Chapter 559 - Kronos (9) (1/2)

One after the other, black and red lightning bolts fell from the sky near Kronos’ corpse. Crash! Crash! Crash!

『How did this…?』

『###...the King of the Underworld…has appeared…! Need…to…let…know…!』

The Titans who had followed Helios and still waited for him to come out were thrown into chaos as Sword Thunder pierced their chests in an unexpected attack. They had no idea that Yeon-woo and his party would show up, expecting them to try to take the Temple of the King of the Underworld, where there were traces of Hades, or move to Erebus. They also thought he might try to aim for the Gigantes and Persephone. They never considered that Yeon-woo’s party would attack them, and now they were caught shorthanded. Those on the outskirts hurriedly tried to open their Channel with Theia to inform her of Yeon-woo’s attack.

Crack! “I’m sorry, but we’d like to move as cautiously and as quietly as possible.”

They thought they saw something flash, but even before they understood what was happening, their decapitated heads were already rising in the air. Prince Nezha, Erlang Shen, Agares, and Fenrir, had quickly eliminated them. Hercules also appeared, laughing cheerfully as if he were having the time of his life.

Athena was a little startled by the sight of the great beings working together. They were all gods with outstanding skills, and each one of them could reach the status of a supreme god. How did Yeon-woo build such friendly relations with them and bring them over to his side? She felt awed by his abilities. ‘It doesn’t seem like he’s exuviated yet…but he can still overwhelm the Titans.’

As if he were making a point that Syceus’ defeat wasn’t a fluke, Yeon-woo used Sword Thunder, its brilliance leaving a lasting impression on Athena. Crackle! The Titans were reduced to dust by Yeon-woo’s strikes.

“Let’s move.” Yeon-woo put the steaming Vigrid down, observing the situation and spreading his Sky Wings. Athena nodded and followed Yeon-woo. Although deprived of her divine throne, Athena still possessed a considerable amount of divine power, so she was more agile than most of the lower gods.

Yeon-woo and Athena had landed on Kronos’ face. Since many years had passed since he’d lain on the ground, his face was covered in vegetation and looked like a mountain ridge. The endless gorges and caves only gave them a rough idea of Kronos’ facial features.

Rumble! Rumble! The Casts on Yeon-woo’s limbs trembled in unison. Athena was slightly startled.

“Your…?”

“They said that Kronos was an Apostle of the Black King, so it makes sense they would react like this.” Yeon-woo did not spare too much thought on it. In fact, from the time he first entered Tartarus, the Casts of the Black King had reacted strongly the closer he got to Kronos’ corpse. Perhaps this was only natural since Casts remembered their original owner, and they could see that his former Apostle was now in a pitiful state. Of course the Casts would resonate with the traces of divine power, and because they were closer than ever, the Casts were reacting more strongly than before.

“I’m going to head in.”

“Is it really all right to enter on your own? We can go together…!” Athena asked worriedly, but Yeon-woo shook his head resolutely.

“It’s much easier for me to go in alone.”

Athena was a bit saddened by Yeon-woo’s terse rejection, but she knew that she would only be in the way if she followed, so she meekly nodded and backed away. However, concern still remained in her eyes as she watched Yeon-woo.

Typhon’s words kept ringing in her ears. The divine domain of time would ensnare the existence of anyone who came into contact with Kronos without any preparation and suspend them in a state of pause forever. Typhon also said that he did not know how to rewind Kronos’ clockwork and that only Mother Earth and her Apostle, Persephone, knew the process. Despite this, Yeon-woo was still determined to jump into Kronos.

Yeon-woo’s plan terrified Athena and his companions, but he dispelled their concerns at once. Kronos had been the Apostle of the Black King, but Yeon-woo himself was a successor of the Black King. As far as Yeon-woo was concerned, he and Kronos were in equal positions, so he most likely wouldn’t be paused. If he encountered any trouble, he could simply call on emptiness and the chains.

In the end, no one could convince Yeon-woo not to go, and they decided to simply secure the area until he came back. At this point, the Titans and Gigantes were probably busy battling each other, but it was still best to be prepared in case something unexpected happened.

“As I said earlier, if I don’t show up by the deadline we set, please pull this chain. You’ll be able to understand Kronos’ inner structure as well.” Yeon-woo placed the end of the chain in Athena’s hand.

It would be as complicated as a maze inside Kronos’ corpse, and in order to find his way back, Yeon-woo had decided to follow the example of Theseus using Ariadne’s string in the legends. He left the end of the chain with Athena so she could pull him out. It would help him find his way back and in the worst case, Athena would be able to retrieve his paused body if he was afflicted with a divine disease.

If that happened, Athena and the others would still be able to understand the workings of Kronos’s corpse by reading the vestiges of his paused self, and it wouldn’t be a total loss.

“All right. But don’t overdo it.”

“OK.” Yeon-woo nodded and threw himself into the cave which they believed was Kronos’ mouth.

“Please be safe.” Athena quietly prayed as she stared at the darkness that swallowed up Yeon-woo.

***

‘It’s deep.’ This was all Yeon-woo could think about as soon as he entered the darkness. He fell without end until he didn’t even know if he was still falling. All his senses were sealed off, and only his consciousness remained. Or rather, it was more accurate to say that his senses had been paused. ‘My consciousness is fairly strong, so it shouldn’t succumb too easily, but it’s probably just a matter of time before it gets paused as well.’

The senses of transcendent beings weren’t limited to the usual five that mortals possessed. They could also sense the law of natural order and understand what was happening with the world. They could tap into the metaphysical realm and sense the flow of time and space, as well as the various causalities that existed within.

If a being possessed an awareness that could contemplate the entire universe, what would they feel if they were suddenly thrown into a place that made that impossible? They would probably collapse very quickly. Regardless of one’s mental strength, it was difficult to withstand the loss of something that one had enjoyed throughout one's entire life. The transcendents would probably consider a place like this hell.