All the Specters gathered before Hades. Everyone looked at the Specters in their underworld armor; they were undoubtedly the strongest warrior group in the Hades Temple and the entire Underworld.
Hades threw off his red cloak. Three pairs of lifeless gray metal wings unfurled from his back as a powerful Cosmo erupted from him, soaring straight into space.
"Greatest Eclipse!"
In space, all the planets in the solar system began to move slowly, as if aligning into a straight line.
Hades looked down at the crowd and said, "Now, with my power, the planets directly belonging to the solar system will be set in a straight line. This is the beginning of the Greatest Eclipse. Whether in the Heavens, the Human World, or the Underworld, the moon will block the sunlight, and this planet will once again enter an ice age like the one a million years ago."
"You can actually interfere with the planets of the solar system!" Michael said in shock.
Next, Hades held up the chibi dolls of the three women—Lavinia, Serafall, and Gabriel—and said, "These three women are being taken back to the Underworld as hostages. If you want to save this planet and these three women, come to the true Underworld."
After speaking, an unexpected person appeared before everyone.
"Hades, I didn't expect you to possess such strength."
Hades looked toward the source of the voice. Seeing that the newcomer was the Infinite Dragon God Ophis, he smiled slightly and said, "Oh, it's Ophis. I suppose this is our first meeting."
Ophis smiled and said, "Yes, it is indeed our first meeting. I never expected that the Hades who has stood before all the gods since the Mythical Age was merely a false body."
Hades spoke first, "If you're here to ask me to help you crusade against the True Red Dragon God Emperor, I refuse. I don't care about the affairs of your Dragon Race."
Ophis smiled slightly and lowered her head, saying, "Hades, your strength is indeed great, but I did not come for that."
"You're here to stop me," Hades said, his eyes narrowing slightly.
"Something like that," Ophis said, tilting her head cutely.
Vali, worried about Lavinia, immediately activated his Balance Breaker and rushed toward Hades, throwing a punch: "Hades, give my sister back!"
Just then, two energy spheres, one gold and one silver, struck Vali. The armor on Vali's body was completely shattered, and his upper body began to bleed continuously.
Two new figures wearing underworld armor appeared from the sky, slowly descending to Hades's sides.
"If you want to harm Lord Hades, you must first get past us, the Twin Gods." The two newly appeared figures said to Vali below. They appeared to be twins; except for the different colors of their eyes and hair, everything else was identical.
"Twin Gods?" Benniah said in confusion.
"The God of Sleep, Hypnos, who governs 'Sleep'!" His eyes and hair were gold, and there was a hollow five-pointed star on his forehead. The pair of wings on the back of his underworld armor were shaped like peacock feathers, fanned upward.
"The God of Death, Thanatos, who governs 'Death'!" His eyes and hair were silver, and there was a solid five-pointed star on his forehead. The wings on the back of his underworld armor resembled eagle wings.
Benniah retreated in shock, her face full of disbelief, saying, "Was even the Thanatos I've always faced a fake?"
Thanatos answered her question, saying, "That's right. Since Lord Hades went into slumber, I used my power and the aura of the Underworld to create the Death God you knew."
A giant silver screen appeared behind Hades's side. As the screen pushed forward, Hades, the Twin Gods, and the Specters all vanished from the spot, leaving behind a single sentence:
"If you want to save this planet and these three women, come to the true Underworld. I have already set the coordinates in this city."
Everyone looked up at the sun in the sky; a small corner of it had already been swallowed.
The group returned to the Underworld, while those who were heavily injured underwent healing. News in the Human World continuously broadcasted reports of the rare solar eclipse phenomenon, which was occurring not only in the Human World but also in the Underworld, the Heavens, and various mythological systems.
Underworld, Elysium
Hades stood on the steps of his Hades Temple. Standing behind him were Charon and Mephisto. Hades tossed out the dolls of the three women, and they returned to their original forms.
The recovered women looked at their surroundings—a vast, infinite field with beautiful flowers blooming everywhere and white buildings that looked like they belonged in a fairy tale. This place was truly a paradise.
Next, the three women saw Hades, Charon, and Mephisto. Lavinia was the first to speak: "Teacher! Even if Hades was kind to you! Why did you betray me and Vali!"
"Actually, I didn't betray you," Mephisto said with a smile.
The three women then tilted their heads in confusion. Hades explained to them, "I was the one who told them to do it. Originally, Charon and Mephisto wouldn't have done this. I just wanted to see the performance of the Morning Stars of the new era. Moreover, some of them are still immature, and a great war awaits them in the future. So, the Great Eclipse and your capture are training to help them grow."
"I'm sorry for the trouble this has caused you. I am very sorry."
After speaking, Hades looked at the three women with his eyes as deep as lake water. Like beautiful gems, they directly entered their hearts, making their hearts race.
Hades's actions left the three women speechless. The Hades of the false body was extremely arrogant, but they never expected that the true Hades would be so far-sighted and such a gentleman.
Hades put three bracelets on the wrists of the three women respectively. He said to them, "These three bracelets will grant you the right to walk freely in this Underworld. Until this trial is over, I must ask you to stay here in Elysium."
"Snap!" Hades snapped his fingers, and several beautiful elf handmaidens appeared behind them.
Hades said to the elf handmaidens, "Take them down and treat them well."
"Yes, Lord Hades," the elf handmaidens said, bowing.
"Please follow us, ladies." The elf handmaidens led Serafall, Lavinia, and Gabriel toward their respective palaces, leaving the three women looking dazed.
Mephisto watched the departing elf handmaidens and said, "For Azazel and Odin, this place would be like heaven, because there are so many beautiful elf handmaidens here."
Charon immediately retorted upon hearing this, "Don't let them come here! This is Elysium, which only those who were kind in life can reach! Those elf handmaidens just now were all kind-hearted people in life! If they come here, they will taint the kind souls of the residents here!"
The three of them nodded in tacit agreement after hearing this.
Hades crossed his arms and looked into the distance, saying, "Let the people of this world see the true power of our Underworld."
A flash of fighting spirit appeared in the eyes of Mephisto and Charon. A powerful purple Cosmo erupted from them as they smiled and said, "By your command!"
Underworld
Everyone was prepared for battle. Ajuka found the coordinates of the Underworld based on what Hades had left at Agreas. For some reason, the Underworld, which was originally at the bottom of the Underworld, had disappeared and moved elsewhere.
Michael, Azazel, and Sirzechs, who had been defeated by the Four Heavenly Kings of the Underworld, had fully recovered and were participating as commanders for this operation.
The three of them said to everyone participating in the battle at the same time, "The main purpose of this operation is to defeat Hades and the Twin Gods, as well as to overcome the Underworld's warriors, the Specters, and rescue the kidnapped Serafall, Gabriel, and Lavinia."
After speaking, a passage to the Underworld appeared before them. Everyone rushed toward the passage, and after reaching the glowing end, they arrived in the Underworld.
"Th-this is!"
"A starry sky!? The Underworld actually has such a brilliant starry sky!!"
"Could it be that the Underworld is like Hades! Its true form was also slumbering!!"
Everyone who entered the Underworld was shocked by the brilliant red and black starry sky. They had always perceived the Underworld as a world of darkness; they never expected to see such a brilliant starry sky there.
They didn't stay lost in the starry sky for long and quickly hurried forward.
They came to the Gate of Hell in the Underworld. The well-traveled Azazel looked at the ancient script above and said, "This is Ancient Greek. It says: 'Abandon all hope, ye who enter here.'"
Hearing this, Benniah chuckled and said, "That phrase really fits Hades' personality."
Just then, the Buddhist beads wrapped around Monkey King's hand emitted a golden light. Vali noticed the beads and said, "Monkey King, those beads on your hand are?"
"Oh! These are Buddhist beads made by my grandmaster, Tripitaka. There are 108 in total, the same as the number of Specters. I also noticed that the names of the Specters' Demon Stars are China's Thirty-six Heavenly Spirits and Seventy-two Earthly Fiends. These beads will glow gold whenever a Specter is near, and if one dies, the bead will change color," Monkey King explained.
Monkey King looked at the number of glowing beads and said, "Specters are already approaching! There are five... ten... about fifteen of them!"
Thump, thump, thump, thump—!!
Countless footsteps came from behind the Gate of Hell and from all directions. More than fifteen Specters appeared before them, emitting a purple Cosmo that felt like the aura of Death, with a terrifying red light gleaming from the eyes of their helmets.
A Specter wearing underworld armor shaped like a magical creature stepped forward and looked at the crowd, saying, "Those who trespass into the Underworld will be defeated by me, Niobe of the Deep Fragrance, the Earthly Dark Star."
"Damn! Niobe actually wants to take all the credit!"
"This guy is more impatient than us!"
"..."
The other Specters complained.
Niobe ignited his Cosmo, and the surroundings became eerie. He raised his right hand and pushed it forward.
"Deep Fragrance—!!"
A purple scent surrounded the crowd, making them feel nauseous and uncomfortable. Everyone covered their mouths and noses.
"It's useless. The scent of Deep Fragrance will enter through your skin and then attack your central nervous system, paralyzing your entire body. In a few seconds, you will be dragged into the depths of Death!"
The group, who were originally in pain, slowly returned to normal. Niobe retreated in shock, saying, "How is this possible?! How can Deep Fragrance be useless against you? What's going on?!"
Vali stepped forward and said, "Your move can indeed be fatal, but you're not the only one who uses poison. Kuroka and I are also masters of poison. While you were releasing your Deep Fragrance, Kuroka and I released different poisons to neutralize it."
Vali, in his Balance Breaker form, rushed up and grabbed Niobe's head, threatening him: "Tell me! Where are Hades and my sister!"
"Don't even think about it!" Niobe said firmly.
Hearing this, Vali directly crushed his helmet. His brain nerves were likely pulverized, making him no different from a dead man.
Vali was still in a fit of rage. He looked at the surrounding Specters and transformed into a powerful white whirlwind on the battlefield, defeating all the Specters. The underworld armor on the defeated Specters was completely shattered, and their dead expressions looked as if they hadn't even realized what happened.
Issei Hyoudou looked at the fallen Specters and couldn't help but swallow, saying, "Vali is so scary today..."
Arthur adjusted his glasses and said, "After all, his beloved elder sister was kidnapped by Hades. It's only natural for him to be like this."
Monkey King looked at the beads in his hand, several of which had changed color, and said, "But thanks to Vali, about fifteen Specters have already been killed."
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