[300 PS = 1 Chapter Bonus]
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As soon as I proposed to release Sisyphus, something happened that I had been hoping for.
[Ding! The system proposes the mission "Free Sisyphus!"]
1 - Free Sisyphus by breaking Bouldy. (Reward: 30 Fusion Points)
2 – Decipher the seal on Sisyphus' chains and free him. (Reward: 90 Fusion Points)
3 – Break Sisyphus' chains with brute force and free him. (Reward: 120 Fusion Points)
Interestingly, the options presented were the same solutions I had thought of to free Sisyphus while playing Hades. After all, when you meet Sisyphus and talk to him, it's hard not to wonder what led Hades to condemn him to such eternal punishment.
Sisyphus, once king of Ephyra, was a man whose cunning elevated him above mortals, but also led him to eternal disgrace.
Known for his intelligence and manipulative skills, he deceived gods and men with equal ease.
The first of his transgressions was betraying Zeus' trust by exposing one of his divine secrets to secure political benefits during his life. (Original: in life.) This affront caught the attention of the gods, and Thanatos, the personification of death and son of Nix, was sent to claim his soul.
However, Sisyphus tricked the god, trapping him in his own chains and disrupting the natural cycle of life and death.
For days, no one died. The wounded remained alive, and the gods, alarmed, descended to the mortal world to correct the imbalance. When Thanatos was finally freed, Sisyphus faced death, but not before deceiving the divine powers once again.
Before being taken to the Underworld, he instructed his wife not to perform the funeral rites. Upon arriving in Hades' realm, he appealed to Persephone's compassion, claiming that his wife had disrespected the gods and that he must return to life to correct the affront. His deception was so convincing that he was granted a second chance.
Upon his return, however, Sisyphus did not keep his promise. He lived many more years, defying the divine orders and mocking the gods who sought to punish him.
Finally, his insolence could no longer be ignored, and Zeus decreed that he be condemned to an impossible task: pushing a huge rock up a steep slope in Tartarus, only to see it roll back to the starting point whenever he was about to complete the effort.
His punishment was not only physical, but psychological, imposed by his audacity and defiant intelligence.
Now, you may be wondering why on earth I would release someone so cunning.
As I said, Sisyphus was king of Ephyra, an ancient and prosperous city, and it was said that he had an irresistible charm that deceived even the gods.
I didn't like to act like an agent of chaos, but... imagine the benefits of having someone like that by your side in a universe like DxD.
If it was the Hades of this world who attacked my home, getting to him would require not only power, but also someone as cunning as Sisyphus.
The question now was... which of the three options should I pull off?
"You said... free me?" Sisyphus asked.
His voice was soft, like the sound of a gentle stream.
"Ah, Za— I mean, Nishihara, my dear friend, you know as well as I do that words like those are a dangerous source of hope for a fool like me."
"Let's get one thing straight: you're not a fool. If you were, you wouldn't have tricked Thanatos, Persephone, and Hades himself. I'm not here out of charity, Sisyphus. I'm here because I know what you're capable of."
He smiled, one hand on the back of his neck. "Ah, compliments are valuable currency. But even so, Nishihara... there's a price for everything, isn't there? What exactly do you expect from me if you manage to free me from these chains?"
"Help," I replied bluntly. "There are things I need to do in this world, and they require someone with your cunning. You've survived impossible challenges, cheated the system the gods themselves created, and endured thousands of years of torment without going mad. You are much more powerful than you think."
Sisyphus looked at me with his eyebrows raised in surprise. Then that warm, gentle smile appeared again.
"You talk like a king," he muttered, looking away. "Or maybe like someone who should be one... All right, Nishihara. How exactly do you plan to free me? These chains aren't made of ordinary iron, you know."
"There are a few options. Breaking Bouldy was my first choice, and I think it's the easiest to pull off."
"Ah, Bouldy..." Sisyphus looked fondly at the giant stone ball beside him. "Break poor Bouldy? What a cruel idea. I can't say I'd be very pleased with that. Besides, even if it were possible, it wouldn't solve the problem of the chains."
"Then... the seal?" I asked, leaning forward slightly to look at the chain.
"You're observant, Nishihara. But... those chains are powered by Hades' will to keep me here. No matter what happened to him. I know that even now, he would not wish to set me free."
"What about brute force?" I asked, even though I knew that was the least intelligent approach.
"I'd be surprised if anyone had that much strength," he replied, shaking his head. "But, well... if you want to try, who am I to stop you? Just don't be disappointed when you fail."
I crossed my arms to think. If he didn't want to break Bouldy, I would respect his decision. Although it seemed foolish, Bouldy had been his only companion for thousands of years.
So, of the other options, breaking the chains seemed easier than finding my father and convincing him to release Sisyphus—the condition for opening the seal. However, I wasn't even close to being strong enough to do that yet.
"You're very patient for someone who's been trapped here for so long," I commented to Sisyphus. "Aren't you even a little anxious to get out?"
Sisyphus smiled again. "Years of punishment teach you things. I've learned that haste and despair only feed the chains that bind me. If you really intend to free me, Nishihara, I can only be patient."
I chuckled softly, shaking my head. "You really are a character, Sisyphus. In that case, I'll come back when I'm strong enough to break your chains. I hope it won't take too long."
He placed a hand on his chest and bowed to me. "I'll eagerly await that day, master."
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