The undead followed their instincts, pressing ever forward. They finally began to slow down in a field of flowers that stood in stark contrast to the surrounding crimson Netherrack, eventually coming to a slow, human-like walk.
Following the undead all this way, Fu Zhu was rather surprised to see this terrain that didn't belong in the vanilla version of Minecraft. The reason was simple: he had never seen so many Wither Roses gathered together in full bloom. It was an incredibly grim sight!
"How did a whole field of Wither Roses get here? Where did I get teleported to? Is this still the Nether?"
However, he felt that his questions would soon be answered.
Because on his minimap, he noticed two yellow, neutral markers that were distinctly different from the undead.
[Lygus]
[Titan of Death, Thanatos (Polyxia)]
Fu Zhu didn't move, merely glancing behind him.
He hadn't expected this persistent pest, Lygus, to have followed him here. What surprised him even more was that Lygus was still registered as a neutral unit. One could only say that he was truly an Intellitron lifeform; as long as he could achieve his objective, he wouldn't hold a grudge even after having his head chopped off.
Of course, Fu Zhu felt that this was all under the condition that he didn't actively provoke Lygus. Otherwise, given how much the other party valued his goals, he would definitely strike.
"Well, you can just follow along slowly. I'll deal with you later."
The priority right now was the [Death] Coreflame.
Fu Zhu glanced at the minimap, confirmed the location of the Titan of Death, Thanatos, in the center of this strange sea of flowers, and headed over.
Aside from him, the undead were also walking along the small paths within the flower field, heading towards Thanatos.
---o---
At this moment, Thanatos, sitting in her wheelchair, was also surveying her surroundings with some confusion. Although her right eye was covered by a deep purple substance and her left eye was shut, she could still feel the sudden, drastic change in the Underworld's environment.
Most notably, the familiar flowers around her had all changed, transforming into inky-black roses that emanated an aura of death.
Before Thanatos could make sense of the situation, she noticed a few souls stepping into this bizarre field of flowers. Each of them found a suitable empty spot, and then, with looks of relief on their faces, they dissipated.
In the spots where they vanished, new Wither Roses bloomed.
Thanatos was a bit stunned. In all her years of guarding the Underworld, she had never seen anything like this.
To turn the deceased into seeds and then bloom into new flowers—this was supposed to be the duty of the Titan of Death.
The flowers of the Underworld were blooming, which meant the deceased had entered the cycle of reincarnation. But why was it happening now without her help? Had these deceased entered the cycle on their own?
Had she, the Titan of Death, become completely obsolete?
Thanatos didn't understand, but she still lowered her head and whispered a prayer, offering a blessing for these souls.
"May you take root and sprout in the new world, and blossom into the most radiant of flowers."
Just as she finished her prayer, she detected the sound of footsteps behind her. She initially thought it was another soul that had not yet entered the cycle, but she suddenly realized something.
How could a soul possibly have footsteps?
Before Thanatos could turn her wheelchair to look, Fu Zhu's voice sounded from behind her.
"Hey! Thanatos! Your days of blocking the River Styx and preventing the dead from reincarnating are over! Give me the Death Coreflame!"
Fu Zhu hadn't originally intended to say that, but upon seeing someone sitting in a chair with their back to him—even if the person was a woman, and the chair wasn't a cheap plastic one from a street stall—his shameful DNA still shamefully acted up.
Hearing his words, Thanatos's body stiffened. Then, she slowly turned her wheelchair around to face Fu Zhu.
Fu Zhu had assumed she would either think he was crazy or treat him as an enemy, but Thanatos did something he absolutely did not expect.
"I'm sorry!"
Thanatos struggled to bend forward in her wheelchair to apologize to Fu Zhu. The moment she had turned around, she had realized that Fu Zhu was a living, breathing being. Although she didn't understand how he had entered the Underworld in a physical body, he had come to her because of what she had done. An apology was in order.
"I can give you the Coreflame, but first, I must make something clear. Once you take the Coreflame, I will disappear. The Underworld will then become empty, and a new 'Titan' will be needed to guard it."
Fu Zhu couldn't help but chuckle.
Thanatos was a little confused and asked, "Why are you laughing?"
Fu Zhu pointed at the vast sea of Wither Roses at their feet and said, "Judging by your situation, if I'm not mistaken, the Underworld no longer exists."
He had witnessed those souls turn into Wither Roses right in front of Thanatos. Throughout that process, he could guarantee that Thanatos hadn't lifted a finger.
Those deceased had transformed into Wither Roses on their own due to some property of the Nether.
And just a moment ago, he had overheard Thanatos's prayer for those souls who became Wither Roses, which confirmed that this phenomenon was identical to the method she used to send souls into the cycle of reincarnation.
Therefore, in a sense, the Nether had already replaced the function of the Titan of Death.
The Titan of Death was now probably in the same boat as the Wither Skeletons—an entity the Nether could do without.
They both had the ability to send beings into the cycle of reincarnation by turning them into Wither Roses, but the Nether itself no longer needed them.
Worried that Thanatos wouldn't understand, Fu Zhu simply explained his deductions to her.
After hearing him, Thanatos stood there stunned for a long while before finally accepting the fact that she had been "laid off."
Fu Zhu thought she would be disappointed, but to his surprise, the young woman's face revealed genuine happiness and relief.
"You lost your job, and you can still smile?" Fu Zhu was a little taken aback.
This power to command life and death—was this Titan not the least bit captivated by it?
Thanatos, however, now felt incredibly relaxed. A smile even broke out on her originally tense face.
"You may have misunderstood, sir. Wielding power over the lives of others is not a relaxing affair. Besides… if it weren't for the divine oracle, I would never have wanted to walk the path of a Titan in the last cycle. After all, the trial of the Titan of [Death] requires the sacrifice of a loved one."
The last cycle? Becoming a Titan?
Fu Zhu felt like he had stumbled upon some crucial information and immediately pressed, "The last cycle? Becoming a Titan? What do you mean by that? Explain."
Thanatos was somewhat surprised by Fu Zhu's confusion. She had assumed that for him to be able to come here, he must have already known certain things. But it seemed he knew nothing at all.
Just as Thanatos was about to explain, Lygus's voice suddenly came from behind them.
"What a coincidence, Mr. Fu Zhu. We meet again."