Suddenly, another sun appeared in the sky, causing the surrounding sunlight to intensify significantly. Hades couldn't help but put on a pair of sunglasses.
As that "sun" drew closer, Hades realized it wasn't a sun at all, but a man radiating solar brilliance while riding the legendary Pegasus. His appearance was that of a top-tier handsome man, with golden hair reminiscent of the dazzling sun and beautiful eyebrows that didn't suggest even a hint of weakness. His physique was as robust as a god's, and the white clothes and cloak he wore were clearly not modern attire.
Hades took off his sunglasses, looked at the handsome man, and said, "Perseus, it's you."
"Who are you? Strange, I clearly feel the aura of the Dragon Serpent, so why is that aura on you?" Perseus, riding atop Pegasus, looked at Hades and asked in confusion.
Hades looked at Perseus and said, "Have you forgotten? I once accepted Zeus's request and lent you my Helm of Invisibility to aid you in your crusade against Medusa."
"The Helm of Invisibility? So it's you! Uncle Hades!" Upon hearing Hades mention the words 'my Helm of Invisibility,' Perseus immediately jumped down from Pegasus's back and bowed to Hades.
Hades placed his hands behind his back and spoke to Perseus with the dignity of an elder:
"Was it you who specifically targeted Athena? Why would you do such a thing? Don't forget that she is your sister, and she also bestowed upon you the bronze shield to help you defeat Medusa."
"Lord Hades! You should know! Medusa is one of Athena's incarnations! Because an old nemesis and the [Dragon Serpent] have appeared, I have descended to this earth! It is all to prove my martial prowess as a god of [Steel]!" Perseus spoke with heroic flair and gestures that seemed somewhat flamboyant.
Ignoring Perseus's theatrics, Hades tossed several strands of Athena's hair toward him and said, "Athena is under my care. Give up on her and return to myth."
"I cannot do that, Lord Hades. Slaying the goddess of the [Dragon Serpent] is also our mission as gods of [Steel]. If you intend to stop me, even if you are my uncle, I will cut you down." A falchion appeared in Perseus's hand, which he pointed at Hades.
Eye Attack!!
Hades released a powerful impact from his eyes, directly blasting Perseus away. The falchion he held was also shattered into basic atoms by the impact.
Afterward, Hades used his telekinesis to freeze Perseus in mid-air. As Hades drew closer, the impact Perseus felt became even more intense. It was as if there were an air wall behind Perseus; the stronger the impact, the greater the damage his body sustained.
"Perseus, is this how you treat your elder? And have you actually forgotten Athena's kindness and the fact that she is your sister?" Hades said as he walked.
With those words, Hades released his telekinetic grip on Perseus, leaving him to collapse onto the ground covered in wounds.
Propping himself up, Perseus forced a smile with blood trickling from the corner of his mouth and said, "As expected of Lord Hades, the older brother of my father, the Great God Zeus."
"However! If it's you, you should fear this!!"
Perseus stood tall as solar light radiated from behind him. His wounds vanished, and his body fully recovered. He raised his hands and chanted a Kotodama:
"O ancestors, O radiance of the East, please grant me strength—create a miracle in your name! Come now, respond to the oath of the snake-slaying warrior! O incarnation of 'Victory' that serves the shining sun! Lay down your sword! Bow down and submit! O Sun of the East! Grant me strength!"
As soon as he finished, the solar light behind Perseus became even more brilliant, appearing like the true sun descending to the surface. The dazzling intensity forced Hades to put on his sunglasses again.
Perseus smiled triumphantly and said, "Uncle, after being banished to the dark and sunless Underworld, you must have never seen the light of the sun before. What Underworld gods fear most is the sunlight that can dispel all darkness."
At that moment, Hades extended his right hand clad in underworld armor. A powerful Cosmos gathered in his palm, forming a massive purple-black energy sphere which he then fired at Perseus.
"What!!" Perseus cried out in shock. He tried to use his solar light to dispel the giant energy sphere composed of darkness, but the darkness contained within it was beyond his imagination and impossible to dispel.
Hades defeated Perseus with just a single strike. Lowering his right hand, Hades said, "Indeed, if it were the original me (Hades), I wouldn't be able to endure your sunlight. But to me now, it's just a slightly irritating glare."
"Alright, Perseus. No, Mithra. I know you have a second life. Show yourself at once." Hades looked toward a nearby patch of grass.
A flash of solar light appeared, and Perseus's white-clad figure manifested once more. However, this time he seemed strained; shortly after appearing, he clutched his chest and knelt on the ground.
"As expected of my uncle, you even know my abilities and true name." Cold sweat dripped from Perseus's forehead as he forced a smile, this time for real.
Mithra—this was Perseus's other name, the Sun God from Zoroastrian mythology.
Initially, he was just Perseus—a man from the East, a stranger who saved Princess Andromeda from the Great Serpent, a master swordsman who slew snakes... He was originally such a simple existence.
The place where the deity Mithra was worshipped and reigned at the center of the world was precisely the nation we know as Rome. The people of this nation worshipped gods imported from abroad to establish new religions, having a very generous yet chaotic habit. The homeland of the foreign god Mithras was Persia, located to the east of Rome. Additionally, there was another god who appeared from the East, Helios—the Greek Sun God who had his own palace at the edge of the East, known as Sol in Rome! Both were 'men from the East' and'Sun Gods.' The careless Romans eventually began to treat Helios as Mithras, and subsequently, another 'man from the East'—Perseus—was added into the mix.
This is why Perseus could use the authority of the sun; it was because his divine nature included not only Perseus but also the Sun God Mithra.
Perseus managed to recover some strength and stood up. A quiver full of arrows appeared on his back, and solar light radiated from him once more. Holding a longbow, he drew it into a full moon shape and notched an arrow, preparing for a final stand.
"I now fire this arrow with the protection of the solar disc! O Sun rising in the East, grant me strength! Grant my uncle, Hades, King of the Underworld, the hammer of defeat! Now, please lend me the protection of the solar disc once more and fire this arrow!"
Whoosh!!
The arrow, carrying the aura of the sun, was fired. Mid-flight, it split into countless arrows, forming the shape of a solar disc.
Hades's expression turned slightly cold. The Hades Sword appeared in his hand, and he swung it, releasing a cold sword light:
"Hades Slash."
The sword light, resembling cold moonlight, surged forward. In an instant, the cold moonlight completely swallowed the dazzling sunlight, and Perseus's white figure was annihilated.
Just like the Great Eclipse, the sun will eventually be swallowed by the moon.
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