Chapter 268 - 135: Hades’ Promise, the Resurrection of the Underworld Army!

Chapter 268: Chapter 135: Hades’ Promise, the Resurrection of the Underworld Army!

However, a mortal body could not withstand the power of a god. Her mother soon died of illness, followed one after another by her father, family members, and servants. Her unborn brother, who died in the womb, transformed into a twisted cluster of Cosmo.

The Gods of Death and Sleep promised her that as long as she helped the Underworld King reclaim the Earth, they would resurrect her family.

For the sake of this promise, she became Hades’ spokesperson. She found Shun and integrated the Underworld King’s soul into his body.

Only in Hades Castle could she temporarily drop her disguise and revert to being the little girl who simply yearned for a family.

Not daring to delay, she quickly walked to the statue of Hades and fell to her knees.

"Lord Hades, the Saints have invaded Hades Castle. Please instruct us on how to respond!"

The statue’s eyes suddenly lit up with an eerie green glow. Hades’ deep voice echoed through the temple.

"As expected, Athena has lost her patience. How many Saints are attacking? And where is Athena?"

Pandora raised her hand, condensing a barrier that formed a mirror image displaying the scene outside the castle. She observed it carefully for a moment before replying.

"The invaders consist of five Bronze Saints and seven Gold Saints. Athena did not come; she should still be in the Sanctuary..."

Before her words could fall, her eyes suddenly widened. In the mirror image, Saga’s Gemini Cloth and Shaka’s Virgo Cloth were exceptionally conspicuous.

"Wait, no! Gemini and Virgo have also come! By that calculation, the Gold Saints have mobilized almost their entire force. Only the Aquarius Saint, Alex, remains behind to guard Athena!"

Hearing Alex’s name, Hades remained silent for a moment before his voice sounded again, carrying a trace of solemnity.

"The Aquarius Saint? Is he the one who forced Poseidon to sign the covenant?"

Recalling the crushing defeat of her previous encounter with Alex, Pandora dug her nails deeply into her palms and said in a low voice.

"It is him. This man is hailed as the strongest Gold Saint of the current era. The last time, Asclepius was also defeated by him."

"Hmm..."

Hades fell silent, and the black mist surrounding the statue began to churn.

Suddenly, Hades Castle trembled violently. The agonizing screams of Underworld soldiers echoed from afar, and the light of the barrier grew dim.

Pandora’s voice grew urgent.

"Lord Hades! They are about to break in!"

"I know."

Hades’ voice returned to its calm state.

"Pandora, immediately awaken the 108 Specters. Notify Thanatos and Hypnos to return to Hades Castle to mount a defense!"

Pandora’s heart stirred, and she emboldened herself to suggest.

"My Lord, at this moment, only Alex remains in the Sanctuary to guard Athena. Should we dispatch forces to launch a surprise attack? This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!"

"I have my own arrangements for Athena. You do not need to worry about it."

Hades’ voice carried unquestionable majesty as the glow of the statue gradually dimmed.

Daring not to speak further, Pandora rose and quickly walked toward the temple deep beneath Hades Castle. The souls of the 108 Specters were sealed there, and only she possessed the power to awaken these slumbering killing machines.

The candlelight in the corridor flickered behind her, stretching her shadow long and thin—much like her life, inextricably entangled by fate.

The underground depths of Hades Castle were a realm that mortals could never hope to reach.

Light didn’t simply vanish here; it was devoured by a purer, more ancient gloom. The air was as thick and viscous as coagulated blood.

In the core area lay a circular altar constructed from ominous obsidian, its surface etched with runes that flowed with a dark red glimmer.

Those were the long-lost divine words of the Underworld; every stroke seemed to be wailing silently.

Pandora stood in the center of the altar.

A pitch-black sacrificial robe wrapped around her slender figure, its hem fluttering without any wind.

Her pale face was illuminated by the single light source at the center of the altar. She slowly raised her hands. Her slender fingers, tipped with pure ink-black nails, moved with a slow, elegant grace that carried a heaviness, as if she were tearing through the fabric of space itself.

A single syllable, seemingly squeezed out from the very bottom of the abyss, shattered the dead silence with a weight that could freeze the soul.

Pandora spoke in the ancient divine tongue.

"Anoixis..." (Open...)

Omm!

In an instant, the runes across the entire altar erupted with a blinding, blood-red light!

The ground began to tremble. It wasn’t the shaking of an earthquake, but rather felt like some slumbering, colossal entity impatiently turning over beneath the altar.

The gloom of the vaulted ceiling began to spin, forming a massive, slowly rotating dark vortex that covered the entire chamber.

Pandora’s voice suddenly pitched higher. It was no longer the clear voice of a young woman, but a grand, overlapping chorus that mixed the shrieks of countless dead souls with the echoes of the abyss.

Every word acted like a heavy death knell, striking against the barriers of reality.

"Memories of the dark stars! Shepherds of lost souls! Denizens of the eternal abyss! Heed my call, and awaken from your slumber!"

As she chanted, the space surrounding the altar began to violently distort and tear apart!

Pitch-black fissures materialized out of thin air.

From these rifts emerged sounds that made one’s scalp tingle with dread.

The ear-piercing screech of chains dragging and scraping across the void, the gruesome rattling of bones grinding against each other, and the dull, heavy clatter of armor colliding.

And... the whispers of countless undead, intermingled with resentment, ecstasy, and absolute obedience, merged into a monstrous mental torrent that violently washed over the entire space.

Pandora spread her arms wide, as if embracing the birth of this despair. Her voice pierced through the low growls of the undead, issuing an unquestionable decree.

"The time of rest has ended! Your Lord summons you! The darkness demands your servitude once more! Reject your slumber! Reject your death! Your destiny is to bloom your souls upon the battlefield!"

The blood-red light of the altar surged violently, like an erupting volcano!

A suspended, purple heart-shaped flame beat frantically, shooting out a thick pillar of light that connected to the dark vortex on the ceiling!

At the center of the vortex, it was as if 108 cursed stars were ignited simultaneously. They flickered with a cold, deathly, yet endlessly tyrannical light—the radiance representing the 108 Demonic Stars of the Underworld Army!

Pandora’s voice reached its climax. Carrying a destructive fervor and the declaration of the end of all things, she forcefully threw her arms down.

"Warriors of the Underworld! Return, guardians of the 108 dark stars!"

"Awaken! Don the Surplices of the Underworld! For your Lord, assemble as his army for the final war!"

.....

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