Chapter: 226
“Thanks to that, the gods are in chaos. At first, they thought it was just a rumor, but after realizing that the Goddess of Life is behind the prophecy, it turned into a serious problem.”
“The Goddess of Life?”
“Yes. When it involves the Goddess of Life, not just any other deity, it’s no ordinary prophecy. After that, the gods gathered to brainstorm solutions. They debated everything from what needs to happen for a human to be worshipped as a god to the extreme idea of making you, just born, a child of a god and elevating you to godhood.”
“A child of a god…?”
“That was just an opinion and was never actually put into action. It mostly ended up being a mere rumor, so there’s no need for you to worry.”
Hades continued on in a calm voice.
“Aside from that, there were discussions around how much time it would take for humans to achieve enough accomplishments to be deified, and research on rituals to forcibly make other beings ascend to godhood through sacrifice. In the end… the conclusion was that the gods absolutely lack time.”
“Not enough time…? No, but I feel like I heard something ominous—sacrificing other lives to ascend as gods?”
“You can forget about that. If it had actually been carried out, the Goddess of Life would have been extremely angry. Anyway…”
Hades cleared his throat lightly and went on.
“Humans are extremely fragile right after birth, which naturally requires plenty of time to grow. But the gods didn’t even have that much time.”
“Is the fall of the gods approaching?”
“Yes. The Goddess of Life is a merciful being, but she’s not very patient. Once she’s genuinely angry, it’s not a big deal for the world to be half destroyed.”
“Half destroyed world…”
“Long ago, the dragons that once thrived in this world fell into ruin overnight due to an incident that angered the Goddess of Life. Not many remember it now.”
As Hades spoke, Rychlen’s expression turned blank. Dragons? Those that only appeared in legends once flourished? And then suddenly fell? All because of the Goddess of Life?
It was a sequence of unbelievable stories, but Rychlen somehow organized his thoughts and spoke up.
“Somehow, after hearing such shocking stories one after another, I feel as though I’ve lost my sense of reality.”
“I understand. It might not be known among elves, but this is unknown to humans. Regardless, the Goddess of Life was significantly angered just because Baal, the king of the gods, wasn’t present.”
“Just not being there was enough to anger her? Was I that important to the Goddess of Life in my past life?”
“More than being important… You likely caused her great anger for making Baal, the king of gods whom you crowned, abdicate his position. Your authority probably felt violated. As for your past life… you might just be feeling sorry for having passed excessive burdens.”
“Sorry…”
Rychlen felt a deep disappointment and tilted his head, wondering why he felt that way.
What did the past life have to do with his current self? Why was he so disappointed?
“After that, the gods pleaded with the Goddess of Life for mercy. There simply wasn’t enough time to make you a god.”
“Hmm… But, why is everyone so flustered by the Goddess of Life? Shouldn’t the other gods be able to band together and defeat her?”
Hades shook his head slightly at Rychlen’s words.
“Even if all the gods joined forces, they wouldn’t be able to handle the Goddess of Life. She’s that powerful.”
“The Goddess of Life?”
“To humans, she might just appear as a benevolent goddess and the goddess who chooses warriors… but in reality, the Goddess of Life is on a completely different level compared to other deities. She is a goddess who was born with the world.”
“The birth of the world… this seems like something I can’t simply overlook.”
“Apparently, she herself doesn’t think much about it. Anyway, it’s easier to think of the gods as bewildered by the Goddess of Life. That’s why they seek her mercy.”
“Mercy…”
Rychlen shook his head slightly. If he were in the shoes of the Goddess of Life, who would understand why she’d offer mercy?
Setting aside his past life, if the person he appointed as an administrator vanished due to others… wouldn’t anyone be upset?
Especially if the reason for that administrator’s disappearance was the tyranny of those they were meant to manage… then that’s a whole different matter.
“In that scenario, the Goddess of Life placed conditions on the gods. In exchange for giving up what they had, she would extend the time.”
“What do the gods even have?”
“Yes. The remnants of you from your previous life… the pieces left behind by Baal.”
“Pieces…?”
“Baal’s essence has reincarnated into you, but as the king of gods, he left behind a lot. Some gods managed to acquire pieces left by Baal, enabling them to become superior beings compared to the others.”
“That is about my past life… but I don’t feel fantastic about it.”
“In exchange for retrieving Baal’s pieces, the Goddess of Life promised a ten-year grace period ahead of the projected destruction. After that… she collected three pieces of Baal and granted a thirty-year reprieve.”
“Three pieces?”
“Yes. Baal’s emotions, Baal’s body, Baal’s wisdom. Those three. If we also recover Baal’s authority that Zeus possesses, then we’ll have everything except the soul.”
“Except for the soul… You mean me?”
“Yes.”
“Does that mean… I need to die right now?”
Hades shook his head upon hearing Rychlen’s words.
“You don’t need to die at this moment. It doesn’t matter even after you finish your human life.”
“What? But if what you said is true, then if I don’t return to godhood, will the gods fall?”
“Well. Borrowing the words of the Goddess of Life, she believed that ‘it would be better for those gods to perish once.'”
“Did the Goddess of Life… have no intent to forgive the gods?”
“Indeed. She had no intention of granting forgiveness from the beginning.”
Hades’ declaration was, in a sense, tantamount to a death sentence for the gods.
“Of course, she won’t wipe out all the gods or anything. Among them, there are certainly gods who contribute positively to the world. Those she intends to strip of divinity will be demoted, and those worth keeping will remain in position. It’s more about filtering and reorganizing.”
Hades said this and looked at Rychlen.
“Of course, if you were to return as the King of Gods again, the Goddess of Life might reconsider her stance…”
Rychlen fell deep into thought at Hades’ gaze.
Becoming a god would undoubtedly be a tremendous honor. Ascending beyond humanity would be a tale to be lauded.
Even legendary heroes have not achieved godhood despite their great deeds.
But… can I accept that?
By becoming a god, would I not allow those gods to continue existing?
As this thought crossed his mind, a wave of inexplicable disgust surged through Rychlen’s spine.
Initially, he didn’t have much regard for the gods, but just hearing Hades’ account sparked a growing aversion within him.
It was as if pent-up emotions burst forth after Hades’ words, much like how memories of a past life that never existed seep into him.
“Are gods… necessary beings?”
“Well, at least the Goddess of Life doesn’t see a need for so many gods at this point.”
“Do the gods create harm in this world?”
“There are gods that don’t, but there are more that cause harm.”
At Hades’ words, Rychlen nodded thoughtfully.
“If I give up my position as a god… that means the gods will be sorted out.”
“That is correct. However, becoming a god would bring phenomenal glory. Are you willing to give that up?”
Hades posed the question, and Rychlen shook his head.
“If they aren’t sorted out because I become a god, doesn’t that mean that most of the problematic gods would still remain?”
“That does seem to be the case.”
“If we leave them unattended, there’s always a chance that the Goddess of Life could get angry one day?”
“Should something similar occur again, then yes, that possibility exists.”
“And if I become a god… I will take the throne as the King of Gods just like I did in my past life?”
“Yes. That’s a certainty. The Goddess of Life has designated the throne of gods for you.”
Upon hearing Hades’ words, Rychlen’s resolution was clear.
Repeating what he did in his past life would undoubtedly lead to major issues.
Would it be acceptable if the gods became organized?
Thus.
“I will not become a god.”
“Are you serious?”
“Yes. Even if I become a god now, wouldn’t that merely repeat the events of my past life?”
“That may well be true, but… isn’t there already a considerable number of gods that have been sorted out?”
“Shouldn’t we fully organize it while we have the chance?”
Rychlen casually expressed this, akin to suggesting that it would be best to clear out all the clutter accumulating in a house at once.
It was irreverent tone aimed at the gods, treating them like rubbish, yet at this moment, there were no ears of the gods to overhear, so everything was fine.
“I understand. If you are set on that decision, nothing can be done about it. I will convey this to the Goddess of Life. She will prepare accordingly… Hmm. This is probably something you don’t need to know.”
Having said this, Hades made a simple gesture, and a small box floated in from somewhere.
“This box contains the soul of the friend you were looking for. I want to offer my apologies for making use of him.”
“Use?”
“Yes. I utilized him to summon you to the afterlife. Originally, you were meant to die after being assaulted, but instead, you would have drunk too much, fallen asleep on the street, and frozen to death.”
As Hades spoke, Rychlen’s expression turned blank.
“Destined to freeze to death on the street?”
“Yes. I changed your fate so that you would die a noble death, allowing you to arrive here. As compensation for that… I have extended your lifespan a little using my authority. I must apologize for you having to beat your friend to death…”
“Um… but actually, I don’t remember beating that friend to death. Is that truly how it happened?”
“Yes. For your information, the knowledge of how to keep a corpse cold and prevent it from rotting was whispered to you by the Goddess of Life.”
Rychlen tilted his head at Hades’ words.
Certainly… for some reason, the thought of keeping a body cold to avoid rotting had indeed crossed his mind, but did the Goddess of Life intervene for that?
He wasn’t entirely sure, but hopefully, it was all resolved well.
“But is extending lifespan really a matter that can be taken so lightly?”
“Generally, it isn’t allowed, but this case is special. I used you to bring you to the afterlife, and thus you deserve some compensation.”
Hades spoke nonchalantly. In response, Rychlen could only give a small shake of his head.
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