Chapter 188: Hades

After enjoying our quiet moment in the higher-dimensional plane, I decided it was time to wrap up our cosmic detour and handle a piece of unfinished business.

“Alright, Paige,” I said, resting my wrists over the car’s steering wheel as I looked out at the floating crystal spheres. “As much fun as driving through space has been, I think it’s time we go pay a visit to a certain Greek god.”

[Fufufu~ Settle a little debt, Host?] Paige’s voice chimed inside my mind, her physical foxkin form leaning against my shoulder as her nine white tails swished happily. [Locating the Greek Pantheon’s universe now!]

Paige raised a manicured hand, snapping her fingers.

SWOOSH.

A massive, glowing oval portal tore open in the higher-dimensional void directly in front of the convertible. I stepped on the gas, and the car glided through the threshold, plunging out of higher-dimensional space and straight into the physical universe of the Greek Pantheon.

The sight that greeted us was impressive. The Greek universe was a vast, starry expanse where entire stellar nebulae were shaped like mythical beasts, golden constellations, and grand celestial palaces.

In the far distance, I could see the radiant, multi-layered realm of Mount Olympus floating amid golden clouds and cosmic light.

I leaned back against my seat, taking in the view with genuine interest. A small part of me wanted to take a quick detour up to Mount Olympus to see if Goddesses like Athena or Artemis were really as stunning as the legends claimed.

‘Maybe another time,’ I thought to myself with a quiet smile. I was planning on taking my girlfriends on a proper, long vacation across the cosmos later anyway.

Doing everything on day one would just ruin the fun for future trips.

“Where’s the Underworld located?” I asked.

“It sits in a isolated sub-dimension anchored directly beneath the main physical layer of this universe,” Paige explained, pointing toward a dark, swirling spatial vortex near a cluster of dead stars. “Right through there.”

I guided the car straight into the dark vortex.

FLASH.

The blinding starlight vanished, replaced instantly by a vast, gloomy twilight. The sky above was a heavy, slate-grey mist, illuminated only by the faint, eerie glow of green flames floating aimlessly in the air.

We had entered the Greek Underworld.

I brought the convertible down to a low, steady cruise, gliding a few dozen feet above the jagged, black-stone terrain. The atmosphere here was thick with ancient, oppressive nether mana, carrying the distant, echoing whispers of lingering souls.

Sprawling across the landscape beneath us were scenes pulled straight out of ancient mythology. To our left ran the River Styx, a wide, churning torrent of liquid dark mana that glowed with sickly green light.

Floating along its banks were wooden barges guided by tall, skeletal oarsmen dressed in dark tattered cloaks, ferrying silent, spectral souls across the water toward the Fields of Asphodel.

In the distance, towering obsidian mountain ranges rose into the foggy sky, while deep crevasses glowed with the fiery red light of Tartarus.

It was an eerie, surreal place, but riding through it in an open-top sports car made the whole experience strangely enjoyable.

Paige sat in the passenger seat, leaning her arm over the car door as her fluffy white tails fluttered in the cool nether wind. True to her nature, she kept up a constant, unfiltered commentary as we drove.

“Look over there, Seth!” Paige pointed toward a massive, three-headed hound sleeping near a stone archway. “That’s a purebred offspring of Cerberus! Quite a cute puppy, isn’t it?”

“If your definition of a cute puppy includes three heads and a tail made of a living viper, then sure,” I remarked dryly.

“Hey, it has three times the fluff value!” Paige giggled, before her tone shifted into her usual cheeky, horny banter. “You know, ancient Greek gods were notoriously chaotic when it came to romance and relationships. Zeus couldn’t keep his pants on for five minutes! Though, if you ever decide to take over Mount Olympus, you’d probably have a line of gorgeous goddesses standing outside your bedroom door begging for a turn!”

I rolled my eyes, giving her fluffy fox ear a light tug. “Focus, Paige. We’re here for Hades, not a pantheon-wide harem recruitment.”

“Fufufu~ A girl can dream, Host!” she purred, snuggling closer to my arm.

After ten minutes of driving across the dark landscape, the central citadel of the Underworld came into view.

Rising from a massive plain of black marble was Hades’ palace, a grand, imposing fortress built from dark stygian iron and polished obsidian.

Massive pillars carved with scenes of judgment and nether spirits supported high vaulted roofs, surrounded by towering walls guarded by skeletal warriors and shadow constructs.

I brought the car to a quiet halt near the upper balcony of the palace, letting the vehicle dissolve into particles of light.

Using my Origin authority combined with Paige’s masking, the two of us stepped straight over the high palace walls, completely invisible and undetectable to the nether guards patrolling the walkways.

As we walked through the wide, quiet iron corridors toward the inner chambers, a question popped into my head.

“Hey, Paige,” I asked mentally. “How does the whole ‘Underworld’ concept work across different pantheons? Is it similar to how alternate multiverses share the same Astral World?”

Paige adjusted her silver reading glasses, offering a smooth explanation as we glided past a group of oblivious shadow guards.

“Pretty much,” Paige replied. “Any deity who holds a portion of the Authority of Death or Nether can construct a localized pocket dimension to serve as an Underworld for their specific pantheon. However, the scale, depth, and structural stability of that Underworld depend entirely on how much of the concept they actually control.”

She raised two fingers to illustrate. “For instance, Hades rules this Underworld because he holds a significant share of Greek Nether authority. But his control over Death is strictly regional compared to someone like Lucifer. Lucifer holds the primary, dominant Authority of Death in the Astral World, which is why she is recognized as the true Empress of the Nether across the cosmos, while Hades is essentially just a high-tier domain lord.”

“Makes sense,” I nodded.

Conceptual hierarchy really determined everything in this world.

Finally, we reached the massive, dark iron double doors leading into the main throne room. I didn’t bother breaking the lock, we simply walked straight through the solid iron doors as if they were made of paper.

Stepping into the hall, the first thing I noticed was the oppressive, heavy atmosphere.

The throne room was massive, featuring towering obsidian pillars, flickering braziers of pale blue flame, and a grand floor made of dark, polished stone.

At the far end of the hall, resting atop a raised dais, sat a magnificent throne constructed from stygian iron and dark dragon bones.

Sitting on that throne was Hades himself.

From a purely visual standpoint, the God of the Underworld looked every bit like a terrifying deity. He wore dark, intricate plate armor decorated with silver runic engravings, a heavy dark cloak draped over his shoulders, and an obsidian crown resting atop his long, dark hair. He had a pale, sharp facial structure that exuded ancient authority.

Except right now, his grand, god-like image was completely ruined.

Hades was slumping heavily in his throne, his face deathly pale, even by nether standards. Beaded drops of sweat were pouring down his forehead, his knuckles were white as he gripped the armrests for dear life, and his face was twisted into an expression of sheer agony.

An eerie, erratic dark aura flickered wildly around his body, accompanied by a low, constant rumbling sound coming straight from his lower stomach.

“Curse… the heavens…” Hades groaned out in a hoarse, trembling voice, clutching his stomach with both hands as his body shuddered. “What… what in the name of Tartarus is happening to my divine vessel?!”

The moment I saw him in that state, Paige erupted into a fit of silent, unhinged laughter inside my mind.

[AHAHAHA!] Paige cackled wildly, covering her mouth as her nine white tails swished frantically. [SETH! LOOK AT HIM! He literally just stumbled out of his private royal bathroom three seconds ago! He’s in the middle of round five!]

I couldn’t hold back a wide, thoroughly amused smirk from spreading across my face.

Seeing the ancient God of Death suffering like a pathetic, stomach-sick mortal brought me a deep sense of satisfaction. This was the guy who had secretly orchestrated a mercenary ambush against my jet and tried to detonate a mana bomb under Yerin’s concert.

He deserved every single second of this agony, and I didn’t feel a single drop of pity for him.

Still, looking at his sweating, groaning form, I felt a wave of genuine curiosity.

“Hey, Paige,” I asked mentally, keeping my posture relaxed as we stood invisible in the middle of the hall. “How does a god even get diarrhea in the first place? They don’t have normal biological organs, do they? They don’t even need to eat food.”

[PFTTT!] Paige let out another burst of giggles, looking at me with a devious, proud smirk. “That’s the beauty of our Origin reality manipulation, Host! You didn’t order me to give him a stomach infection, you ordered me to give him the concept of explosive diarrhea!”

She pointed a finger at the groaning god on the throne. “I took the fundamental law of ‘explosive digestive distress’ from the Astral World and permanently attached it to Hades’ core conceptual blueprint! Because the rule is now encoded into his existence, reality bends to enforce it, regardless of his physical form!”

“So what happens if he doesn’t eat food?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.

“His body takes his own divine nether energy, forcefully condenses it into physical waste inside his spiritual vessel, and expels it!” Paige explained, practically rolling with laughter. “He is literally shitting out his own divine mana! The more he tries to use his power to suppress it, the faster his body generates more waste!”

I stared at Hades for two full seconds, before letting out a quiet, appreciative laugh.

“Paige…” I whispered mentally, shaking my head with a dry grin. “…you have an extraordinarily creative, devious, and petty mind. I love it.”

[Fufufu~ I aim to please my Host!] Paige boasted proudly, fluffing out her tails.

On the dais, Hades let out another low, agonized groan, leaning his head back against the cold obsidian throne as his stomach let out another loud, violent rumble.

“I am an immortal Chief God…” Hades wheezed out, his voice shaking with sheer frustration and embarrassment. “I rule the realm of the dead… how can I be defeated by my own digestive system…?! Is this a curse from Zeus?! Or did Poseidon poison the Underworld springs?!”

I crossed my arms, watching him squirm with pure entertainment. Letting him suffer like this was far more satisfying than simply popping his head with my power. Death would have been a quick mercy; this was a continuous, spirit-crushing nightmare.

BANG!

Suddenly, the heavy double doors at the far end of the throne room swung open with a loud, echoing crash.

Stepping into the hall was a tall, strikingly beautiful woman. She had long, flowing dark hair intertwined with faint wreaths of dark winter flowers, an immaculate, fair complexion, and a sharp, regal posture. She wore an elaborate dark silk gown that trailed gracefully over the black marble floor.

It was Queen Persephone.

However, despite her breathtaking appearance, her expression was completely ruined.

She wasn’t looking at her husband with worry or affection. Her dark eyes were narrowed into sharp, thoroughly disgusted slits, her lips pressed into a tight, annoyed line as she glared at the sweating, groaning God of Death sitting on the throne.

She took three slow, deliberate steps into the room, holding a silk handkerchief over her nose, her voice carrying a cold, biting sharpness that echoed across the vast hall.

“Hades…” Persephone spoke, her tone dripping with utter annoyance. “…did you seriously just spend another forty-five minutes locked inside the royal washroom during our scheduled court assembly?”