章 48: Into the Realm of the Dead

Jayr POV - Germany, Hades Castle - 1987

I dive as I notice that Seiya and the others met with a really strong presence, so I quickly break through the window and land inside one of the main halls of the Hades Castle, the one where Pandora usually resides, and look as the plot armor quintet face off against one of the last bosses of this world, one of the Judges of the Underworld, Wyvern Rhadamanthys, whose appearance is that of a person possessing the physical build of a young adult with an age of 23 years, he is about 189 cm tall, a trait that makes him a taller than average person, has an athletic and stocky body with a fair complexion, his face has rather coarse features that make him look like a serious and aggressive looking person, the most prominent features of his face are his huge eyebrows, which form a single one, and his sharp and cold eyes, he has blond hair, which is tousled.

He is wearing the Wyvern Surplice, the headpiece is a helm in the shape of the wyvern's head with three sharp horns on it, the chest piece protects the whole upper body, and its main features are, the totem of a monster's face emerging with eyes and teeth, and the wyvern wings on its back, and is joined with the waist piece that protects the whole area, the shoulder pieces are made up of four layered cones, the arms pieces are ornate and have a sharp edge at the height of the elbow, while the legs pieces are simpler but the feet ends with the wyvern's talons, all in shades of purple.

(Image Here - Wyvern Rhadamanthys)

I land in front of them just as Seiya was about to provoke him, and say "Stop it, Seiya! Leave him to me, you guys focus on finding the entrance to the Underworld!", and while I speak, my gaze never leaves Rhadamanthys who looks at me and says "A Gold Saint won't be able to save you... In fact, he will die here together with you!", and as he speaks I careful watch any of his moves as I know how dangerous any of the 3 Judges of the Underworld can be, 'Each of them can be said to have reached the peak for one of the aspects of the Cosmo, that I could call Power, Technique, and Control... And this one, he is the one that mastered the Power aspect of the Cosmo!'.

While I was thinking that, Rhadamanthys notices that something is off about us and mutters "Wait... Why are these Saints still so spry? Inside this castle, our enemies' Cosmo is damped to less than a tenth of their usual strength... It is a fact that most of the Saints outside are keeping their distance from the castle and attacking from outside the barrier's perimeter, so they should be weak as kittens... Unless... Unless they received divine blood!".

Then Seiya ignores my warning and attacks Rhadamanthys with a simple Cosmo enhance punch, which Rhadamanthys easily dodges by side stepping then Seiya yells "Jayr-san! We don't have time to lose! We can't allow Hades to take over the world!", at the same time, Rhadamanthys prepares to attack and says "I can't allow you to live! I'll do my duty to Lord Hades and kill the 6 of you!!".

But before he could act, another Specter appears and attacks Seiya sending him crashing against the wall, and then he kneels down to greet Rhadamanthys and says "Heh... No need to sully your hands disposing of such vermin, Lord Rhadamnthys", the one who just attacked Seiya is Harpy Valentine, a young man with bristly pale pink hair that is slightly longer than Rhadamanthys and gold-colored eyes, his skin tone is pale, he dons the Harpy Surplice.

It is a Surplice that covers most of the wearer's body, the armor has a dark tone and details in dark blue and brown, from the chest, protrude two points up to the height of the ears, and the shoulders have a drop that reaches halfway up the arm, at the waist he wears a protector that simulates the Harpy's tail in the form of a totem, it also has two wings, claws on its hands and feet, and a small uncovered area below the knee on its legs.

(Image Here - Harpy Valentine)

Rhadamanthys looks at him and says "You are still here... Valentine?", and lowering his head he replies "Yes, my lord, and I'm not alone", and as the other 7 Specters appear behind him he continues "All the Specters of your personal guard are here! Without your direct order, Lord Rhadamanthys we do not budge an inch even on threat of execution! The Specters who evacuated were those under lord Aiacos and lord Minos".

Hearing that, Rhadamanthys says apparently ignoring our presence "Very well! You all may leave immediately as well! You must not fall behind the troops! Athena has supposedly snuck into the Underworld! You must protect Lord Hades!", while this is happening, Seiya gets up and is about to speak once more, but I move and stop him from speaking, and at the same time, the castle starts to heavily shake, a clear sign that is about to crumble and on cue, the Specters start to retreat with Rhadamanthys leading them as he says "Hades Castle is falling, let's go! Don't fall behind the troops of Aiacos and Minos!! Go! Deliver sure death to the invader Athena!!".

One after another they jump down a bottomless hole in the room next to this one, a hole that leads to the Underworld, and when only Valentine and 3 other Specter hidden in the shadow remains, Seiya yells "W... Wait...", and Valentine turns around and says " I don't know why my Lord bothered to fret over you, but we don't have time to chat If you still insist on fighting come and see us in the Underworld... I'm the Celestial Wailing Star, Harpy Valentine!!".

After him, the other three present themselves even if they are still hidden, "Divine Victory Star, Basilisk Sylphid!!", "Divine Prison Star, Minotauros Gordon!!", "Divine Demonic Star, Alraune Queen!!", and as they jump into the pit, they say at the same time ""We shall await you below... That is if you can make it there alive! Ha, ha, ha..."", and at the same time I think confused, ' Why the hell did they introduce themselves if we didn't even see their appearance clearly!?'.

Meanwhile, the castle shakes even more a clear sign that it is really about to crumble, so I turn to the Bronzes and say "Guys, hurry up before the portal to the Underworld closes! Follow me!", I lead the way to the same door the Specters went through, and behind the door, I find, surprise, surprise, another set of stairs which seems to be the main and formal connection between the world of the living and the world of the dead.

A seemingly endless spiral staircase and the only thing I can see at the bottom is only a ghastly green glow, and before jumping I say one last word to the Bronzes "Think back at all the countless battles you've survived, you have awakened your 7th sense, elevated your Cosmo, and created miracles... And now your Cloths have been baptized in Athena's blood protecting you against Hades' barrier... I'm sure that with Athena's blessing and your own strength you all can awaken your 8th sense!! Are you ready?".

I hear all of them yell "Yes!!", and before jumping, I turn around and say "Seiya, don't follow my example and jump, knowing you, I'm sure that you will land again on your head so use the stairs with the others! After all, I have wings you don't!!", and then I jump yelling "Leeroy Jenkins!!", and start to quickly fall toward the ghastly green glow, the portal that will lead me to the realm of the dead, the Underworld.

Jayr POV - Underworld, Gate of the Underworld - 1987

All of the sudden, I land on the dead and desolate dark ground of the Underworld, all I see around me is the dead earth, black rocks, and the blood-red sky with black clouds above my head, and can't help but say "Really? Blood red sky... It is a little too cliché don't you think?", at the same time, I feel Hades' influence as the rules of the Underworld tries to extinguish my existence as only the dead can exist in this place, of course, that is without the protection of Hades, but thanks to my 8th sense I'm easily able to fight the rules and exist in this place a living being.

After checking my surroundings and seeing nothing that I can use as a landmark, I use my senses to check everyone's situation, 'Hmm... In the end, they all ended up in different zones, Seiya is with Shun, and they are nearby but still unconscious, Kanon is hidden in the First Prison waiting for the right time to act, Hyoga and Shiryu ended up in the third prison and they too are out cold, while I can't sense Ikki, Shaka, and Saori... Damn, this place limits my senses... Oh well, I'm sure they are fine... Ikki is practically at home here, and the landlord is in some way his brother, Shaka will be able to kick anyone but Hades behind, and Saori... well... she is Athena!'.

And so, I start moving through this desolate wasteland, and soon I find myself in front of a structure that reminds me of the Arc de Triomphe, only a lot older, it is a stone archway supported by four columns, two on each side of the entrance, and on top of the arch is the grim warning to anyone who wants to enter the Underworld, this is the Gate of the Underworld, the starting point where Hades' realm truly start, and soon I focus on the message engraved on it, it is written in ancient greek and on impulse I read it out loud and say "ΟΠΟΙΟΣ ΜΠΑΙΝΕΙ ΕΔΩ ΝΑ ΠΑΡΑΤΑ ΚΑΘΕ ΕΛΠΙΔΑ (Abandon all Hope, He who Enters Here), how theatrical...".

At the same time, I remember something I read in the Sanctuary Library, 'It is funny that in this reality, Dante Alighieri's Divina Commedia still exists, but there is a little detail that is different here... Dante in this reality was one of the Angels under Jesus, and quite the strong one as he was able to travel in the Underworld and come back alive from it, and he used that experience to write his masterpiece... But all of it was an error on his part as he should have gone to the biblical Hell for a mission, but instead, he got lost and ended up in Hades' realm... Really a sense of direction that rivals that of Zoro!'.

After that, I pass through the gate and following the sound of crying in the distance, I find myself on the shore of a mossy green river, the Acheron River one of the first of four rivers of the Underworld, and acts as the physical border between the Underworld and the world of the living, its name roughly translates to the River of Lament.

All around me I can see souls destined for the Underworld gather on the shore, where some are waiting to be ferried to the other side by the boatman and Specter Acheron Charon, yes the same Charon Dante talked about, of course, some details between them are different.

Still, it's true that to gain passage on the boat, souls must pay a coin to Charon, or some other precious thing, and these souls around me that are all lamenting in despair are those that remain stuck here, between the world of the living and those of the dead.

As I was looking at these poor souls, I hear an annoying voice that says "It's useless to worry about them!", and following the voice, I see in the distance a blurry figure on a shady boat moving closer, at the same time the figure continues "Those folks yonder, spent their whole lives in idleness, doing neither good nor evil, doing nothing, gleaning nothing, day after day, that's why, after death, they can't enter either the Underworld or the Elysion, they are stuck here on the shores of the Acheron, between the worlds of the living and dead, in eternal lamentation! Wa, ha, ha, ha!!".

Speak of the devil in front of me stand Acheron Charon, he is a thin, pale-skinned Specter, he has very short, dark hair, and his face resembles that of a skeleton, the most notable feature being his particular set of teeth, consisting only of incisors, which makes his human appearance more than dubious, he dons the Acheron Surplice, that like all Surplices, it has a dark hue, and most of the corners of his Surplice are adorned with a few spheres that can sometimes be reminiscent of a jester's classic garb, he is equipped with wings and his weapon is his oar that is clearly a part of his Surplice.

(Image Here - Acheron Charon)

Once he is close enough he introduces himself "I am the ferryman of the Underworld, Celestial Spatial Star, Acheron Charon!! Now hurry up and climb aboard! Are you the only dead soul today?", but then he finally focuses on me and says in surprise "Hang on! Wait a sec! You're not dead!! Why is a living human coming through the Gate of the Underworld to the shores of the Acheron?", at the same time I think, 'Hmm, Seiya and Shun still need him to pass through the Acheron River... So I can't kill him now... Oh well...'.

And so I ignore Charon's question, and building up the strength in my legs I say "Sorry... But I won't wait here for some other Specters to come... Especially when I can simply fly over the river, while it is true that nothing can float on this river but your boat, nothing forbids me to simply fly over it... Ciao!", and I jump and use the wings of the Sagittarius Cloth to fly, while at the same time, I hear Charon yells "Wait! Where the hell are you going!? Come here!", before quickly disappearing from his view.

I quickly pass through this ocean-like river and arrive on the other side, but I don't land and continue flying over another one of the staples of this universe, another long-ass staircase, this one leads to the First Prison or Limbo, which is the first area of the Underworld, souls who have newly arrived, after departing Charon's boat, must all pass through this region, which is the location of the Hall of Judgment.

Here the dead are judged by the Three Judges of the Underworld, who decide which part of the Underworld a soul must descend to, and assign the appropriate punishment for the souls of the wicked, lying to the Judges is not possible as they can see through all deception, and depending on the nature of the judged soul, they are either sent to another area of the Underworld for punishment or, in the case of a righteous soul, on to Elysion.

The Hall is a huge palace with a long wide staircase, which ascends to a porch full of columns supporting a gable roof, all made of white stone, beyond the columns is a large set of wooden double doors and sides with large windows bearing the same design as the door, 'If I remember well, right now, inside the hall there should be Balron Lune in the place of the Judges as they are still searching for Saori...'.

I ignore the First Prison, and fly over it, to the place that connects the First and the Second Prison of the Underworld, the Dark Valley of the Wind, this place is crossed by a bridge with two circular spaces on each end, connecting the two areas, the bridge is lined with simple stone columns in ruin, flying through this area is extremely difficult since the winds here are very strong, and I'm trying to limit the use of my Cosmo so that I can hide my presence.

Luckily my destination is right after this, the Second Prison, to be more precise, a specific place in the Second Prison, where I will see if I can save and gain another strong ally.

After a few minutes of flying through the strong and deadly winds, I finally reach the Second Prison of the Underworld, a rocky area and the resting place of souls guilty of extreme gluttony, using food and resources to the point of immense waste and the suffering of others, the souls kept here are constantly beaten by icy rain and hail, and fall prey to Cerberus, the monstrous three-headed dog of Hades and the guard dog of the Underworld, who chews up the souls he can catch.

I see him in the distance chasing after some poor souls, he is an ugly gigantic three-headed mix between a dragon and a dog, and seeing him shred through those souls, only for them to be reformed and chased soon after, I can't help but mutter "Damn... Kurumada really didn't do justice to Cerberus... He is fugly... In fact it is the worst version of Cerberus, I have ever seen...".

(Image Here - Cerberus)

I ignore that abomination of a hellish dog, and focus on the structure in the center of the prison, an enormous Egyptian temple, which mimics a very famous Egyptian monument, the temple of Ramses II at Abu Simbel, and says "Appropriately, the Specter guarding this prison is Sphinx Pharaoh, Hades's personal musician, rival and sworn enemy of my target".

I continue to carefully fly over the Second Prison until I finally see my destination, the only place in the Underworld with a little bit of life, it is a field of green grass and beautiful flowers of white, pink, and yellow, once I found it, I slowly lower my altitude and find an isolated place a little away from it to land.

After I land on the ground, I move toward the flower field, and at the same time, I once again use my senses to find out the other Saints' situation, 'Shun and Seiya woke up and passed through the Gate of the Underworld, and the Acheron River defeating Charon, and now inside the Hall of Judgment, Kanon is there too and just hit Lune with the Demon Emperor Fist, as he is freaking out about beheading Hades while holding his helmet in his hand... Shiryu and Hyoga are moving through the Third Prison fighting some Terrestrial Star Specters... Ikki is still moving freely, and I still can't sense Saori or Shaka...'.

While sensing that, I finally reach the flower field, and in the middle of it, I find one of my targets, a beautiful young woman, with long blond hair, black eyes, and delicate features, but only her bust of her is visible, the rest of her body became solid rock fused with the ground of the Underworld, she notices my presence and asks "Who... Who are you?", she is Eurydice, a woman with the same name and fate as the mythological one.

(Image Here - Eurydice)

I keep my distance in order to avoid scaring her and say "Nice to meet you, ma'am, my name is Jayr and I'm a Saint of Athena", hearing my introduction, Eurydice asks "Are you truly Athena's Saint?", and seeing me nod, she exclaims in happiness "Oh, thank the Gods... I've been waiting for your arrival for so long!", then as a few tears start to fall from her eyes, she pleas "Please, I beg you, save Orphée... It's because of me that Orphèe has remained here in the Underworld".

Then she starts to tell her story "When we were still in the world of the living, Orphèe and I... We were madly in love, and we enjoyed spending time together as he plays his lyre for me... but the cruel fate tore us apart!! I was bitten by a venomous snake and died!! Orphèe resolved to travel to the Underworld, he beseeched Hades, the God of the Underworld to return my soul to the world of the living, even at the cost of his own life... The heartrending melody Orphèe played on his lyre moved even the cold heart of Hades... He accepted to revive me and allow me to the world of the living, but in exchange he must put his faith in the Greek God and not once turn back to check on me as we exit the world of the dead to the land of the living, failure to comply would result in my current state, becoming permanently attached to the Underworld!".

Hearing her story, I remember some other details of it, 'It is almost exactly like the myth, only, in this case, Pandora noted Orphèe's abilities could be very useful, after all, not even the darkest of the Gods was able to resist his music, thus, she devised a plan to trick Orphée into remaining in the Underworld, and ordered Sphinx Pharaoh to carry it out...', meanwhile she tells the part where Orphèe is tricked by Pharaoh in thinking they got out and turn around to rejoice with her only to find 80% of her body turned into stone.

In the end, Eurydice with great sorrow says "Orphèe... He stayed behind to play his lyre for me, as he once vowed he would do... But I will never be able to return to the world of the living... Please take Orphèe back with you... He has kept me company long enough now... Take him by force if you have to... Please...", at the same time, I hear the sound of footsteps behind me, so I turn around and see him.

A handsome young man with light blue eyes and tousled hair, donning the Lyra Cloth, an armor that covers almost the whole body, white in color with gold and lilac ornaments, the chest piece protects the whole upper body and is connected with the waist piece, the shoulders pieces a double layered and oval in shape, while the arms and legs pieces are more basic, this Cloth has also a lyre as its weapon, one that Orphèe uses to unleash all his moves.

(Image Here - Lyra Orphèe)

He is Lyra Orphèe, the legendary Silver Saint, a contemporary of Saga and Aiolos, who disappeared soon after Saga killed Shion and took his place as the Pope 13 years ago, it was said that his mastery over Cosmo was better than most Gold Saints, and seeing that he is able to stay here alive, indicating his mastery over the 8th sense, this is probably true, he moves past me and lays the bouquet of flowers in his hand, on the ground in front of Eurydice, and with his back turn he simply asks "What are you doing here?".

I sit on a rock nearby and say "Nice to meet you Lyre Orphèe... I'm Sagittarius Jayr, and I'm here to fight with Athena against Hades and deal with him once and for all... In fact, as we are talking she is currently heading toward Hades alone... We can't let Hades win, he will turn earth into another Underworld!", Orphèe doesn't seem moved by what I just said and continues to take care of the ground around Eurydice as he says "The living world might not become another Underworld, perhaps it will be cleansed and reborn as a true heaven instead... Anyway I won't act against Hades as you have just learned I'm indebted to him... so go!".

But just as he finished talking, a bright light appears in the sky akin to that of the sun, then a young man appears he has evident Egyptian characteristics, his skin is dark brown, his hair is straight black, and resembles the royal hairstyles of ancient Egypt with golden eyes and his Surplice has Egyptian motifs as it is based on an Egyptian sphinx, dark and reddish in color, the head of the sphinx when Pharaoh wears the Surplice moves towards the shoulders, equipped with a pair of wings, the legs pieces are detailed to resemble a feline, the front of the headpiece, a helmet, is adorned with a serpent, below the shoulder pieces is only protected in a small portion, the claws of the sphinx moving up to the knuckles, his weapon is a weird mix between a harp and a trumpet.

(Image Here - Sphinx Pharaoh)

He is the Divine Bestial Star, Sphinx Pharaoh, the guardian of the Second Prison and Caretaker of Cerberus, he stands atop a nearby rock, and says "Oh... Quite a dangerous one almost passed through the Second Prison undetected... Good job at finding him Orphèe, Lady Pandora will be pleased...".