Reborn As Hades In Olympus

Ch. 169: A New Threat Appears

The cloaked figures roared in unison, their voices a cacophony of rage and malice, shaking the library walls. Their golden chains shimmered like molten fire, casting eerie reflections across the dusty tomes and fragile wooden shelves.

"Junghkook, stay behind me," I growled, gripping my walking stick tighter. Find more chapters on empire

He nodded, wide-eyed but composed, crouching slightly as if preparing for a sprint. "Are those actual monsters?" he whispered, his voice tinged with both disbelief and curiosity.

"They're worse. They're hunters," I said grimly, shifting into a defensive stance.

Truthfully I had no idea what they were but they did seem to be after me so I came to that assumption.

My mind then stayed to the throbbing in my bones, they ached greatly as if threatening to fall apart due to my fleeting age but somehow they stayed together.

How was I able to use my powers? What were these thing? Were they after me because I returned? How did they know about me?

Before I could elaborate further, the cloaked figure to the right lunged forward, scythe cutting the air with a high pitched screech. I calmed myself and watched time slow down, compared to what I had faced this was nothing. I parried with the walking stick, the impact reverberating through my arms again causing me to give a loud grunt. Sparks erupted between us as the scythe's golden edge collided with the wood in my hand that seems enchanted as I passed my energy into it.

"Junghkook, move!" I barked, shoving him aside just as another scythe swung horizontally, shattering the nearest bookshelf into a cloud of splinters. I could not have him getting hurt not on my watch exactly when this was always my fault.

Junghkook rolled across the floor with surprising agility, coming up in a crouch near another shelf. His hand darted into his crossbag, pulling out what looked like a slingshot and a handful of small metal balls. Without hesitation, he fired one at the cloaked figure on the left.

The ball zipped through the air and hit its target squarely in the chest. There was a loud clang, as if it had struck armor, but the figure staggered slightly mostly due to shock.

"Nice shot," I muttered, sidestepping another attack with ease.

"Thanks. You're pretty spry for an elder!" Junghkook quipped, loading another shot.

I didn't have time to reply or ask him why he would be going around with a slingshot in his bag, especially in this era.

"This mortal dares to use us for sport? This will be his undoing." Screeched the figure he had shot.

The central figure— the apparent leader— raised its scythe high, and black smoke coiled from its blade, forming jagged, serpentine tendrils that lashed toward us.

"Down!" I yelled, yanking Junghkook by the arm. The tendrils slammed into the spot where he'd been standing, leaving scorch marks on the floor.

"You didn't tell me they had magic!" Junghkook hissed, scrambling to his feet.

"I didn't know you'd stick around to find out!" I countered, swinging my walking stick in a wide arc. The stick becoming like an enchanted weapon released a burst of wind energy, knocking the nearest attacker off balance.

Junghkook grinned despite the chaos. "You're full of surprises, old man. Are you a retired superhero perhaps."

The figure I'd struck snarled, its cloak smoldering where the wind had hit it. Before it could recover, Junghkook darted forward, using the debris as cover he reached out to a long wooden log that held one of the shelves up. It was like watching a possessed kid heading to his death. He slid under its guard and drove the wooden log directly into its knee. This time, the creature let out a guttural roar and stumbled, its scythe skidding across the floor.

"Not so tough now, huh?" Junghkook taunted, retreating to my side.

"Don't get cocky kid", I warned, watching as the downed figure began to rise, its movements unnaturally fluid.

I would have suggested sitting them down to talk but from the way they appeared, apparently talking was off the plate and they did come armed and ready to draw first blood.

The leader raised its hand, and the sigils on its cloak flared with golden light. The air grew heavy, oppressive, as if gravity itself had doubled. Junghkook and I both dropped to one knee, struggling to breathe.

"They're trying to pin us down," I muttered through gritted teeth.

Junghkook's eyes darted around the room looking for something I could not discern. "Can you counter it?" His mood and expression, this boy was a bit quick to adapt to the mood.

"I can try." I might have sounded reassuring but deep down it was hard to even call out my power in my old frail body.

I gripped the walking stick with both hands and channeled what little energy I had left into it. I felt my hand throb as if the skin underneath would explode. I endured the pain and continued to pour all I had out. The stick glowed faintly, and I raised it high with all my power and with a gutteral roar I smashed it into the ground. A shockwave rippled outward, disrupting the golden aura. The pressure eased just enough for us to move again.

Junghkook didn't waste a second. He sprinted toward a nearby table, flipping it onto its side for cover. "What's the plan, elder?" And here I was thinking he had an idea to help.

"Survive," I said grimly, stepping in front of him as the three figures regrouped.

The leader gestured to its companions, and they spread out, flanking us.

"Of course they're coordinated," Junghkook muttered, reloading his slingshot. "Any bright ideas?" This time he sounded deeply desperate.

"Just one," I said, gripping my stick tightly.

I lunged at the nearest figure, aiming a strike at its midsection. It blocked with its scythe, but the force of the impact pushed it back. Before it could recover, Junghkook fired another shot, this time aiming for its face. The metal ball struck its hood, and the creature let out an unearthly screech, clawing at its head.

"Nice teamwork," Junghkook said, his tone almost cheerful.

The moment of victory was short-lived. The leader raised its scythe, and a wave of golden fire swept across the library.

"Move!" I shouted, grabbing Junghkook and diving behind the overturned table. The fire roared past us, incinerating everything in its path. Shelves collapsed, and ancient books turned to ash in seconds.

"This is bad, very bad. Can't you use your magic powers again old man," Junghkook said, coughing through the smoke.

"My body is too frail to carry it well" I replied, peeking over the edge of the table. The cloaked figures were advancing, seemingly unaffected by the destruction.

Junghkook's expression hardened. "We can't win this, can we?"

"Not in my current state, I can not." I admitted.

He nodded, his grip tightening on his slingshot. "Then we make a tactical retreat."

This "we" was starting to sound awkward. I had only just met him 10 minutes ago. But he was right with what he had said.

"Agreed. Follow my lead." I said.

I surged forward, channeling the last of my energy into the walking stick and hitting it hard on the ground. A moment later it caused the ground beneath the attackers to cave in, sending them stumbling. Junghkook took the opportunity to dart around them, heading for the exit. I wished I could use the nether flame that way this would have been over moments ago.

"Hey, ugly!" he shouted, hurling another flaming bottle at the leader. It exploded on impact, engulfing the figure in a burst of fire.

"Junghkook, now!" I yelled, covering his retreat with another shockwave.

The two of us sprinted toward the library's main doors, dodging falling debris and bursts of golden fire. The heat was suffocating, and the smoke burned my ageing lungs, but I pushed on.

We reached the exit just as the building began to collapse. A massive beam fell behind us, blocking the path of the cloaked figures.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

Outside, we stumbled onto the street, gasping for air. Behind us, the library crumbled into a smoldering heap, the flames licking at the night sky.

Junghkook leaned against a lamppost, his chest heaving. "Well, that was... something."

I nodded, trying to catch my breath. "You did well, kid."

He managed a weak smile. "You're not so bad yourself, elder."

For a moment, we stood in silence, the distant wail of sirens the only sound.

"We need to keep moving," I said finally.

Junghkook straightened, his expression serious. "What were those things?"

"Trouble," I said simply. "And they're not done with us yet."

"Us?" Junghkook asked.

I smiled. "I need to make sure they won't come after you since you meddled in their business."

Junghkook looked profoundly lost, his brave self dying with the roaring flames of the library. He turned his gaze up and said. "Hey old man, how is it night now?"

I looked up then down to my watch that was just noon. A moment of silence followed before I spoke again. "Tsk. It's a domain, it won't vanish till they're dead."

He gasped. "A domain expansion."

I turned and started to feel my age catching back up to me as we moved. "We need to rest up and find a way out of this." And just like that my normal life was no longer normal.

At the recess of myself I preferred it like this, because now I could almlwyas remember that my life as Hades was real and I would battle against fate and return back there one day.

As we walked away from the burning library, I couldn't shake the feeling that this was only the beginning. That I had brought back a great evil on this world with my return.