Devouring World Dragon

Chapter 319 Spell
"Then, Hera, where do you intend to take this child?"

Athena asked.

Hera did not answer directly upon hearing this. Instead, she glanced at Hermes, who was looking down with his head bowed, her meaning clear.

Hermes, who had been feigning deafness and muteness, could only bend over and pat his chest in response.

"Honorable goddess, what command do you have for this humble traveler?"

Hera cradled the sleeping baby in her arms, looked down at him, and carefully twisted the corners of the cloth to protect the little infant from the cold wind.

Then he addressed Hermes.

"Since this is your child, then you shall direct his upbringing and guide him to become a hero worthy of my glory when he grows up."

Hermes had no choice but to take the baby back.

The baby, who had previously seemed noisy, now made Hermes feel as if he were holding burning coals, and he just wanted to get rid of this huge trouble.

The two goddesses exchanged a glance and then disappeared into the wilderness.

Only Hermes, holding the baby, remained, his face full of sorrow.

"Since you are full of sorrow, why not hand him over to me?"

Just as Hermes was worrying, a voice suddenly rang in his ears, hoarse and cold.

Hermes was slightly startled, only to see a goddess standing beside him.

Though the goddess was dead, her bearing was more majestic than that of the living; though she was a venomous snake, her face was more beautiful than any flower. Her family lineage was not as illustrious as that of Zeus's children, but her father's ferocity was unmatched.

The scepter she holds commands all the venomous snakes in the world, and she rules her kingdom in the realm of the dead. Mortals fear her name and dare not strike the venomous snakes, lest they offend this serpent goddess.

And now, this pale-faced, indifferent girl is standing before Hermes.

Hermes looked surprised.

"Ah, beautiful goddess, I never expected you to come to this land."

Feigning surprise, Hermes' muscles involuntarily tensed, preparing for battle.

This goddess, who dwells in the world of death, is not to be trifled with; she is cold and ruthless, and devoted to serving her father. No one knows why she has suddenly come here.

This goddess, named Mona, bowed her head in rare respect.

"Hermes, since you are troubled by this child, why not give him to me? I will take good care of him."

Hermes, who had been worrying about what to do with the child, suddenly laughed at the suggestion.

"Goddess, I actually quite like children. They may be a bit noisy, but they're also quite interesting. So I won't trouble you."

Among the gods, three are known for their great wisdom.

One is Prometheus, the fire-stealer, whose wisdom and intelligence allow him to see into people's hearts and the future; he possesses the wisdom of a sage.

One is Athena, the Queen of War, who was knowledgeable about all kinds of things in the world, including the techniques of governing a country and fighting wars; this is the wisdom of rule.

Another is Hermes, who often appears as a traveler. He doesn't have much knowledge, but he has the cunning and resourcefulness of a merchant, a wisdom that is ever-changing and treacherous.

If Hermes initially didn't know where the giant eagle came from, and even suspected it was Hera, then when he saw Mona appear, he immediately understood.

It seems that the baby has already attracted the attention of three goddesses, the first of whom is the serpent goddess Mona.

Initially, she commanded a giant eagle to abduct the child, but the eagle failed. It then wanted to take matters into its own hands, but hesitated because of the sudden appearance of Hera and Athena. Now that Hera and Athena had left, she seized the opportunity and appeared before them.

Although Hermes didn't know why the goddess wanted to abduct the child, his instincts told him that it was best not to agree with the goddess's opinion, otherwise the consequences would be unpredictable.

Mona remained unmoved by Hermes's refusal, merely bowing slightly.

"Please, traveler, hand this child over to me. I'm willing to repay you with treasures a hundred times his weight. After all... he's not your biological son; he's more of a nuisance, isn't he?"

Hermes scratched his head in frustration.

"That's true, but I've already promised Hera, so... no way~"

The handsome young Hermes tilted his head, gently patted his head, stuck out his tongue, and revealed a mischievous smile.

But upon seeing that adorable smile, Mona's gaze turned serious. She abruptly reached out to grab it, but the figures before her, including the baby in her arms, vanished without a trace.

This cunning god of thieves, without anyone noticing, had secretly replaced himself with an illusion while he himself made a hasty escape.

As the fastest god in the universe, Hermes is faster than the wind and light; nothing can keep up with his pace.

In that short time, Hermes had already run far away.

"Humph."

The goddess snorted coldly, her gaze growing even colder.

This baby is too important to the father's plans, and she is willing to pay any price for it.

Hermes, do you really think nothing can catch you?

His pale, bloodless lips moved slightly.

Thus, the King of Magic, who had traversed three worlds and mastered numerous secret spells unknown even to the gods, began to chant incantations.

In the darkness, the power of that mysterious incantation is stirring the entire void.

……

Meanwhile, billions of miles away, crossing towering mountains, the fastest deity in the universe is fleeing.

There was no way not to escape.

Although Hermes believed himself to be strong, the problem was that his opponent was stronger.

Once upon a time, the serpent goddess Mona and the god of war Ares made a bet to see who could quell the tsunami unleashed by Poseidon.

Ares used his immense power to move mountains in an attempt to stop the tsunami, but the majestic mountains were swept away by the tsunami unleashed by the earth-shattering god in just three breaths. Meanwhile, the serpent goddess summoned nine giant serpents, which slithered across the earth.

The nine giant serpents dragged nine deep trenches across the ground, and the tsunami was dispersed by these trenches, forming nine great rivers that flowed across the continent. Each river nurtured numerous cities and nations.

The traces of the nine great rivers could be seen in the sky. Hermes knew he couldn't defeat the nine giant serpents, so he decided to run away.

Wearing an invisibility cloak and holding a baby, he felt he had run far enough and wanted to stop and rest.

"What exactly is this guy trying to do?"

Muttering to herself, she looked at the sleeping baby in her arms with a headache. Even after all that had happened, the little baby seemed completely oblivious, wanting nothing more than to sleep after being fed.

What should we do with this little thing?

As Mona said, Hermes was indeed quite troubled by this little problem.

"Hermes, aren't you going to run away?"

But just as Hermes was suffering from a headache, he suddenly heard a voice, a voice he shouldn't have heard...

His hoarse voice lacked the gentleness of a living person, but was very solemn and dignified.

Hermes felt a shiver run through him; he was truly terrified. It was completely unexpected.

How can it be?

How could anyone be faster than me?
Turning my head, I saw only a lonely, silent shadow.

The shadowy figure looked very much like the goddess, but it was clearly not her, for it was ultimately just a phantom.

Who is Hermes?

He has many divine names: god of thieves, god of merchants, god of sports, god of travelers... and among these many divine names, the most famous is Hermes' speed.

The symbol of the fastest speed in the universe.

The wind cannot reach it, the light cannot reach it; nothing in this universe is faster than Hermes.

However, there is actually something that can be faster than Hermes...

That is thought.

Thoughts can be so swift that they can traverse the entire universe in a single moment.

From the highest, most distant sky covered with stars to the deepest, most unseen abyss, this furthest distance in the universe would take even Hermes a day and a night to traverse, yet thought can travel back and forth in an instant.

Hermes was indeed the fastest; no matter how many spells the King of Magic chanted, he could not surpass Hermes in speed.

But the magic king who spanned three worlds, though unable to catch Hermes, chanted a spell, allowing his thoughts to travel ahead of Hermes's.

While Hermes thought he had left the goddess far behind, the goddess's mind had been waiting for a long time.

And so, facing Hermes, the shadow swung its scepter and brought it down.

Normally, Hermes would have been able to withstand this attack, but in his extreme shock, he was knocked unconscious by the shadow's powerful blow.

The god fell to the ground.

When the messenger of the gods awoke, the child in his arms was nowhere to be found.

Hermes pursed his lips and looked down in the direction of the underworld.

"It's none of my business now."

……

But beneath the underworld, beyond that abyss.

Beneath the gloomy sky, a winding mountain range stretched into the abyss. But it was not a mountain range; it was the tail of a monster.

The monster was so large that even the abyss could not contain it, so a section of its tail protruded, forming the Yin Mountain of the Underworld.

At that moment, a young girl, carrying an infant, walked towards the source of the mountain range... to the head that was larger than mountains and seas.

The monster was asleep, dreaming a dream from which it knew not when it would awaken.

Beside the head, the girl silently recited a prayer to awaken her father.

After a long while, the head, which was larger than mountains and seas, slowly opened its eyes.

The mere act of opening its eyes caused a tremor akin to an earthquake, leaving numerous wandering ghosts trembling with fear and unease.

Its enormous eyes were as magnificent as the ocean, with only a black dot at the center, as if it were still in a state between sleep and wakefulness.

Then, the black dot moved unconsciously, rapidly shrinking into a vertical needle shape, eerily terrifying.

The monster has awakened.

"Mona, why did you wake me up?"

A deep voice sounded, and the monster shook its head in front of Mona, as if to ease the discomfort brought on by its long slumber.

As for the question about the monster, Mona simply handed the child she was holding forward.

The giant snake looked down at the pitifully small thing in front of it, its cold pupils fixed on the infant, and then asked.

"What's this."

Mona withdrew her hand, letting the child float between herself and the giant snake, and bowed her head.

“Father, this is the child, the child who will stand in your way.”

Meanwhile, on Mount Olympus.

Zeus suddenly opened his eyes.

(End of this chapter)