Chapter 77 - [Bonus ] Place Of The Dead

Hades has never been so humiliated before. He kissed the floor because a lesser undead have landed a hit on his cheek. If this was known to the world, everyone would think that Hades is just a fool and not a God.

Gods should be almighty!

But even though he had never been so angry all his life since the Yumantra War, Hades restrained himself from going all out.

'If I release too much of my power as it will create a great disturbance. Even if I hid the fact that I let a lesser undead hit me, others will still know that I used substantial power for a lesser undead. They will think that I'm weak!' thus, Hades controlled himself, 'and I don't want to kill him yet. I want to make him suffer and even throw him into Tartarus myself!'

His frown then lessened, "Did you fall in love with Kidrith too? She's a beautiful woman too, after all. Although I can't touch Allecto yet, I'm going to ravage this unfaithful servant until she takes her last breath while you can't do anything about it!" he provoked Joren.

Joren slowly walked up to the Lord with his fist tightly clenched. Both pairs of eyes looked at each other. One with mockery while one with solemnity.

"You think too much of yourself. Taste this, a millionth of a God's power." Hades pointed his finger towards Joren.

Meanwhile, Kidrith was placed in a tough position.

'Joren, what are you doing? Stop this!' she wanted to say but it wouldn't come out of her mouth.

A piece of the underworld's energy all went towards Hades' finger in concentration. With a thought, the point of dead energy shot towards Joren's heart.

"Argh..!"

Joren groaned, making Hades laugh, "Even though you're an 'immortal', you will completely die with that much energy."

Just like what Hades said, Joren could feel his energy being absorbed.

"What is death?" Hades asked while Joren stopped on his tracks, "It's the lack of life. I'm not Thanatos, the God of Death. No, I'm worse than that. I'm the ruler of the whole underworld realm!"

"All souls, ghouls, demons, monsters, and the undead take their energy from this realm and that's why they are unable to go to the living realm. They are supposed to be dead yet they are able to talk, walk, and live as if they are actually living in this realm for all eternity!"

"Just how much energy does this entire realm have? Even I don't know but what I do know is that I'm in control of it."

"A millionth of my power, I'll tell you what it means. With more than a hundred billion people have died already since the start of time, a millionth means the energy of one hundred thousand dead souls!"

"Even if you, Joren, are a one-man army, you would at least die a hundred times with a millionth of my power. That's the difference between a God and a mortal!"

Hades lifted his head while Kidrith have lost all hope. And that's when Joren stretched his neck and continued walking towards Hades.

"You're exaggerating."

He said before continuing to walk as the dead energy is eating the little life he had. However, Joren didn't think about it that much. He only has one thing in his head.

'I've never wanted to punch someone's face this much before.'

Joren only wants to hit someone when he's annoyed. The only people like that were Virena and Minos. Virena annoyed him the first time he met her and knowing that he can't harm her that much, he should fight back, he thought. But compare that to now, it's not just the feeling of necessity, Joren wants to smack this smug-looking Lord.

'This God is supposed to be the most sensible out there from what I've heard. But even then, he ticks me off!'

"Wait… how are you able to…" Hades frowned and pointed his finger again, "Then here, a thousandth of my power. With this much, your very body would turn into nothing with your weak existence."

The concentration of energy this time was much faster and like a bullet, it shot towards Joren. Death enveloped his whole entirety, showing nothing but a black fog.

Kidright almost let out a shriek.

'His very existence will be erased with this. I wanted him to suffer more but I have enou-'

BAM*

Hades' vision suddenly shifted as his body lost its balance.

'What?'

Thud* he fell onto the ground. Hades paused due to disbelief. He held his nose and looked at his fingers.

'Blood…?'

His whole body shook, realizing that a mere lesser undead was able to make her drop a drop of blood. It was inconceivable. Hades may slip and fall but no matter how much his guard is down, he shouldn't be able to bleed.

'Wait wait wait wait wait!!'

Hades panicked. It's either Joren is not what Hades thinks he is or that Hades himself has lost his power after a lot of time had passed without him using it.

"If your guard is down again, then that's your fault."

Joren's eyes looking down on him were burned onto Hades' mind. His face turned red from anger and shame.

Unacceptable!!

1 percent…

Hades stood up like a puppet that's been pulled up by a puppet master. Enormous energy has enveloped the whole palace.

At that moment, Joren has snapped out of it. He had already done what he wants to do.

"Kidrith… what do you think?"

Joren asked her. Kidrith was stunned as to why Joren was talking to her while ignoring the furious Lord of the Underworld. A deadly storm swirled above the great Hades Palace.

But even so, Kidrith understand what Joren was trying to say. She stepped forward but then stopped.

"… I respect you but I'm serving the God of the Underworld and I don't know much about you. Sorry, Joren, but I've been here my whole life, and as of now… you're just a lesser undead."

Kidrith bit her lips right after.

"For no regrets, I'll ask once again. I'll leave this place. Do you want to come or not?" Joren said with the back of his head turned towards Hades.

"What are you doing, Joren… your existence is going to be erased just to stop this one night…"

This night is just going to repeat itself, that's what Kidrith is saying.

"Huh? I just felt like punching this fucker's face. I didn't do it for you or anything." Joren said while Hades twitched in anger, "And, I just felt like wanting to take his so-called possessions."

Kidrith was stunned by Joren's honesty.

'He's just doing what he wants… what freedom!'

Freedom, something that none in the palace have felt before. Kidrith has a strong desire to be like him.

'If a lesser undead has the guts to risk everything for the sake of doing what he wants, how can't I!?"

"It's sickening to stay in one place, doing the same thing over and over again for the rest of eternity. The Lord doesn't like change within the palace. He doesn't let anyone out. The status quo is maddening." Kidrith then looked at Joren with determination.

Although she's just moving her tongue, she's in the midst of risking everything her whole life has built.

"Although the Lord of the Underworld is not an unreasonable God, he's too strict. And I think...!" Kidrith then raised her voice, determined to die at any moment, "With risk comes reward, and that in itself is exciting, giving meaning to life! This place is as dead as the whole realm-!"

"ENOUGH!"

Hades has finally spoken.

"I placed my trust in you, Kidrith but you failed me!"

He was hoping for Kidrith to straightforwardly decline so that Joren's death afterward will be a little more satisfactory.

"So, do you want to come with me!?" Joren asked.

"I either do or I die!" Kidrith shouted in an answer and reached out her hand but Joren didn't take it.

"I said, do you want to come with me!?" Joren shouted back, making Kidrith realize that she had answered wrong.

"I… I do! I want to get out of this place!"

"Good!" Joren was about to take Kidrith's hand when Hades have appeared beside them. A deadly fog covered his whole entirety only leaving the furious frown on his face. His hand has struck down before anyone can react.

Kidrith's withered at the next moment, seeing this, a nerve popped out of Joren's forehead.

"You're making me angry again!!"

He punched out his left arm, going through the deadly fog and hitting Hades' face the third time.

"Gah!" Hades stumbled back a bit before he shook in anger, "HOW! HOW! HOW!!!" he roared. But after his rage release, Hades looked and saw that Joren have already escaped with Kidrith.

"JORENN!!!"

Along with Hades' aura, his shout has taken everyone's attention.

"So, it has begun.." Osmin locked in the recovery room have muttered, "Overconfidence even make a God have mistakes. Use this chance, Joren, survive and come back in the future to defeat the eternal boredom we call Hades!"