Chapter 599 - Erebus (7)
Before Athena and the others stepped into the column of light, Agares said with glinting eyes, 『You want some help?』 The Grand Demon Duke of the East licked his lips with his bright-red tongue in amusement. 『Even though Mother Earth has been defeated and the leaders are dead, reclaiming Olympus won’t be that easy. Make a wish for me to help you. Who knows if luck might be on your side?』
Athena didn’t even respond as she frowned and walked past him. The devil’s words were sweet, but you had to see the hidden poison, especially when the words came from a divine being who slowly made their contractee go mad and led them on the path to destruction. Athena knew that Agares tempted people into contracts like this and took their souls in the end. Moreover, Agares likely didn’t want her but desired her Channel as chief Apostle.
“We’ll be back.” Athena bowed to Yeon-woo and led the gods of Olympus and soldiers of the Underworld up to the heavenly world using the column of light.
Fwoosh!
* * *
[You are attempting to possess the ‘Chief Apostle’!]
Yeon-woo closed his eyes and focused on the Channel that connected him to Athena. Possession was simply sharing the view of an Apostle. It wasn’t like a manifestation, which took over the Apostle’s will. He planned on watching Athena reclaim Olympus and assist when needed.
Athena’s only thought was to win and offer the victory to Yeon-woo with her own hands, although Yeon-woo couldn’t tell whether it was because she knew he was watching or because she was elated to be back in her motherland.
[This is the 98th floor, the gate of the Heavenly world.]
The light faded away, and Yeon-woo could see countless marble temples below Athena’s feet. It was Olympus. Armed Gigantes watched them from temples and fortresses, as if they had been anticipating this moment. However, anxiety and fear were apparent on their faces. To them, it probably seemed like hundreds of attackers had suddenly appeared through holes in the sky.
[You are currently trespassing on the holy territory of the godly society <Olympus>!]
[The gods of <Olympus> have sensed the presence of unidentifiable trespassers.]
[The gods of <Olympus> have activated a defense system to defeat the trespassers.]
[<Olympus> has requested the help of their allies.]
[<Asgard> has refused the request for help.]
...
[A new battle has broken out between the two forces.]
[The battle to recapture Olympus is beginning!]
Athena instinctively chuckled when she saw the Gigantes. She had been defeated by that? It was hard to believe. At the same time, she could feel how powerful the strength Yeon-woo shared with her was.
A mighty magic power spun inside of her body and created holy power. With this, she had not only regained the divinity she’d lost in Erebus, but even grown stronger than before. She moved without any hesitation, and with Aegis in her left hand, she blocked the powers and attacks falling onto her. She focused magic power into the sword in her right hand, and the weapon Yeon-woo had given to her made a loud ring. Clang!
Athena swung it up and down with the power she’d gained from becoming Yeon-woo’s Apostle: Sword Thunder. Although she hadn’t trained in it yet, the large amount of magic power and holy power that she focused into it made the sword radiate with heat and light as if it would explode any moment.
Rumble! A black-red column of light landed in the middle of Olympus, brighter than the column of light they’d used to return. Barriers and protective systems in the air shattered, and other defenses fell apart even before they reached the light. Athena didn’t stop there and swung the sword again and again. She activated Sword Thunder indiscriminately in the land of Olympus and scorched the earth.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
『Athena, that crazy bitch! Is she planning on destroying the entire holy territory like this?!』
『Wh-what are the soldiers doing!? Stop them!』
『Those suspicious-looking...take care of those suspicious-looking bolts first...ahh!』
『Stop it! Stop it now!』
Athena dropped an onslaught of Sword Thunder bolts to the ground until her magic power and holy power ran out. She behaved as if she didn’t care about Olympus being destroyed because if she tried to preserve the city, it would stretch out the time it would take to take it back. That would only result in more destruction, and the best option was to discourage her enemies with an overwhelming display of power.
Fortunately, Athena’s strategy worked, and the Gigantes were instantly in chaos. Even though their commanders ordered them to raise their spears and cast magic, the soldiers lost their morale. Fear began to spread among them, and some even abandoned their weapons and attempted to run away.
Dis Pluto entered the battle at that moment. No matter how many attacks dropped from the sky, the infantry would decide victory. Furthermore, Dis Pluto was the best of the best. They had fought countless battles and won just as many. None had crossed death’s door as many times as they had in the last hundred years. To them, the Gigantes were only children trying to dress up as adults.
“Mm. At this rate, Athena will take all the credit. I won’t lose to her.”
“Hahaha! I, Ares, will show how I obtained the title of ‘Butcher’!”
Hercules and Ares quickly followed Dis Pluto onto the battlefield. They hunted down the commander-level Gigantes to destroy morale even further. Explosions rang throughout the battlefield.
Hermes shook his head as he looked at his excited brothers, and he lightly waved his hands in the air. The ground began to shake, and boa constrictors popped out, snatching up Gigantes one by one. He couldn’t let the others take all the credit either.
As the Apostles performed impressively, Apollo and the other gods who were reluctantly working with Yeon-woo jumped onto the battlefield with their spirits running high.
“We can’t lose to them.”
“Let’s take Olympus from these creatures!”
Only Poseidon looked down from above with an expression that was hard to read.
* * *
“Y-you can’t come in here...aack!”
The very first place Athena and the others attempted to take was the center of Olympus, Omphalos. It had originally been Zeus’ holy territory, but the Gigantes were now using it as their base camp. They had to reclaim this place first before Yeon-woo could designate Olympus as his holy territory.
[<Olympus> desperately requests help from their allies!]
[<Olympus> desperately requests help from their allies!]
[<Asgard> ignores the request for help.]
...
[<Asgard> has declared a dissolution of their alliance with <Olympus>.]
[The alliance between <Olympus> and <Asgard> has ended!]
...
[<Olympus> requests the assistance of other godly societies!]
[The neutral force <Deva> stays silent.]
[The neutral force <Jie Sect> stays silent.]
...
[The godly society <Malach> gives their statement: We support all activities of player ### and also positively accept the new system he has established in Olympus. However, we express concern about the restoration of the throne of the king of gods, which has a history of causing chaos in the heavenly world, and we request a closer look...]
[The demonic society <L’Infernal> expresses their support of <Olympus> giving up its holy territory and becoming a government in exile.]
...
[<Olympus> searches for mercenaries.]
[Vimalacitra positively reviews the commission. However, his condition is that <Olympus> must become his subordinate.]
[<Olympus> refuses and the commission has been canceled!]
[Cernunnos rejects the message of commission.]
...
[<Olympus> has fallen into despair!]
[Fear fills the holy territory of <Olympus>.]
[The allies of <Olympus> have split apart.]
Athena and the others mercilessly defeated the Gigantes.
『Asgard, those damned assholes...!』
Asgard had behaved as if they would give everything they had to support Olympus, but now they turned their backs on the Gigantes, leaving them feeling betrayed. When the other societies looked away, the Gigantes grew despairing, and when Malach no longer treated them as a society and L’Infernal showed the intent to swallow them, they lost the strength to feel angry and only felt powerless and frustrated.
The societies of the heavenly world had to be strong in order to be acknowledged and maintain their system. Besides, many already looked askance at the Gigantes for having the support of Mother Earth.
Most beings thought that things had worked out for the better. Of course, Yeon-woo had become enemies with many societies in the battle with the Crawling Chaos, but no one helped the Gigantes because they didn’t see anything in it for them. In the end, the Gigantes were destroyed without having a chance to put up much of a fight, and Athena received messages that Dis Pluto had taken control of various hubs.
『The western ‘Directional Tower’ has been successfully dominated.』
『The eastern ‘Fields of Oneiroi’ has been claimed. No external societies are attempting to invade the holy territory.』
『The ‘Earth of Thanatos’ has just been subjugated.』
『Battles are taking place in thirteen holy territories. Eight will be conquered within a few hours.』
『You’ve all worked hard. Keep it up until the end.』
『Yes, ma’am.』
『Yes, ma’am.』
[The performance of Dis Pluto is outstanding!]
[‘Fight’ streaks through the holy territory of <Olympus>.]
[‘Death’ spreads through the holy territory of <Olympus>.]
[A new, impressive legend is in the process of being written!]
“At the very least, we must protect this place...!”
In the hall of the king, where Zeus and the other brothers once ruled over the universe, Aet looked at Athena, the other Apostles, and Dis Pluto as they surrounded him. He was ruling the Gigantes in Typhon’s and Persephone’s absence, and he was trying to protect the throne, but the fear in his eyes was apparent.
“That damned bastard...!”
“Wait, Ares.”
“Why?” Ares had once lost to Aet, and he turned his head to look at Athena, who was preventing him from reaching Aet.
Athena gave the sword she was holding to Hercules and stepped forward. “Today is a glorious day since the throne of the king of gods is returning after thousands of years. This is the location where we will hold such an important ceremony. We can’t spill blood on a holy day and place like this, can we?
“That’s true.” Ares nodded in agreement and stepped back. Athena stepped past him, moving to the throne.
Aet looked up at Athena with shaking eyes. “What are you trying to...!”
“What else?” Athena smiled coldly as she stretched her hand out. “Bugs should be exterminated.” She activated Sword Thunder on the tip of her fingers. It tore through the holy power and divine abilities Aet set up around himself for protection. Athena gripped his face and crushed it.
Crack! She pushed Aet’s head all the way down to his seat as if it were a can being crushed. There was a sorrowful scream as pieces of flesh and bone burst out. However, not a single drop of blood fell to the ground since Sword Thunder evaporated it.
Athena swung her hand to sweep away two of the three thrones. In the future, only the new king of gods would sit here, so the other thrones were unnecessary.
[You have won the battle to recapture Olympus!]
[The owner of the great holy territory <Omphalos> has changed!]
[The godly society <Olympus> greets a new supreme god!]