[Death God Hades's divine power absorbed]
[Lesser Divine Power +10]
[Strength +2, Constitution +1, Agility +2, Perception +3, Intelligence +1]
[Death God Priesthood acquired]
[Bonus Skill Reward: Soul Hunt (Releases a skill capable of capturing mortal souls. Has a certain chance to be resisted.)]
"Well… how should I put it...… it's okay, I guess."
Looking at the system prompt before him, Duanmu Huai shrugged. Logically, [Soul Hunt] should've been a useful skill, but after trying it himself, he discovered it was honestly pretty useless. Clearly, that sneak attack Hades used just now was this skill, and Duanmu Huai's impression of it was—tug-of-war.
To put it simply, if the opponent's constitution and strength were high enough, this move wouldn't work at all.
Which meant it was useless for Duanmu Huai.
If an enemy could resist his [Soul Hunt], then they were also someone Duanmu Huai would have trouble killing with finesse. But if they couldn't resist [Soul Hunt], Duanmu Huai could just smash their head with a hammer and send them straight to the afterlife. Why bother with something so tedious?
So yes—this skill was completely chicken ribs.
Whatever. It is what it is.
Pa pa pa pa pa...…
Just as Duanmu Huai was preparing to move on, applause came from behind him. He turned to see a woman dressed quite revealingly walking toward him while clapping. She stared at Hades's corpse at his feet and spoke.
"Never thought you'd actually be able to kill Hades..."
"And who are you?"
Duanmu Huai asked, and the woman answered coolly.
"I am Hades's wife, Queen of the Underworld—Persephone."
"You're his wife?"
Duanmu Huai glanced from the petite woman to the nearly ten-meter-tall corpse of Hades lying on the ground.
…Yeah, he absolutely wasn't going to think about how those two even worked.
"So what are you here for? Are you planning to avenge him?"
"Avenge him?!"
Persephone laughed outright, clutching her stomach as if hearing the funniest joke ever.
"Avenge him? Are you kidding me? Hahaha! I only came to admire his miserable corpse! To see how pathetic he looks now!"
She walked over to Hades's severed head and glared at the lifeless face.
"Look at you! Just like a hideous swine! You thought ruling the Underworld made you invincible—but now? You're still just a corpse! A corpse! Death has come for you! You never imagined you'd end up like this, did you?!"
"Uh...…"
Watching this scene, Duanmu Huai scratched his head, not sure what to say.
So Hades also had domestic issues like his brothers.
Then again, was there any Greek god with a harmonious family life?
After venting her rage to her heart's content, Persephone turned back to Duanmu Huai.
"So then, slayer of the Lord of the Underworld—what do you intend to do next? You've killed Hades. Poseidon and Zeus will never forgive you...…"
"I won't forgive them either."
Duanmu Huai snorted.
"Actually, I plan to head straight to Mount Olympus and kill those two old bastards."
"Excellent."
Persephone's eyes lit up. She beckoned to him.
"Come with me, warrior. I will guide you out of the Underworld and back to the surface...… but you must kill Zeus! You must destroy Mount Olympus completely!"
"You hate Zeus that much?"
Even though Zeus was notorious for being universally despised, hearing a goddess curse him this venomously still surprised Duanmu Huai. Persephone snorted coldly.
"Of course. I was abducted into this lightless pit. Even my father betrayed me. I lived alone here with nowhere to escape. And all of this was caused by them. I will never forgive them. So...… if you destroy Mount Olympus and kill Zeus, nothing could make me happier!"
With that, Persephone turned and walked deeper into the palace.
"Follow me."
Since someone was offering to lead the way, Duanmu Huai saw no reason to refuse. He followed her while listening to her story.
Persephone was the daughter of Zeus and Demeter. She had never planned on marrying anyone, but Hades took a liking to her. With Zeus's tacit approval, he kidnapped her while she was picking flowers and dragged her into the Underworld. Persephone cried for her mother, and when Demeter heard her daughter's calls, she searched desperately. She eventually learned Hades had taken Persephone, so Demeter confronted Zeus, demanding he make Hades return her daughter.
Zeus reluctantly went to persuade Hades, but Hades had already tricked Persephone into eating the fruit of the Underworld. Having eaten it, she could never fully leave. In the end, they reached a compromise—Persephone could return to the surface for a few months each year to reunite with her mother.
Unsurprisingly, Persephone utterly hated Hades. And on top of that, because Zeus still lusted after her, he once disguised himself as Hades, snuck into the Underworld, and cuckolded his own brother—leading Persephone to give birth to Melinoë, the goddess of nightmares and tragedies…
Well then. No wonder Persephone wanted Olympus destroyed and Zeus dead. With shit like this going on, Olympus really was doomed and deserved to die—Take jujube pills indeed.
"This is it."
Soon, Persephone brought Duanmu Huai to a platform suspended by chains and gestured at it.
"Take this platform and you will emerge onto the surface. I used it to meet my mother before. Through it, you can return to the world above. You must kill Zeus. Destroy Olympus! Reduce it all to ruin!"
"You don't need to tell me. I was going to anyway."
Duanmu Huai stepped onto the platform. The chains rattled, and the massive lift began rising slowly. Persephone's laughter echoed behind him.
"Zeus! I know you're watching! You must be watching! Behold—I am sending the one who will kill you! You will die! Your Olympus, everything you have, all will be destroyed! Hahahahahaha!! Tremble! Fear! Despair! I will stand here and watch the destruction of Olympus and your downfall!!!"
"Tsk tsk tsk...…"
Hearing Persephone's hysterical curses, Duanmu Huai shook his head.
Zeus really wasn't well-liked. Not even a little.
Meanwhile, atop Mount Olympus, the gods also heard Persephone's venomous screams through the water mirror. Zeus clenched his fists in rage and smashed the mirror.
"Such insolence!"
"He killed our brother. That is an unforgivable sin."
Poseidon strode to the platform's edge and looked downward.
"Leave it to me. I'll show him the fury of the sea!!"
With that, Poseidon leapt from the platform like a missile, plunging into the sea below Olympus. Instantly, a massive whirlpool appeared on the ocean surface. Then a colossal figure—entirely composed of seawater and tens of meters tall—rose from its depths. The Sea King raised his trident high. At his gesture, the surrounding seawater transformed into hordes of razor-toothed serpentine monsters, surging toward the side of Mount Olympus!
"Hm?"
Standing on the ascending platform, Duanmu Huai felt the tremor. He looked upward to see a torrent of water rushing down the shaft toward him.
Looks like the Olympians couldn't sit still anymore.
Facing the roaring flood, Duanmu Huai showed no fear. He gripped his warhammer and roared. Black flames erupted from his body, piercing through the air like a blade—colliding with the oncoming water.
BOOOOM!!!!!!
The torrent was instantly split by the rising black fire. Duanmu Huai leapt upward along the gap, breaking through the cascade and landing heavily on solid ground. When he raised his head, he saw the sea itself rising like towering walls, rolling in like an impending tsunami. Behind those waves stood an enormous figure holding a trident.
"Foolish outsider! You've committed an unforgivable crime! But this is where you fall! Prepare to witness the wrath of the sea!"
At Poseidon's roar, countless massive monsters made of seawater emerged, snarling and roaring. Within the blink of an eye, an enormous army stood before Duanmu Huai.
"Heh, you think you're the only one who can call reinforcements?!"
Duanmu Huai spat disdainfully, then raised his right hand. Soul cards appeared between his fingers.
First—summon [Dolls] to fill the field.
Then activate [Dragonization], transforming all [Dolls] into [Dragons].
Next, banish cards from the graveyard and activate [Call of the Paladin] to summon [Sky Castle]!
And finally—activate [Magitek Thunder Rhino]!
BOOOOOOOOOM!!!!
Black flames roared upward. Hundreds of dragons materialized in the sky, roaring. On the ground, Pegasus-riding paladins formed ranks, shields raised, eyes cold. Duanmu Huai mounted the massive black mechanical thunder-rhino, cloaked in lightning and black fire, lifted his warhammer—
"CHARGE—————!!"
In the next moment, the roaring tidal wave collided head-on with Duanmu Huai's army.
(End of chapter)