Hades shouted with tremendous volume. Since the entire Underworld was his domain, his words were naturally broadcast like a realm-wide announcement—anyone with ears and a brain, whether mortal or divine, could hear them.
The wretched old man Charon, who'd been rowing his little boat rapidly while gleefully imagining robbing the King of the Dead's treasure, naturally heard it too.
The shockwave of Hades's divine power shattered the confusion effect Thea had planted in his mind. Charon suddenly snapped back to clarity.
Where was he? Looking around, he found himself on the lower reaches of the River Cocytus—the River of Lamentation.
What had he just done? Though he'd been under compulsion, his memory remained intact. Earlier, he'd been single-mindedly set on robbing the King of the Dead's treasure! So with that central thought driving him, he'd rejected Hades's summons without thinking twice.
If he went to Hades now claiming he'd reformed and become a new god, would there still be time?
Obviously not! Charon's old face looked as mournful as someone at a funeral. Hades had already sworn by his name as King of the Dead! If he broke his oath, the entire Underworld would abandon him—he'd lose both face and authority. The lonely old boatman didn't think he was important enough for Hades to make such a sacrifice.
He glanced resentfully at the two passengers on his boat. Thea returned the look with an exceptionally warm smile.
This is the end! Charon looked at this River Styx he'd served for tens of thousands of years, feeling utterly dejected. He was about to lose his job. Worse than unemployment—he might not even keep his life. If he'd known, he should've just paid Thea back directly. If he couldn't clear the debt immediately, he could've arranged installments!
Hades had shouted loud enough for the entire Underworld to hear. Thea felt her plan had advanced significantly. Seeing the old man regretting his actions until he was sick with regret, she quickly consoled him.
"The gods have already deliberated. From now on, the River Styx will fall under the Sea King's jurisdiction. You don't need to fear Hades at all! The Sea King will support you!" She offered him some reassurance.
Hearing he still had a future employer, Charon's despair eased slightly. Divine intelligence wasn't low—their age alone ensured that.
Charon wordlessly realized that even if he temporarily saved his old life, what about afterward?
He couldn't leave the River Styx, and Hades wouldn't leave the Underworld. Then he'd be dangling before the King of the Dead's eyes every day. Expecting Hades to smile and let bygones be bygones? What a joke!
The River Styx and the First Circle would become the frontline in the struggle between the Sea King and the King of the Dead. As the River Styx's contractor, he'd be first in line, directly facing the Underworld's armies.
Thinking about his future—or rather, his fate over the next few days—the old man had somehow become the vanguard against Hades. How could a single word "miserable" describe it?
But no matter how much he thought, he couldn't find a good way to escape this predicament. He was like a fly trapped in a spider's web, surrounded by predators sharpening their knives. Fate gave him the choice to spend these last few days happily, and afterward... leave it to chance...
As the saying goes, if you can't resist, just enjoy it! What did the old man love most? Money! Was there anything in this area more enticing than Hades's treasury?
Rage surged in his chest, and his courage hardened into malice. Since it was already a fight to the death, he might as well grab what he could!
If before he'd been under Thea's divine compulsion, now he was wholeheartedly committed to this endeavor. The small boat shot forward under his vigorous rowing like an arrow from a bowstring, heading deep into the Underworld.
Thea observed his actions and secretly found it amusing. Despite being the son of a primordial goddess with such excellent heritage, his greed had reduced him to this pathetic state.
She and Diana continued resting with closed eyes, their consciousness focused on the distant battlefield.
With the aid of numerous heroes and deities, Hades's decline finally stabilized somewhat.
However, he had trump cards, and Hera—who'd inherited Zeus's entire treasury—wasn't just sitting idle either.
She drew a sword from her waist and chanted a spell. Instantly, wind and thunder erupted. A massive dark cloud appeared from nowhere, covering tens of thousands of miles of sky over the divine battlefield. Amid flashing lightning and rolling thunder, large spherical lightning bolts ravaged the cloud layer, periodically attacking ground creatures. Due to the negative energy aura of the undead below, they suffered lightning strikes far more frequently than ordinary beings.
"Zeus!" All the Underworld's denizens, including Hades, received special attention. The divine power contained in this cloud layer was familiar to all the siblings—it was Zeus's legacy.
Within that majestic divine might, they seemed to see again that incomparably powerful God-King.
This measure was obviously left as a precaution against Hades. Aside from being overly amorous, Zeus had actually treated Hera quite well. Without his many prepared contingencies, no matter what Thea said, Hera wouldn't have dared to directly confront Hades.
Because this thunder cloud contained Zeus's reserved divine power, it lasted a very long time. Within its range, all the undead suffered varying degrees of damage.
The deities were merely disheveled, but the ground forces faced catastrophe. Under Antiope's leadership, the Amazon warriors rode tall horses and repeatedly pierced through the undead army's formations.
The sea-folk warriors and giants also pressed their advantage. The undead fell like harvested wheat—though they could resurrect, that wouldn't happen for another day.
The divine battles were difficult to decide quickly. What surprised everyone was that the first breakthrough actually came from the mortals they'd previously dismissed.
Supergirl and the Flash, working as a team, had developed some coordination during their chase with Hermes. Barry's speed exceeded Hermes's. After mastering his opponent's maximum velocity, he suddenly accelerated and threw a lightning bolt directly at Hermes's face.
This attack wouldn't cause Hermes much damage. However, Supergirl, arriving immediately after, struck Hermes with all her strength.
Having fought Apollo repeatedly, Supergirl's attacks naturally carried considerable solar divine power. She didn't know how to use divine power—if she never learned, the power would gradually dissipate.
But once she went all out, Apollo's divine power combined with energy absorbed from stars burst forth in an instant. Her light-based power and overwhelming strength both dealt critical damage to Hermes, already half an undead creature.
A sonic-boom punch landed directly on Hermes's chest. "Pfft—!" The former God of Speed exploded into a spray of blood. Light attribute energy began assaulting his body. Hermes glared furiously at Supergirl with bulging eyes. "You!—"
Seeing he could still speak, Supergirl—who'd been worried about hitting too hard—was actually pleased. "Sister Thea wasn't lying! These guys' bodies really are tough!"
Living every day suppressing her strength was tedious. Seeing Hermes still making threats meant he clearly wasn't seriously hurt. No point holding back then—another punch!
After one more strike, the tough-guy act collapsed. Hermes lay in the mud, more air going out than coming in, completely unconscious.