Chapter 226

“Thanks to that, the gods were thrown into chaos. At first, they dismissed it as mere rumor, but once they realized the Goddess of Life was behind the prophecy, it escalated into a serious issue.”

“The Goddess of Life?”

“Yes. Since no other god could be involved, if the Goddess of Life is in play, this isn’t an ordinary prophecy. Afterward, the gods gathered to find a solution—debating everything from what it would take for a human to be worshipped as a god, to the idea of making you, just a newborn, the child of a deity and ascending you to godhood.”

“A child of a god….”

“It was all just talk; nothing actually came of it. The rumors only spread so far before fading away, so there’s no need to worry about it.”

Hades continued calmly.

“Other discussions included investigations on how long it takes for humans to grow and achieve deification through great achievements, or even research on rituals to force ascension by sacrificing living beings. In the end, though, the gods concluded that time was absolutely against them.”

“Not enough time… Wait, something ominous keeps coming up here. Sacrificing lives to ascend someone to godhood?”

“Forget about that. If they had really done it, the Goddess of Life would’ve been furious. Anyway…”

Hades cleared his throat slightly before continuing.

“Humans are incredibly fragile when they’re born, requiring plenty of time to grow strong. But the gods didn’t have that kind of time.”

“So the downfall of the gods was near?”

“Yes. The Goddess of Life may be merciful, but she’s not very patient. And when she gets truly angry, destroying half the world is no big deal.”

“In ancient times, the reason behind the sudden fall of dragons—who once thrived in this world—was due to an incident where the Goddess of Life became enraged. Not many remember it now, though.”

Hades’ words left Rychlen staring blankly. Dragons? Those legendary creatures thrived once? And fell so suddenly because of the Goddess of Life??

Though overwhelmed by shocking stories, Rychlen somehow tried to organize his thoughts and spoke.

“Somehow, hearing these shockers one after another makes me feel disconnected from reality.”

“I understand. Elves might not know, but such facts were hidden from humans. Anyway, Baal, the King of Gods, being absent from his throne alone angered the Goddess of Life greatly.”

“So just leaving his post could make her this mad? Was my past life that important to her?”

“Not necessarily important… More like, the frustration caused by gods causing trouble under Baal’s rule, including abandoning their responsibilities, made her extremely angry. She likely felt her authority had been violated. As for your past life… well, maybe she felt regretful for overloading him with responsibilities.”

“Regretful, huh…”

Rychlen sighed deeply, unsure why he felt disappointed. It was just his past life, unrelated to who he was now. So why did it hit so hard?

“Afterward, the gods begged for mercy from the Goddess of Life since there wasn’t nearly enough time to make you a god.”

“Hmm… Why does everyone cower before the Goddess of Life like this? Can’t the other gods combine their powers and defeat her?”

At Rychlen’s question, Hades shook his head lightly.

“No matter how much power all the gods combined, they still can’t touch the Goddess of Life. She’s that powerful.”

“To humans, she’s known merely as the compassionate goddess who selects heroes, but fundamentally, she’s a completely different class of existence. She was born alongside the world itself.”

“This origin story doesn’t sound like something I can easily ignore, does it?”

“She herself probably doesn’t think much of it, but anyway, consider the gods trembling before the Goddess of Life. That’s why they seek her mercy.”

“Mercy….”

Rychlen shook his head. If he were in the Goddess of Life’s position, he wouldn’t see any reason to offer mercy either. Even putting aside personal matters, if a manager appointed by him disappeared due to mismanagement…

Especially if the cause of the disappearance was the misconduct of those under his supervision… Who wouldn’t get angry?

“In such a situation, the Goddess of Life gave the gods a condition: in exchange for offering up what they possessed, she’d grant them more time.”

“What do the gods possess?”

“Yes. Fragments left behind by your past self, Baal.”

“Fragments…?”

“Though Baal’s soul reincarnated as you, as the King of Gods, he left behind many things. Some gods obtained pieces of Baal and used them to become superior beings.”

“These are fragments from my past life, but… it leaves a bad taste in my mouth.”

“The Goddess of Life returned Baal’s fragments in exchange for extending the predetermined time of destruction by ten years. Later, recovering three fragments granted thirty extra years.”

“Three fragments?”

“Yes. Baal’s emotions, Baal’s divine body, and Baal’s wisdom. Collect Zeus’ fragment of Baal’s authority, and all but the soul will be reunited.”

“All but the soul… without me?”

“Yes.”

“So you’re saying… I must die right now?”

At Rychlen’s words, Hades shook his head.

“There’s no need for you to die immediately. Even after your human life ends, it won’t matter.”

“But if what you said is true, then my failure to return as a god means the downfall of the gods, right?”

“Well, quoting the Goddess of Life, ‘Those gods could use a good extinction.’”

“So the Goddess of Life had no intention of forgiving the gods?”

“No, she never intended to forgive them from the start.”

Hades’ statement was essentially a death sentence for the gods.

“Of course, not all gods will be eradicated. There are definitely gods who benefit the world, so those whose divinity will be stripped will be demoted, while others will remain. It’s more like a restructuring process.”

With that, Hades looked at Rychlen and said,

“If you decide to return as the King of Gods, perhaps even the Goddess of Life might change her mind.”

At Hades’ gaze, Rychlen fell deep into thought.

Becoming a god—certainly an immense glory. Ascending beyond humanity would surely become legendary. Not even the legendary heroes achieved godhood through their accomplishments.

But… would that be enough?

If becoming a god ensured the survival of these gods, a wave of inexplicable disdain rose up Rychlen’s spine.

He originally didn’t have strong feelings toward the gods, but hearing Hades’ story awakened a sense of hatred toward them, as if suppressed emotions surged forth, mixing with nonexistent memories of his past life.

“Are the gods necessary?”

“Perhaps not. The Goddess of Life seems to believe there are too many gods around now.”

“Do the gods harm this world more than help?”

“There are benevolent gods, but harmful ones outnumber them.”

Upon hearing this, Rychlen nodded.

“So if I refuse the throne of godhood, it means the gods will be reorganized?”

“That’s correct. However, ascending to godhood would be an extraordinary honor. Are you willing to give that up?”

Hades’ words prompted Rychlen to shake his head.

“If my becoming a god doesn’t resolve the issues caused by the gods, then most of them will remain unchanged.”

“If we let them stay, there’s always the risk of angering the Goddess of Life again.”

“And if I become a god, wouldn’t I end up as the King of Gods, repeating what my past self did?”

“Yes. That’s certain. The Goddess of Life has kept the throne empty for you.”

Listening to Hades’ words, Rychlen’s decision was made.

Repeating the mistakes of his past life would undoubtedly lead to great problems.

Unless the gods were properly organized…

Therefore…

“I won’t become a god.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. If I became a god now, wouldn’t it just repeat the same cycle from my past life?”

“That might happen… but already, quite a number of gods have been eliminated.”

“Why not finish the job properly while we’re at it?”

Rychlen said casually, as if suggesting it’s better to clean up all the trash in one go.

It was a disrespectful tone treating the gods as garbage, but with no divine ears around, there was no problem.

“Understood. If you’ve made your decision, there’s nothing I can do. I’ll relay this to the Goddess of Life. She’ll prepare accordingly… though that’s none of your concern.”

As he said this, Hades waved his hand, and a small box flew toward him.

“This box contains the soul of your friend you were searching for. I apologize for using him.”

“Using him?”

“Yes. To bring you to the Underworld. Originally, he wasn’t supposed to die by your hands but rather freeze to death drunk on the street. Instead, I altered his fate to draw you here.”

Hearing this, Rychlen’s expression turned blank.

“Freeze to death on the street?”

“Yes. In exchange for bringing you here, I extended your lifespan slightly as compensation. Though I feel somewhat guilty for making you kill your friend.”

“Hmm… I don’t recall killing him, but that’s how it happened?”

“By the way, the knowledge about preserving the corpse to prevent decay likely came from the Goddess of Life whispering in your ear.”

Confused, Rychlen tilted his head.

Indeed, the thought to keep the corpse cool and unspoiled had popped into his mind, but it was the Goddess of Life’s doing?

Unclear details aside, it seemed everything worked out fine.

“Anyway, can lifespans just be extended so casually?”

“Normally, no. But this is special. You were brought to the Underworld, so appropriate compensation is deserved.”

Hades stated this matter-of-factly, while Rychlen simply shook his head.