Cronus's rage was like a volcanic eruption; his majestic body trembled slightly with fury, and the spacetime divine power writhed and roared around him.
"Seeds of rebellion! How dare you... how dare you steal life from eternal digestion! I will cast you into the eternal void with these rebellious evil seeds with my own hands!"
An even more terrifying storm of spacetime brewed, and Cronus was determined to cleanse this shame with absolute power and grind all resistance to dust.
Hades's face was like the water of the Styx—cold and unshaken. In the depths of his violet eyes reflected not fear, but the calm and resolve accumulated over countless years.
He knew that even with the authority of the Underworld, to confront Cronus, who governed the origin of spacetime, was like a mortal striking a stone with an egg. His return was not for a glorious duel.
"Zeus! Poseidon! Get them out of here!" Hades's voice was not loud, but it carried the undeniably commanding tone of the lord of the Underworld.
His hands stretched out, a deeper darkness spread from beneath his feet, and the dark barrier condensed again. From it emerged countless howling and sleeping revenant ghosts, suddenly resisting the destructive divine power of Cronus.
The collision of the two supreme forces was soundless, but it cracked the cornerstones of the temple, and space was covered with cracks like fragile glass.
Zeus, the young son of prophecy, instantly understood the intentions of this strange brother.
Without hesitation, he used his newborn thunder, which had already revealed an aura of destruction, to coil around Hera, Demeter, and Hestia, who were weakened. Poseidon also roared and raised huge waves filled with the power of earthquakes, escorting his sisters to the edge of the battlefield.
"No one can escape being devoured by fate!" Cronus roared, countless silver chains of spacetime shooting out, biting at the fleeing children like venomous snakes.
At the moment of danger, a flash of resolve appeared in Hades's eyes. He did not block the chains directly, but gathered all the power of Hades at his fingertips and pointed at Cronus's core—this was not an attack on the divine body, but a trigger of the law of silence originating from the Underworld.
"Return to eternal silence, cruel usurper."
A cold ripple, invisible and intangible, yet sufficient to freeze the soul, ignored the spacetime barrier and directly struck Cronus's divinity!
This was a prophecy of death, a whisper of the end, causing the movements of the cruel God-King to seem lethally sluggish for an extremely brief moment!
That fleeting gap! The light of the spacetime chains dimmed for an instant.
Zeus and Poseidon seized the opportunity created by their brother, who had used himself as bait, and suddenly leaped out of the center of the main battlefield, breaking away from the area directly enveloped by Cronus's divine power.
And Hades, as if suffering a terrible backlash from forcibly shaking the God-King's divine soul, coughed, a stream of dark golden blood with the aura of the Underworld flowing from the corner of his mouth. The majestic dark light around him suddenly dimmed, and his imposing figure trembled slightly, showing exhaustion.
He took a deep look at Cronus, his eyes filled with cold hatred and the depth of some successful scheme. Then his figure fell back into the shadow that suddenly cracked open, as if swallowed by the Underworld itself, and vanished in an instant, leaving only the pulsating afterglow of death and the thundering Cronus.
...
Almost at the same moment, at the foothills of Olympus, far from the main battlefield, Orphos, the 'god of plants and lava', stood side by side with Koios, the god of growth, who had just retreated.
They had sensed the earth-shattering collision of divine power.
Orphos (Hades) showed just the right amount of 'shock' and 'solemnity' on his face at the critical moment, and looked at Koios with the appropriate degree of 'urgency': "Brother, that is... the breath of the Underworld? And the divine power fluctuations of Zeus and the others! It seems His Majesty Cronus has used his true strength! We must respond immediately!"
Koios also recovered from the brief impact of Hades's law, his eyes shining with suspicion and ambition: "Hades... He is still alive and has become the lord of the Underworld?! Unbelievable! But now is the perfect time! Brother Orphos, come with me; we must ensure Zeus is in our hands!"
They transformed into ribbons of light and rushed towards the direction of Zeus and the others' retreat. Soon, they 'responded' to Zeus and his group, who were slightly disoriented but had managed to escape.
"Zeus! Are you alright?" Koios was the first to speak, his voice full of 'concern'. "What was that power from the Underworld just now? Hades..."
Zeus gasped, shocked by the revelation of who Hades was, and his feelings were mixed because of his rescue: "It was Hades... our eldest brother. He blocked Cronus and bought us time... But it seems he was also injured and fled."
Orphos stepped forward, and the gentle, powerful plant divinity descended upon Hera and the other weakened goddesses like sweet rain, helping them stabilize their souls and restore life force.
He looked at Zeus and said calmly: "It is good that you are safe. The return of Hades... is of great significance. It means that on the path to overthrowing Cronus, we will have an unexpected and powerful potential ally, but he may also be... another variable."
His words not only pointed out Hades's value but also quietly sowed doubt in Zeus's heart about his motives.
Zeus nodded, clenched his fists, and thunder crackled between his fingers: "In any case, he saved us. Moreover, his power... its depth is simply unfathomable. We must unite our strength as soon as possible; Cronus will never give up!"
At this moment, the situation became fragile and complex:
On the surface, Zeus, who had just escaped danger and upheld the prophetic orthodoxy, allied with the ambitious Koios, who possessed Titan power.
And the mysterious and powerful 'god of plants and lava', Orphos, was an important supporter.
They formed the core of the opposition to Cronus.
Hades debuted as a savior with incredible power and unclear motives, maintaining a fragile, existential connection with the forces of Zeus.
He hid in the shadows, commanding the entire Underworld, while Orphos was the perfect spy.
And the supreme Mother Goddess Gaia knew the whole inside story but chose to remain silent and observe.
Her gaze pierced the earth, watching the struggle of her children, as if waiting for the final end.
The great storm sweeping across Olympus, the mortal world, and the Underworld had finally been fully ignited at this moment.