116. Sacred Relics and a Messenger

The gateway leading to the Pure Land of Bliss connected directly to the side of Hades.

So when Kurama, holding the white fluffy creature Mokona in his arms, with the snow rabbit shikigami Sui perched on his shoulder, was transported back to the Pure Land of Bliss, the first thing he saw was the dark-haired Lord of the Underworld standing not far away.

He was still dressed in a black robe that exuded opulence in every intricate detail, standing tall with his hands behind his back amidst the dazzling blossoms of the Pure Land. The snow rabbit Gen, now fully recovered after several days of recuperation in the Pure Land, was lazily sprawled at the Lord of the Underworld’s feet, its long ears flicking gently against the hem of the majestic robe, stirring up ripples of dark, shimmering waves...

Kurama suddenly felt the urge to laugh.

—The contrast between the expressionless Hades and the round, fluffy, adorable snow rabbit was simply too great.

Sensing the strange warmth in the fox’s gaze, the Lord of the Underworld kept his expression unchanged and gave him a slight nod.

His eyes swept over Mokona, lingering just a fraction longer than usual, yet he did not seem to pay any intense attention to the white fluff ball.

However, just as the Lord of the Underworld was about to withdraw his gaze, he happened to catch sight of a golden stone tablet floating behind Mokona. Due to the angle, only a faint corner of it was visible from his perspective...

His pupils suddenly contracted sharply.

“This is...” His voice was as cold and indifferent as ever, but his tone wavered, as if in that instant, even his terrifyingly formidable self-control could not suppress the surge of surprise and excitement rising from the depths of his heart.

Kurama’s eyes darkened slightly at the sight.

“Mokona?” He looked down and asked the white fluff ball in his arms.

Mokona pressed its little paw to its chin, thinking for a moment, then lifted its head and leaned close to Kurama. The fox cooperated, lowering his head and bringing his ear to Kurama’s mouth.

The white fluff smiled brightly and whispered something softly. The fox blinked and smiled in return, nodding at the little one.

Then, the two of them looked up together, their identical smiling faces turned toward Hades...

“...”

—For a fleeting moment, an indistinct and enigmatic emotion flickered in the Lord of the Underworld’s eyes.

With his divine power, and within the realm of the Underworld he governed, where the cosmic energy permeated, even a whispered secret—or the telepathic message shared between Kurama and Mokona—would be instantly known to Hades without any effort if he chose to do so.

Yet, the Lord of the Underworld was not the kind of arrogant god who would recklessly rely on his power without discretion.

So he stood quietly, waiting for Kurama and Mokona to give him an answer.

The fox naturally understood the intent behind the god’s silent gesture. His smile deepened subtly.

“Does Your Majesty also recognize this item?”

Saying so, Mokona obediently waved its little paw, boldly moving the golden stone tablet from behind Kurama to between Hades and Kurama, allowing the dark-haired god a clear view.

Sure enough, as Hades took in the full appearance of the tablet, even someone as composed and calm as him showed a brief, unmistakable flicker of astonishment.

“This is the tablet left behind by ‘He.’” The Lord of the Underworld spoke softly, unusually distracted.

Kurama and Mokona exchanged a slightly surprised glance—“He,” huh? Such a familiar pronoun...

Meanwhile, Hades continued to explain, rare words flowing.

“This is a supreme treasure that has existed in the world since the very beginning of heaven and earth, a relic left behind after the Creator God forged the world. It conceals the truest aspect of this world.”

“If one can gather all the tablets and piece together the information left by the Creator God, it may be possible to reach a height equal to that of the Creator God, truly transcending divine duties, divinity, godhood, and even the laws of the world—standing proudly beyond all rules.”

Hades’ cold and indifferent voice carried a strange rhythm. Though he was merely narrating an ancient legend plainly, it unexpectedly captivated attention thoroughly.

“From the birth of the earliest deities, this tale has circulated mysteriously and tacitly among the gods.”

“From the first Divine King to the current ruler of Olympus, Zeus, all have attempted to find and assemble these tablets to verify the legend’s truth.”

“However, perhaps because of the treasure’s elusive nature, the tablets are extremely difficult to collect. Each one is deeply hidden in secret places that even divine might cannot reach, and they cannot be located by matching the same aura.”

“As time passed, fewer gods took interest in the legend, and gradually, almost no one bothered to seek them out anymore.”

With a complex look, Hades finally fixed his gaze decisively on Kurama and Mokona, who stood beneath the floating golden tablet.

“You obtained it from the Sacred Realm?”

Kurama nodded.

The dark-haired god’s expression turned peculiar again in an instant.

“So the rumor is true.” Seeing Kurama and Mokona’s puzzled faces, Hades patiently elaborated, “It is said that the few tablets Zeus collected were lost one after another for various reasons. In the end, only this one remained—whether as a memento or a testament to his persistent belief in the legend is unclear. After numerous fruitless searches, he gifted the tablet, as the ultimate symbol of honor, to his proudest daughter Athena, as the strongest proof of his love for her.”

As Hades spoke, understanding dawned on Kurama’s face—the reverent attitude the Sacred Realm held toward Mokona stemmed from such a series of reasons!

They must have combined ancient records with the tablet’s characteristics and regarded Mokona as the Creator God themselves, huh?

No wonder even the goddess Sasha respectfully addressed the white fluff as “My Lord”...

Looking down at the little one’s soft, adorable face and recalling his arrogant, pseudo-Yuko demeanor before the Sacred Realm, the fox held back a laugh but couldn’t help but chuckle softly.

“?” Mokona looked up at him.

Kurama smiled and ruffled its head silently.

The little one then turned back around.

“You carry an aura similar to Kurama’s.”

After staring intently at Hades for a moment, Mokona suddenly spoke.

The Lord of the Underworld’s gaze fell on him once more.

Mokona was not at all repelled by the seemingly cold and otherworldly god. Instead, it smiled brightly, looking at him happily.

“And you don’t seem like someone who talks much, yet you took the time to explain these meaningless legends and their history to Mokona and Kurama just now. Mokona likes you!”

The expression on Hades’ face stiffened.

The white fluff seemed oblivious.

“So as a return gift, Mokona will share what it knows with you. But... only a little bit, okay?”

Saying that, the little one stretched out a chubby white paw and measured a small distance in the air.

Hades’ gaze began to wander, looking at mountains, water, flowers, grass—anything but the white fluff!

Mokona didn’t mind, sitting comfortably in Kurama’s arms, clutching the fox’s arm tightly.

“This is indeed a precious relic left by the Creator God! But... it’s not the kind of ‘precious’ you all have in your legends.”

“...”

“...”

“...”

“?”

After that sentence, Mokona abruptly stopped talking.

Hades waited silently for a while, but the white fluff remained silent, so he quietly glanced at him.

The little one returned his gaze with an innocent look.

“I did say I would only tell you a little, didn’t I?”

“...”

—Pfft.

Kurama swore it was the first time he had ever seen a ruler’s expression change so many times in just a few minutes!

He pressed his chin against Mokona’s small forehead, rubbing back and forth silently, a silent warning—don’t irritate him.

Mokona smiled brightly and rubbed back.

Afterward, it turned to look at the lord again.

“But it’s not that I can’t tell you more, you know?”

“If... you’re willing to make a contract with me.”

At those words, Hades suddenly raised his eyes, his gaze sharp as a blade fixed on Mokona.

The white fluff sat happily in Kurama’s arms, its little head swaying and nuzzling the fox’s neck with joy.

The silver-haired, golden-eyed fox stood silently, glancing once at the fluffy creature in his arms and then at the figure before them. Catching the gaze that Hades directed his way—whether intentional or not—he thought for a moment, then curled his lips into a gentle, harmless, elegant smile.

“Your Majesty, please do as you wish.”

Hades looked at him deeply.

***

When Hypnos was summoned by an unanticipated mental call from his lord to the Pure Land of Bliss, Pandora had just returned Aaron from the Sacred Realm to the Underworld Palace.

In order to further intensify the contradictions between the two sides participating in the “Holy War” and accelerate the progress of the conflict, Hypnos and Danadus decided to reprimand Pandora for Aaron’s unauthorized trip to the Sacred Realm, making her realize that Aaron still harbored so-called “impurity” in his heart—that is, the presence of Pegasus.

Sure enough, after the instigation by the twin gods of Death Sleep, Pandora lost her composure and dispatched Underworld fighters to assassinate Pegasus in the Sacred Realm. After accomplishing their mission, the twins were preparing to retract their projection and return to their palace in the Underworld, when Hypnos suddenly halted.

Danadus turned to him in confusion.

The golden-haired god shook his head at his foolish brother.

“Nothing. It’s just that His Majesty suddenly summoned me to the Pure Land of Bliss.”

Danadus frowned deeply.

“Has His Majesty been staying in the Pure Land of Bliss recently? With that fellow named Kurama?”

—Mentioning this stirred countless feelings of anger and resentment in his heart. How could a mere human possess such power and authority to “seal” Danadus, a god of death?!

Worse still, it caused him to receive even more scorn and “lessons” from Hypnos after being released! This was utterly unforgivable!

Hypnos, well aware of his brother’s thoughts, glanced at him calmly.

“This is His Majesty’s will.”

“...＝＝＋”

—Just that one sentence silenced Danadus completely, leaving him speechless.

Hypnos patted his brother’s head as he saw the obvious gloom on his face.

“Alright, you go back first.”

The pampered brother scowled unwillingly but obeyed without another word and dispersed his projection.

Hypnos lingered silently for two seconds, then vanished himself, opening a space and heading toward the Pure Land of Bliss as his consciousness returned to his true form.

***

“What? Deliver a message?”

—When Hypnos ignored Kurama, who was with the Lord of the Underworld, holding the white creature and the two snow rabbits on his shoulder, respectfully greeted his lord and asked the reason for the summons, the answer he received from Hades stunned the God of Sleep utterly.

He doubted his own hearing—otherwise, how could he have heard such an absurd answer?

He, Hypnos, son of the Night Goddess Nyx, one of the three great high gods of the Underworld, was actually... being called to deliver a message?!

He was not Hermes, thank you very much!

He was the God of Sleep, not a messenger!

...Wait—＝＝

Suddenly, Hypnos seemed to realize something.

He silently lifted his eyes and, sure enough, met a pair of golden eyes full of amusement...

“Then, Hypnos, I’ll leave it to you.”

The silver-haired, handsome young man who somehow bewitched the lord stood beside Hades, his tone light and cheerful.

“The recipients’ names are Yomi, Hiei, and Yusuke Urameshi. Please remember their auras well, okay?”

As he spoke, three auras shot boldly from his fingertips, immediately captured and wrapped securely by the small cosmos that Hypnos instinctively summoned...

“...”

—In an instant, the God of Sleep felt utterly tragic and furious beyond words!