The God of Underworld-Chapter 131 - 30

AN: I’m so sorry for my lack of updates these days. Work and School have been a pain. Way too tired everyday. I’ll try to update as much as I can, but I can’t promise anything.

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The shadows shifted like quiet waves across the marbled floor of Hades’ floating fortress.

The Lord of the Underworld sat on his throne of obsidian and gold, a cold glimmer in his eyes as his fingers gently traced the armrest.

His mind churned like the rivers of his domain.

Too many questions. Too many uncertainties. And too few answers.

If only Gaia wasn’t being such a bitch, he could’ve done this all by himself.

He sighed, a single word slipped from his lips, like a whisper of inevitability.

"Hecate."

Purple mist gathered before the throne.

It swirled, graceful and silent, before condensing into the tall, robed form of Hecate.

Her eyes glowed faintly violet beneath the hood, three shimmering keys floating around her like orbiting moons.

She bowed, her movements sharp and respectful.

"You called, Lord Hades."

Hades leaned forward. "Send a message to Demeter. I need her to investigate the Giants. Not their strategy or their movement, but look into their souls."

Hecate tilted her head slightly. "Souls? May I ask why? Do you believe there’s something unnatural within them?"

"Yes." Hades nodded, "If I understood the Fates words, then there is most likely something wrong with them."

Hecate gave a solemn nod. "As you wish."

And without a word more, she vanished into a swirl of purple mist.

Hades sighed and leaned back, rubbing his temples in annoyance.

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In the Mortal World.

Demeter stood at the edge of a tranquil field, soft sunlight casting golden hues across her garden.

Nymphs wandered between blooming vines and orchards that shimmered with health under divine care.

Persephone, now resembling a six-year-old child in size and demeanor(she grew in a day after Demeter gave her part of her domain), was giggling as she mimicked the nymphs planting seeds.

Despite her recent ascension, there was still innocence in her eyes, a pure curiosity untouched by the gods’ grim reality.

Demeter watched with a tender smile. Her garden had endured. Her adoptive daughter had been born anew. There was peace in this little sanctuary, however fragile it was.

Just then, the winds turned chill, and purple mist slithered into the air. The scent of night herbs and old magic filled the air.

Demeter didn’t flinch. She knew exactly who this mist belonged to.

From the center of the mist, Hecate emerged. Her boots touched the mossy stone path without sound.

The nymphs, startled at first, soon bowed and made way.

Demeter raised a brow. "What’s the occasion? Does Hades want to tell me something?

In Underworld, although Hecate is sometimes referred to as the Queen alongside Hera, she was also teasingly known as Hades’ errand girl.

Her authority over crossroads made it easier to be an errand girl. Hades dumped all logistics and internal affairs into her that if she were to take a rest for a day, the Underworld would surely collapse.

Hecate smiled faintly. "Yes, Lord Hades has a message. He requests your aid."

Demeter’s expression hardened. "My aid?"

"Yes," Hecate said. "He wants you to investigate the Giants. Specifically, to look into their souls. He believes that something is wrong with the Giants, and wanted you to find out."

"Why can’t he do it himself? He’d do faster."

"Gaia."

"...the old hag? Make sense."

Demeter frowned. She was the closest to their grandmother so she knows just how moody she can be.

But still, the idea of peering into the soul of a Giant—especially with how volatile and anti-divine they were—wasn’t something she could take lightly.

Also, it was an odd request from someone like Hades, who had always preferred neutrality, even indifference, in Olympian affairs. freēnovelkiss.com

"...Does he intend to interfere in the war?"

"No," Hecate answered simply. "Not unless provoked. He merely wishes to confirm his guesses. Although, knowing him, after the stunt pulled by the giants, even if they did win, Hades would not let them rule the cosmos."

"I thought so too."

Demeter looked over her shoulder at Persephone, who was now carefully pouring water on a sapling. "I want to help but....I can’t leave her."

"You won’t have to," Hecate assured her. "He only asks that you try. If you encounter a Giant, look deep. That’s all."

Demeter exhaled slowly. "Very well. Tell him I’ll do what I can."

Hecate nodded, "That’s all he asks."

She turned towards Persephone, "...I can feel your divinity from her, but she doesn’t have your blood."

Demeter smiled, "She’s daughter of my attendant, she passed away protecting my garden. I gave fragments of my domain to her and named her my daughter, Persephone."

"Persephone..." Hecate muttered under her breath. "You need to educate her more, she looks like she’d be easy to kidnap."

Demeter looked smug, "Unless Hades himself comes, I am confident on preventing any attempts on my daughter."

Hecate smiled at her, "Very well. That will be all for now. I will be taking my leave, Demeter. I’ll see you around."

Hecate turned to leave but paused when Demeter asked:

"Why don’t you stay for a little while? My nymphs are preparing foods and alcohol."

The goddess of magic gave a wistful smile. "I would love to. But there’s still much work to do. You know how it is. I can’t be missing for too long. I don’t want to come back and find Underworld on the verge of collapse."

Then, as she always did, Hecate vanished into mist.

Demeter chuckled, before looking at the sky with a serious expression.

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Meanwhile, on the Surface.

A battalion of mortals marched across the scarred plains of Thessalia, led by a god disguised in simple armor.

Ares, flanked by his daughters, the fiercest of the Amazons, had begun training regimens for the mortal armies.

He watched as mortals fought clumsily, sweat pouring from their brows, their shields shaking in their hands.

Not good enough.

They needed to fight with gods. They needed to kill Giants.

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Elsewhere, in a deep forest.

CAtalanta, the best of Artemis’ huntresses, was panting heavily. Her hands bleeding as she hold a bow and an arrow.

Artemis stood behind her, "One more. You need be more stronger if you wish to not die on first contact. Be more versatile and learn more skills."

Atalanta took a deep breath and stood up, once again pointing her bow at a target. All the while moving around various obstacles and dangerous traps.

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Apollo sat on a chariot, observing Hyacinthus as he keep firing arrows towards the sun despite the blazing heat.

"I’m not asking you to fight," said Apollo as he stood up, "I will do all the fighting."

He patted Hyacinthus on the shoulder, "But, you will have one shot. One shot to kill an enemy that even a god cannot kill. I can give you that opportunity, so train to do this one attack that can kill an immortal."

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And beneath the sea, Poseidon sat on a coral throne, watching as a lone mortal swam upward, unharmed by the crushing pressure.

The man, Euryalus, gasped, finally surfacing in the god’s presence.

Poseidon chuckled. "Some demigods cannot even come back from that alive."

Euryalus smiled through salt-burned lips. "I’m hard to kill."

"Good," Poseidon said. "I need someone like that."

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Meanwhile, on Olympus, Astraea sat alone on a spire, watching the stars shift. She had selected no mortal. There is no need.

She meditated, trying to clear her mind and prepare herself for the next war.

She had a feeling, that this will be the final battle, and she will make sure that the world’s order will not be thrown off balance.

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Hermes returned to his temple, his eyes hollow. The once cheerful and playful god now reduced to a mere walking corpse.

Even now, he still couldn’t believe that someone bested him in speed.

He lied on his bed. With the oath he swore on the River Styx, he’d no longer involve himself in this war.

So for now, he decided to relax.

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Back in the Underworld.

Hades sat alone again in his throne room, staring into the Breakdown Sphere floating above his palm.

The orb pulsed slowly, like a heartbeat, reflecting fragmented cosmic landscapes across its surface.

"Come on... give me something," he muttered.

Still nothing.

He tapped his finger once against the armrest. He didn’t doubt Demeter’s capabilities—her ability to commune with the world was second only to Gaia herself.

If there was a disturbance in the Giants’ souls, she could find it.

But time was no longer a luxury.

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