Starting in Type-Moon, but a Mage of A Certain Magical Index

There were also visits to various libraries, including searches through the Imperial Library for all kinds of information. That place held an enormous amount of material, enough for Mephistopheles to uncover many things, naturally including content related to Greek mythology.

According to the Greek myths Mephistopheles had found, Typhon in this world should still be alive and imprisoned beneath Mount Etna.

Combined with the ancient secrets Artemis had told Mephistopheles, this further confirmed that Typhon was indeed being held below at this very moment.

"Let's have a go at Typhon and see what its strength is like." Mephistopheles loosened his joints slightly and looked into the crater. "If possible, I'll kill it outright."

"That's Typhon! Back then, it nearly defeated even Zeus!" Artemis immediately warned him. She had never expected Mephistopheles to come here intending to have such an intimate exchange with Typhon!

"It's fine. Typhon isn't as strong as it used to be, and besides, I'm not weak either. Dealing with Typhon won't be a problem!"

Mephistopheles smiled, his eyes filled with anticipation. "As for you two, you can attack from range. If we take down Typhon, we'll have truly dealt with a very troublesome existence. The future will be much safer, won't it?"

Medea was also shocked by Mephistopheles's train of thought. "Mephistopheles, are you really going to fight Typhon?!"

"That's right. And with the two of you joining in, it shouldn't be a problem. At worst, we won't be able to beat Typhon and will have to flee in a panic. It'll just be a little embarrassing."

Medea did not think fleeing because they could not defeat Typhon was embarrassing at all, and Artemis nodded in agreement. But Mephistopheles had clearly made up his mind and had no intention of changing it.

Medea naturally had no way to truly persuade Mephistopheles. Artemis herself enjoyed excitement, and as a goddess, she figured that if they truly encountered danger, she could just drag the other two away. In the end, all three of them descended into the cave together.

The volcano was dormant only because the monster below was asleep. Once the monster awoke, roared in fury, and began to struggle, the volcano would naturally erupt once more!

Yet after descending only a short distance, they encountered resistance.

There were massive numbers of Dragon Tooth Soldiers—monsters created through magecraft using dragon teeth as materials. They possessed incomparably formidable strength, and their bodies were far beyond what ordinary humans could compare to.

After all, their bones were harder than steel, and since the weapons in their hands were made of the same material, they too surpassed steel in durability.

With only a few of them, humans could still cope. But once their numbers grew, they could easily crush everything in their path!

At the bottom of this volcano stood densely packed Dragon Tooth Soldiers, a black mass stretching as far as the eye could see. There were at least several thousand of them!

At the sight, Artemis immediately drew her weapon and said coldly, "It never submitted. It has always wanted to break free, and it has actually gathered this many soldiers!"

These were the monsters produced by Typhon—its soldiers!

Medea gripped the Hecate Staff, and magic circles emerged around her. Magical arrows condensed within them, aimed at the Dragon Tooth Soldiers below.

As someone exceptionally proficient in both magic and magecraft, Medea naturally knew the weaknesses of these Dragon Tooth Soldiers. Without the slightest hesitation, she launched her attack!

"Leave this to me. Save your strength for now!" Medea's voice was firm and confident. Her magical arrows poured down like a storm, every strike accompanied by deafening explosions that shattered the Dragon Tooth Soldiers one after another.

Her strength was displayed to its fullest at that moment, as though she herself were an unstoppable torrent of magic that devoured every enemy daring to stand in her way. Medea alone could be said to equal a hundred magi!

Amid a series of explosions, Dragon Tooth Soldiers were continuously blasted apart by Medea's attacks. These soldiers were dead things by nature; once their magical nodes were destroyed, they naturally collapsed on their own.

And Medea was more familiar with that than anyone!

Having already experienced the War of the Giants, Medea had clearly become much steadier and calmer.

Mephistopheles nodded inwardly, exceptionally pleased by Medea's growth. Seeing Medea's response, Artemis also felt much more at ease, though she still condensed an arrow, ready to act at any moment just in case.

However, the deaths of the Dragon Tooth Soldiers brought not even a moment of peace. Instead, they seemed to trigger some ancient seal. More Dragon Tooth Soldiers surged from beneath the earth like bamboo shoots after rain, while Bone-Winged Dragons flapped into the sky, attempting to drag the three of them into the Abyss of despair.

But Medea did not retreat because of this. Her eyes shone with determination, and the barrage of magical arrows became even fiercer, as though it would tear this entire space apart.

Finally, beneath the ceaseless bombardment, thousands of Dragon Tooth Soldiers and Bone-Winged Dragons were completely exterminated, leaving behind only wreckage scattered across the ground and smoke filling the air.

Yet this was only the beginning. The low growls rising from the depths of the volcano foretold that something even more terrifying was about to awaken.

As the earth trembled, an unprecedented pressure descended upon the three of them, as though an existence at the very top of the food chain was about to awaken.

That roar was like a call from the Abyss, the ancient and powerful creature's yearning for freedom. When the first crimson dragon burst from underground, the entire space seemed to ignite. Scorching flames intertwined with icy dragon breath, forming an apocalyptic scene.

Artemis acted without hesitation. The arrow in her hand became a streak of light and slammed into the giant dragon, piercing straight through it and smashing its body heavily into the ground.

As the massive body struck the ground, Artemis's attack blasted into the bottom of the volcano. The ground there shattered completely, cracks spreading everywhere as one giant dragon after another revealed its body from within!

Every one of these dragons was immense. Their spread wings could blot out the sky, their heads were held high, and their horns gleamed with cold light. Their very existence was a contemptuous challenge to life itself.

Dozens of dragons appeared at once, their roars converging into an irresistible torrent of sound that shook the earth and triggered the volcano's eruption, as though the entire world were under their control.

Medea's eyes widened. She had never seen such a breathtaking sight.

But she did not retreat. Instead, she tightened her grip on her staff. Though she felt Mephistopheles was taking a risk, she believed he could certainly resolve these problems, and she believed Artemis could resolve them too.

She should have been the weakest one here, but Medea would not give up. She gathered all her magical power again, preparing for the coming battle.

She was Hecate's priestess, and she was Mephistopheles's lover—his girlfriend. At the same time, she was also a mage, a magus with extraordinarily outstanding talent. No matter how weak she might be, she would show that she could be useful!

Even when facing these overwhelmingly powerful monsters, it was the same. She would never retreat!

Guided by the girl, magical power flowed continuously, transforming into even more violent magical arrows aimed at the enemies below. Then, the bombardment began!

"Still not planning to make a move?" Artemis asked.

"Of course. Leave them to you two. These count as dragons too, dragons personally created by Typhon. Killing them can earn Dragon Slaying achievements—and consecutive dragon-slaying achievements at that!"

Mephistopheles smiled without rushing to act. Killing these things would not bring him any benefit, so there was no need to steal their prey. He had only wanted Medea to gain more special abilities.

He was like someone trying to add special codes such as "Dragon Slaying," "God Slaying," and "Giant Slaying" into Medea's record within the Root.

It was not only because he had promised Hecate that he would take good care of Medea, but also because she was his friend—and his girlfriend!

As for Artemis? Naturally, it was because she was his good friend!

She was a chief goddess who followed him, an ordinary person, everywhere every day without the slightest concern despite being a virgin goddess. It would be rather inexcusable not to treat her better.

"Fine, then. But be ready. If Typhon really comes out, we'll be relying on you." As Artemis spoke, she aimed her arrows with extreme precision at the dragons' limbs and began attacking without hesitation.

With the moon goddess present, not one of these dragons called Dreadnought would ever get off the ground!

Every last one of them was nailed firmly to the ground, becoming living targets for Medea's bombardment!

Hidden Observer

The dozens of draconic creatures known as Dreadnoughts did not even have much chance to resist before Artemis, the moon goddess, and Medea's attacks blasted them apart. These monsters, which even humanity's strongest heroes found difficult to handle, failed to display their formidable power against the combined assault of one human and one goddess.

That was only natural. Among the gods of Olympus, if different gods possessed different Authorities, then Artemis, as the moon goddess, was absolutely one of the gods most closely associated with the Authority of battle. After all, her true form was a sniper-type starship.

Even though that Authority had become a bow and arrows in humanity's perception, the arrow attacks she displayed were essentially particle cannon bombardments similar to those of a starship!

Not only were their magical effects powerful, their physical destructive force was formidable as well!

Combined with Medea's continuous bombardment, these enormous dragon beasts, their defenses breached, had no way to handle such dense attacks. Their inability to resist was entirely normal.

At that moment, the bow in Artemis's hand suddenly flashed before slowly disappearing!

This change stunned Artemis, then her expression changed drastically. "Leave, now! Its Authority still remains. It reverse-engineered my attack method just now and took my bow as well!"

"Took it?" Mephistopheles was briefly stunned, then thought of the story from mythology.

Typhon had stolen Zeus's lightning, greatly weakening Zeus's power.

"You mean it stole your Authority, and you can't use your normal strength now?" Mephistopheles asked with a frown.

"That's right. Leave this place immediately. It's suppressed by this mountain and can't come out directly. As long as we leave, we'll be safe!" Artemis said, grabbing Medea beside her. If anything happened, she could instantly pull her away.

"Don't be so nervous. I haven't made my move yet. Relax, relax." Mephistopheles smiled as he looked below.

Soon, an incomparably deep voice, like a growl, echoed upward.

"Artemis, sniper-type interstellar warship, one of the Olympus Fleet... Even Zeus, the fleet's leader in the past, defeated me only through schemes and tricks. Do you think you can oppose me on your own?"

No girlish figure or anything similar appeared. Just from hearing that voice, no one would have thought the thing was female.

But Mephistopheles believed that if time advanced far enough, into the two-thousands CE, Typhon would also become a cute girl.

But that had nothing to do with him. He had come here for only one purpose: to kill Typhon, the King of Monsters!

"Though it may be a little rude to say so, I actually came looking for you. Ignoring me makes me feel rather displeased, Typhon, King of Monsters!"

"Human? A tiny creature on this planet, with a body that would fall apart at the slightest touch. Even if you can access magecraft or wield magic through the Authorities of gods, how much power can you possibly possess?

"Even the king of gods you worship could not defeat me head-on. What right do you have to challenge me?"

That voice remained just as deep and terrifying. Then, it laughed.

"Believe in me, and I can grant you greater power—the power to stand alongside the gods. As long as you release me, you will become the king of this world and govern it on my behalf!"

"So Typhon can think after all. It knows how to tempt people into helping remove its seal." Mephistopheles quietly asked Artemis beside him.

Artemis puffed out her cheeks, clearly furious that her power had been taken away.

"I don't know. But it's artificial intelligence, no matter what. It's normal for it to think up schemes, isn't it? Otherwise, it wouldn't have stolen my power first."

Mephistopheles pursed his lips. "True. You had all run off to Egypt back then, so it's normal that you wouldn't know."

The moment Artemis heard that, she gritted her silver teeth and glared at Mephistopheles. "Just you wait!"

"Sure, I'll wait." Mephistopheles chuckled and looked below.

Beside them, Medea watched the two. At this point, she had even forgotten about Typhon and had become entirely caught up in her confusion over their relationship.

"Why does it feel like Artemis and Mephistopheles's relationship is becoming more and more unusual?!"

Then the girl reached a conclusion. "Could Artemis also become Mephistopheles's lover?!"

Considering this was Ancient Greece during the Age of Gods, it was entirely normal for Medea to have such thoughts.

Mephistopheles was not thinking so much. He only looked below and called out, "Sorry, but I don't have that intention for now. After all, I am a mage pursuing truth. If you can let me reach the summit of the Tree of Life, then I can consider it."

"The Tree of Life? The World Tree of those Norse fellows?"

"No, not at all. It is the origin of everything—the great power that first came into being, from top to bottom, turning nothing into everything that now exists: this world, this universe. If you can let me return once more to that original nothingness, I might agree."

Typhon fell silent. Mephistopheles did not know whether it was pondering the meaning of those words or simply thinking he was toying with it.

After waiting in silence for a while, Typhon's voice rang out. "You mean you wish to reach the Root of this universe?"

"No. I mean I wish to reach the Root of this world, of this endless world—the original nothingness that encompasses endless parallel universes, endless multiverses, endless world bubbles, and gave birth to all of it."

Typhon fell silent again. It was a mechanical life-form. Even without its body, its past knowledge allowed it to understand just how arrogant those words were—more arrogant than a tiny ant claiming it wanted to comprehend the Milky Way, hundreds or even thousands of times more absurd than that!

But that did not prevent it from using this human.

"Of course. As long as you release me, I will take you to pursue the path you desire. This is not difficult at all. For one such as me, from another universe, it is merely somewhat troublesome!"

As long as it could get out, then Greece's gods—the gods of this world—would learn what it meant to be the King of Monsters!

There was a life-form that traveled around the world. Its name was Loritz. It was not human, but the hand of a great king, born in the distant future.

It had many companions. Including it, there were seventy-two in total. It could see through past and future and observe many things, a power that came from its very nature.

It would not alter the past, but it would observe the past, because it knew all things ancient and modern.

Now, it gazed at the volcano below. There, an event of immense historical importance was taking place: the death of Typhon, known in the stories humanity would call Greek mythology in the future, and the legend of a mysterious hero traveling alongside the moon goddess.

It was not recorded in many accounts, yet there were still fragmented descriptions of it, preserved on certain mysterious islands or in the contents of ancient texts.

It was a legend unrecognized by the mainstream. Even when it was discussed, only some people within the mage organization known as the Wandering Sea spoke of it. It was a legend that seemed destined to be forgotten by the world.

But this legend had truly happened!

Because it was now witnessing the legend with its own eyes!

Oh, right. Its companions liked to call it Flauros, saying that name sounded more like a human name.

Mephistopheles slowly drew out his staff. Around him floated Spirit Dresses representing several other elements.

He smiled faintly and shook his head. "Sorry, but I think it would be better to explore it myself. So I refuse your offer of recruitment!"

The earth shook, and the volcano roared. Vast quantities of magma erupted from below, sweeping toward Mephistopheles and the others with temperatures exceeding a thousand degrees!

Facing such a scene, magical barriers appeared before Mephistopheles and the others, blocking everything.

It was Medea's magic. The surroundings had already become her Temple.

But Mephistopheles did not stop. His entire body became a streak of light as he charged downward!

Boom!

The magma was blasted apart, unable to come near the flesh of this mere human!

"You don't need to come out either. I'll go in and find you!"

Bang!

With those words from Mephistopheles, he plunged headfirst into the earth, leaving a crack in the ground as his figure vanished without a trace!

Seeing this, Artemis gritted her teeth and said to Medea beside her, "Stay farther back. If anything happens to us, go to Mount Olympus and find my younger brother, Apollo!"