Chapter 43: Hephaestus (10)
“Oh, come on, take it easy,”
Athena muttered under her breath, watching her younger sister Cybele’s actions.
It wasn’t time for Cybele to gain fame yet.
The reaction to a child of Zeus tied to a prophecy was predictable, after all.
Of course, the gods who mattered already knew.
“Hahaha, Zeus, your kids are all so strong. Lucky you,” Hades taunted.
Zeus didn’t react, only gazing at Cybele with a complicated expression.
Poseidon, on the other hand, spat out his tea.
“Pfft! When did she snag that? If Metis or Eurynome find out…”
“If they knew she took Pontus’ weapon, all hell would break loose…”
Poseidon shivered, feeling the glares of several goddesses despite being a sea god.
For some reason, it felt a bit chilly.
***
As expected, the battle ended quickly.
Cybele’s lions toyed with the five proxies, who couldn’t land a single blow.
With a bored yawn, Cybele swung her club, embedding all five into the coliseum wall.
Hermes, acting as referee, blew his whistle.
Tweet!
“Match over!”
ROAR!
Though the spectacle was dominated by the lions humiliating their foes, the gods and mythical spectators erupted in cheers.
It was no different from the Roman gladiators fighting beasts for the crowd’s fervor.
The stage was set for the next duel.
Ares and Hephaestus faced each other from a distance.
Ares wielded a longsword, shield, and heavy armor, while Hephaestus donned light leather armor reinforced with steel, holding a massive hammer.
BRRR!
Hermes’ horn signaled the start of the battle that would decide it all.
“I’ll show you how weak you are!” Ares roared, charging at Hephaestus.
His speed and overwhelming presence were like a legendary cavalry charge, earning nods and cheers from the coliseum’s spectators.
‘Even a brute like him is still a god.’ they thought.
Hephaestus, unfazed, calmly put on a pair of glasses.
‘That’s Ares’ signature move. It looks like a simple charge, but there are sharp spears hidden around him.’
The glasses were Hephaestus’ creation, designed to analyze weaknesses by collecting data from golems disguised as birds and insects across the world.
The name was a bit silly, but they projected critical information directly into his vision.
As Ares barreled toward him, Hephaestus pulled a small pouch from his coat and flung a tiny door-like object.
Pop!
With a burst, the object expanded into a massive steel gate, blocking Ares’ path.
CRASH!
Dust billowed from the impact.
When it settled, the gate was crumpled, revealing Ares’ ten floating spears, now visible to all.
ROAR!
The coliseum shook with thunderous cheers.
Everyone had expected Hephaestus, known as a blacksmith god, to dodge, but he countered spectacularly.
Ares, however, was stunned.
No one had ever blocked his charge like that, and he hadn’t expected a mere steel gate to withstand it.
“How did you…?”
“No idea what you’re talking about,” Hephaestus replied coolly.
“But here’s some advice: a master craftsman can make things you can’t even imagine.”
“…”
Ares didn’t ask how Hephaestus anticipated his attack or what enchantments the gate held.
An enemy wouldn’t reveal their secrets.
As Ares swallowed his shock, Hephaestus raised his middle finger—a gesture learned from Poseidon—and grinned mockingly.
Crunch.
Fury boiling, Ares swung his sword, slicing through the steel gate with ease.
Slash!
In an instant, he closed the ten-step gap to Hephaestus.
“I was going to go easy on a blacksmith, but you’re begging for it!”
Hum!
Suddenly, Ares froze, mere inches from Hephaestus, as if caught in an invisible grip.
“Urgh!”
Veins bulged as he strained, looking like he was wrestling a giant.
“What is this?!”
Hephaestus circled him, pushing up his glasses like a professor lecturing a foolish student.
“You wouldn’t understand, but the world has forces that attract and repel.”
“If I said I imbued those forces into metal, would your dim brain get it?”
“You’re saying such an unnatural force exists?”
Ares thrashed, trying to move, questioning Hephaestus’ explanation.
“It’s not unnatural. I call the metal a ‘magnet’. It attracts nearby metals—like your armor and sword.”
As Hephaestus spoke, the spectators noticed several round metallic objects floating around the immobilized Ares.
— “Whoa, they’re really there!”
— “To think such a thing exists…”
— “Truly worthy of the title of master craftsman.”
What Hephaestus hadn’t anticipated was Ares’ divine power, which defied the world’s natural laws.
‘No, it’s affected to some extent. But the stronger the god, the more absurd the sheer volume of their divine power.’
Under normal circumstances, Ares would have been humiliatingly trapped by Hephaestus’ round magnets—dubbed “Hephaestus’ Magnetic Orbs.” But Ares, tempered by rigorous training, possessed divine power and strength far exceeding Hephaestus’ expectations.
‘Well, the world’s full of possibilities. That’s fine.’ Hephaestus thought, observing Ares.
Meanwhile, Ares gleaned a hint from Hephaestus’ words.
“So, it only affects metal, huh?”
“Idiot. Explaining that to your enemy? Think you’ve got a chance now?”
Ares shed his armor to lighten his load, coating his spear and shield with divine energy to counter the magnetic pull, and charged at Hephaestus.
‘I can’t handle the weight of the armor and weapons already caught in that weird thing’s field. I need to take a bold risk.’
With a daring gamble, Ares’ spear sliced through the air like a serpent striking prey, aimed at Hephaestus.
Whoosh.
The attack was so swift that no god or creature in the audience could track it.
Thud.
The sound of a weapon piercing flesh echoed as Ares’ spear struck Hephaestus.
The duel ended more anticlimactically than expected.
— “Ah, it’s over.”
— “A craftsman god fighting a war god was absurd to begin with.”
— “Still, he fought well.”
— “Showed us craftsmen can do something and made some fascinating gadgets.”
‘I won.’
Ares thought, feeling the sensation through his spear, certain of victory.
His spear’s barbs, which inflicted pain and curses from within, guaranteed it.
“Still far too green.”
“For a war god, you’re too naïve and stupid.”
“Cut him some slack—he’s young.”
Tch!
Hades and Poseidon shook their heads in judgment, while Zeus clicked his tongue and closed his eyes.
Then, the truth unraveled.
The Hephaestus that Ares had struck began to crumble.
“Wha—?”
From a distance, the real Hephaestus emerged, wielding a massive hammer.
“Sorry to the invited guests, but playtime’s over. Time to end this.”
“Everyone’s seen what a pathetic god you are now.”
“What?!”
“I won’t tell you to die. We’ll be seeing each other for a long time.”
As Hephaestus charged with his hammer, Ares, momentarily flustered, unleashed his full power, fueled by the rage of being toyed with.
“You dare mock me after I went easy on you?!”
A crimson aura erupted, summoning hundreds, thousands of weapons that merged into one.
Ares’ ultimate technique:
—Mars, Bringer of War.
A colossal, cursed red spear formed, and Ares hurled it with all his might.
The spear, cloaked in a black-red curse, rocketed toward Hephaestus.
Lesser gods felt the curse seeping into them just by watching.
…
…
…
The gods fell silent, knowing the duel’s climax had arrived.
Hephaestus gripped his hammer tightly, muttering to himself.
He had predicted even this final move from Ares.
‘Praise while you live.’
‘Don’t waste time in sorrow.’
‘For our father watches over us.’
—Κεραυνός (Thunderbolt).
A powerful current surged through Hephaestus’ hammer, forming a massive flow of energy that flickered like lightning in a stormy sky.
Blue and black-red energies collided, unleashing a deafening explosion.
“Father’s lightning…!”
BOOM!
The shockwave collapsed part of the coliseum.
Through the thick dust, Poseidon stood between Ares and Hephaestus, blocking the aftermath.
“Careful now. That attack could’ve actually killed someone, Hephaestus.”
“Lord Poseidon.”
“Tch, I taught you that excessive force is worse than none at all.”
“Heh.”
“Don’t grin. It’s too endearing. But you’ve won, blacksmith god Hephaestus.”
Exhausted, Hephaestus collapsed, fainting.
Poseidon gently caught the young god, chuckling as he glanced at the stunned deities above.
‘No wonder they’re shocked. A son wielding Zeus’ lightning?’
He also smirked at Ares, who sat dazed, staring into the void.
Ares was undeniably a troublesome nephew with a history of vile deeds, but to a god centuries old, he had an oddly endearing side.
It reminded Poseidon of Zeus’ despair during the Titanomachy.
The irony of Ares’ despised foe wielding his revered father’s power was a classic twist.
Finishing his thoughts, Poseidon shouted to the still-dazed crowd.
“The duel is over! The victor is Hephaestus!!”
His booming voice echoed through the coliseum, rousing the spectators to cheer.
ROAR!
— “Did you see that?!”
— “It was definitely Zeus’ power!”
— “A true heir!”
Carrying Hephaestus, Poseidon approached Hera, who had been watching silently.
“You raised a fine son.”
“You don’t know how shocked I was teaching him.”
“Did you know he can wield magic too? That pouch he used mimicked your Kibisis.”
“…”
Hera remained silent, gazing at Hephaestus.
Poseidon, amused by Hera’s shift from regal queen to maternal figure, handed her the unconscious Hephaestus.
“A mother and son should settle their story.”
“Do it well.”
“…”