Chapter 36: Are You Heroes?

“[Tria Summon].”

Perseus was a demigod.

Considering that fact, the most suitable companions for this fight were Luna and Sol. And since our opponent was a hero of Greece, Lycoris would likely be the most knowledgeable about his weaknesses.

I poured more mana into the spell than ever before. Then, mounted atop Luna, I manifested before Perseus.

“Yo. It’s been a while, ‘Sir Hero.’”

“...The same to you. You seem different. Did your mood change?”

“I guess. I just had a little heart-to-heart with a best friend. Well, whatever… this is my full power as I am now. Try to keep up, okay?”

The moment the words left my mouth, I flooded my summoned beasts with mana. Seeing this, the hero’s face split into a deep, genuine smile—one that seemed to come from the very bottom of his soul.

“Haha! Now this is more like it!”

“Twin Wolves of God-Slaying, devour the Authority of the Moon and Sun—[Origin Burst]: [Mode Ragnarok]!”

As I chanted the command, their forms began to warp and shift. They transformed from giant wolves into humanoid shapes. Cold air and searing flames wreathed the limbs of Sol and Luna, while the moon and the sun themselves manifested behind their backs.

This was their final form, the one they had achieved in the other world. It was the manifestation of their origins—Skoll and Hati, the wolves who swallowed the sun and moon during the twilight of the gods.

“And Lycoris—give me your poison.”

“Mm. Leave it to me. I’ll sink everything into the abyss. [Equinox Flower Field of Blooming Madness]!”

I’d already handed Shiki an antidote and made sure he retreated a significant distance.

There was no reason to hold back.

The world of the equinox claimed the battlefield. Crimson flowers bloomed in riotous profusion across the [Sea of Stars]. A toxin so potent it would have dissolved an ordinary person in seconds began to leak out, corroding every inch of the Dungeon’s localized reality.

“[Weapon Summon]: [Lycoris Death Scythe]. Come on, Perseus. Let’s dance until one of us stops breathing.”

“Ah, hero of [Mythologia]! The one you challenge now is a living myth—Perseus, the Slayer of the Serpent God! Come! Let’s kill each other to our hearts' content! Prove you can overcome the trial that is my life!”

Perseus’s form shifted again, changing from his monstrous, demon-like appearance back into that of a human hero.

And so, in this world, my life-or-death struggle began in earnest.

Flames tore through the air as a localized ice age filled the world. The [Flames of the Sun] and the lunar frost pulsed rhythmically, single-mindedly intent on murdering the hero who had once slain the Gorgon.

“The flames of Helios?! And a chill like Selene’s?! Those wolves of yours are insane!”

“Too bad—this fire is all mine. Anyway, you went and hurt Reima, didn't you? Hurry up and die.”

“Fighting a hero is honestly such a pain, Big Sis. Oh well. We're still going to kill him.”

The power of god-slaying—the very essence of their beings—dwelt within the girls' fists. That power was infused into every spell they cast; even a grazing blow was enough to shave away at the existence of the man known as Perseus.

“If you’re a god, then just die already. You should savor the fangs and claws of the Fenrir bloodline to your heart's content.”

“Hah! That’s foul play, and you know it.”

“Hey,” I interjected, swinging my scythe, “you’re the last person I want to hear that from.”

“True enough! No hero in history has ever received as many blessings as I!”

I continued to harvest his life force with the scythe. Unlike me, who possessed a natural resistance to poison, Perseus shouldn't have been able to move this well within Lycoris’s field. It was unexpected, but then again, he was a hero. I suppose that level of absurdity was to be expected.

“Guh… So Heracles actually endured this? As expected of the strongest. I suppose I’ll have to try and grit my teeth through it, too!”

It’s ridiculous that he’s still standing…

“Just die already. I’m running low on mana.”

His demon form hadn't been his strongest state. This human form was his true self, his serious side—the actual peak of a hero’s ability. I couldn’t afford to go easy for even a fraction of a second. If I let my guard down, I was dead.

That realization made my past experiences in the other world feel vividly close.

“My shield is derived from divinity, so it can’t actually block your attacks, can it? What’s the matter, Hero?”

“Shut up… if you know that, then stop using the damn thing.”

“Fair point! Then let’s pick up the pace! [Talaria]!”

Though he wasn’t quite flying, Perseus began to sprint through the air. He unleashed magics I had never seen—shimmering starlight that tore at us—while wielding a harpe in one hand to whittle us down.

My recovery magic mended the wounds in the blink of an eye.

“Ha! You can even heal a wound from [Harpe]?!”

“Well, I’m a professional genius [Summoner], after all. This much is easy.”

“Then this time, I won't give you a warning. Let’s see how you handle this.”

He donned his helmet again. His form vanished, and his very existence was erased from the world’s perception. Ordinarily, he would be undetectable, but the current flower field wouldn’t allow it.

“Sol, Luna—you can see him, right?”

“Of course!”

“...Leave it to me, Master.”

This area was saturated with a poison that corrupted the very world itself. In a place like this, using [Perfect Stealth] to cut oneself off from the environment actually made one’s presence stand out like a void in a painting. Normally, a man of his caliber wouldn't have made such a mistake, but I’d gambled on him using it. I believed that if I cornered him, he would take the risk to try and crush me for certain.

After all, I almost got killed by Lycoris using that exact same logic. It’s the kind of move anyone would make when they’re desperate.

“...Forget that happened. It’s a dark chapter of my life,” Lycoris muttered.

The moment our enemy vanished, the two girls sensed him immediately. They slammed their full-power attacks into the space where the invisible Perseus lurked.

“Tsk—taking that head-on is a nightmare! The potency is insane!”

“Still not dead? Then, Lycoris, you’re up.”

“Right. Bloom in all your glory, flowers of the equinox.”

The poison that had been thickening in the air finally bared its fangs. The toxin coalesced into the shapes of countless weapons, impaling his body from every direction. It was the manifestation of the very concept of ‘poison’ that exists in this world, and it began to relentlessly strip away Perseus’s life.

“—Ggh! Agggh! But… I’ve been waiting for this exact moment!”

Just as we slammed our finishing move into him, he shouted and unleashed his own magic. It was the same attack that had nearly annihilated us earlier—the head of the Gorgon.

However, I had been waiting for that specific attack the entire time.

“[Gorgon Pandemonium]!”

“—[Summon].”

I spoke the word quietly.

There was a slight lag when activating that particular magic. Furthermore, for the briefest of moments while he was using it, he couldn't use his shield. I had been holding back just for this window of opportunity.

“[Algol Gorgon].”

“Perfect timing, Reima! Look, I don’t really have a grudge against you, but… well, you are technically the guy who killed me. Get petrified, Perseus!”

Algol manifested, her eyes uncovered. The moment her gaze met his, the hero’s legs turned to stone.

“—It’s over.”

A tiny, infinitesimal opening had been created. I wasn't the type of man to let such a moment slip by. I unleashed a killing blow that could not miss.

“[Death Lycoris].”