Episode 122: The End of Qi and He

The Underworld King’s arm was lean yet powerful, tightly encircling Kurama’s waist like an unbreakable steel hoop.

The moment the fox demon was restrained, he instinctively struggled twice, only to feel the grip around his waist tighten even more. Moreover, his silvery, fluffy fox ears—especially sensitive in his demon form—trembled slightly under the warm breath that the man behind him suddenly exhaled close to his head…

“Shh.”

Whether intentional or not, the Underworld King’s soft utterance carried a scorching breath that brushed teasingly across the fox demon’s crown.

Seeing his sharply erect silver ears quiver so sensitively in response to his breath, the Underworld King’s dark eyes deepened with shadow…

“There’s someone.”

Pressing down, Kurama intensified his struggle sharply. Leaning slightly forward, he whispered near the other’s ear.

“!”

The fox demon’s struggles ceased immediately.

“Who is it?”

He frowned, turning his head to look at the black-haired Underworld King pressed so close beside him—

Since Hades was extremely familiar with the auras of other gods and their hidden methods of spying and tracking, and given the peculiar nature of this world’s power system—where surveillance or tracking was often not done personally by the user but through the ethereal “microcosmic energy”—all of the fox demon’s usual detection methods were temporarily ineffective. Kurama had to entrust this task to Hades. Therefore, he took every “warning” from the Underworld King very seriously.

Besides, they had narrowly avoided encounters with several mid- and high-ranking gods of Olympus on a few occasions, relying solely on Hades’ perception, and had escaped unnoticed. This only deepened Kurama’s trust in Hades’ alerts.

Thus, upon receiving his warning, all thoughts of being held tightly, pressed close, or having warm breath on his ears—these trivial details—were instantly cast aside. His sole focus was on the serious matter at hand.

Seeing Kurama’s reaction, Hades lowered his eyelids swiftly, masking the flicker of emotions in his eyes—

“They are Saints of Athena.”

He answered succinctly.

Kurama’s brows furrowed even deeper upon hearing this.

Saints of Athena? What would they be doing here, in this frigid land at such a time?

Kurama and Hades had come here after retrieving the golden tablet from the Norse gods in the Arctic. On the way back, they had detoured to this region of East Siberia because, in Hades’ memory, a secret entrance to Poseidon’s underwater palace lay deep within this ice.

Their original plan was to enter the underwater palace “by the book” through this entrance, avoiding extraordinary means to prevent attracting attention from others—such as Zeus.

But now, it seemed…

With a silent sigh, Kurama thickened the illusionary botanical barrier surrounding them even further and watched two striking golden figures slowly approaching through the swirling snow. When their faces became clear reflections in his pupils, he recalled exactly why they had come here—

This was East Siberia, Bruglandt.

The place where the Aquarius Gold Saint, Degel, grew up.

*****

“So their goal is the Orichalcum?”

Within the illusionary plant barrier, Hades observed the entire encounter between Aquarius Gold Saint Degel and Scorpio Gold Saint Kardia—from their conflict with the Bruglandt clan, the eternal guardians of Poseidon’s seal, to Degel’s reunion with his childhood friend Eunidi, which resolved the conflict and secured Eunidi’s cooperation. Lowering his gaze, Hades spoke quietly, then turned to look at Kurama, whose expression was somewhat complicated.

“It seems this does not conflict with our objective.”

Kurama lifted his head, casting a peculiarly strange glance at Hades—

Indeed, it did not conflict.

He silently grumbled inwardly.

Because if these two succeeded, the entire underwater palace of Poseidon, along with the magnificent lost city of Atlantis that Poseidon once built, would be completely frozen by the ultimate microcosmic power Degel would unleash.

At that point, even with the Underworld King’s abilities, it would be impossible to retrieve the tablet from the frozen palace without attracting attention.

Watching Degel and Kardia, who, after a brief rest, were preparing to follow Eunidi to Poseidon’s resting place, Kurama sighed helplessly and pulled at the black-haired Underworld King beside him.

“Hades, we must enter the underwater palace before they do and take the tablet.”

The Underworld King turned with a hint of doubt. “Is it really that urgent?”

Kurama nodded emphatically—of course it was! Who knew how complicated things might get if they delayed? Knowing the plot in advance was not a luxury but a necessity. The more one knew about what would come next, the more anxious one became!

Hades studied Kurama’s unusually serious expression silently for a moment before taking hold of the fox demon’s wrist in return…

“This way.”

His words remained brief and his tone unchanged.

Yet at that moment, Kurama smiled genuinely.

“Hey, aren’t you going to ask why?”

He smiled playfully as he let Hades lead him swiftly through the unfamiliar structure.

They seemed to be following some mysterious pattern, gradually drawing closer to a certain place. Kurama could not quite describe the sensation, only vaguely noticing that the closer they got, the more pronounced the feeling of spatial compression and deliberate concealment became.

Hades in front did not respond to his question at all.

Kurama waited long, looking up expectantly, but even when they arrived at the secret entrance Hades had mentioned—ready to pass through to Atlantis—there was still no answer.

Just as Kurama was about to step inside, the black-haired god suddenly pulled him back.

Then…

That boundless, vast, and desolate microcosmic aura of death and eternal silence that Kurama had felt from Hades before gently enveloped him like the night itself, drowning his own aura within it…

With long lashes lowered, just as Hades half-shielded him stepping into the entrance, Kurama’s lips curled slightly.

So, this was the answer.

His eyes lifted again, casually scanning the Underworld King’s glowing handsome face beside him. Seeing the calm, unchanging expression—no hint of a smile or relaxation—Kurama’s eyes curved into a more intoxicating smile.

He knew it!

Hades would definitely become one of the most trustworthy friends!

Unaware of the fox demon’s smile, at the moment Kurama turned his gaze away, the Underworld King looked back with aquamarine eyes that carried an unprecedented, deeply meaningful faint smile.

*****

Kurama and Hades finally reached the depths of the underwater palace before Pandora and Daramantis clashed with Degel and Kardia. Among the mountain of treasures in Poseidon’s secret vault, they painstakingly excavated the last small, inconspicuous tablet left by the Creator God.

Without delay, they found another exit and swiftly left Atlantis.

Shortly after their departure…

Hades suddenly stopped mid-flight as he and Kurama sped away hand in hand.

Turning around, the Underworld King’s expression darkened as he gazed toward Atlantis.

“Hades?”

Sensing a tremendous energy explosion just now, Kurama knew that this must be Degel’s desperate ultimate microcosmic attack—the large-scale freezing technique “Ice Coffin.”

Though the impact and energy released were indeed astonishing, knowing Hades as he did, Kurama felt that such an event alone would not cause the Underworld King to show this expression.

Seeing the black-haired god’s rare cold expression, with a thin veil of anger clearly written on his face, Kurama worriedly tugged at his arm.

“Hades, what’s wrong? Why do you look so… unpleasant?”

Hades slowly turned his head, his usually calm and profound aquamarine eyes still tinged with lingering anger…

“Zeus.”

His lips parted to utter a familiar name that seemed almost irrelevant.

But Kurama understood.

Previously, when Hades had not personally intervened, he only suspected Zeus’s involvement in the mid-route abduction of a Saint’s soul as reported by Hypnos. He had not yet condemned the City of Sin outright.

But now…

Standing not far from Atlantis, with the auras of the two Gold Saints they had met earlier completely vanished, and the soul-wielding presence unmistakably emanating from someone whose microcosm was all too familiar and whose mere presence made one uneasy—

How could Hades fail to identify the owner of that aura?!

A low, cold laugh escaped him as he lowered his gaze—

“Mother goddess, can you see? This is not me forcing his hand.”

***

What had originally been a promising treasure hunt ended in such a disheartening way. Kurama, who had been indifferent and apathetic toward the God King, suddenly found his impression of the stallion deity plummet to rock bottom.

Had Hades not regained composure immediately upon returning to the Pure Land and even shown an unprecedented gentle smile when seeing Mokona rushing out to greet them, Kurama felt he might have irreparably lost favor in the deity’s eyes—before even stepping onto the stage, the God King’s likability had already slipped into the negatives. What a grump!

Having collected all the tablets, Kurama and Mokona excitedly contacted Yuuko. Although the information on the last two tablets remained undeciphered, they eagerly sent all eight tablets over, hoping something extraordinary would happen once gathered…

But disappointingly, nothing occurred.

“It seems these were simply communication tools. The reason for making eight might have been to increase the chances of delivering them to you.”

Seeing the fox demon and the white fluff ball’s ears droop in disappointment, Yuuko could only offer such consolation.

Fortunately, neither Kurama nor Mokona expected any extra benefits from the tablets. Their disappointment was mainly due to the unscientific result—akin to collecting all seven Dragon Balls but the dragon never appearing—so their dismay was brief and they soon moved on without needing much comfort.

The two newly acquired tablets were first sent to Hades for decoding the remaining information on “the favored.” Afterward, they were sent to Yuuko for further study alongside the Count, focusing on the runes and inscriptions as well as the principles behind the immense energy attached to the tablets. The energy from the previous tablets was already enough to power Mokona’s next space-time jump, so the excess energy from these two was fine to study.

Thus, time flew quickly amid the frequent contacts between Kurama, Mokona, Hades, Yuuko, and the Count. Kurama busied himself readjusting to his fully restored and even enhanced power level; Mokona gathered various tasty fruits and wines unique to the Underworld; Hades immersed himself in the information provided by the tablets; and Yuuko and the Count conducted their research with great enthusiasm…

Their small circle lived a joyful and fulfilling life. Meanwhile—

The original storyline of the Underworld King’s myth, forgotten by both the fox demon and the Underworld King themselves, continued to progress along its predetermined path.

Until one day, Hypnos reported that Athena’s Sasha and her Pegasus Saint had stormed the Lostvas in the sky, currently engaged in battle with “the Underworld King” Aaron…

Kurama and Hades exchanged a glance—

So, the day of reckoning had already arrived.