Chapter 91: Typhon (3)
Athena’s red cloak snapped sharply in the wind as she leapt forward,
Shattering the frontmost section of the collapsed barrier.
With a single thrust, she blew away the Gigantes blocking her path—
Those who endured even briefly had gaping holes torn through their stomachs or arms.
“Now! Forward!!
For our victory—
For Olympus!!!”
UOOOOOOOOH!!!!
At Athena’s rallying cry, Ares lunged ahead like a living ballista.
Behind him, Apollo and Artemis loosed arrows that pierced through Garm’s wolves—
The swiftest assassins among Typhon’s forces.
Thwack. Guh. Thwack. Guhk. Thwack. GAAHK.
One arrow, one wolf.
The twin archers missed nothing.
Their display showed exactly why they were called divine marksmen.
As the Gigantes, colossal wolves, and Typhon’s soldiers faltered beneath the assault of Athena, Ares, Apollo, and Artemis…
Wiiiiing—chik.
Wiiiiing—chik.
Mechanical noises echoed across the battlefield.
Slightly unnatural.
Unworldly.
But the moment one saw what produced it,
No one dared to voice a complaint.
Pygmalion’s Automata had appeared.
But these were no longer the gentle dolls once dreamed into being by a mortal artisan.
They had been remade—
Reborn as weapons—
Bearing a new name:
[Children of Typhon]
Modified by Typhon’s blacksmith, Tubal-Cain,
These automata were coated in adamantine on the outside,
And within their chests was no longer the “Soft Heart” of Pygmalion’s wish,
But a core filled with Typhon’s divine corruption:
[The Monstrous Heart].
WIIIIIIING—
The dolls surged forward in swarms,
The blades covering their entire bodies spinning violently.
Anything within reach was shredded instantly.
—Aaargh!!
—Don’t go near them!
Touch them and you’re dead!!
—My hand!!!
The tide of battle began to shift again toward Typhon.
But before it could fully turn—
Hephaestus, who had been watching with a frown, stepped forward.
“Tch… They’ve smeared filth over the wish of Pygmalion, a mortal craftsman Hecate herself took interest in. Gods… sometimes you lot are unbearable.”
Hephaestus glared at Tubal-Cain across the battlefield—
Another craftsman, another inventor—
And curled his lip in disgust.
Surely the man knew Pygmalion’s dream.
Yet he chose to twist that dream into these abominations.
“At the very least, respect the calling of a god…”
With that, Hephaestus summoned the Bronze Giants—
The same constructs once revealed during his clash with Ares.
CLANG.
CLANG.
CLANG.
CLANG.
But these were no longer crude metal men.
They had changed—
Transformed completely.
Skin like flesh.
Eyes, nose, mouth—
Arms and legs shaped in perfect human form.
“Pygmalion… I’ll fulfill your wish for you. Your automata are now recognized as a race of their own. May you rest easy.”
At his declaration, the Bronze Giants charged toward the Children of Typhon.
Though they fought barehanded against machines whose entire bodies were spinning blades of adamantine—
The result was far from one-sided.
CLINK—SKREEEEEE—
The blades failed to pierce the Bronze Giants’ skin,
Sparking harmlessly as they bounced off.
“What?! Those blades are pure adamantine!!”
Tubal-Cain screamed in disbelief.
Hephaestus smirked.
“Hmph. That is the difference between a real smith… and an idiot.”
***
As Hermes dashed tirelessly across the battlefield tending to the wounded alongside Aphrodite—
The battlefield became chaos incarnate.
Every major figure was now fully engaged:
On Olympus’ side: Zeus, Hera, and nearly all the gods except Poseidon.
On Typhon’s: Everyone except Typhon himself, who remained still.
Zeus watched the battlefield with hollow, sunken eyes.
Even maintaining the front line seemed to strain the other gods.
Far away in the sky, Helios and Selene struggled merely to hold off the wolves Sköll and Hati, Alongside Apollo and Aphrodite.
—Despair, charioteers of sun and moon!
Wail, divine beasts of day and night!
The time of devouring has come!
—Oh shut it, you mutt.
Big words for a damn dog.
—Sister, such vulgar language…
—Shut up, Helios.
Your face still reminds me of the Phaethon incident.
Most gods were only managing to hold their ground,
So they couldn’t afford to give Athena any direct orders.
“Tch. We prepared so much… yet we’re still pushed back.”
“Of course we are. Half the sea gods who were supposed to join us can’t even come.”
“Iris already told us— Tiamat’s seal is half-broken.”
“Yeah, and now we don’t even know where Poseidon is.”
***
“Sigh… where on earth did that older brother of mine run off to at a time like this…? For now, Hera—coordinate the forces below. I’ll keep Typhon occupied myself.”
“…Very well.”
Hera did not ask whether Zeus could truly handle Typhon alone.
The situation was too tight for doubts,
And such a question would only damage the dignity of the King of the Gods.
If only Demeter or Hestia would arrive soon…
***
BOOOOM. CRASH! BOOM!!
The Thessalian plain was being torn apart—
The ground splitting, sinking, collapsing.
The battle between the gigantic black serpent and the blue-topped “wizard”
Was like a scene straight out of a mythic duel between gods and heroes.
When the serpent spewed pitch-black venom,
The wizard swung his trident-shaped staff and blew it away with a shockwave.
When the wizard brought down a massive wave from above,
The serpent spun its body and dispersed the blow.
—Indeed, my decision to keep you here instead of letting you rejoin Zeus was the right one, Poseidon.
“Tch, give me a break. Fighting a monster like you while stuck in a human body is exhausting.”
Poseidon put on an easy, exaggerated expression—
But inside, he was far from composed.
He truly was using a human body.
He could only wield magical power mimicking divine authority,
And the recoil was severe.
The spells he cast were merely “magic versions” of his true powers—
Ordinary mages would have collapsed from mana exhaustion before even activating a single one.
Haaah… this is rough. The snake in front of me is practically a god in its own right.
And not just the serpent—
At every opening, swarms of venomous insects hurled themselves at him, exploding on impact.
“Oi, you giants— Sit still, will you?! I already need full power just fighting this snake and its damn insects! C’mon! We’ve got some history, don’t we?!”
Poseidon shouted at the giant clan waiting nearby.
He knew from experience: they were prideful.
They would not ambush him.
But they did have grudges against him.
—Do we have any “history” with the Giant-Slayer?
—No. Only pain.
—When he made us build that amusement park… I cried.
We were paid, but still…
—Maybe this is our chance!
Hearing the giants’ muttering, Typhon sneered.
The very fact Poseidon would shout like that meant he was reaching his limit.
—Hahaha… The Poseidon whining?
The one even the mortals of Earth fear?
“Right now I’m just a human, remember? Or we could at least change the battlefield a bit.”
—Impossible.
If you broke your seal and returned fully as a god,
Our entire plan would collapse.
“……”
Poseidon didn’t know exactly what Typhon was planning,
But he had no luxury to think deeper.
He lifted his staff again— There was no choice but to strike.
And his yelling at the giants had a purpose.
He was about to unleash something so intense that he wouldn’t be able to spare attention for anything else.
“Trident… you can handle this, right?”
Vmmmm…
“Good. It’s been a while. Let’s go. I don’t know if this body will survive, but whatever.”
Poseidon forced magical energy outward from deep within—
And divine power surged.
In an explosive burst of speed, he closed in on Typhon’s avatar.
The blue glow running along his spear flashed like Zeus’ lightning as it pierced through the serpent’s scales.
THUD!
“GRAAAAAAH!!”
***
With Typhon’s avatar crying out in pain,
The battle shifted drastically.
There was no longer any chance for the venomous insects to slip through.
CLANG.
CLANG.
CLANG!
The one trying to pierce scales, And the one trying to block—
Their exchanges passed in blurs, Dozens of rounds in seconds.
Watching this, the giant chieftain Bergelmir felt as if a blade were stabbing his enormous heart.
“Damn it… Poseidon truly is incredible.”
Bergelmir watched with a mixture of awe and resentment.
“How can he show such mastery… In a human body?”
As he spoke, the spear in Poseidon’s hands projected a world of imagery.
FLASH—
A realm of calm waters,
Serenity,
And the unhurried depth of the sea
Unfolded along the weapon’s edge.
It gently gathered and fused the venom around them into a single mass,
A sight that would stir the blood of any warrior.
“But in the end… we giants are only here to stab someone in the back, aren’t we?”
Crack.
“Hrungrnir, are you mocking my decision?!”
Bergelmir, whose warrior’s blood was running hot from watching Poseidon fight, glared fiercely at the wisest person of the giant tribe, who had silently approached him.
But instead of being intimidated, Hrungrnir only flashed a thin smile.
“No, my chieftain. I simply wondered whether the greatest warrior of our tribe… is not giving up too much.”
“……”
“Besides, the moment that battle ends, your decision will matter most. Just like how Poseidon keeps glancing this way—he’s expecting something from us.”
“……”
***
While the chieftain and the sage exchanged words,
The battle between Typhon’s avatar and Poseidon showed no signs of concluding.
The sharpest spear could not pierce the thickest shield.
The thickest shield could not fully catch the sharpest spear.
—But if this continues, the victory will be mine, Poseidon.
“……”
—A human body has limits. Yours will reach it soon.
Indeed, just as Typhon said, Poseidon could feel it—
The body of Njord, the human shell that served as his vessel, was creaking… cracking from the strain.
He had reached heights no mortal could endure,
But the flesh could not withstand the power coursing through it.
“Tch. Looks like my training is still lacking.”
WHOOOM!!
Dodging the sweeping tail of Typhon’s avatar—Jörmungandr—Poseidon thought fast.
There’s no winning like this.
My only option… is to take a huge loss and force an opening.
Their enemies’ goal was obvious:
Keep Poseidon from joining the Olympus battlefield.
He had even attempted provoking the giants earlier for this very reason.
Bergelmir probably won’t move. And Hrungrnir would never act without seeing a future in it…
“Above all… the kids are still out there.”
At last, Poseidon made up his mind.
Haah… Looks like I’ll really have to live as a mortal or a sea otter for a while after this.
***
Just as Poseidon resolved to destroy his own vessel if necessary—
Typhon finally began to move on the battlefield of the gods.
He could feel it: His avatar had succeeded in forcing Poseidon to unleash his full power.
—It is time.
Typhon began walking through the battlefield in a humanlike form.
He knew he would be weakened; whether his avatar killed Poseidon or died alongside him, both outcomes meant losing a part of his strength.
But facing Zeus?
He did not feel fear.
Tuk. Tuk.
Where Typhon walked, the chaos of battle parted cleanly—
A corridor opening before him.
And the same was happening far away, where Zeus advanced with thunder at his heels.
When the two finally met halfway,
They stood in complete contrast.
Typhon—red-haired, once middle-aged, now wearing the form of a youthful man with reptilian eyes.
Zeus—golden-haired, bearded, lightning dancing in his gaze.
The King of Gods, holding thunder—symbol of destruction and purification.
The King of Monsters, holding the Tree of Life—Gaia’s living weapon.
“AAAAARGHHHH!!”
“Fight! Fight! Victory will be ours!!”
“Do not retreat! Kill the enemy!!!”
The roars of battle around them resembled the cheers of a colosseum filled with spectators hungry for a victor.
“So this is the arrogant monster I finally get to see up close.”
—You and I are no different. There is no need for words.
“True enough.”
—The one who wins… will rule this world.
“The one who wins… will rule the world.”
Then their limbs crossed—
And with a colossal roar,
The true beginning of the war unfolded.