The King of the Underworld is Tired - Chapter 2 (2/82)
The Story of the Underworld - (1)
The war with the Titan gods, which would later be called the Titanomachy, ended in our victory.
Now, the hegemony of the world has passed to us.
"Hecatoncheires brothers! How many Titans did the three of you bring down!"
"And this trident, and the great weapon that causes earthquakes, thanks to the Cyclopes!"
"No, this is just a small token of gratitude for you, Zeus, for freeing us."
The atmosphere was very warm and friendly.
It was only natural, now that the hard war was over and it was time to claim the spoils.
First, we decided to determine who would rule the sea, the underworld, and the sky.
Hera, Demeter, and Hestia quietly stepped back, sizing each other up.
"I don't care."
"Me neither."
"Let the men decide among themselves."
Perhaps it was because among us, my power, along with Poseidon's and Zeus's, was the strongest?
Or maybe they just found it burdensome or had no desire for it.
"Well... it's about time we decide who will manage what..."
"Let's draw lots fairly. After all, who wouldn't want the sky?"
At Poseidon's suggestion, Zeus stroked his beard and agreed to leave it to luck.
Wait, if I draw the sea or the sky, what happens then?
Then the myth I know would be completely twisted...
"Hahaha! As expected, I should rule the sky, right?"
"Tch. I get the sea. At least it's not the underworld..."
I quietly looked at the last lot being offered to me.
When did they draw theirs? Did they rig this?
Poseidon and Zeus looked at me with relieved expressions.
After all, who would want to live in the dark, gloomy underworld?
The two ambitious brothers, who wanted to be the king of the gods, would probably start a rebellion rather than live in the underworld.
So, perhaps it might be better for me to go to the underworld.
* * *
Now I'm going~ When will I come back~
I hummed a tune as I headed to a suitable place to descend to the underworld.
After all, as the king of the underworld, I need to manage it.
A plain with chirping birds and blooming flowers.
Thud.
I stomped my foot with determination.
Swoosh—
Black energy spread through the ground, creating a downward path before me.
The surrounding grass and trees withered, and the nearby creatures hurriedly fled.
I spun the helmet, the Kyneae, in one hand and looked at the passage I had just created.
It looked ominous, a bottomless pit shrouded in darkness.
Down. And down. It kept going.
How far underground had I gone?
Even the occasional bugs that I saw earlier were no longer visible.
After passing through several underground caves, I finally reached an open space.
Although it should be pitch black without the sun, I could see a desolate mountain, a dark sky, and a vast river.
This is the first river surrounding the underworld, the River of Woe, Acheron.
The river, which would later be called the River of Woe by humans, looked clear and ordinary.
However, no living creatures lived in the river, and the nearby mountain showed no signs of life.
After crossing the Acheron, another river appeared.
My past self flashed across my face as it emerged on the water's surface.
The River of Lamentation, Cocytus.
Even as a god, it felt as cold as if my feet were in ice water, and I saw my past self fighting alongside Zeus, stabbing a tall Titan with the Kyneae.
I lifted my head and continued walking forward.
The next river was the Pyriphlegethon, filled with flames.
The river, which should have been filled with water, was instead filled with burning flames.
It contained the power to purify souls, but it didn't harm me.
Human souls passing through here would be purified.
The next river was the Lethe, the River of Forgetfulness.
When human souls drink the water, they will lose their memories.
To me, a god, it was just bitter water. Out of curiosity, I tried it once.
Now, I was almost at my new home, the underworld.
Just as I was getting tired of walking, I finally saw the last river before the underworld.
As I approached the river, the water naturally formed into the shape of a beautiful goddess.
"Welcome, Hades. I've been waiting for you."
Her name is Styx.
A goddess born from the Titan gods Oceanus and Tethys, she was personified as the river that winds nine times around the underworld, separating the living and the dead.
In return for being the first to help us in the war against the Titans, she received a special privilege.
To be precise, Zeus strongly advocated for it, and we all agreed.
"By the Styx, I swear, you look beautiful today, Styx."
"Hehe... Suddenly hearing such compliments..."
If one swears by the Styx, even a god must keep their word.
If broken, the first year is spent in a state of inactivity, followed by nine years of exclusion from the council of the gods.
It would mean failing to fulfill one's duties as a god.
However, Styx is beautiful, so I never broke my oath.
With her long black hair reaching her waist, a well-endowed figure, and a bashful demeanor.
Actually, I just wanted to be nice to her since I would be seeing her often in the underworld.
"Ah... And please don't keep swearing to me, especially for trivial matters like just now!"
Styx placed one hand on her hip and tapped my forehead with her other finger.
She tried to look stern, but she looked more like a cute student complaining.
Ah, I can't help it. Seeing Styx makes me want to tease her.
By the Styx, I swear...
"Again! Stop it, stop it!"
"It was just a joke..."
"Hmm... As the god of the underworld, you should maintain your dignity..."
Styx and I became quite close during the war.
We had the same dark and gloomy powers and similar temperaments, so our attacks had a synergistic effect.
When she heard that I had drawn the underworld in the lottery, she was happy to have a close friend as a neighbor.
"...Do you understand? Now, as one of the three great gods who have seized the world's hegemony..."
One of her notable traits is her nagging.
* * *
After being held up by the nagging goddess Styx for a while, I finally arrived at the underworld where I would reside.
With a bit of anticipation, I checked out the land where I would now live...
It was desolate.
There was nothing.
To have to start from scratch on bare land...
After toppling numerous Titans and becoming the ruler of the underworld, Hades fainted.
Why do you give me such trials... O daughters of the goddess Nyx, the Fates.
Life... no, divine life... to have to develop a wasteland even as a god?
Still, I have no choice. It's a job, so I have to do it.
First, I don't need to bother with Tartarus, which is far from the underworld.
It's a prison for the defeated Titans.
Poseidon personally made the bronze gates, and the walls are surrounded by bronze, making it impossible for anyone to escape.
It's a perfect place for housing the worst criminals, and the abode of the goddess Nyx is also there.
At the entrance to the foggy Tartarus, the Hecatoncheires brothers guard the place.
They volunteered to prevent anyone from leaving Tartarus, probably out of resentment for their father Cronus, who never freed them.
Now, I need to create a place for the souls coming to the underworld to reside and a home for myself.
The underworld is my domain, and my divine power responded to the change after I was chosen to rule here through the lottery.
Thud, thud, thud, thud...
In the underworld, I, Hades, am the absolute ruler.
As my will naturally arose, the entire landscape began to change.
Since I am the king of the underworld, I should have a dignified presence. There are plenty of minerals and gems underground, so I have plenty of materials.
Zeus said he would build a palace on Mount Olympus in the sky, so I should make mine a bit larger...
* * *
Styx, the owner and personification of the largest river surrounding the underworld, felt the intense vibrations in the underworld and came out of the river again.
The once desolate and dark world changed at the will of the king of the underworld.
Thud, thud, thud, thud...
The vast, seemingly endless underworld trembled, welcoming its new master.
The fundamental cycle of life and death, the basic cycle that forms the world, became even more solid, and its principles were deeply etched into the universe.
This showed that the power of the light-hearted male god, who had just been playing with oaths, had clearly reached the level of a true deity.
'Indeed, the level of a god who has seized the world's hegemony is different.'
In the sky, there is Zeus, the god of lightning and the heavens; in the sea, Poseidon, the god of earthquakes and water.
And in the underworld, there is Hades, the god of the afterlife and wealth.
My first encounter with Hades was during the war with the Titan gods.
The dark and gloomy male god, who once wielded a pitch-black sword and was drenched in blood on the battlefield, is now the king ruling the underworld.
Sitting on the riverbank, she propped her chin and observed the changing afterlife in real-time.
The sight of a kingdom being built in this always dull underground world is not something you see every day.