Chapter 139

“It’s not late, is it?”

“Wha—no, wait… wasn’t she reincarnated already…?”

The hero was utterly baffled to see his deceased wife standing right before him, and I couldn’t help but crack a small smile as I watched him flounder.

Yeah, sure, it’s natural to be surprised. She was supposed to have died and been reborn long ago. If you weren’t shocked by this, you wouldn’t be human. Whatever.

I gave the hero a light tap on the shoulder before speaking up.

“To be precise, your wife *has* already reincarnated.”

“Huh? But then why is she here in front of me now…?”

“She didn’t completely vanish from the Underworld when she passed on. We managed to gather fragments of her spirit, reconstructed them using your memories of her, and created… well, sort of like a duplicate that carries on her memories. Of course, without a soul, it’s all based off your recollections, so without you around, she wouldn’t function properly either.”

While creating Paradise and linking it with the Underworld, we stumbled upon remnants of her spirit by sheer luck.

Normally, those fragments would’ve dissipated within days, but despite significant damage and scattering, parts of her spirit had astonishingly survived even years after her reincarnation—a miracle if there ever was one.

“Well, even for someone like me, piecing together fractured bits of a spirit wasn’t exactly child’s play. It took about half the 49 days since her passing just to reconstruct what remained.”

Creating Paradise itself wasn’t nearly as difficult as I’d anticipated. Since it exists outside physical space, I didn’t need to craft every single detail; the only real challenge was making it responsive to souls and allowing for changes accordingly. If I’d simply wanted a place to store souls, I could’ve finished in three days tops. Hmm…

Once the foundation was laid, most of my time went into perfecting features like adapting to individual desires, separating the spirit from its vessel during reincarnation, or enabling souls to enter and exit freely.

Compared to tweaking pre-existing realms, building an entire world from scratch proved far easier—not to mention infinitely more flexible!

It felt almost as though this was how it was always meant to be done.

“Th-This is incredible… Though I don’t fully understand…”

The hero began inspecting his wife closely. At first glance, she looked no different from her living self!

But due to the absence of her soul, there were noticeable issues—lack of emotion, occasional zoning out, etc.

Unfortunately, these problems stem directly from the missing soul, something even I can’t fix. Sigh.

“To tell the truth, I’m still unsure about this whole ‘soul’ thing, but hey, seeing you like this brings back good memories, doesn’t it, dear?”

The hero seemed to realize he’d been restored to his youthful prime too.

Even the legendary Sword of the Hero strapped to his back appeared unchanged!

Though, let me clarify—it’s not the real one! That genuine artifact remains safely in my possession!

“In this realm, everyone returns to their peak physical condition according to their own perceptions. As for the sword on your back, while not authentic, it functions identically.”

The hero drew the weapon slung across his back.

A vivid reminder of his adventurous youth spent gaining experience alongside me, fearlessly battling monsters left and right.

Ah, reminiscing about this sight makes me nostalgic indeed.

“So, uh… What am I supposed to do here exactly?”

“I didn’t actually expect you to have any specific duties here.”

“Huh?”

At his slightly startled reaction, I chuckled softly.

“All you need to do is live comfortably here. Pursue whatever interests you, and occasionally guide newcomers as a senior member—that’d be great.”

Though none of it is mandatory, obviously.

Simply put, I wish for those who deserve happiness to find it here.

“Senior, huh…”

“That’s right. Just providing explanations will suffice, so don’t feel pressured.”

Not like there’s much explaining to begin with anyway.

Satisfied with my words, the hero nodded slowly.

“Understood. Though I’ve never done anything like this before, I’ll give it my best shot.”

“That’s the spirit. Now, settle in and enjoy your stay here. Unfortunately, I’ve got some business to attend to elsewhere.”

“Eh? Business?”

“Yes. Something quick.”

With that, I turned away from the bewildered hero and exited Paradise.

And thus, the gods of the Underworld received three shattered skulls as souvenirs.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

“No way! I didn’t ask for much, did I?! All I requested was a swift trial and fair judgment for that kid, yet they tried pinning ridiculous sins on him instead?! How absurd!”

“But sir, that’s not entirely accurate…”

“One measly human monopolizing divine power? Monopolizing?! Are you kidding me?! First off, the decision was mine alone, even though the kid initially asked! They should’ve approached ME directly!!! And what ticks me off EVEN MORE is that they attempted to falsely accuse him of nonexistent crimes!! YOU IDIOTIC FOOL!!!!!”

My clenched fist smashed straight through Yama’s crown, leaving a gaping hole atop his head.

Sure, he won’t die from it—he’s a god after all!

“Graaaagh!!”

“If it weren’t for some other deities intervening, you’d have been wiped out entirely! Imagine if such blatant miscarriages of justice undermined the very purpose of the Underworld—to ensure proper judgment for the deceased. Its existence would become meaningless!”

“I-I apologize deeply…”

Yama groveled pathetically on the ground while two silent figures flanked him.

Watching Yama get pummeled, they trembled involuntarily, surely imagining their own fate had they supported him earlier.

“Still… Isn’t it wasteful that Your Divinity wasted time over just one person…?”

“Shut your mouth!”

An explosive uppercut sent Yama soaring skyward in a graceful arc before crashing back down.

“Mark my words: NEVER let this happen again. Understand?”

“Y-Yes! Absolutely understood…!”

Leaving the battered Yama behind, I turned toward Thanatos and Keres.

“You two as well. Be vigilant against wrongful verdicts.”

“Yes. We shall bear it in mind.”

“Right! This is exactly why I kept telling him not to do it. Karma’s a b*tch, Yama.”

Well, I get where Yama’s coming from, but his actions were unforgivable nonetheless.

After delivering sufficient punishment, I trust he’ll refrain from framing innocents moving forward.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Paradise.

Heaven. Elysium. Utopia. Shangri-La. Known by many names, this sacred land offers eternal bliss untainted by suffering or despair.

A sanctuary free from worldly struggles, where joy reigns supreme forevermore.

Supposedly accessible only to an elite few who pass the rigorous trials of the Underworld’s court.

However, reaching such a realm isn’t easy.

Thus, certain necromancers among mages devised an unconventional method:

Summon heroes whose entry into Paradise is indisputable, briefly tether them to the mortal plane, then track their return journey to uncover the gate to Paradise itself.

Yet this endeavor posed immense challenges.

Heroes’ souls are inherently noble beings beyond ordinary mortals’ grasp, requiring colossal magical energy to manipulate.

To achieve this, powerful wizards united forces.

They tapped into earthbound ley lines for sufficient mana, crafted artificial vessels to temporarily house summoned spirits, bound them with ironclad contracts, and prepared massive containment units to hold onto escaping souls once their false bodies dissolved.

Seven legendary heroes were successfully summoned and granted temporary forms.

But complications arose.

Six souls were required to open the portal, and the resulting gateway allowed passage for only ONE individual.

So began the inevitable conflict:

Mages fought amongst themselves to secure access to Paradise.

Reincarnated heroes sought another chance at life within their new bodies.

War erupted.

“So that’s the gist of the story. Thoughts?”

“Whoa…”

The sleepy-eyed girl blinked groggily, staring at the book her friend held aloft.

“Reincarnated ancient heroes teaming up with modern-day mages to battle it out? Any mage worth their salt would get chills reading that!”

“Well, yeah, sure, but… umm… Is this really okay?”

The sleep-deprived girl struggled with conflicting emotions.

“Oh, by the way, this is based on actual events. Apparently, it’s inspired by a series of infamous mage murders from ages past.”

“Based on reality…?”