Third Arc: Typhon
-Palace of styx-
The fates raised their hands and mumbled an incantation." The devil that was sealed by gods, shall rise and stand against all odds, and face offspring of his ancient foe, both have met yet neither know. He stands with a blade that chaos did make, and upon this weapon his life he doth stake. The ancient bane of the gods rises again, but at the hands of a demigod, he is slain."
Clotho finished mumbling and then blew onto a small thread. She raised it and looked at both her sisters." This contains both Typhon's life as well as Percy's life. Once it is cut, one of them must die."
Lachesis grimaced and the scissors in her hands went 'Snip'. Their fate was sealed.
-Tartarus Burial Grounds
Bang!
With a huge explosion, an enormous gray figure landed heavily in front of Percy.
A baleful aura that seemed to come from hell itself assaulted Percy, forcing him to stumble back five steps as he reflexively clenched his fists. From its voice, Percy could tell that it was no more than thirty meters away from him but the only thing he could see in the darkness were those grayish-white eyes. Other than that, he was not even able to make out a hazy silhouette.
It knew that Percy wanted the Underworld Python Flower… Oh yeah! It had already heard the conversation that he had with Grandholme earlier!
Even though the Typhon was close by, he still could not see it. However, Percy did feel a dreadful pressure envelop him as it sought to crush both his body and soul. This pressure was entirely different from any other kind of pressure that Percy had endured in his life. Icy, violent rancor, arrogance and unreal bloodlust… Percy felt a thick wave of negative emotions envelop every corner of this dark world. All of a sudden, he was struck by the dreadful feeling that he was sealed in some kind of hellish volcano and that he was about to face the cruelest punishments imaginable.
"The root of this king's very life and soul had been left in tatters so I had no choice but to seal myself in this place, not daring to see the light of day for ten thousand years! The darkness energy in this place has helped this king slowly recover my vitality and strength and this Underworld Python Flower will be able to restore this king's soul origin! This is something the heavens have blessed this king with. It is the most precious thing to this king in my life! In this disgraceful place, the day on which this flower blooms every twenty four years is the day this king looks forward to the most! To think that a foolish and insignificant inferior lifeform such as yourself would dare to have designs on the object that this king treasures the most!"
When an immeasurably strong existence faced a "pitiful creature," it normally would not even be moved to anything resembling anger. But it was very clear that Percy had touched this creature's reverse scale, something that he definitely should not have done!
The baleful aura which it had suddenly released caused Percy's heart to race but after that, he quickly regained his composure. His eyes turned exceptionally cold as he said, "It looks like… there isn't much room for discussion after all."
Not only was he unable to attain his desired outcome but the situation had deteriorated in the worst possible manner… To think that this Underworld Python Flower was actually the "reverse scale" of the Typhon!
This also meant that if he wanted to obtain the Underworld Python Flower, he would have to kill the Typhon first!
He had to kill a monster that had lived for more than ten thousand years! A monster that was surrounded by boundless mysteries!
"It was rumored that your strength was around the initial stages of the Ninth Level ten thousand years ago. Now a whole ten thousand years have passed, yet you are only at the middle stages of the Sovereign Profound Realm…" Since it had devolved into a life-or-death struggle between them, Percy naturally dispensed with all formalities and courtesies. Instead he gave it a cold smile as he continued, "Even the most ordinary human being could outstrip this pitiful rate of growth! It looks the monster who keeps calling us inferior lifeforms… is nothing much after all!"
"Hahahahaha!" The Typhon was not provoked by Percy's words. Instead, a wild laugh erupted from his throat, "Foolish and pathetic creature, how could you even deign to understand the true might of this king! This king's current isolation is only because the very roots of my life and soul have been wounded! As long as this Underworld Python Flower is not destroyed, this king's vitality and his soul origin will have completely recovered after three thousand more years! When that time comes, this king's body and soul will swiftly recover and this king's strength will grow by leaps and bounds! And at that time, everything in this world will have to bow at this king's feet!"
Artemis, "…"
"Tch." Percy snorted disdainfully, his expression filled with contempt, "I have met quite a few strong people in my life and there's a whole bunch of people who are stronger than you. But when it comes to being boastful and arrogant, I don't think I've met a single person who has beaten you yet. Oh… could it be that you've been crazy from the start? That sounds about right, in this environment of absolute darkness, it wouldn't be surprising for someone to be driven to suicide within a month or two, much less lose their minds. Speaking of that, I have to say that I am suddenly filled with admiration for you. Not only did you not commit suicide despite being holed up in this place for ten thousand years, you're actually doing just fine."
"Heh…" A dangerous chuckle coldly rang out in the darkness as the Typhon snickered, "This king has been able to endure for the past one million years, so what is a mere ten thousand years to me!"
Percy's brows fiercely jumped…
One million years!?
"How ridiculous! To think that this king would deign to waste his breath on a foolish and pathetic lower life form such as yourself!"
Boom!
An icy-cold energy wave exploded outwards as the Typhon's eyes turned from grayish-white to jet black. Around its body, dense black-colored mist gathered. In an instant, all of the darkness energy within the Tartarus Burial Grounds began to stir violently as an evil wind that seemed to come from hell itself mercilessly swept through and began to erode every part of the place.
Percy felt a pressure on his chest but after that he leaped backwards with all his strength, instantly retreating three hundred meters away. The darkness energy that the Typhon had explosively released made him feel as if he had instantly dropped into the pits of hell.
Wooosh!
Percy's left hand blazed with Phoenix flames while his right hand was engulfed by the Golden Crow flames. His entire body was being baptized by fire and his brows were fiercely knitted together. While he had been alarmed and shocked by the darkness energy radiating from the Typhon, for some odd reason, he could not help but feel a familiarity from it that should not have existed…
Familiarity?
"Ignorant lower life form, given your pitiful strength, approaching the Underworld Python Flower would only end in your death. This king does not even need to personally execute you. But at the same time, it would also stain this king's Underworld Python Flower with the dirty and inferior soul lower given off by you humans! So this king has no choice but to personally consign you to the dust within this darkness!"
The boundless darkness had completely camouflaged the Typhon. Percy could not see where it was and could only rely on his restricted spirit perception to sense it. So in this current situation, Percy had already been forced to assume an absolute defensive posture before they had even come to blows.
At this moment, an extremely low voice icily rang out:
"Illusory Tartarus Tome of Eternal Nyx!"
This voice had not come from Percy… instead it was Artemis who had said those words!
These six words caused Percy to be rooted in place while also causing the Typhon to abruptly to freeze in place just as he was about to make an attack.
"Who is it!?" The Typhon roared as its pupils suddenly radiated a hellish, ebon light. This hellish light fell onto Percy's body as it roared once more, "Oh, so that's how it is! Your body houses another soul… and this soul is actually able to recognize this king's devil art!"
"Artemis, what is going on?" Percy asked apprehensively. He finally knew where that odd sense of familiarity originated from… The darkness energy that was radiating from this Typhon was astonishingly similar to the energy aura that Luke had released the other day. It was only that the Typhon's aura was many times denser and purer than Luke's aura had been.
"This monster is neither a beast nor a man!" Artemis's voice was frighteningly low, because the shock and terror in her heart was many times that of Percy's own, "It is extremely likely that this monster is… from one million years ago… during the Primordial Era… it is from the Eternal Night Devil Clan…"
"A devil!"
The appearance of the "Illusory Tartarus Tome of Eternal Nyx" in the Gaia Continent had caused Artemis to sense that something was amiss. The Typhon standing in front of them was extremely likely to be the dreadful truth behind… the "Illusory Tartarus Tome of Eternal Nyx"!
"…!" Even though he had similar suspicions, hearing Artemis utter the word "devil" in an immeasurably somber tone caused Percy's heart and soul to fiercely quiver.
Devils! They lived during the Primordial Era and had dominated the Primal Chaos Realm together with the ancient gods. Their strength, vitality and spirit… were at a level that was far above humanity… and they were an existence that was greater than all other living creatures as well!
But the gods and devils had clearly gone extinct a million years ago!
The dead gods had at the very least left behind their scattered legacies but according to what Artemis had told him, the devils had long ago faded away completely, not leaving a single thing behind.
"Artemis… are you sure?" Percy asked as his heart remained stuck in his throat. If what Artemis had said was correct, then the monster standing in front of him was a terrifying creature of ancient legend that should have been wiped out one million years ago!
"It is extremely likely… The Illusory Tartarus Tome of Eternal Nyx that he had displayed may not have been too powerful, but it was incredibly pure! There is an entire world of difference between the Illusory Tartarus Tome of Eternal Nyx it just displayed and the one that Luke used! If one's devil body and devil soul was not pure enough, it was impossible to use such a pure devil art… Furthermore the Illusory Tartarus Tome of Eternal Nyx was a devil art that was supposed to have died out along with the ancient devil clan!"
Every single word that Artemis said weighed down on Percy like an enormous and heavy boulder, "The Illusory Tartarus Tome of Eternal Nyx that was used by Luke had very likely come from it!"
Percy, "…"
"Who are you! How could you recognise this king's devil art!?" Artemis's words had not only stunned Percy, they had also stunned the Typhon, causing the darkness energy that was swirling around it to sink slightly. But the black light that was shining in its eyes grew even brighter.
"Hmph, what a joke." Artemis said icily, "Do you think the Illusory Tartarus Tome of Eternal Nyx is very rare? Within the Gaia Continent, there are tens of thousands of people who can use the Illusory Tartarus Tome of Eternal Nyx!"
Artemis's words were clearly meant to sound things out.
"What a load of bullshit!" The Typhon roared as fury filled his voice, "The Illusory Tartarus Tome of Eternal Nyx is the devil art unique to my Eternal Night Devil Clan, and it is also the only devil art that still exists in this world! Under this sky, other than this king himself, it will definitely not be used by another!"
"Oh really? Since this devil art should solely belong to you, then can you explain how this princess could recognize it at first glance and how I was even able to correctly identify its name!?" Artemis replied icily.
The Typhon was dumbstruck for a short while. But after that, the dark mist around its body began to swirl violently as it become a violent tsunami of darkness, pushing Percy backwards by tens of steps once more. At the same time, Percy could clearly tell that the Typhon's fury was not directed at him.
"Oh so that is how it is… That's how it is!" The Typhon roared in fury, "It was that unfilial son of mine… that unfilial wretch! Not only did he betray this king, he even handed down our clan's supreme and unsurpassed devil art to humans… AHHHHHHHHHHHH! This king… should have torn you to shred all those years ago… TORN YOU TO SHREDS!"
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The Typhon had completely lost control of its emotions and its power had gone berserk as well. The darkness profound energy spread all over the place as it lashed out crazily at its surroundings and deafening explosions blanketed the area.
"What did he say? His son?" Percy asked with bleak eyes as he remained on his guard. But he was completely unable to understand what the Typhon was roaring.
Artemis explained in a slow but low voice, "We definitely need to think of a way to get it to divulge all of its secrets! To think that there was actually another devil hiding in this world! This definitely can't just be categorized as simply an odd occurrence! This is a huge matter that is big enough to shock the entire Godly Realm!"
"If he is really a devil from the ancient devil race and he is really able to recover his strength one day, then… he will bring about a horrifying calamity to the entire Primal Chaos Realm!"
Percy's mind whirled before he shouted out in a stern voice, "Typhon! I can tell you one thing, the 'Illusory Tartarus Tome of Eternal Nyx' that we know of comes from a sword that is known as Riptide! Does riptide belong to you?"
"Riptide?" The Typhon said as he gave a furious laugh, "That is this king's Eternal Night Devil Sword!"
Eternal Night… Devil Sword?
The Eternal Night Devil Sword… so that was its true name!?
"Why is it in the Gaia Continent? Did you leave it behind on purpose?" Percy asked as his brows knit together. As he was speaking, he also began to quietly withdraw all of his concentrated profound energy. Percy did this because he knew that if he made himself seem weak enough, weak to the point where it looked like he did not have the strength to resist and was a dead man walking, it would be much easier to get the Typhon to divulge all of his secrets.
The Typhon's rage had still not dissipated and it seemed like the "unfilial son" he had mentioned was the greatest regret of his life. He roared in nearly uncontrollable rage, "Ten thousand years ago, this king had finally managed to escape the seal, and even though I did not die, the roots of my life and soul were completely destroyed. Anytime my body came into contact with the light of the sun and the moon, I was wracked with unbearable agony. Furthermore, it was highly likely that I would die in that condition so I had no choice but to cower in this dark abyss! In order for this king to find out what was going on in the outside world, I threw the Eternal Night Devil Sword into the outside world! And sealed inside the Eternal Night Devil Sword was this king's unfilial wretch of a son!"
"This king had thought that he would do this king's bidding and be this king's eyes and ears in the world. But this unfilial wretch actually cut off the soul link that he had with this king! He actually betrayed this king! And he even passed down the Illusory Tartarus Tome of Eternal Nyx to you lowly human beings… AHHHHHHHHHHH!"
"To think that this king actually personally destroyed his devil body all those years ago in order to seal his devil soul into the Eternal Night Devil Sword, all so he could escape death together with this king! But in the end, he wound up betraying this king… That unfilial wretch! THAT UNFILIAL WRETCHED SON!"
The Typhon's emotions were going berserk, and his deafening roars of fury threatened to rupture Percy's eardrums.
"…Artemis, do you understand what he is saying?" Percy whispered as he leaned against one of the walls towards the back.
"Riptide is the Eternal Night Devil Sword that he is talking about, and there is the soul of another devil hiding in that sword!" Artemis said in a somber voice, "However that sword is no cause for concern because if even the Phoenix and golden crow could easily seal it away, it means that its strength is already too weak to even be worth mentioning. Right now, even if the devil soul in that sword hasn't been completely extinguished, it is already teetering on the verge of oblivion. But this Typhon… why is he still alive!? And he was even able to survive to this very day!"
"This planet was created by Poseidon! Since he said that he was sealed away for one million years, it is extremely likely that Poseidon was the one who sealed him away! Since Poseidon had the power to seal him away for so long, then why didn't he just kill this Typhon in the first place? He also just talked about how he sealed the devil soul of his own son into his sword, so that his son could escape death together with him… What exactly is going on here!?"
A living devil, this matter was far more terrifying and serious than a normal person could imagine.
Artemis's voice once again rang out within the Tartarus Burial Grounds, "Typhon! You keep claiming that you are from the Eternal Night Devil Clan and you also keep saying that you've been sealed for a million years. Are you actually trying to tell us that you're a Descendant of Tartarus from the Ancient Era? Hah, how ridiculous! The god race and devil race died out one million years ago, this is a fact that any three year old child within the Primal Chaos Dimension can tell you. So every single word that you've uttered is foolish beyond belief!"
"This king's devil body is not something you lowly humans have the right to call into question!" The Typhon furiously roared back at her, "Yes, the gods fell and the devils died. Half of my Eternal Night Devil Clan died at the hands of the god race, the other half were destroyed by that scythe wielded by Kronos! Only this king survived! That damned Poseidon, he was clearly struck by the Blade of Kronos and was severely injured', yet he was still able to survive for so long after that. He was even able to use the remainder of his strength to seal this king into this lowly place!"
"…It was just as you had guessed! He was sealed by Poseidon!" Percy whispered to Artemis.
Artemis, "…"
"This king was sealed away for one million years… A whole million years!" The Typhon continued to howl in fury, as if he was giving vent to the berserk rage that was caused by his "unfilial son", "That damnable seal is eating away at this king's devil body and devil soul every second! This king originally believed that he would die due to Poseidon's seal but who would have thought that the seal's power would suddenly run out ten thousand years ago. That not only left this king with a sliver of my life origin and soul origin, it also gave me back my freedom!"
"…" The Typhon's words caused a flash of doubt to cross Percy's mind… Normally speaking, after being released from a seal, a person would say that "I had regained my freedom, but was left with a sliver of my life origin and soul origin after that", but what the Typhon said was, "This not only left this king with a sliver of my life origin and soul origin, it also gave me back my freedom."
So his words seemed to express that he did not have any freedom before he was sealed by Poseidon.
However, this doubt did not linger in his mind, because he knew that it was very likely only a difference in the way the Typhon expressed himself.
"That Poseidon would never believe that the seal that he exhausted all his strength to set was not able to kill this king… What's more, he himself lies dead one million years in the past, hahahahaha!" The Typhon's rage turned into wild laughter, "It is truly heaven itself which has protected this king. Heaven itself which has protected my bloodline!"
"Poseidon sealed this king in this incomparably inferior world for one reason. It must have been to ensure that if the day came where this king managed to escape his seal, I would be unable to regenerate my broken devil body and devil soul and the only thing I would be able to do was wait for death to claim me! He definitely would never have dreamed that a group of foolish, lowly humans would actually create a perfect barrier for this king. Not only did it completely obstruct the light of the sun and the moon, it also prevented this precious devil energy from dissipating, leaving it completely for this king's use! And what was even more marvelous was that a Underworld Python Flower was actually birthed in this place… So I could absorb this devil energy to recover my life force and I could consume this Underworld Python Flower to recover my soul origin. All of these things fell into place perfectly. It is clear that the heavens themselves are helping my Eternal Nyx Devil Clan to once again establish the reign of the devils!"
"!" At this point, Percy fully understood what the Typhon was saying.
The Typhon… A devil that Poseidon had used the last bit of his strength to seal away before he himself had fallen! The seal lost its power ten thousand years ago, allowing the Typhon to regain his freedom. But at the same time, the seal had been eating away at him constantly for one million years. So even if he managed to escape the seal, it was just a matter of time before he met his own end.
But as it happened, he was discovered by the founders of Pontus Grand Society not long after he had escaped his seal and so a barrier was erected around him… which simultaneously created the most optimal place for him to recover!
Furthermore, due to the accumulation of darkness energy, a Underworld Python Flower had been birthed in this place!
The Pontus Grand Society had wanted to seal away this dreadful devil energy and the Typhon along with it… But it had unwittingly saved him!
On the other hand, if not for this barrier, that terrifying devil energy that seemed to come out of nowhere would spread towards the Gaia Continent and the consequences of that were unthinkable.
Just as Artemis had said, compared to the Typhon, the object that continuously released this devil energy was far more terrifying!
Artemis replied in a cold voice, "All those years ago, even Poseidon died due to the Scythe of Kronos, Backbiter, why is it that you were the sole survivor!? Moreover, sealing you for a million years would be far more difficult than killing you. So why did Poseidon choose to exhaust all his remaining strength to seal you away rather than simply killing you?"
"Heh." The Typhon gave a sinister chuckle and at this moment, his fury had begun to abate as well, "Because the Scythe of Kronos, Backbiter is not able to kill this king! And Poseidon is even less capable of killing this king!"
"Why couldn't they kill you!?" Artemis pressed on, " Even if you are the king of the Eternal Night Devil Poseidon, the Creation God known as Zeus, and Hades had fallen!… so why are you the only one that is still alive!?"
Boom!
The Typhon did not reply. As he regained his composure and his rage died down, the darkness energy around his body flared to life once more as a bone-cutting, icy aura heavily locked onto Percy. As he advanced, the entire Tartarus Burial Grounds began to fiercely tremble, "Since you are so eager to know the truth, then you can ask that damnable Poseidon after I've sent you to hell! Lowly and pathetic humans, if you had been trapped in here by accident, this king wouldn't even bother lifting a finger. Instead, I would let the devil energy in this place consume you. But you dared to lust after this king's Underworld Python Flower… So prepare yourselves, as this king will grant you the cruelest of deaths!"
A.N.: lets just keep cheering for Percy okay. And hope for an awesome fight. Also reviews!