Episode 61/Chapter 6: Great Hero (6)
TL: Tsubak
ED:
The distance between Delphos and the mount of Olympus wasn't that far.
If they took into account the time the Goddess of Earth Demeter would take to tidy up the path, four to five days was enough.
In addition, if Athena blessed the march of the army as the Goddess of warfare and Hermes added the blessing of the swift runner, the marching speed would become much faster.
But of course, arriving fast wasn't always the best thing as it was meaningless to arrive in the middle of the night.
They also needed time to rest after arriving and there were also many things besides that which they had to take into account.
And the conclusion Odin came up with after taking into account all of those things was that he would use four days on the march.
The warriors of Valhalla gathered in their legions and advanced.
The big legions acted independently but the small ones joined with each other just like what Tae Ho experienced in his first expedition.
"So Gaia won't step forward by herself."
Thor listened about Gaia from Tae Ho and Adenmaha and spoke in a regretful tone.
They were riding on a big carriage being pulled by six horses and Odin was seated next to Thor.
Odin, that was reading a book filled with recorded runes, closed it and then buried his body in the back of the chair and said.
"I wanted to see her at least once."
"Well, you have never seen an ancient God before. She was really big but also really beautiful….."
There were beautiful beings among the giants of Jotunheim but the huge giants that reached a hundred meters all had the appearances of monsters. But they said that Gaia was really beautiful regardless of her size so it was impossible to not get interested in her.
And actually, Thor was really curious about the existences called the ancient Gods. It was because they were beings that he couldn't even think of in Asgard.
Odin closed his eyes. His only eye that could see through all things grasped the biggest reason that Thor mentioned.
"All the ancient Gods of Asgard are dead. You already know that the soul and flesh of Ymir has become the base of Asgard, Midgard and the several worlds right?"
"I do. The ancient God Audhumbla has also perished."
The cow Audhumbla that was born with Ymir was also the creator of the Aesir race.
She raised Ymir with her milk and licked on a wall of salt to give birth to the Aesir race but one day she disappeared without any words.
Thor was bothered at the part that Odin was affirming that Audhumbla had died but he didn't say it out loud.
Compared to Olympus, that was being influenced by the ancient Gods, all the ancient Gods of Asgard were existences of the past that had already disappeared.
"And son, she didn't step out directly but…..Gaia has promised plenty of assistance and she is actually performing it."
"I know."
Thor also knew. She had promised to assist Tae Ho with her own strength and would also assist a lot of strength in the most important strategy.
She didn't fight directly but her assistance was already more than enough.
But regardless of that, Thor was still putting an unsatisfied expression. Odin laughed out loud and then put on an ill natured expression as if teasing him.
"It seems like you have complains that it isn't you."
"Rather than complains….it's regret."
The one fighting against Heracles was Tae Ho, not himself.
This was already something that was decided and they couldn't change it.
Odin closed his only eye and said.
"It's unavoidable. Compared to Tae Ho, you are a pure Aesir. It's impossible to receive the power of an ancient God from a foreign world completely. In addition….the only one that can accomplish this strategy is Tae Ho."
Heracles was a being that became immortal when he guarded the path leading to mount of Olympus. It was impossible for even the strongest battle God of Asgard to defeat him.
The only strategy to defeat him.
Thor couldn't conduct it. Just like Odin had said, it was something only Tae Ho could do.
"My way to think magnanimously resembles father's."
Thor shook his head as if shaking away his regret and spoke with an admiring voice.
Just like Odin had said, he felt regret that he wasn't able to fight with Heracles but he didn't feel any remorse towards Tae Ho besides that. It wasn't an exaggeration to say that he rather liked it.
Odin nodded slowly.
Thor didn't show any complaints just like when Odin chose Valdur as his successor. He rather supported Odin saying that being king suited Valdur more.
Thor knew well that he was a warrior. That's why he didn't feel envy towards Tae Ho when he became the successor of Odin.
And Odin was grateful towards that Thor.
"He's my successor. Just like you possess strength and courage that surpasses mine, I hope he also surpasses me."
The size of this battle was a really huge one where the Gods of Olympus, the Gigantes, countless monsters and warriors of Valhalla participated in but in the end, the ones that would decide victory and battle of this battle were Heracles and Tae Ho.
"Will we be able to succeed?"
Thor spoke in a low voice. He was someone that didn't know what fear was when he went out to battle but he couldn't participate in this strategy actively. The only thing he could do was pray for victory.
"We have to make it so that it succeeds."
Odin smiled and answered. Actually he was also uneasy. He knew better than anyone else what would be the results if they lost this battle.
But Odin was accustomed to fighting with fear. Even the promised destruction couldn't bend his will.
Odin looked out the window and Thor did the same. The place the eyes of the two Gods reached was the carriage Tae Ho was on.
&
"Um, Adenmaha is certainly prettier."
Tae Ho looked at the two Goddesses that were sitting in front of him and pretended to think in a really troubled way and spoke without even wondering about it.
The face of Adenmaha became bright as a blooming flower at Tae Ho's decision and Freya's face contorted a lot.
"What a one sided judgement. What did Cuchulainn say?"
"That Scathach-nim is the prettiest."
"Damned bastards."
Freya pouted her lips in unsatisfaction. At first she did that as a joke but it seemed like it scratched her pride as she was still the Goddess of beauty.
But she was also the Goddess of love. Because of that, she knew better than anyone else how powerful was the power of love.
"But you are still prettier than Aphrodite."
Freya snorted as Tae Ho spoke carefully.
"Leave it."
She was snorting but looking at her eyes and lips, it seemed like she felt a bit better than before.
"Anyways, I don't know what Idun and Heda like about you. The same goes for her."
When Freya pointed at Adenmaha with her chin, Nidhogg that was sitting while embracing Hydra raised her head and said.
"Nidhogg also likes Tae Ho master."
"Alright, like him as much as you would. And let her go. Doesn't she feel hot?"
"Hydra, are you hot?"
Hydra, that was dozing off, shook her head as Nidhogg asked her while blinking.
"I'm not."
"She says she's not."
Nidhogg smiled brightly and embraced Hydra even tighter and Freya shook her head.
"This time too, anyways…..it seems like the general preparations had ended. You just have to rest comfortably until we arrive. That's the only method to increase our chances to succeed even by a little more."
The carriage Tae Ho and the group were on was different to the traditional ones. It was a square space that had no seats and had a solid floor with runes and magic circles filling it up.
In the first place, the reason Tae Ho and Freya got on the same carriage wasn't to exchange jokes.
There was something she had to do with Tae Ho.
"Thank you."
Tae Ho looked at the rock that was the size of a watermelon placed between himself and Freya. The rock that was filled with rune magic didn't only contain Tae Ho's and Freya's divine power but also Odin's, Echidna's, Athena's, etc. the divine powers of several Gods.
The preparations for the strategy.
This was everything Tae Ho had to do but there were still many things Freya had to do. It was something on she could do as the Goddess of magic.
"It's my honor i'm able to be of help for the master. It's also a necessary thing….right, there was still one more thing I could do for you."
Freya dropped her shoulders with a slow posture and then clapped her hands and started to crawl towards him.
"It's a meeting."
She then grabbed Tae Ho's cheeks and gave him the best blessing.
"Let my blessing accompany you."
Freya licked her lower lip as if she had eaten something delicious and said. Tae Ho put a dumbfounded expression at her warm breath and eyes and Freya got satisfied with that. She giggled and continued to say.
"I'm also going to do it tomorrow so you can be expecting it. It will be fun if I bring all the Valkyries and do it in turns. I should record it and show it to Idun. Tomorrow is a meeting-blessing parade!"
Freya laughed like an aunty that liked such things and got out of the carriage without Tae Ho being able to grab her.
A meeting-blessing parade.
Tae HO imagined that scene unconsciously and got absent minded once again and Cuchulainn, that imagined the same thing, spoke in a low voice.
'Hey Tae Ho, can I stab you once?'
'Please don't. I will die if you stab me with Gae Bolg.'
'I was planning to do that to kill you.'
It was when they were exchanging nonsense like usual.
"Um…master?"
"Tae Ho master?"
Adenmaha and Nidhogg grabbed each of Tae Ho's arm. Adenmaha reflected earnestness and a competitive feeling in her face as if she couldn't lose and Nidhogg was as bright as always.
'I should really stab you.'
Cuchulainn said and Rolo and Sleipnir that were flying above the carriage shook their heads at the same time as if they agreed to before hand.
&
The trip to the mount of Olympus was smooth.
It seemed like the enemy was also planning to have the decisive battle in the mount of Olympus that they didn't show any will to obstruct their path.
That's why the four day trip was peace itself.
Excluding the time when Cuchulainn controlled Gae Bolg to try to stab Tae Ho because Scathach gave Tae Ho the best blessing.
And when the sun was setting and night approached.
The alliance of Asgard and Olympus arrived at the mount of Olympus.
&
The mount of Olympus wasn't a simple place.
It was a place that connected the mortal and Godly world and at the same time the central axis that maintained the world called Olympus.
They could only approach the world of the Gods and the residence of the 12 Olympians through the mount of Olympus.
The had to pass the path of the mount of Olympus to arrive at the king of Gods Zeus.
Heracles sat in the path of the mount and looked at a far place.
A base of the alliance of Asgard and Olympus was being set up near the mount of Olympus in a place that he could start the battle in the afternoon if he departed in the morning.
Heracles didn't attack. He was planning to wait for them to attack first.
The protector of Olympus.
The being that is immortal when guarding the path of the mount of Olympus.
It was actually like that. Heracles could feel the power of the world being transmitted to him endlessly from the sky, the ground and everywhere else.
Heracles was invincible and at the same time immortal.
Nothing at all could inflict an injury on him if he was on the path of the mount. In addition, even he couldn't inflict an injury on himself.
He would massacre the enemy in this land.
As time was on their side.
Heracles raised his head and looked at the night sky. The countless beings that emanated dim and weak light were shining the sky along the stars.
They were the souls of the dead ones.
The souls that couldn't enter the underworld after Hades sealed it had gathered at the holiness of the mount of Olympus.
The more the battle prolonged, the number of lost souls would increase. And the change that got induced to do that wouldn't be satisfying for the enemy. The crumbling of the balance of the world was like a nightmare for the beings that wanted to maintain the world.
Heracles looked inside of Olympus. Aphrodite was seducing Dionysius and the Gigantes that came from the end of the world were desiring for battle in several places of the mount of Olympus.
The heroes of the Argo also prepared for the battle that would take place tomorrow and were doing their own things.
Heracles stood up. He then walked on the path slowly and looked at the path that connected with the world of the Gods that was completely sealed. He then looked down on the Goddess that was chained up and scattered in front of him.
The queen of Gods Hera.
She wasn't dead but was in a state that was no different from that. She got her divine power plundered by Zeus without stop so she couldn't even lift a finger.
The glory of Hera.
Heracles.
Heracles muttered his name once and smiled bitterly. He looked beyond Hera, the subject for his love and hatred, and then looked at the connecting path that lead to the world of Gods. White light was gathering like fog and taking up the appearances of pillars.
"Father."
The king of Gods Zeus.
And the existences that transmitted his voice to Zeus.
Heracles turned around and looked below the mount of Olympus.
The night was deepening.
And the morning for the decisive battle was approaching.
< Episode 61 - Great Hero (6) > End
TL note: Thanks for reading~
Episode 61/Chapter 7: Great Hero (7)
TL: Tsubak
ED: StellarRain & ET
Tae Ho opened his eyes at dawn.
He inhaled the lingering cold air and stroked the wooden tag containing the video of Heda and Idun.
He looked upon their faces and heard their voices one last time.
Hello once again.
My warrior Tae Ho.
Tae Ho smiled. He stored the precious wooden tag away, stood up and exited his lodging.
The morning sun had risen. It was the start of the unspoken promised day of battle.
The God of valor Tir blew his horn trumpet. The sound of Asgard rang through the skies and earth of Olympus and the march of the arrayed warriors of Valhalla shook the ground.
Many Gigantes stood up on Mount Olympus. Compared to the giants of Asgard, who had the form of humans, the Gigantes displayed appearances of monsters and they dwarfed those of Asgard.
Various divinites dyed the mountain..
Freya opened her eyes sharply and glared at the pink divinity belonging to Aphrodite. A bewitching yet provocative smile appeared on her face.
The red color of Dionysius surged up next to Aphrodite's divinity. Athena and Demeter frowned when the blue divinity that represented Hera surged up after that.
They knew something was wrong as they were also members of the 12 Olympians. Hera's will wasn't contained in that blue divinity. It was clearly a divinity being forcefully exploited.
The Gigantes screamed in union with the ground shaking from the warriors of Valhalla's march. It was a sound so overwhelming it seemed like the sky and ground would shatter under its pressure.
But they weren't the only ones that were on Mount Olympus. The humans who were controlled by the Gods and had become beings that wanted to destroy the world raised their weapons and cheered. The heroes of the Argo also increased their morale.
Atalante recognized her former allies from far away and bore sad expression. As a hero of Artemis, she knew the situation was dire better than anyone else, as she had already turned into a being who wanted to destroy the world.
Most of them didn't have any hope if they didn't defeat Zeus. It was impossible to liberate them.
Siri held the bow of Artemis and notched the arrow of Apollo. Bracky, who was next to her, looked at the hammer Hephaestus made by refining an Unt.
The shape of the hammer was a simple and blunt square shape similar to Mjolnir but the handle was different. Compared to Mjolnir, that gave a feeling of a shorthammer, the handle of this weapon was so long he was able to wield it like an axe.
The two of them turned to look at each other. Bracky glanced at her as if urging something from her and lowered his head and Siri checked her surroundings while frowning. When they confirmed that there was no one watching at them, Siri stood on her toes and kissed Bracky.
But compared to their expectation there was someone that saw it.
Gandur giggled and looked up at Ullr and Ullr, whose warrior he was thinking of having as his representative Valkyrie taken away from him, smiled bitterly. He stroked Gandur's head once and then headed to where Tir was.
The warriors of Valhalla took a grand formation. They stopped their feet at a considerable distance from the mount of Olympus.
The Gods of Asgard stood in front of the warriors. They walked up into the air and looked down at them.
The warriors of Valhalla looked at their Gods and the Gods also turned their eyes towards the one standing in the middle.
The new master.
The God of battle and Conqueror of Asgard and Erin.
Athena, who was standing next to the other Gods, awaited for a blood boiling speech. As the Goddess of warfare she knew how important morale was better than anyone. She also understood how much a good speech could raise the morale.
But Demeter thought a bit differently from Athena and she saw through the nature of the Gods of Asgard better than the Goddess of warfare.
Odin gestured with his hands for Tae Ho to step forward and looked upon the warriors.
The enemy is over there.
Let's save the world.
Let's liberate the ones being controlled.
He had several things to say but he saved his words. Meaningless speeches weren't necessary for the warriors of Valhalla.
Tae Ho opened his mouth. He activated the rune of Bragi and thumped his chest.
"For Asgard and the nine realms."
"For Asgard and the nine realms!"
The warriors cheered. The Gods in a row struck their chests and chanted with them.
For Asgard and the nine realms.
Asgard won't leave Olympus behind!
That was enough. They didn't need anything else. The battlecries of the warriors of Valhalla caused the sky and ground to tremble.
Tae Ho turned around. The Gods also turned and stared at mount Olympus.
"It begins."
Tir and Ullr blew their horn trumpets. Thor and Bracky raised their own hammers and called forth thunder.
The warriors of Valhalla charged forward with a booming rumbling sound rains of steel fell over their heads. They meteored towards the mountain like bombers.
"My lower body feels weeeeeeeeird!"
"Valhalla! I'm going!"
"This is Olympus!"
They charged from both the sky and the ground.
The reckless charge was akin to a wave.
There was also a reaction in the mount of Olympus. The Gigantes threw rocks and rained arrows upon the warriors of Valhalla.
The time was still early, there was some time left until midday.
The battle that decided the fate of the two worlds began.
&
The entire Mount Olympus devolved into madness.
Thor, Bracky and Siri broke through and massacred the Gigantes while firing lightning and gale.
Freya and Aphrodite felt each others existence clearly. They were constantly seducing each other's forces so there was no battle taking place there. There were only warriors running in confusion with an absent minded expression.
Echidna, who couldn't recover from her injury, entrusted her army of dragons to Adenmaha and Nidhogg.
One could say that the army of dragons being led by a white frost dragon, a black dragon, a golden dragon and a red dragon was the best in the entire alliance.
The battle intensified. The all of Mount Olympus was at war.
Screams, roars, yells and cries rang and spread everywhere.
But there was still one silent place.
One place where no one could approach recklessly.
The most direct and fastest path leading to the peak of the mountain.
There was a great hero of Olympus standing in that place.
The one that could be called the greatest was standing there looking down at the path.
Thor, who was firing lightning among the Gigantes, glanced at the path for a moment. He made eye contact with Heracles for a short while but he only smiled bitterly and didn't charge towards him.
Because Heracles' opponent wasn't Thor.
The leading actor of this battle was the master of Asgard.
Heracles looked away and at the same time Bracky and Siri looked at the same place.
Rasgrid and Ingrid, who were leading the warriors and charging, and even Gandur, that was nocking an arrow next to Ullr, turned to look at the same place.
Tae Ho was climbing up the path.
Athena looked at Tae Ho's back. Demeter kneeled down and gathered her hands to pray to Gaia.
Heracles also knew who his opponent was now. He faced the master of Asgard who was wielding the power of Gaia in his entire body, the God of a foreign world who defeated Ares and Poseidon.
Tae Ho continued to climb up the path.
And Heracles stood mid slope and waited.
Helga, who hadn't climbed up the mountain, gulped dry saliva and looked at the back of her commander. Next to her, Merlin prayed for his king. He asked the knights of the round table and king Arthur to protect the new king of Camelot.
Scathach let out a long sigh. She knew the difficulty of the upcoming fight as she had trained countless heroes.
Heracles was a monster. He was an existence who proved that he was different from normal heroes. And he was even receiving the support of the world.
Monster, invincible.
Those weren't wrong descriptors at all. If Heracles was in that state, it was obvious they wouldn't be able to defeat him even if all the Gods of Asgard faced him at the same time.
But Scathach didn't become discouraged nor think of defeat.
She only stared at the back of her strongest disciple and the disciple she loved the most.
"Master of Asgard."
Heracles said. He was holding the club that had beaten countless monsters to death. It was a simple and blunt shape similar to Mjolnir. It was a mystical weapon that contained strength you couldn't even imagine from its external appearances.
That club was the strongest weapon of Olympus and had accompanied Heracles in his quests.
Tae Ho gazed up at Heracles. He seemed to be a bit smaller than Bracky but his head seemed much larger due to the fur of the Nemean lion wrapped around it.
"Heracles."
The hero-God.
Heracles was a great hero who was born as a demigod and climbed up to the rank of God by himself and finally reached the seat of the strongest.
Heracles didn't say anything. He clenched his fist holding the club to defeat the enemy Asgard prepared to face him.
And at that moment Heracles disappeared.
Bang!
The attack was faster than sound.
Heracles' attack was like lightning and Tae Ho barely managed to block it. The Sword of the round table trembled and Tae Ho's knees started to bend down little by little from the strength pressing down from above.
It was truly an incredible strength. Tae Ho possessed the power of Gaia with him but he could only block it. The ground around them was crushed under the aftershock causing the land to scream. Space began contorting at the overwhelming amount of divine power.
Heracles studied Tae Ho beyond the Sword of the round table and Tae Ho also studied him and thought.
Gaia's words weren't a lie. No one was able to beat Heracles right now.
The current Heracles that is.
'Show me your cheat.'
Cuchulainn said with a hearty laugh and Tae Ho answered him.
He would change the premise.
At that moment shock spread across Heracles' face.
&
Odin didn't head out to the battlefield.
That was because his role was more important than battling.
Odin felt Tae Ho and Heracles clashing. That's why he extended his hand towards the rock in front of him. He drew a new rune on top of the mystical object that contained the divine power of several Gods, that was the main axis of a strong mystical magic, and then his right hand grasped the object he treasured the most.
Mistilteinn.
The mistletoe branch that contained the power to kill Gods.
The sad result of Aesir who obtained that power after causing the extinction of the ancient God of Asgard, Audumbla.
Thor said.
That Tae Ho and Odin were similar.
That his way of thinking was similar to Odin's in that he could even give up on the seat of the master of Asgard just to win.
Odin was ecstatic.
He laughed refreshingly and stabbed Mistilteinn into the center of the rock.
To kill a God.
What that meant.
Odin looked to the mid slope of the mount of Olympus.
&
Gaia said.
That Heracles would receive the support of all of Olympus when standing on the path leading to Mount Olympus. That it was no different from having the entire Olympus as his sacred force.
Tae Ho had destroyed Artemis' sacred force in their battle and made it so that she couldn't receive support from her sacred force.
But he couldn't use the same method this time.
All of Olympus held sacred force so it was impossible to destroy all of it.
It was also impossible to eliminate the mountain. Olympus wasn't a simple place. Even if he leveled the mountain flat, the strength of Heracles wouldn't get weakened while Olympus remained as the core that connected the mortal and godly world.
What could he do then?
How will he win this fight?
The answer was rather simple.
&
Hall of Valhalla.
Changing part of their surroundings to become Asgard.
It was impossible to do so on the mount of Olympus, where the power of Olympus was the strongest. That's why Tae Ho used only a property of 'Hall of Valhalla' and combined it with a mystical magic he had prepared beforehand.
The anecdote containing in Mistilteinn of being able to kill Gods.
The great magic Odin and Freya prepared together.
The assistance of the ancient God of Olympus, Gaia.
A radius of dozens of meters around Tae Ho and Heracles transformed into a new territory.
And what happened inside of that region shocked Heracles.
A land that deprived Gods.
An absolute land of Gods that deprived divinity itself.
The reason sacred force assisted someone was because he or she was a God.
Then, to remove Heracles' advantage as a God, Tae Ho would remove the base of Heracles' power and prevent him from receiving support from his sacred force!
Heracles lost his divinity. It was a temporary effect. If he left that region he would regain support from the world as a great hero again.
But that wasn't the case now. When he stood on the God depriving land he wasn't the hero-God Heracles but the human Heracles before climbing up to the rank of a God.
And it was the same for Tae Ho.
He wasn't the master of Asgard anymore.
The support of Gaia also disappeared.
Heracles laughed. He admired the master of Asgard who threw away his divinity without any hesitation, even just temporarily. He grasped his club tighter and glared fiercely at Tae Ho.
The overwhelming power of the world disappeared but Heracles wasn't shaken. Heracles was still a great hero even if he didn't receive the support of the world.
He was the strongest great hero of Olympus who had accomplished the twelve tasks and annihilated countless monsters and giants.
He rather welcomed a battle between human and human. He could fight him as much as he wanted.
And it was the same for Tae Ho.
Because Tae Ho was different from Thor.
Compared to Thor, who was already a God since birth, Tae Ho had climbed to the rank of a God by his own strength!
[Idun's warrior]
The golden divinity covered Tae Ho's body instead of the dark blue divinity. The countless battles and experiences he faced since he was a lowest ranked warrior until he became a top ranked one proved his strength.
'Show him, the power of humans. The power of the Milesian that fought against Gods and won!'
Cuchulainn yelled and at the same time, the sentences of Erin and the Milesians appeared in the back of Tae Ho's hands.
The light of Erin roared from within the Sword of the round table.
Human vs human.
The place of the decisive battle that had the fate of the two worlds at stake- in the middle of all those strong Gods.
The battle between the two heroes began.
< Episode 61 - Great Hero (7) > End
TL note: Thanks for reading~