Chapter 312
C312
Since he first entered Tartarus...
[The 'King of the Dead' confronts his own world]
[The dead adore you]
The title lying dormant within YuWon twisted.
'Once again...'
The King of the Dead.
It was the title he had obtained by clearing Susanoo's dungeon.
Upon reflection, it was because of this title that he set foot in Tartarus for the first time.
Tartarus called out to him.
Why exactly?
YuWon looked at the Giants in front of him and the bars that blocked them.
'Was it to ask for help?'
He felt an implicit certainty.
It was as if he could shatter the bars before him with a single strike.
And he had a feeling that he must do it without fail.
This kind of certainty was often dangerous. It had no basis, and he still didn't have the certainty that the Giants inside those bars were on his side.
But...
'I can't just let things continue like this.'
At this rate, Uranus would devour the Giants trapped in Tartarus.
Uranus, growing uncontrollably, would bring ruin to Olympus as it had in the past history, and many Rankers, including Chronos and Odin, would wage a war to capture him.
'If it reaches that point, the Trial will be a failure.'
The exact purpose of this Trial was still unknown.
But he was sure that blindly repeating established history was not the criterion for overcoming it.
So, there was only one thing to do on a large scale.
'Change the future.'
And that was something he had always been doing.
Step~
YuWon took a step towards the bars.
Chronos's words resonated enough in his ears.
There was such a story in the history of Olympus that dated back to the times of Uranus.
It wasn't a surprising tale or something new to consider.
Even if he felt ashamed himself, in the end, it wasn't Chronos's fault.
Step~.
"What are you trying to do?"
Chronos blocked YuWon's path to the bars.
"I have to free them."
"Didn't you hear my story?"
"I did."
"Even after hearing what will happen if they're released, you still have that idea?"
"What if they're not released?"
A completely opposite situation from what he was concerned about.
YuWon explained that, at this moment, if Tartarus were to remain as it is: "What will happen to Uranus?"
"My Grandfather..."
"Ponto is already dead. Next will be here."
Chronos's eyes wavered.
To come all this way and still, he was conflicted.
Whether what he was doing now was right. If releasing these Giants with hatred towards Olympus could or could not lead to Olympus's destruction.
But YuWon's words were not wrong.
Ponto was already dead.
There was no place to doubt it. He had known that Uranus was twisted for a long time.
Odin's arrival here was also due to countermeasures against Uranus.
"If we go on like this..."
Although he wasn't certain, he had to say what he had to say.
YuWon's gaze turned to the Giants trapped behind the bars.
"They will all die."
YuWon didn't know Uranus.
But he had heard about Uranus, and he knew that neither Chronos, nor Odin, nor himself were rivals for him.
They had to obtain the power of the Giants.
That was the strategy YuWon had conceived to face Uranus.
-There's someone interesting here!
The Giants trapped in Tartarus fixated on YuWon.
And among them, there was one in particular.
He had an especially large and solid presence.
'Is that guy the leader?'
YuWon's gaze turned to the Giant observing him through the bars.
He had three eyes, even on his forehead.
In an instant, YuWon felt as if he was seeing a superposition of Surt over him.
The King of all Giants.
Surt, the most powerful Giant who had fought against Asgard for a long time.
The Giant in front of him also radiated a presence that was no less than Surt's.
-Are you a High-Ranker from Olympus? What's your name?
Unlike the other Giants, his tone was calm and not hostile.
However, despite what was shown on the surface, YuWon could perceive an anger more intense than anyone else.
"No."
-Not?
As if asking what kind of answer that was, the Giant looked at Chronos.
Finally, Chronos realized.
Why exactly YuWon was here?
"No. I'm seeing this person for the first time today."
-Why is this guy here and doing this?
"Well..."
Chronos was about to answer, "Because he's from the future," but he stopped himself.
Even for him, who was the only one using time-related abilities, it would take a long time to understand it.
But, could the Giants in front of him really accept that?
'I hope they don't think I'm mocking them.'
-Is it a difficult question to answer?
"Do you really need to know?"
In response to YuWon's question, the Giant blinked his three eyes simultaneously while looking at him.
The aura around him gradually calmed down. Until a moment ago, it seemed like he was about to break the bars in front of him and run out, but suddenly, he showed curiosity.
-Although you have an arrogant attitude, you seem to have the qualification for it. That's what it looks like.
"Does it?"
-I don't know. Maybe it's the influence of the years, or maybe it's madness.
A vague answer, but YuWon didn't have time to get distracted.
"We'll talk about the rest outside."
YuWon passed by Chronos and headed towards the bars.
Chronos no longer tried to stop YuWon. Instead, he asked a question while looking at YuWon's back, who was approaching the bars.
"Is there any way to let them out?"
"No. There isn't."
"What?"
A reaction that seemed surprised.
It was none other than Tartarus's Cage. Something not even the great Giants could break, and they had been trapped for a long time, yet YuWon was saying that he would release them quite easily.
However...
'That is, I can't explain it with words.'
['The King of the Dead looks at his subordinates']
['The King of the Dead looks towards Hell']
A message that had been echoing in his ears since he entered Tartarus.
It was an inexplicable certainty. But despite that, it was a certainty.
He felt that if he reached out immediately, he could break the bars of the cage that were blocking the Giants.
That's why YuWon didn't hesitate.
There was nothing wrong with trying.
It was then that YuWon reached out his hand towards the bars...
"Your actions are dangerous."
Swooosh-.
A shadow rose from the ground of Tartarus.
Thud-.
Something grabbed YuWon's arm. YuWon frowned and turned his head.
'I thought he would keep watching...'
Through the Golden Cinder Eyes, he could see the figure that had hidden in Tartarus, but he tried to pretend that he didn't know.
Just a step late.
He hoped he would keep hiding as if he didn't know anything.
But apparently, it wasn't going to be that easy.
Swooosh, swoooosh-.
Color rapidly added to the black shadow.
Chronos's eyes widened as he saw the golden-haired man who entered Tartarus.
"Grandfather?"
"You seem very busy lately..."
Grr.
Uranus's grip on YuWon's arm tightened.
"Son."
Son.
Uranus uttered that word forcefully.
In a paradoxical way, by uttering the word "Son" with more force, Chronos realized that Uranus no longer considered him his son.
Thud-.
The strength of Uranus's grip twisted YuWon's arm.
At the same time, YuWon's arm was filled with Arcane Power.
[A Giant's power adheres to your arm]
Gigantification.
The top-grade ability that turned Hercules into a hero.
If it was just a competition of brute strength, YuWon was sure he wouldn't yield to anyone.
That's why, even knowing that Uranus was right in front of him, YuWon approached the bars.
But...
Crack!
Although he tried to use his giant-transformed arm to resist, he couldn't pull away Uranus's hand.
'I can't escape.'
The pain that felt like his bones would break disappeared, but it was still difficult to free himself from his grip.
Uranus's hand emitted light.
The power of the blazing electrical attack began to be felt through the hand holding his arm.
At that moment...
Thwack!
A flying spear pierced through Uranus's head.
The strength of his grip weakened.
YuWon quickly pulled away Uranus's hand and stepped back.
Fajik, fajik-.
The head that had disappeared reappeared.
It was his body that had transformed into lightning. It had only momentarily let go as he used another ability. Uranus didn't shed a drop of blood.
Uranus's gaze turned towards the direction from which the spear had come.
Swoosh-.
Odin stood firm, retrieving the spear he had thrown with all his might.
He remained undisturbed by Uranus's appearance.
"Odin."
Woosh, woosh-.
More than a dozen magic circles/symbols appeared around Odin.
He was a mage with notable abilities, considered one of the best among the High-Rankers. He was also a warrior who wielded both a spear and a sword at the same time.
A tough and formidable opponent.
"A delicious feast."
Greed shone in Uranus's eyes.
Of the many types of greed, what came to Uranus's mind was appetite.
It had been a long time since Odin encountered a beast that could threaten him. A carnivorous beast, voraciously hungry, showing its teeth.
"How vicious."
Cluck-.
Odin tightened the grip on his spear and advanced forward.
At that moment...
Thwack!
With all his might, Odin rushed towards Uranus.
Kwaang!
The clash between the two shook Tartarus. To YuWon's eyes, it seemed as if Odin was staggering and being pushed back.
However, he quickly regained his balance, as if saying he wouldn't give up.
Using dozens of magic marks, he reinforced his lack of power and launched both magic and his spear. It was a brief moment, but YuWon was surprised to realize that Odin was being pushed back.
"Once again, I see this guy losing to someone."
Uranus.
He had only heard his name, but it was the first time he had seen a fight like this.
Odin's ability was undeniable.
Even as he wielded his spear, he seemed to be aided by dozens of Rankers, using countless magics.
Yet, Uranus, facing Odin, always remained calm.
Don't they say that a tiger does its best when hunting a rabbit?
No.
That statement was incorrect.
Uranus fought without hurry, as if carefully considering how to savor Odin best in front of him.
"He's different from that guy."
YuWon had seen Uranus twice.
Once when he obtained the Uranus Heart.
And the second time when he came here.
However, those two times and the Uranus in front of him now felt completely different.
"He hasn't been satisfied yet."
After devouring Ponto and swallowing the Giants of Tartarus, Uranus had become an uncontrollable monstrosity.
So, the Uranus in front of him at this moment was clearly a different entity from the one YuWon or future Chronos knew.
YuWon observed the fight between Uranus and Odin.
The reason he didn't intervene in the fight was that Uranus's movements seemed unnatural in some way.
"He's blocking the bars."
From the beginning of the fight, Uranus never left a specific area.
Unnatural movements.
YuWon became convinced of this when Uranus glanced at him.
"Is he aware of me?"
-
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