Chapter 6 The King Beneath the Black Earth
Scene Six: The Crown's Judgment
Hermes blurred across the chamber, his silver blade dragging sparks along the ground.
Megumi braced himself—
Too late.
The dagger sliced across his ribs.
Pain bloomed white-hot, but he didn't fall.
He pivoted, slammed his fist toward where Hermes had been—
Only to strike empty air.
Hermes appeared above him mid-flip, spinning gracefully before driving his foot into Megumi's back, sending him crashing to the floor. Dust and magic choked the air.
"Come on," Hermes called, twirling his dagger lazily. "Is that it? Where's the 'wrath of man' I've been hearing so much about?"
Megumi rose slowly, blood dripping down his side. His breathing was ragged, his vision flickering.
Then—
The Crown pulsed.
Megumi's eyes snapped toward it. For a moment, the world fell silent.
A whisper.
A memory.
A scream not from his mouth — but from something sleeping inside his bones.
And suddenly, the pain was gone.
Only power remained.
Scene Seven: The Awakening
Lightning erupted from Megumi's chest — not bright, but black and white, jagged like shattered time. The gauntlet flared violently, its veins glowing. His halo split into fragments, rotating around his head like a crown of blades.
Hermes froze.
His smile dropped.
"What the hell…"
Megumi's body arched — and in that instant, a monstrous surge of energy burst outward, ripping through the tomb walls like paper. The ground cracked. The crown dropped lower, drawn to him like iron to gravity.
Hermes blinked — and Megumi was in front of him.
A fist slammed into the trickster's gut.
Hermes flew back across the chamber, smashing into the stone, gasping for air. Runes shattered behind him. Bones cracked beneath his body.
Megumi didn't chase.
He stood still, but something else moved behind his eyes — an echo of an older voice, an ancient will.
The Fallen King stirred.
Hermes coughed, laughing weakly. "Oh… there it is. That's what they were afraid of."
He stood again, wiping blood from his mouth.
"You're not just some grieving punk with divine PTSD," he whispered. "You're him. Reborn."
Scene Eight: The Fall
Megumi lunged.
The air cracked with thunder.
Hermes dodged, barely, his speed warping space — but Megumi matched him, intercepting with a spinning kick that cratered the floor. Hermes flicked his blade upward to counter, but Megumi caught the dagger mid-swing.
Then he snapped it in half.
Hermes' eyes widened — for the first time in centuries, afraid.
"You shouldn't be able to—"
Megumi's palm struck his chest like a hammer from the void.
Hermes was blasted across the chamber, crashing into a pillar of obsidian. The walls trembled. A chunk of the ceiling fell behind him.
And then—
Megumi staggered.
His body cracked with arcs of raw energy. The veins along his arm glowed white-hot. His pupils dilated, his vision swam.
The power was too much.
He dropped to one knee.
The Crown hovered just inches from him now — reaching — calling — whispering.
"You are not yet ready."
Megumi collapsed.
Unconscious.
Still breathing, but barely.
Scene Nine: The Kill
Hermes rose from the rubble, groaning. His arm hung at an odd angle. Smoke curled from his chest. His usually perfect grin was gone — replaced by a scowl.
"Damn kid…"
He limped forward, dagger reformed in his hand with a flash of divine essence.
He stood over Megumi's limp form, panting. "Could've been fun. But you die now, before that thing inside you wakes up again."
He raised the dagger, aiming straight for Megumi's heart.
Then—
Steel rang.
A sword blocked the strike midair — glowing red with searing heat.
Leonidas stood between them, one hand steady on the blade's hilt, the other crackling with runes.
"Touch him again," Leonidas said, voice sharp as thunder, "and I'll send you back to Olympus in pieces."
Hermes stepped back, stunned. "You…"
Leonidas turned, placing himself fully between Hermes and the unconscious Megumi.
"You shouldn't be here," the trickster said.
"And yet," Leonidas replied, "here I am."
They stared each other down — old warriors from different ages.
Hermes exhaled and sheathed the blade.
"You got lucky," he muttered, then vanished in a streak of silver.
Scene Ten: The Aftermath
The chamber was quiet again.
The Crown hovered silently in the air, untouched. Waiting.
Leonidas knelt beside Megumi, touching two fingers to his throat. Still alive. But barely.
He looked toward the Crown, frowning.
"Too much, too soon," he whispered. "You're not ready to wear it yet."
He gathered Megumi in his arms.
"But one day… you will be."
And when you do, the gods will beg for mercy.
But none will come.
End of Chapter 5.2