King of Underworld

Chapter 124: Second Task – Slaying the Hydra (3)

Heracles dodged the Hydra’s attacks, which kept regenerating and advancing relentlessly.

The hero’s mind was racing, searching for a way to stop the Hydra’s regeneration.

‘If burning it doesn’t work… perhaps piercing it with something will prevent it from regenerating.’

If I impale it with several wooden stakes, press them down with a large boulder, and bury it in the earth, no matter how immortal the beast is, it should die.

But then…

‘Did I retreat this far?’

Heracles glanced around, realizing his position.

He had rolled on the ground to avoid the Hydra’s deadly venom, retreating several steps back.

In contrast, the monster continued to advance, regenerating even after its heads were blown apart.

The difference between hero and monster was stark.

It was obvious who was being hunted in this fight.

*Clench*

Unconsciously, he ground his teeth.

Is this… right? Even if I manage to kill it, will that be enough to repay this humiliation?

How could a coward who avoids the Hydra’s venom ever challenge the gods?

Being afraid of its regeneration and thinking of burning it or burying it in a heap of dirt… that’s the kind of thinking other heroes might have.

If I can’t face such a monster head-on, I’ll only drift further from Olympus!

‘Yes, trying to rely on trickery was a mistake from the start.’

*Crack*

Heracles firmly gripped the iron club he had been casually swinging with one hand, now holding it tightly in both hands.

Even though the metal groaned under the pressure of his grip, he paid no attention, glaring at the Hydra before him.

Humans who used wisdom to trick monsters and achieved their tasks were all praised as heroes.

But what I am challenging is to become a god. To become a god who looks down on everyone from the heavens…!

“…I’ll kill you.”

I’ll crush this regeneration head-on.

Heracles swung the iron club, recalling the Nemean Lion that had met its end at his hands.

Unlike before, when he carefully swung the club to avoid getting splashed by its body fluids, this was a full-force strike.

*Whooosh! Splatter!*

‘If its bodily fluids are poisonous, rather than dodging them, I’ll blow them away with the wind pressure!’

One of the Hydra’s heads flew off, but not a drop of its fluid splashed in his direction.

Gaining confidence, Heracles continued to swing his club.

From left to right. From right to left. He repeated his full-power strikes over and over.

For how long? Until the monster before him stops regenerating and dies, of course!

*Whooosh—! Splatter!*

“Raaaahhhh!!!”

Strike after strike.

Heracles’ body, strengthened by Hera’s milk and the power of the River Styx, was the greatest physique among humankind.

Thus, even as he poured his full strength into every swing, he didn’t tire.

And all his focus was on crushing the enemy before him.

Not just killing the enemy but pulverizing it entirely with a storm of relentless strikes.

Whether it’s a giant mountain, a monster, or venom, everything that stands in my way will be smashed to pieces.

“Let’s see if your regeneration is faster, or if I can break you faster!!!”

*Sssshhhh!*

One of the Hydra’s heads exploded.

It regenerated again.

Two Hydra heads exploded simultaneously.

They regenerated again.

Three heads, no, four heads were torn apart.

Regeneration…

One of the monster’s heads spewed venom, trying to melt the human before it.

But Heracles’ club struck the head off before the venom could reach him.

Their battle raged on for two days.

The Hydra’s venomous fluids and Heracles’ sweat fell to the ground, and fragments of their battle scattered everywhere.

A regenerating monster versus a destructive hero.

In this endless cycle of destruction and regeneration, it was the monster that first declared defeat.

The Hydra, whose heads kept exploding, turned its body and tried to flee. It sought to escape from this terrifying human at any cost.

But Heracles’ club struck faster.

*Crack. Splatter. Crack!*

The enormous Hydra’s body was being whittled down piece by piece.

Its regenerative power could no longer keep up with the wounds that kept tearing its body apart.

And finally…

*Boom!—Splatter!!!*

With a desperate, full-force blow, Heracles sent the Hydra’s massive form flying entirely.

Its nine heads and body, all of it.

“…Is it dead?”

The venomous, immortal serpent, whose regenerative power knew no limits…

Had been slain by Heracles, whose strength knew no bounds.

* * *

Heracles sat down on the ground, slowly removing the Nemean Lion’s pelt from his body.

The most troublesome part of killing the Hydra had been its venom.

Even Heracles had to spend two whole days fighting cautiously, wary of the Hydra’s poison.

Staring at the green venom smeared all over the Nemean Lion’s pelt, the hero shook his head.

Had it not been for the training he received from Lady Megaera in the Underworld, he might have died here.

“Haa…”

Neither Bellerophon nor Cadmus had been able to wound him, but the power of the gods had so easily hurt him…

Thus, just like the other heroes, he had learned techniques, forced to block and dodge attacks desperately.

His training with the goddess had elevated Heracles several levels, and this was the result.

As he caught his breath and checked his body, he heard footsteps approaching.

Turning his head, he saw dozens of soldiers staring in astonishment at the torn-up battlefield and the aftermath of the battle.

“Hah… Hah!”

“What the…!”

“Hm?! Soldiers? Who sent you?”

At his question, the soldiers stammered in response.

“W-Well, we serve under King Argos… we came here at the request of the citizens, who reported hearing loud noises…”

“Ah, I was handling the Hydra, Chrysaor, and Lamia, causing the commotion.”

“W-What?!”

“I smashed the Hydra with my club, and if you go that way, you’ll find the corpses of Chrysaor and Lamia on the ground.”

The soldiers of Argos were dumbstruck by his words.

What is this madman babbling about? The venom-spewing Hydra wasn’t enough—he’s claiming he also defeated Chrysaor, wielding the golden sword, and Lamia, notorious near Athens?

But anyone could see the massive traces of battle, the sweat beading on his forehead, his towering muscular frame that looked capable of slaying monsters, and the Nemean Lion’s pelt, smeared with green venom.

The soldiers, unsure whether to believe him, cast doubtful glances.

“Hey, that green liquid on the ground… isn’t that proof of the Hydra’s rampage?”

“Is this divine punishment? Those shredded remains… could that be the Hydra…?!”

“Oh, my god. Aren’t you Heracles, the one who slaughtered the Nemean Lion? My cousin is a priestess of Lady Hera…”

“What am I looking at… is the Hydra really dead?”

“And that golden sword at his waist… could it really be Chrysaor’s…?”

“…Anyway, I’m busy, so I’ll be off.”

Heracles picked up the Nemean Lion’s pelt and began to move, ignoring the soldiers’ reverent chatter about him being a great hero and their speculations that an Olympian god must have descended.

“Do you know what it means to be a god? Do you think it’s simply a matter of having a strong, immortal body?”

I’m already this strong, and the feats I’ve accomplished should be enough.

“A god is a being who maintains the balance of the world. If you only think about such things, no matter how many feats you achieve… you will never become a god.”

Why had the Lord of the Underworld said that he could never become a god?

With this overwhelming power, shouldn’t I already be qualified to become one?

The great hero still didn’t understand.

* * *

In the end, Heracles killed the Hydra.

As a bonus, he also slew Chrysaor, wielder of the golden sword, and Lamia, who had been devouring children near Athens.

“Hades. I’ve brought Lamia.”

“Thank you, Thanatos.”

Thus, Lamia arrived in the Underworld, where she naturally met me.

She knelt on the floor of the audience chamber, trembling in fear.

From a quick glance at her eyes, I could sense a whirlwind of emotions.

Anger and fear, resentment toward the gods, and sorrow… unsurprisingly, she held a grudge so deep that even the waters of the River Lethe couldn’t erase it.

“Raise your head, Queen of Libya.”

“Q-Queen?! Hehe… am I still a queen?”

“Look at your body. See if you still have the lower half of a snake.”

Hera’s curse had been lifted upon Lamia’s death.

More precisely… the curse remained on her corpse, but her soul, now in the Underworld, had shed its monstrous half-serpent form.

“I devoured over a hundred children… hehe… What punishment will you give me? Tartarus…?”

“I know that you were cursed by Hera and forced to live that way.”

“……”

“I will take into account that your bloodstained life was the result of Hera’s curse, and that as a mere human, you had no choice but to succumb to Zeus’ advances.”

The price of her affair with Zeus had been Hera’s curse.

She had lived a miserable life as a monster, stealing and devouring other women’s children and seducing men to their deaths.

But I couldn’t show her pure mercy.

“The number of children you devoured is immense. No matter how much Hera’s curse was involved, you still have to pay for your sins.”

“…Hehe…”

“Since your actions were driven by the curse, not your own will, I will grant you the blessing of oblivion and erase your memories.”

At the gesture of the goddess of oblivion, Lamia’s eyes went blank.

But sins committed must be atoned for. After several centuries of penance, perhaps she would be allowed to reincarnate…

After Lamia left, the goddess Lethe approached me.

“As for Chrysaor, just as I mentioned…”

“Yes. The goddess Medusa is meeting with him. Like Pegasus, it seems he is deeply attached to his mother.”

“I suppose we’ll send him to the Hero’s Training Grounds soon. Even without the golden sword, his body should be more than enough to serve the heroes.”

Monsters often found no peace even in death.

The Nemean Lion, Chimera, and others had also been in the Underworld’s training grounds… although Bellerophon had hated it, it was necessary.

Chrysaor would soon share the same fate.

“Hades, at this point, shouldn’t we stop Heracles’ labors?”

“…?”

“There’s already a lot of debate among the gods of Olympus. After all, he’s already slain two of Typhon’s offspring—many now believe that he is indeed the prophesied hero.”

“What does Hera think?”

“Hermes mentioned that Hera is quite displeased. Watching Zeus’ bastard child complete his tasks and kill monsters seems to have greatly irritated her…”

The growing belief that Heracles was the hero of prophecy would make it difficult for Hera to kill him.

Since I had already forbidden her from using divine punishment to kill him, she would likely keep burdening him with more impossible tasks.

But still, the fact that Gaia had intervened and blocked Heracles on his way to kill the Hydra…

It’s possible she might continue to obstruct him.

“It’s too late now… even if the Gigantes manage to slip away from the gods’ watchful eyes, if Heracles is involved…”

Maybe I should capture a Gigas and hand one over to him.