As the river water poured into his mouth, Alcyoneus felt as if he had instantly fallen into a bottomless abyss.
Although he possessed divine power, there was nothingness all around him, preventing him from leveraging any force, and he could only plummet rapidly downwards, guided by an unseen gravitational pull.
After an unknown period, Alcyoneus felt a sudden change in his surroundings; he was no longer enveloped by disobedient river water, but by a mist filled with the aura of Death and decay.
He stabilized his body, struggling to flip and turn in mid-air, and then he saw the scene below.
Beneath his body lay a vast, boundless black land shrouded in eternal dense fog. Above this land, several distinct rivers wound around it, including a River of Fire with raging flames and water like magma, and rivers with rolling black waves where countless drowned spirits wailed continuously. They divided the entire black land into several circular regions. On this land, there was also a pastoral area, a Shorea Flower Sea, and countless Death Realms filled with shattered stones and bones. In the center of the black land, towering palaces stood, silently watching over everything on this land.
"Is this... the Underworld?"
Although Alcyoneus had never been to the legendary Underworld, his strategist, Epheltes, had once mentioned its appearance to him. According to legend, this was the home of all the dead, the realm of the dead, and in the deepest part of this land of Death, the previous generation of gods, the Titans, who had forced them to eke out an existence on the Pallene Peninsula, were imprisoned.
Perhaps due to Kratos's curse, upon arriving here, Alcyoneus suddenly felt a shortness of breath. He adjusted his posture in mid-air, attempting to control the black land below with his power, but failed.
A powerful force emanating from the black palace severed his connection to the ground; this land did not belong to him, nor did it welcome him.
With a thunderous crash, Alcyoneus fell near a desolate mountain range within the Underworld. The moment he landed, two figures suddenly attacked him from the side. One burly man wielded a massive bronze club, which he swung with such force that the thick weapon seemed to twist, then brought it down hard towards Alcyoneus.
Alcyoneus raised his arms. His greatsword had been lost during his escape, so he could only cross his hands, attempting to block the strike.
As it turned out, Alcyoneus's idea was too naive. When the massive club struck his arms, Alcyoneus's entire body was sent flying backward like a baseball. Excruciating pain shot through his arms, which then dangled limply, clearly broken.
However, as the King of the Giant Race, Alcyoneus did not panic after this ambush. He calmly neutralized the terrifying force that had sent him flying, then, without a word, turned to flee.
"Very clever."
Another man's voice came from the side, revealing a faint smile and even a hint of approval for his actions. However, immediately, Alcyoneus felt a sharp pain in his chest. A spear burning with fierce flames had, at some unknown moment, pierced his body, completely pulverizing his heart.
"Cough!"
The intense pain from his chest made Alcyoneus's throat sweet, and he couldn't help but spit out a mouthful of fluid mixed with blood and fragments of internal organs.
But he stopped, slowly lowering his now numb arms, giving up the struggle.
Alcyoneus had often been beaten so badly before, but at that time, he still possessed unparalleled regenerative abilities and immortality; no matter how much others beat him, he would not die. But now, his immortality had been broken by Kratos, and the blessing of the Pallene Peninsula could not be bestowed upon him. With his heart already destroyed by others, unless he could directly return to the Pallene Peninsula, Death was his only outcome.
He slowly turned his head, glancing at the two who had ambushed him from behind. Sure enough, standing behind him was Ares, the God of War of the Olympian pantheon, along with his disciple and general. Seemingly noticing Alcyoneus's gaze, Ares shrugged his shoulders, saying without a hint of guilt:
"Sorry, this is a life-and-Death War. At a time like this, I can't concern myself with dignity or honor."
"I know."
Alcyoneus said slowly:
"If possible, please throw my body back onto the Pallene Peninsula. I hope to at least return to my roots."
"I can consider it after I confirm you won't revive again."
Ares replied seriously, then turned to his disciple beside him and said:
"Heracles, give him a quick end."
Heracles nodded. He put down his club, drew the divine sword from his waist, and came behind Alcyoneus. Then, gripping the hilt with both hands, he swiftly swung the sword, cleanly severing the Giant King's head.
Watching Alcyoneus's wide-open eyes slowly close, taking his last breath, Ares also slowly let out a sigh of relief.
This way, most of the credit for defeating the Snake-Footed Giants would go to Heracles in the future, which should not affect his legendary status after becoming an heroic spirit in later generations.
"Clean up his body."
After seeing Heracles wipe the blood from his blade and put away his weapon, Ares said to him again:
"My teacher Hecate needs to study the immortal characteristics of these Snake-Footed Giants."
"Alright."
Heracles put away his weapon and immediately came to help. Ares used magic to preserve the integrity of Alcyoneus's corpse, and then the two of them carried the body together towards Hecate's palace.
Since they were now openly rebelling, Ares had no scruples. He and Heracles walked boldly through the land of the Death Realm. The various spirits and Underworld gods, big and small, avoided them when they saw them, as if the two living beings were the true malevolent spirits.
As they walked, Heracles couldn't help but ask, "Teacher, why did you agree to Alcyoneus's request to throw his body back onto the Pallene Peninsula just now? Didn't you and Hecate say that even if this Giant died, there was a possibility of him resurrecting if thrown back onto the Pallene Peninsula, and therefore he absolutely shouldn't be thrown back?"
"Of course, his body can't be immediately transported back to the Pallene Peninsula," Ares replied. "I was mainly afraid that if I didn't agree to him, he might die with resentment and, like Uranus and Cronus when they were defeated, unleash some terrible curse upon us. Moreover, your grand-teacher still has a use for him, but once she thoroughly analyzes the secrets of these Giants, we can throw him back. To be safe, we'll cremate him first, then throw him back, and scatter half on the island and half outside the island. That way, even if he has the ability to resurrect, he can only resurrect half of his body."
"Impressive." Heracles looked at Ares with an unreadable, admiring gaze and exclaimed, though Ares always felt there was something odd about his tone.
The two carried Alcyoneus's heavy corpse and finally arrived in front of Hecate's Black Palace, which Hecate had now usurped. Upon arriving, Ares stopped and said to Heracles:
"From here, I'll go in by myself. You can return to the military camp first."
Heracles asked, "Teacher, do I need to do anything else next?"
"Yes," Ares instructed. "When you return, immediately order my legion to establish defensive lines, block the passage between the Death Realm and the mortal realm, and prepare for a war of attrition with the Olympian legions. I've already told my adjutant the specific arrangements; you just need to have him start."
"I understand, Teacher." Heracles nodded.