Just as the Twin Gods were sinking into despair, not knowing what to do—
"Hmph, two homeless curs."
A rough voice sounded over the shattered Elysium, carrying a bloodthirsty aura.
The Twin Gods looked up and saw a tall figure in a dark red divine cloth tearing through space, slowly descending.
His eyes were ferocious, full of aggression, and his body exuded a suffocating divine power.
It was Ares, the God of War. Having been defeated by Athena in the ancient divine war, he had fled to the Underworld to seek Hades's protection, and had fallen into slumber… an Olympian major god.
Ares looked down at the disheveled Twin Gods, the corners of his mouth slightly upturned. "I never expected Hades to die. What a surprise."
"But you need not grieve for him. The Underworld will soon have a new master."
The Twin Gods' expressions darkened. This major god's behavior was rather unsightly.
'Hades-sama had just fallen, and he was already impatient to jump out and take over Hades-sama's legacy.'
Seeing that the Twin Gods did not respond immediately, Ares said coldly:
"Hades was not among the [Twelve Olympians]. Now that he is dead, you will surely be suppressed by Heaven."
"Now, only I, the great God of War, Ares, can protect you!"
Regarding Ares's boasting, the Twin Gods' hearts were full of contempt.
After all, Ares had even had most of his 'war' divine office taken away by Athena. To say their enmity was as deep as the sea would not be an exaggeration.
But what was the result? He only dared to jump out and compete for power after Athena left.
They instinctively resisted the idea of defecting to Ares.
After all, the Underworld under Hades's rule had been powerful enough to stand as an equal with Heaven.
But if the brutal, brainless Ares were to rule the Underworld, it would immediately become a vassal of Heaven.
That being said, they also dared not directly defy this major god.
Hypnos's thoughts raced. He bowed and said, "Ares-sama, it would be the Underworld's honor if you are willing to lead it. However..."
"Now the Underworld is on the verge of collapse, hundreds of millions of souls are about to be annihilated, the laws of reincarnation are in chaos... It is still too early to speak of allegiance."
"We wish to first stabilize the Underworld as much as possible, to prevent this divine domain from completely being destroyed, causing irreversible losses."
Ares raised his reddish eyebrow upon hearing this.
He naturally heard the evasion in Hypnos's words, but he had indeed coveted the authority and legacy of the Underworld for a long time, and naturally did not want the Underworld to actually be reduced to nothing.
"Stabilize the Underworld?" Ares snorted coldly. "With the two of you in your current state?"
He surveyed the surroundings, which were accelerating their collapse, a flicker of impatience in his eyes.
"Fine!" Ares suddenly waved his hand. "I'll give you one day!"
"If you cannot initially stabilize the Underworld's collapse within one day, then don't blame me!"
His eyes gleamed with ferocity. "Rather than let the Underworld collapse chaotically, it would be better for me to personally destroy it!"
"Then, upon these ruins, using my war divine power, I will reshape a war divine domain belonging to me, Ares!"
Ares left after speaking, leaving only his lingering voice echoing over Elysium.
Thanatos asked somewhat dejectedly, "Hypnos, do we really have to defect to this brute?"
Hypnos was silent for a moment, then slowly shook his head. "Even if we try our best and barely manage to temporarily stabilize the Underworld's collapse, he has no ability to rule it."
"A 'God of Death' who cannot even control the authority of death… people would only laugh."
Hypnos continued, "Furthermore, he does not truly wish to rule the Underworld. He only wants its vast origin."
"If he really transforms the Underworld into some war divine domain, our power will inevitably plummet, and we might even degenerate into tertiary gods."
Thanatos's expression darkened. He understood perfectly well.
The foundation of the Underworld was death and reincarnation. That was the core of Hades's power and the source of the Twin Gods' strength.
Thanatos's face was bitter. "I know this too. But Ares is, after all, a major god. Do we really have the right to reject him?"
"Moreover..." He surveyed the apocalyptic scene around him, his tone full of helplessness. "I can't even think of a way to save the Underworld right now."
Hypnos took a deep breath. "The reason the Underworld is being destroyed is because it has lost its God of Death. So, the method to stabilize the Underworld is also simple… just have another God of Death."
Thanatos was stunned. "Another God of Death?"
Hypnos's eyes, always carrying a hazy sleepiness, now burned with a nearly crazed flame.
"Correct! Rather than letting the Underworld sink under Ares, let us choose a new master for the Underworld!"
"A new master?" Thanatos was first confused, then suddenly startled. "Wait, you're not talking about that human, are you? Chiaki Setsuna..."
"It is him!" Hypnos nodded firmly, rapidly analyzing the pros and cons.
"First, he has already proven in his confrontation with you that his understanding and control of the authority of death surpasses even yours."
"If he can save the doomed Underworld and gain the recognition of the Underworld's origin will, he could possibly leap to become a powerful god comparable to Ares!"
"Second, he was once Athena's Pope. If he rules the Underworld, it will inevitably help repair the relationship between the Underworld and Athena."
"Now that Hades-sama has fallen, Heaven will never miss the chance to annex the Underworld. If we can win over Athena as an ally, we can completely join forces to counter Heaven."
"Good!" Thanatos suddenly gritted his teeth. "Let's do it!"
"Rather than let a brutish major god who doesn't even understand the authority of death become the God of Death... I would rather let that human take the position. At least his authority of death is indeed superior to mine!"
Hearing their conversation, Setsuna, who had been preparing to casually devour the Twin Gods, was now somewhat amused and exasperated.
He was preparing to 'rebel', yet before he could rebel, the Twin Gods were planning to wrap up and deliver the Underworld to him?
…
Meanwhile, the Sanctuary, Athena Temple.
Under the emergency treatment of Athena's divine power, Seiya and the other five were finally out of danger.
They lay on temporary beds, covered in bandages.
Seiya struggled to sit up, but a gentle force gently held him down.
He looked at Saori, who was watching over him, and asked with some concern, "Saori-sama, what is happening in the Underworld now? If the Underworld is destroyed, will all the Specters die?"
He was worried about that former Pope senior, that he would be destroyed along with the Underworld.
Saori sighed softly upon hearing this. "Not only the Specters, but all the souls that depend on the Underworld for their existence will completely annihilate, returning to nothingness."
She paused, looking out the window at the sky. "The Underworld is an indispensable part of the universe's cycle of life and death. It maintains the order of death and guides the destination of souls."
"The reason I was unwilling to truly kill Hades before was precisely because killing him would cause unimaginable chaos."
"Having been forced to kill Hades this time, the order of the entire universe will fall into unprecedented chaos. Such a major upheaval might even cause Heaven to send someone to punish me..."
"Punish?" Seiya and the others' hearts tightened.
Having just defeated the God of Death, were they now going to face even more powerful gods from Heaven?