The black land stretched endlessly. In the Underworld, it seemed as though nothing else existed but this vast desolation. The more Hades walked, the more disheartened he felt. Wasn't this place too poor? Comparing the celestial realm, the oceanic realm, and his Underworld, there was simply no comparison.
Soon...
Hades stopped in his tracks. He sensed an unknown calling, a beckoning from within the Underworld.
"This way..."
After a moment of attunement, Hades continued deeper into the Underworld. Though his pace seemed slow, he moved as if covering great distances in mere steps. Otherwise, in this vast expanse, he would have spent his entire 500,000 years just wandering here.
"What exactly is calling me..." Hades murmured. "Clearly, everything calling me is here, yet nothing is visible."
Hades' voice was soft as he arrived at the source of the call. Not only did his soul feel the beckoning, but his instincts also urged him on.
In essence...
He had sensed everything, yet upon arriving, there was nothing to be found.
"My eyes cannot see it."
"That's not it."
"Even divine sense cannot detect it."
"Soul..."
Hades pondered briefly and then fully released his soul to perceive his surroundings purely through it. This was an extremely risky move for a god. Exposing one's soul meant that any attack would directly hit the soul, leading to instant death.
However...
In the Underworld, not even the Ancient Gods could tread. There was no need for him to worry so much. As for the Absolute Gods? If they wanted him dead, they wouldn't need such elaborate means.
Sure enough...
As his soul extended outward, Hades sensed a difference. It was as if something like a cloth had shrouded everything. He began to perceive more acutely.
"Here..."
Hades whispered and then swiftly retracted his soul. His divine sense swept out, and with a surge of divine power, a giant, pitch-black hand seemed to peel back the Underworld itself.
In an instant...
Everything changed. What was once a barren Underworld now revealed numerous items. The land, which had been seemingly empty, transformed into a black cloth in Hades' hand.
"Invisibility Cloth," Hades mused, holding the cloth. "In the original stories, this was crafted by the Cyclopes at Zeus's behest as the core for his invisibility helmet. In other words… Zeus had been here in the original Underworld."
Hades' usually composed face now showed a rare expression of displeasure. This proved that, in the original tale, Zeus had accessed the Underworld—his domain. No wonder he inherited a barren land; the true treasures of the Underworld had already been taken.
So, it wasn't that the Underworld was poor; it had been robbed.
As for how Zeus entered the Underworld...
That detail no longer mattered. What Hades didn't realize was that upon his birth, the Underworld had opened. In the original story, Hades hadn't yet gained consciousness, but the Underworld had already been accessible. Naturally, given the gods' tendency to plunder everything, the Underworld had been emptied.
Understanding this, Hades no longer dwelled on it. It was normal behavior among gods, who were the greediest of beings. Moreover, everything had changed now, making the issue irrelevant.
"Invisibility Cloth."
"Black Gemstones."
"God Stones."
"And…"
Hades stored the Invisibility Cloth and began collecting the countless divine items now revealed in the Underworld. He started with the black gemstones, which lay scattered like stars on the ground.
Black gemstones, unique to the Underworld, are the core material for forging the Underworld armor. Combined with the demonic stars, they create the perfect Underworld armor. In the original story? Well, it's pointless to dwell on that now.
"God Stones…"
Hades hadn't expected to find such a large quantity of God Stones here. With a quick count, there were at least ten thousand. These stones are crucial for forging divine armor, capable of perfectly channeling a god's power and laws.
God Stones are incredibly rare and valuable.
Typically...
Most gods' so-called divine armor is just in name only, lacking the true essence of God Stones. In the original story, the divine armors worn by Hades, Athena, and Poseidon were nominally divine but didn't count as true divine armor because they lacked God Stones.
The reason is simple: without God Stones, it's impossible to forge true divine armor. Divine armor made with God Stones is akin to a natal treasure that can grow and evolve with the god's power. Without them, the armor is practically useless, just for show.
"It seems not only the Invisibility Cloth and the God Stones were taken by Zeus. The few remaining black gemstones in the Underworld must have survived his destruction. No wonder the Underworld armor in the original story was so weak. If it had retained its original abundance, combined with the power of 108 demonic stars and the billions of black gemstones here, its quality would have been unparalleled."
As Hades collected the divine items, he pondered the possible events of the past. Zeus couldn't take the black gemstones, so he likely destroyed them in place. This left the Underworld armor in the original tale extremely fragile. If the full wealth of the Underworld had been preserved, the armor's quality would have been astonishing.
It took Hades nearly ten thousand years to gather all the divine items in the Underworld. The sheer quantity was overwhelming—various rare treasures, precious materials, and endless divine items beyond count.
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