Chapter 349
C349
Ding~
The call was cut off.
A buzzing sound resonated in Hera's head.
YuWon's voice she had heard through the Player Kit seemed to be echoing in her mind.
Hera was perplexed, as if she had lost her sanity.
Other Rankers approached her hesitantly.
"Are you okay?"
"Don't worry too much. There's no way Apollo and Artemis would betray Hera-nim, right?"
That wasn't what mattered.
The comforting words were just empty words.
"...He's coming."
"Who?"
A faint murmur got caught in Hera's mouth.
"Hercules..."
With a pensive expression on her face, she muttered the same words.
"Hercules is coming..."
The entire plan had collapsed now.
Hera no longer had the means to stop Hercules.
------------------------
Four days had passed since Hera's departure.
In the Temple of Hera on the 77th floor, silence reigned.
Even the Players on the lower floors knew that the situation was not favorable. The fact that there was no news after four days was evidence of that.
Perhaps this battle they had started on their own would end in defeat.
If that happened, everything they had built in Olympus would turn to smoke.
"What will we do if we lose this...?"
"There's not much we can do. Go out and find another Guild?"
"But at that point, we'd already be labeled as deserters from Olympus, right?"
"And does that matter now? Maybe we can get out of here alive."
"That's true."
"We should withdraw now."
"Are you joking? Do you think Hera-nim will stand still?"
"Ugh-!"
Most of the Players who had reached the 77th floor used to receive a warm welcome in any Guild they joined. However, settling into that Guild and gaining favor from the higher-ranking Rankers was another issue altogether. It required considerable effort and a lot of time.
Moreover, the problem lay in the fact that once they reached this point, it was challenging to build a new position in another Guild and be fully accepted. And if the perception developed that the person seeking to join had been expelled from Olympus, finding a place in any Guild would be even more difficult.
"Anyway, we have to protect this place and wait for victory or surrender. Even if we lose, we might consider surrendering to the other side, but joining another Guild is definitely not an option..."
"It won't be possible, for sure."
"Whoa!"
The man, startled, quickly stepped back in response to the sound of a voice coming from a distance.
Though he was taken aback, he still acted like a high-level Player, which was commendable.
"Who are you?"
"Reveal your name!"
Tuck, tuck-.
Several Players pointed their spears and swords at him. Among them were some Rankers who had not yet left for battle.
Though they were determined to reclaim the throne, it seemed they hadn't completely emptied the temple, as there was a considerable number of Players present.
The sound of weapons aiming at him made YuWon shrug.
"Choose the lesser evil. After all, this battle is already over."
YuWon's words caused the Players around him to widen their eyes.
"Is it over?"
"What are you saying?"
"Are you... Kim YuWon?"
"What?"
Some Players recognized YuWon. After all, YuWon was a Ranker who had reached the Top 100, and there was enough information about him in the Player Kit to make him quite well-known.
Of course, most of the information was that his identity was unknown or how he became a Ranker in a short period, but his face was also recognizable enough.
As the name spread slowly...
"Is it really him?"
"We're done for."
"What can we do against a two-digit Ranker?"
Just by hearing his name, they had already lost confidence.
That was the strength that a High-Ranker possessed.
Of course, there were also some brave souls within the group.
Or more precisely, Rankers loyal to Hera.
"Don't be afraid."
"After all, there's only one enemy."
"We also have several Rankers here! We have enough chances to win..."
Kwang-!
The Ranker shouting to boost the group's morale suddenly felt everything around him blur.
In an instant, he lost consciousness after receiving a blow to the chin. YuWon sneered at him with a disdainful expression.
"Several? You barely even reach ten."
The number of Rankers left in the Temple of Hera was little more than ten.
Most of the members were in the expedition (battle) to reclaim the throne.
Hera was now trapped, unable to come or go.
She didn't have enough power to head to Olympus, and there were issues if she tried to return to the Temple.
In the end, she, who had lost her way in the middle of the Tower, was continuously wasting her power.
Of course.
YuWon hadn't come to the Temple to take control.
Crack-!
A black lightning burst from the ring on his hand.
The lightning ascended into the sky from the tips of his fingers, creating murky clouds.
Kurr-.
Crack, crunch-!
Thunderous clouds.
The lightning and thunder, made of immense energy, were unmistakable signs for the players of Olympus.
"A... lightning?"
"It's a little different..."
"Is that... right?"
The players of Olympus who had experienced the Gigantomachy clearly remembered the signs preceding Zeus's lightning.
And those memories were vivid because the power of lightning was exceptionally strong.
"From now on, I hope everyone except those who have great loyalty to Hera or those who think they can defeat me step aside."
Some among them considered Olympus as simply a safe occupation.
The most YuWon could do was get to them to surrender.
"From now on, just after counting to ten..."
Crack.
The tip of a spear flew towards YuWon.
At that moment....
Kwaaang!
A lightning struck down from the dense dark clouds.
"Ah...!"
The body of the Ranker rushing towards YuWon with his spear was charred and fell to the ground.
The spear didn't even get close to YuWon. Although he had tried to attack sneakily while speaking, no matter how fast he was, he couldn't be faster than a lightning.
"Everyone will turn into grilled meat."
"Uh..."
"No, not me!"
"No matter if it's out of loyalty, surrender!"
"The problem isn't surrendering, but escaping fast, idiot!"
The players began to flee in a hurry.
Most of the Ranker players stayed in their places. After all, they were followers of Hera out of loyalty to her.
Instead, the threat of jeopardizing their lives was more effective against those seeking the glory of Olympus and the benefits that came with it.
There was no need to count to ten.
Players with physical abilities superior to ordinary people fled at a dazzling speed.
At about when he reached five.
YuWon was able to distinguish between those who were fleeing and those who were staying.
"Is there anyone else left?"
The players and five Rankers touched their chests in response to YuWon's question.
"We've devoted our lives to Hera!"
"Death doesn't scare us! If there's something to fear...!"
Kwaang!
The resulting sound was drowned out by a thunder.
It wasn't worth hearing more answers.
The rain of lightning falling from the sky swept away the players and Rankers who were still there.
"That's right, then."
Thump, thump.
YuWon walked through the charred Temple garden.
The spacious Temple of Hera fell silent. Those who had left in the midst of the turmoil were already gone, and the only thing left was YuWon.
And YuWon had something to do in this Temple.
Creeeaak.
He opened the heavy door and entered, searching for the last trace of a presence.
The ceiling as high as the sky, the temple walls adorned with beautiful designs of light clouds and red lines.
YuWon walked towards the back of the empty temple and looked at the chair that seemed to be Hera's seat.
As if Hera herself were a king. She adorned her own seat magnificently, like a jade throne.
And in YuWon's eyes, who was examining that empty seat, he saw a mark.
'She was here just a moment ago.'
A scratched mark on the armrest.
It was a mark that looked like a fingernail. But it wasn't Hera's.
It was a mark sharp like a beast's. Moreover, it didn't seem to have been there for very long.
''It wasn't an escape...''
Ssshh-.
In YuWon's eyes, the Golden Cinder Eyes activated.
"Will he disappear like this again?"
He was a guy who vanished every time things went wrong.
However, this time, the case was different.
"It can't be like this. Right?"
"Baah!"
From inside YuWon, Danpung came out, pushing his head out.
A confident voice.
The creature that had been very exhausted after the fight with Atlas looked even more energetic than before.
"It's a pleasure to work with you again, Radar."
"....?"
Danpung looked at YuWon as if asking what "Radar" was.
It was impossible to find Foolish Chaos who had disappeared using only the Golden Cinder Eyes.
But if there was something like Danpung, then it wasn't impossible.
"He must be hiding around here."
Tap-.
YuWon's steps headed towards the outside of the temple.
"Now..."
[The 'Predator' shows its fangs]
YuWon began to move according to the appetite of the Predator that had been hiding within him.
"I will find you."
---------------------------------
An unexpected number of people arrived at the Temple of Ares.
Thanks to Hera and the numerous players who followed her, who changed their course towards the Temple of Ares instead of heading to Olympus.
In the cramped Temple, they hurried to find rooms to accommodate them. Anyway, it was not common for so many people to be housed in such a chaotic temple without the presence of Ares.
"And Hera?"
"She is in her room, but..."
"But..."
"She is not in good condition."
Hera's followers who came to look for her had the same reaction.
Hera's state was disastrous.
"He... Hercules is coming... Hercules..."
For the past few days.
Since she received a message in the Sun Chariot, her state had been the same all the time.
A reaction filled with fear.
She was in no condition to meet anyone.
Those who were concerned returned, promising to come back later. Hera trembled in her room wrapped in red fabrics.
Hera's Salvation.
A highly valued item in this Tower for its defensive and healing abilities.
Hera's body trembled like a weeping willow with that item enveloping her.
"There's no solution..."
Hercules is coming.
He is aiming for her life.
But there was no way to stop him.
Hercules, after completing the Twelve Labors.
Surely, he would have become an even more monstrous creature than before.
Now she had no means or power to stop him. The event had already happened, and all the security devices she had were gone.
The bet with Hercules had ended. After playing with the Labors, the ending wouldn't be clean either.
Now, all that was left for Hera... was to await her judgment.
Thump.
And at that moment...
Kwaang.
The earth shook.
From outside the temple, a thunderous voice was heard.
"Heraaaa!!!"
Hercules.
After completing all the Labors, he finally came to find her.
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