The children of Pontos and Gaia were split into opposing sides and fighting each other, just like Nereus and Ceto.
Nereus was fighting only because of his daughters and siblings, but the other children of Pontos were not like that.
In the case of Ceto and Eurybia, they cooperated with Poseidon out of fear and a desire to overthrow their tyrannical father, but the others, such as Thaumas and Phorcys, were fighting to take this chance to firmly earn the favor of their father Pontos.
Because of that, the actions of Pontos’ children on the battlefield stood out sharply.
All of them, as children of Pontos and Gaia, were powerful sea gods, and except for a few deities, there were none who could compare to their strength.
Because of that, the only ones who could stop them were their own children and siblings, and this became yet another tragedy of the sea.
Especially the battles where children like Echidna or the Gorgones stood on the battlefield following their mother or father and clashed with their own parents—those scenes became even more blood-soaked.
Echidna was so powerful that even the gods would later fear the monsters she gave birth to.
And the Gorgones, with Medusa at the lead, possessed a curse so strong it could turn gods into stone, so even their own parents who had birthed them could not afford to show mercy.
Meanwhile, due to Pontos’ corruption, as time passed the tide of battle was gradually turning against Poseidon’s side.
On top of that, the mysteries (mystic beings) stimulated by the gods’ fighting were running wild, making the war’s flow completely chaotic.
“Poseidon, at this rate we’ll be pushed back. Pontos’ corruption is too powerful.”
Eurynome shouted at Poseidon, who was fiercely exchanging blows with Pontos.
“Hahahaha, it seems that failure offers you no real help, Poseidon. She only knows how to scream.”
Hearing Eurynome’s shout, Pontos mocked Poseidon.
“In the past, it irritated me to no end how that goddess purified all my corruption. So I tore out that woman’s divinity and created this sea. Look. No matter how wildly you thrash, this is the sea I created. Eventually, everyone who follows you will become nothing but a handful of water droplets again.”
Poseidon simply swung his spear and quietly listened to Pontos’ mockery.
The more he did that, the more Pontos raised the level of his taunts, but Poseidon showed no strong reaction.
‘So, according to all the nonsense this bastard keeps rambling, the goddess Eurynome… is his natural enemy?’
He had felt this during the previous battlefield too, but these gods all seemed like villains who were desperate to reveal their own information.
‘No wonder the Titans lost to us.’
Poseidon sighed as he saw the triumphant look on Pontos’ face, then spoke to him as if an adult giving advice to a child.
“Hey. Next time, don’t blabber so much. That’s why you guys lose.”
“What?”
Poseidon threw his spear, the Trident, toward Eurynome.
Whish.
All the gods on the battlefield were momentarily stunned by Poseidon’s action.
Thanks to that, the battle briefly reached a lull, and that included Pontos, who had been fighting Poseidon.
“What is this? You—are you insane?”
“As if. I’m only using the information you kindly gave me.”
“What?”
“Since you were kind enough to tell me, I’ll tell you too. In the end, if the goddess Eurynome regains her full power, your corruption won’t matter anymore. Isn’t that right?”
Poseidon didn’t raise his voice, yet everyone on the battlefield heard him clearly.
“So, you’re handing your strongest weapon to someone else?”
“Good heavens, Mother Ceto. We’re doomed. We’ve been following a madman.”
“Calm yourself. The enemies are still in front of us.”
“Calm down? Damn it, look at that lunatic. If he hands over his spear, what is he planning to do about Pontos?”
Echidna—daughter of Ceto and goddess of the sea and serpents—screamed, and every god on the battlefield agreed with her sentiment.
After all, rumors said that the Titans were defeated because of the three brothers’ powerful weapons.
And no one felt that more sharply than Eurynome, who now held the Trident.
The moment she grasped the Trident, she could sense it immediately.
The overwhelming feeling that as long as she held this spear, there was no god in this sea who could face her.
And on top of that, the spear’s appearance resonating with her divine name added to the shock.
“Ahahahahahahahahaha!!! Poseidon, the god whose name makes everyone tremble is such an idiot. This is why you should never believe rumors about gods. You foolish brat. Do you think you can destroy your weapon and stop me, Pontos? And that Eurynome over there could possibly stop me?”
As Pontos’ laughter shook the sea and he picked apart Poseidon’s actions one by one, demoralizing Poseidon’s side—
Only two goddesses and the two children who had come following them were smiling awkwardly.
“Mother, we shouldn’t laugh right now, right?”
“Hold it in. Kratos, stay quiet.”
“Yes, brother. Hold it in. Although Pontos’ delusion is pretty funny.”
“Delusional? Have you not heard that even the Adamantine Sickle could not pierce his body…?”
And the six siblings of Poseidon, along with Gaia, who were secretly watching the war, could not suppress their bitter laughter, sneers, and sighs.
“If all the Protogenoi are idiots like that, we could definitely lead the world without issue.”
“Zeus. He has always been in the sea, so it’s possible he doesn’t know.”
“Hestia, why are you defending Pontos? He is our enemy.”
“Demeter speaks the truth. That creature is not someone who can ever stand with us. I hope Poseidon handles him quickly.”
In the same way as in the heavens, Hades watched from the Underworld and also let out a soft laugh.
Snort.
“Watching that fool makes me fear that eventually I may come to disrespect Lord Tartarus and Lady Nyx as well.”
“Hades, don’t mock him too much. Poseidon is powerful, but Lord Pontos hasn’t shown his full strength yet.”
Hades shook his head at Thanatos’ advice and spoke with certainty.
“Geras, Moros, Thanatos. Watch closely. You will understand why I have not yet disciplined that arrogant little brother.”
Gaia, watching all of this, sighed as she looked at her child and her husband.
“How foolish you are, Pontos. Ruling over the vast sea has blinded your eyes.”
* * *
Poseidon felt the morale of his troops fall.
Of course he understood that to anyone who didn’t know the situation, his actions would look absurd, but the morale had fallen far more than he expected, and Poseidon was slightly taken aback.
‘Come on. Didn’t I show decent performance in the Titanomachy?’
Contrary to Poseidon’s expectation, the story of him fighting with his bare hands hadn’t spread far.
Most gods didn’t believe it because it sounded too absurd.
“Good grief… in that case, I’ll just have to show them again.”
Saying that, Poseidon took a straight-punch stance, facing Pontos, who was holding his weapon and crossing his arms as if amused.
Judging by the look of that bastard in front of him, he probably planned to just stand there and watch whatever Poseidon did.
‘This is exactly why you shouldn’t complain that fiction feels contrived. Look at this. Even in reality, idiots like him exist.’
Then he planted his feet and drew his fist all the way back, loosening his body.
Poseidon’s physique was stronger than the metal Adamantine.
Now that body compressed like a powerful spring being pushed down.
Then he lightly snapped forward, focusing everything into a single point, and drove his fist outward.
Hup!
At first it was a gentle ripple, then it turned into the flow of a strong river, and finally it became a massive tidal wave that crashed toward Pontos.
Boom!!!
“Guh!”
A volcanic explosion-like roar followed, and with a dying scream, Pontos’ body bent into a right angle as he was blown away without offering any resistance.
“Well, I don’t have a name for that technique, but it’s kinda cool anyway, right?”
Everyone on the battlefield fell silent at the overwhelming sight Poseidon had shown.
Crash.
Pontos, who had been sent flying for a long distance, slammed into the far-off ground.
Seeing that, Poseidon’s soldiers shouted as if forgetting the despair they’d felt moments ago.
“Waaaaaaaaa!!!”
“For Poseidon!!!!!!”
With morale soaring sky-high, Poseidon’s soldiers charged again at the green-lit zombie horde.
* * *
Meanwhile, Pontos—who had been caught off guard, struck cleanly by Poseidon, and sent flying—looked at the deeply caved and cracked part of his body where the punch had landed and let out a hollow laugh.
“Heh… I was the one who got careless. Have I spent too long living only in the sea…?”
Crack, crumble.
Climbing out of the deep crater, brushing off the stones and pebbles covering him, Pontos healed the damaged part of his body and walked out calmly.
That appearance showed why he was a Protogenoi who struck fear in all sea gods and creatures.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
“I admit it, brat. I was careless. It won’t happen again.”
Pontos picked up the club that had returned to his side and flicked it lightly.
Then, as if to show he would now fight at full power, he wrapped a storm around the club and equipped himself with an armor of dark-green, flowing scales.
That appearance—fully armed—stood in stark contrast to Poseidon, who wore nothing but trousers and fought shirtless with his bare fists. It reminded everyone present that the two could not coexist beneath the same sea.
Pontos, now in full power, extended and shortened his club as he attacked Poseidon.
Boom! Boom!
Poseidon blocked the club with his fists and spoke in bafflement at Pontos’ appearance.
“What, did you reincarnate too? What, have you been watching Power Rangers or something? Or are you some kind of boss monster with a phase two?”
“…Your incomprehensible rambling grows tiresome.”
With those words, Poseidon’s punches and kicks clashed with Pontos’ bombardment-like club strikes.
* * *
In the meantime, the tide of battle was slowly shifting.
Eurynome, holding Poseidon’s Trident, was gradually regaining her original power and began exerting strength befitting her divine name.
As the name of Vast Order, Eurynome’s power was one that set everything right, and that included Pontos’ corruption.
—Huh? Where am I?
—Aaaaagh! My arm!
More and more were awakening from the corruption one by one, and that meant that defections on Pontos’ side were increasing.
However, the gods who had been directly affected by Pontos’ power still could not escape the corruption.
Most notably Thetis, who held a divine relic of Pontos, and because of that she was able to tighten the reins of those who were beginning to awaken.
Using that method, Thetis cast the single spell that Pontos had engraved into her mind.
“Mahaken DA Pepeldomoon.”
* * *
With the power of the necklace infused with Pontos’ strength and the spell, Thetis turned some of her sisters and brothers—who had started to come back to their senses—back into zombies.
Because of that, Eurynome’s power attempting to restore them and Pontos’ power trying to corrupt them began clashing violently like two territories fighting for dominance.
The battle became chaotic again to the point where no one could guess the outcome.
Those crying out in pain, those still fighting desperately, and even those who were beginning to feel disillusioned with the war—
All of them mixed together, and the once-blue sea became stained with the golden light shed by gods and nymphs.
In later ages, this sea would become the Bermuda Triangle, a legendary place among humans. In truth, it had absorbed the gods’ pain and curses and had become extremely dangerous.
Meanwhile, Eurynome, who had received the Trident from Poseidon and was recovering from the wounds to her divinity and divine name, realized that any further purification would be difficult because of her clash with Metis.
‘At this point, it would be more efficient to act directly.’
Every time she swung the spear, whirlpools formed in the sea, smashing nymphs and monsters, and gods were struck and bled.
Watching the battlefield, Eurynome saw Nereus and Doris doing their best to defend as they fought against their own siblings and children.
Seeing them, Eurynome mounted Sleipnir—the steed she had received along with the spear—and galloped toward them.
“Nereus and Doris, what do you intend to do about your daughters? Do you not also oppose this war?”
“But Lady Eurynome, with our strength we cannot do anything. And if this war ends like this, what will become of Thetis and my daughters…?”
“Tsk, so you plan to throw all your daughters into Tartarus?”
At Eurynome’s words, Nereus and Doris could say nothing.
They still had no ability to undo Pontos’ power, and that was true for every god present—they had no one to rely on.
And they could not abandon their children and siblings who were nothing more than victims of Pontos.