"...I see. You kept refusing me, and in the end...!"
On Olympus, a woman of exquisite beauty looked down upon the world below with a twisted expression.
Her name was Aphrodite.
She had once seen Astellon's face and tried to seduce him, but each attempt had failed, and she had never won his heart.
"To think you would push me this far...! Very well, I'll break that arrogance of yours!"
Angered, Aphrodite cast one brief glance at Astellon and his kingdom, Eirene, before moving elsewhere.
Whoosh
On a peaceful afternoon like any other, I was tending to Hecate, whose belly had grown heavy with child, when I took a short walk along the shore with Thetis.
But Thetis's expression suddenly stiffened, and she spoke to me in a flustered voice.
"Astellon, I can hear an ominous resonance from the bottom of the sea."
As she pointed toward the water, I too saw a vast mass of black clouds gathering beyond the horizon.
"That is..."
And within it, I discovered something.
Like a colossal serpent, it was riding the great waves and rushing swiftly toward Eirene.
"What in the world is that?"
As I stared in shock, Hecate watched it and opened her mouth.
"...Leviathan. Poseidon's child."
"What? What do you mean?"
"Well..."
According to Hecate, the thing now approaching was Leviathan, a dragonlike monster hundreds of meters long, covered in deep blue scales.
"Why would it come here, of all places...?"
"It seems to be the will of a god. Divine power is flowing between those scales. From the look of it... it seems Aphrodite has done something."
"Ah..."
"So something is going on."
"That is..."
At Hecate's words, I told her what Aphrodite had done to me until now, and at my account, Hecate's and Thetis's expressions hardened.
"Then... this must be Aphrodite's doing."
"Why would Lord Poseidon..."
"Who knows. That one was a child even Poseidon cast out. Back then it was weak, but with time it grew into that. It seems Aphrodite must have used some illusion or other to bring it here after seeing it."
"..."
"From the looks of it, ordinary attacks won't work. And... it seems only blind violence remains."
"...Evacuate the people."
At Hecate's words, I ordered the nearby soldiers to evacuate the kingdom's people, and in an instant countless citizens fled, turning the place into utter chaos.
Then I went to the shore and drew the kingdom's sacred sword.
And in answer, Leviathan drew near to me as well.
The waves raised by its movement surged forward as though they would swallow everything before my eyes.
"...It's coming."
I muttered low under my breath.
At that moment—
Crack
The hundreds-of-meters-long Leviathan, with its dark blue scales, stood directly before me.
For a moment I faltered at its majestic form, but I tightened my grip on the sacred sword.
"...I'll finish this quickly."
Then I raised the blade.
The kingdom's sacred sword, my authority, my very existence.
"....Here I go."
I stepped forward.
Leviathan lowered its body as well. And then—
Kwaaaaaa—
Leviathan opened its maw, and from within it a massive water-pressure bombardment poured forth.
"..!"
I immediately raised my sword.
"True Name Release. Sacred light is borne upon the bloodline, and resplendent authority gathers upon this blade. My will is the shape of the world itself, and the proof of dominion! Aidos (Proof of Kingship)!!"
With that, the wave of light I unleashed spread out before me.
It collided head-on with the water-pressure blast Leviathan had fired.
Kwaaaaaaaaaa—
The impact triggered a tremendous explosion.
Nearby buildings were swept up and hurled away.
I, too, could not properly see ahead through the force of the blast.
Then, when the cloud of dust finally cleared—
"...Is it over?"
I looked toward the place where Leviathan had stood.
And then, from within the smoke, a massive shadow stirred.
"...No."
Leviathan was still standing.
Some of its scales had been shattered, and blood flowed from all over its body, but—
"...It's still alive."
Its eyes were burning even redder than before.
"...Berserk...?"
Kraaaaaaah—!!!
Leviathan, consumed by madness, began rampaging like a beast possessed.
Each time it moved, waves crashed over the city, buildings collapsed, and the earth split apart.
"Damn it...!"
I gritted my teeth.
"Was the output... not enough..."
No.
That was not it.
What I had just unleashed was an attack carrying all of my magical energy.
That monster had simply endured it.
And because of that, it had gone mad with frenzy—but in truth, it was even more dangerous now that it had entered that state.
Crack!!
While I was thinking, a colossal tail came flying toward me.
I blocked it with my sword, but—
Bang!
"Ghk...!"
I could not fully withstand the force, and my body was sent flying, rolling across the ground several times.
"...Hah."
I couldn't breathe.
"This is..."
This was not an opponent I could defeat head-on in my current state.
The dragon, lost to frenzy, destroyed everything around it.
It did not care even if its own body was wounded in the process.
"...Not yet. Not yet...!"
I forced my body back up and tightened my grip on the sword once more.
"I'll go to the end..."
Kwaaaaaa—!
The moment I stood, Leviathan opened its mouth again.
At this breath, fired from even closer than before, I instinctively knew I would not be able to evade it this time.
"...Damn it..."
And then, at that very moment—
"[Cease.]"
"...Huh?"
Time stopped.
The waves.
The sound.
Even Leviathan itself froze in place.
I looked around in confusion, and soon saw a dark shadow spreading across the sky like night itself.
And from within that darkness, I felt gazes directed at me.
"[I shall ask you, young human king.]"
Then a voice echoed from within the darkness.
And the instant I heard it, my whole body trembled, and some part of me screamed that I could never defeat the being behind that voice.
"[What is it that you seek to protect?]"
"...What?"
"[Answer me, young king.]"
At the voice's words, I was briefly taken aback, but the unknown presence pressed me as though there were no time to waste.
"...As a king, I protect the people who follow and believe in me."
"[Wrong.]"
"..What?"
"[That is your duty. I ask again, young king. What is it that you truly do not wish to lose?]"
"...."
The moment I heard those words, my mind fell silent as if by lie.
And countless memories flashed past.
Those who had been with me since childhood, those who followed and trusted me without condition. Even my precious wives.
"....The people."
As I kept thinking of them, I answered the voice again.
"[Be specific.]"
"...Hecate, Thetis, Atalanta, Medea, Hippolyta... everyone who is by my side."
"[And the reason?]"
"...Because they are precious to me."
"[....]"
After I answered, the voice fell silent for a while. Then—
"[You pass.]"
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When the voice spoke again, its tone had softened considerably from before.
And the moment that answer was given, the darkness covering the sky enveloped me.
"...W-What is this?!"
As I panicked, the voice spoke again.
"[...I am watching, of course, and so is she. You are an unusual vessel.]"
"A vessel?"
"[One capable of receiving our power. But now is not yet the time. So I shall lend it to you only once.]"
With those words, the darkness surrounding me began to flow into me little by little.
"[Only a portion.]"
As the darkness seeped into me, my heart pounded violently.
"Ghaaaah...!!"
As the darkness flowed into me, I felt the greatest pain I had ever known.
And then, as that pain gradually faded, strength began to surge through my body.
"This is..."
"[Watch closely, young king.]"
And with those words, my vision was swallowed by darkness. When that darkness vanished, what had been frozen began to move once more.