Chapter 158: The Mother Sea and the Male God of Earthquakes?

Him?

I didn’t have a second to process her words before the woman—this provisional Poseidon—licked her lips and lunged, snatching me up as she leaped into the air. With a casual flick of her will, she manipulated the surrounding seawater, erecting a liquid prison around me in the blink of an eye.

"—Hah?"

The voices of Lumia and Belphe drifted in from the outside, sounding terrifyingly low and menacing.

I felt an instantaneous surge of magical power, followed by the muffled roar of explosions and the hiss of water evaporating all at once. However, it seemed their destructive efforts couldn't keep pace with the infinitely supplied seawater.

I tried to resist, struggling to break free of her grip, but her raw physical strength was monstrous. I couldn't budge. As I felt my options running out, I began to prepare myself for a very messy end.

"Rest easy, it will be fine. If I recall, in times like these, one is supposed to just stare at the stains on the ceiling, right?"

"Go get kicked by a horse and die, you piece-of-trash god."

Cutting through the magical chaos outside, a slash fueled by overwhelming murderous intent bisected the wall of water. I didn't miss the opening. Laura pulled me to safety in a flash, and then the entire group directed their collective bloodlust toward the now-stunned Poseidon.

"Hmm... Honestly, I think those who interfere with a maiden's business would be better off being eaten by the Dinos. Besides, this is the first time I've inhabited this body. Don't you think that's worth something?"

"You're no maiden," Yamato spat. "If you want a Yamato Nadeshiko, Tsubaki is right there. Look at the killing intent coming off these girls and read the room."

"But my current body is a woman, you know?"

"Your insides are governed entirely by your crotch. I’m talking to Ousu here, you damn lecher."

"...Anyway, why are you a woman?" I asked, trying to maintain some semblance of composure while being shielded by Ayane and Laura. "You aren't some derivative of a Scripture, are you?"

Strictly speaking, it wasn't just my own curiosity. Algol, the self-proclaimed 'victim' of Poseidon currently residing in my Soul World, was screaming questions at me. The whole situation was nonsensical.

This woman possessed an overwhelming divine majesty. If she were just a manifestation of a Scripture, I could understand a gender discrepancy between the legend and the person... but this god didn't feel like that at all. Her presence was abnormal. She felt like Perseus, whom we had fought in the 【Great Sea of Stars】.

"I am no mere Scripture. I am the true spirit itself," she declared. "I am the god of Greek Mythology personified."

"...Then that makes even less sense. Why the woman's body?"

"O Hero, I truly did intend to manifest as a man at first. However, my 'client' informed me that in this world, various gods of Greece are frequently feminized. Therefore, I simply followed the local customs!"

Poseidon struck a pose, making the seawater behind her erupt like a theatrical backdrop. The sheer 'stay away from this person' energy radiating from her was so intense that I instinctively took a step back.

"Are you an idiot?" I muttered.

"Hm? Surely it is humanity that is foolish. However, it is the duty of a god to accept human fetishes and karma. Besides, the phrase 'Mother Sea' exists, does it not? By that logic, me being a woman is perfectly safe. Plus, I hadn't experienced the pleasures of a woman yet, so it was a fine opportunity."

I knew the myths, and Algol had claimed it wasn't an exaggeration to say this god's brain was located in his lower half, but this person was truly dangerous. If you asked me how she was dangerous, I wouldn't want to explain it, but she was clearly a lost cause. The women in our party were all wearing incredibly strained expressions.

"Um, come to think of it, Master... why are you even here in Oceanus?"

"We’d already discussed that I would be the one to investigate. It shouldn’t be that surprising," Yamato replied.

"That may be true, but you're officially listed as missing in the outside world, you know?" Tsubaki countered, finally voicing the question we’d all been thinking. "And... you look so young, Master."

I looked at Yamato again as he stood at our head. He looked like a handsome youth of about eighteen. With light green hair and sharp, almond-shaped eyes, he was a total heartthrob. He had his original features, but he looked like an entirely different person. I could feel the faint trace of a Scripture around him—something I didn't usually sense—so it was likely related to that.

"This is all the fault of this pervert god," Yamato growled, his voice unusually sharp. "I reached the deepest part of this Dungeon and found her lounging around. She challenged me to a fight, there was no exit, and she’s been running me ragged ever since. I was even forced to use an [Origin Burst] I had no intention of touching... I lost count of how many times I considered killing her."

"Don't be so shy. I did think about offering you my maidenhood as a reward for fighting me that long, but unfortunately, my interests are now strictly reserved for the Hero of the Discarded World. Sorry, my Great Hero."

"Why does she make it sound like I'm the one being dumped? Seriously, kid, we should probably just kill this moron."

It was rare—perhaps a first—to see Yamato so genuinely rattled and foul-mouthed. Having known this god for all of five minutes, I felt nothing but empathy and total agreement.

"Wait," I said, catching on to something. "Were you originally in this Dungeon?"

"Indeed. This was originally the Dungeon I was tasked with overseeing. But while I was slacking off, it was hijacked by a nasty Serpent."

"............Seriously?"

"Even I couldn't handle that Serpent. It beat me to a pulp, and whenever I got close to it, my authority over the sea was stripped away. I didn't stand a chance! Hahaha!"

The useless god laughed as if it were the funniest thing in the world.

Everything about her was disappointing. Yet, she was exactly the kind of disaster the myths described. It was almost refreshing in its honesty. At this point, I realized that thinking too hard about it would only give me a headache. It was better to just accept the absurdity.

"Well, whatever," she continued. "My goal was to see the Hero of the Discarded World, so there’s no point in fighting that Great Hero anymore. How about it? Shall we begin our sightseeing tour of Oceanus?"

"............Is it finally over?" Yamato sighed, looking at me. "Thanks for coming, kid. I mean it."

"Uh... good job out here?"

"Da-da-da-dun! Poseidon has joined the party!"

Watching the god hum her own RPG sound effects, I felt a deep, soul-shuddering concern for our future.