Chapter 24: Shinsal punch! (Physics)

A space directly connected to the Colosseum arena.

A well-equipped waiting room, like a modern locker room.

Inside, there was an incredibly comfortable sofa, probably bought with a hefty sum.

I sat there, biding my time.

“1 hour and 24 minutes left.”

After accepting the match with Hercules, Zeus laughed heartily and decided the duel would take place in two hours.

There were no rules except for fighting barehanded, without equipment.

A woman stood before me, arms crossed, as I pondered what to do.

Artemis, now serving as my wallet, was nagging me relentlessly.

“Why on earth would you accept such a duel!!”

“Oh, this will be fun~☆”

But Aphrodite, a free spirit who didn’t care about Artemis’s mood, was smiling brightly, looking forward to the match.

Artemis, clearly annoyed, glared at her with sharp eyes.

But Aphrodite just giggled and said:

“Why~? He can totally win, can’t he?”

“Win?! His opponent is Hercules! A god of war who can match Zeus in pure martial arts without abilities!”

“But he doesn’t have equipment.”

As mentioned earlier, it’s a match fought without equipment.

Aphrodite seemed to see a chance of victory there.

“He doesn’t have the Nemean lion’s hide that deflects everything, no club, no poisoned arrows?”

“Well, that’s true, but…”

“He’ll win~”

Aphrodite gave me a thumbs-up.

Then she sidled up to me and stroked my chest muscles.

“Before the match, I’ll give you some encouragement… Aack!!”

“Let’s go now! That idiot will do fine on his own!”

Artemis, thoroughly annoyed with me for not responding, like a mute.

She grabbed Aphrodite by the scruff of her neck and dragged her out of the locker room.

Then, before crossing the threshold, she muttered to me in a low voice:

“…If you think you’re going to get hurt, forfeit the match. Hmph! Not that you’ll listen to me anyway -!!”

She slammed the door shut with a loud bang.

Since I still don’t trust gods, I clench my fists when I feel suspicious, but… I’m grateful that she treats me well.

If the first god I met hadn’t been Artemis, wouldn’t I have gone on a rampage long ago?

After she left, I was alone in the locker room.

I scratched my messy black hair and began to organize my thoughts.

“Hercules is excellent material for screwing over Zeus.”

Who is Hercules?

Zeus’s most beloved son, a demigod hero.

The god of victory, heroism, and strength, who can defeat any monster.

Literally, the pride of Greece.

And to break that, I can’t win with a single punch.

If that happens, excuses like, “Was Hercules actually overhyped?” or “He must be in bad condition~” will emerge.

Zeus is clever, so if such a situation arises, he’ll do his best to defend his son.

Then, my provocations will turn into baseless tantrums.

If his momentum doesn’t falter, there’s no telling what the cunning Zeus might do….

“Cunning? …Ha, so that’s what it was.”

I chuckled, having figured out Zeus’s true intentions.

His chosen woman was stolen, his beard was grabbed and pulled down, and he was insulted, yet he didn’t respond?

Then hyenas, drooling to tear him apart, would pounce, saying the King of Olympus is a pushover.

It was a very difficult situation for Zeus, who had been acting tyrannical until now.

To maintain his authority and save face, he had to accept the challenge.

But Zeus is very cunning.

A cautious king who never moves before fully understanding his opponent.

So, just in case, considering the worst-case scenario, he offered his son as a sacrifice.

If Hercules wins, he saves face, which is good. If he loses, Zeus can still gauge my strength, so it’s a win-win situation.

“And if I win, he’ll think this.”

‘Hercules fought at a disadvantage.’

The powerful divine ability to transform even his body into lightning, demonstrated in front of all the Constellations.

But his opponent, Hercules, wasn’t wearing equipment that could counter it.

Even if he loses, there are countless excuses.

So, what should I do here to make it seem like I responded well?

“First, seal my divine abilities.”

I won’t use the seven divine abilities.

And I won’t show my true strength against Hercules.

I absolutely cannot send him flying with one punch or accidentally kill him.

The method I chose is….

“I have to match his level appropriately.”

Fight Hercules as if it were a WWE match, controlling my strength appropriately.

A plan to exchange blows spectacularly, enough to be called a great match.

When the stage is set, Hercules will showcase his excellent skills, and it will be clear that he’s in top condition.

After that, like before….

“…Absolutely not like before. I’ve gotten better….”

–Clang

At that moment, the iron gate opposite the door Artemis had exited, leading to the Colosseum arena, creaked open.

It was time.

I stood up and slowly walked towards the arena.

The fight with Hercules in my original world.

I remembered every punch and kick, so I planned to replicate it.

Hercules, Zeus’s pride, will be thoroughly broken, with no room for excuses.

That would be the best way to screw over the King of Olympus.

“Alright, finally…”

I won’t kill him.

I still regret massacring all the gods back then.

I’m ashamed of my past, where I solved everything with brute force.

While I’m screwing over Zeus….

This is a chance to prove that I’ve become a better person.

****

I walked out into the Colosseum arena.

I expected a circular fighting stage, but…

“What is this place?”

There was no one around.

No, it wasn’t even indoors.

A mountain so high that I couldn’t see the bottom even with my eyes.

A temple adorned with white marble and precious metals like gold.

It looked like the circular terrace of the Olympian temple.

A terrace protruding from the wall, perched on top of a giant mountain….

As I leaned over the railing to admire the high view, I heard a voice from behind.

“You’ve come, friend.”

A man with a massive physique, 285cm tall.

A warrior with incredibly broad shoulders and bulging muscles.

While I was like a bodybuilder, large and well-defined, Hercules was more like a strongman or wrestler, with a bit of fat.

His jaw muscles were developed, making his face almost square, but he was handsomely masculine.

A fellow wearing only a Greek-style kilt and leather sandals, with no equipment.

Hercules asked me:

“Wait, let’s talk before we fight.”

A deep and powerful voice.

Hercules grabbed one of the pillars supporting the ceiling and pulled.

Then, as if it were styrofoam, Hercules lightly pulled out the massive marble pillar, the size of an ancient tree, weighing over 70 tons.

When he casually threw it on the ground, the pillar shattered under its own weight.

And the hero sat on a suitably sized fragment of the broken stone, using it as a chair.

“What do you want to talk about?”

“Something you’ll be curious about.”

“Hmm.”

What’s his game?

Maybe, like Artemis, it’s pure goodwill….

I pondered for a moment and then, like Hercules, reached for a nearby marble pillar.

And unlike him, who had pulled it out brutishly, I formed a hand-blade and swung it concisely and quickly.

-Swish

Then the pillar was cut vertically, as if measured with a ruler.

I poked the top of the pillar with my finger, and it fell backward.

–Crash

The marble, with only its base remaining.

I sat on it and faced Hercules.

He didn’t seem to have any sinister intentions…

Exchanging a few words wouldn’t hurt, so I should ask what I’m curious about.

“Where are we?”

“Mount Olympus, where our glory resides, back when we were still gods.”

“So it’s a space from your memories.”

This time, I crossed my legs and asked another question.

“I thought we were going to fight in the Colosseum arena?”

“This is inside it. A vast virtual space created by magic.”

“Why?”

“Fighting in that cramped space would be suffocating.”

In other words, since he’s a god, he chose a large-scale map.

Hercules pointed to the sky with his index finger and said:

“Numerous Constellations are watching from the arena.”

And they’re looking down on us like monkeys in a zoo.

I sighed and asked Hercules:

“Well, thanks for telling me, but… why are you being so kind?”

“Is there any reason not to be?”

I crossed my arms and glared at Hercules.

The Hercules of my original world was an arrogant and ferocious bull-like fellow.

Or was it because he was trying to stop me as I advanced, killing gods?

I don’t know.

“I was worried you wouldn’t be able to focus on the battle, so I meddled a bit.”

“Let’s fight fair and square~ something like that?”

I asked mockingly, but Hercules nodded and replied:

“It’s consideration for someone as gaunt as you.”

…Gaunt?

196cm tall, 145kg body, and large, bodybuilder-like muscles.

Yet he’s treating me as if I’m small and frail.

No.

Compared to Hercules, who looks to be over 285cm tall and weigh over 400kg, I am gaunt.

Hercules, the ‘god of strength,’ with muscles and fat appropriately distributed, like a real-life wrestler.

On the other hand, I have low body fat, like a bodybuilder for show, with large, clearly defined muscles.

Compared to him, I am small, gaunt, and have a physique less suited for practical combat, but….

I twitched an eyebrow and looked at Hercules.

“Do I look like a joke to you?”

Hercules stood up at my question.

Then he slowly walked around me and said:

“Among the spectators, a betting pool has opened on the outcome of our match. The odds are 20 to 1. Naturally, I am the 1.”

“Even without equipment… I am Hercules, the great son of Zeus, a demigod and hero, the god of strength! I cannot lose to a mere human.”

“No matter what handicap you give me, our weight class itself is unfair.”

He flexed his muscles and spoke passionately.

The man, who had circled me while pontificating as if giving a speech, stood right in front of me.

He looked down at me with his great height and asked:

“The act of bestowing upon those weaker than oneself is called ‘consideration.’ Feel free to generate as much static electricity as your father’s ability allows.”

Wow, he really is Zeus’s son.

He’s really good at getting under my skin.

But Zeus provokes with malicious intent, so it doesn’t really affect me.

But this ‘self-proclaimed’ true warrior in front of me is speaking sincerely, so it stings.

Like a super heavyweight champion in boxing fighting a flyweight rookie who just started.

Absolute confidence that no condition can be a handicap.

I stood up and looked at Hercules.

“Don’t worry, I won’t use any abilities.”

“Then what will someone as small as you fight with?”

At his words, I raised both my fists.

Hercules chuckled, as if genuinely impressed.

“I had forgotten that even small individuals like you can be warriors. Forgive me.”

He placed his hands on his knees and slowly bowed his waist.

Just like Zeus had done to meet my eye level.

And Hercules brought his face close enough for my fist to reach.

“I’ll give you a handicap. You’d better hit me with all you’ve got.”

The god acted as if paying homage to my courage.

He seemed to consider it a warrior’s courtesy and punishment, but….

To me, it looked incredibly arrogant.

But I couldn’t just pass up this opportunity.

I leisurely raised my palm.

“Well, my pride is a bit hurt, but….”

And I folded my fingers one by one.

Very slowly, I made a fist in front of Hercules.

“Since you gave me the chance, I should hit you thankfully.”

“By all means.”

Hercules, smiling and presenting his face.

He’s looking at me without even blinking, as if there will be no impact.

A glimpse of his absolute pride in his own physique.

A belief in himself that he wouldn’t collapse even if I swung a sword, shot a gun, or used any supernatural power.

I looked at his face.

I tensed my forearm, bulged my muscles, twisted my waist, and threw a complete punch.

“Yaaaaah -!!”

A kiai, as if hitting with all my might.

And my fist approached Hercules’s face.

“Yaaaaaaah….”

Slowly.

So slowly that it couldn’t even kill an ant.

Hercules’s face, not understanding the situation.

“Aaaah~….”

–Tap

And finally, my fist reached his cheek.

It was too slow to be called a strike; it just pressed against his cheek.

Hercules, unable to understand the situation, made a dazed expression.

He stared blankly, then his face slowly began to contort.

Did he finally realize he had been insulted?

He’s pretty quick for a muscle-brain.

“You insignificant mort…”

Hercules, forgetting his warrior’s pride and shouting with all his might.

To repay this insult, he was about to swing his fist while still bowing his head, but….

“Yap -!”

I opened my fist and grabbed his large face.

Hercules’s face crumpled like a towel grabbed with one hand.

Then, using his face as a handle, I lifted his massive body and slammed him headfirst onto the ground.

This time, I wasn’t playing around; I put quite a bit of force into it.

–Craaaaaash -!!!

I slammed him into the ground with force.

Hercules’s massive body broke through the temple floor and burrowed into the mountain.

And I crouched down and looked into the sinkhole created by the impact.

“Hey~ are you alive~?”

A giant sinkhole, about 1km in radius.

Judging by the depth of the pit, it seemed he was buried up to the midway point of Mount Olympus.

As I called out worriedly, the mountain began to shake.

And Mount Olympus was lifted ever so slightly.

Befitting his title as the god of strength, he was trying to lift the entire mountain from where he was buried midway.

I chuckled at the sight and bounced in place.

A light warm-up before the battle.

“Let’s begin.”

The match against Hercules had begun.