The King of the Underworld is Tired

Chapter 137: The Argo Expedition – (4)

The heroes of the Argo were taken aback by this unexpected situation.

The Golden Fleece of Colchis was the city’s treasure. Naturally, they had prepared for fierce battles or clever schemes, but…

The city was on fire, and people were fleeing?

What would happen to the Golden Fleece in this chaos? No, wait. Shouldn’t they save these people as heroes?

Jason frowned, his face covered in soot, and grabbed the arm of a fleeing woman.

She, in her panic, looked at Jason and the other heroes behind him with a terrified expression.

“Eek…!”

“I mean no harm. We’ve just arrived in Colchis by ship. What in the world is going on?”

“Well… you need to run! There’s a monster… a monster…”

“A monster? We are heroes who slay monsters. Perhaps we could help…”

“The princess… the princess is over there! Let me go!”

“…The princess?”

Jason released the still-shaken woman and muttered her last words.

There’s a princess of Colchis over there, and she wants help?

“A monster… what kind of creature is it?”

“Let’s go to the place that the woman who just fled mentioned.”

“Right. We need answers, so let’s head over there…”

“Help! My dad is trapped under the house…”

“Jason, go on ahead!”

“You’d better catch up, Heracles!”

The heroes, preparing their weapons and ready to move, noticed those around them struggling. 

An old man was coughing, unable to escape his burning house, while children cried in front of a collapsed building.

Heracles and a few other heroes broke formation to help rescue people. Asclepius pulled herbs from the bag he always carried, while Orpheus set down his lyre and moved the injured.

Craack—!!!

“Aaah!”

“Help! Somebody help us!”

Black smoke and ashes filled the air; this could hardly be called the once-prosperous city of Colchis.

Horrible screams, the sound of something breaking, shouts of soldiers, and ghastly cries echoed from somewhere.

The heroes of the Argo hastened toward where the princess was said to be, hoping to find the source of the trouble.

And soon, they found the cause.

A monstrous creature, spewing flames, was crushing soldiers and trampling through entire armies with overwhelming force.

A body so enormous it could not be compared to any human. Crimson scales shining as beautifully as the treasures of Pluto. A fiery breath pouring from its mouth.

A dragon. A dragon!

The progenitor of Thebes.

The one who tricked Typhon and recovered Zeus’s tendons.

The first and greatest hero.

King Cadmus, who barely managed to kill the Ismenian dragon with all his might…

Was that what this creature looked like?

Whoosh!!!

“Argh!”

“Don’t retreat! The citizens of Colchis are behind us!”

“Raise your shields! Princess, now’s your chance!”

The dragon’s mouth opened, unleashing a fiery breath that threatened to consume everything in its path.

But then…

“Hah… Ha… Ένας τοίχος από νερό που τους περιβάλλει όλους!!!”

Surrounded by soldiers at the rear, a woman in resplendent attire spoke in an unknown tongue, and a massive stream of water shot up from the ground to block the flames.

Hisssss—!!

Where fire and water met, thick steam rose, obscuring the view, and the dragon’s fire stopped momentarily.

That was when Jason and the other heroes approached her.

“We’re heroes from all across Greece, here in Colchis! You seem to be a powerful sorceress; might you explain the situation…”

“How dare you! This is the princess of Colchis, Lady Medea!”

The woman, called Princess Medea of Colchis, quickly looked over the heroes.

For a moment, her pupils flashed with a hint of blue, and she spoke to the soldier who had stopped them.

“Wait! Bring them over here!”

Up close, the Princess of Colchis was a very beautiful woman with brown hair.

However, none of the heroes could harbor any ulterior thoughts toward her.

Craarrrr!

“Hold the line! If we fall… Ack!”

“Damn creature!”

“Watch out for its claws! They can pierce through steel armor like nothing!”

In a battlefield ruled by a mythical beast, no fool distracted by a woman could call himself a hero.

Princess Medea, her face filled with urgency, quickly spoke.

“You’re not from Colchis, are you? If you help us, I swear to Hecate we’ll repay you!”

“Of course, we’ll help! Nestor, you take command for now! I need to hear the princess’s explanation!”

“Meleager! Aim your spears at its eyes or mouth! Atalanta, you too!”

“Zetes, let’s take to the sky and hold it back!”

“Are there any other magic users here?!”

“Someone go get Heracles!”

While Nestor took temporary command from Jason and the heroes fought the dragon,

the captain of the Argonauts turned to Princess Medea with questions.

“Princess, the situation is urgent, but could you explain why this dragon is destroying the city? If this is some divine punishment or if something forbidden was disturbed…”

“That’s not it. That dragon is actually the guardian of the Golden Fleece, the sleepless dragon.”

The dragon that guards the Golden Fleece… a sleepless dragon?

But why was it now destroying the city?

“I’m not sure how, but the dragon devoured the Golden Fleece. When I checked with my magic, I confirmed it’s in its stomach.”

“No… How could that…”

“And it’s not in its right mind. It’s consumed by madness, destroying everything in its path.”

“Madness…? A dragon’s mental fortitude should far exceed that of a human…”

Flame flared again!

“…προστατεύω!”

“Hup!”

As they spoke… the dragon, blocked by the heroes, breathed fire once more…

A flash of light emanated from Princess Medea’s body, creating a translucent protective shield around the soldiers.

Though the princess looked utterly exhausted, her magic surpassed that of any sorcerer Jason had ever seen.

A power worthy of being called the greatest witch of Greece.

The reason that terrible monster hadn’t wiped out Colchis in an instant must have been thanks to her magic.

Once more, Medea used her magic to block the dragon’s attack, but she staggered.

Jason supported her as she clutched her head, seemingly dizzy from overusing her magic.

“I understand! We’ll help take down that dragon!”

* * *

Heracles arrived, having rescued those trapped in the rubble.

The first sight he saw was the dragon deflecting Atalanta’s arrows with its scales.

Fwiiing— Tiiing!

“No way! Its scales can’t be that hard!”

“Damn… how is it so strong?”

“We’re not even leaving a scratch! Damn it! Some kind of blessing?”

Each hero took turns attacking, but the red dragon was incredibly powerful.

The flames from its mouth were no less fierce than those of Hephaestus, and its massive body easily led soldiers to their deaths with even slight movements.

Meanwhile, the soldiers and civilians here were actually becoming a hindrance. Even when they could dodge an attack, they had to deflect it with their shields, and when they could deflect, they had to hold their ground, thinking of those behind them.

Meleager’s spear and Atalanta’s arrows flew fiercely, but the dragon just growled and looked around, as if searching for something.

“Jason! There were a lot of people buried in the rubble, so I’m a bit late! We just need to kill that dragon, right?!”

“Yes, Heracles! According to Her Highness, that thing devoured the Golden Fleece!”

Heracles gripped his iron club and looked at the dragon.

The vicious monster and the great hero’s eyes met.

Kraaaaa—

At that moment, the dragon stomped its foot with a fierce roar. The ground shook, and nearby buildings crumbled.

This wasn’t just a simple stomp. What kind of power…

With the dragon’s ensuing charge, heroes bounced off like rubber balls. Soldiers with shields were instantly torn to shreds, and blood sprayed through the air like sparks from a fire.

The barrier Medea had conjured shattered, and the princess collapsed, blood trickling from her nose.

“Ugh… such power, all of a sudden…”

“Raise your shields! We can’t let it get close to Her Highness!”

“Ampion! Erginus! Get back!”

“Damn it… Boutes is down! Was it holding back its strength…?!”

The dragon’s terrifying red eyes focused on them, its claws slashing toward them.

Clang!

Heracles’s iron club clashed with the dragon’s claws, sending fierce sparks flying. Finally, Heracles got a close look at the dragon’s eyes.

A crimson gaze full of hatred, a feeling of frenzy rather than heat.

‘Is it targeting me?’

Whoosh— Clang!

Once more, Heracles deflected the dragon’s claws with his iron club.

A heavy sensation traveled through his hands and across his body. Any other hero would have been split apart in an instant.

This relentless dragon was ignoring everything else, determined to kill him.

Not even Medea’s magic, nor the spears and swords thrown by the other heroes, could distract it.

How could this be? It was powerful, but still just a beast.

Clang-clang-clang! Whoosh—

Once again, Heracles blocked the dragon’s claws and rolled to avoid the flames, feeling a sense of déjà vu.

Unlike the Hydra or the Nemean Lion, this creature felt comparable to his battles against gods like Triton or the goddess Megaera.

Though he didn’t know the full strength of Drakon Ismenios, the son of the war god, he felt sure it wasn’t stronger than this red dragon.

After all, he had already surpassed King Cadmus.

Thud!

“What… What! He’s holding it back!”

“…Who is that man?”

The great hero could feel the gazes of those around him.

Admiration for the man single-handedly, face-to-face, withstanding the dragon’s attacks that had burned the city.

Relief. Expectation. Hope. Desperation. And faith.

In the slow flow of time, words echoed in Heracles’s mind.

“…Simply having such thoughts alone, no matter how many great deeds one accomplishes… will never make one a god.”

“You, on the other hand, seem to need to mingle with humans.”

“Then, to become a god, wouldn’t something different be necessary than what I’ve said so far?”

There was a soldier staring blankly at him, fighting the dragon. A princess of Colchis chanting a spell with a gleaming look in her eyes.

Heroes who had once looked at him with envy or awe now cried out to him in desperation. Refugees who had been fleeing pointed at him with astonishment…

Back when he was rescuing people from the rubble, what had they said to him?

They had clasped their hands together and said…

Thank you, my lord.

Humans seek gods. Gods fulfill their wishes.

Each time he heard their earnest prayers, he felt something strange.

* * *

Immediately after the dragon, which had yet to unleash its full power, charged forward, the front line completely collapsed.

Jason, who had been knocked to the ground by the clash between the dragon and the great hero, prepared himself for death.

No one could interfere in that clash, and the aftermath alone created a whirlwind as if a tremendous storm was raging.

Then, a voice reached Jason's ears.

"Jason."

"Heracles, is that your voice? How can I hear you from there…"

"You might think it's nonsense, but would you… pray to me?"

The calm voice, as if he were chatting casually, caught him off guard.

Pray? He always used to say that his goal was to become a god. Honestly, is he now imagining himself as a god?

"...Of course!"

But Jason willingly responded to Heracles’ request.

Was it an instinct of an ambitious man aiming for the throne? Or perhaps faith in his friend?

His hands came together, and his earnest wish traveled through his prayer.

Humans seek the gods. The gods grant their wishes.