Then Die
A cool breeze swept through the air.
At the entrance to Mount Othrys, Oceanus's army stood at attention.
Under the command of the goddess Styx, their formation remained perfectly straight, free of even the slightest ripple.
The sight delivered an overwhelming pressure that crushed the Titans, low-ranking gods, and subordinate fairies gathered there.
A legion that had shocked and terrified everyone from the very beginning.
Right after came Epimetheus's trivial commotion, which only made that fear more solid.
‘That first guy was so strong he took down Epimetheus…’
‘That means… even Oceanus's army over there…’
It had never been his intention, yet the event once again planted a powerful deterrence in their minds: mess with them and you could end up in real trouble.
Oceanus's army, receiving those fear-filled stares in real time, and the goddess Styx commanding them.
But…
At this very moment, the mind of Styx, leading the army, and the warriors arrayed behind her was anything but calm.
-‘Zelos… is this okay as it is?’
-‘Hey, Niké noona… you’re the goddess of victory, yet you ask me that? My conscience is eating me alive!’
-‘Everyone, stay quiet or you’ll be discovered!’
-‘Quiet. Don’t get distracted. Hold your positions. One tiny gap and it’s over.’
Styx quietly warned her shaking children.
Yet she was no less uneasy inside.
No, honestly, she was terribly anxious.
After all, the situation now was one she shared with the family and fairies behind her.
It was no different from standing on thin ice.
To the outside eye, Oceanus's army looked like it could shatter anything blocking its path.
But that was only surface appearance.
In truth, the army was nothing more than a shiny shell.
Just look at the weapons and armor in their hands.
They were far from impressive.
In just one month.
No matter how powerful Hephaestus was.
He had rushed together the insufficient materials and produced weapons focused solely on quantity.
The three worst guarantees for quality: deadline pressure, cost-cutting, and mass production.
Items mass-produced with the worst possible quality control.
Even though they were made of iron, the armor and shields were thin, barely enough to withstand Titans.
And the spears were only minimally fitted.
Honestly, thinking of the divine power of the Titans, this was no better than fighting with bare fists.
Of course, the ones wearing them were genuine divine beings who wielded divine power.
If these warriors had perfectly mastered ancient phalanx tactics, even with this poor equipment, they might have achieved some meaningful results against the Titans here.
But…
They had not yet learned even the basic skills needed for group combat.
Nor the basic combat doctrines.
In the tight deadline, the only thing they had drilled into their bones was what Hephaestus named.
Basic drill training.
Simply marching in perfect formation.
That was all.
Even that had been difficult to learn, but the gods who slept little had practiced day and night.
They succeeded in mastering the drill perfectly.
For them, it was far better to be dragged into a meaningless battlefield and suffer, than to die for a month following their father's orders while training.
So, this army that looked like a real army only from the outside.
Fortunately, the operation had gone smoothly and they now controlled the surrounding atmosphere completely.
Yet they stood frozen, anxiously awaiting the outcome in case disaster struck.
‘Please let it be all right… Father… and my nephew…’
*
“Ah… no…”
“How could this be…”
Oceanus, who had declared he would not join the war.
At the same time, deep unease stirred within the conference hall.
What kind of place was this?
It was a meeting, but in reality a place to declare the start of war.
And a place to coldly inform the foolish ones who still couldn’t grasp the situation of the harsh reality.
Yet even though he knew this clearly.
Oceanus had not wavered to the very end.
He had chosen to face the situation head-on.
“Have you not broken that foolish stubbornness even now? I have explained it so many times already!”
“I’m sorry, but no matter the reason, no matter what happens, we cannot shed family blood.”
“Oceanus… truly to the end…”
“If you want to do such filthy things, do it with your own kind.”
Immediately after, Oceanus rose from his seat without another word.
At the same time, Cronus stood up from his black iron throne.
“G-God Cronus, please calm down and continue talking…”
“Shut up! Prometheus, didn’t you see?! I even offered my hand as a brother’s final courtesy, yet he refuses to the end!”
With clear fury, Cronus began to release vast divine power.
The air trembled.
A chill ran through every Titan present.
The horrifying divine power that had toppled the sky.
The other Titans stiffened, their faces hard.
They simply feared the situation.
They knew.
At this point, Cronus would not spare the betrayer.
There would be no choice but to abandon them or cleanse them.
As expected.
Cronus made his decision quickly.
-Thunk!
Like an arrow, Cronus rushed toward Oceanus in an instant.
The weapon forged by Gaia, the one used to castrate Uranus, the father.
The Adamant Scythe in hand.
A single strike that split the vast sky.
It fell straight toward Oceanus's head.
To make the unthinkable reality.
But…
-Whoosh!!!!
“!”
“Ah… no?”
The next instant.
A sound that should never have reached their ears.
And what their eyes saw.
A scene that should never have been seen.
It was…
An absolute strike carrying power that split the sky.
The strongest weapon, the Adamant Scythe forged by Gaia.
Blocked by a silver-shining metal shield.
And the one holding the shield.
The young male god whose name they had not even clearly known.
The ugly one.
“This… what is this…”
An unexpected situation.
The impossible happening filled Cronus with bewilderment as he opened his mouth.
The shield-bearing god.
Gripped the gauntleted fist on the opposite side firmly.
“No more words.”
“?”
And.
“Then die.”
“!? Gah—!!!”
The next instant.
The burning gauntlet struck Cronus's abdomen.
A single blow that precisely exploited the opening left by the blocked scythe.
It sent Cronus flying with the force of a volcano erupting.
-Wham!!!
An ear-splitting boom that shook the entire mountain.
Cronus's body slammed into one of the walls.
And.
“This… this bastard…!”
The next moment, what Cronus saw when he tried to rise.
It was
The ugly guy with glowing red eyes, about to drive his fist.
Immediately after,
A burning gauntlet flying straight toward his face.
“!!”
The moment he recognized it.
One emotion rose instantly in Cronus's heart.
Fear.
The exact same feeling he had felt right after vomiting out his children.
The sensation began to feel vividly real.
And Cronus's eyes widened.
At that moment.
“Enough, Hephaestus.”
“!?”
“…?”
Oceanus's voice echoed through the conference hall.
At the same time, the gauntlet that had reached Cronus's nose stopped dead right in front of his eyes.
As the red-hot gauntlet cooled, the rampaging brute stopped in its place exactly as its master instructed.
Then it retreated immediately.
With a slight sense of relief, in the heavy silence.
Oceanus looked down at Cronus still slumped on the floor.
In a quiet voice he said.
“I will say it once more. I will not join this war. I will not side with you or with Olympus.”
“Ugh…”
“The reason I came here is to convey that fact clearly. But if you continue to demand my participation, then I will draw my sword against Olympus first.”
“This… this bastard…”
Fury surged in Cronus again at Oceanus's words.
He tried to stand and continue fighting.
But.
-'Please calm down, God Cronus. You cannot fight any further.'
“!”
Prometheus's voice immediately cut into his mind.
Following it, his story continued.
Cronus barely regained his composure.
-'God Cronus, didn't you see? If the conflict drags on any longer, Oceanus's army outside will move. If that happens…'
“…”
Forgotten in anger.
The massive army arrayed outside.
Cronus had seen that imposing power with his own eyes.
He could not claim certainty, but if they fought, at least half or more of his current forces would be lost.
In this moment when war with Olympus's gods loomed.
To provoke this fellow who wanted to stand still and suffer meaningless damage was nothing but foolishness.
And here was another reason in Cronus's mind to stop here.
‘He blocked… my strike… my attack that even my father could not fell… with Gaia's weapon… with a mere shield like this…’
The shield that had stopped even the strongest attack using the Adamant Scythe.
It also delivered a heavy pain to his abdomen.
And then a burning gauntlet had flown toward his face.
All weapons of the ugly young male god who looked nothing like a hero.
Although the divine power he felt in the previous strike had seemed slightly incomplete.
If pushed to the end, he might still win.
But he would have taken considerable damage along the way.
No matter how much sweat he could produce against Oceanus's nameless hound, it would only erode his own reputation and darken the mood.
When facing real enemies, he did not want to waste strength on such things.
Following Prometheus's words and his own thoughts.
Cronus arrived at the wisest judgment he could make.
“So… if you truly hate war that much… then leave at once. As a brother, this is my final courtesy.”
“…Thank you, brother.”
The short yet heavy moment ended.
-'Well done, God Cronus.'
Hearing Prometheus's words that eased his heart, Cronus brushed dust from his clothes and sat back on the black iron throne with perfect composure.
An unexpected turn had shaken the atmosphere greatly.
But they still had work to do.
“What are you all doing? Continue the meeting.”
“H-Hower…”
“Are… are you all right, brother? You looked like you took a pretty hard punch.”
“I'm fine. That whelp's fist was no worse than a giant mosquito bite.”
Cronus casually tapped his aching abdomen where the fist had landed and spoke calmly.
A sense of relief began to appear on the other Titans' faces.
“Ugh… hah… yeah, that's right.”
“Hah… haha… I see. Yeah, a childish little blow like that is just light mischief.”
“I didn't expect you to throw a punch like that from there, but it was only this much. You couldn't have done anything to God Cronus.”
“Haha…”
Honestly, the throbbing pain still in his abdomen was far beyond a mosquito bite.
But Cronus could not show weakness any further.
As king, in a situation where war was at hand, he could not lose his dignity.
The previous incident had been no more than being bitten by a bug.
No need to care, no need to assign meaning.
It was simply that.
Yet…
Unlike Cronus desperately maintaining his dignity and the Titans covering for him.
At this very moment.
One female Titan watching the scene…
Leto was…
Staring blankly at the ugly male god leaving the conference hall with Oceanus.
She could not take her eyes off him until the very end.
‘He blew him away… that Cronus in one blow… a feat Zeus could not accomplish…’
The most shocking scene of her life.
While remembering that scene deeply imprinted in her mind.
Leto gripped her own trembling hands.
She bit her lip slightly.
‘A strong man… maybe that man…’