BOOM-!

The underworld existed both as a conceptual location and secretly as a physical reality, creating a contradiction.

Nestled deep in Gaia’s womb, with the sea and earth above it, it remained hidden in secrecy.

Its enclosed nature was designed to contain souls that could easily float away without bodies, and to punish sinners trapped in the underworld’s depths. It was a place that must exist but remain hidden from sight, and everyone agreed with this arrangement.

But now that underworld was shaking, in danger of being exposed to the outside.

BOOM-!

With the heavy spreading shock wave, the underworld’s sky tore open and seawater trickled through the gap. As this scene resembling rainfall continued, the eyes of those born and raised in the underworld widened at this phenomenon they had never experienced before.

“Rain, rain…? Here?”

“No, what on earth is happening outside?”

“You fools! What are you doing, hurry and get away! The underworld is under attack!”

Under Gaia’s protection, the underworld had never experienced even a single earthquake since ancient times, but now the whole world was shaking, throwing everyone from the higher deities of the underworld to the lowliest creatures living there into confusion.

“The, the underworld is under attack? Wh-who? Who would dare to…!”

“Looking at that stream of water falling from the sky, don’t you understand? It’s the sea! The god of the sea has gone mad and is attacking the underworld!”

“What? Then, what is Lord Hades doing? Isn’t it Lord Hades’ duty to protect this place!”

The eyes of those who assisted death all turned toward Hades’ castle.

The towering symbol of the underworld, a place of absolute power that no one could invade. The ruler who governed death, the god of the dead whom even Zeus dared not treat carelessly…

Desperate eyes were hoping their master would appear soon to resolve this chaos.

And as they desperately wished, Hades was indeed greatly angered, in the midst of a private confrontation with the young sea god who dared threaten the underworld.

***

“Not only destroying the order of the underworld, but you lack manners as well, Triton!”

The black power surrounding Hades transformed into a massive scythe that swung unhesitatingly toward Triton. Hades’ scythe, capable of cutting not only what exists but also what cannot be seen, slashed across Triton’s shoulder.

“Last time you acted so proper and seemed to let me off, but today you’re quite serious, Hades. You must be quite heated?”

Cool blood flowed abundantly over the shoulder marked with a shark’s seal, but Triton counterattacked without concern.

He had brought thousands of sharks and whales to cut through the underworld’s gate, which remained silent despite his repeated urging.

When he split the crack between the sea and the underworld using humpback whales as large as adult humans, as well as megalodons and krakens that guarded the deep sea, Hades finally revealed himself.

“Go back, Triton! I will personally look for your wife…!”

Triton had no intention of listening to Hades’ nonsense.

Before Hades could finish speaking, he swung his trident. Sympho and Neo swallowed Hades’ soldiers in one bite, seemingly waiting for this moment.

“Cut the crap, Hades. A living person entered the underworld, and the king of the underworld can’t find them? If you truly can’t find her, isn’t that the height of incompetence?”

Triton continued his attack while openly mocking him. Not just the sharks, but Triton’s subordinates also attacked Hades’ soldiers without hesitation. Without any delay, a full-scale battle had begun.

Although Triton was acting recklessly, he hadn’t initiated war considering Hades an easy opponent.

While his eyes had rolled back in fury and he was acting rashly, Triton’s divine power was still not quite enough to match Hades. That’s why he had attacked without giving him time to prepare. He struck quickly without allowing time to organize battle lines. He was prepared for bloodshed.

After exchanging several attacks, Hades also changed his expression. If this continued, the underworld would be exposed despite its master coming out. No matter how powerful the underworld’s forces were, having the underground world exposed to the outside was fatal.

Even if he won the battle against Triton, if the gate opened, it could mean the end of the underworld’s role. Not only that, but they might face a situation where the entire underworld would have to be relocated.

‘What a cunning b*stard!’

Grinding his teeth, Hades seized a moment when Triton was off guard and pulled him into his private and secret space. It was a place similar to the dimensional gap Triton created when imposing trials on Livia.

Even there, he tried to propose a negotiation to Triton somehow, but he thrashed about like a shark gone mad and wouldn’t listen to Hades’ words at all.

‘That young shark b*stard…!’

A fierce attack mixing ice and electric current threatened Hades. Since Hades couldn’t just take the attacks passively, the battle intensified, and eventually both rulers were covered from head to toe in blood whose owner was indistinguishable.

“Attack the underworld, and the sky will be angered and strike lightning. Don’t you know that!”

“That would be perfect. Let the sea split and the underworld meet the sky. Brothers standing side by side over one woman! It would be quite a sight! Where will Persephone go? Ah! Or shall I call Hera? Hera has been desperately looking to tear that b*stard apart, so if the sky and underworld meet, it would be resolved quite easily!”

“…You truly are insane.”

When Triton mentioned Zagreus, Hades’ face flushed red with anger. Clearly Triton was being overpowered, but it was Hades who first lost his composure due to the clever words touching on his weakness.

“You should have handed over my wife willingly. You of all people should know how reckless a man madly in love can become.”

Triton caught Hades’ swinging scythe with his bare hands and smiled, looking straight into Hades’ wavering eyes. That smile filled with madness made even Hades feel a chill.

“The god of the underworld can kill other gods, right? K*ll me then. Then I’ll be resurrected in the underworld and search for my Livia myself. You won’t be able to stop me then, Hades.”

It was truly an excellent threat. Hades’ eyes shook greatly. The man was causing such havoc while alive—if he came to the underworld after death, it was impossible to imagine what he might do.

He had called him a madman, but he truly was properly insane. Not only trying to break into the underworld to find his human wife, but that terrible determination to offer his own neck to the scythe of death disgusted even Hades.

‘Zagreus…’

He silently called his son, sighing.

Zagreus, who had been suppressed throughout his life in the underworld, had for the first time harbored desire. The one who had lived like one dead in the land of the dead, let alone becoming an heir, had opened his eyes for the first time—but it had to be this mad sea god’s wife.

“My child is in Livia’s womb.”

At these unexpected words, Hades faltered. He looked at Triton with a pale face, unable to believe him.

“My successor is trapped in the underworld, that’s what I’m saying.”

“Is that… true?”

“The fate of the next ruler of the sea is at stake. It seems sufficient reason to break into the underworld.”

At Triton’s confident words, Hades slowly closed his eyes.

‘It’s over.’

Succession. If that reason was involved, other gods wouldn’t be able to take his side either. He himself had taken Zagreus’s side for the reason of ‘succession’ as well.

Had that human woman eaten the pomegranate seed? Whether she had or hadn’t, things had become complicated.

Watching Hades’ face turning pale, the corners of Triton’s mouth twisted as he whispered:

“I’ll ask once more, Hades. Do you swear by the Styx that you still don’t know the whereabouts of my Livia?”

The Styx was the river of the underworld, but when used for oaths, it became an entity that transcended all meanings. Therefore, even Hades couldn’t carelessly swear by the Styx.

“You’re not answering. No, you cannot answer?”

“…Go back. By tomorrow, I will find your wife and send her to you.”

At Hades’ statement, Triton burst into laughter while holding his forehead. His brightly smiling face covered in blood, and the clear, refreshing laughter that matched it felt eerie.

“As I thought! You knew but wouldn’t hand her over! Ha, hahaha! How dare you! My wife!”

After laughing with his chest greatly puffed out, he glared at Hades with chilling eyes.

Somehow, a giant conch shell was now in his hand. Triton’s conch shell was a tool for commanding his subordinates and a weapon for summoning waves, tsunamis, and storms.

“If I thought I’d wait patiently until tomorrow, I wouldn’t have come like this. I came to find her with my own hands…”

Triton muttered eerily as he blew a deep breath into the conch shell. The wave that came out of the conch shell vibrated violently, threatening to burst Hades’ head, and began to shake his black space.

“WOOONG—”

“Ugh, what is this…!”

Looking at Hades covering his ears in pain, Triton blew another deep breath into the shell.

The shaking space developed cracks, and through those gaps, sound leaked outside. The separately created space broke, and the two gods were exposed to the outside again. This triggered tens of thousands of sharks and whales that had been waiting to throw themselves toward the ground at once.

BOOOOOM! THUD! BANG! CRASH!

Red blood mixed with seawater, but the sharks didn’t stop. With mountain-like creatures throwing themselves with all their might, even the hardest ground couldn’t help but split.

“Stop!”

Hades ran in front of the sharks and swung his scythe. Dozens were cut down with each swing, but he couldn’t keep up with the speed at which they kept coming.

And in this situation, he couldn’t bring in Hades’ army either.

If he opened the gates now to call the army, the sea god would undoubtedly force his way in recklessly.

His pride was hurt, but he couldn’t delay any longer. Just as Hades was about to open his mouth to tell him in desperation that he would call his wife—

“Stop, Triton.”

The voice of the one Triton had been so desperately waiting for was heard.