章節 60: Underworld

The group had a great time in the city; they were considered heroes. Now, with fewer monsters, the kingdom was rapidly flourishing. Souls still escaped from the underworld, creating undead, but there were far fewer deaths, and they were disorganized, so the city patrol could handle them.

The time to depart came, so they left the city in search of the underworld entrance.

They had to conduct many investigations, and thanks to Merlin, they discovered that one of the entrances was in Mílos. They took the boat again and set sail for their destination.

Upon arrival, Merlin took the lead once more, using his magic to investigate the area and discover the portal to another dimension. It took a little longer, but he succeeded. It seemed easier than expected. Merlin mentioned that no one was guarding the gate, which is why it was so quick.

Suddenly, a massive stone monument emerged from the ground, forming an ancient stone gate adorned with glowing red runes. Its doors swung open, and a strong red light emanated from within. Merlin declared that everything was ready.

The four of them entered the gate and found themselves in a dark place. The sky was pure darkness with no boundaries, where light could never penetrate. The atmosphere was cold and eerie, with sounds of souls crying for help, growing quieter until they became whispers.

In front of them lay a river that vanished on the horizon. The group was tense, except for Inmo, who treated it like a tourist attraction. At some point, he had pulled out a camera from somewhere and was taking pictures of the place.

A small boat approached them, with a hooded figure on board. When it reached the shore, the hooded figure disembarked, revealing a skull. He must be the ferryman of the underworld, tasked with transporting the souls of the recently deceased to the other side of the river, where they would face the judge of the underworld, who would decide their fate.

The river was infested with sinful souls, so only the ferryman could safely transport them. Those who attempted to cross the river on their own ended up falling into the water and becoming one of the tormented souls.

Inmo, who had been happy until now, suddenly grew disappointed. He approached Franky and whispered, just for him to hear, "You can cut the Justice League's universe drawings."

Franky looked at Inmo, then at Charon, and understood what was happening. Inmo had done various artwork for his people, and Marvel and DC hadn't escaped his entertainment.

Returning to the main topic, Charon extended his hand to the group. Once again, Merlin came to the rescue, producing some coins and giving them to the ferryman. The group then boarded the boat and had a calm journey to the Court of Souls.

Upon arrival, they found no one there, only a few insignificant lost souls. The group searched for a while and, realizing there was nothing more to be done, made their way to Hades' castle.

When they arrived at the gate, it opened on its own. Afterward, they only needed to walk down a long corridor that led to a large room with a grand throne. The group didn't have to wait long before a person appeared and took a seat on the throne. Contrary to expectations, this person wasn't Hades; it was a beautiful woman.

"What brings the great Immortal to my humble abode?" the woman tried to maintain composure, but her fear lingered in the air.

This time, Diana spoke up for the group. "We've come in search of Hades. We have questions about the gods. I am on a quest; my people were created by Zeus to bring life to those who fell in battle."

The woman on the throne looked strangely at Diana, then at Inmo, and repeated it until giving up and saying, "Hades cannot receive visitors right now."

Diana and the woman on the throne engaged in a dialogue, with Diana trying to find Hades and the woman using various excuses to refuse.

Finally, Inmo grew impatient and asked, "Where is Hades?"

"Hades isn't in the underworld," now that Inmo volunteered, she had to speak the truth, yet she was still refusing to reveal the whole truth.

Until Inmo lost patience and said, "Where is Hades?" His voice wasn't loud like a shout, but it was dominant, like a monarch who would accept nothing less than the answer he desired.

For a second, Inmo's entire body lit up, and it was as if the entire underworld trembled. This happened even without Hades present; Inmo could shatter this dimension if he wished, he was just flexing some of his power for now.

The woman dared not hide anything anymore. She revealed that Hades had been taken after losing the war. There were many deities like gods and titans; Hades had persisted but was eventually overpowered and taken by them. She, who was called Persephone, Hades' wife, stayed behind and tried to control the underworld, but she couldn't, and the souls were managing to escape.

Inmo asked why these deities wanted Hades, and Persephone responded that she only knew that the enemies had tried to persuade Hades to join their plan, and when Hades refused, they forcibly took him.

But she informed them that she had learned this group of deities was on Mount Olympus. Inmo then asked if Persephone could take them there. The group agreed, but before leaving, Inmo decided to fix the underworld.

He ascended to the sky, staying in the void. His body lit up, and soon, his glow covered the entire underworld. Inmo used his divine domain, which encompassed the concept of humanity, to impose a rule on the souls of humans coming to the underworld, forcing them to remain in this dimension.

This would be enough for Persephone to gain better control of the situation.

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