newbobooks Chapter 325 The Trial of the God of the Underworld
Chapter 325 The Trial of the God of the Underworld
Chapter 325 The Trial of the God of the Underworld
"Boss, I promise this is the last time!"
"You said the same thing last time!"
"This time it's for real, waaaaah————"
Upon hearing the explosion, Roy and his group rushed to the "crime scene," only to find Hestia, devoid of any divine dignity, kneeling before her boss and begging for mercy, while Takemikazuchi, who was standing nearby, also suffered an undeserved misfortune.
Takemikazuchi also pleaded for Hestia.
The fact that it wasn't an attack by the dark faction brought a sigh of relief to the Astrea Familia.
The sudden explosion sent shivers down the spines of those who had experienced the "Great Struggle."
As a world-renowned entity, the appearance of the Astrea Familia members immediately attracted everyone's attention. Compared to the other three major Families with abundant members, their numbers were extremely small, and they all appeared in the War Game's Mirror of Gods. Who in the world did not know them?
They are all high-level adventurers who have been given titles by the gods, which alone is enough to make people take notice.
"Roy, save me."
With tears welling up in her eyes, Hestia immediately sent a plea for help to Roy, her only friend in the mortal realm besides the gods, and an incredibly kind child.
Roy stepped forward to mediate, "Boss, calm down. Even if you continue to berate Lady Hestia, it won't change the current situation."
The owner was a plump middle-aged woman who had been setting up her stall in this area for many years, and she often saw the Astrea Familia members and Roy.
Hearing Roy say this, the old lady's anger subsided slightly.
Roy went a step further and whispered in his ear.
Listening to Roy's instructions, the woman's eyes brightened. Having obtained the "Hestia User Manual," she beamed with joy, "Since little Roy says so, let's just let Hestia go this time!"
Seeing how easily Roy resolved the matter, the onlookers gradually dispersed. If it had been any other familia, everyone would have thought that Roy was threatening them by relying on his status and strength as a high-level adventurer.
But the Astrea Familia could not do that.
That's what unwavering credibility is all about!
Roy and the older woman chatted more and more enthusiastically, and finally parted ways reluctantly. Before leaving, the woman gave everyone a portion of fried potato balls in different flavors. They were made in advance and were a little cold, but just right to eat.
Hestia and the girls of the clan were dumbfounded. What had they talked about that made this fierce-looking old woman so amiable?
"As expected of the leader, a killer of women in Orario!" Daphne muttered to herself, appealing to men, women, young and old alike.
The girls from the inhabitants of the tribes were also filled with mixed emotions, for they too were among those "eaten up."
With everyone's help, Hestia and Takemikazuchi cleaned up the mess, and they quickly got it under control.
"Roy, what did you say to the boss?" Hestia and Takemikazuchi looked at Roy curiously; it was the first time they had ever seen their boss so happy.
"It's nothing, I just taught her a little trick to make money," Roy laughed. There was no point in venting now; the losses would come from the customer anyway, so he could just factor the losses from the stall into Hestia's wages.
And Hestia's "usage instructions".
Hestia isn't good at delicate work, but she can be a mascot and a saleswoman.
Actually, people have some misconceptions. Although Hestia is known as the goddess of the hearth, she is not skilled in cooking. What she is in charge of is the "inextinguishable sacred fire." To be precise, she is only in charge of the hearth fire in the home, keeping it burning eternally and bringing warmth to every family.
The older woman would soon realize this too; Roy was just pointing it out in advance to help her minimize her losses.
The woman firmly believed that Roy was a top strategist on par with Finn and Hedin.
After all that fuss, it was already dusk.
Hestia's belly made an inappropriate "gurgling" sound. Unlike adventurers with extremely high endurance, the gods who sealed their divine power were just ordinary people who needed to eat three meals a day.
Roy smiled and said, "Lady Hestia, if you don't mind, you can have dinner at our place. Goddess Astraea misses you very much."
"Great!" Hestia's eyes lit up.
As expected of a kind child she approves of, so thoughtful. I can save money on another meal tonight.
The group returned to the Star Garden in a grand procession, where Astrea had prepared a sumptuous dinner to warmly welcome Hestia's arrival.
"Delicious! Delicious!"
"Asteria, your cooking is amazing!"
Hestia devoured the delicious food on the table, tears of emotion streaming down her face.
Although her favorite food is potato balls, eating them all day long for several months in a row is too much for her stomach, so she occasionally needs to change her diet.
The Astrea family is large and wealthy, and they use only the freshest and healthiest ingredients. Combined with Astrea's culinary skills, the dishes are a feast for the eyes, nose, and palate.
Hestia ate in an exaggerated manner, but consumed less than a tenth of the food on the table, which was the amount of a normal person would eat, far less than that of an adventurer.
"Um!"
Astraea smiled as she wiped the food crumbs from Hestia's mouth, her tenderness like that of someone caring for her innocent, naive daughter.
The lively and cheerful Hestia quickly became friends with the girls of her clan, scrambling for food with each other and having a great time, their laughter echoing throughout the Star Garden.
After everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, the guests naturally couldn't be left to do anything, so the girls from the local tribes cleaned up the leftovers.
"How wonderful!"
Hestia lay comfortably on the sofa, rubbing her round little belly. The atmosphere in Astrea's house was so refreshing that it almost purified this homebody.
No wonder all the gods came down.
Hestia finally understood that every moment spent with the children of the lower realms was so joyful.
Roy approached Hestia and said with a smile, "Please forgive me for the poor hospitality."
"No, no, I'm very happy!" Hestia's eyes lit up, and a pure and innocent smile appeared on her cute and charming face, without a trace of falsehood.
"That's good."
Roy probed indirectly, seemingly casually, "Lady Hestia, I heard you really enjoy staying at home, why did you suddenly descend to the mortal realm?"
Ever since he met Hestia that day, Roy has had a lingering question in his mind: according to calculations, Hestia should not descend to the mortal realm for another two years.
However, the time was brought forward.
So far, the "accidents" that have occurred have been the butterfly effect he caused, but for them to affect the Celestial Realm is too outrageous—Roy had a bad feeling, hoping it wasn't that incident—
However, when he, who possesses the skill of "intuition," had this premonition, the answer was already clear.
"Oh, right!"
Upon hearing Roy's question, Hestia suddenly remembered something, jumped up from the sofa, and hopped around barefoot, panicking, "I promised Hades I'd help him find people, what should I do?"
"Hades? Looking for someone? What did you promise him?" Roy frowned and said softly.
Hestia's eyes darted around as she cautiously observed her surroundings. There couldn't possibly be any outsiders in the Star Garden, and her adorable demeanor gave off a sense of self-deception.
After confirming that it was "safe," Hestia pulled Roy aside and whispered, "Roy, I'll tell you a secret. Some time ago, a child in the lower realm gained the special ability to resurrect the dead—"
"oh!"
A strange light flashed deep in Roy's eyes, but he did not interrupt Hestia and continued to listen to her story.
Hestia told Roy in detail what had happened in the heavens with Hades, Rudra, and Icelus.
Roy remained expressionless.
So it turns out Hades was letting him go, allowing him to use the Shikon Jewel to bring back the souls of the dead. Roy asked, "Then what did you promise Hades—"
"Hmph—that brat with the ability to resurrect—unless he passes my trial, I will never let a soul escape again!"
Hestia stood with her hands on her hips, exuding arrogance, mimicking the tone of a certain male god. Her promise to Hades was to find someone in the lower realm with the power of resurrection and convey this message to them.
But the lower realm is so vast!
Finding "that person" in a vast sea of people is like finding a needle in a haystack. The best way is to place an ad in the newspaper, but Hestia is destitute.
Before descending to the mortal realm, Hestia had no idea that life there would be so difficult, that even a single penny could be a stumbling block for the Loli Goddess.
In the original timeline, Bell accidentally read someone else's magic book, and Hestia exclaimed, "The lower realm is so cruel," preparing to pretend nothing had happened.
Hestia, newly descended to the mortal realm, still retained some sentimentality and didn't want to become the kind of god who broke her promises. She looked at Roy with expectant eyes, hoping to receive help from this kind child as before.
Roy's face darkened, his premonition confirmed, and of all times!
With the three-year agreement with Ryu approaching, he has grown to LV.6 and possesses sufficient strength, and is preparing to revive Alexie Rofer and others.
Hades imprisoned the souls of Alexandria and others, but even his ability to resurrect them was of no use. If they were to fight against the gods, it would not be an easy task.
Roy said, "Lady Hestia, there's no need to look anymore, that person is me."
These words were like a pause button being pressed. Hestia stood frozen in place in a comical pose, staring at Roy in disbelief.
"real?"
"real!"
After repeated confirmation, Hestia felt dizzy. Good heavens, the person she had been looking for had been right beside her all along. They were talking about this magical mortal boy in front of them in the heavenly realm.
Reversing life and death! In theory, it is a divine realm that mortals could never touch!
Even this barrier has been broken by Roy!
Hestia finally understood that the gods of the lower realms regarded Roy as a "miracle".
"What else did Hades say?" Roy continued to extract information from Hestia.
"The Cerberus will appear on Saint Lu Island next!" Hestia didn't quite understand this statement.
Roy's pupils suddenly contracted. So that's how it is. That's the entrance to the underworld!
It was late at night.
The girls of the clan, who had just returned from their expedition, went back to their rooms to rest. No matter how comfortable the conditions were in the dungeon, it was impossible to completely relax. Only home was the absolute safe haven.
Hestia and Astrea rarely get to see each other, and the best friends talk about everything, even sharing a room.
Roy and Ryu disappeared into the night, quietly leaving the Star Garden.
Bang!
The two moved towards the Orario West region. With their LV.6 Dexterity attribute, they moved with ease and grace, as swift as willow branches, moving silently.
They appeared instantly, dozens of meters away.
Although Roy helped her resolve her inner conflict, Ryu was also influenced by Roy. She no longer stubbornly pursued upright justice and the elimination of evil forces. The best way was physical destruction, and the method did not matter.
Assassinating merchants and mercenary groups that colluded with dark factions was one of Ryu's activities in his spare time.
Roy used Freya's powers to wipe out the members of the dark faction within the man-made labyrinth, as well as many forces that were colluding with them.
This has led to Ryu going out less recently, indirectly resulting in a happier nighttime life for the two of them.
"Roy, what happened?"
Liu discovered another deeply hidden chamber of commerce, and surprisingly, Roy volunteered to go with her. A hint of confusion flashed in his sky-blue eyes.
The two were of one mind, and the perceptive Liu immediately realized that they must have encountered another unexpected incident.
Roy shook his head. "I'll tell you later."
He certainly wouldn't completely trust Hestia; he had to experiment with everything to be certain.
"Okay!" Liu didn't ask any further questions.
The two quickly made their way through the dimly lit alley to their target, the Damien Chamber of Commerce.
Ostensibly, he sells insurance. Adventurers have an extremely high death rate when exploring dungeons, so it's common for them to buy insurance. If they unfortunately die, they can receive a generous compensation, preventing their families from immediately becoming homeless.
This chamber of commerce is even more insidious and hateful.
If an adventurer who has purchased insurance dies unexpectedly, members of the dark faction will wipe out their family, thus avoiding the payment of huge compensation, or they will have the family intercepted and killed after the compensation is paid.
Because of their efficient and decisive actions, and the fact that the underworld factions were unable to track them down, many cases were left unresolved.
Ryu happens to save an adventurer's family member who was almost ambushed and learns the truth from the person, which infuriates her. Adventurers are already in a profession with an extremely high mortality rate, risking their lives to earn money, and yet they even steal money from the dead. These people are truly heartless and insane.
This chamber of commerce was also unlucky. After Roy wiped out the dark faction's stronghold, "Man-made Maze," their activities have been greatly reduced.
But Ryu still bumped into it.
Then there's nothing more to say. For this group of inhuman trash, the death penalty is the starting point, with no upper limit!
Bang!
Roy and Liu leaped over the towering courtyard wall with ease, sneaking into the Chamber of Commerce building to assassinate the Chamber's leader and related personnel.
As for the ordinary staff, they were just employees who didn't know the inside story. If Liu hadn't met Roy and fallen into darkness, he would have killed all those unrelated people along with him. He would rather kill a thousand innocent people than let one guilty person go free. But now it's completely different.
All we need to do is eliminate the culprit!
"Ah ...
With only a few experienced LV.1 and two LV.2 adventurers guarding the place, they often didn't even notice Roy and Ryu's presence before their heads rolled.
Killing them is as easy as slaughtering chickens and ducks!
In less than five minutes, the chamber of commerce president, his family, and most of those who colluded with him and had business dealings with him were all killed, leaving corpses strewn across the field.
Roy and Liu Yijiao weren't even considered slightly dirty.
Liu looked at Roy quietly, believing that he wouldn't suddenly want to kill someone with her for no reason.
Roy began experimenting on the corpses, starting with the Tenseiga. He drew the blade, which had the power to reverse life and death, and a deep light appeared in the depths of his eyes, as he saw something on another level.
Countless chains, exuding a dark aura, like venomous snakes from the abyss of the underworld, pierced through the hard, thick ground and coiled around the corpses.
They pulled the souls of the dead out of their bodies.
Clang!
Roy swung Tenseiga, its silvery-moon-like blade slicing through the grotesque chains of the underworld and granting the dead a new lease on life.
Their pale faces regained their composure, a rosy glow appeared, and they slowly opened their eyes.
"Who goes there?!"
When they saw Roy and Ryu, they hadn't even realized that they had been killed by the two of them.
Roy said calmly, "Ryu, kill them."
At Roy's command, Ryu acted without hesitation, managing to kill these scumbags twice, which, in a sense, was a good thing.
All those who were resurrected were killed again.
Then, Roy gripped the Tenseiga tightly, waiting for the souls of the dead to be dragged away by the chains of the underworld. Moments later, only empty shells remained of the corpses.
Roy took out the Shikon Jewel, broke it into pieces, and placed them inside several corpses.
One minute — Three hours — Five minutes —
As time passed, the corpses showed no reaction. Roy already knew the outcome: the Tenseiga could still be used, but the Shikon Jewel was disabled.
Hades in the heavens will no longer "accidentally" do something!
"Roy?"
Liu watched Roy's actions quietly the whole time. Suddenly, she noticed a hint of frustration between Roy's brows. She was shocked and found it unbelievable.
Even if Roy were to face "The Fierce One" Otto, this boy wouldn't be so troubled!
What exactly happened?
Seeing the worry welling up in Ryu's eyes, Roy stopped hiding it and told her that Hades had captured the souls of Alyssa and the others, and that most of the methods of resurrection had failed.
Liu's beautiful, aloof face was stunned.
"Sorry!" Roy sighed.
Perhaps if they had resurrected Alexie and the others earlier, they wouldn't have encountered this situation. It wasn't that he didn't care, but the lack of corpses was truly troublesome, especially since there were gods in this world who controlled souls.
Ryu gently shook her head, her voice filled with an unprecedented tenderness, "No, this isn't your fault!"
She lowered her eyelids and whispered, "The gods of heaven—they can detain any soul at any time!"
Ultimately, the initiative in this matter is not in their hands. As for the souls after death, the Lord of the Underworld can release them if he wants, or not if he doesn't!
If you anger the other party, it is not impossible for them to destroy all souls with a wave of their hand. Gods are eccentric and can switch between good and evil in the blink of an eye!
Ryu's face softened, and Roy's clear sky-blue eyes reflected in her. "Thank you for causing you so much trouble because of me—"
This sincere expression of gratitude and understanding came from the bottom of her heart. It turned out that the other party had always remembered. Liu's heart trembled, her nose tingled, and an overwhelming feeling of emotion transformed into a warm current of happiness that spread throughout her body.
Liu approached Roy and stood on tiptoe.
The innocent and shy little elf took one of her rare moments of initiative, a blush rising on her pretty cheeks, spreading to the tips of her ears, and her cherry lips pressed against Roy's lips.
Roy reached out and tightly embraced the elven girl's slender waist, responding passionately.
The surrounding carnage and bloodshed did not affect them at all. They had slaughtered countless battlefields in the dungeon, often enjoying their dinners atop piles of corpses. Why would they care about such a trivial matter?
After a long while, the two parted ways.
Roy's lips curled into a smug smile. "Let's go see what 'surprise' the Lord of the Underworld has prepared for us!"
"Hmm!" Ryu raised her head, her bright eyes revealing trust and determination.
Her beautiful face flushed even more, with a hint of barely perceptible shyness. She grasped Roy's warm and strong hand, letting his strength pull her forward. This firm touch gave her immense courage; even if it were a true hell, she would move forward without hesitation.
The mysterious cave that Roy had previously explored had the characteristic of constantly shifting its location, and this time, it appeared on a remote island overseas.
It is the entrance to the underworld, guarded by Cerberus, the three-headed dog of hell.
Not only Cerberus, but Hades also put in a lot of effort for the upcoming trial. "The most valiant heroes of the lower realms, appear! Your opponents are ready!"
Swish!
Accompanying the immense power were a dozen or so blue orbs that resembled will-o'-the-wisps, which suddenly descended, causing the blue flames on his body to dissipate and returning him to his original appearance.
They were once Zeus and members of the Hera clan!
Maxim, leader of Zeus's Familia; Chardo, the "Glutton"; Alphia, the "Silent" —
And the woman in the center!
A being nurtured by countless resources by the gods, the only LV.9 adventurer in a thousand years, the former leader of the Hera Familia, and titled "Empress"!
"If you want to rescue the imprisoned princesses, defeat these former heroes! Hahaha!" Hades's maniacal laughter echoed throughout the sea.
Besides the many souls, another person heard Hades's unbridled voice.
"Hades, you son without an anus, if you have the guts, come down here, I'll definitely tear you apart and whip your corpse for a hundred million years!" Hera, with her silver hair and blood-red eyes, roared like a ferocious beast as veins bulged on her forehead.
It was impossible for her not to be angry that her child's soul had been toyed with like this. She wished she could immediately return to the heavens and rub Hades into the ground.
Seeing Hera's fury, Hades in the heavens couldn't help but shudder. He gritted his teeth and endured the pressure, thinking, "Come and beat me up if you dare!"
Hera was so angry that her phoenix eyes widened. "Come down here if you dare! I promise I won't beat you to death!"
The two of them acted like sulking children.
The gods cannot use their divine power in the mortal realm, and Hades is no exception; his divine power can only affect the underworld. Zeus, Hera's kin, and their followers cannot leave the cave, watching the gods argue speechlessly, while also feeling a little more expectant of the guests who are about to arrive.
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