Yeon-woo was bewildered. ‘Why is he here?’ Agares’ presence was understandable, but it didn’t make sense that Fenrir would show up, as well. In fact, Yeon-woo couldn’t understand why Fenrir was being so friendly. He didn’t have a special relationship with Fenrir or Niflheim, the society Fenrir was affiliated with.

“Why are they…?”

“Did you call him?”

Erlang Shen’s and Prince Nezha’s eyes widened in confusion, and they turned to Yeon-woo. Erlang Shen seemed especially displeased. The fact that Yeon-woo allied himself with other societies without informing the Chan Sect meant Yeon-woo didn’t trust them. Furthermore, it could limit any authority the Chan Sect held.

“It wasn’t me. They came on their own initiative.” Yeon-woo firmly shook his head. There was no need for misunderstanding.

“Hmm.” In the end, Erlang Shen just nodded doubtfully.

Prince Nezha burst into laughter. “Working with demons to fight gods? It’s been a while since the boundary between gods and demons has blurred. Those geezers are going to be furious when they find out!” Prince Nezha seemed amused by the situation. The godly societies were already having disputes with each other—the Chan Sect and Olympus were a prime example—but Agares and Fenrir’s presence would only add to the turmoil. ‘There’s still a lot of talk about the revelations. Will the heavenly world’s alliance to battle Allforone be postponed again?’ No one would have ever expected that a mere human could have such an impact on the heavenly world?

Yeon-woo hadn’t just spilled fuel on a world already filled with distrust, he had also set fire to it. Prince Nezha could have chosen to be angry since he had been one of those who argued for an alliance of the heavenly world to fight Allforone, but his curiosity as a military god was even greater. He was amazed at the size of the fire that Yeon-woo had lit, and he was curious to see how much larger it would grow.

Without any concern for the gods, Fenrir ran over on his adorable legs with Agares sitting on his back. It was a cute sight, but only to those who weren’t aware that they were actually a stalkerish demon and a monster wolf who swallowed gods.

Woof! Fenrir looked at Yeon-woo and barked as his tail wagged. Agares crossed his arms and arrogantly raised his chin. 『I personally descended to help you again. You don’t need to be too happy. It’s a special favor I’m bestowing upon you.』

Yeon-woo was astonished and spoke coldly, with his eyes narrowed. “I don’t have anything to exchange with you guys this time. And I don’t plan on searching for another society to ally myself with at the moment.”

Agares laughed. 『How funny. Didn't I already tell you? I came to help. You saw what happened through the messages, correct? I am a free spirit not held down by anything. I chose to step up and help you, so what is the problem?』

Yeon-woo knew that it was a waste of time to argue with Agares and decided to ignore him. It was pointless trying to understand Agares’ thoughts anyway. Instead, he turned to Fenrir with questioning eyes, as if he wanted to know what Fenrir was thinking. Fenrir probably wasn’t acting recklessly like Agares was.

Woof! Fenrir barked.

Agares, still on Fenrir’s back, looked at the wolf and said nonchalantly, 『He says Niflheim wants to work with you.』

Yeon-woo didn’t understand why the two were acting together. Why did Fenrir keep on barking instead of talking, and why was Agares translating for him as though this were perfectly normal behavior?

“With me? Why?”

Woof, woof!

『He says that privately, it’s because his younger sister Hel has taken an interest in you.』 Hel was a demon of death, which was why Yeon-woo had some kind of connection to her. 『Officially, it’s because you and the Three Norns aren’t on good terms. Ha! Yes, I remember that. That was quite refreshing.』 He was talking about the time that Yeon-woo had antagonized Urd, the goddess of the past, on the sixteenth floor. 『He says it’s because the goddess of the future, Skuld, made a prophecy.』

“A prophecy by Skuld?” What had the Three Norns said about Yeon-woo?

Woof! At Fenrir’s bark, Agares’ eyes darkened. 『“Ragnorak will be with you”.』

Yeon-woo was taken aback. Ragnorak was a great war at the world’s end in the legends of both Asgard and Niflheim. But would it be with him? Something suddenly occurred to him. Since the end of the world also meant the “death” of the world, could it somehow be related to darkness?

『But before that, you will be in the new age, he says.』

Yeon-woo didn’t understand what he meant. “New” or “beginning” weren’t words that matched darkness. But he was sure of one thing. ‘Urd was obsessed with me…because the Three Norns saw something in me…even though I didn’t even have the strength of a ranker back then.’

There was another occurrence that he’d almost forgotten: when he’d first met Laplace on the eleventh floor, Laplace had given him a message from a demon. “Were you the demon who told me to be careful of Urd?”

Woof, woof! Fenrir barked brightly in confirmation.

* * *

The Temple of the King of the Underworld was the main temple of Hades in Tartarus, but now it had become Typhon’s.

Fwoosh! Three columns of fire blazed, each one taking on a distinct shape. At the center and in the highest position was Persephone, to her right was Typhon, and to her left was Theia, who represented the Titans after Kronos’ death. She was a goddess who once ruled over skies and was now stuck underground.

This place was Typhon’s holy territory, but Persephone didn’t hide her higher status. She was an Apostle of their Great Mother, Mother Earth, so it was no exaggeration to consider her the queen of the Titans and Gigantes.

Since she was here on behalf of Mother Earth, she had the right to sit in the center while Theia, who sat in the lowest position, tried to contain her humiliation. Although Persephone and Typhon didn’t possess legends as awe-inspiring as hers, she was little more than their servant. Of course, Persephone and Typhon knew what Theia was thinking, but they didn’t care.

To them, the Titans were creatures of the past and servants who could be used any time like the Protogenoi.

『I don’t have to tell the two of you why I’m here, do I?』 Persephone spoke with honorifics in a low voice. However, the immense holy power within her voice meant that each syllable she uttered bound the souls of Typhon and Theia tightly. It was evident that Persephone’s true voice contained Mother Earth’s holy power and acted as a means of controlling the two beings.

Typhon nodded solemnly. Yeon-woo had foiled their plans multiple times and committed the sin of invading his holy territory. It was impossible for him not to know.

『Mother wants to use this opportunity to take the successor to darkness into her hands. However, she’s busy digesting the other societies at the moment, so it’s hard for her to take action personally. I’m also busy moving according to her orders to draw attention away from her.』 After her connection with the Crawling Chaos was cut, Mother Earth was preparing to come out into the world again, a situation that was slowly brewing beneath the surface of the heavenly world.

『I trust that the two of you will accomplish this mission. Her expectations of you, Typhon, are especially great. You must reclaim the Throne of Death, isn’t that so?』

Typhon’s expression hardened. He didn’t know this mistake would be pointed out. He was supposed to take over Hades’ divine position, the Throne of Death, and claim all of Hades’ powers related to death and the authority of the Underworld, Tartarus. However, at the moment, he only had part of these things.

『Then, I’ll be waiting.』 Swish. Persephone disappeared, taking Mother Earth’s overflowing holy power along with her.

Typhon and Theia remained in their positions for a while, an annoyed expression on Typhon’s face. He rubbed his face with his hand. It wasn’t the time to reveal any emotions. ‘Mother cannot move right now. But…it’s for the best. I can take care of that rat bastard properly first.’ Typhon’s eyes flashed dangerously. Since Yeon-woo entered on his own two feet, Typhon wouldn’t miss him this time, even if he had to abandon all the Titans and Gigantes he commanded.

‘Even if they vanish here, they’ll be reawakened by Mother someday. Death as defined by the rest of the world doesn’t apply to us.’ Typhon turned to Theia with a cold voice. “And the resistance? What happened to them?”

“The suppression is almost complete, sir.”

Typhon’s face twisted. “I told you to take care of it a long time ago. What have you been doing all this time?” Typhon had ascended to the heavenly world to help Persephone with Mother Earth’s resurrection, and he’d left Tartarus to Theia and the Titans. Although they had driven out the gods of Olympus from Tartarus, there were still many resistors bothering them. To think the situation was still unresolved!

The resistance would be of great help to Hades’ successor, Yeon-woo. They could also pave the way for the return of the gods of Olympus, who’d escaped to Erebus. They had to prevent this.

“Their leader was too strong…I apologize.”

“Stupid bitch.” Typhon glared at Theia with a vexed expression and stood. “Where are they? I’ll take care of it myself.” Typhon planned on eliminating them before Yeon-woo’s party made contact with them since Yeon-woo and the others would have trouble moving due to the curse the holy territory placed on them.

Swish! After learning where their location was from Theia, Typhon disappeared. He’d treated Theia with disdain the entire time, as though the Titans were decrepit beings who couldn’t even be trusted to carry out orders properly.

When Typhon was gone, Theia ground her teeth. Crack! Her clenched fists shook with fury. “Helios.”

“Yes, Mother.”

At the sound of her quiet voice, a man with long red hair appeared next to her. He was the old god of the sun and her child with her husband Hyperion. He was now a leader who commanded the few surviving Titans. For a moment, the fury vanished from her face. When she saw her son, the bitterness in her eased. “What’s the progress of our preparations?”

“It’s in its last stages.”

“Is that so?” Theia stroked her chin with a cruel smile. There was another reason why the Titans hadn’t been able to subjugate the resistance. “You know how cautious we must be with this.”

“Of course, Mother.”

“Yes. Please do your best. Only then will we Titans defeat those idiotic Gigantes bastards and rise again.” Theia’s eyes flashed sharply. “Kronos must be resurrected.”