abcnovels
Chapter 32
Chapter 32
Chapter 32 – The Oath Of The River Styx
“Heave-ho!”
“Huh? Kyaa!”
With a smirk, I wrapped my arms around her waist and neck, and as I stood up, the elegant huntress screamed, but before she knew it, she was clinging to me like a koala.
“Waaah! W-wait! This is too embarrassing for me!”
“Let’s see… Wow, you really had a feast.”
Feeling playful after a long time, I had no intention of letting go of Atalanta, who was wriggling in my arms.
Atalanta, who was slightly smaller than me, lightly struggled with her chin resting on my shoulder, telling me to let go quickly.
Despite her words, her body was honest, and soon she was squirming and gradually burrowing into my arms.
“Hehe!”
“Yeah, yeah, it was nice, right?”
What should I say? It was as if Eros’s golden arrow had pierced through both her and me.
I didn’t want to part from the warmth of these arms, and Atalanta, with her face as red as her hair, buried her head in my shoulder.
Seeing this, I quietly laughed, supporting her hips with my arms to make her comfortable, and gently patting her increasingly reddened head, I slowly looked around.
Just moments ago, the Colosseum that had dominantly surrounded us was now barely standing, as if it would collapse with a slight touch, and the aftermath had spread to the forest, with parts of it mercilessly blown away beyond the ruins.
Fortunately, it seemed there were no casualties, as there was no scent of blood or the sound of others groaning.
“Ugh…”
“No, could there be a survivor left?”
“Probably not? As soon as you guys started fighting, the nymphs and centaurs evacuated, and the others were led to safety by Jason and Theseus.”
“Why didn’t the noble huntress leave?”
“…I don’t know!”
The red-haired beauty’s face flushed bright red, lightly pounding on my shoulder.
For a man, it was an instinct to get playful when faced with such a lovely sight.
“Hey… d-don’t ignore me…”
But what’s this groaning, like a dying boar?
Slowly turning my head, I saw Hercules crawling on the ground, his eyes swollen.
“Eek! Hurry, put me down!”
Atalanta screamed and slipped out of my arms, realizing someone else was watching us. But, in truth, she had nothing to worry about.
With my agile dodging of those tree-trunk-like arms and legs, I managed to land hits only on the face.
Thanks to that, his entire face was so swollen that he couldn’t see ahead.
“Hey, you’re alive?”
“Pff! Pffhahaha! That’s right.”
Hercules, who had been rampaging like a beast just a moment ago, laughed as if relieved.
“Hng…! I’ve never been beaten up like this since I was born.”
“Me neither; it was the fiercest attack I’ve ever faced.”
“Hahahaha! That’s a nice compliment!”
Hercules, with his swollen face, leaned back and laughed as if he found it amusing.
“Haha… Ha, I guess I should apologize first.”
“Hey, don’t move. Your wound will reopen.”
Honestly, the wounds on his face from being punched were just minor bruises, so they should be fine.
Hercules’s chest, struck directly by the thunderbolt, had five distinct scars.
“Ugh… Th-this much…!”
“Hey, Atalanta, do you have any of that healing potion left?”
“What?! Th-the potion? I used it all earlier!”
“Huh? Is that the real Atalanta next to you? Ow, ow, ow…!”
Atalanta shook her head frantically, and Hercules, hearing her voice, frowned with his swollen face, complaining about the pain.
“A big guy like you making such a fuss over a little swelling?”
“Where else would I have gotten hit like this? Oh… it hurts…”
I stared at Hercules as if questioning what he was saying. He pouted his lips in genuine grievance.
“Did you put something on your fist? This is the first time a punch has hurt this much since Master Chiron!”
After all, it was the martial art of a monster who rose to the position of the cult leader through sheer punches and kicks in the ten-thousand-year history of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
There was a master who declared that he would defeat superior martial arts using only physical techniques and left the cult.
Both the demonic practitioners and the Justice Sects called him crazy and pointed fingers at him, but as the famous sects of the martial world of the Central Plains fell one by one to his fists, eventually, even the abbot of Shaolin bowed his head.
People revered him, calling him the Ultimate Martial Demon.
Eventually, he returned to the cult, ascended to the leader’s position following the law of the strong, and cultivated the Heavenly Demon Divine Art to achieve the unity of mind, energy, and body, reaching the ultimate state.
Thus, this world-renowned fighter, who even overcame death, beat the Grim Reaper in the River of Three Crossings and became the one who kidnapped me.
“Did it hurt that much?”
“Um, how should I put it? It feels like it’s piercing through my muscles and hitting my bone directly?”
Oh, Master Tuma. You have succeeded.
Acknowledged by the greatest martial artist in human history for his bare-fisted prowess.
“Ugh… Ugh…!”
“Hey, just lie down. Why are you trying to get up again?”
“Haha… just a moment, even the scabbard is made when the sword is hot.”
Despite my attempt to stop him, Hercules staggered and knelt right in front of me.
“…What are you doing?”
Even at my question, Hercules laughed silently and then suddenly pounded his bleeding chest with his fist and shouted.
“Sorry, and thank you. Even though I was injured and fell during the fight due to my inadequacy, I couldn’t accept defeat and went wild, causing you trouble. Alcmene’s son, a descendant of Zeus blessed by the Goddess Hera, swears by the River Styx. Whenever you call, I will drop everything and come to repay this debt.”
“What?”
“Did you swear by the River Styx?!”
The Oath of the River Styx!
Swearing by the goddess of the river that flowed through the underworld carried a fate worse than death if broken.
But to utter such a heavy oath just because he lost his cool in a fight?
I was so shocked that my mouth hung open, and Atalanta covered her mouth in surprise too.
For some reason, this muscle-bound kid was laughing to himself and sprawled out again.
“No, sometimes you can lose your mind and go wild in a fight. But why rush into such a drastic move?!”
“Haha, no. This is what it means to bear the responsibility of a great hero.”
Still, compared to the fuss everyone made, there wasn’t any magical effect, so I was about to relax, thinking it was just an implicit rule.
-Boom!
A huge weight flowed down my spine, entwining between me and Hercules like a chain.
“….”
“Oh…?”
The chilling weight, carrying the oath between me and Hercules, fell down to the river of fate below.
I could feel this reckless hero’s oath being engraved in the River Styx.
“Phew~ I didn’t think it would actually activate. I guess I’m pretty amazing.”
“You pig-headed fool… Is this something to laugh about?”
I berated him while holding my temples, but the deed was already done.
This guy, living in Greece, should know how heavy the oath of Styx was and what kind of weight it carried when it truly activated. To just throw an oath like that.
Even the fact that it was directly triggered felt like someone was hitting my head with a hammer.
“Hey, don’t look at me like that. I know how heavy this oath is.”
“A guy who knows that makes such an oath? A young guy with a bright future?”
“You and I don’t seem like we have much of an age difference… Hehehehehehe.”
Even the arrogant gods fear the consequences of breaking an oath and dare not mention it. Should I call it heroic courage, or just plain madness?
Somehow, I was more furious than the one who made the oath.
But Hercules hardened his face and looked up at me.
“It’s not just an oath out of apology or debt. Thanks to you, I’ve truly realized something big.”
Tattered limbs, and five scars crusted with blood on his sticky chest.
Looking down at it, Hercules continued.
“I was so arrogant. Outside the forest, there are strong ones like you everywhere. I was so engrossed in playing the leader in this small forest that I neglected training and learning.”
Uh…?
Wait, there seems to be some misunderstanding?
“Thanks to you, I feel enlightened. To meet another mentor in this forest! Should I fear an oath when I’ve made it a part of my body?!”
Something, something was definitely off.
He was seriously mistaken about something.
There’s no one outside like you, and there’s no one who could match the guys who used to serve you in this forest.
“Hey, wait a minute?”
“I will train even more and learn even more. I look forward to your guidance!”
Even though he had gotten a black eye, he was indeed the great hero of Greece.
I felt a throbbing headache from the pure reverence charging at me with such a formidable spirit.
“Wow, this is the first time I’ve seen Hercules ask someone for a favor.”
“Atalanta…”
It was Atalanta, innocently whispering while poking my side, oblivious to my turmoil.