December Double Drop!
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Suren entered the infernal realm of Tartarus.He had a favorable relationship with the Underworld's ruling couple, so gaining access to the Queen's garden and persuading Persephone to open the gates of Hell posed no challenge.
Curiously, the entrance to Tartarus lay directly beneath the palace of the King and Queen of the Underworld, accessible through the garden.
The moment Suren stepped foot in Tartarus, he immediately sensed the differences here.
"Even the Sacred Flame dares to flicker?" Suren observed the flames in his hand. The faint and erratic light, along with the nearly imperceptible presence of Olympus' Holy Flame, hinted at the dangers lurking within this place.
The Age of Gods, as its name implies, was an era teeming with divine beings.
Before the arrival of the White Titan Sefar on Earth, every corner of ancient Earth was ruled by various pantheons, with humans living under the gods' protection.
And the defining trait of this age was that heaven and earth alike were under the rule of divine powers, where what future humans would call "magic" was attainable by all gods of this era.
This was the first time Suren felt he could not sense a god's divine power or the grasp of Olympus, which could only mean…
"This place poses a threat to Greece. A threat to the gods themselves."
Suren murmured to himself, "Could it be the Gigantes? A fragment of the White Titan…"
If the twelve principal gods had retained their divine forms, the power of the Mechanized Gods would have wiped out all the Gigantes. However, since reincarnating into flesh, the twelve Olympian gods no longer possessed such strength.
Suren pursed his lips, his mind racing with fragments of past experiences and his gathered knowledge, piecing together unsettling possibilities.
"Zeus, is this what you wanted me to see?"
Suren pressed forward. Tartarus was meant to imprison countless evildoers and monstrous creatures, yet no living thing could thrive here.
For Tartarus held beings far more terrifying—monsters that could rival the twelve Olympians themselves, creatures that would devour any life within reach, the giants known as Gigantes.
These creatures, lacking any real intelligence, were accustomed to the occasional offerings thrown in from the Underworld. And now they had noticed Suren's presence.
In this place, the gods' powers were suppressed nearly to nothing. Neither Hestia's ever-burning flame, Apollo's invincible light, nor the blessings of Artemis, Hera, Poseidon, or Zeus had any effect here.
"But! If divine powers are ineffective here, does that not mean the monsters' powers are also weakened to the same degree?"
Stripped of nearly all divine blessings and powers, Suren remained calm.
He was no longer the inexperienced youth he once was.
If divine blessings were useless here, he would rely on his well-honed strength and skill to defeat his enemies. As long as his heart continued to beat, as long as he could draw his bow or raise his fists, who was to say he wouldn't stand a chance against the Gigantes?
He drew his Golden Supreme Heaven, pulling the immense bowstring taut with his formidable strength, channeling light until it coalesced into a massive arrow of radiance.
"Without Apollo's blessing, gathering light for my arrows is so much slower. I'll need to adjust my tactics."
Suren realized this immediately.
Back in Greece, he could shoot without pause, thanks to Apollo's blessing, which empowered his arrows with light. Now, however, Apollo's light was devoured by this hellish realm, leaving Suren to rely solely on his own power and brilliance.
The first giant appeared, reaching out with an enormous hand to grab Suren, seemingly intent on swallowing him whole.
Just as Suren was about to release his arrow, a poised, graceful voice reached his ears, "Mighty hero, please hold your hand."
"The Gigantes cannot be killed so casually. Not like this."
Suren's body reacted faster than his mind, grabbing the speeding arrow mid-flight. He didn't bother to question whether the abrupt voice was correct; instinct alone drove him to halt his attack.
In the face of life and death, rashness was foolish.
Having faced countless adventures, Suren knew the importance of allies and information. He was always open to good counsel. Though he didn't know who this voice belonged to, in this godforsaken place, they were likely an ally.
And if his judgment was wrong, he could always shoot again.
"Golden King, do not resist my magic. I shall transport you to me."
The next moment, a powerful pull enveloped Suren, and he allowed the spell to take hold. The Gigantes, unaware of the narrow escape, stared blankly at the empty space, emitting a meaningless roar before lumbering away.
As Suren regained his bearings, he found himself on a small island, which hosted only a modest wooden cabin. In front of the cabin stood an elegant, beautiful woman.
He looked at her, asking, "And you are?"
"Golden King, sovereign of humans and gods alike," she said respectfully, "I am Hecate, goddess of the dark moon. I am, at least in some sense, the overseer of Tartarus."
"My respects, Lady Hecate." Suren inclined his head politely, but quickly added, "But why did you stop me?"
"It wasn't an order, merely advice, and I am glad you chose to heed it."
Hecate breathed a sigh of relief, explaining, "The Gigantes were once terrible creatures who waged war against the gods. Though the Titan was slain by a holy swordsman from another world, fragments of it remained and took the form of these beings."
"If you had killed that Gigantes, it would have caused the others to grow stronger, making them immune to that manner of death. The last Gigantes standing would then reawaken the White Titan that once swept through the Age of Gods, armed with immunity to countless powers and fighting techniques."
"Just that?" Suren frowned. "It sounds troublesome, but hardly insurmountable for the gods."
With Zeus' power, he could annihilate all the Gigantes in an instant.
And even if the problem were like a riddle, where no one could slay two Gigantes alone, why not contain the Gigantes and have enough gods kill them simultaneously?
The gods had managed to imprison the Gigantes here in Tartarus; surely they could handle the situation.
"I, too, wonder about that." Hecate hesitated, before continuing, "But this is the will of Zeus, King of the Gods. He is the wisest of us all, and it was he who forbade the gods from slaying the Gigantes after the Giant War."
"Zeus subdued every Gigantes, and it was to imprison them that Tartarus was built."
After the holy swordsman had slain the White Titan, its fragments scattered across Earth, its head falling in the Eastern Asian steppes, becoming the famed Mount Langjuxu.
This is why myths of battles with giants exist in various cultures worldwide.
Greece, however, was the site where the Titan's fragments were most concentrated, making its giants particularly formidable.
"King Suren, tell me—how strong would you say these Gigantes are?"
Hecate suddenly asked, "How much strength do you believe is required to kill them?"
"Somewhat weaker than Heracles, but only slightly," Suren pondered briefly before replying, "Any single one of them could lay waste to all of Greece."
"As for me… just now, I used less than half my strength. I could kill one, sure, but based on what you've said, I wouldn't be able to handle many more."
"Humans are different," Hecate clarified. "If you kill the Gigantes without using divine power, their unique trait will not trigger, and you can continue."
"I stopped you because you were using Golden Supreme Heaven, a weapon forged by the god of fire, Hephaestus."
"There's a loophole?" Suren set aside the Golden Supreme Heaven and said, "Let's not waste time. Send me back—I'll test your theory."
The best way to verify her hypothesis was to try it firsthand.
"You trust me that much?" Hecate seemed surprised. "Aren't you afraid I might deceive you, or that I might be mistaken myself?"
"No one deceives me, Suren." Suren shrugged. "And as for whether you're right, well, I'll find out soon enough."
Someone had to be the first to test the gods' theories, after all.
The bearer of a nation's disgrace is its true ruler.
Since Suren now ruled as Greece's Emperor, his will extended over every inch of Greek land and every soul within it.
Thus, it was his duty to stand at the forefront, to bear his nation's disasters, and to protect all his people.
Power and responsibility were meant to be united, just as in the twelve golden covenants he forged with the gods: humans honor the gods, and the gods cherish humanity.
Now, the time had come!
Unable to argue further, Hecate sighed, "Worthy of your title, Golden King, Suren. You are the greatest hero I have ever known."
"It doesn't matter how great—let's get to work!"
Hecate's mastery of magic was indeed formidable. As goddess of magic, the dark moon, and guardian of Tartarus, Hecate held a divine power that even Zeus respected. It was possible that she had once been a god-queen, weary of the endless wars in the Mediterranean, who had come to Greece seeking Zeus' protection.
With her triadic aspect, Hecate held a triple-goddess status, a divine title that often belonged only to goddesses who ruled over the sky, earth, and underworld.
In all of Greece, only Hera, who shared equal authority with Zeus, was known as a triple goddess.
But now was not the time to explore Hecate's divinity. The moon goddess swung her staff, sending Suren back into Tartarus, where he released his mighty aura, proclaiming his presence to the entire underworld.
Suren's spirit and strength were so formidable they could affect reality. This declaration was like a slap across the faces of all the Gigantes.
A highly effective means of provocation, it soon attracted the first Gigantes.
"Divine power and blessings are off-limits…" Suren mused, "It seems I'll have to rely on Pankration to defeat it."
Pankration, or "the complete force," was ancient Greece's ultimate combat technique. The teacher of heroes, Chiron, was a master of this art, and nearly all his disciples had learned it from him.
Since each disciple had unique talents and abilities, everyone's use of Pankration was different.
For example, Heracles practiced a brute-force style. His skill with Pankration was not refined, but it was terrifying enough to make others wary of taking a direct hit.
Suren's style of Pankration was adaptability, an ever-changing form. His techniques and strength shifted based on the situation, shaped by his rich combat experience. His moves were unpredictable, often even to himself.
But it was powerful because when Suren entered battle mode, he put aside all distractions, devoting his entire focus and calculation power to the fight. This enhanced the fluidity of his changes, making them nearly impossible to predict.
Given the vast difference in size, Suren focused his attacks on the lower body. However, he soon found a way around this limitation by folding the Gigantes in half and swiftly rupturing the kidneys, stomach, lungs, and heart.
If Gigantes even had such organs.
As it turned out, they did.
Just as Attila resembled a human in appearance, the Gigantes too, aside from their size, bore a striking resemblance to humankind.
Who knew what kind of being Sefar had been, for its fragments to take this form?
But unfortunately, damaging internal organs wouldn't kill a Gigantes. Suren sighed and, once it was incapacitated, did as Heracles would—strangling it to death with his bare hands.
"This method really is the most effective."
He shook off the soreness in his arm, then looked over at the second Gigantes. "Now's the time to see if the theory holds."
Suren threw a punch, and while this Gigantes had indeed grown stronger, it hadn't become immune to his fists. It was a bit more effort, but he brought it down without much trouble.
Maybe, if they didn't grow too strong to handle, he could defeat all the Gigantes before they reached that limit.
Satisfied with the results, he called out, "Hecate, bring me back."
In the next instant, he found himself back on the small island.
Just as expected, Hecate had been watching closely.
Lost in thought, Suren's mind swirled with ideas and questions.
Seeing his return, Hecate asked with some surprise, "King Suren, you still had the strength to continue—why did you stop?"
"I was only here to test your theory." He picked up the Golden Supreme Heaven he had left on the ground, adding, "Besides, I can't explain it, but something tells me that if I keep killing Gigantes like this, something terrible will happen."
"Zeus must know more than he's letting on. There are too many unanswered questions."
Suren trusted his instincts, and when his intuition warned him, he would listen.
And besides, Zeus had clearly hidden many things. There was a growing sense that Zeus knew much that even the other gods didn't.
"I need to visit Mount Olympus. I think it's time I had a real conversation with this King of Olympus."
Suren's gaze turned distant as new thoughts crossed his mind.
Since Suren's rise to power, Zeus, the King of the Olympian Gods, had remained almost entirely hands-off. He had yielded Greece to Suren without protest, allowing him to push forward one vision after another, indulging every wish.
But this didn't align with Zeus' character—why had he relinquished his hold so easily?
At the summit of Mount Olympus, Zeus sat alone on the throne of the gods, his expression serene and tranquil. His eyes, typically charged with the ferocity of lightning, were unusually calm.
This was the first time Suren had ever seen Zeus so composed, unlike the usual mighty Father of Thunder.
"Zeus, I need an explanation."
Suren spoke firmly, "What exactly do you know? Why haven't you told me?"
"Told you?"
Zeus chuckled, his voice resonant like thunder, "I am Father Zeus, and all are my children, both humans and gods. As 'Father,' I grant you a dream, Suren—a dream so sweet that you may weep upon waking. But in this fleeting golden dream, you too will find joy."
"Tell me, why should I share with you those painful truths?"
"Though our power fades, it would still be no trouble to lull you into a peaceful, beautiful sleep until your life's end."
"But I want the truth! I want to do something meaningful for this age, not merely…"
Suren paused, then spoke with a heavy realization. "So...the Age of Gods is truly ending?"
"Indeed."
Seeing there was no hiding it from Suren, Zeus spoke plainly, "The end of the Age of Gods is inevitable."
"If you slay every Gigantes, the end will come even faster."
This had been destined ever since the White Titan Sefar descended upon Earth.
Before Sefar, Earth had been divided into isolated ages ruled by different pantheons. Humans, once called 'golden humanity,' lived without fear of aging, in an era all mythologies referred to as the Golden Age.
As recorded in the Huangdi Neijing: The ancients lived for a hundred years, moving without signs of age.
In the beginning, humanity—protohumans, the earliest ancestors—lived in a beautiful time.
In that age, the Age of Gods seemed as though it might truly last forever.
Then came Sefar, the cosmic predator and celestial marauder with its unique force that preyed upon civilizations. The more advanced a civilization, the stronger its vulnerability. Sefar's arrival dealt Earth's divine age a catastrophic blow.
Since then, the Age of Gods began to recede, as the once boundless magical energies and ether of the Age of Gods dwindled away, fading inexorably.
And not only that; it was also an adaptation of the environment. Aside from the Olympian Mechanized Gods, all other deities were manifestations of the planetary consciousness, Gaia's restrictive force.
In Gaia's fear of the foreign White Titan, it desired to end the Age of Gods, making the divine era's demise inevitable, irrespective of individual wills.
Only another restrictive force could oppose Gaia's, and in this era, the human collective consciousness, Alaya, had not yet grown strong enough to resist Gaia's will.
The fall of the Age of Gods would mark the rise of humankind's era—a shift aligned with Alaya's interests, one it welcomed.
And so, the Gigantes served as the final anchor, the last markers of the Age of Gods. If they were all eradicated, the dual forces of Gaia and Alaya would hasten the divine age's demise.
First, the gods would cease their influence over humanity, leaving demigods and heroes to rule the world.
Then, as the blood of the gods grew thin and fewer divine oracles reached the ears of priests, and fewer miracles appeared.
Until the last, a Divine Son would ascend, returning all remnants of the gods to the heavens, fully ushering in the Age of Man.
This period might stretch for a thousand years, but as soon as the gods ceased interference with humanity, the Age of Gods would have effectively ended.
"But Suren, even though the Age of Gods will end, the era you've created won't fade away."
A smile spread across Zeus' face. "All will remember that there was once a golden age, ruled by a man who was the Golden King, the King of Kings, the God of Gods, a man who stood as the champion of both humanity and the gods—Greece's greatest hero!"
"That's not what I want…"
Suren murmured to himself, but then his gaze turned resolute. "What I want is for the world of the Age of Gods to remain, even in the Age of Man."
"I want to unite them both. I want a world where everyone can share in joy and beauty."
"That cannot be achieved, Suren," Zeus chuckled softly. "Instead, why not savor these final days? If there's a goddess you admire, I can arrange a marriage for you."
"When you have the chance to make choices, Suren, don't leave yourself with any regrets."
"..."
With a determined look in his eyes, Suren replied, "Yes. No regrets."
"Zeus, even if it is hopeless, I still want to try."
"Ah...so stubborn, you child of man!" Zeus shook his head. "I knew you'd say that, which is why I kept this from you for so long."
"You're not one to accept fate peacefully, even in the face of despair. While gods may abandon hope, you retain your unyielding will."
"But tell me, child of man—if, after a lifetime of struggle, you finally realize that everything you fought for hasn't made this world better, but instead drove it closer to ruin, plunging it deeper into darkness…"
"Would you feel regret? Would you weep?"
"Zeus, I am willing to bear it."
As if answering for the thousandth time, Suren's expression was unwavering, unrelenting. He knew this path would be hard, perhaps even impossible to follow. It might lead to nothing, leaving him with no choice but to helplessly accept the end of the Age of Gods.
He knew that if he took Zeus' advice, he could marry any goddess he desired—Athena, Hestia, Artemis, or any other unattached deity. With Zeus' endorsement and his own appeal, it was unlikely any would refuse him.
And yet, Suren still wanted to try—to see if he could preserve the divine era in his heart, a prosperous Golden Age of peace and order.
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Thanks for reading! Let me know if you spot any mistakes or inconsistencies!
Posture and water check! Remember this is a fan translation!
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