Oh, That Guy’s Just Fucking Strong
The foothills on the outskirts of Mount Othrys.
A female Titan stood there, cautiously scanning her surroundings.
Countless Titans scattered across the mountain slopes.
Along with the nymphs and lesser gods serving under them.
She slowly took in the sight of their uncountable numbers, swallowing dryly.
Since the world was born from chaos, there had never been a gathering of this much military power in one place.
For the Titans on the verge of war, the mere fact that so many comrades shared their cause was enough to fill them with great excitement.
However.
Unlike what most of the Titans were feeling, the scene before her stirred only deep unease in her heart.
Can we… really win? Will Zeus and the gods of Olympus truly be able to defeat them…?
A single bead of sweat trickled down her cheek.
The fear of the ‘enemies’ she had to face—not trusted allies—churned her mind with anxiety.
At that moment.
“Daughter, what are you doing over there? Come join us for a drink.”
“Ah… Yes, Father.”
A massive man called out to his daughter in a thoroughly exhilarated voice.
Coeus, one of the twelve highest Titans and the overseer of knowledge.
The female Titan, who had been subtly observing the situation, quietly approached her father’s side, intending to raise a cup with the rest of the family.
There were still things she needed to observe, but she thought it best to avoid drawing suspicion.
But then.
“…Huh?”
Something caught her gaze just as she was about to turn away.
Despite her father’s words, she couldn’t tear her eyes from the scene unfolding before her.
“I told you to come drink with us—what are you staring at? What in the world are you looking at…!”
Coeus, sensing something odd, walked over.
But immediately after.
He too found himself unable to look away from the sight before them.
-Clank. Clank.
The clear sound reaching their ears.
Along with that sharp, vivid, and ominous clash of metal against metal.
What appeared before their eyes was something utterly alien.
Yet at the same time, it radiated an instinctive, overwhelming pressure.
It was clearly a group of people.
A collective made up of gods and nymphs.
But in that instant, the faces of the Titans and the lesser gods beneath them were etched with unmistakable shock.
Perfectly aligned ranks and files, as if measured with a ruler.
They advanced with utterly synchronized steps, showing not a single gap in formation.
Armed in iron helmets and armor.
One hand gripping a spear.
The other holding a shield.
Thousands of troops moving with flawless coordination.
It didn’t look like a mere crowd of people.
It was a single entity.
A single colossal creature.
Like the Hecatoncheires with their hundred heads and limbs.
A monster possessing thousands of legs and thousands of arms.
Many, yet one.
That enormous and menacing presence.
Began by seizing the gazes of Coeus and his daughter.
Then it captured the eyes of countless others gathered in the area.
In an era where the concept of war had not yet evolved beyond chaotic brawls—where fighters simply charged forward with weapons in hand, paying no heed to formation or tactics.
The sight that appeared before the Titans and gods of this age.
A disciplined formation that radiated the unyielding strength of steel.
In other words, it conveyed with vivid clarity the feeling that charging in recklessly would get them utterly fucked.
The magnificent and brutal war culture that humans, having obtained strength through their own weakness, would one day begin to build.
This colossal monster standing at the very origin of that culture.
Was called by humans the following name.
Phalanx.
An ancient living weapon of war, composed of hundreds and thousands of warriors.
Armed with shields for skin and spears for claws.
The immense cultural and instinctive shock delivered by this sight—something none of them had ever witnessed before—enveloped the Titans.
It was then that they finally noticed a single figure behind the bizarre and oppressive formation.
At the head of the eerie, dominating host rode a man standing atop a chariot pulled by water-formed horses.
The moment they recognized his face, the Titans unconsciously swallowed dryly and began to murmur among themselves.
“That… that’s… isn’t that Lord Oceanus?”
“N-no way… are those Oceanus’s legions?”
“What the…”
The last of the Titans scheduled to arrive here.
The one who had consistently opposed war and had only declared his intent to attend this meeting at the very last moment.
Some of the Titans had openly expressed their displeasure, even going so far as to call for his purge.
Yet at this moment, not a single one of them could utter such words while looking at Oceanus before them.
“Sorry I’m late, brother. I was delayed bringing my children along.”
“N-not at all. W-we’ve only just arrived ourselves.”
“Let’s head inside. We should hear why Cronus has summoned us, shouldn’t we?”
“U-um…”
“Y-yes, let’s.”
The Titans answered Oceanus in stiff voices.
Right after, Oceanus stepped down from his chariot and looked back.
“Styx. Keep the legions on standby here.”
“Understood, Father.”
Styx, the well-known second-in-command of Oceanus’s forces among the Titans.
Unlike her usual appearance, she was clad in black armor like a female warrior. The moment Oceanus gave the order, she took hold of the chariot reins.
And then.
“Hephaestus. You will escort me.”
“Yes.”
Immediately after, another god who had been standing behind them.
In one hand he held a silver shield.
On the other, a silver gauntlet.
Emitting an extraordinary aura of divine power, he followed directly behind Oceanus.
Who is that…?
A man with an exceptionally ugly face.
Looking at his lowly appearance—which made one doubt whether he was truly a god—the female Titan felt both curiosity and an inexplicable wariness rising within her.
At that moment.
“You!… You’re definitely that bastard from before!”
“Hm?”
“…”
A loud voice suddenly rang out.
When she turned her head, the face of someone she didn’t particularly like came into view.
Epimetheus.
Son of Iapetus, the second-in-command of the Titans under Cronus.
Famous for his foul temper, he stood behind his father Iapetus at this moment, grinding his teeth and pointing a finger at the ugly god in question.
“It’s him, Father! That hideous wretch who assaulted me when I went as a messenger! How dare that vulgar bastard show his face here…!”
“…Shut your mouth, Epimetheus.”
“B-but…”
“Enough!”
“Mmph…”
Iapetus raised a hand to forcibly silence his son.
The discomfort clearly visible on his face was obvious even to her, a third party.
Nevertheless, Iapetus kept his composure and spoke in a quiet voice.
“My apologies for causing a disturbance over a matter we had agreed to overlook.”
“It’s fine, brother. Let’s go, Hephaestus. Cronus is waiting for us.”
“Yes, Grandfather.”
With those words, Oceanus walked toward the interior of Mount Othrys, escorted by the ugly god.
Iapetus also let out a heavy sigh and began to move.
The situation ended quietly, as if nothing had happened.
However, the aftermath it left behind was surprisingly significant.
“What did he just say…?”
“Epimetheus was beaten by that ugly god?”
“That’s… even if he’s on the weaker side, he’s still a named high-ranking Titan…”
In this world, there existed basic common sense.
A Titan was, by nature, a being of immense power.
Yet from the conversation just now, it seemed clear that the ugly god they were seeing for the first time had defeated Epimetheus, a high-ranking Titan—even if a relatively weak one.
The extraordinary divine power visibly emanating from him, combined with a body that—despite his hideous face—could only be described as perfect, seemed to confirm the truth of that claim.
As a result, the female Titan and everyone else present.
Did not think, ‘How did that guy defeat a Titan? There must be some mistake.’
Instead, they arrived at the perfectly logical conclusion:
‘Oh, that guy’s just fucking strong.’
Watching the ugly god enter the mountain, carrying both surprise and wariness with him.
The female Titan, heading toward the conference hall inside Mount Othrys alongside her father Coeus.
She, whose name was Leto, quietly repeated that name to herself once more.
Hephaestus…
*
Cronus, King of the Titans.
He held the massive scythe made of adamant—the very one he had used to castrate his father Uranus in the past.
And at this moment, he was extremely displeased with the situation.
The highest-ranking Titans had gathered in one place at his declaration of war.
Yet the one dominating the atmosphere inside the conference hall right now was not Cronus, sitting on his black iron throne with the Adamant Scythe in hand.
It was Oceanus, who silently occupied his seat on one side.
Behind him stood a man with an appearance so wretched that even Cronus couldn’t help thinking, What kind of monster is that?
He was currently receiving the silent attention of every brother present.
And this was true not only for the other Titans, but for Cronus himself as well.
Oceanus… you’ve been hiding something like that all this time?
Oceanus, who had always preached nothing but worthless peace.
His insistence that there must never be war between family had always been dismissed by the Titans as the excuse of a weak coward.
But what was that army waiting outside?
A force displaying a ferocity unlike anything they had ever seen.
Though composed mostly of lesser gods and nymphs, the sheer presence they projected was no joke.
And this fact was complicating the mind of Cronus, who had intended to use this gathering both as a declaration of war and to tighten discipline.
At that moment.
-Clap!
“Now that everyone has gathered, let us begin the meeting. First, we will hear from Cronus, who called this assembly.”
Prometheus clapped lightly, cutting through the heavy atmosphere with his ever-present bright smile.
At his words, the Titans’ gazes turned toward Cronus.
Though the unsettled mood still lingered, he had at least captured their attention.
As the host of the meeting and King of the Titans, Cronus spoke in a grave voice.
“Thank you all for coming, my brothers.
The reason I called you here is because I can no longer tolerate the arrogance of the Olympian gods.
As you all know, starting with the theft of my throne, they have been planting their banners wherever they please across the world. If we allow this to continue, it won’t be long before they take everything we possess.”
“Well said!”
“Those greenhorn brats dare to eye even my seat!”
“We cannot simply sit and take this!”
“We must strike first! From now on, it’s war and nothing else!”
The Titans responded with heated enthusiasm to Cronus’s words.
About seventy percent of them reacted this way, while the remaining thirty percent, though hesitant, were gradually being swept along in agreement.
After all, in gatherings like this, opinions were usually decided by numbers and volume.
At that moment.
“I will not participate.”
“!”
“What?”
Oceanus’s calm yet crystal-clear voice rang out.
His words poured cold water over the heated atmosphere.
A declaration that directly defied Cronus’s will.
The gaze Cronus turned toward his brother grew icy cold.
“…Say that again. What did you just say?”
Cronus tightened his grip on the Adamant Scythe as he asked.
Oceanus slowly rose from his seat.
And once again spoke in a clear, unwavering voice.
“I said I will not participate in this war. Neither my children nor any of my subordinates.”
“Oceanus… you dare…”