Styx spoke slowly, her voice as cold and heavy as the river's water, carrying a sense of the vicissitudes of ages, yet with a rare hint of barely perceptible softness:
"Metis... my wise sister."
She paused, as if choosing her words, and finally a slight, invisible relaxation appeared on her cold face.
"It seems... you have found your 'river' and the 'other shore' willing to share power and eternity with you."
Her gaze glided over Hades's hand, clasped with Metis's, and the unspoken, silent understanding between them.
"I am in charge of oaths and have witnessed the promises and betrayals of countless gods. But now I see between you a bond different from frivolous love—it is a strong connection based on wisdom, resonance, and shared destiny."
Styx's voice remained unwavering, but the words themselves were a rare emotional expression from the goddess of oaths, known for her ruthlessness.
"May your covenant be as unbreakable as my river; May your throne be as eternal and steadfast as the Underworld itself."
Having said this, Styx slightly saluted Hades, and her figure quietly dissolved into the darkness of the Underworld, like mist dissipating.
She had come only to see her sister's well-being and to deliver this unique, weighty blessing, belonging to the goddess of oaths and an elder sister.
Metis looked towards where Styx had vanished, a flicker of warmth in her eyes. She knew how difficult it was to obtain such recognition from an elder sister who almost never showed her emotions. This also confirmed the correctness and inevitability of her union with Hades.
Standing on the bank of the flowing Styx, feeling the four Styx rivers gradually stabilizing within the Underworld, Hades's gaze turned to a deeper place.
Hades released Metis's hand and took another step forward. The divine power of the King of Hades surged forth like a tide, resonating powerfully with the new underworld land beneath his feet.
His voice sounded again, this time not merely a declaration to the beings of the Underworld, but an interpretation and definition of the laws of the Underworld itself:
"The order of the Underworld is not limited to territory and rivers. Death needs a homeward path, and sleep needs a kingdom!"
He first looked at Hypnos, the silver-haired sleep god, whose eyes now held no laziness, only rapt attention.
"In the name of the King of Hades, I declare: on the edge of the Underworld, at the intersection of reality and nothingness, let there be a land of dreams!"
With his declaration, on the edge of the dark sky of the Underworld, a twisting and extraordinary region began to take shape—bright, yet strange. It was no longer a fragment of disordered dreams, but a vast and complex realm, anchored by laws.
"This realm shall be called Phantasos, and it is the source and destination of all dreams. Hypnos!"
Hypnos stepped forward in response and knelt on one knee.
"I command you to take control of this realm and govern the dreams of all living beings in the world. Within it, four gates shall be built:
The Ivory Gate leads to illusory, groundless dreams;
The Horn Gate leads to prophetic dreams, foreseeing the future and revealing truth;
The Crystal Gate leads to mirror dreams, reflecting the heart and pointing directly to the soul;
The Abyss Gate leads to nightmares of entanglement, fear, and the release from oppression!"
"Your authority is not only to put spirits to sleep, but also to weave, guide, analyze, and govern this infinite sea of dreams! This is your realm, your divine kingdom!"
Hades's words were like imprints of law, each sentence strengthening and expanding Hypnos's power. Hypnos felt that his power was no longer merely scattered drowsiness, but now had a solid core—the Dream Realm of Phantasos.
Countless threads of dreams converged from all over the world and flowed out from this land, and he was the master of this vast network.
His divine power rose and condensed at an unprecedented speed, and the barrier that had long troubled him was shattered by the approval of Hades's declaration and the recognition of the world's laws!
Mighty divine radiance burst forth from Hypnos's body. It was no longer the hazy glimmer of intermediate divine power, but a clear and enormous force, like silent moonlight!
He, Hypnos the sleep god, at this moment, by Hades's definition and authorization, was officially elevated to mighty divine power!
"Thank you for the king's authorization! Hypnos will live up to your trust, take charge of dreams, analyze the thoughts of all, and stabilize the order of the Underworld!" Hypnos's voice was unprecedentedly strong and firm.
Hades nodded slightly, then turned his gaze to Thanatos, who had always been silent as an abyss.
"Death is the end of all things and the cornerstone of the Underworld's existence. Thanatos!"
The death god in black robes raised his head, an imperceptible flicker in his eyes that had seen the end.
"I redefine your realm with the authority of Hades:
The death you govern is divided into three aspects—"
"Eternal Silence: return to the Underworld, rest in the hall of the dead, awaiting reincarnation or eternal peaceful death;"
"Violent End: death in war, disaster, divine punishment—death filled with pain and unwillingness, transforming into vengeful spirits;"
"Divine Dissolution: the fall of gods, the dissolution of divinity, and return to the origin of Chaos—this aspect is beyond your judgment, but you are its guide and witness!"
"Your scythe is no longer merely a tool for reaping life, but an embodiment of the law, measuring the nature of death and guiding the return of souls! Your will is the extension of the law of death in the Underworld!"
Hades's proclamation made a more refined and authoritative division of the concept of 'death'.
With the law's recognition, Thanatos felt his divinity expand and deepen at an unprecedented speed.
He was no longer merely the embodiment of executing the command of death, but had become the supreme administrator and interpreter of the very law of death in the Underworld.
Countless understandings of death, secrets of the end, flooded into his consciousness, and his power broke through its limits in an instant!
A deeper, more pulsating fluctuation of divine power swept through Thanatos!
It was a pure, undeniable power of the end, like a lightless abyss, devouring all life. A black radiance swirled around him, and complex, ancient runes of death appeared on his great scythe.
He, Thanatos the death god, also entered the realm of mighty divine power at this moment!
"I shall strictly obey the king's decree. Thanatos shall justly uphold the law of death, extradite all souls, and maintain the supreme order of the Underworld." His voice was still cold, but now possessed an authority that would make any soul tremble.