Chapter 350
C350
"Stop!"
"There's only one opponent!"
"Attack together! The rest, prepare in the rear."
There was only one opponent.
But a weak and meek flock of sheep had no words for a hungry dinosaur.
The stature of the dinosaur before them was too large to overcome fear with numbers alone.
Kwaang!
When Hercules swung his club, the Rankers rushing towards him scattered.
Then, the long-range skills in position launched their attacks on Hercules' head. Flames and massive pressure struck him from above.
Kugugung!
The ground sank deeply as they fell.
As they looked at Hercules enveloped in flames within the depression, the Players cheered.
"We did it!"
"He charged without thinking, but now he's in a sorry state...!"
"Idiots! Don't you know who the opponent is?"
A cry was heard at that moment.
"The opponent is Hercules, Hercules! The monster that slaughtered millions of Giants!"
Thump.
The sound of heavy footsteps seemed to come from the sunken hole, as if they were those of a Giant.
"So, all that nonsense about having defeated him..."
Thump.
The Ranker who was speaking felt a sensation of falling under his feet for a moment.
Even for a brief instant, he thought, "It can't be."
Thump!
Once again, the vibrations from below the ground resonated.
Kugwaggwaggwagg!
The ground sank deeply, and numerous Rankers and Players fell within it.
"The ground is sinking!"
"Aaaaah!"
"Save me! P-Please...!"
"Those with flight abilities, quickly!"
The battlefield turned into chaos in the blink of an eye.
Hercules jumped from the ground upwards.
There were Rankers with flight abilities trying to save the falling Players and those striving to rescue them.
Hercules looked down on them and muttered.
"Stay there for now."
Thump.
Hercules' footsteps headed towards the Temple where Hera was hiding.
Inside the Temple, everything was empty.
Except for a few Rankers guarding Hera, everyone else had gone out to stop Hercules.
Creak.
Hercules headed to the door of the most secluded room among all the chambers.
A small room that didn't fit the beauty and opulence that had been Hera's hallmark throughout her life.
However, it was the right answer.
"...You've come."
The interior of the room was covered in red fabrics.
Hera was waiting there, looking at Hercules.
Perhaps it was to not show any despicable appearance. Though Hera's voice trembled, she made an effort not to show it both in her words and actions.
"Why did you do it?"
Thump.
Hercules stepped into the room.
And at that moment...
["Hera's Salvation" is binding you.]
Charrararak.
Chaa.
Thousands, tens of thousands of red threads flew and enveloped Hercules' body.
Only for a moment.
Chwiiik.
Nothing could resist the power known as Hera's Salvation, but it was severed the moment it encountered Hercules' strength.
"You should have kept your promise."
Thump.
Hercules stepped into the room.
And at that moment...
["If you complete all the Labors, I will give up everything."]
Thump.
"Don't come. Don't come!"
Hera added power to the red threads.
Fabrics stronger than steel and tougher than spider webs clung to Hercules' body. In a room where no giant monster could move, Hercules moved as usual.
Chiiik.
"But, why did you do it?"
It was a phrase that implied many things.
The death of Hades.
The reclaiming of the throne.
And the manipulation of the Labors.
The Labors that Hercules had undertaken were not a fair bet at all.
"If you hadn't done this, it wouldn't matter what you did."
He tried to endure.
He tried to avoid bloodshed. To end this fight as peacefully as possible.
That's why, from the beginning, Hercules had maintained his neutrality in the fight between Hades and Hera.
The moment he intervened, this fight could have become unmanageable.
"If you had taken the throne in a just manner, I wouldn't have cared, as I didn't care who the King was."
Before fulfilling the Labors.
Hera had sought him out.
Hera: "Won't you make a bet with me?"
A bet.
Hercules, who was chopping wood in a quiet forest, heard her words.
Perhaps it was because he thought there was something he could do.
Hera: "Complete the Labors."
Hercules: "You mean the twelve Labors."
Hera: "Yes. If you surpass them all, I won't cause any more trouble."
Hercules didn't hesitate much.
Hercules dropped the axe he held and immediately started the twelve Labors.
Then the neutral Hercules began to move.
"You said it yourself. If you truly desire peace, complete the Labors."
Zhiyin-.
The red fabric was torn apart.
The distance became immeasurably closer.
"I was wrong."
Hercules realized that sometimes it was necessary to shed blood for peace.
If it wasn't for YuWon, it wouldn't have been strange for the Gigantomachy to have started again.
And Hera seized that weak point of Hercules.
"Even if you wouldn't have tried to provoke another Gigantomachy, you probably would have stopped everything here following the outcome of our bet..."
Hercules couldn't allow the Giants to be brought.
Hera, also knowing Hercules' weakness, tried to eliminate him through the Twelve Labors.
"Nevertheless, I've learned something. Sometimes, violence is necessary."
"And-I..."
"If you endure three times, that will be enough."
Buuum.
Crack!
Hercules' club splashed blood.
"Who looks like a fool now?"
---------------------------
In a fertile and sunny land, people were always busy.
Floor 77, where Hera's temple was located, was one of those worlds.
A bustling city where millions of people lived.
YuWon leaped over the rooftops of the buildings that composed the city.
Paat.
He quickly slid his feet up to the next rooftop.
Underneath the roofs, many people rushed by. The landscape passed rapidly before his eyes, and YuWon ran with all his might toward a specific place.
How long had he pursued?
Woong.
The Player Kit on his chest beeped. Usually, he would have ignored the message, but it was the call he was waiting for.
Without stopping, YuWon took out the Player Kit from his chest and checked the message.
[Hercules: Hera has been eliminated]
Hercules finished before him.
"Well, it's not that difficult to catch the Cerberus King."
Although one arm was injured, the Cerberus King wasn't a monster that got along well with Hercules for a long time.
Furthermore, Hades had revealed the location of the Cerberus King to him. Thanks to that, Hercules was able to quickly finish the Labor and moved on to find Hera.
There are two things Hercules gained through this Labor.
"Maybe I can change my impatient temperament."
The first was Hercules' personality.
The difference between what's right and what's foolish was just one step. Up until now, Hercules had been excessively timid, except when fighting against the Giants.
But anyway, Hercules made a decision through these Labors. He learned the helplessness of strength in his struggle with Atlas and the determination in his bet with Hera.
All of that was a necessary stimulus for Hercules.
And then...
"Hercules understood the Myth earlier than expected."
Myth (神話).
One of the many conditions to break through the ceiling and become a God.
By completing the Twelve Labors, Hercules fulfilled one of those conditions. His growth would probably be much faster than when he obtained the Yggdrasil Club.
"You must grow more than you are now."
Hercules.
A mighty High-Ranker who was mentioned as a candidate to return to the past along with YuWon and Son OhGong.
His growth was one of the tasks that YuWon had to resolve upon returning to the past.
It wasn't intentional, but he still solved one of those tasks in the scenario set by Foolish Chaos.
Now, only one thing remained.
Pot.
It was to deliver a direct blow to Foolish Chaos.
Tak.
YuWon, running across the rooftops, descended suddenly.
The crowd filling the streets glanced at him but soon lost interest.
For the Floor 77 Players, flying through the sky was as easy as taking a step.
There was nothing surprising about it.
Step, step...
Yuwon's steps were much slower than before.
Among the crowd filling the streets, there was one person whose eyes gleamed particularly in YuWon's eyes.
-Are you still pursuing me?
In the midst of the crowd, a figure in a dark cloak stood out.
YuWon approached that person step by step and opened his mouth.
Tak. Yeon. Hi. (?. ?. ?/Absolutely)
Foolish Chaos no longer distanced himself from YuWon.
Even if he tried to get away, YuWon wouldn't let him. Leaving the Temple of Hera late was a mistake.
But he still had confidence in something.
-If we fight here, many people will die.
There was a reason why Foolish Chaos stopped in the middle of this street.
-Are you still willing? Apostle of Justice.
That was because Foolish Chaos knew YuWon well.
YuWon was fighting for this Tower. Although he hadn't understood why, it was clear what YuWon's goal was.
Therefore, Foolish Chaos was sure that YuWon wouldn't sacrifice innocent residents.
But...
"Do you really want to fight here?"
YuWon's reaction was a bit different from what he expected.
YuWon turned his head and looked around.
It was still early.
Like a densely populated city, many people were walking on the streets.
If they fought here, the residents would be involved.
"Even if we involve the residents, the administrators might intervene."
Step.
YuWon approached Foolish Chaos without hesitation.
"But I don't care if that happens."
Foolish Chaos tried to use the residents as hostages to escape, but that only put his life in danger.
The Administrators.
The true rulers of this Tower, whom beings from outside the Tower feared the most.
Usually, they didn't intervene in the fights of Rankers or high-level players, but it was different when it came to defenseless residents.
If a Ranker or a high-level Player attacked the residents of a floor they governed, the Administrators would take disciplinary actions.
That was even truer if it was an outsider to the Tower who wasn't even a Ranker.
"You will be the one to lose the most."
Foolish Chaos was conflicted.
Yuwon was certain of the decision Foolish Chaos would make.
"Calling the Administrators is a premature decision for him."
Surrounded on All Sides. (四面楚歌).
It was a phrase that perfectly fit the situation Foolish Chaos found himself in.
Although at first Foolish Chaos might have done as he pleased, he didn't have full control until the end. The choice to end the fight or not was in YuWon's hands.
YuWon intended to continue the fight.
"Come on."
Step~
Yuwon's steps stopped right in front of Foolish Chaos.
And at that moment...
[The 'Predator' has found its prey]
The jaws of the Predator within YuWon twisted toward Foolish Chaos.
"What will you do?"
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