บท 36: Chapter 36: When You Gaze into the Abyss, the Abyss Gazes Back! Return to the Mortal Realm
In a fleeting moment, Hades's figure had traversed a vast expanse of the Astral Plane. Fortunately, his form was concealed by the Invisibility Cloth. Otherwise, the Astral Gods might have found it peculiar, wondering what had happened.
"Outer Gods…"
Hades's voice was heavy, yet he refrained from uttering Hydra's name. For these Outer Gods, merely whispering their names could draw their power towards you, gradually leading to your corruption.
"This is the greatest peril of the Chaos Sea," Hades whispered softly.
For the gods, was the true obstacle in the Chaos Sea its inherent consumption? Not at all. If that were the only issue, given his father's temperament, he would have long since launched wars against other pantheons.
The real danger in the Chaos Sea lay with the Outer Gods of the Cthulhu Mythos. These beings roamed the boundless expanse of the Chaos Sea, a domain so vast that the chances of encountering them were theoretically low.
But as long as there was a chance, encounters were inevitable. In Hades's case, a million years of travel had led him to cross paths with an Outer God. Even a single glance nearly led to his death, illustrating the terrifying power of these entities.
Even the weakest of the Outer Gods possessed the power of Primordial Gods. In the Chaos Sea, even Primordial Gods could be ensnared and defeated by these beings.
Only those who had reached the level of Absolute Gods, free from the constraints of the Chaos Sea and immune to the decay and corruption of the Outer Gods, could face them without fear. Otherwise, ordinary gods facing the Outer Gods were almost certainly doomed.
Why did Hydra not take an interest in the Greek pantheon or its mythic world? Simply put, every mythic world was under the protection of Absolute Gods. Hydra, even among the Outer Gods, was only equivalent to a Primordial God. Provoking Chaos would undoubtedly lead to its demise.
"When you gaze into the abyss, the abyss also gazes back at you."
Hades softly repeated this phrase—a truth known to almost all gods when dealing with the Chaos Sea. The abyss, in this context, referred to the Outer Gods drifting through the Chaos Sea.
Hades's return to the mortal realm was interrupted again. He returned to the Underworld to quietly recuperate. This time, his recovery took nearly fifty thousand years to fully complete.
This extended recovery period showcased the sheer terror of the Outer Gods' corruption. Even Hades, born a God-King and now a Chief God of the Titans, possessing the protection of both the World Tree and the Demon Star, barely managed to recover his consciousness. It still took fifty thousand years for him to fully heal and restore his strength.
Fifty thousand years later, Hades ventured back into the Astral Plane and headed directly to the mortal realm. After this encounter, he was more cautious and vigilant, realizing that in this mythic world, there could be no complacency or negligence.
Even a slight misstep could lead to an unknown death.
After a million years, Hades finally returned to the mortal realm. He quietly appreciated the beauty and tranquility of the surface world, but it was only a brief respite. In the next moment, countless Titan gods appeared.
"Hades!"
"I've finally found you!"
"Hades is mine!"
The eyes of the numerous Titan gods were filled with boundless greed. Hades calmly scanned the gods. It wasn't surprising that he had been found. Even with the power of the Invisibility Cloth, it wasn't the same as the Invisibility Helmet. The cloth was merely raw material, while the helmet was a forged artifact, comparable to the True Gods' treasures.
The difference between the two was significant. Besides, there was only one path from the Astral Plane to the mortal realm. Simply waiting here would naturally lead to finding him.
A hum resonated as a strand of divine power spread from Hades's body. The movements of the Titan gods grew increasingly sluggish. Their once perfect bodies began to age and decay. With the passage of time, they transformed into frail old men, and this was not the end.
Their divine bodies and souls continued to decay, eventually turning into skeletons that collapsed onto the ground. Hades glanced over the remains of these Titan gods. He wouldn't let them go to waste. Even as bones, they contained their laws and divine power, which would be useful in the Yellow Springs of Hades.
Although Hades was favored by the world, he knew his original story's fate and thus avoided excessive arrogance. Moreover, he was inherently a rational deity. No resource, no matter how insignificant, was wasted.
While other gods might find such resources useless, for Hades, it was different. The World Tree he possessed was an insatiable entity that could absorb any resource, regardless of quality, and enhance itself. The only difference was in the amount.
"When you gaze into the abyss, the abyss also gazes back at you."
Hades quietly repeated, "This saying applies to you as well. I gaze into the world's powers within the Chaos Sea, while you covet my life. The difference is, I survived the abyss, but you perished within it."
Hades's voice was calm and indifferent. The deaths of countless Titan gods didn't seem to concern him. This was the essence of divinity—conflict and death were normal and expected.
However!
Before Hades could leave, it wasn't over. More Titan gods charged at him from all directions, like beasts driven by insatiable greed.
Under the laws of decay, these Titan gods, like those before them, gradually turned into skeletons and were thrown into the Yellow Springs of Hades.
The attacks of the Titan gods came wave after wave, seemingly endless. Hades didn't rush to leave. It was as if he was waiting for something. As time passed, nearly a thousand years went by. How many Titan gods had died at Hades's hands? No one knew—not even Hades. The dead Titan gods certainly didn't.
After a thousand years, everything seemed the same as before. The only difference was that the Titan gods surrounding Hades no longer charged at him like mad dogs. Instead, they watched him warily, their eyes still filled with greed.
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