On an Actor's Self-Cultivation
"Tantalus, this guy also got into Elysium? That's ridiculous!"
Following his instincts and instinctively moving closer to Samael to enhance his own safety, Sisyphus was taken aback when he saw the sinister man being held in the hands of the ancient serpent.
Holy crap! This cruel guy in history who boiled his own son and used a human flesh feast to mock Zeus was pardoned and allowed to enjoy bliss in the Elysium. Why should I have to push stones in that godforsaken place?
Sisyphus snapped out of his daze and immediately began to grumble inwardly.
Legend has it that Tantalus, due to his arrogance and cruelty, held a feast of human flesh, thus offending the gods.
After the gods saw through his trickery, they cast him into hell, where he suffered greatly and was tormented.
The specific punishment was that he stood in the middle of a deep pool, waves rolling beneath his chin. Yet he endured a burning thirst, unable to drink a single drop of cool water, even though it was right beside his lips. Whenever he bent down to drink, the water immediately drained away beside him, leaving him standing alone on an empty patch of ground, as if a demon had used magic to drain the pool dry.
At the same time, he was unbearably hungry. Behind him was the lake shore, where a row of privet trees grew, laden with fruit, their branches bent low and hanging in front of his forehead. If he just looked up, he could see the juicy pears, bright red apples, fiery red pomegranates, fragrant figs, and lush green olives on the trees.
These water sparrows seemed to be smiling and beckoning to him, but whenever he stood on tiptoe to pick them, a strong wind would blow the branches into the air. Besides enduring these torments, the most terrible pain was the constant fear of God of Death, because a large rock hung above his head, ready to fall and crush him at any moment.
Tantalus, who was guilty of heinous crimes and should have been tortured, was secretly pardoned, so that his heroic soul could return to the Elysium. This is truly ironic.
"That's because he killed a dog, and you've always wanted to be a human!"
Samael, noticing Sisyphus's emotional fluctuations, turned around and sneered, cutting to the chase with a single sentence.
Immediately, the ancient serpent's five fingers tightened, and Tantalus, who had been nailed to the tree trunk to inform Hades, had his shinbone snapped with a crack.
However, Tantalus, whose head was tilted to one side, showed no signs of dying and instead chuckled gloatingly.
"Heh heh... His Majesty Zeus has granted me... eternity, Lord Hades has arrived, today... you rebellious gods, all of you shall die!"
"Eien? Is that so?"
Samael drew out his words, and a blazing black-gold flame instantly erupted in his hand.
Tantalus initially paid no attention, but then those dense, thread-like flames seeped into his body through his pores, mouth, and nose, relentlessly and cruelly pursuing his soul and consciousness, burning it inch by inch.
Meanwhile, under the scorching heat of Flame of Destiny, Tantalus struggled violently in agony, his skin cracking inch by inch, revealing his purplish-brown rotting flesh and stark white bones. The Death Qi emanating from his mouth emitted a strong stench of corpses, and even his eyeballs melted away with the flames, revealing empty and sinister soul flames.
After being blessed and dispelled by the Elysium, Tantalus finally revealed the true nature of the so-called "eternal".
He was nothing more than a living corpse whose soul was imprisoned in a body. Even if Zeus knew how to use such a groveling watchdog, he wouldn't bother to invest much effort or resources in him.
"Aaaaaah! How could this happen? My... Eternal... Lord Hades... Save me..."
Tantalus felt the excruciating pain of his soul being burned inch by inch, and seeing his true form revealed on his body, he screamed in terror.
"You've lived long enough!"
At this moment, Samael, who had dragged Tantalus off the tree trunk like a dead dog, was cold-faced. The instant his words fell, the dark golden Flame of Destiny in his hand surged.
In an instant, Tantalus, engulfed in flames, didn't even have time to scream before his limbs twisted and disintegrated like burnt-out firewood, turning into ashes inch by inch.
Tantalus, the son of Zeus, had been nurtured in Elysium for so long that he should have already ascended to the Deity-class.
The curtain fell, and it was gone in an instant?
Sisyphus swallowed hard, his expression slightly horrified, and quietly distanced himself from the god beside him.
At the same time, Hades, who emerged from the dark pillar of light, frowned slightly upon seeing this.
"What you're doing makes it very difficult for me to turn a blind eye..."
"So, you're just going to stand by and do nothing? Shall we talk?"
The ancient serpent brushed off a few wisps of corpse ash from its body with a hint of disgust, then turned around, clapped its hands with a smile, and extended its arms in invitation.
Zeus was indeed careful enough to plant Tantalus as a spy in Elysium.
However, after that test, Samael could confirm that only Hades and three Underworld Judge had come; Zeus had not received the message.
The most likely answer is that the outer perimeter of the underworld is forged from the combined power of the Olympian Gods, forming three layers of bronze walls, and the three layers of darkness created by the power of the dark god Erebus. Even this Wise King of Gods could not easily penetrate his perception or spy on him at will.
Therefore, since the news hasn't leaked yet, they are safe for the time being...
"Laugh!"
Just as Samael's tense mind began to relax slightly, a bolt of black light unfolded before his eyes like a ribbon, and the pervasive ghostly Death Qi instantly devoured all the flowers, plants, and trees along its path.
In an instant, a sharp, cold light shot out, the spear moving like a dragon, instantly shattering and scattering the Deathly Nether Sword's light, causing the nearby plants to wither. However, the vast spiritual veins of the Elysium allowed them to grow back quickly, and in just a few breaths, the nursery had recovered.
"You seem to have misunderstood. I didn't make a move just now because I simply don't like Tantalus."
Hades lightly wiped the blade of his sword, slowly opened his eyes, his gaze filled with a sinister light, and his tone was low and chilling.
"This doesn't mean I'll stand with you against my brothers! Humans or gods, the underworld only accepts the souls of the dead, so leave your lives behind!"
Seeing this, Samael sighed regretfully, shook his head helplessly, his eyes flashing, and a figure stepped forward from behind.
"So there's no room for negotiation?"
"Let's do it!"
Heracles, Atalanta, and the others, who had long been in sync with the ancient serpent to the point of needing no further explanation, leaped forward without hesitation to restrain the three Underworld Judge.
A handsome Underworld Judge with thick eyebrows and large eyes solemnly confronted Heracles. After a few moves, Hercules screamed and flew backward, unable to rise again.
Oh right, according to their positions, this Underworld Judge should be called Rhadamanthus, Heracles' stepfather.
The remaining two Underworld Judge, though not obviously lenient, still faced considerable difficulties under the combined attack of top heroes such as Perseus, Orion, Atalanta, Circe.
After all, even gods have emotions and desires, let alone these three Underworld Judge who were transformed from humans.
You should know that those imprisoned in the Elysium are all dead Greek heroes.
Of the three of them, all were once kings of human city-states. Among these heroic Heroic Spirit forced to serve the gods, there must have been many of their blood relatives and friends.
The dog with the tiger-like face pretending to be stupid, Hecate had long been on the opposite side of Zeus, and the three brothers, God of Death, Hypnos, Styx Ferryman, whose attitudes were ambiguous, were all Hades' teammates, and it could be said that they were all traitors.
Seeing this, Samael couldn't help but laugh, a wicked smile spreading across his face.