"Just being able to breathe the air of this world is a reward in itself. Ha ha!"
Even though Kronos had weakened from being trapped in Tartarus for so long, he was still the god of time and a Titan.
Once, he was the supreme deity who held dominion over the world and remains a threat to us.
However, the conditions required to draw a divine being from Tartarus to this world are...
Dozens of human sacrifices, the immense divine power of Lady Gaia, a suitable vessel, and a bizarre ritual.
These are not conditions that can be achieved multiple times while avoiding the gods' watch.
"Let us enjoy the scenery of this world one last time. After all, you will not have another chance to come out from now on."
"Do you still not realize? I am gradually adapting to this body."
The momentum of Kronos, who was possessing the monster's body and drawing upon its divine power, grew stronger.
Even Enceladus, who had been on guard with a club, wore a triumphant smile.
But...
"You were not the only one stalling for time."
"What?!"
As he raised his momentum,
Would the sun high in the sky not notice?
Boom!!!
A brilliant beam of light that pierced through the mountain struck them.
However, the impact of the attack stopped precisely in front of me.
Thud.
Thud.
The dark cave was blown away, and bright sunlight illuminated everyone.
A powerful attack that obliterated part of the mountain, capturing the recently unleashed power of Kronos and striking only them with precision.
From above the clouds, Apollo held his golden bow and gazed down at us.
As he spoke, a magnificent voice echoed all around.
"Mortal beings, close your eyes and do not look at the sky. If you see my true form, you will burn!"
If a human gazes upon the true form of a god revealing all its power, they will die.
Semele, the mother of Dionysus, is an example of this, having died upon witnessing Zeus.
An immense heat and radiance emanated from him, and the mortals bowed their heads in fear.
But those present here were either gods, Titans, or monsters opposing the gods.
Everyone looked directly at Apollo's true form.
Kronos, who had blocked Apollo's attack, frowned as he shook off the Gigantes.
"Ah! It is a pleasure to meet you, grandfather!"
"You are late, Apollo."
"The sun... it reminds me of Helios. Are you the son of that Zeus?"
"Kronos! That one is the god of the sun, Apollo!"
Apollo, who had raised his true power shown in the battle against Typhon, descended to the mortal realm.
The bright rays of the sun illuminated the half-destroyed mountain even more, revealing his presence.
"I received a message from the goddess of the Styx and rushed here! Uncle, or should I call you aunt now? Ha ha!"
"Save the nonsense for later."
The sun god, seeing the corpses of fallen humans on the ground, made a light-hearted joke, but at the same time, his eyes, as the god of reason, were cold.
Apollo sneered as he infused sunlight into his bowstring once more, while Hades formed a spear made of darkness and charged at Kronos.
"Hades! To charge at your father again, you are an ungrateful child beyond words!"
"You, who devour your own children, have no right to speak!"
Kronos, possessing the monster with the lower body of a serpent, waved his hand, slowing down time.
Hades' movements, which were rushing in, became sluggish, and sparks flew from the clash of powers.
Clang! Crackle!
The lord of the underworld and the master of time, the clash of these two immortals began to accelerate the collapse of the already half-destroyed mountain.
Nearby trees, fish, and life forms aged rapidly or were invaded by dark energy, perishing in an instant.
"Do you think you can face me without that annoying Quinead?"
"Do you think I would lose to a relic of the old era rotting in Tartarus?"
However, the clash of divine powers was not happening only here.
"Ha ha ha! I am Enceladus!"
Enceladus, having moved to a spot away from Kronos to avoid interference, grew in size.
As he roared, his already massive form expanded further, and his ferocity increased.
Finally, he moved his serpent lower body and charged at Apollo.
That attack was a blow from a monster that even most gods would have to concede to.
Swish- Zing!
Apollo's response was to meet it head-on.
As the god of archery, his arrows, shot like rain, stopped the monster.
"A mere monster cannot reach the radiance of a god. Know your place and bow down."
As arrows pierced the Gigantes' arms, the smell of burning flesh filled the air.
However, that was only for a moment, as the quickly regenerating monster charged again, swinging its mighty fists at the god.
Boom! Bang!
The mountain crumbled due to the clash of Titans, gods, and monsters, and the nearby city of Thebes began to feel the effects.
Rumble...
Boom!
The humans living peacefully in Thebes felt the earth-shattering roar and trembled in fear.
The city shook from the earthquake, and buildings collapsed in a horrific scene.
The air carried the scent of death.
The fear that the gods were descending to fight nearby.
Panic spread rapidly among the people.
"The ground is shaking!"
"Did you not hear what Apollo said when he descended earlier?"
"Bow your heads and get inside your homes immediately!"
"Dionysus! Please help us!"
Still, the leopard, a divine beast of Dionysus, appeared in Thebes, carrying the faithful, and various gods helped the humans little by little, preventing the situation from escalating into panic.
"The leopard... Dionysus is watching over us!"
"I should offer a sacrifice at the temple later."
"Lord Zeus..."
The humans entered the temples or their homes, praying to the deities they believed in.
Wishing that the gods above the clouds would lift their wrath.
Whooooosh—
Damn my father, Kronos is strong.
Even though many Titan gods sided with us during the Titanomachy,
"Shouldn't you go back to the underworld and fetch Quinead?"
"It is you who cannot exert your power without Squite."
A god who could not be defeated until receiving support from the three divine artifacts made by the Cyclopes and the Hecatoncheires.
It took several of us working together to repel him.
The heavy blow now flying toward me is likely a remnant of that power.
The ability to manipulate time, which I experienced during the war, shaking the target with full force.
Tick.
Thud.
The sound of sand falling from the hourglass echoed as time flowed chaotically.
Kronos' mocking laughter gradually resonated in the slowed world...
My son,
You still cannot defeat me...
In the slowed time, I could see the claws of Echidna, possessed by Kronos, flying toward me.
Kronos, with a triumphant smile on the monster's lips, waved his hand.
The sharp and hideous claws approached right before me, but...
Thud.
I moved my hand, covered in black divine power like ink, and grabbed his wrist.
The void shattered, and the flow of time returned to normal.
"What...!"
Both I and Kronos were in an incomplete state, unable to exert our full power.
However, he had rested far too long in Tartarus.
The price for a god breaking the oath of the Styx is a year of dormancy and nine years of being unable to participate in meetings.
To an immortal's senses, it is but a fleeting moment, but the reason all fear this oath is simple.
If one cannot properly manage their domain for even ten years, they will suffer great losses.
All divine beings grow stronger the more important their domain is.
It is no coincidence that the three main gods govern the underworld, the sea, and the sky.
Now, due to the supremacy of the Olympian gods, most of the Titan gods have weakened.
Even among sun gods, the reason Apollo is stronger than Helios.
So, what about Kronos, a defeated Titan god who has been in Tartarus for so long?
Phew!
"Ugh!"
The answer is 'he has become very weak.'
The domain of time is an incredibly important and essential element of the world.
However, from the moment he was defeated by us, Kronos' power began to diminish rapidly.
Of course, even with that weakened power, he is still comparable to the twelve Olympian gods...
"I am the king of the underworld. I will not lose to a relic!"
"This... this bastard...!"
I was able to break through the twisted flow of time surrounding me with my own power.
Provoking him while piercing my chest, Kronos glared at me with bloodshot eyes.
"This stroll ends here. Back to Tartarus you go."
"If it weren't for this... body...!"
The light in his eyes, filled with the irregular movement of time, began to fade.
The Titan of time, who had descended into the mortal realm,
Was sent back to Tartarus by the lord of the underworld.