King of Underworld

Chapter 174: A Strange Trojan War – (8)

The battle surrounding the walls of Troy continued for quite some time.

The Greek army, lacking proper siege weapons; Hector, the commander of Troy, putting up a fierce fight; and the intervention of Hades, which drove back the Greek heroes.

The divine walls of Troy, constructed by the gods themselves, and countless other variables dominated the battlefield.

Clang! Shhhhhh— Whoosh!

“Defend! The Mycenaean soldiers are climbing the western wall! Shoot arrows and push the ladders!”

“Let’s send Hector, the brother of Paris, to the underworld as well!”

“Aeneas! How long do you plan to cower inside the walls? Come out and fight!”

“Where are Polydoros and General Nestor?!”

“Throw rocks down from the walls! Drive away those who dare to target Troy!”

The fierce siege battle, where neither side could retreat, dragged on endlessly.

Commanders of divine lineage fell one after another, and the walls of Troy were stained red with blood.

Eventually, as darkness descended upon the world and the moon goddess Selene emerged into the night sky, the Greek coalition retreated.

This battle inflicted severe damage on both sides.

“Hector, sir! Queen Penthesilea has been severely injured and has been moved inside the fortress! It is suspected that she was struck by the sword of the hero Nestor earlier.”

“Prince Democon was struck in the chest by a spear and fell in battle. It seems likely that Achilles was the one who killed him.”

“The soldiers’ morale is low. Even though the Spartans have retreated, we have already lost two princes to Pluto’s embrace…”

“There are rumors that a soldier, a devotee of the underworld god, was possessed by Pluto himself and drove away the heroes.”

The situation for Troy was naturally dire.

The deaths of Prince Paris and Prince Democon, the severe injury of the Amazonian Queen Penthesilea.

And the terrifying abilities showcased by the Greek heroes until just moments ago.

If Hector had also fallen in the recent battle…

“For the time being, we must avoid direct confrontations with the Greek forces at all costs. Deiphobos! Keep a close watch on the soldiers and root out any spies that may have infiltrated when they entered the city. Also…”

Though Hector calmly directed the Trojan generals, the deep concern etched on his face hinted at the dire state of the battlefield.

Aeneas, his cousin, silently patted the back of the supreme commander, who had just lost two beloved brothers.

Meanwhile, even on the Greek side, which had claimed victory in today’s battle, the situation was not favorable.

The first reason was that they still had not managed to breach Troy, even with the powerful heroes leading the charge.

The second was that the heroes were now considering returning to Greece.

Agamemnon, the commander of the coalition forces, shouted angrily at Nestor, veins bulging in his neck.

“Why on earth did you retreat?! I saw with my own eyes that you were almost at the top of the wall!”

“There were circumstances. Please, calm down for now. Are you not aware of the excessive divine intervention in this battlefield?”

“What does that have to do with anything? We Greeks have the support of Lady Hera, Athena, and even Poseidon…”

“Pluto descended there.”

At Nestor’s calm statement, Agamemnon’s voice fell silent.

The faces of the other Greek commanders, who had been observing this exchange, turned grim.

“…Do not lie to me.”

“Aias. I am telling the truth. Even Agamemnon himself received an oracle from Poseidon, yet you question Pluto’s presence?”

“That’s entirely different! Why would the king of the underworld interfere in a war of the living?”

Zeus, the king of gods, could be left out of this discussion.

Poseidon, the sea god, was one of the three main deities, but at least he belonged to the world of the living.

The Greeks even offered sacrifices to him for safe voyages, making it plausible for him to support their cause.

But why would Pluto, known as the god of the underworld, meddle in a war among the living?

Though it was known that he favored Troy, Nestor’s words implied that the ruler of the underworld had descended into the world of the living.

“When I was about to set foot on the wall, I locked eyes with Pluto. That was undoubtedly the power of the underworld.”

“Is there no chance that you were mistaken? If it were another god instead…”

“Absolutely not. Thanks to my adventures… Ahem. My experiences in my youth, I remember clearly.”

“……”

Indeed. Nestor and Polydoros were heroes with far more experience than most others present.

If Nestor spoke with such certainty, then it must be true that Pluto had descended into the mortal realm.

Wouldn’t this cause problems even if they won the war? Inside Troy’s walls, there was not only a temple of Apollo but also a temple of Pluto.

If, during the looting after conquering the city, even a finger was laid on that temple…

Their afterlife might be in peril.

“At any rate, we’ll be on our way now.”

“Hmm. Something went awry from the moment the god of fairness intervened. Until next time, then.”

While other commanders fretted over the repercussions and prospects of Pluto’s descent…

Nestor and Polydoros each spoke briefly before leaving the Greek camp.

Agamemnon watched the heroes leave for a moment before clutching his head.

His voice quietly filled the tent.

“…If anyone has an idea, speak up. How can we breach the walls of Troy?”

“The attrition of our forces is too severe.”

“Indeed. The Spartans and Nestor’s army from Pylos have already left…”

“The losses are immense. Perhaps we should consider retreating?”

“Troy is under Pluto’s protection, isn’t it? I fear dying and…”

Someone’s last words brought the oracle to everyone’s mind.

The oracle spoken when they set out for Troy.

The outcome of the war was no longer in human hands.

“Gods.”

“Indeed. At Troy, the Sun God and Pluto are…”

“Well, even though Goddess Athena is on our side…”

It was no longer something that could be resolved by human effort.

But withdrawing now would leave them empty-handed, and returning with nothing would invite scorn from their people.

They would be mocked for starting a pointless war.

In the silence among the Greek generals, someone opened their mouth to speak.

“Since Pluto is on Troy’s side, shouldn’t we seek the aid of Poseidon?”

“The aid of Poseidon?”

“He has always been favorable to us Greeks. If we offer abundant sacrifices, won’t he help us?”

Their minds raced, calculating possibilities.

Would Poseidon respond? If so, how much sacrifice would suffice?

“If this attempt also fails… we’ll truly have to retreat from this land of Troy.”

“I agree. If we die here and face the King of the Underworld, who knows what punishment awaits us?”

“What mortal could avoid pondering the afterlife? Let’s end this here.”

“…Very well. This seems settled. Let us offer abundant sacrifices to Poseidon and make one final assault! If the gods protect Troy, we too must rely on divine aid!”

Agamemnon, the supreme commander, summarized the decision.

If Poseidon aided them, a breakthrough in the attack on Troy was possible.

Returning empty-handed was not an option.

The next day, the Greek army felled trees nearby and built a massive altar on the beach.

Reflecting their desperation, the altar was piled high with dazzling treasures and prime livestock.

Whoosh!

The altar was set ablaze, and Agamemnon looked toward the sea, shouting.

“Great Poseidon! These are sacrifices offered to the Lord of the Sea!”

Crash-!

Suddenly, a colossal wave rose and devoured the altar greedily.

In an instant, nothing was left behind… which Agamemnon interpreted as a good omen.

“I, Agamemnon, King of Mycenae, implore your aid!”

“…!”

“Ah. Ah… over there!”

“Poseidon has answered! Kneel, everyone!”

The sea moved of its own accord, forming the shape of a gigantic figure.

A towering god of water holding a trident looked down upon them, his divine majesty radiating in all directions.

The pressure that crushed mortals. It was undoubtedly Poseidon!

Surely, he was here because they needed his aid to conquer Troy.

“That’s right! Pluto, deceived by those cunning Trojans, is siding with them. Please, aid us!”

The water giant mimicked stroking a beardless chin, then spoke again.

Very well. I shall speak to Hades on your behalf, considering your sincerity.

“…!!! Thank you, Lord of the Seas! If Troy falls, we shall offer you great tributes!”

The water deity soon dissolved into gentle waves, and the Greek coalition brightened with hope.

Excellent. If Troy has the Lord of the Underworld, we have Poseidon on our side!

This was the Underworld.

Still busy due to the Trojan War.

And a certain pitiful husband was being berated by his wives.

The undeniable accusation was that he had dared to delegate work to his beloved wives while sneaking away to the mortal world.

Goddess Styx, her face flushed red with anger, trembled.

Goddess Lethe crossed her arms, pouting and nodding in agreement.

From a distance, Persephone subtly cheered them on, while Menthe avoided eye contact, nervously glancing around.

“Hades. You went to the mortal world again? I had to handle all the work alone! You’re the God of the Underworld, so why do you keep leaving? Why?”

“Wait. Styx. Calm down for a moment…”

“Be quiet! Handle all of this immediately. I’m heading to the River Styx to escort the dead…”

Thud!

A mountain of documents was slammed down. There was… so much of it.

I felt both sorry and grateful.

While I was absent, my wives had to divide the responsibilities of ultimate authority in the Underworld.

There were four of them, but Persephone lacked experience, and Menthe, a concubine and a minor goddess, had limited capacity.

In truth, Goddesses Lethe and Styx had borne most of the burden.

“Hades, Lord Poseidon’s divine beast is at the entrance to the Underworld…”

“Tell them to bring him in immediately.”

Sigh.