Under Heracles' leadership, the gods began pushing deeper into the Underworld. The mighty demigod was one of the few demigods who'd visited the Underworld and escaped intact. Now this returning veteran wielded his ravenous greataxe, clearing out the enemy fodder blocking their path.
Behind him, the gods began purifying the Underworld's land. Apollo contributed the most effort here. His searing radiance swept across—the mindless dead turned to ash, while those retaining consciousness were freed and joined the allied forces.
The gods' movements soon drew Hades out. The Underworld was his source of power. Each portion lost meant his strength diminished proportionally. He had no choice but to engage.
"Hera, Poseidon? Heh, I haven't troubled you, yet you deliver yourselves to my door. We brothers and sisters haven't gathered like this in ages. Truly brings back memories of old times." Just like when Thea and Hera had wreaked havoc in the Underworld, a face formed of blood-red mist appeared in the sky. Facing the allied army of gods, he showed no fear whatsoever.
"Hades, the gods demand your surrender! We can grant you the respect you deserve!" Hera wielded Zeus' lightning spear, assuming the bearing of a divine king. She actually looked rather convincing.
The blood-red face released silent laughter, radiating an aura that said if you want war, then let's war. He didn't waste words with the gods—he simply dispersed in midair.
Heracles identified the direction. "Ahead should be the First Hell, the Underworld's Court of Judgment. The enemy army has gathered there. The Underworld King likely wants to engage us in decisive battle."
The gods didn't rush forward recklessly. They continuously purified the Underworld's soil. Apollo had no choice but to exert himself creating a miniature sun and hanging it in the pitch-black sky.
Though this sun was small and wouldn't last long, it sent a powerful signal to the numerous living beings: light would definitely triumph over darkness!
The army covered several miles in nearly an hour. The path from the banks of the Styx to the First Hell was completely transformed. Even if they won this battle, removing Apollo's divine power would cost Hades enormous time and effort.
The Court of Judgment, constructed entirely of obsidian, finally appeared before everyone—solemn and majestic. This was where all the dead passed through.
However, the magnificent structure had been converted into a war fortress. Numerous dead wielded bows, arrows, and spears, garrisoning it. Outside the fortress, an endless army coiled as far as the eye could see.
The gods ignored the fodder troops—those were enemies for the Sea King's forces to handle. Instead, they looked toward the opposing deities.
Today, Hades hadn't used that dwarf form with the candle on his head. Instead, he appeared as a tall, white-haired old man wearing gleaming black armor, his face full of fury. He currently gripped his bident, contemptuously surveying the gods.
The old bastard seemed unconcerned, but he'd deployed his true body. Thea's avatar secretly assessed this—good news for her infiltration into the Underworld's depths.
Standing at Hades' right hand, nearly level with him, was an old acquaintance—the Firstborn. Thea herself excelled at mental power and healing. She'd used numerous methods over the past few days to barely calm the trauma from that day. The Firstborn had no such solutions—he'd chosen to tough it out.
In the avatar's view, though he looked fierce and radiated killing intent, his injuries hadn't fully healed. At best, he could exert seventy percent of his strength from that day.
The Firstborn and Hades had something of an alliance. They stood roughly side by side. Hades hadn't made things difficult for his grand-nephew—positionally, he stood half a step ahead.
Behind Hades stood several deities. First to catch the eye was Hermes. This despicable wretch not only hadn't died but seemed increasingly energetic.
On Hades' left rear stood the Underworld Queen Persephone. This goddess wearing numerous ornaments and luxurious clothing was someone Thea was meeting for the first time. She was the daughter of Zeus and Agriculture Goddess Demeter, forcibly abducted to the Underworld. Though the story's beginning was pretty messed up, their married life reportedly wasn't bad...
Her mother Demeter was currently in Hera's camp. Yet when mother and daughter met, they acted like strangers, each surveying the other coldly.
The remaining two deities behind Hades were equally famous: Thanatos, God of Death, wearing gray robes and wielding a longsword, his black hair flowing; and Hypnos, God of Sleep, in black robes holding a staff, his head full of gray hair.
The Death God's eyes glowed faintly as he continuously assessed the gods. The Sleep God's face was coldly impassive, his eyes seemingly closed yet open, standing there serenely as if nothing could capture his excessive attention.
These two, like Charon whom Thea had tricked into seeking fortune, were all brothers—sons of the primordial goddess Nyx. They'd dwelt in the Underworld for ages. Their duty was simple: assist the Underworld King.
Standing further back were three top-tier demigods—the Underworld's Three Judges: Rhadamanthus, Minos, and Aeacus. All three radiated tremendous power. To Thea's avatar, their strength fell just one tier below Diana's—they could even crush those art-focused gods on her own side.
Both sides had reached this point. All words lost their effectiveness. Only one choice remained: fight! Let fists do the talking!
Zeus might be missing, but his equipment remained. As his wife and current divine king, Hera wore Zeus' top-tier divine armor, standing majestically at the forefront. She wielded the lightning spear, charging Hades amid crackling electricity.
Facing his sister and sister-in-law—yes, Hades was the eldest of the three brothers, with three older sisters including Hera as the third, and two younger brothers being Poseidon and Zeus.
Fighting with his true body, he similarly showed no fear. He swung his bident to meet Hera.
The tactically astute Heracles glanced over and knew Hera couldn't defeat Hades. He temporarily set aside personal grudges, roaring as he joined the fray with his axe, double-teaming Hades.
He and Hera coordinated—one melee, one ranged—engaging Hades in heated combat.
The hot-tempered Apollo saw the strongest Hades tied down and immediately flashed into the enemy formation, purifying the Underworld army. Numerous dead were instantly roasted to charcoal by his rays. Several demigods also chose to avoid his edge.
"Apollo, you're too presumptuous!" Death God Thanatos found the dazzling sunlight extremely uncomfortable. He raised his hand, longsword carrying dark green energy straight at Apollo.
"Old bastard! You're asking for death—I'll grant it!" Apollo's fury nearly broke through the heavens. Without thinking, he turned to wildly attack Thanatos.
"Insolent whelp!" Thanatos felt deeply insulted. He was a son of the primordial goddess—even Hades was Thanatos' nephew by generation. Apollo, this junior's junior, was nothing. Death energy surged across his body as he directly confronted Apollo's searing flames.
His lifespan was truly long. However, divine power and seniority really had no necessary connection. On this battlefield, with Hades—the fiercest—set aside, and with Supergirl (who completely countered Apollo) also excluded, plus the avatars of Thea and Poseidon and the heavily injured Firstborn, even mighty Heracles fell a tier short—Apollo could be called the strongest!
In the original timeline, he'd become divine king and single-handedly resisted Hades and Poseidon. As long as he didn't encounter Kryptonians, Apollo had sufficient confidence. Attribute advantage, plus more magnificent divine power—after a dozen exchanges, he had Death God Thanatos crying uncle.
Seeing the Death God outmatched, his twin brother Sleep God Hypnos joined the battle circle, double-teaming Apollo to barely maintain an undefeated stalemate.
As several big shots engaged, battle slowly unfurled. Thea and Diana's avatars exchanged glances, understanding each other perfectly. Together with the Blue Lanterns, they confronted their old opponent—the Firstborn.