The Hero Does Not Turn Away
Ares's warriors had departed, and three months slipped by. Days of peaceful training continued without incident.
"Why the hell is there no incident!"
Python suddenly barged into my reminiscence, tackling me head-on.
"You read minds too?"
"That's not the point. Ares's warriors are protesting right in front of the cave even now!"
"Heh…."
Ares's warriors had come charging back exactly one month after their defeat. Anguilliper, who had so absurdly fallen into the trap, was predictably furious beyond measure. Burning with the will to avenge their humiliation this time, it didn't take them long to realize there was a problem with my promise.
Without Hephaestus's lantern, they had no way to reach the rematch site. Enraged, Ares's warriors launched an indefinite struggle that very day.
At first, they just yelled, but as the protest dragged on, pickets appeared.
"Cowardly Python, Awaken Your Conscience!"
"Mountain Guardian Python, We Recommend Suicide!"
Holding pickets scrawled with such vulgar slogans, Ares's warriors bellowed at the top of their lungs without fail, day after day. They must have been seriously pissed.
I just tuned them out, picking my ears, but Python, who was taking all the abuse alone, was hopping mad.
"My honor! Hasn't my honor sunk into the earth?!"
"Hahaha, Lady Python. Think of it positively."
"Positively?"
"Has anyone ever shouted your name so fervently in your life? For you, with no friends, this must be a first. How could it not be beautiful?"
"Ugh……"
Python looked at me like I was rotten fish. Pity. I started as her lifesaver, but now I'm practically food waste.
"Setting that aside, it's noisy, isn't it? You dullard might not notice, but as mountain guardian, I hear every sound on the mountain crystal clear. It's been days on end—I can't stand it!"
"Still, you'll win in the end, Lady Python. There was a saying in my old world: One pair of listening ears tires out a hundred tongues. Just hold out, and Ares's warriors will give up on their own."
"My ears are about to fall off right now!"
Such trivial issues aside, the divine fusion was progressing successfully. Training in martial arts under the Cursed Hero was also making decent headway.
"Finally... you've shed your novice skin...."
"Thanks to your relentless training."
I should be grateful, but why did it grind my teeth instead?
"Dragging a talentless hack like you this far... is purely my doing. Be more grateful...."
"Grr…."
Unfair. The Cursed Hero was once the world's greatest hero. From his perspective, a mere mortal like me must look pathetic.
But come to think of it, he said I had a hero's talent. Shouldn't that mean I learn martial arts quickly?
When I pointed that out, the Cursed Hero seemed incredulous.
"Abandon that freeloading mindset.... Tricks work in battle, but... training demands... nothing but honesty...."
"Then what the hell is a hero's talent?"
The Cursed Hero explained that a hero's talent wasn't just potential to grow strong.
"That's no hero's talent. Innate martial gifts... abound. They're fine congenital boons, but... in a world where gods breathe... they're limited power.... You, facing gods later... think martial basics alone... will suffice?"
His tone carried the weight of experience.
"Doesn't seem likely."
"Precisely. A hero's talent... is a higher realm. In essence... 'tis fate."
"Fate?"
The Cursed Hero nodded.
"Aye. Fate. A force as potent as the 'karma' that led you here.... Predestined in the Great Akashic Records... a charted life path...."
"So it's set in stone? That I'll become a hero?"
"Exactly.... But beware complacency.... Fate can shift.... Gods' power may meddle... and derail your course. Though... not easily."
In other words, I was highly likely to ascend to hero status and become an absolute powerhouse. Born with such fate set me leagues above mere martial prodigies.
"Lucky me."
"Is it... truly lucky? A hero's talent... is misfortune too...."
"Why?"
To my question, the Cursed Hero fell silent for a long moment before replying in a voice like scraping iron, wretched and raw.
"All heroes end unhappy.... All heroes end wretched.... Since antiquity, not one... met a happy end. Even I, once called the world's greatest... fared the same. The records paint me a blissfully... fairy-tale hero.... But truth is harsher than imagined...."
"The gods did that?"
I didn't know the details, but I'd heard gods were why he ended up like this.
"Aye...."
I had no idea what the Cursed Hero endured in the past. He wouldn't answer if asked. But one thing was clear: that seething grudge drove him toward world-ending apocalypse.
"Training ends... here...."
"Ending early today?"
Normally, he'd drill me for two more hours. What wind blew this way?
"My teaching you... is done."
"What?"
"Your divine fusion with Python nears completion.... Perfect timing. You've the basics... from here, it's on you...."
Torturous as it was, he'd been immensely helpful. I felt a pang of regret.
"Thanks for everything."
"Gratitude is mine. You set all in motion.... You'll be the spark of the apocalypse."
"Happen again?"
"When time comes... we'll meet again, willy-nilly.... And the funeral mask I borrowed... is yours."
With those words, the Cursed Hero vanished into a crack in the earth. No proper farewell.
One month later. Ten months since I entered Python's cave, the divine fusion finally bore fruit.
"Peleus! Only the ritual remains."
Python, who'd suffered alongside me, had dark circles under her eyes.
The vast cave floor was covered in countless equations and magic circles. Just looking gave me a headache, but today it ended.
"You've worked hard, Lady Python."
"Hmph… If not for screwing Zeus, I'd never do this. No need to drag it out. Let's start the ritual. Peleus, you'll be reborn as a wholly new being."
Zeus's divinity fused with the Burning Nameless One's—both housed within me. A truly colossal power.
"Understood."
Preparations for the ritual were complete. Excitement outweighed fear. Vast knowledge from the Secret Book left no room for failure.
"Peleus, the ritual demands caution. Only then will Zeus fail to detect issues in his granted divinity."
"Got it. Begin whenever you're ready."
Python nodded and activated the divine fusion incantation. Clumsy and childlike in temperament, her skills were undeniable—no worries there.
Vwoooooom!
The pre-drawn magic circle activated, shaking the entire cave.
Fusing two disparate powers was no easy task. Zeus's was lightning-attuned; the Burning Nameless One's, flame-attuned. Elemental fusion wouldn't resolve in a day or two.
"Peleus, the ritual lasts a full week. Can you endure? You'll be half-dead by the end."
"I can. I must."
"Good. That resolve suffices."
The divinity fusion ritual began at last. As Python forewarned, it was anything but simple.
For the first two days, the two powers refused to merge, clashing like enraged bulls vying for dominance.
"Grraaah……"
I gritted my teeth against the agony. Potent divinities colliding within me—staying conscious was a feat.
"Peleus, no matter how harsh, stay focused to the end."
"…Understood."
With Python's aid, I held on. On the third day, change came. The bull-like brawling eased. They began tentative probes—clash, separate, repeat.
"Peleus, repulsion weakens. Proceed with fusion as planned."
Python, monitoring closely, judged the fourth day ripe and issued the command.
"Got it."
With stability achieved, I began merging the divinities into one.
Vwoooooom!
A low hum rose as they extended root-like tendrils, intertwining slowly. Sporadic repulsion occurred, but Python smoothed it expertly.
And on the morning of the seventh day—
Flash!
Brilliance beyond compare erupted, turning the dim cave stark white. The fused divinities unleashed immense mana.
I stood at its center, quietly absorbing the colossal power into myself.
The divine fusion succeeded.
"Hoo…."
A sigh escaped naturally. A hitherto unknown world unfolded before me.
Like ascending from a building's basement to the penthouse, surveying surroundings—the same place, same time, yet utterly transformed.
"We did it."
Those brief words sufficed. Python, uncharacteristically, grasped my hand in congratulations.
"Well done. Now even Zeus can't reclaim his divinity lightly."
"All thanks to you, Lady Python."
"Of course. Keep being grateful from here on."
Her quintessentially Python reply drew laughter. She cracked a rare smile too, blooming in shared mirth.
Then, in a wistful tone, Python asked:
"Heading down now?"
About two months remained on my bet with the First Scribe. I could absorb Heracles's Jewel here too, but I'd been away from Agamemnon too long. Wondering his state amid fierce royal power struggles nagged me.
Plan: descend, assess, then handle the jewel.
"Yes. Thanks for everything, Lady Python."
"……Understood."
Python looked forlorn. Bound as mountain guardian, friendless—she couldn't help but feel the parting. Knowing that, my own steps felt heavy.
So I made a promise.
"Lady Python."
"Hm?"
"When the Burning Nameless One awakens and apocalypse begins, can you leave the mountain?"
"Naturally."
"Then join me from then on? I need your wisdom."
Her gloomy face lit up radiantly.
"Fine! If you need me, I'll oblige. Hahaha. Calling me wise—you've got an eye, alright."
"A promise?"
"Aye. Promised."
We pinky-swore. Then I prepared to leave the cave. I'd packed anticipating success. Python had feigned ignorance, but surely foreseen the farewell.
"Lady Python, thank you. Be well."
"Hmph, no need for farewells. We'll meet at world's end."
Python turned away, refusing to watch me go. Heartstrings tugged, steps faltered—but not seeing her face now was true consideration.
I bowed slightly and exited the cave.
En route out, I pondered the path ahead. Many issues demanded resolution.
"Peleus."
"Hm?"
"You're nearly at the entrance. Ares's warriors camp outside—you know."
"Oh, right."
Trivial, I'd forgotten.
"Want to sneak out another passage?"
The Secret Book's suggestion was reasonable. But unnecessary.
Divine fusion complete, I was wholly transformed from months prior.
Crackle!
Raising my left hand, Zeus's lightning sparked white-hot.
Whoosh!
Right hand up, the Burning Nameless One's crimson-black flames flickered.
Both fully mine now. Body itching for action—perfect chance to test.
I donned the funeral mask gifted by the Cursed Hero and replied to the Secret Book.
"A hero doesn't turn his back."