Valhalla Saga

Episode 61/Chapter 6: Great Hero (6)

TL: Tsubak

ED:

The distance between Delphos and the mount of Olympus wasn’t that far.

If they took into account the time the Goddess of Earth Demeter would take to tidy up the path, four to five days was enough.

In addition, if Athena blessed the march of the army as the Goddess of warfare and Hermes added the blessing of the swift runner, the marching speed would become much faster.

But of course, arriving fast wasn’t always the best thing as it was meaningless to arrive in the middle of the night.

They also needed time to rest after arriving and there were also many things besides that which they had to take into account.

And the conclusion Odin came up with after taking into account all of those things was that he would use four days on the march.

The warriors of Valhalla gathered in their legions and advanced.

The big legions acted independently but the small ones joined with each other just like what Tae Ho experienced in his first expedition.

“So Gaia won’t step forward by herself.”

Thor listened about Gaia from Tae Ho and Adenmaha and spoke in a regretful tone.

They were riding on a big carriage being pulled by six horses and Odin was seated next to Thor.

Odin, that was reading a book filled with recorded runes, closed it and then buried his body in the back of the chair and said.

“I wanted to see her at least once.”

“Well, you have never seen an ancient God before. She was really big but also really beautiful…..”

There were beautiful beings among the giants of Jotunheim but the huge giants that reached a hundred meters all had the appearances of monsters. But they said that Gaia was really beautiful regardless of her size so it was impossible to not get interested in her.

And actually, Thor was really curious about the existences called the ancient Gods. It was because they were beings that he couldn’t even think of in Asgard.

Odin closed his eyes. His only eye that could see through all things grasped the biggest reason that Thor mentioned.

“All the ancient Gods of Asgard are dead. You already know that the soul and flesh of Ymir has become the base of Asgard, Midgard and the several worlds right?”

“I do. The ancient God Audhumbla has also perished.”

The cow Audhumbla that was born with Ymir was also the creator of the Aesir race.

She raised Ymir with her milk and licked on a wall of salt to give birth to the Aesir race but one day she disappeared without any words.

Thor was bothered at the part that Odin was affirming that Audhumbla had died but he didn’t say it out loud.

Compared to Olympus, that was being influenced by the ancient Gods, all the ancient Gods of Asgard were existences of the past that had already disappeared.

“And son, she didn’t step out directly but…..Gaia has promised plenty of assistance and she is actually performing it.”

“I know.”

Thor also knew. She had promised to assist Tae Ho with her own strength and would also assist a lot of strength in the most important strategy.

She didn’t fight directly but her assistance was already more than enough.

But regardless of that, Thor was still putting an unsatisfied expression. Odin laughed out loud and then put on an ill natured expression as if teasing him.

“It seems like you have complains that it isn’t you.”

“Rather than complains….it’s regret.”

The one fighting against Heracles was Tae Ho, not himself.

This was already something that was decided and they couldn’t change it.

Odin closed his only eye and said.

“It’s unavoidable. Compared to Tae Ho, you are a pure Aesir. It’s impossible to receive the power of an ancient God from a foreign world completely. In addition….the only one that can accomplish this strategy is Tae Ho.”

Heracles was a being that became immortal when he guarded the path leading to mount of Olympus. It was impossible for even the strongest battle God of Asgard to defeat him.

The only strategy to defeat him.

Thor couldn’t conduct it. Just like Odin had said, it was something only Tae Ho could do.

“My way to think magnanimously resembles father’s.”

Thor shook his head as  if shaking away his regret and spoke with an admiring voice.

Just like Odin had said, he felt regret that he wasn’t able to fight with Heracles but he didn’t feel any remorse towards Tae Ho besides that. It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that he rather liked it.

Odin nodded slowly.

Thor didn’t show any complaints just like when Odin chose Valdur as his successor. He rather supported Odin saying that being king suited Valdur more.

Thor knew well that he was a warrior. That’s why he didn’t feel envy towards Tae Ho when he became the successor of Odin.

And Odin was grateful towards that Thor.

“He’s my successor. Just like you possess strength and courage that surpasses mine, I hope he also surpasses me.”

The size of this battle was a really huge one where the Gods of Olympus, the Gigantes, countless monsters and warriors of Valhalla participated in but in the end, the ones that would decide victory and battle of this battle were Heracles and Tae Ho.

“Will we be able to succeed?”

Thor spoke in a low voice. He was someone that didn’t know what fear was when he went out to battle but he couldn’t participate in this strategy actively. The only thing he could do was pray for victory.

“We have to make it so that it succeeds.”

Odin smiled and answered. Actually he was also uneasy. He knew better than anyone else what would be the results if they lost this battle.

But Odin was accustomed to fighting with fear. Even the promised destruction couldn’t bend his will.

Odin looked out the window and Thor did the same. The place the eyes of the two Gods reached was the carriage Tae Ho was on.

&

“Um, Adenmaha is certainly prettier.”

Tae Ho looked at the two Goddesses that were sitting in front of him and pretended to think in a really troubled way and spoke without even wondering about it.

The face of Adenmaha became bright as a blooming flower at Tae Ho’s decision and Freya’s face contorted a lot.

“What a one sided judgement. What did Cuchulainn say?”

“That Scathach-nim is the prettiest.”

“Damned bastards.”

Freya pouted her lips in unsatisfaction. At first she did that as a joke but it seemed like it scratched her pride as she was still the Goddess of beauty.

But she was also the Goddess of love. Because of that, she knew better than anyone else how powerful was the power of love.

“But you are still prettier than Aphrodite.”

Freya snorted as Tae Ho spoke carefully.

“Leave it.”

She was snorting but looking at her eyes and lips, it seemed like she felt a bit better than before.

“Anyways, I don’t know what Idun and Heda like about you. The same goes for her.”

When Freya pointed at Adenmaha with her chin, Nidhogg that was sitting while embracing Hydra raised her head and said.

“Nidhogg also likes Tae Ho master.”

“Alright, like him as much as you would. And let her go. Doesn’t she feel hot?”

“Hydra, are you hot?”

Hydra, that was dozing off, shook her head as Nidhogg asked her while blinking.

“I’m not.”

“She says she’s not.”

Nidhogg smiled brightly and embraced Hydra even tighter and Freya shook her head.

“This time too, anyways…..it seems like the general preparations had ended. You just have to rest comfortably until we arrive. That’s the only method to increase our chances to succeed even by a little more.”

The carriage Tae Ho and the group were on was different to the traditional ones. It was a square space that had no seats and had a solid floor with runes and magic circles filling it up.

In the first place, the reason Tae Ho and Freya got on the same carriage wasn’t to exchange jokes.

There was something she had to do with Tae Ho.

“Thank you.”

Tae Ho looked at the rock that was the size of a watermelon placed between himself and Freya. The rock that was filled with rune magic didn’t only contain Tae Ho’s and Freya’s divine power but also Odin’s, Echidna’s, Athena’s, etc. the divine powers of several Gods.

The preparations for the strategy.

This was everything Tae Ho had to do but there were still many things Freya had to do. It was something on she could do as the Goddess of magic.

“It’s my honor i’m able to be of help for the master. It’s also a necessary thing….right, there was still one more thing I could do for you.”

Freya dropped her shoulders with a slow posture and then clapped her hands and started to crawl towards him.

“It’s a meeting.”

She then grabbed Tae Ho’s cheeks and gave him the best blessing.

“Let my blessing accompany you.”

Freya licked her lower lip as if she had eaten something delicious and said. Tae Ho put a dumbfounded expression at her warm breath and eyes and Freya got satisfied with that. She giggled and continued to say.

“I’m also going to do it tomorrow so you can be expecting it. It will be fun if I bring all the Valkyries and do it in turns. I should record it and show it to Idun. Tomorrow is a meeting-blessing parade!”

Freya laughed like an aunty that liked such things and got out of the carriage without Tae Ho being able to grab her.

A meeting-blessing parade.

Tae HO imagined that scene unconsciously and got absent minded once again and Cuchulainn, that imagined the same thing, spoke in a low voice.

‘Hey Tae Ho, can I stab you once?’

‘Please don’t. I will die if you stab me with Gae Bolg.’

‘I was planning to do that to kill you.’

It was when they were exchanging nonsense like usual.

“Um…master?”

“Tae Ho master?”

Adenmaha and Nidhogg grabbed each of Tae Ho’s arm. Adenmaha reflected earnestness and a competitive feeling in her face as if she couldn’t lose and Nidhogg was as bright as always.

‘I should really stab you.’

Cuchulainn said and Rolo and Sleipnir that were flying above the carriage shook their heads at the same time as if they agreed to before hand.

&

The trip to the mount of Olympus was smooth.

It seemed like the enemy was also planning to have the decisive battle in the mount of Olympus that they didn’t show any will to obstruct their path.

That’s why the four day trip was peace itself.

Excluding the time when Cuchulainn controlled Gae Bolg to try to stab Tae Ho because Scathach gave Tae Ho the best blessing.

And when the sun was setting and night approached.

The alliance of Asgard and Olympus arrived at the mount of Olympus.

&

The mount of Olympus wasn’t a simple place.

It was a place that connected the mortal and Godly world and at the same time the central axis that maintained the world called Olympus.

They could only approach the world of the Gods and the residence of the 12 Olympians through the mount of Olympus.

The had to pass the path of the mount of Olympus to arrive at the king of Gods Zeus.

Heracles sat in the path of the mount and looked at a far place.

A base of the alliance of Asgard and Olympus was being set up near the mount of Olympus in a place that he could start the battle in the afternoon if he departed in the morning.

Heracles didn’t attack. He was planning to wait for them to attack first.

The protector of Olympus.

The being that is immortal when guarding the path of the mount of Olympus.

It was actually like that. Heracles could feel the power of the world being transmitted to him endlessly from the sky, the ground and everywhere else.

Heracles was invincible and at the same time immortal.

Nothing at all could inflict an injury on him if he was on the path of the mount. In addition, even he couldn’t inflict an injury on himself.

He would massacre the enemy in this land.

As time was on their side.

Heracles raised his head and looked at the night sky. The countless beings that emanated dim and weak light were shining the sky along the stars.

They were the souls of the dead ones.

The souls that couldn’t enter the underworld after Hades sealed it had gathered at the holiness of the mount of Olympus.

The more the battle prolonged, the number of lost souls would increase. And the change that got induced to do that wouldn’t be satisfying for the enemy. The crumbling of the balance of the world was like a nightmare for the beings that wanted to maintain the world.

Heracles looked inside of Olympus. Aphrodite was seducing Dionysius and the Gigantes that came from the end of the world were desiring for battle in several places of the mount of Olympus.

The heroes of the Argo also prepared for the battle that would take place tomorrow and were doing their own things.

Heracles stood up. He then walked on the path slowly and looked at the path that connected with the world of the Gods that was completely sealed. He then looked down on the Goddess that was chained up and scattered in front of him.

The queen of Gods Hera.

She wasn’t dead but was in a state that was no different from that. She got her divine power plundered by Zeus without stop so she couldn’t even lift a finger.

The glory of Hera.

Heracles.

Heracles muttered his name once and smiled bitterly. He looked beyond Hera, the subject for his love and hatred, and then looked at the connecting path that lead to the world of Gods. White light was gathering like fog and taking up the appearances of pillars.

“Father.”

The king of Gods Zeus.

And the existences that transmitted his voice to Zeus.

Heracles turned around and looked below the mount of Olympus.

The night was deepening.

And the morning for the decisive battle was approaching.

< Episode 61 – Great Hero (6) > End