In truth, the bigger problem was not only Thetis and her sisters, who might end up imprisoned in Tartarus.
The immediate issue was that they could not push back Pontos’ power on this battlefield, and if they left the infected ones as they were, it was unclear whether they would recover at all.
Poseidon, the only one on the battlefield who could suppress Pontos’ power, was currently fighting Pontos.
Otherwise, Doris’ father Oceanus could also have done it, but he had become so weakened that he could not move from the Strait of Oceanus.
Because of the schemes of Kronos and Pontos, he was in a state where he could barely move at all.
And Pontos had even put a leash on him and the goddess Tethys so they would be unable to participate in the battlefield entirely.
“Pontos’ original sin runs deep… I cannot do anything more either….”
Eurynome understood their problem.
She sympathized with them because she had experienced a similar situation long ago.
But she was not a goddess soft enough to help them in the war out of sympathy or look for solutions with them.
Whatever excuses they might have, they were still sinners who would have to be judged once the war ended.
However…
‘I can at least grant them a chance at leniency. If we can just end this war quickly.’
Eurynome was able to give them a chance.
If they helped her from this point on, after she quickly removed Thetis, who was acting as a wedge in the armies.
Especially since Thetis was in a weakened and unstable mental state.
In truth, the biggest reason was that if Nereus and Doris interfered any further, it would become very troublesome.
“If you cannot help, then at least do not hinder me. At minimum, you must deal with Thetis over there. As for saving your children, I will try requesting Poseidon. Do not commit further sins.”
Eurynome, seeing Nereus and Doris standing motionless with darkened expressions, spurred her mount and charged forward.
Once Eurynome raced away, Nereus and Doris also lowered the weapons they had been holding and only watched her departure.
They also did not wish to fight any further….
* * *
After persuading Nereus and Doris and smashing everything blocking her path, Eurynome galloped straight ahead.
Thetis, who saw Eurynome riding toward her from far away, moved the sisters and nymphs around her to form a defensive phalanx.
Along with that, she prepared defensive magic and terrains like solid fortress walls, and behind them an immense number of spells were activated.
Soon, violent storms, hail, and water cannons burst forth toward Eurynome, and the surroundings exploded.
Explosions, curses, poison—so many kinds of magic erupted that visibility was completely lost.
With deafening blasts and smoke thickening the entire area, no one could make out their surroundings.
Everyone watching believed that under such an enormous bombardment, Eurynome would have no choice but to turn back.
Clip-clop, clip-clop.
With the sound of hooves, Eurynome emerged through the smoke with her spear raised high and shouted:
“Sorry, but any power that overturns order is useless before me!!! If you want to stop me, you should have brought someone like Hecate!!!”
Nullifying all magic, Eurynome tore through everything like the Hetairoi cavalry of the Macedonian nation of the upper world.
(In truth, the Hetairoi cavalry belonged to Alexander the Great, but in this world the term was first used by the Golden Race.)
Crack, crash!
Eurynome’s power, Poseidon’s steed Sleipnir, and the spear Trident were so overwhelmingly strong that the goddess single-handedly ripped apart the formation of thousands of nymph soldiers and hundreds of gods and fairy legions that guarded Thetis.
Fairies were flung in all directions, and the arms of gods blocking the front were severed and floated in the water.
Even those who had lost consciousness could not stand in her way, trembling as if terrified by the lingering power; Eurynome pushed past them and finally reached Thetis alone.
“It is a pity. Judging from your divinity, you do not seem like a goddess who should commit such acts. But we each have our position, so you must leave the stage here.”
Crash!!
The magic of Thetis—now acting fully as a wedge—and the goddess’ Trident flashed past each other in a single instant.
A delayed roar exploded, and those nearby began collapsing and losing consciousness one by one.
Thetis, who had clashed with the goddess’ spear, staggered with a large hole piercing her body.
Pouring golden blood again and again, she collapsed to the ground.
Amphitrite, Nereus, and Doris, who had been watching anxiously with surrendered expressions, threw off the fairy soldiers binding them and rushed toward Thetis.
“Metis!”
“What… what do we do about this wound?”
“Hurry, bring her here, we must begin healing.”
Whoooosh—
A refreshing breeze that could never exist in the sea swept through, and the dark-green battlefield shed its shell one by one, returning to the original blue sea.
At that magnificent sight, everyone who had still been fighting stopped and stared blankly.
Neighhhh—
Sleipnir struck the ground with its forelegs as if hammering in the stake of victory, and the goddess Eurynome raised her spear and shouted in response.
“This war is over. Now let us return home!!!”
Waaaaaaaaaah—
* * *
Far from the main battlefield, Poseidon and Pontos, still fighting, were also watching the final sequence of the battle.
“Good grief, I’ve become a god and now I get to see something straight out of a Napoleon painting. No wait, since it’s a woman, should I say Joan of Arc?”
“You fool. What senseless babbling are you spouting now.”
Pontos bit his lips as he watched the goddess Eurynome bask in victory.
Then, with a resentful face, he shouted at Poseidon:
“The war is not over yet! As long as I remain, the war shall continue!!”
Poseidon stuck a finger in his ear as if cleaning it and spoke in exasperation at the senile old god who still clung to stubbornness even after seeing the situation.
“Oh, come on. How are you saying things not even third-rate villains would say? The trend these days is to just die cleanly. When a villain drags things out too long, people start to hate it.”
“You brat!!!”
Pontos was enraged at Poseidon’s continued mockery in incomprehensible words.
As if he didn’t know already. At this point, it was clear he had lost.
But losing like this was unthinkable for a Protogenoi. Even the sky-castrated Uranus would mock him for this.
‘I will show you, until the very end, why the Protogenoi are feared.’
Thinking that his end could not be this miserable, and that it was too late to stop now—
Pontos cast aside his divine name and recklessly began absorbing all the divine power he had scattered throughout the entire sea.
“Did you think I would step back like this? I am the creator of the sea. Who else but I can be its master!!!”
As he focused purely on consuming power, Pontos’ body grew larger and larger.
Just like the powerful giants of the Titanomachy.
Nymphs, gods, and fairies watching began trembling in fear and retreating.
“Retreat! All forces, retreat!”
“Carry the wounded and run! If you’re slow, you’ll be swept away!”
Even Eurynome, Styx, and Metis—who had been restraining enemy prisoners—panicked and hurried to gather near Poseidon.
“This is bad, Poseidon, we must retreat. In that state, he loses all reason and begins destroying everything.”
“That’s right. In that condition, gods are practically invincible until they burn out all their power.”
“Yes, Poseidon. You have never seen it, but during Uranus’ age this happened often. They always used strategies to drain power until the very end. Let’s retreat first.”
The goddesses were urgent and frantic, but Poseidon’s expression was as calm as gentle waves.
Then, watching Pontos grow huge like a Titan, he spoke leisurely:
“Knew it. I thought I’d seen this kind of behavior somewhere. This is exactly like Power Rangers.”
“Even the part where they grow huge at the end—perfect match.”
The goddesses, shocked by Poseidon’s relaxed attitude, began pushing on his back, urging him to retreat quickly.
“Ugh! We know you’re strong, but this is on a completely different level!”
“Yes, listen to Styx. This is an entirely different issue. Ngh!”
“Oh heavens, what does he eat to be so strong? Even pushing him is hard.”
At their reactions, Poseidon gently stopped their pushing and answered.
“Don’t worry. Everyone in the world knows that losing your mind makes you weaker.”
“What?”
“Huh?”
“What does that…?”
Pointing at the frenzied giant like a teacher explaining to clueless students, Poseidon spoke.
“Look. Most giants that suddenly grow like that have weak leg bones.”
With that, he leapt up and swung his fist at the leg of the giant Pontos.
Crack!
Uaaaaaaargh—
“See? His legs got so weak they broke from a punch. And next comes the chin. When someone gets that big, their speed obviously slows down. That’s when you go in deep.”
Thud!
Uwoooooooh—
Boom!!!
The giant, struck in the chin by Poseidon, staggered and collapsed.
The impact made the ground tremble like an earthquake, and a massive tsunami surged through the sea.
“Good grief, even the way he falls is slow.”
Feeling the tremor, Poseidon casually watched the falling giant and whistled.
He had experienced similar things several times in the Titanomachy.
But the goddesses watching beside him were slack-jawed and stunned.
‘Impossible!’
‘That shouldn’t be something so easy…! Even during the age of Uranus…’
‘Are the records wrong? Or is the god beside me the monster?’
But soon, even Poseidon—who was whistling and acting relaxed—was forced to frown.
The fallen giant rapidly regenerated everything and, exhaling hot steam, began shrinking down to a size appropriate for fighting Poseidon.
“Right! Records say that gods in that state instantly adapt to every kind of attack!”
At Metis’ shout, the rampaging Pontos shrank to a size where he could fight Poseidon properly.
Even reduced, he was still about three times Poseidon’s size, but far more agile than before.
“This is bad. In that state, he is essentially optimized for fighting his enemy.”
“That’s right. I was too shocked to say it earlier, but such gods don’t fall until their power is completely exhausted. They’re basically monsters.”
Poseidon ignored the goddesses’ fussing and calmly assessed the enemy.
‘True, the punches did feel a bit off. Like it wasn’t satisfying to hit him… According to these panicking goddesses, he’s supposed to be practically invincible until the rampage ends…’
Before he finished thinking, the mindless giant swung his fist.
Boom!
Poseidon blocked the giant’s punch, and his arm trembled violently.
“This is the first time since Kronos. A being who can give my bare body this much impact.”
Feeling the shock spreading along his arm, Poseidon grinned.
“Good. Let’s have a deep conversation—between bodies.”