"HADES!"
I turned at the roar shaking the air, and there he was. Zeus descended like a lightning storm given form, fury twisting his face.
And of course he did not come alone.
The bastard brought the whole gang, Olympian armies lined behind him like a marching wall of glowing arrogance.
"How dare you destroy half of Athena' powers and her temples!" Zeus thundered. His voice cracked the sky.
"You done, or still gonna ramble?" I raised an eyebrow. My cloak fluttered with the pressure of his aura, but I refused to move an inch.
"I wish you could be more of a god than a thug," Zeus snarled. "I, Zeus, banish you from the mortal realm!"
I waited.
A moment passed.
Another.
Then I spread my arms slightly. "Uh, I am still here, bucko."
The armies murmured. Even Zeus blinked. Yeah, something was definitely off. He could not banish me. Not Hades. Not from a realm that literally connects through my territory.
Honestly, he could try. But he cannot.
And there was a very specific reason why.
"You dare, Zeus, son of Cronos."
Her voice slithered through the air like velvet laced with knives.
She was here.
"Just in time, Nyx," I said, stepping back respectfully as the shadows folded into a swirling portal. Nyx emerged with slow, heavy steps.
Her aura thickened the darkness around us, swallowing the world at the edges. Even the Olympian soldiers stiffened, gripping their weapons tighter.
Her eyes glowed like dying stars as she approached Zeus. "Though I do not interfere," she said, her voice calm enough to freeze the ocean,
"I, Nyx, daughter of Chaos, shall not allow the equilibrium to consent to this stupidity."
Zeus pointed his spear at her, lightning crackling around his arm. "Move, Lady Nyx. This does not concern you."
I almost whistled. Damn. Zeus truly had the balls to talk to her like that. He was toast. Absolutely toasted.
Nyx rarely changed expression, but her eyelids lowered a fraction. Enough to make even Erebus flinch somewhere in the void. "Actually," she said, every word sharpening the air,
"it does concern me. Hades is judge of his dominion. Athena's new temple stands beside the Gates of the Underworld. Therefore, Zeus, Hades has his right."
BOOM.
Her aura pulsed outward like a collapsing star. The ground cracked beneath our feet. The sky dimmed. The Olympians stumbled. Zeus' lightning sputtered in his hand.
I did not know exactly what she just invoked, but judging from Zeus' face, I was definitely winning.
『User's intelligence needs more refining.』
I muttered under my breath, "Hey, at least, we are winning."
"You against what army, Nyx? Hades only has souls and low guards. I, Zeus, am mighty."
A collective gasp escaped me.
Oh hell no.
Mocking my Underworld? My domain? My people?
And yes, I absolutely did that exaggerated Deadpool gasp, hands to my mouth and all, just like when he was chasing Francis. Zero shame.
Nyx chuckled softly. She turned her head just enough for our eyes to meet, the corners of her lips curling as she nodded once. A signal. A permission. A reminder of who I truly am.
I stepped forward, shadows coiling at my feet like serpents awakening.
"What army…?" I said, my voice dropping into a deep, commanding rumble that echoed across the battlefield.
The world answered for me.
A thunderous roar shook the realm.
"RAAAGGHH!"
The earth cracked open as eons of my army surged from beneath the shadows. Ghostly legions rose in formation, armored spirits materializing in cold blue fire.
Dragon heads forced their way through portals torn into the sky, their wings blotting out the sun.
Demons descended, claws dragging streaks of darkness behind them as they dove toward the mortal plane.
The ground trembled beneath the weight of the Underworld's fury.
Countless soldiers stood ready, summoned from every corner of my dominion.
I raised my hand and pointed upward.
"Look up, Zeus."
He followed the gesture.
His eyes widened. His face drained. His lightning dimmed.
Hovering above the clouds was an enormous shape—so massive the sky warped around it.
Then, slowly, a single colossal eye opened, staring directly at him. Ancient. Primeval. Older than Olympus itself.
Zeus stumbled back.
"You… Hades! You made a deal with a Titan?!"
I smiled.
---
Chapter 6 — End.