King of Underworld-Chapter 187

How could I stop the gods from tormenting mortals? Even if we were all kin, this had gone far enough... It was time to gather them all and give them a proper scolding.

“Lord Hades. The god Hermes has arrived in the Underworld.”

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“The messenger god? Let him in.”

Hermes descended into the Underworld, his face twisted with obvious displeasure.

What new trouble was brewing on Olympus for him to look like that?

Not long ago, volcanic eruptions, torrential rain, earthquakes, and every kind of disaster had flooded the Underworld with souls. And now Olympus, too, was causing problems. This was truly a headache.

“Greetings, Uncle. The reason for my visit... There has been infighting among the gods on Olympus.”

“Infighting? What nonsense is this now?”

It wasn’t enough that they tormented mortals — now they were fighting among themselves? What was Zeus even doing?

I listened as Hermes began explaining.

“It seems that what was bound to happen... has finally happened.”

Sighing deeply, as if the weight of the sky rested on his shoulders, Hermes slowly recounted the story.

To summarize Hermes’s words:

Aphrodite and Hephaestus’s marriage had been a forced union from the very beginning.

Because of this, Aphrodite frequently committed adultery with Ares and various other gods.

Hephaestus, of course, knew of his wife’s infidelity. Previously, he had caught Ares and Aphrodite in a golden net, publicly humiliating them.

But this time... things had escalated.

Hephaestus had once again caught Ares and Aphrodite in the middle of their affair.

Enraged, Hephaestus swung the hammer in his hand and struck Ares’s head, knocking the God of War to the ground.

The situation should have ended there. But for some reason, Ares refused to back down this time.

“Damn it! Why did you marry Aphrodite when she doesn’t even love you? You lame, ugly bastard!”

“What was that?! You’re asking to be beaten to death today, Ares?!”

“Stop it...! Please, stop!”

Hephaestus was the god of fire and volcanoes.

While he was usually absorbed in smithing, his combat prowess was among the best of the Twelve Olympians.

In other words, Ares stood no chance.

And yet, this time, Ares did not retreat.

“If this was about claiming her by force, Father would have done so already! Aphrodite and I love each other!”

“Father Zeus gave Aphrodite to me! It’s you who refuses to accept this and keeps pulling stunts like this!”

The God of War and the God of Fire glared at each other and began swinging their fists.

Flames and raw, violent power clashed, destroying enormous buildings on Olympus.

The commotion quickly escalated as other gods joined the fight.

Aphrodite, unwilling to abandon her love, sided with Ares. Athena, who had always disapproved of them, sided with Hephaestus.

Poseidon, who happened to be on Olympus at the time, took Hephaestus’s side as well. Eros, meanwhile, flew in to shield his mother.

At this point, adultery was no longer the issue.

As the chaos grew, the gods began unleashing their long-held grudges against one another.

“Marriage should be between two who love each other! Forced unions never work out!”

“Eros! Is that why you recklessly shoot your golden arrows? Because of you, I lost Daphne—!”

“Athena! Are you letting personal feelings interfere with this again?!”

“And do you ever consider how recklessly you fight in my wars, Ares?!”

“This happened because immature brats are squabbling over Aphrodite. She should have been given to me, the Lord of the Sea, long ago—”

“Everyone, please... Just calm down...”

Hestia, the only one who remained calm, tried to intervene, but her voice was drowned out.

Finally, a bolt of lightning fell between the warring gods.

BOOM!

“Enough! Stop this fighting! What kind of disgraceful spectacle are you gods putting on?!”

Zeus himself had intervened, throwing down his thunderbolt and forcibly ending the conflict.

At this point, I raised my hand to interrupt Hermes.

The situation on Olympus was utterly absurd, but surely Zeus had managed to resolve things?

“If Zeus intervened, he must have resolved it. Strange as he can be, he’s good at mediating situations like this. You should return to Olympus...”

“Ah, well. After Father had calmed things down, Lady Hera discovered evidence of his latest affair. She stormed in, absolutely livid.”

“...Again?”

“Yes. So Father’s authority has been completely undermined...”

So Zeus had seduced another mortal woman, and Hera had caught him.

The fight between Ares and Hephaestus had stemmed from Aphrodite’s love.

And now, Zeus, the very god whose authority should have ended the conflict, had lost all credibility because of Hera’s fury.

How could the god of adultery and rape possibly mediate a love quarrel?

“I understand. So the gods are still fighting?”

“Yes. Their rage is even spilling into the mortal world...”

“Wait, are the natural disasters that have been flooding the Underworld with souls because of this?”

“That’s correct. But more importantly, Father has requested your intervention, Uncle—”

Before Hermes could finish, I could no longer contain my fury.

Cold, divine power radiated from me as a roar escaped my lips.

“More importantly? Do you have any idea how many souls have flooded the Underworld because of the gods’ ridiculous love spat?! How many mortals have suffered because of Olympus’s excesses? How many times must this happen?! And now Zeus, who undermined his own authority, dares to ask me to mediate?!”

“Well, that is...”

“Wait a moment, Hermes. Didn’t you also pursue Aphrodite? Don’t you share some of the blame for this mess? Tell me honestly: did you think Ares and Hephaestus fighting would give you a chance with her?”

“...To be fair, I already have a child with her. Hermaphroditos...”

“I don’t want to hear another word! Leave. Now!”

“Y-Yes, sir!”

Hermes scurried away in terror, leaving me to regain my composure.

I took a deep breath. I needed to think this through calmly.

To summarize:

Aphrodite and Ares’s affair enraged Hephaestus, who attacked Ares. Other gods took sides, turning Olympus into a battlefield. Zeus had intervened, but his authority crumbled after Hera discovered his latest affair. The gods’ reckless fighting caused natural disasters that killed countless mortals.

CRASH!

“Phew...”

Calm down. Calm down. Without realizing it, I had stamped my foot, creating a massive crack in the throne room floor.

I am the ruler of the Underworld. I must remain calm and rational. I would go to Olympus, scold the foolish gods, and...

Knock, knock.

“Who is it?”

“Lord Hades, a mortal woman has emerged from the River Lethe without losing her memories. She claims Zeus did something terrible to her. What should we do?”

I could take no more.

The Underworld was overflowing with souls, and the gods above continued tormenting mortals without restraint.

This had crossed the line.

Going to Olympus to scold them would not be enough.

No. I had to fix this from the root.

I would overthrow Olympus.