The Descent After Ten Thousand Years

The Giant Dragon Typhon. A great titan who once ruled the Golden Age, inheriting his authority from the primordial sky. He was a mystery born from the power of 'God-Slaying'—the very same power held by Chronos. Thump, thump, thump. A human approached that mystery with threatening footsteps, showing no fear. No, it was difficult to call him a mere human. His physique was already as massive as the great Titan gods. Every step he took made the earth tremble. "Sisyphus." Chronos whispered his name in her heart once more. On the summit of the Void Mountain in Tartarus, where typhoons raged, the strongest back, forged through an eternity of time, answered her.

The two giants faced each other.

"—Hoo." Without a word, both moved simultaneously.

"Saaaaa!" The dragon moved according to instinct. Any enemy invading its nest was to be annihilated. It lashed out with a tail that possessed enough power to wipe an entire city off the map in a single swing. This was no mere magical beast; it was a divine beast, a catastrophe that transcended natural disasters. If unleashed upon the world, it was a being that could drive the continent to ruin within a few years. By all logic, no mortal should have survived a single movement of such a creature.

"Hoo."

Instead, the ground where he had stood cracked, and air, heated by rapid expansion, burst outward. —BOOM!! The area he had used as a foothold collapsed.

"?!" The tail sliced through empty air. The Giant Dragon, unable to find its target, turned its head. In that instant—BOOM!! Its vision blurred, and the brain inside its skull sloshed to one side. —POW! A delayed sonic boom exploded near its ears. The Giant Dragon could not immediately comprehend what had happened. It didn't realize the mortal hadn't vanished, but had simply jumped. It didn't realize the explosion was heard later because he had broken the sound barrier. It took several seconds to even register that its skull had been struck and its bones were vibrating.

"Haaa—." Because of those few seconds, its reaction was delayed. Reflected in its unfocused eyes was the mortal's chest, bulging as if it might ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠burst. —CRASH!! The next blow landed. This time, it was the nose. Splat! The divine beast's sacred blood sprayed like a fountain. "Kaaaaaa!!" Flap. The Giant Dragon quickly spread its wings, performing an evasive maneuver as it took flight.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Grab. The mortal chased after it, catching hold of its long whiskers. The man's eyes, showing the whites all around, flashed. In that moment, the Giant Dragon felt a terror it had never even felt before the gods of Olympus. "You should have shaved."

Veins bulged on the Giant Dragon's forehead. To dare touch the dignified whiskers of a divine beast! And by a barbarian who hadn't shaved in a thousand years? Before it could even reprimand him for his insolence, WHAM! Another blow landed on its chin. It was a clean uppercut. "Open the door." "Kaaaaaaa!!" Whoosh! It spewed fire. It was the primordial flame capable of turning even the sun into nothingness. "Tsk." The mortal blocked the flames with his arms. Only then was the Giant Dragon able to break free and soar into the sky.

Thump! Sisyphus landed on the ground and looked up. As the Giant Dragon flapped its wings, the typhoon grew even more terrifying. "I only landed three hits. Hey, can't you bring that thing down?" Sisyphus asked, returning to Chronos. She immediately dropped mana from her fingertips, forming a formation on the ground. A bright golden light erupted.

"The Giant Dragon is also in a sealed state, so it shouldn't be able to escape from here."

The target was enveloped in the brilliant light of mana. A smooth sphere. It was the rock Sisyphus had carried on his back for hundreds of years, enduring until he brought it here. "So that's why I needed it." Without hesitation, Sisyphus lifted the rock and hoisted it onto his shoulder. Bulge, his biceps swelled.

—WHOOSH!! The rock was launched at supersonic speed. It resembled a giant siege catapult. —CLANG!! "?!" The Giant Dragon's eyes widened at the sudden assault of the long spear. Its wings stiffened and wouldn't move, as if time had stopped. Whoosh— Thwack! Sisyphus caught the rock, which had perfectly struck its target, back in his right hand. "I guess that wasn't enough." Whoosh— CRASH! Whoosh— CRASH! He repeated the throws. With speed the eye couldn't follow, he accurately and persistently targeted only the wings. "Kaaaaaa!!" Finally, the Giant Dragon, having lost its momentum, crashed its massive body to the ground. —BOOM!!

"I have no personal grudge against you." Sisyphus stepped forward, raising his fist. "I need to get out of here. Open the door." The divine beast also bared its teeth, gathering flames. —BOOM!! Once again, a violent explosion filled the space. 'Sisyphus.' The sight of flames and typhoons clashing and exploding was truly reminiscent of a battlefield. Chronos's braided hair whipped about frantically. She had seen a similar sight back when she existed only as a faint consciousness within her power. Titanomachy. It was the war the Olympian gods, led by Zeus, started against the Titans, including Chronos, to seize the throne of heaven. The sight of nature raging was truly on par with the scene etched into Chronos's mind. 'Sisyphus.' The man who threw himself without hesitation toward flames hotter than the sun. Chronos shouted toward him. 'Do your best, Sisyphus.'

She cheered for him. Just as she had for the past 10,000 years, she kept her place, as was her habit. If he defeated the Giant Dragon Typhon, Sisyphus would surely achieve what he desired. Tartarus was a prison from which one could never escape. The only way out was to use the power held by the Giant Dragon, 'God-Slaying,' to tear through the divine power of Tartarus itself. Moreover, the summit of the mountain, Typhon's nest, was also the entrance to this prison. It was the place where the distortion of space was most unstable. Chronos had guided Sisyphus here because she could sense the space-time of Tartarus. 'But the right to apply that power belongs to Olympus.' That was why Typhon, like Chronos, was trapped here and could not leave. They were the owners of the power, but they were not permitted to apply it to the world. The place where it could be used was strictly limited to within this Tartarus. Time and God-Slaying were now rights belonging only to Olympus. Because it was a type of mana none of them could control, no god was in charge of it. They were in a state of just observing it, locked behind a bulkhead because they couldn't handle the dangerous substance directly. They must have thought it wouldn't be a problem to lock one ordinary human in here with it. If they had made a mistake, it was the fact that the human was Sisyphus. He was a man who never knew how to give up. For a staggering 10,000 years.

"Open the door." "Kaaaaaa!!" —CRASH! "I said open the door." "Saaaa, Saaaaa!" —CRASH! "You're a stubborn one. I told you to open the door." "Kaaaaa!" Collisions continued, and explosions and vibrations filled the heavens. It gave the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠illusion that a world was being created. Sisyphus overwhelmed it with physical strength. But there was nothing he could do about the flames imbued with magic. As the battle continued, Sisyphus began to take more hits. He was struck by the tail, crushed by the giant forepaws, and caught in the typhoon. But he stood up. He stood up again as if nothing had happened. Just like that time when he had pushed the rock back up.

"Sisyphus."

And so, Chronos found herself speaking his name without realizing it. "Sisyphus!" It was unknown if he heard her delicate voice amidst the raging storm. "Hup!" Perhaps thanks to her heartfelt support, Sisyphus, having burrowed beneath the Giant Dragon, seized his chance. —BOOM!! The fist he launched upward extinguished all the dark clouds in the sky, leaving behind a massive shockwave. —Whoooo…. The Giant Dragon stopped, as if time had frozen. The body of the divine beast, which even gods had feared, slowly perished and was reduced to blue mana. The mana floating in the air swirled for a moment, as if it had found a new master, and was sucked toward a single point. The human who had conquered the Void Mountain. It was toward Sisyphus's fist.

His body shone, and at the same time, the sound of bones twisting and muscles tearing could be heard. [Body is strengthened by the divine beast's mana.] The body that had been as huge as a giant shrank again. The twisted muscles that could have been described as unsightly. The arms and legs, which had been so thick they were closer to those of a monster, returned to their human form. [Body optimization complete.] When the blue light faded, a single human male stood there.

"Sisyphus." Chronos ran straight to him. It was Sisyphus. He had returned to the face and size he had when he first entered Tartarus. No, perhaps it was more accurate to say he had obtained the perfect body, with 10,000 years of training condensed within. His face was the same, but his body was covered in solid muscle. The scars that hadn't fully healed during those 10,000 years remained. He had also grown a little taller.

"Hmm." He clenched his fists a few times. Whoosh. He swung his fist lightly into the air. —BOOM!! A shockwave, sharper and more powerful than before, was fired along the path of his swing, splitting the mountain ridge. He turned his head. "Chronos, you've grown taller. Is that magic too?" Chronos chuckled and buried her face in his chest. As was her usual habit. The feel of his sturdy muscles was pleasant. The beard and hair that had grown while climbing the cliff remained the same. "Sisyphus." "Yeah." "You look cool." "I know."

Chronos hugged his waist and took a deep breath. That was the last of it. It was time to let go. "I defeated the dragon, but where is the exit?" "It's already inside you. You just have to swing." "Hmm." Sisyphus nodded and clenched his right hand tightly. His fist felt much lighter. But his muscles were responding vibrantly with much sturdier and stronger muscle fibers. Sisyphus recalled. The technique he had thought about since the day he was first dropped into this prison. How many times had he imagined leaving this prison with the 'technique' permitted only to heroes? He had told Wilson about it many times. Chronos must have known, too. He didn't know if it was a power or what, but there must have been a reason she brought him here. So, for now. He felt like it was somehow possible.

—Squeeze. No matter how much he clenched, strength kept pouring into his fist. As if his muscular strength had no end. He felt like if he kept applying force, his whole body would be sucked into his fist. At that peak moment, Sisyphus spoke briefly. "Space-Time Break."

Whoosh— BOOM!!! Sound is slower than light. By the time the tremendous roar rang in Chronos's ears, the space had already been torn. The wind blew. The long-torn space showed its presence by creating a cool breeze, as if telling him to enter. Whether the God-Slaying fist imbued in Sisyphus had surpassed the divine power that created Tartarus—that complicated story didn't matter anymore. Sisyphus could leave now. Chronos was satisfied with that.

"Chronos." He held out his hand in front of her. It was a rough, calloused hand. But Chronos had no intention of holding out her hand to him from the start. Instead, she crossed her arms demurely, dyeing her surroundings in golden light. "Hey, Chronos."

At that point, Sisyphus noticed. They had spent 5,000 years together, after all. They were human and god. There was a gap called the difference in species. They hadn't revealed everything to each other, but they were friends enough to call each other that. He knew what she was thinking just by looking at her eyes. "What are you doing?" Sisyphus tried to grab Chronos's arm by force. But he stopped, unable to get any closer. It was a clear rejection. It was certain. Chronos had no intention of leaving with Sisyphus from the beginning.

"Hey, you…!" —Whoosh! Chronos's golden mana dyed the ground, carving countless letters. The number of magic circles increased until it reached ten. "Sisyphus, we made a promise." "Yeah. We said we'd get out of here. And." "To send Sisyphus back to his original time." That was definitely the promise. Sisyphus realized. Chronos had said 'getting out,' but she hadn't specified ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠'who' would get out. She had said Sisyphus could return to his original time, but she hadn't explained what Chronos would have to do for that. "Gods are always…!" They were selfish. Just like when Zeus told him to roll the rock to the 'summit' of the mountain without specifying where the summit was. They always played with contracts with humans as they pleased. "Chronos, why aren't you following?" "Sisyphus knows, too. The flow of time here is twisted." "So." "I have to connect the exit to Sisyphus's time. Otherwise, you'll be bounced off to some strange place. Someone needs to hold it from this side." The blowing wind shook her hair. "You've never done it, how do you know?" "I know." "You could do it while leaving." "No, I'm sure. And, um…. Somehow, I feel like I was here for this moment." "What's that supposed to mean?"

Her face was revealed in the golden light flowing from the magic circle. Smile. Chronos showed her usual smile. :) Sisyphus realized. The rock he had to bring to the summit to open the exit wasn't a real rock. It was Chronos. It was the power of time. Tick, tock— Flutter. The clock hands etched into her pupils began to spin backward. "Chronos." "Yes." "Why did you help me this much?" "I didn't help you with anything. Reaching the summit was the result of your efforts, Sisyphus. I just watched and cheered. Um… if you ask why I watched."

Chronos walked slowly toward Sisyphus. Golden light flowed brilliantly. As if to say no further words were needed. She placed her hand gently on the man's chest in front of her and stood on tiptoe, lifting her head. There was a brief contact—one side rough, one side soft. When the encounter ended like a passing breeze—Tick. The hands reflected in her pupils also stopped moving. "I think I love you, Sisyphus." "…Even though you're a god?" "Because I'm a god, even more."

It was a fate where they couldn't meet anymore anyway. He had to return to the world. She would stay here and return to how things were before. She had intended to keep it a secret until the end. Emotions were truly strange things. They were clearly a part of her body, yet she couldn't move them as she pleased. "Go now." Tap. Chronos pushed his chest lightly. —WHOOSH! At the same time, the wind blowing from the exit began to grow stronger. It sucked in Sisyphus's body in an instant, and the exit grew narrower. Her heart longed to follow him. But if she did, not only herself, but Sisyphus would be dropped into a random time. It would be irreversible. So she held it in. She could hold it in. Because she was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a god.

Sisyphus disappeared into the exit in an instant. Brilliant golden mana filled the space. She adjusted her power until the very end so he could arrive at the correct time. Mid-way—Thud. Chronos opened her eyes wide in surprise. The outer edge of the exit. A rough hand was grabbing the torn space, trying to come back out. It was a one-way passage. Since it was a path where causality was determined, he should never have been able to reverse it. But his arm muscles bulged, twisting his body as if to say 'what does that matter,' and he advanced little by little toward Chronos. "Hey." The raging wind. Sisyphus's eyes stared straight at Chronos. He pointed at her and said clearly. "Wait while eating meat. I'll come to pick you up soon." —WHOOSH! The storm raged. The torn space closed and sealed itself as it was before. Soon, it became quiet as if nothing had happened. "…Heh, cool until the end." The Goddess of Time waved her hand lightly to dispel the magic circle, turned around, and began to walk back the way she came.

***

I slowly lifted my head. It was night. I seemed to be in a low mountain area, or perhaps a forest. "Sigh, haa." It was full of the smell of grass. The sound of crickets pounded noisily against my eardrums. "I'm hungry." How long had it been since I felt this hunger? It felt real. This wasn't Tartarus. "That Chronos." If there was such an important matter, you should have told me in advance. Tsk. "You said only the gods of Olympus could use the power or whatever." Then nothing had changed anyway. Since they were the ones who locked me and Chronos in Tartarus, there must be a way to take them out to the palace. "Olympus will be destroyed." I took a step. Stars were pouring down from the sky. It was the meteor shower of the Pleiades. 10,000 years since I started rolling the rock up the mountain. I had descended.