The Rainbow God's Fury and the North Wind's Awakening
That question left everyone around us speechless. From the god Iris radiated the majesty of a hegemon, his aura pouring out like blinding light in all directions. Overwhelmed by the presence of an absolute being, several heroes unwittingly shifted into awkward, half-crouched stances.
But why... create this atmosphere just to ask something so bizarre? I couldn't fathom this guy's thought process at all. With that domineering vibe, shouldn't he be asking who was stronger than him? Instead, with all the arrogance in the world, he asks who's the most beautiful... Even the seasoned heroes looked utterly lost on how to respond.
"Hahaha, beauty so exquisite it shakes the minds of all who behold it. Your silence is no rudeness—this body shall forgive it. HAHAHAHA!"
The white stag laughed merrily before emitting a burst of light and shifting forms. From within emerged a tall, muscular, long-haired pretty boy, brimming with confidence. Completely naked.
"Mortals, this body is Iris, god of the rainbow."
"Lord Iris."
I was the first to drop to one knee in worship. The others followed suit one by one. Even Sparta's king, Tyndareus, was no exception. The old king, who had instantly sensed Iris was no ordinary being, wore a face full of terror. But there was one who alone refused to kneel.
"I-Iris?"
It was Crete's king, Idomeneus. His finger trembled as he pointed accusingly.
"Unbelievable! Why would the rainbow god Iris be here?!"
Still in denial, huh. Having a high-ranking god like Iris prove himself personally would be unseemly. So I stepped forward.
"You insolent cur! How dare you point at his lordship?!"
I bellowed. Ah, gotta say, that line hits different. You always hear the king's lackey in those historical dramas yelling "How dare you?!" Been dying to try it myself.
"Do you even know whose presence you're defiling with that finger? I'll snap it off right now!"
"W-what? What?!"
Idomeneus was too flustered to respond properly. Meanwhile, with Iris at my back, I was riding high, full of swagger. Might as well flex on everyone while I'm at it.
"If any of you harbor even a shred of doubt, know it's a grave insult to the god. And anyone with irreverent thoughts in their hearts—Peleus will punish them without mercy!"
But when Great Ajax twitched like he might move, I quickly ducked behind Iris's ass. Turns out the big guy just had a cramp and shifted his stance before bowing to the god. Whew, scared me there. Don't toy with a guy like that... tch!
"Idomeneus! Know your place and bow your head already!"
Normally, I couldn't talk smack to Crete's king like this. But with Iris's halo backing me, I kept hurling insults. Think being king makes you hot shit? Take a look at who's behind me, punk.
"What, you got a splint on your neck or something? How else you so stiff?!"
"Grrgh!"
Idomeneus's lips quivered with humiliation, but with Iris loftily overlooking everyone, he was powerless. Still, the stubborn bastard wouldn't kneel despite pleas from those around him. I was about to kick his legs out from under him when Iris intervened.
"Enough, boy. Leave the rest to me."
Iris stepped forward.
"Hear me, all of you. This body is indeed Iris, son of Thaumas and Electra, messenger of the gods."
His tone had shifted—solemn and dignified now. No one would doubt he was a god.
"Yet how have you treated the rainbow god? Bound like a post, ogled like some lowly beast—your mortal hubris knows no bounds."
Everyone paled. Even those who'd just laughed and joked had committed a grave sin against a god.
"Forgive us!"
"Lord Iris, have mercy!"
Faces hit the dirt all around, but Iris ignored them and pressed on.
"Among all the insults this body has endured, the worst came from that king of Crete. Daring to bind a god with ropes and score his flesh with arrowheads—the depth of his sin is immeasurable. But one thing must be addressed: who provided the stage for this Cretan king's atrocities?"
Iris fixed a piercing gaze on King Tyndareus. The old king jolted in shock, half-rising as he waved his hands frantically.
"N-no, no! Not me, Lord! H-heck!"
He toppled backward, then scrambled away on all fours like a man possessed by fear. The dignified ruler of Sparta was gone.
"Behold this greedy king. He knew no bounds, coveted a god's beast, and used you all as pawns. If you are heroes hailed on earth, you should have the wits to avoid becoming tools for such a man. Yet you trusted a king's word and hunted a divine beast?"
Iris's stern reprimand continued. By the time the hunt was in full swing, they'd probably realized the beast in the deep woods was divine. But blinded by thoughts of winning Helen, they'd ignored it.
"King of Sparta, you turned heroes into hunting dogs for your schemes. That is theft from the gods' possessions."
"No, mercy! No!"
"As a king yourself, you know: the gods of Olympus never forgive mortal challenges."
"Aaaah! Nooo!"
Iris's playful lightness had made me forget—he was an Olympian god. Capable of cold ruthlessness toward humans when needed. Tyndareus realized it too late and wailed in terror.
But one king responded entirely differently.
"I won't accept this! Think being a god makes you untouchable?!"
Crete's king, Idomeneus. Where one wails before judgment, another thrashes to the end. This brutal tyrant was the latter. I had to respect the guts, even as I clicked my tongue.
"Idomeneus, snap out of it. What do you think you're doing before a god? Better to beg for mercy."
"Shut up, Peleus! I won't forgive you either!"
Idomeneus suddenly pulled something from his robes and began murmuring an incantation under his breath. Black smoke oozed from his body, spreading a foul, sinister aura.
"Idomeneus! You fool!"
My shout carried genuine pity. The idiot didn't grasp how terrifying gods truly were. Compared to humans, they dwelt in realms beyond. United, they could bring apocalypse, wiping civilizations overnight. The golden, silver, and bronze races had vanished that way. And now he chooses direct confrontation?
"Blasting winds, chilling blasts. Winds that flay flesh beneath winter moonlight. Rage here and guide your king's path."
But Idomeneus's spell was no ordinary trump card. It felt like something cataclysmic was brewing. Overwhelming power poured from him, and nearby heroes vomited blood, collapsing.
"Urk!"
"Pull yourselves together!"
Everyone looked baffled, like a typhoon had hit. Panic spread.
"This isn't human power!"
Someone screamed. I agreed. The force enveloping Idomeneus was divine, no doubt tied to his patron.
Blasting winds? That meant the cold northern gales of winter.
"No way—Boreas?"
I reflexively thought of the north wind god Boreas, and Iris nodded.
"Correct. Sharp eye, boy. And staying calm amid such power—impressive."
Other heroes were already fleeing in all directions. The area was a disaster zone now, beyond human resistance.
Whooooosh!
A gale ripped through, sending the king's tent flying into the sky. Those nearby screamed and tumbled like ragdolls.
"Atalante! Get Princess Helen to safety!"
I roared, barely holding my ground near Iris. Idomeneus had become a vortex of black wind, spewing gales wildly.
"Lord Iris! I never imagined Idomeneus had Boreas's backing."
Iris nodded and extended a hand. The blasting winds calmed around him. My whipping cloak settled obediently. But chaos reigned elsewhere. Prince Agamemnon was screaming as he soared into the sky. Wonder if I'll see that guy again...
"Royal houses always have divine patrons. Sparta's lack of one is the anomaly."
Idomeneus bellowed at the unflappable Iris.
"Iris! Today, I'll drive you off right here! I've summoned my lord—you can't guarantee your survival now!"
The mad bastard had really done it. Actually summoned the north wind god Boreas? A human summoning a god... time to reevaluate Idomeneus. Knew he was crazy, but this exceeded imagination.
Rumble!BOOM!
Sudden storm winds howled with thunder. From the north, pitch-black clouds devoured the night sky, surging terrifyingly.
A transcendent being was manifesting its true form, no doubt.
"Looks like battle's inevitable. Came to check on the royal house, only to run into my old rival."
Iris clicked his tongue, as if even gods couldn't predict fate.
"Bad blood with the north wind god Boreas?"
"Aye. When he clashed with the west wind Zephyrus, I backed Zephyrus. Boreas lost because of it. He won't have forgotten."
Even as he spoke, Iris began drawing power. As a god fully mobilized his divinity, the energy was staggering—leagues beyond my mere fragment. Like a star's fusion reactor humming beside me.
"Peleus, one request."
Iris no longer called me "boy" playfully.
"Speak, Lord Iris."
"The clash of gods today is unavoidable. A calamity like heaven's wrath will unfold—steel yourself."
"Yes."
"Take care of that one. If left alone, he'll slaughter every human here while I fight Boreas."
Idomeneus, who had summoned Boreas directly, had warped grotesquely under his god's influence. A monster of wind, human form gone—half his body shrouded in black gales, hands like jagged black scythes, snout protruding like a hyena's.
"What is that, Lord Iris?"
"A Blasting Wind Thrall, they call it. A human corrupted by Boreas's foul divinity. He can never return to mortal form. Peleus, ending him with your sword is the only mercy left."
Blasting Wind Thrall. Rings a bell from the forbidden book's monster list. Who'd have thought it was a human twisted by Boreas's divinity?
"Understood."
"But beware. Thralls surpass human limits. Use your full power without restraint."
Iris glanced at Zeus's sword.
"Of course."
Holding back against a monster like that? Laughable when my head's on the chopping block. Why worry about tomorrow?
"Idomeneus! Fine! While gods battle in the heavens, we'll settle things on earth!"
As I spoke, Iris spread his wings and soared toward the oncoming north wind.
BOOOOM!
The explosion toppled everything nearby. Like a rocket launch, Iris streaked light toward the devouring thunderheads.
"GRRRRROWL!"
And before my eyes, the Blasting Wind Thrall that was Idomeneus let out a monstrous roar.
The clash between those empowered by gods had begun.