Myth: The Ruler of Spirituality

Underworld, Fields of Truth.

When both the surface and the Abyss were engaged in fierce combat, the Underworld, bathed in moonlight, remained remarkably tranquil.

There was still a slight delay before the noise from the Abyss could be heard. At this moment, in the Fields of Truth, one could see a continuous stretch of buildings rising and falling, and silent creatures coming and going.

Everything appeared orderly, much like a grand silent film. And in the central Hades Palace, Hades was holding a goblet, drinking by himself.

The Queen of the Underworld had gone to the surface to gather information, and no other gods from the Underworld had been summoned.

In front of him, to his side, sat only Charon, the ferryman of the River of Sorrow, stiff and upright, with a respectful expression on his aged face.

"Your Majesty truly has a masterful strategy, knowing early on that those fellows were unreliable."

"Without your command, Eris dared to serve the Divine King behind your back—this is our inborn difference. Here in the Underworld, it is only I, Charon, who exists because of your birth!"

The voice seemed to come from the depths of the soul, earnest in every word.

Charon appeared to be genuinely accusing the other Underworld deities of betrayal, voicing grievances on behalf of Hades.

However, his words were not without reason. Previously, the Underworld deities were born from the power of the Primordial Gods, naturally favoring them slightly more. Moreover, given the absolute gap in strength, it was not surprising they would choose to betray at such a time.

Of course, strictly speaking, this could not really be considered betrayal.

Just as Hades himself was also one of the Principal Gods of Olympus, it was hard for others to criticize the deities for not serving under Zeus's command.

One wonders if Hera knew that the Golden Apple came from Zeus's instructions? Probably not... With a calm expression, Hades thought maliciously.

"Well, let's not talk about that anymore."

"Everyone has their own aspirations, so today, it's only you here, isn't it?"

Having finished his pomegranate wine, Hades set down his goblet and waved slightly.

The gods of this world often forget his existence, but he certainly does not forget theirs.

Regardless, at least Queen Persephone spends half of each year on Mount of the Gods; even if he does not pay close attention, many mortal affairs cannot be hidden from him.

Of course, the matter of the Golden Apple was not known through such means. As the lord of the Underworld, Hades might not have reached the Great Divine Power, but his perception in certain areas still surpassed that of other deities.

Such as the abnormal fluctuations of the World Power, for example.

So although Hades, like Zeus, did not know why these fluctuations occurred, or even failed to determine that this was the world power tilting externally, he could still sense that some unknown changes were happening in this world.

Hence, the subsequent actions were only natural. Being more vigilant, Hades wasn't blind. The Golden Apple incident was entirely Zeus's plot, with Erebus simply making sure the Underworld deities served him.

Without the authority of the Lord of Darkness to cover them, possessing great power in the Underworld, and wearing the Helmet of Invisibility, Hades easily investigated the anomalies among the Underworld deities.

But clear as it was, there wasn't a law in the Underworld that prohibited deities from serving the Divine King. Therefore, in this situation, Hades couldn't directly do much for the moment.

However, since they had first been unkind, he had no choice but to be unjust in return. If they did not recognize their allegiance to the King of the Underworld, then they should not expect to share in the Underworld's benefits.

"Charon, how are the preparations going?"

Setting aside his troubles, Hades asked faintly.

He had been preparing for this for quite a while. Hearing this question, Charon, who had been waiting, a hint of joy flashing in his eyes, responded as calmly as possible.

"Your Majesty, after years of accumulation, the power of the River of Sorrow is now sufficient. After all, I have no other place to use it... Nowadays, as souls flow into the Underworld through the River of Oblivion, Acheron's existence is virtually redundant."

"Your Majesty, just give the order, and I will expand your territory for you!"

"Heh, it's hardly about expanding territory. It's already part of the Underworld; we're just there to claim it."

Pleased, Hades nodded, his mood visibly lightened.

In the rivers of the Underworld, apart from Phlegethon, which he himself had created, there were only three rivers innately formed.

The River Styx of Oaths and Hatred, Cocytus-Lethe of Oblivion and Lamentation, and Acheron of Sorrow and the Unyielding.

The first two, one flowing into the Abyss, connecting to the outside world, wielding the power of oaths, were the most well-known underworld rivers; the other bearing the souls of the dead deep into the Spirit Realm, stripping them of their life memories, leaving only their laments and memories of old.

But only Acheron seemed to have lost its purpose.

As a river born alongside Hades, the River of Sorrow was, like the other two great rivers of the Underworld, vested with some authority of the Underworld. However, perhaps originally in the mythology, since the destination of souls was still the Underworld, Charon as the ferryman could still stand at the gates of the Underworld, demanding a toll from anyone who wished to cross.

But now, no one needed him to ferry them across.

Mortals couldn't come, and deities didn't need to. So, although it was also a naturally occurring underworld river, Acheron's power was extraordinarily weak, and no matter who looked, there seemed to be no direction for growth.