King of Underworld

Chapter 121 The First Task – The Lions of Nemea (2)

The Nemean lion.

The child of Typhon and Echidna, it held the same divine stature as its siblings, Orthrus and Hydra.

It lived in the valley of Nemea, killing people and animals indiscriminately.

“The lions of Nemea? Could you explain a bit more? I’ve spent a long time in Thebes’ hero training camp and am not familiar with the world outside.”

“Ah… originally, the term ‘Nemean lion’ referred to Typhon’s offspring. But…”

One of the reasons why the earth goddess Gaia had been quiet.

The plain of Plestra, home to the Gigantes, remained under the gods’ strict surveillance, preventing much movement.

If they couldn’t act directly, why not create or strengthen the already powerful monsters?

Especially if it was the offspring of Typhon, who had nearly defeated Olympus alone.

Thus, the Nemean lion succeeded in reproducing, aided by Gaia.

“Recently, dozens of lions that follow that monster appeared and destroyed an entire village.”

“…Dozens of them?”

“The people near the area would know more than I do.”

Heracles stretched his body as he exited the temple.

From the very first task, there were dozens of them? He didn’t think he would lose, but wasn’t this too much?

Before heading to Nemea, he made sure to prepare thoroughly.

At the blacksmith’s, he gathered spears and arrows to fight the lion horde. He picked up a heavy club made of olive wood and asked…

“Do you have a club made of iron?”

“…? Do you think you can carry something like that around?”

“I’ll pay you handsomely. If you start today, when can it be finished?”

“I’m blessed by Lord Hephaestus, so I can make it quickly.”

With that, Heracles ordered a large iron club from the blacksmith, slung it over his shoulder, and set off for Nemea.

In Nemea, there wasn’t much useful information.

He could only gather some rumors from a young man.

“It’s huge, much bigger than normal lions, with striking red eyes…”

“Yes, that’s it! That’s the Nemean lion. And it leads a pack, like a wolf instead of a lion…”

“Where are they now?”

“They live in a creepy canyon about four days’ walk from here. They say the place is littered with corpses and blood… Ugh. Why are you asking about those terrifying creatures?”

Seeing no more useful information from the man, Heracles moved straight toward the canyon.

* * *

“…Hmm.”

A thick smell of blood lingered in the air near the entrance, and an ominous atmosphere filled the surroundings where no living creatures were in sight.

The canyon looked barren, almost like a desert, with little sign of either animals or plants.

As Heracles, armed with his various weapons, entered the canyon, the monstrous lions began to emerge.

It was as if they had caught his scent, gathering steadily, one by one.

These were not ordinary monsters. They carried the blood of the Nemean lion, a child of Typhon and a demigod.

Their claws were sharper than the finest blades, and their hides were much tougher than those of ordinary monsters.

Swoosh.

Quietly, the hero drew his spear and club from his back. In his left hand, he held a long spear, and in his right, the iron club.

The weapon skills he had learned from the centaur sage Chiron were extraordinary and refined. But when dealing with creatures like these…

Thud. Crack—

Simply swinging and stabbing was enough.

The head of the first lion that had approached, licking its lips, was pierced by the spear.

The other monsters rushed at him before he could even retrieve his spear, but they met their fate with a blow from his iron club.

One lion, then another, and another… five in total.

As the monstrous lions gathered one by one, they each fell at Heracles’ hands.

Heracles’ leather tunic gradually became stained with red, yet the monsters continued to attack him without fear, their bloodlust unshaken.

Roar! Roar! Slash—

However, their thick hides were torn apart under Heracles’ strength.

Their prized claws and fangs couldn’t even scratch his skin, which had been fortified by the Styx River.

“Hmph… how annoying.”

The battle between the dozens of monsters and the lone hero ended as a one-sided massacre.

Wiping the blood from his spear, Heracles surveyed the bodies of the fallen beasts.

Growl…

Suddenly, from nowhere, a massive lion appeared.

Its crimson eyes gleamed ominously, its mane was a lustrous gold, and its claws were sharper than spearheads.

“You must be the leader… or rather, the Nemean lion?”

Roar!!!

Before Heracles even finished speaking, the offspring of Typhon charged at him.

Yet the hero was not fazed at all. He slammed his iron club into the lion’s gaping maw.

Roar—

How irritating it had been to kill all those other lions one by one.

It was fortunate the leader had come out on its own. If it had run off, he would’ve had to search for it.

“Haaap!”

Thud—

Heracles lifted the lion, unable to bite through the iron club wedged in its mouth.

After killing dozens of monsters, he had realized one thing… their hides were extremely tough.

While Heracles’ strength had been able to break through, most other heroes who trained with him in the Underworld would’ve had a difficult time piercing it.

The bloodline of these monsters thickened and strengthened with each generation.

If the original Nemean lion was the source of this lineage, how tough would its hide be?

Could it possibly be so durable that even Heracles’ strength couldn’t break through?

No, that was absurd.

The only beings that Heracles’ power couldn’t defeat were the gods themselves!

With that thought, the hero slammed the monstrous lion’s body into the ground headfirst.

The Nemean lion roared in pain as the violent shock reverberated through its massive frame.

Roar!!!

* * *

The battle between the hero and the beast raged on for hours.

The Nemean lion couldn’t harm Heracles’ skin, but in turn, Heracles found it difficult to break through the monster’s hide and deliver a decisive blow.

Boom! Crash!

Their relentless struggle caused the canyon to collapse, the massive rocks crumbling and scattering in all directions.

As the fight continued, Heracles began to think.

‘This thing only has tough skin… should I just strangle it to death? Or maybe drown it? I could attach molten lead to the tip of my spear and shove it down its throat…’

A flood of ideas for killing the Nemean lion crossed his mind.

His experience fighting the Goddess of Vengeance, Megaera, and sparring with heroes like Cadmus had taught him many combat techniques.

The hero, who had gained much experience in the Underworld, knew that flexibility was the key to victory in battle.

However, the words of the Lord of the Underworld echoed in his mind, holding him back.

“On a mortal level, you may have an invincible body, but when it comes to the realm of the gods, it’s a different story. Your goal is to become a god, isn’t it?”

Even his skin, strengthened by the Styx River, would be nothing in the realm of the gods. If he strangled the lion to death…

It would be like acknowledging the hardness of the lion’s hide and giving up on defeating it head-on.

‘…That will never happen! I’m going to become a god, and I can’t use a trick to kill a creature like this!’

He continued to pound away at the thick hide of the Nemean lion.

No matter how tough the hide was, it couldn’t be tougher than the skin he had tempered in the Styx River.

If it was difficult to break through… he would keep hammering at it until it broke.

Let’s see whose body is tougher, mine or this beast’s!

“Dieee!!!”

Roar! Roar!!!

By now, Heracles had discarded all his weapons and was fighting the beast with his bare hands.

His eyes gleamed as fiercely as the lion’s, and his fighting style grew more primal by the minute.

It was a struggle to preserve his pride and a challenge in his quest to become a god.

The hero—no, the god-in-training—grabbed the lion by the mane and slammed its head repeatedly into the ground. Once, twice, three times.

Then, he pummeled it with his fists. His hardened muscles thrashed wildly as he relentlessly punched its snout.

Thud. Thud. Roar!!!

Even as the lion thrashed in pain, Heracles continued his unrelenting assault.

Rather than losing strength, his punches only grew stronger, and eventually, the lion’s hide could take no more.

Thud. Thud. Crunch.

The sound of its snout being crushed under the pressure of Heracles’ fists echoed through the canyon.

The Nemean lion trembled in fear and howled, while Heracles, smiling victoriously, focused his attacks on that spot.

In the end…

Roar…!!!

Thud!

The monstrous lion collapsed to the ground, defeated.

Its face, including its snout, was completely shattered, and the Nemean lion died with a final whimper.

Heracles, however, was only slightly fatigued, his body unscathed.

“Kuh. Ptooey!”

For most heroes, a feat like this would have earned them fame and made them a great hero.

But as he wiped the blood from his knuckles and slung the lion’s carcass over his shoulder, Heracles was not satisfied with being just a great hero. He was a challenger to the throne of the gods.

< “When the mind fails, the body suffers.” >

One of the sayings spread by the Goddess of Wisdom, Athena.

“Hmph. I thought I’d be fighting for days, but it turned out to be easier than I expected.”

But when your body is Heracles’, there’s no need for your mind to suffer.

The once-dreaded horde of Nemean lions.

Heracles exterminated them all in a single day.