With the invisibility cloak in effect, Hades had vanished without a trace. For ordinary gods, finding him was an impossibility, sparing him from countless small nuisances.
The attacks from the Titan gods, though not truly threatening, were like persistent gnats—incapable of killing a god, but incredibly annoying.
Soon enough, Hades returned to the Underworld. Familiar with its labyrinthine depths, he navigated with ease. The hellish demons that had once been nearly eradicated had, over millions of years, swarmed back into prominence. Evidently, countless exiled gods had been banished here over the eons.
Hades paid no attention to the multitude of hellish demons as he swiftly made his way to the depths of the Underworld. There, he found the seven-headed, ten-horned red dragon in its slumbering and nurturing state.
"Hades, my lord!"
With Hades's summons, the Seven Deadly Sins Witches knelt in reverence.
"Ensure perfect control over the seven-headed, ten-horned red dragon," Hades commanded calmly.
"At your command!"
The Seven Deadly Sins Witches knew their roles well. Bearing the Marks of Sin, they summoned the Crowns of Sin and merged with them. Over time, they would achieve perfect control over the seven-headed, ten-horned red dragon, ultimately becoming one with it.
Hades watched in silence as everything proceeded without issue. Satisfied, he turned and left. As long as everything was in order, that was for the best; he had many other matters to attend to.
Leaving the Underworld, Hades soon arrived in the Nether Realm. This land was now desolate, having been stripped of all divine relics. Compared to its state in the original stories, the Nether Realm was now even more barren, with nothing left behind.
"Hades, my lord!"
Mephistopheles appeared upon being summoned, kneeling with an almost fanatical loyalty.
For Mephistopheles, Hades had truly enabled him to advance further. Moreover, with the World Tree's continuous enhancements, his contract-based hell had been improving perpetually—something truly marvelous.
Hades spoke softly, "Mephistopheles, stay in the Nether Realm and continually expand it using your methods."
"As you command!"
Mephistopheles was a shrewd deity and quickly grasped his lord's intent. This was an exceedingly simple task for him. As the Demon God of Contracts, he had risen from the ranks of devils to godhood through mastery of contract laws. Expanding the Nether Realm through a variety of contracts over time was child's play.
Having arranged matters in the Nether Realm and Underworld, Hades departed once again. This time, he returned to the surface world. Having ascended to the level of a Chief God of the Titans, there was no need to linger in these places any longer.
He had numerous tasks to handle, many things to manage. Just as he left the Nether Realm, a strand of divine power floated toward him. Raising his hand, the divine power formed into a letter in his grasp.
"…"
Hades read the letter briefly and then remarked, "Zeus has been born."
For a moment, Hades felt a sense of nostalgia. After a million years, by the time he returned from the Star Realm, Zeus had already been born. But upon reflection, it seemed quite natural.
Hades, Poseidon, and Zeus—the birth of these three God-Kings was blessed by the world and orchestrated by fate. Whether Rhea wanted children or not, these three were destined to be born.
Zeus, in particular, was the favored protagonist of fate. Naturally, he would have been born over the span of a million years. Unlike Hades, who had painstakingly reclaimed all that was rightfully his, fate seemed eager to place everything within Zeus's reach, facilitating his reclaiming of it.
However, this didn't matter to Hades.
To Hades, Zeus's circumstances were irrelevant. He had reclaimed everything that was his and acquired even more resources. As for Zeus and Poseidon?
In the original tales, Zeus managed to take everything from Hades and Poseidon because the world, seeing no benefit in denying Zeus, enabled him to claim what Hades and Poseidon could not, coupled with fate's favoritism.
Now? Neither Zeus nor Hades could take what belonged to the other, because Hades's presence had altered the balance. The world's favor was staunchly balanced.
Therefore, Hades saw no point in wasting time on such concerns. Grasping better opportunities was paramount; anything else would be a futile diversion.
Cultivating the World Tree, nurturing the Seven Deadly Sins Witches, gaining better control over the seven-headed, ten-horned red dragon, and the crystallization of techniques gained with Prometheus—these were the real gains.
Focusing on Zeus and Poseidon would be the most foolish and shortsighted thing he could do.
"However…" Hades murmured, "Zeus invites me to the Sea Realm."
He hesitated only briefly before destroying the letter's source of divine power. It was meaningless, truly irrelevant. He had no time to meet Zeus.
At the very least, now wasn't the time. He had more pressing matters. Many things were best handled promptly, and waiting would squander precious opportunities.
Hades had no interest in Zeus's invitation and left without a second thought. In fact, Zeus likely didn't place much importance on this matter either. Whether Hades accepted or not was inconsequential. If Hades did come, that would be ideal. If not, it was no matter; Zeus had his own affairs to manage.
Essentially, the invitation was just a formality, a courteous gesture. The actual outcome was irrelevant and held no significant meaning.
Hades quickened his pace, ignoring Zeus's invitation. With Zeus's birth, it was uncertain when Poseidon and the others would be released. This indicated that the Titan War was approaching faster than ever.
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