Chapter 81: Persephone (6)
While Pallas was slightly flustered, Garm and Giant Chieftain Bergelmir—who had no accurate information about Persephone—stuck to their original plan:
To frighten Persephone into panic.
Even a powerful goddess cannot protect herself properly if terrified, let alone guard someone else while fighting an entire army.
“Proceed as planned.”
“Tch. This is a disgrace to the honor of the giants.”
“…You’re not backing out now, are you?”
Bergelmir still hated Garm’s plan, but since they were getting paid, he had no choice but to follow the client’s demands.
“Don’t look at me like that. We’ll do it. But stare at me one more time like that, and I’ll pluck out your eyes.”
Bergelmir stepped forward and shouted loudly:
―Goddess Persephone! If you surrender quietly, not a single one of your servants elsewhere will be harmed!!
―But if you refuse our command, we will track them down one by one, seize them alive, and show you how these giants and these filthy wolves crunch their flesh and bones!!!
The shout of the giant chieftain made the plants tremble, and all the nymphs hiding in the area immediately vanished into the ground.
Such was the nature of a giant’s roar—
It pierced deeply into primal fear.
The giants, crafted directly by Gaia alongside the Titans, were created from the bones of Uros, the god of mountains, when he merged with the world.
In the Golden Age, they wielded power rivaling the gods themselves.
Their roars once shook the world—
And they had even fought Poseidon in ancient times.
There was a reason Typhon’s forces sought alliance with them.
So the fact that the chieftain himself stepped forward to intimidate Persephone was logical.
What they couldn’t have predicted… Was Persephone herself.
“Oh! Lady Pallas, doesn’t the giant’s roar sound just like my Aumdhumla? So magnificent.”
“Uh… yes.”
“I’d love to raise one. My farm has beautiful cows like Aumdhumla, but no giants.”
Pallas suddenly felt foolish for being tense because of a roar described in ancient Pronoia’s records—
Because the real terrifying being was standing right behind her.
She wants to raise giants… on her farm…
When Pallas accepted the request to protect Persephone, she swore she would not back down no matter what enemy came.
But now…
“Honestly, it feels reversed… She has better gear than I do…”
***
Unlike Pallas, Persephone was thrilled by the situation.
Enemies targeting her.
Pallas stepping forward like a knight to protect her.
Wasn’t this exactly like the princess tales Uncle Poseidon used to tell her?
One of those classic scenarios she had always wanted to try at least once.
“Mother and the others always told me that unless I cultivate not just beauty but inner grace too, I’d grow into a temperamental witch instead of a princess…”
In truth, she had never polished her appearance or demeanor.
She only worked hard on her farm.
“In other words, Mother and everyone else were wrong.”
Persephone nodded as though experiencing enlightenment.
“Hehe. Lady Pallas, do you think they see me as the princess held hostage?”
“…Yes?”
“Oh dear. That’s troublesome. I don’t particularly want to be a princess, but if they insist, I can play along. Ah, what a headache.”
“…What?”
As Pallas stood there, bewildered and unable to believe what she was hearing—
So too did Garm’s wolves and the giants feel something was… off.
―Something’s… wrong with the atmosphere.
―Yeah. And hey… isn’t the way that Persephone goddess is looking at us… kind of terrifying?
―Right! I feel it too.
It’s like she’s looking at us the way someone looks at… a pet.
―Exactly! Like a pet!
Even the underlings were shaken.
Garm and Bergelmir were bewildered as well, though they tried to hide it.
“Hey, you rotten wolf… Just asking out of curiosity… Have I gotten weaker?”
“…Not quite. You’ve always been weak.”
Chaos erupted as multiple unexpected events unfolded, causing delays in the original plan.
The intended sequence had been:
1. Frighten Persephone and Pallas.
2. Deploy a world-isolating barrier.
3. Enhance Typhon’s forces with borrowed power.
4. Have Hades’ faction create tension without revealing themselves.
5. Kidnap Persephone.
6. Deliver her to Hades in exchange for the key to the Second Tartarus he manages, plus a sample of Persephone’s blood.
But…
From the very first step, everything went horribly wrong.
Both Garm and Bergelmir could feel the plan unraveling.
Still, with no time to fix it, they had to proceed to the next stage.
“Tch. Do not be shaken. The signal has arrived. The barrier will activate soon. Prepare yourselves.”
“Yes, sir!”
Moments later, a blue barrier began spreading across the field—the mirror barrier designed to hide everything happening here.
A barrier that severed Henna’s meadow from the rest of the world, enclosing it in a pocket-realm.
Persephone, still chatting away about her farm, and Pallas, who was listening with a “is this really happening?” face, both felt the energy shift.
“Oh my? They’re even setting up a barrier.”
“Lady Persephone, I’ll stop them before it completes!”
Pallas bit her lip hard.
For a goddess of her level to make such a mistake—
Even if Persephone’s behavior had been confusing and disorienting,
She should never have let things come this far.
If Athena found out about this, she would be mocked for decades.
Pallas drew her sword, ready to charge forward—
Until a calm voice beside her stopped her in place.
“Lady Pallas, what do you think about watching them for a while?”
“…Excuse me? Lady Persephone, we don’t know what kind of effect that barrier has. This is extremely dangerous.”
“Oh, but how could I be so harsh to those who prepared all of this just for me? Such adorable little ones.”
“……”
Pallas froze as she saw Persephone’s eyes shift—
From warm brown to a deep black—as she spoke.
It sent chills down even Pallas, who had faced many gods.
The barrier completed, swallowing everything within the fields without interference.
“Hah! Arrogant gods. They think they can beat us easily even inside a barrier?!”
“For once, I agree with you, you stupid giant.”
“You bastard—!”
Their underlings sighed at the pointless bickering and quickly blew the signal horns.
BWOOOOOOOOO—
“Charge!”
“For the Giants!”
“For Typhon!”
“UWAAAAAAAH!”
The battle had begun.
One thing was certain— Olympus had been caught completely off guard.
***
THUD. THUD. THUD.
The giants advanced swiftly, forming a unified formation.
Their turtle-shell formation merged with their massive bodies,
Moving like a walking fortress.
Between the moving “walls,” sharp spear-like wolves sprinted with frightening speed.
Seen from above, the coordinated movement of two different species would have been awe-inspiring—a marvel of monster warfare.
But.
To Pallas and Persephone watching this—
“This is… somewhat exciting. It’s been a while.”
“Hehe, I feel the same. I finally get to show off my farm animals.”
They both blushed slightly, thrilled rather than frightened.
Persephone had been strange from the start…
But Pallas, swept along by her pace until now, finally snapped back into her real self.
The battlefield ignited her warrior spirit—
The same spirit that clashed with Athena in countless bloodthirsty mock battles.
Her senses sharpened; she felt alive.
“Lady Persephone, do you have a plan? If I don’t need to stay by your side to protect you… I would very much like to charge in.”
Pallas—charged with protecting Persephone—asked without much thought.
Even with her blood boiling from the thrill of battle, she was not foolish enough to abandon her duty.
Technically, even asking such a question was already improper for someone assigned to guard her…
But Persephone, of course, agreed without hesitation.
“Of course. I love that idea. After all—I have my little ones with me.”
As expected—or rather, more than expected—Persephone shattered every assumption Pallas had.
“Hahaha! After showing me that, I guess I can’t help myself!”
Once the giants and wolves closed within 100 meters—
Pallas finally let go of restraint.
If Persephone didn’t need protecting, then there was no need to hold back.
All she had to do was drench herself in the blood of her enemies and revel in the ecstasy of battle.
“For Poseidon!!”
Pallas shot forward.
One step—10 meters vanished.
Two steps—50 meters.
By the third—
BOOM!!
The giants’ fortress-wall formation—Collapsed instantly.
A barrier as thick and hard as steel crumpled like wet parchment.
“Ahahahaha! Try and stop me! Even Athena couldn’t hold me back— Can YOU entertain me?!”
Pallas burst through the ruined wall and dove straight into the enemy ranks.
In her hands was a single spear.
Nothing special—just pure Adamantine, an unbreakable lance.
But whenever she swung it—
Giant arms flew off.
Ribs snapped.
Bodies were skewered clean through.
The dark-blue aura spilling from her body grew thicker by the second, signaling that her rationality was fading.
Pallas had become a berserk blade ripping through the giant horde.
—Block her! There’s only one enemy!
—She’s just a fourth-generation god!
—Bring the net! The steel net!
—Let’s repay Poseidon for all the agony and humiliation he gave us!!!
“Uwaaaaaa!!!”
Even in the face of Pallas’s terrifying frenzy, the giants did not retreat.
The sight did not frighten them, nor did it break them.
They had endured far more catastrophic nightmares before.
***
While Pallas rampaged like a divine dagger carving through the formation—
Garm’s wolves, acting as cavalry, spotted their opportunity.
The “princess” was left alone.
Their knight had abandoned her to indulge in bloodlust.
—Go. While that foolish god is drunk on her own desires… we proceed as planned.
Garm, shifting into the massive form of a hell-wolf, commanded his wolves.
They followed, transforming into wolves and charging toward Persephone.
“Oh dear. I was enjoying watching Lady Pallas be so cool… And now the residents of my farm have arrived.”
Even with wolves barreling toward her—
Persephone remained utterly calm.
If anything, she seemed disappointed she couldn’t keep watching Pallas slaughter giants.
Grrrrrr
—Is the daughter of Demeter insane? Her mind is clearly broken.
“Hm… If you’d said that in front of Mother, she’d praise you. She’s always told me I’m crazy.”
—…
Garm stared at the wolves arrayed perfectly around Persephone, ready to pounce, and sneered.
But her reaction was… beyond absurd.
—Tch. Truly mad. Why Hades needs a woman like this…
“Oh? Uncle Hades sent you to kidnap me?”
Garm froze. He had accidentally revealed the secret because Persephone was so far removed from what he expected.
—Too late now. I’ll just damage that mind of yours and turn you into a vegetable before I deliver you. Hades doesn’t care—he just needs a good breeding field.
“Oh my. Good luck. I’m sure you’ll manage.”
—…You.
Garm realized there was no point in talking to someone so unnervingly calm.
Speaking with a lunatic only drained one’s soul.
—Take a good look. This will be the last scene your mind ever comprehends.
With that, Garm turned and signaled his wolves.
As a hell-wolf, he had his pride—
He wouldn’t sully himself by finishing off a young, deranged goddess personally.
His subordinates could do it.
And then—
Something happened.