The Minotaur King Falls
―BOOM! Dark, wild hair whipped through the air as Sisyphus leaped into the arena.
“He’s here…!”
“The hero of the reversal!”
Warriors and mages alike locked their eyes on him. Sisyphus, the God-Slayer. If it was the man who had even brought down the god Hermes, he was more than qualified to face the disaster-class monster, the Minotaur King.
“Sisyphus, we’re counting on you…!”
The heroes clenched their fists, hanging on his every move. And the Minotaur, unaware of who his opponent was, felt something instinctively.
―MOOOOOOO!!
Upon spotting the black-haired man, the Minotaur snorted, his nostrils flaring as he went berserk. Though he possessed a human body, his head was that of a bull, and his intelligence was nothing more than that of a beast. He moved and judged based purely on instinct. The Minotaur considered himself the hunter. All humans were prey, and their mana was the fuel that made him stronger. There was no need to understand the principles behind it; he only needed to follow his instincts. The hole in his heart was merely an accident caused by a moment of carelessness. Since his body was moving again, it was a non-issue. He didn't even realize he had died just moments ago.
But the man standing before him now was different.
Thud. Thud.
Every time the man took a step, every time he loosened his muscles, the Minotaur’s instincts screamed that this was a genuine 'threat.' He was no longer the hunter. This was a bloodbath. He would have to give everything he had to tear the enemy before him to shreds.
“You’re a spirited one. Your forearms are thick. That’s a hard muscle to build, you know.”
Sisyphus smiled in satisfaction at the Minotaur and stripped off his shirt. His biceps and triceps bulged, finishing their warm-up to deliver a devastating blow. However, while the Minotaur’s muscles were wild, crudely absorbing mana to grow in size solely for destruction—
―GRRRR…
Sisyphus’s compressed physique looked far denser, possessing refined, powerful curves.
“A battle of strength against strength, then.”
“Just looking at the size, I’d think the Minotaur has the advantage…”
“He’ll surely show us some incredible technique.”
The Theseus party had never actually seen Sisyphus’s techniques properly. In the battle against the Cyclops, the situation had ended while he was busy dealing with the army, and the same went for the fight against Hermes. Since they weren't particularly close to him, they still mistakenly believed he was a Spartan. Even if they respected him as a hero, he was, frankly, still a terrifying existence to them. What kind of technique would he show? Would he use the mana of strength, as most Spartans did?
‘But the Minotaur used the mana of strength, too.’
If they fought with the same type of mana, the one with the higher weight class had the advantage. That was part of why Theseus had struggled against the Cyclops. The enemy had also possessed mana inherited from Poseidon. Therefore, just looking at muscle and bulk, it didn't feel like Sisyphus had the edge.
“Spartan, watch out for his horns! He has a technique where he lunges and stabs!” the warrior warned. It was the same attack that had dealt a fatal blow to Theseus. But Sisyphus didn't seem to hear him. The ruthless battle began.
‘This is going to be a big one.’
The Minotaur struck first.
―MOOOOOOO!
The massive body charged toward Sisyphus. The hands coming at him were like a giant wall. There was nowhere to dodge.
“Wrestling, is it?”
―CLANG!
Their hands collided.
“Whoa!”
“He didn't budge an inch!”
The Minotaur was flustered. He had charged in with the intent to tackle him, but it was he who almost bounced back. There was only one reason he hadn't fallen: the human had grabbed his hands.
Grip…
They entered a deadlock, hands locked together.
―UUUU!
The Minotaur snorted, gritting his teeth and pouring power into his hands. It was a grip that should have been able to crush even orichalcum. But the human’s expression was relaxed. He even looked like he was enjoying it.
“Very good. This is how it should be.”
As the power drained from his hands and his fingers began to straighten—CRACK!
―UUUU!!
His hands were bent backward, and the Minotaur let out a scream soaked in agony. Whoosh! Sisyphus swung his arms wide to break the hold. The Minotaur bowed his head and lunged toward Sisyphus’s body. Thud! He grabbed Sisyphus’s waist with both arms and hooked his leg. It was the very same attack that had dealt a critical blow to Theseus. A technique etched into the Minotaur’s instincts. It was wrestling.
―MOOOOO!!
With a massive roar, the Minotaur tried to lift Sisyphus and throw him. But—
―?!
No matter how much strength he exerted, Sisyphus didn't move an inch. It was as if he had crashed into a heavy, towering mountain. As if he had made a reckless challenge to fight against Mother Nature herself.
“Interesting.”
Thud. Sisyphus stepped on the Minotaur’s bowed knee and leaped up in an instant.
“I’ve simulated wrestling for about a thousand years, too.”
It was a popular sport in Greece. Sisyphus even had knowledge of modern wrestling techniques he had seen in his past life. He had mostly practiced these techniques against the Ares in his head. As Sisyphus stretched out his arms to grab the Minotaur’s back, the massive body was flipped upside down in an instant.
―Muu?!
Whoosh! Sisyphus leaped into the air.
BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM!
He tore through the labyrinth’s ceiling, from the 8th floor to the 7th, and all the way to the 1st, soaring into the night sky where the moon hung.
“Look over there! Something shot up from the ground!”
“What on earth is that? A meteor?”
“A cow?”
“Is that… a man sharing his love with a cow?”
“My god, my eyes!”
“How drunk are we to be seeing something like that?!”
The city residents were thrown into chaos, running in every direction as they saw the silhouette reflected against the moon.
Piledriver
―SHOOOOOO!!
The heat of the descent set the Minotaur’s hair on fire. Falling at a speed invisible to the eye, they plummeted back into the labyrinth’s depths.
―KABOOOOM!!
They collided with the arena like a meteorite, causing a massive explosion. Clatter. The labyrinth’s ceiling poured down like toy blocks. The dust cleared.
Whoosh…
The Minotaur King lay dead, his proud horns buried deep into the floor. The black-haired man walked away, back turned to the monster, with a nonchalant gait. Theseus dispelled the water barrier and spoke.
“You should have gone easy. You blocked the exit.”
“Hmm, my mistake.”
Sisyphus scratched his head sheepishly. The warrior Idas, half-dazed, asked him with his mouth agape.
“Sisyphus-nim, what kind of technique was that? I couldn't see it properly again…”
“Piledriver.”
“Pile… is it like a wave?”
“Roughly similar.”
“I see…”
He must have communed with some Titan to learn ancient languages and techniques. The warrior nodded in admiration.
Disaster-class monster defeated.
The unique demon has been defeated, triggering inheritance.
Inheritance is impossible. Buff applied.
Acquired 'Spear of the King of Cows'.
The Minotaur King began to melt, leaving only bones behind. Mana leaked from the corpse and flowed into Theseus and Sisyphus.
“Theseus, I’ve gained a trait!”
Inheritance had occurred. The Minotaur had faced death twice. Because of this, the mana had flowed into Theseus and Sisyphus in equal halves. Theseus clenched his fists. He could feel the Minotaur’s red mana flowing through his veins. It was the trait of a disaster-class monster. It was certain to have a tremendous effect.
‘I did it.’
He had kept the oath he made at the River Styx, and as a result, he had reached a higher level of heroism. He had proven that the path he had walked until now was not wrong. For this moment, he could be proud of himself.
“Ugh, what is this now?”
On the other hand, Sisyphus didn't seem happy at all, wiping his body as if brushing off bugs. “Hey, Theseus. Do I smell weird? Is it worse than before?” He asked, scrunching his face and leaning in. Theseus snorted.
“It’s pretty bad. It really stinks.”
“Damn it. At this rate, I’m really going to turn into a Spartan.”
“Sisyphus.”
“Yeah?”
“My thanks. Thanks to you, I was able to win.”
“?”
Sisyphus tilted his head as if he didn't understand.
“Sisyphus! Where did you go off to, leaving us behind?”
A voice called out from behind him. Cassandra and Clea appeared, having broken through the skeleton soldiers.
“Oh my, it’s already over. Hoho. Well done, Sisyphus. We’re going to be rich!”
“We?”
“Aww, don't be like that. We found the way well this time, and we caught a lot of those annoying skeletons. You can't argue that we didn't contribute, right?”
“There’s still something important left.”
“The God of Madness, you mean. I’ve gathered all the information. Since we defeated the Minotaur, they’ll probably come looking for us first to grant an audience. Let’s not miss that opportunity and take them down then.”
“Good, let’s go right away.”
“Sisyphus, are you planning to catch Dionysus?”
“I came all the way here with that thought in mind from the start. I have business with him.”
Theseus stepped forward. “I’ll go with you. I have something I need to get from him, too.”
Fifty paces. If it was for the merit of defeating the Minotaur, he should be able to close that distance. And within that range, he was confident he could shoot down the God of Madness. He could free Princess Ariadne.
The heroes exited the labyrinth and returned to the city.
“What happened here?” Theseus asked, puzzled. During the time they had been conquering the depths, the city had become even more chaotic. It was rare to find a citizen wandering around who was still in their right mind. The shops around the labyrinth were all closed, and scenes of looting were visible.
‘Ariadne was so concerned about this, why has it gotten worse?’
A thick fog settled in Theseus’s eyes. Dionysus must have been up to something.
“Sisyphus, I need to stop by the palace first. There’s someone whose safety I need to confirm.”
“Your girlfriend?”
“…Did you think I was a man this whole time? Even if my chest is small, there’s a limit to how wrong you can be.”
“It was a joke.”
“I didn't know you were a man capable of making jokes.” Theseus snorted.
“We’re going to the temple. Oh, and.”
Sisyphus tossed something over. Theseus caught it, and there was a small ring in his palm.
“…What does this mean?”
“If you’re planning to face the God of Madness, wear it.”
Theseus tilted his head, suspicious. He had made that joke earlier, after all. Surely he doesn't think I’m a woman, does he? Theseus put the ring on his finger without doubt. It fit his ring finger perfectly. Then—whoosh! His mind cleared.
“Isn't this an expensive artifact?”
“I got it for free, too.”
“I’ll put it to good use. See you later.”
After parting ways with Sisyphus, Theseus hurried his steps.