"Is this the legendary Cerberus?"
Inside the palace of the Kingdom of Mycenae, the much older King Eurystheus covered his nose and mouth, examining the giant dog led by Heracles with a look of fear.
Though called the Hell Gate guardian, Cerberus, apart from his heads and body resembling a dog, had other parts that bore no resemblance to the word "dog." He had more than one head; some spewed fire, others flickered with electricity, and some even exhaled black smoke of ambiguous nature. His drool dripped onto the ground, immediately corroding the hard palace floor into pits.
Moreover, a venomous snake was coiled around his neck, and his tail was a fully opened venomous python, baring sharp fangs and venomous teeth. At this moment, this python was hissing, flicking its tongue, and glaring at the surrounding people with ill intent, even scaring Eurystheus's guards into hiding.
"This is undoubtedly Cerberus."
Heracles pointed at Cerberus and said,
"If you don't believe me, should I let him go and prove it to you?"
As he spoke, Cerberus suddenly squatted down, spreading his legs, and with a pungent odor, the two guards closest to Cerberus immediately foamed at the mouth and collapsed to the ground.
Even Eurystheus, sitting on the throne, felt a bit dizzy. He quickly shouted,
"Heracles, what is this dog doing!"
Heracles looked down. His demigod physique felt no abnormality, but upon seeing the excrement that had fallen from under Cerberus's rear, Heracles also frowned in disgust.
"It's nothing, he just pooped."
As he spoke, Eurystheus watched as Heracles professionally put on a pair of gloves, then picked up a shovel. With one hand, he shoveled up the poop Cerberus had produced, not knowing what he had eaten, and with the other, he drew out a certain Holy Sword he had obtained during his travels, casually splitting a crack in space with a single stroke, then tossed the poop into this rift leading to the Underworld.
Eurystheus watched, somewhat bewildered. At this moment, he finally understood that he seemed to have exhausted all means and still couldn't eliminate this Son of Zeus, whom he envied; their ecological niches were simply not on the same level.
"Now, can you consider my task complete?"
Heracles quickly cleaned up Cerberus's bodily waste, then asked Eurystheus.
"Alas."
The King of Mycenae seemed to have aged considerably. He waved his hand at his half-brother and replied,
"You may go, you may go. I cannot handle you anymore. The vengeful spirits of your wife and children are now liberated, and your sins are absolved under the gaze of the gods."
Hearing Eurystheus's words, Heracles seemed to let out a sigh of relief. He shook his head and said to his brother with a hint of mockery, "How can they be absolved? Dead is dead, done is done."
With that, he turned and walked out of the palace, and no one dared to stop this formidable hero.
"Wait!"
Eurystheus called out to him, shouting quickly,
"Don't forget to return this dog to the Underworld."
"Of course."
Heracles replied without looking back,
"I just came out to walk someone's dog, I'm not a dog thief."
…
And just as Heracles successfully completed the twelve most important trials of his life, the leader of a Spartan unit was secretly summoned by the gods to Olympus.
He wore golden armor, signifying his status as a Spartan commander, and two longswords, crafted by Sparta's finest artisans, hung at his waist. A scar marked the corner of his eye, and red tattoos adorned his body. His head was completely bald, but at this time, his skin was still the normal human complexion.
Guided by the gods' attendants, he traveled from the foot of Olympus all the way to the God Kings Hall at the highest point of the mountain range, where he met with the main gods who were still on Olympus.
Upon arriving before the main gods, the Spartan commander, Kratos, who had achieved successive promotions due to his outstanding performance in battles against the Giant Race, knelt on one knee and saluted the main gods.
"Noble Zeus, Hades, Aphrodite, and Athena, the commander of the Spartan legions has come to pay his respects."
"Raise your head."
Hearing Zeus's words, Kratos slowly raised his head, meeting the gaze of his biological father, whom he had never known but was bound to by blood.
When Zeus saw the red tattoos on Kratos's face and exposed body, his finger moved imperceptibly, and the corner of his mouth twitched involuntarily.
As if sensing Zeus's apprehension and fear, Athena, beside him, whispered a timely message,
"Don't worry, Zeus, his tattoos are not natural; he had them inked to commemorate his brother."
"That's good."
Zeus subtly exhaled, then loudly addressed Kratos,
"Commander of Sparta, what is your name?"
"My name is Kratos."
Kratos answered succinctly, his gaze slowly sweeping past the twelve seats in the God Kings Hall, then resting on the seat representing War.
Looking at the seat where his main god should reside, Kratos slowly asked,
"Excuse me, is Ares not here?"
"You should know that Ares is currently at the Hell Gate in the Underworld."
Athena replied,
"He is leading most of Olympus's active forces in battle against the Snake-Footed Giants, Kratos, and this is precisely why we have summoned you."
Kratos did not speak, but he bowed his head slightly to Athena, clearly indicating his willingness to hear more.
Athena paused briefly, then continued to explain,
"Currently, although the Snake-Footed Giants are retreating steadily and their defeat is apparent due to the efforts of the gods and you brave warriors, their immortality remains very troublesome. Unless their physical bodies are completely destroyed, burned inch by inch, the Snake-Footed Giants cannot be killed; they can only be sealed. This is merely a temporary solution, not a fundamental one. However, some time ago, I successfully found a way to kill the Snake-Footed Giants."
"That is… the Snake-Footed Giants cannot be killed by gods or mortals; only the strongest hero in this world, wielding a certain herb found on the Pallene Peninsula, can break their immortality and completely end their lives. And you, Kratos, you are now the strongest warrior in this world!"