King of Underworld

Chapter 11 The Story of Tartarus – (2)

Thud! Thud!

The sound of my father, Cronus, striking thick bronze resonated through the underground.

As befitting the strongest of the Titan gods, he withstood the scorching heat near the bronze door as he knocked and then spoke again.

“Hades, I heard that Zeus now holds the supremacy of the world!”

The voice, filled with agony from the heat, sounded like a beast’s wail.

In case of an emergency, the three Hecatoncheires brothers exchanged glances, summoning their strength.

I placed my hand on the Styx sword at my waist and approached the bronze door.

The Hecatoncheires brothers suggested ignoring him, but they already heard my voice.

I needed to crush any hope that he might be released and would continue to annoy the three brothers.

“What does that have to do with you?”

“Of course, it matters! Are you truly satisfied being the lord of this dark underworld?!”

What was he trying to say?

Was he trying to sow discord using the news I just shared with the three brothers?

“Release me, and I will overthrow that wretched Zeus and share everything under the sky with you!”

I had no interest in power.

Moreover, you, who tried to kill your children and started a war, were trying to tempt me with power?

“I will give you any goddess you desire, except for Rhea! Imagine it, all those beautiful…”

“Abandon your futile hopes and remain trapped here forever.”

He was still enduring the scorching heat beyond the door. Impressive.

“Why?! Do my terms not satisfy you? Even with those monstrous guards, you should be able to open the door for a moment!”

By ‘those monstrous guards,’ he meant the Hecatoncheires brothers, whom grandfather Uranus had thrown into Tartarus and Cronus had left there.

Upon hearing Cronus’ words, the Hecatoncheires brothers frowned even more.

The former ruler of the world had such a rude personality, which was why he was defeated by us.

“No matter what conditions you offer, I have no intention of releasing you.”

As I continued to refuse, Cronus shouted in a desperate voice.

“Krgh… Hades! Do you not have any pity for your father?! You are the child of me and Rhea!”

* * *

Hades, the lord of the underworld, was one of the few benevolent gods.

Though it was hard to believe that the feared god of the underworld was benevolent, that was how Lethe perceived him.

Despite holding a high position as one of the three major gods, he respected even low-ranking gods like her.

As Pluto, the god of wealth, he did not adorn himself with common accessories like bracelets, showing his simplicity.

He was a virtuous ruler who always cared about the lives of the souls under his domain.

He was a merciful god who thought of mortal beings rather than his own power in the underworld.

He was vastly different from Zeus or Poseidon, who were also among the three major gods.

Unlike his brothers, who would forcibly take any goddess they fancied, Hades was not a ruffian like them.

He wasn’t interested in men either, as he did not look at them when they wore revealing clothes.

Despite having enough power and authority, why did he not pursue goddesses?

Perhaps it was because of this nature that she found herself falling for Hades.

Though Hades was unaware, there were many women aiming to be the queen of the underworld.

Various goddesses of Olympus, the goddess Styx, nymphs who inhabited specific objects or nature…

Lastly, even Lethe, the goddess of forgetfulness herself.

Thus, she subtly used her power of forgetfulness to fulfill her desires.

She got caught holding his hand, but she liked that he did not reprimand her severely.

Lethe knew that such a kind-hearted god was now genuinely furious.

“Did you just call him ‘father’?”

As the god of the underworld, glaring at the bronze door with a twisted smile, the entire underworld shook.

His form turned into a shape of darkness, covered in pitch-black divine power.

With a single word, one could feel how his emotions were raging.

This anger was on a completely different level from when he warned Olympus through Iris about the Great Flood.

Lethe stepped back endlessly at the release of his overwhelming divine power.

Even the Hecatoncheires brothers, who had fought in the Titan war, stared at Hades’ back with tense expressions, unable to underestimate him.

Cronus, oblivious to Hades’ rage, continued to speak beyond the bronze door.

“Though we had a rough relationship, are we not father and son?! Do you not remember being born and held in Rhea’s arms…”

“If I could, I would drain all the blood flowing in me from you.”

The intense emotions caused the ground beneath Hades to crack, but…

His voice, surprisingly, was calm and composed.

“How dare you! The beings born from my father’s blood shall judge you!”

“The Erinyes are doing well with me. They visited my fortress not long ago.”

“What?!”

The monstrosities born from Cronus’ father’s blood were the three goddesses of vengeance, the Erinyes.

Born from the blood of Uranus’ severed genitals, they were feared and shunned by all.

The goddess Lethe knew well about them, as they resided in the underworld.

Tisiphone, Alecto, Megaera.

These three goddesses had bronze wings, bleeding eyes, and snake hair, representing vengeance.

They punished all sins but especially took revenge on kin-slaying, strictly punishing such crimes.

Though they were feared and avoided by all, the king of the underworld approached them without hesitation, and now, they occasionally shared a bond of friendship.

“You tried to kill us first, didn’t you? The Erinyes are not as foolish as you think.”

“Hades! If you release me…”

“As the lord of the underworld, I declare,”

Hades’ cold voice interrupted the god of time and agriculture.

At that moment, his words were both a declaration and a law.

As the god of the underworld, his proclamation constricted Cronus.

Though it did not interfere with fate, it would become a prophecy imbued with irresistible power, at least in the underworld.

“You will never escape from there.”

“Krgh… Do you think you are any different?! Eventually, when someone threatens your authority…”

Cronus’ voice gradually faded.

Even Cronus could no longer endure the raging heat.

As his voice slowly disappeared, Hades calmed his emotions.

The eerie black figure vanished, and he returned to his usual gloomy appearance.

He gave a bitter smile and spoke to the Hecatoncheires brothers.

“Sigh… The underworld must have been shaken, and many souls would have been frightened. I must return.”

“Well… see you next time then.”

“It wasn’t a good day to relieve your tension.”

“Rest assured and return; we will guard this place.”

Indeed, he was a benevolent god.

* * *

How absurd. Appealing to blood ties, did he think I would be swayed?

What? He would share everything under the sky and give me goddesses?

Because of that lunatic prisoner, the underworld shook quite a bit.

As a ruler, it’s not good to lose control over such simple emotions…

“Hades.”

The goddess Lethe, who had been quietly following me on the way back to the underworld, spoke.

Her usual vacant expression seemed somehow sympathetic.

“I can make that recent memory a bit blurry if you want…”

“…It’s fine.”

Though her offer was thoughtful, considering my intense anger…

It’s not necessary. I was just a bit upset.

For now, I needed to care for the citizens of the underworld who were frightened by the recent quake.

The goddess Styx would probably scold me again when I returned.

As I ascended a bit, the soldiers stationed there were gripping their weapons in tension.

They seemed to think an enemy had invaded due to my earlier mistake.

“Lord Hades. There was a tremor deep in the underworld…”

“Is there any problem with the prisoners in Tartarus…”

I passed by them, saying there was nothing to worry about.

I should hurry back to the fortress and attend to my duties.

“Lord Hades!”

“Morpheus? What’s the matter?”

The male god with striking green hair, Morpheus, the god of dreams.

The son of Erebus, the god of darkness, and Nyx, the goddess of the night, he was one of the gods of the underworld.

Like his brother Hypnos, the god of sleep, he usually had a gentle and soft demeanor.

But for some reason, he now had a very urgent expression.

It was nighttime, so he should have left the underworld to deliver dreams to the living.

“Gasp… The god Hermes was found collapsed, covered in blood, at the entrance of the underworld!”