The Return of the Lord
"Grab only what’s essential! The monsters are right on top of us!"
"The cow! We have to take the cow!"
"No time to dawdle! We’ll all be killed at this rate!"
"Oh, heavens! We only just sowed the fields!"
Corinth was suddenly plunged into chaos as the monsters invaded. The residents abandoned their work, fleeing in a panic. Every citizen of Corinth had, at some point, suffered grievous harm at the hands of monsters.
"Get the elderly and the children to safety first."
"To the town hall! It’s built of granite, not wood—it’s sturdy."
There was a manual that the Lord, Sisyphus, had created based on the advice of the hero Penthesilea. The evacuation proceeded with efficiency.
"All soldiers, assemble!"
While the citizens turned back, others stepped forward. These were the three hundred soldiers of the Corinthian Guard. Originally a force meant only to protect the lord’s estate, they had spent years honing their skills and acquiring equipment capable of facing monsters.
The captain of the guard raised his sleek bronze sword and shouted, "Our mission is to guide the remaining residents in the danger zone to the shelter and to build a defensive line against the monsters to buy time. As the Lord once said, prioritize your own survival above all else."
A thunderous response echoed back. As the tension mounted, some soldiers dared to ask questions.
"This is already the fourth monster attack this year."
"I heard there are high-ranking ones among them this time..."
"Captain, when will the hero reinforcements arrive?"
"Can we really do this without the Lord’s command?"
The captain understood their anxiety. The casualties among the guard had been steadily increasing with each raid. Moreover, with Lord Sisyphus—who always stood at the front to lead them—absent, the morale of the guard was crumbling.
"I may not be able to command as well as the Lord, but I will do my utmost. Prepare for battle."
It was then that a group of soldiers wearing armor of a different color swarmed in from behind them. The captain recognized the commander on horseback at the lead. Anyone who had served as a guard for the estate could not fail to recognize him.
"Young Master Salmoneus?"
Salmoneus approached upon spotting the guard. "Listen here, Corinthian Guard. We are setting out to subjugate the monsters. Provide support."
The captain tilted his head, looking suspicious. "Young Master Salmoneus. Did you not leave Corinth two years ago? To which unit does this army belong?"
Salmoneus furrowed his brow and shouted, "You insolent fool. Should a man who eats the Lord’s bread not greet his former superior first?"
"I asked for your affiliation. We are the Guard; it is our principle to exclude all outsiders."
"Ugh, this wretch! I am a King now. This is my army! We have come to Corinth as reinforcements, and instead of being grateful!"
Salmoneus pressed the captain. "If you understand, join the subjugation. Our army will advance north from here."
"I apologize for the rudeness. But our guard cannot move from this spot."
"What did you say?"
"This path is the final northern defensive line. If this is breached, the enemy forces will swarm the city in an instant. We cannot vacate our post, as we must also rescue the citizens."
"Just wipe out the monsters first, and that’s that. Why do you refuse to obey?"
"This strategy is one of the monster response protocols left behind by Lord Sisyphus. We prioritize the Lord’s orders."
"Grrr...!" Salmoneus huffed in frustration. "Everyone is Sisyphus this, Sisyphus that! Captain of the Guard! What is your name?"
The captain removed his helmet, revealed his face, and gave a slight nod. "Oedipus."
"Oedipus, I have remembered your face and your name. When I come to rule Corinth, know that you shall be dismissed immediately!"
Salmoneus pulled his reins and moved his horse. A thousand soldiers followed him. They crossed the city limits and passed through the thicket. The sound of water grew closer. They would soon reach the northern river where the monsters had appeared.
The soldiers advanced, cautiously searching the brush. *Sring*—the sharp, sturdily forged bronze swords sliced through leaves as if eager to pierce the throat of any monster that might appear.
...*Thump, thump, thump.*
"What is that?"
"A tremor?"
The soldiers scanned their surroundings. Before they knew it, the dense trees had obscured their vision. Salmoneus, who was advancing in the middle of the unit while sending scouts ahead, also felt something was wrong. They hadn't even caught a glimpse of a monster, yet a strange, ominous energy kept swirling around them.
"Where are you! Show yourself!"
—*Thump, thump, thump, KWA-ANG!!*
As if answering Salmoneus, the view cleared in an instant. At the same time, several soldiers were sent flying with screams. Trees in the thicket were uprooted and sent flying into the sky. Something massive stood there, looking down at them. It had one eye.
"It’s a Cyclops!!"
"Good heavens!"
"Swords! Raise your swords!"
A Cyclops. A monster born of Poseidon, a one-eyed giant. Entering the forest had been a mistake. They hadn't noticed them until the massive hulks were right on top of them.
"A, a Cyclops!" Salmoneus trembled, his shoulders shaking in shock. Even the smallest Cyclops is classified as a high-ranking monster. It is said that the first Cyclopes were the children of the Titans; they are ferocious and powerful. First, there was the size. Standing four to five meters tall, the difference in combat power compared to a human was overwhelming.
"Fight! Stab their feet with your swords!"
The soldiers rushed in, but three were sent flying with a single backhand from the Cyclops.
—*Goooooo!*
The monster roared, beat its chest, grabbed a soldier, and brought him straight to its mouth.
"G, good heavens!"
"Ugh...!"
Seeing their comrade eaten alive, the soldiers lost their morale in an instant. In the forest terrain, they couldn't even form a pincer formation against the one-on-many odds, so they were helpless.
Only now did the thick stench hit their noses. Cyclopes were monsters with a strong body odor. If it hadn't been for the forest masking their scent, they might have noticed their approach.
The number of one-eyed giants continued to grow. Already, five of them surrounded them.
"T, this can't be...!" Salmoneus despaired. Memories of the disaster-class monster raid six years ago, where he had been powerless, flooded back.
"R, retreat! Retreat!"
Soon, he tucked his tail and began to flee.
"Is everyone inside?"
"All the residents are here!"
"Build a barricade! Hurry!"
The captain of the guard, having locked the town hall doors with heavy bolts, began moving supplies with the soldiers. Three hours had passed since the monster raid began. The town hall was a stone-walled building with three floors and a basement. It could accommodate all the city's residents and was expected to hold out for a long time.
The guards had tried their best to build a defensive line at the northern pass, but they had suffered a hundred casualties in an instant. The captain had eventually been forced to pull the final defensive line back to this point.
*Thump! Thump!*
Before long, tremors began to shake the ground. It was the sound of the Cyclopes striking the building.
"Captain, what shall we do?"
Salmoneus must have retreated long ago. He had crawled into the forest himself, so that was inevitable.
"Because they are so large, they can't fit through the windows. Take your spears and attack through the windows!"
"Yes!"
Buying time until reinforcements arrived. That was the best they could do right now.
'But if there are this many high-ranking monsters, we need help at least on the level of Athens, and that will take a week.'
Setting aside food and water, it was questionable whether the town hall could hold out for a week. Still, he couldn't give up. If he gave up, the lives of countless people would be given up as well.
The captain grabbed a spear and went to the window. A Cyclops was wedging a massive finger into the gap.
"Hup!"
He thrust without hesitation. The Cyclops screamed and fell away from the building. The soldiers also positioned themselves to fight and keep the enemy at bay.
It was then.
"You lack grace."
—*Chwa-ak!*
Suddenly, countless arrows cut through the air and embedded themselves in the giants' bodies.
"Goooo!"
The giants screamed and retreated, *thump, thump*. These were no ordinary arrows. Water droplets dripped from them. They were arrows of water pressure, condensed from the moisture in the air and fired.
"It’s a hero!"
"We’re saved!"
The black chiton worn by the female hero fluttered in the wind, revealing her sleek thighs. The cold-faced hero walked toward the enemy, firing arrows mercilessly.
"Is that the hero’s unique skill!"
"Incredible...!"
"Black clothes and a rain of arrows. I’ve heard of this. Isn't she the most famous hero on the peninsula lately!"
The residents cheered for the hero, looking out the windows. As they saw a chance for victory, hope began to fill them.
"The most famous hero these days? Isn't it 'Perseus of the Shining Spear'?"
"That friend is famous, too. But the hero of the 'Rain of Arrows' who subjugated the Bandit King Periphetes is the only one who does that."
"Ah, Theseus! I’ve heard of her, too!"
"Theseus was a woman!"
Theseus glared at the enemy as if pronouncing their death. Arrows were fired in the direction she glared, tearing through the Cyclopes' tough skin.
"This is a hero of the Beta rank...! It’s immense!"
"We’re saved!"
Along with Theseus, her party members also jumped into the fray. Swords and magic were unleashed, and the giants became increasingly helpless. The residents' cheers grew louder accordingly.
"Goooo!"
"No, Hero! Watch your back!"
"A giant is about to pounce!"
A Cyclops lunged for a sneak attack, aiming for Theseus's back. Just as a massive fist flew toward her slender, defenseless body—
"Hmph!"
Theseus climbed the giant's arm as if sliding on water and delivered a roundhouse kick to its temple in one motion.
*Ppak!*
With a satisfying thud, the Cyclops's neck snapped.
"Did you think you’d win if we fought hand-to-hand? With such a poverty of imagination, it’s no wonder you’re just monsters."
"Ooooo!"
Cheers erupted. A hero who handles mana fundamentally possesses physical abilities different from humans. To fight such high-ranking monsters with such nobility and ease—the residents felt the gap clearly. They were certain they could survive.
However.
The anomaly occurred without warning.
—*Thump, thump, thump!*
A tremor so massive it shook the building rang out.
"Good heavens."
"What is that?!"
A giant approaching from afar. It was a Cyclops. But the atmosphere was slightly different. It was twice the height of the other giants, ten meters tall. Above all, the way it grinned, revealing its teeth as it approached the heroes, was ominous.
"Ah, so you’re the boss."
Theseus cracked her wrists. Water droplets gathered and grew massive. It wasn't an arrow. It was a battering ram, the kind used to break down castle gates.
"Eh, Theseus. Are you going to use that?" a party member asked.
Theseus answered with ease. "I’ll give you a tip. The strongest technique should be used first. When you’re in good condition."
—*Sweeeeek!!*
The water battering ram was fired without warning. A trump card aimed straight to pierce the Cyclops's single eye. If it hit, the monster would be annihilated without even a scream. However.
—*Wad-deuk!*
The giant opened its mouth wide and chewed the battering ram to pieces. It grinned, as if it had suffered no damage at all.
"What...?!"
Theseus was flustered. Since her debut as a hero, there had never been a monster that didn't perish after being hit by this technique. But that was only for a moment.
—*Kwoooooong!!*
"Cough."
Before she knew it, the giant had closed the distance and driven a massive fist into her abdomen. Her insides twisted, and her breath stopped.
"Theseus!!"
The sound of her party member calling her name overlapped with the ringing in her ears. Theseus spat out the blood that had risen from internal bleeding and steadied her stance.
"Oh, you’re sturdy."
The giant said, enjoying himself. "I am Polyphemus. The son of the great sea god, Poseidon."
"Ah, that’s funny. I’m his granddaughter."
"Truly a correct statement. Let us play."
It’s going to be a long day.
Theseus cracked her wrists.
"Brother, we’ve almost arrived! Look, you can see the buildings over that hill!"
At Perseus’s call, Sisyphus rose from his seat and wiped his sweat with a towel.
"Oh, is that Corinth? What, I thought it was a backwater village, but it looks decent."
"Hmm, but for some reason, the atmosphere looks strange. Why are the ships unable to enter?"
Sisyphus stood at the ship’s railing. He furrowed his brow, looking into the distance, and said,
"I’m going ahead. Anchor the ship and follow."
"Yes? Where are you going... Wait!"
*Kwang!*
With an explosive sound, he leaped from the ship in an instant.