BRDM 181

chapter 181

A rune glowed across the surface of the Snow Sapphire.

The magical script shimmered in blue light.

[“Chains of Thunder” seeks to restrain the target!]

Lee Hyun’s palm, overflowing with white light, struck Heracles head-on.

At the same time, from the fragments of clouds scattered around, electric currents burst out, weaving into chains.

Crack-crack-crackle!

Heracles grimaced, struggling to block the attack.
But keeping his balance midair wasn’t easy, and his strength faltered.

A perilous moment.

Just then—

“Heracles!!”

Da-da-da-dak!
Neighhh!

From behind, Perseus appeared like lightning, grabbing Heracles by the back of the neck.

[Myth “King Who Slew Medusa” summons the divine steed Pegasus to rescue his brother!]

Perseus pulled hard on Pegasus’s reins.
For now, escape was the top priority.

As his body turned into streaks of light, he threw his left-hand shield toward Lee Hyun.

Aegis.
A sacred relic born from Athena, the goddess of wisdom—its surface bore Medusa’s head, and anyone who met its gaze would be instantly petrified.

(First, let’s get Heracles as far from here as possible! Aiakos is waiting below—we’ll regroup and strike back then!)

Three heroes had agreed to meet the Apostle of Zeus directly:
Heracles, Perseus, and Aiakos.

However, Aiakos hadn’t traveled with them.
He had been stationed far away—waiting.

Why?
Because once Heracles and Perseus stole Astrape, Aiakos’s task was to secure their escape route.

Aiakos was the legendary builder of Troy’s walls.
He possessed unmatched defensive prowess among Zeus’s sons, and his quick judgment made him the perfect strategist.

In short, the three heroes had secretly formed a pact—behind the Apostle’s back.

(Though they never imagined Gyurye would see right through it…!)

Perseus clenched his teeth.

(So that’s why Father acknowledged him… He really is Zeus’s chosen vessel. We’ll have to abandon Astrape for now.)

Still, Medusa’s petrification curse was nearly impossible to resist without proper countermeasures.
It would at least delay Lee Hyun—
—or maybe even catch him completely off guard.

If so, they might have a chance to retaliate.

All this happened within mere seconds.

[8]
[7]

Rumble! Crash!
Flash!

[Sacred Relic “Aegis” activates Medusa’s Curse!]

Lee Hyun’s palm struck the Aegis—
and the dormant eyes of Medusa snapped open.

(Got him!)

Perseus instinctively knew the curse had taken hold.
He yanked the reins tight.

Neighhh!

Over the dark sea, Pegasus swerved sharply away from Lee Hyun’s position.

The mist and clouds were too thick to see the outcome clearly.

(What should I do…? Keep running? Or assume he’s petrified and go back for Astrape?)

But time was running out—
the dungeon’s closing countdown had already begun.

[6]
[5]

As Perseus hesitated—

“…My apologies.”

Heracles’s low voice broke the silence. Perseus chuckled faintly.

“Not very heroic of you to apologize so quickly, huh?”

“Still, I must give credit where it’s due. Thank you.”

“Save your gratitude for later. Gyurye’s team will chase us down soon enough.”

“Aye.”

Brotherly warmth.

Feeling comforted by his brother’s words, Heracles clenched his fist.
Though their relationship had started out of convenience, Perseus was a man worthy of true respect.

So Heracles vowed silently:
(Next time, I won’t underestimate Gyurye… I’ll—)

『There won’t be a next time. What are you even planning?』

“…!?”

“Where…!”

Lee Hyun’s fierce voice suddenly struck their ears.

Both Heracles and Perseus’s eyes widened as the wind swept away the clouds where Lee Hyun had been standing.

[4]

But… he was gone.
Only the Aegis remained—
firmly bound in chains of lightning, unable to move.

[3]
[2]

A chill ran down Perseus’s spine.

GROOOAAAR!!

[“Thunder Whale” devours its enemies!]

BOOOOOM!!

The ocean beneath Pegasus suddenly split apart.
From below rose a massive creature with a thunderous roar—its gaping maw swallowed Perseus and Pegasus whole.

“…!!!”

[1]

The jaws snapped shut.
Before Pegasus could even move—

Rumble, rumble, BOOM!
CRASH-CRASH!

Inside the whale’s maw, thousands of lightning bolts rained down, piercing through Perseus and his steed.

Chains of Thunder, Arrows of Destruction, White Tidal Waves—
the very spells composing the Thunder Whale burst forth in countless forms.

There was no time to resist.

Only the deafening roar of thunder echoed—
the whale’s cry of annihilation.

In just one second.
Enough for all that lightning to strike.

[0]
[Countdown Complete.]

“PERSEUSSS!!”

Heracles burst through the whale’s side, cradling Perseus in his arms.
He had smashed the creature apart with brute force.

But it was already too late.

Perseus’s entire body was charred black, dark smoke seeping from his mouth.

Ssshhh—

[The dungeon is closing.]
[Some participants will be transferred to designated alternate locations.]

Suddenly, a dark veil descended from the sky.

Flash!

Heracles and Perseus were swept away mid-stride—
and vanished.

[You have entered a new dungeon!]

“…!?”

Heracles froze, head lifting.
He had expected to return to the real world—
the deep sea.

But instead, another dungeon?

The fishy ocean smell was gone, replaced by the scent of grass…
and faint traces of blood.

(Were we forcibly transferred here? Reverse summoning?)

His stone mask cracked slightly as he scowled.

Gyurye…

Was this another trap?
Anger simmered inside him.

But then, Zeus’s legend came to mind—
that he never forgave betrayal.
A shiver ran down his spine.

(Could Aiakos—waiting outside—have realized this too…?)

He didn’t know where Gyurye’s foresight ended and coincidence began.
It felt like dancing in the palm of that man’s hand.

But those thoughts vanished when—

“Cough!”

“Perseus! Stay with me! Perseus!”

Heracles realized how faint his brother’s breathing was and gently laid him under the shade of a tree.

“Damn it… came to save my brother… and now he dies instead…!”

Perseus’s lower body was nearly torn off, his torso shredded and burned.

And worst of all—

The mask was gone.

Not shattered—gone.
No fragments remained.

He had somehow ripped it off in the chaos.

(If Gyurye gets hold of that mask…?)

A chill ran down Heracles’s back.

A man this calculating—if he took it, he surely had plans for it.

And not just the mask—
all of Perseus’s relics were missing.

The winged sandals Talaria from Hermes.
The enchanted pouch Kibisis from Hera.
The divine sickle-sword Harpe from Ares.
Even Aegis was still bound elsewhere.

All the major relics—gone.

The organization’s most prized treasures—lost.

“Damn it! DAMN IT!”

For the first time since donning the mask, Heracles felt utterly powerless.

“He’s… dangerous… be careful…”

With those last words, Perseus—a golden-haired man with a fair, human face—fell silent forever.

Crack!

Heracles ground his teeth.
He closed his brother’s eyes with a massive hand and slowly stood.

“Gyurye… I’ll never forgive you. I’ll tear you apart myself.”

Though rage burned inside him, he refused to lose his sanity.

He was no fool—if he went berserk now, it would only play into Gyurye’s hands.

But still, the madness stirred beneath the surface—
his eyes clouding over.

[Heracles]
The great hero born by Zeus to fight in the Gigantomachy.
Though he achieved the Twelve Labors, Hera’s curse drove him mad, leading him to slay his own family and friends.
— Source: “Theogony”

“For now… I need to find out what this dungeon is.”

His bloodshot eyes darted around as he moved forward—

Sha-sha-shaa!

The sound of people rushing toward him.

“W-What the—?! Ack!”

Thud!

Heracles instinctively swung his club—
Crack! Heads shattered. Bodies fell.

His bloodstained gaze fixed forward.

“…Of course. I ran from the wolves, only to land in a lion’s den. Hah!”

Tattered and grim-faced men stood before him—
members of the City Cartel, fleeing from dungeon giants.

“Just when I thought things couldn’t get worse…”

Bruno Calissa’s exhausted face twisted in despair.
He knew—
the man before him was Heracles.
No words would work here.

And since Gyurye was a servant of Zeus, Bruno assumed Heracles was here to finish them off.

Death loomed once again.

“Everyone… fight to the death if you must! We kill him or we die trying!”

Misunderstanding clashed with misunderstanding.

Crunch.

Heracles began walking forward,
a low growl rumbling in his throat—

just like the Nemean Lion draped across his back.

“Gaaaah!”
“Aaaargh!”

“…The outsiders have suddenly started fighting each other, my Queen. What shall we do?”

The dungeon giants who had been pursuing Bruno’s group looked bewildered.

Their gazes turned to Queen Hela, who watched the chaos unfold with an amused smile.

“It seems our court magician is still toying with those fools. We’ll just sit back and watch… then withdraw when the time’s right.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“As you command.”

As the dungeon giants spread out to encircle possible escapees,
Hela’s smile deepened.

“Well then—
it looks like we won’t be bored while our court magician’s around.”