King of Underworld

Chapter 81: The Story of Bellerophon – (4)

Bellerophon hurriedly flew on Pegasus to find Chimera.

The monster’s trail continued consistently.

‘Damn it… that monster…’

It was heading straight toward the city of Lachia, the city where he had been commissioned.

The ground, as if the Chimera had passed through, was grotesquely torn up by the monster’s sharp claws…

The grass and trees along the path withered due to the deadly venom dripping from the snake head’s fangs.

Fwoosh!

He hastily directed Pegasus toward Lachia.

However, the closer he got to the city, the more he could hear the screams of people and the sound of buildings collapsing.

Even though he was pushing Pegasus to its limit, was it already too late? Where was it?

“Kyaaah!”

“A monster! It’s a monster! Goddess Athena, please!”

“Quickly, flee this way!”

The temple of Goddess Athena, built on the outskirts of the city, was engulfed in flames.

The beautiful statue, modeled after the goddess of wisdom, had been shattered in half, lying in pieces on the ground.

People were fleeing, while heavily armed soldiers surrounding the temple ran around frantically, creating chaos.

Fwoosh!

“That damned monster!”

“Goddess Athena… it’s our fault for failing to protect your temple…”

“It’s spewing fire inside the temple right now… but arrows didn’t work on it!”

“We have to get inside somehow, but it’s not easy!”

“Damn it, the flames won’t stop…!”

Once again, fierce flames blazed up from the center of the temple.

Bellerophon flew Pegasus around the burning temple, searching, but the creature was nowhere to be seen.

It was certain that Chimera was inside. However, to enter the narrow temple, he would have to dismount from Pegasus.

But without Pegasus, Bellerophon was just an ordinary man. Could he defeat that monster?

Could he, without Pegasus, manage to avoid that steel-like hide and thrust a spear into its throat?

* * *

As he hovered in the air on his winged horse, many people soon spotted Bellerophon.

Exposed to the monster’s threat, they desperately sought a lifeline.

“Hey, you! Have you received help from the gods? That monster hasn’t come out of the temple for a while!”

“A winged horse…? Have the gods sent a messenger?”

“Please, you up there, help us save Lachia!”

Seeing the soot-covered, horribly burned people, the hero clenched his teeth.

At that moment, he heard the urgent voice of King Iobates.

Among the many soldiers surrounding the temple, King Iobates appeared.

“Bellerophon! You are surely loved by the gods!”

“Your Majesty Iobates?! How did you come here…?”

“When a temple in the land I rule is in danger, what kind of king wouldn’t come to personally handle the situation?”

King Iobates had sent Bellerophon to a deathtrap based on his son-in-law’s letter.

However, seeing Bellerophon mounted on the winged horse, he realized his mistake and called out to him.

“Bellerophon! Come over here for a moment!”

“Yes? Understood!”

He descended from Pegasus, and without a word, the king handed him a letter from his chest.

His eyes were filled with regret and remorse.

“No… This is…!”

“Yes, in fact, the letter from my son-in-law… It said that you tried to seduce his wife, and asked me to have you killed…”

“To think you asked me to kill Chimera… this is a misunderstanding! I would never…”

“…How could a hero, blessed by the gods, covet another man’s wife? I realize now that I made a grave mistake. I’m truly sorry…”

King Iobates approached Bellerophon and placed his hand on his shoulder.

The aging king’s eyes met the hero’s.

“Though I’ve wronged you… could I ask you to take care of that monster?”

“…!”

“…Please. You’re the only hero we have here.”

Soldiers around them gasped in shock as the king bowed his head to plead with him.

Bellerophon bit his lip hard enough to draw blood and knelt on one knee before the king, shouting.

“Of course! The gods gave me Pegasus to slay that beast… I will complete my task!”

Though driven by honor and duty, he was still a hero.

Seeing the temple of the goddess burn and people dying stirred his heart strongly.

What sealed his resolve was the sight of the king lowering his pride for the safety of his people.

Without waiting for the king’s response, he grabbed a spear weighted with lead and entered the burning temple.

Thud, thud.

Facing that monster with nothing but a lead-tipped spear, without the aid of the divine Pegasus…

He was surely going to die. His body would likely burn painfully as he perished.

But a hero…

“Bellerophon!”

“Please… be safe…”

“May Goddess Athena’s protection be with you!”

### Even in the Face of Inevitable Death, a Hero Never Backs Down.

* * *

As Bellerophon pushed through the flames and entered the temple, all he could see was a sea of fire.

It was as if the lion-headed beast was on a rampage, with scorching heat pressing in from all sides, suffocating him.

“Ugh…”

His vision was obscured by the thick black smoke, swirling ash, and the chaos of fleeing people and raging flames…

Where was that monster… where could it be?

As he ventured deeper into the temple, Bellerophon finally spotted Chimera, glaring at him with bloodshot eyes.

Without hesitation, he flung his body behind a marble pillar.

Fwoosh!

Bellerophon had just barely evaded the flames spewing toward him after Chimera spotted him.

However, the environment here was overwhelmingly disadvantageous for him.

Even if he wasn’t directly hit, the heat was unbearable. Each breath scorched his chest, and the air was thick with smoke.

The winged horse sent by the gods was outside, and there was no other ally within the temple.

He was, in essence, in a hopeless situation where his life hung by a thread.

Fwoosh!

“Ugh!”

Once again, he leaped aside, swallowing his despair.

He couldn’t keep dodging forever. Tightrope walking like this always had its limit.

His breathing grew labored, and his back felt searing hot.

Did the flames graze him? The monster’s growling was terrifying.

Grrrr…

Chimera slowly approached the pillar behind which Bellerophon was hiding.

The beast’s reflexes far surpassed his.

Even if he threw his spear perfectly into its mouth, without being mounted on Pegasus…

It would likely melt in the air, engulfed by those enormous flames.

There was only one option left: he had to stab it directly into the beast’s mouth.

But if he did, he would be engulfed by the enraged creature’s flames…

Grrrr…

Leaning against the burning marble pillar, hiding from the monster, Bellerophon tightly closed his eyes.

From a young age, he had aspired to be a hero, even a god. He had planned to go to Thebes to follow the divine oracle given to the world…

But because of the sin of accidentally killing his brother, he had to seek refuge in another kingdom.

There were rumors that those who went to Thebes would be trained directly by the gods, and that they would undergo rigorous schedules, receiving divine blessings and armor…

Even if only half of the rumors were true, those who passed the trials there were bound to become heroes.

So, by not going to Thebes, did that mean he would never become a hero?

Tap.

Chimera’s footsteps grew closer.

Soon, it would find him and spew fire, and then he would be dead.

As Bellerophon gritted his teeth, images of the people burning in the flames and…

King Iobates, bowing his head to him, flashed through his mind.

And deep within his heart, the dream he had harbored for so long: the ambition to perform an extraordinary feat and become a god.

Suddenly.

Grrrr!

Bellerophon didn’t wait for the approaching beast. He jumped up and charged forward.

Flames burst forth from Chimera’s open mouth as it spotted him, but he didn’t stop.

Fwoosh!

“I will prove that I don’t need to go to Thebes to become a hero, I, Bellerophon!!!”

His body was engulfed in the searing flames. It burned. It burned. It was unbearable!

His skin, his hands, his arms, his legs—his entire body was burning.

His trained muscles melted, and the strength drained from the hand holding the spear.

His eyes melted, leaving him blind, and his legs screamed in agony.

Yet the hero never let go of the spear he held.

Stab.

GROOOOAAAARRR!!!

Until it was driven deep into the monster’s mouth, just as he had aimed.

* * *

After a time, the agonized wailing of the monster inside the temple faded, and the flames died down.

The soldiers surrounding the temple brought water to extinguish the small remaining fires and began to enter.

The soldiers at the forefront found something.

“This is…!”

“Your… Your Majesty! You must see this!”

Once the area was secured, King Iobates entered the temple and found two bodies in its center.

Chimera lay collapsed, with a spear embedded in its mouth, black smoke billowing from its maw…

And a charred figure, presumed to be Bellerophon, stood frozen in place, the spear still thrust into the monster’s mouth.

The horrific yet noble sight silenced everyone.

“He didn’t let go of the spear till the very end…”

“Your Majesty, it seems the lead attached to the spear melted in the flames and seeped into its belly.”

“With molten lead burning inside, not even a monster could survive…”

“He truly was a hero…”

It appeared that the lead from the spear, melted by Chimera’s flames, had flowed into its stomach…

And thus, the monster had perished.

“Hm… Retrieve Bellerophon’s remains.”

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

Crackle…

Bellerophon’s remains—no, the blackened figure that could barely be called a corpse…

Crumpled into ash as soon as the soldiers lightly touched it.

Fwoosh…

Pegasus, having entered at some point, let out a short, sorrowful cry, as if mourning the loss of its rider.

King Iobates, who had been staring at the fallen Chimera and Bellerophon for some time, spoke in a heavy voice.

“…Erect a statue of Bellerophon, the hero who saved our Lachia.”

“Yes! Understood!”

“May the blessing of Pluto be upon the hero.”

“Goddess Athena…”

May he receive his reward, even in the Underworld.