Chapter 66
AN: Edited by Issei511, Slammeron, and Superdude2521!
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Hell was a better place than I'd imagined.
I didn't know what I'd been expecting really. Maybe a flaming Satan raping some poor sod's arse while hurling abuses. Maybe a bunch of demons feasting upon the flesh of men. Maybe wailing spirits that were forced to dance upon fiery charcoal...
Or maybe just some plain old volcanoes erupting.
Instead, the Underworld was more civil and orderly than most of the mortal establishments that I'd been to in my past life.
Unfair as all hells of course—pun intended—but more orderly than I'd imagined. And I can imagine some pretty wild stuff.
After I bullied Charon—a right helpful chap, that guy—into making some room for us three upon his barge, we received a first-class ticket to the scenery of Hell.
Our boat made its way through the oily waters of River Styx, and the greedy part of me that was hoping for some easy invincibility curled up in disgust at the sheer thought of jumping into the stuff.
Of course, that alone wouldn't have stopped me from gaining almost complete invulnerability.
Sure, I'd always have to be paranoid of that one spot which will basically do ultra-critical damage, but some nice Divine Armor and specialized magic should've seen me through.
No, what did however kill all thoughts of taking a dip into the dirty, blackened river was the sub-description for the power I found whilst 'Observing' River Styx;
Curse of Achilles: Submerging within the River Styx shall grant the power that is a blessing and curse at the same time.
Rewards:
Almost complete Invulnerability
Tier increased by 2
Note: Only applicable upon beings at Tier 5 and below.
Warning*: Upon receiving the Curse, the User will no longer be able to progress further.
'Such bullshit.' I grouched, kicking a small pebble in silent tantrum and almost turning the boat over.
Spirits wailed, some toppling over, while some still hung on with their smoky fingertips.
No one cared to help them.
"Look mate," Charon chimed in as the boat stabilized. "I get that you could break me in half and all, but I'd rather that than fall in the river, alright?"
I huffed, crossing my arms, before creating some entertainment for myself by making faces at the wailing and sobbing spirits who desperately raised their hands at us, begging to be brought up.
That too came to a quick and sudden end when a startling realization went through me. 'Some of these might be the victims of my fight with Heracles.'
I spent the rest of our journey alone—sulking—until at last, we reached the shorelines of the Underworld, and our eyes fell upon the core of Hell.
Jagged rocks jutted out of the black volcanic sands that covered all the ground, stretching back over a hundred yards till they touched the base of a high stone wall. The wall extended as far as our eyes could see, petering out to either side of us.
Our barge soon parked itself upon the black sands and—with a last wave at Charon—we quickly disembarked, joining the line of souls that made their way deeper inside the Hellhole.
The entrance to Hell was in the form of three highways stacked side by side under a large black archway that said
'YOU ARE NOW ENTERING EREBUS'. All caps.
Each highway had a booth that checked spirits in—sort of like Airport security—all geared up with metal detectors and security cameras.
Real advanced stuff. I was beginning to wonder if I might also find some free wifi here.
No one barred our way as we made for Hades. Even the massive black monster of shadows that chowed people up seemingly at random disappeared out of our way with a warning growl.
We took the highway that seemed least teeming with people, a large gate signaling its name 'Ez Death.' The metal detectors all blared red as soon as we passed, yet no one seemed to give a fuck. Even the black hooded figures that manned the booth drifted aside as soon as they took a look at us.
'Hades wants us here.' I concluded, frowning, my mind a whirlpool of thoughts.
'A trap perhaps? No, he wouldn't need one to finish us off. Maybe Kronos is here? Or his agent? Capturing me or Percy seems like a likely goal.'
The conclusions weren't solid but I wasn't willing to dismiss them either.
'Better to be wrong but prepared.'
I willed my teleportation device to one of the front inventory slots, where they'd be much faster to access. In the most unlikely of events that Hades does not care for talks or blackmailing, simply choosing to bury us here regardless of the wrath he would incur, I would have a failsafe way to teleport back to the camp.
Thankfully, I wouldn't have to leave the kids behind either.
"Percy, Annabeth, divide the pearls between you and keep them ready."
The kids must've sensed my growing gravity for they complied without questions.
Thus we pressed on in silence, the fields of Asphodel soon greeting our eyes.
It was, in one word, astronomical. Hundreds of millions of translucent spirits crowded the fields, spreading forth for miles and miles, as far as my eyes could see. It was the biggest crowd I'd ever seen, far surpassing anything I'd laid witness to in both my lives.
Imagine the largest open ground you've ever seen with your eyes, and every single bit of it is filled with ants…that was how I saw the fields of Asphodel.
The tiny ants soon became human-sized as we drew closer, following the line of new spirits that arrived, heading towards a black-tinted pavilion with a horizontal banner stuck across its arched entrance that proclaimed;
JUDGMENT FOR ELYSIUM AND ETERNAL DAMNATION
Welcome, Newly Deceased!
My eyes flickered towards the pavilion's back, where two smaller lines went down in different directions; one leading to the Fields of Punishment and the other to Elysium.
'Now this is what I'm talking about.' A grim smile curved up my lips as I took in the gigantic wasteland down at the base of the left road; its lands splintered and cracked, with rivers of lava and minefields jutting out around them.
This was what I'd imagined Hell to be.
A barbed fence separated different areas of torture; their severity ranging from listening to Opera music and dancing on a thin rope…to burning alive on a stake and running through a field of cactus stark naked. One of the men running through the sharp edges of the cactus tried to protect his hanging jewels with one hand but a wave of power forced him straight. A wince escaped me as his balls got lacerated the next second; his screams and howls reaching my ears from miles away.
But just as grim as the Fields of punishment were, even more breathtaking were the valleys of Elysium. Hidden away from the grimness of Hell, the beautiful valleys of Elysium were surrounded by glowing white walls. Within them lay a vision of stunning beauty; neighborhoods of grand houses from every time-period in history, gold flowers and silver vines decorating the lawns. Even the grass rippled in shades of rainbows.
'Elysium is what dreams are made of.' I concluded.
"Now I know where I want to go when I die." Percy muttered beside me.
It was a shame our mission today was much grimmer than sightseeing.
Thus, I pressed us forward.
The herds of spirits soon thinned down, the place starting to grow darker and darker with every step. At last, after a few miles of traversing through the spirits, the castle of Hades finally greeted our eyes.
I glanced at my companions, both looking almost as pale as the spirits. "You two ready?"
A couple of deep breaths and nods later, I led us up the Palace's steps, through the black marble portico, past the beautiful garden of Persephone, and into the House of Hades.
We walked through the entry hall, the silent gloom only broken by the clacks of our steps upon the polished bronze floor, passing by Skeleton guards dressed in a varied range of uniforms from Greek Armor to British redcoats to camouflages with tattered American flags.
Waiting for us on the opposite end were two big sets of bronze doors that opened at once upon our arrival.
"I guess that means entrez-vous," Annabeth muttered beside me.
We entered together.
The Throne room seemed preoccupied; six figures standing at attention—looking ready to fight. All of them were kids, none looking older than 16—with even a six-year old boy being present.
"Mikael Gabrielson." The lead one intoned, also the strongest in the group.
'Observe'
Cao Cao
Age: 16
Race: Human (Sacred Gear User)
Tier: 6
Level: 480
Holy Power: 3,000,000/3,000,000
Stamina: 2,440,000/2,440,000
Health: 990,000/990,000
Stats
Strength: 319
Speed: 569
Dexterity: 510
Endurance: 488
Constitution: 198
Mental: 40
Spirit: 550
'How the hell did a human reach Divine Tier? Probably some Sacred Gear bullshit.'
I dismissed the boy, my eyes flickering upon the spear held in his arms. Something about it screamed familiar to my senses—as familiar as Stormbreaker, in fact—constantly pricking me for attention.
Yet, the huffing of the god behind it demanded an even greater attention, and I found myself agreeing.
He laid sprawling upon a huge black onyx throne, lavishly decorated with skulls of all sizes. Inhumanly tall—at least 10 feet—and with albino white skin, the God of the Dead cut a figure imposing enough for his titles.
I realized I had his attention just as he had mine.
Eyes darker than black—glittering with a strangely amused glint that could be taken as madness or genius—stared within my soul; judging and curious.
'Observe'
Hades
Race: God
Tier: 9 (Elder God)
Current Tier: 8 (True God)
Level: 880 (Divine Form) [Max]
Current Level: 780 (Mortal Form)
Divine Power: 790,000,000/790,000,000
Stamina: 366,490,000/367,500,000
Health: 397,500,000/397,500,000
Stats
Strength: 750 (850)
Speed: 775 (875)
Dexterity: 798 (898)
Endurance: 795 (895)
Constitution: 780 (880)
Mental: 74
Spirit: 790 (890)
Physically weaker than Zeus, though almost as powerful.
'…I can't win against him.'
It wasn't a surprising realization of course, but I'd wondered if I might stand a chance against his mortal form.
The answer was a big fat 'Nope!'. I may have a solid shot against a True God Olympian in their mortal form—I was willing to bet on myself due to pure haxary, even though my domains and Authority weren't on their level yet—but Hades stood upon an entirely different pedestal than the rest.
There was a reason why most often counted him amongst the 'Big three'.
That didn't mean I wasn't a little disappointed at not being able to give him a solid deck on the jaw—and then quickly teleporting away, of course. The god was more than eight times stronger and faster than me, even in his current form.
Fighting was out of the question.
'Blackmailing isn't.'
"Sons of Zeus and Poseidon." Hades intoned, his voice oily and amused. "How…considerate of you to present yourselves at such a wonderful time."
Percy and Annabeth quickly bowed low, "Lord Hades."
I was busy wondering if this was a good time to pop out a little; 'Ha! Give up the Bolt or I'mma blast your kids open like balloons.'
…For some reason I thought not.
As beautiful a sight as watching his face twist in rage and helplessness would be, diplomacy was currently the way to go.
'Save the world first, take revenge later.'
"Hades," I started, proud of the calm my voice projected. "We're here to—"
"Take the Lightning Bolt—that my evil, plotting self so obviously stole—back to your dear father," The God of Dead snorted, eyes shining with bitter malevolence. "I know all about your quest, little god. I don't suppose a simple, 'Don't have the Bolt, go away' will solve the issue?"
I blinked.
"I thought not." Hades sighed. "You're lucky these mortals explained the conundrum behind the thieving. Had you come a day earlier, your friend here would've been a fine lieutenant in my army for even daring to step within this realm."
I frowned, protesting; "You didn't even let me speak!"
The god waved me away like an irritating fly. "You'll have all the chances for that after you deal with these irritants."
Frown deepening, I turned to see the six now surrounding us—their weapons bared and ready. I couldn't see what was special about them.
"We will not underestimate you, Mikael Gabrielson." The lead one, Cao Cao, uttered solemnly, twirling his spear in idle dramatics. "It is a shame that you cannot join us. But know that you shall die for a good cause."
I glanced at Hades, my eyes all but asking; 'Seriously?'
The god grimaced. "That is the best you will get for now, Godling. And be sure to make it entertaining. If you kill them too fast the deal is off."
The words seemed to startle Cao Cao, the solemnity disappearing behind a frown as he glanced at Hades. "I hope you stay firm upon your promise, Lord Hades. For we will not lose. It is in your best interest to join Lady Ophis."
Hades stared at the boy, the shadows swirling around him in agitation. "I change my mind, Nephew. Show him what a god can truly do."
Then he cocked his head, eyes flickering to me. "…That doesn't mean you can't make it entertaining of course."
The boy in front of me chuckled—forced and edgy—angsty blue eyes turning to me as he raised his spear overhead. "Let me show you the might of humanity as well then. God or Titan, I will kill them with this spear. Come, Mikael Gabrielson, let the battle begin."
His spear started glowing, a bright halo of light forming behind his head as seven twinkling orbs suddenly started swirling around him.
My sense of familiarity spiked up to an almost painful level, a part of me jealous and enraged to see the boy holding what was rightfully mine.
'Holy power.' A sudden realization struck me, my mind a cyclone of thoughts—ignoring Percy's call for direction—as the six kids started giving off an aura of rising power similar to Cao Cao, though nowhere near his degree.
Observing the boy revealed that he now stood at Tier 7—the same as me—as if he'd taken a godly form of his own…just made from Holy Power.
I smirked, summoning Stormbreaker with a flex of my fingers.
Holy Power…something that has grown to an intimate level of familiarity with me in the last week or so.
And the feeling was now more powerful than ever…
"Attack!" Screamed their leader. "Parinayakaratana!"
Pushing Anna lite and Percy back, I came to stand still at the front, eyes closed and nonresponding against the multitude of attacks my enemies launched at me.
I was aware of my surroundings of course—even as a large part of my mind focused on understanding this new level of authority I could exercise over Holy Power–for to me, every movement shifting through the air was like a drawing on the canvas made solely for my viewing pleasure; I was aware of Percy arming himself with Riptide, I was aware of Annabeth crouching beside me, her electro shooter and knife at the ready.
Even more so, I was aware of all my enemies; the mysterious mist slowly spreading around the room—promising imprisonment; the powerful magic permeating the air—letting off an aura of space and time; the twelve strange creatures of magic—all towering over a hundred meters tall—materializing from the shadows of the small child, and the utter raw strength pouring off of a two meter tall brute that reminded me of Heracles…
I felt it all…yet I stood still.
Two attacks were clearer to me than the rest. One, a shower of Holy swords racing to impale me—courtesy of the only female in the group; and two, the Orb of pure destructive might launched from Cao Cao's—My!—spear.
At once, my Authority came rushing to me in a moment of stark clarity. The world grew slower than usual, and divine power coalesced around me like a shroud.
[Divine Domain: Activated] Lvl 1
The entire room—save for us two gods—flinched away from the golden glow of power emanating from my body, my divinity bearing down upon the mortals present, shaking them to the core.
It may not be capable of incinerating them yet—I wouldn't have used it with Percy and Annabeth present if that were the case—but it was no doubt still similar to looking at the sun with naked eyes.
Still, the constitution of these mortals must be amazing as their attacks did not falter, bearing down upon me with all their might.
I acted.
Accessing my Authority over this world and its elements, I moved forth my divinity to take a hold of the storming onslaught before laying out a simple command.
"Stop."
And the world acquiesced to my Authority.
The Orb of incredible destructive might withered away before it could reach me, and the Holy Swords bowed down in supplication—hanging in the air, suspended.
The other attacks grew slower as well but my control over them was limited to Divine Authority, none of my domains being any help here.
I smiled, opening my eyes.
Authority wasn't the only way for me to deal with these attacks of course.
It was simply the most fun…and dominating, leaving my opponents stunned.
With a great chuckle of satisfaction—still in my divine form, glowing golden—I waved Stormbreaker and launched a powerful gust of wind—brimming with my authority—over the purple mist.
These attacks were not weak by any means. The Mist alone gave off an aura at the level of a minor God, while the others were around Tier 5 or 6, I'd wager.
Yet, with the Divine Domain and Stormbreaker supplying me a bonus of 40 in all stats—except Mental—I found my already ridiculous power surpassing these attacks.
And thus I acted.
My divinity blew the strange Mist away as if it were normal smoke. The space-time magic extended but for a couple of meters before its caster found himself riding an uncontrollable tornado that suddenly took form beneath his feet, his magic spluttering out in thin air without guidance.
The only attack that managed to reach me was the group of twelve titanic monsters whose every step shook the very earth beneath us.
Still unmoving from my position, I waved Stormbreaker and two Holy arrays suddenly materialized over my shoulder.
And then started the rain of Holiness inside the House of Hades.
Dozens of spears and swords quickly blasted towards each one of the monsters—looking like tiny needles in comparison to their massive stature. I was surprised to see the monsters tanking the first wave of Holy weapons—almost like they had a particular resistance to it.
Yet, each of the weapons were filled to the brim with my ridiculously increased Authority over Holy Power, their raw might almost at the level of my Divine Lightning Bolt, easily matching an Olympian's oomph.
And that was clearly shown in the next millisecond as the torrent of glowing energy soon started digging deep craters into the enormous monsters, the third round neatly cutting all twelve of them in half—their gigantic upper bodies falling upon the ground like meteors striking earth.
I rested my arrays, their job done. Yet, a few Holy spears continued on, their momentum unstoppable as they burst out from the other side of the monsters and headed for my stunned enemies—even scattered as they were.
Only two people managed to put up any sort of resistance.
One was the Mist user, who quickly formed multiple arrays of magical shields in front of his companions. The other was their leader, who came to the fore, holding his—my!—spear slanted against the incoming missiles.
The Holy weapons sheared through the shields like a hot knife through butter, destroying them faster than the Mist user could create until they finally reached their targets.
It was hilariously easy.
One moment my enemies stood confident with straight spines, launching a colorful wave of attacks—most that I'd never even encountered before—the next, two of the six members suddenly had a couple of gaping holes gasping in their guts and throats, disbelieving and stunned eyes still uncomprehending of their fate as they fell to their knees.
It was a tiny bit of shame that one of them was the six-year old kid, his emotionless eyes showing a flicker of a frown as he stared down at his wide open stomach.
"Leo!"
Then he fell, dead.
Their leader, Cao Cao, turned to me, eyes bubbling with fury, the Orbs of light twirling around him more rapidly. "That…was a mistake."
The Orbs came gliding at the front, shining more brightly than ever—completely obliterating the darkness in the hall of Hades on their lonesome.
"Prepare to die!" The boy spat.
Instantly the seven Orbs spread through the air, their shape starting to wilt and change.
"Hatthiratana!" One of the Orbs moved to touch the boy, seemingly enabling him to levitate in the air.
"Kahabateiratana!" Another Orb twinkled, and suddenly the Throne Room of Hades was filled with an army of armored knights, each holding a glowing white Holy Sword in their hands.
Curious I may be to see the Spear in action, I wasn't foolish enough to let an unknown attack land. Especially the might behind them that spoke of a god, albeit minor.
Deciding to cut the boy's demonstration of power short, I waved the Stormbreaker and focused my Authority.
"Break."
Three things happened at once.
The Orbs spluttered and died, winking out of existence. The Knights disintegrated into a fine powder and dispersed in the air. The halo of light behind the boy's head followed suit, flickering away—plunging the room back to its original gloom.
And in the midst of it all, the boy stood uncomprehending, weakness visible in his eyes as his Tier reduced back to 6.
"How?" He whispered.
His four remaining companions stood stock still, the only one capable of responding being the Mist user who quickly dragged his leader back.
And for the first time since the fight started, I spoke.
"You dare ask that after using my own power against me, Mortal?" An amused smirk curved up my lips. "Let me introduce myself properly then."
Right on time, a twinge of notification hit my ears.
[Skill Leveled Up: Divine Domain] Lvl 2
The golden glow around me flared up in intensity, forcing all the remaining kids to flinch away in discomfort, tears stinging their eyes.
"You kneel before Mikael Gabrielson, God of Holy Power; the eventual successor to the Biblical God."
My hand extended forward. "And I believe you have something of mine."
True Longinus (Celestial): Holy Spear of the Setting Sun, the Spear of Destiny and the Spear/Lance of Longinus, is the first and most powerful Longinus and the same spear which St. Longinus used to stab Jesus Christ. The weapon increases the User's control and Authority over Holy Power and Creation.
50 points to Spirit
30 points to all physical stats
Note: Currently Bonded to Cao Cao.