King of Underworld

Chapter 158: Gigantomachia – Aftermath

A day before the Olympian gods marched toward the Plains of Plesra.

It was decided that humans should be warned, and thus oracles were sent to every temple.

Tomorrow, no one must approach the vicinity of the Plains of Plesra.

The terrible monsters known as Gigantes are running rampant there.

If you become entangled in the gods’ war, only death awaits you.

The sudden oracles caused much debate among the humans.

Why were they warning about the Plains of Plesra this time, unlike usual? Why use the term “war”?

“The oracle says the Plains of Plesra are overflowing with those Gigantes?”

“Perhaps the gods are planning to exterminate those monsters, like when Apollo slew the great serpent Python.”

“Hmm. Looking back at history, creatures with serpentine lower bodies and human upper bodies were almost as strong as gods.”

“It’s said that the gods subdued Gigantes that once destroyed temples.”

“There are records of Ares and Athena descending near Athens to fight them, and didn’t King Cadmus battle a serpent-like monster in his later years?”

“Wait! Isn’t there a record of King Cadmus capturing a Gigantes?”

A Gigantes that even Cadmus, the great hero and founder of Thebes, barely managed to slay.

If that’s the case…

Does killing a Gigantes make one a great hero?

Or, at the very least, joining an expedition to slay one could be a chance to earn heroic fame!

“If these monsters are strong enough to require the gods’ full power, what if we captured one and offered it as a sacrifice…?”

“Hah. But isn’t that too dangerous?”

“Why not gather the heroes from Thebes? Post notices and spread the news across all of Greece!”

“But the oracle mentioned tomorrow…”

“That’s why we need to act quickly! Hurry!”

“Someone claiming to be the King of Athens has arrived outside!”

“How could he come from Athens so quickly? Wait… isn’t the King of Athens the hero who killed the Minotaur? Hmm.”

“Coincidentally, we’ve managed to gather heroes near Thrace…”

“Glory! Where is glory?”

“Prince Meleager? I heard you were recently married—why are you here?”

“I was traveling near Thrace with Atalanta, and I thought she’d love a Gigantes’ hide as a wedding gift.”

Lately, monsters had become scarce.

Seizing the opportunity for fame and renown, many heroes gathered near Thrace.

Though those from farther regions couldn’t make it, there were enough to form an expedition.

Cities like Athens and Thebes were devoid of villains or monsters.

All the noteworthy beasts had been hunted, leaving heroes trained in the Underworld with nothing to do but idle.

Unlike the harsh training in the Underworld or the expedition of the Argo, the mortal world was too peaceful, leaving heroes to wander Greece in search of beasts.

Thus, they even ventured near the Plains of Plesra—an area known for infrequent human presence and occasional disappearances.

All of this driven by the desire to achieve feats of glory and become great heroes.

Of course…

“Hmm. I recognize quite a few faces here.”

“This time, Jason isn’t with us? And where’s Castor?”

“Who cares! Anyway, as long as the monster isn’t as strong as Lady Megaera, we should be able to take it down!”

For the few Gigantes who managed to escape the Plains, it was an unfortunate twist of fate.

* * *

Unexpectedly, the heroes were quite rational.

This made sense, as they had trained and fought alongside those stronger than themselves.

“The gods called this a war. It might be something like Typhon or Python.”

“Let’s keep our distance. A battle beyond our imagination could break out.”

“I don’t want to get caught in the crossfire. Let’s stay hidden here for now…”

Thus, they crossed multiple mountains, quietly taking up positions with their weapons.

Just as foretold by the oracle, divine powers beyond comprehension were unleashed.

**BOOM!!! RUMBLE… WHOOSH!**

The sky split apart, the earth shook, and mountains flew through the air.

Fortunately, being far away and sheer luck kept the heroes from being caught in the aftermath.

“Are we really supposed to get involved in this?”

“…I think we need Heracles for this.”

Their morale began to falter.

No matter how strong they were among mortals, they couldn’t even fathom what was happening in the Plains of Plesra.

They were debating whether it was wiser to retreat when an injured Gigantes appeared before them.

“Ugh! Cough… Damn it!”

With a serpent-like lower body and a human upper body, the bloodied Gigantes seemed to be fleeing from something in desperation.

In the eyes of the heroes, it looked like the perfect prey.

“Couldn’t we take that one down?”

“It looks tough, but something like that would be a worthy feat.”

“Finally, a real fight!”

“Come on, it can’t be stronger than the Dragon or Lady Megaera.”

“Alright, let’s kill it!”

The fleeing Gigantes found its path blocked by these insane humans.

These mere mortals, creations of the gods, dared to challenge it.

Did they have a death wish?

**SWOOSH!**

The Gigantes swung a tree it had uprooted to kill the insolent humans in one blow.

“Whoa! It’s fast. Be careful!”

“It’s blind in one eye. If we exploit its blind spot…!”

“Let’s pluck out its other eye while we’re at it!”

For some reason, not a single one of them was hit by the attack.

* * *

**BOOM! CRACK! WHOOSH!**

The heroes and the Gigantes fought for quite a while.

Despite being injured and exhausted, the Gigantes was no easy prey for mere humans.

That was from the heroes’ perspective.

For the Gigantes, who thought only gods were worthy adversaries, the situation felt vastly different.

“RAAAARGH! How can I… lose… to the creations of the gods?!”

“Shut up! You’re weaker than the sleepless dragon!”

“Whew… If Heracles were here, he’d have broken you in half!”

“Gasp… Huff… You’re strong, but I’ve fought countless foes like you…”

Pierced by countless arrows and spears, the Gigantes died, cursing its fate.

It wasn’t even slain by a god.

Gaia’s creation—reduced to being killed by mere humans…

“Hah… Whew. Hey, Meleager, are you alright?”

“Yeah, yeah.”

“Be careful. You’re newly married—Atalanta would be devastated.”

“Check on Theseus over there. Didn’t he take a hit earlier?”

The heroes were battered and exhausted.

Yet their faces were filled with the exhilaration of slaying a mighty monster.

“Ha… Hahaha! We killed it!”

“No one died, right? Good. No one to get scolded by Chiron later!”

“Python? Chimera? I think this one was stronger.”

“Who gets to keep its hide? Theseus? Meleager? Idas?”

After dividing their spoils, the heroes returned to the mountains to search for their next target.

Soon, they found another injured Gigantes fleeing.

“There’s another one!”

“Stop right there, beast! I, Idas, will take your head!”

“Let’s skin its snake body. Aim for the human parts!”

“Glory! Glory!”

“What… What is this madness…?!”

By the time they completed their hunts.

Three Gigantes corpses lay before the heroes.

“Should we offer these to Ares?”

“I’ll take mine to Athena’s temple in Athens.”

“I’ll offer mine to Pluto here. Hey! Those who follow Pluto, come help me!”

“Perhaps Zeus might also…”

Prayers to gods depend on various factors.

The faith and sincerity of the worshippers, whether the god is watching, and the quantity or quality of the offering…

Of course, offering Gigantes corpses as sacrifices was a rare case.

Their quality far exceeded any gold or treasure.

Naturally, even I, Hades, busy cleaning up the aftermath in the Plains of Plesra, received their prayers.

Hearing Styx’s words, I focused briefly.

“Lord Pluto! We’ve slain the Gigantes monsters as foretold in the oracle!”

“We offer these creatures to you, who governs all!”

I saw heroes praying to me while offering Gigantes corpses.

The serpent hides stripped, the bodies burned as sacrificial offerings.

Even Zeus seemed to notice that humans had slain Gigantes, wearing a subtle expression.

The other gods were no different, appearing bewildered at the news.

“Power and war gods aside, are other humans this strong?”

“Have mortals grown too powerful?”

“Well, Heracles is one thing, but…”

I felt a bit conflicted.

While it was admirable that they had grown strong enough to protect themselves, I knew how hard they had trained in the Underworld.

But had they become too strong?

What if they abused their strength, as the gods once did against mortals?

Most heroes were demigods—would their newfound pride evolve into arrogance?

I hoped their sense of accomplishment as monster slayers wouldn’t lead to hubris.

Should I send a divine decree extolling humility as a virtue? I’d have to ask the goddess of justice to keep them in line.

“Hmm… Mortals have grown so strong…”

What is Zeus mumbling about now?