"Alright!" Muria was slightly taken aback when the female Titan he hadn't seen in centuries immediately challenged him to a duel. After a brief pause, he nodded in agreement. From his understanding, this Titan, who had taught him combat techniques in his youth, had likely conquered her assigned world in the past few centuries.
She had probably spent the last couple of centuries conquering the world allocated to her by the Titans. However, this opportunity must have been too significant, prompting the Titan race to summon her back.
As their two undead chariots drove side by side, countless undead beings bowed as they passed. To any bystander, it might seem as though two undead lords were traveling. In reality, though, it was two Titans, brimming with life force as vast as an ocean, who had nothing to do with the undead.
As they progressed, more undead chariots like Muria's came into view. Without even needing to see, Muria could sense the blood and aura of the other Titans sitting on the chariots—some weaker, some stronger—but all at least at the Legendary level.
Soon, a vast cluster of towering black palaces appeared before Muria. These palaces were grand beyond mortal comprehension, fitting for a god. Even the lowest of the palaces had steps that would be as tall as mountains to a human. Clearly, Hades, though a god, had not neglected his accommodations, building these black palaces to fit the stature of the Titans. The design was grand and majestic, but still possessed a touch of elegance that matched Muria's draconic aesthetic.
As Muria approached the Palace of Hades, he noticed a massive screen wall standing at the front. The wall was adorned with carvings of various powerful undead creatures, but something felt off—certain areas of the wall seemed incomplete, as if something was missing.
When Muria got closer, he could see the carvings more clearly and realized that parts of the relief were missing. Some small, blank areas were scattered around, and near those empty spaces were carvings of chariots identical to the one he was riding.
The mural depicted a group of undead charioteers charging in formation, but the mural had gaps where some of the chariots should have been.
As if to confirm Muria's suspicions, his undead chariot stopped before the wall. After Muria stepped off the chariot, it charged directly into the mural, merging with it. The empty space on the wall was then filled, depicting a chariot charging forward.
"As I thought, these aren't actual undead but manifestations of some kind of law," Muria muttered with interest as he observed this process. He was intrigued by such methods but lamented that, for now, this level of power was beyond his reach. Clearly, this involved laws that only gods could control. To grasp similar techniques, he would need to first break through to the Epic level.
All the chariots carrying Titans stopped before the wall. One by one, they merged into the mural, filling in the empty spaces.
Seeing this, the Titans instinctively gathered before the wall to study it. The strange and powerful display of forces had piqued their interest.
As the Titans observed the wall, seven Death Knights emerged from it, each walking towards one of the arriving Titans.
"Lord Muria, please follow me inside," one of the Death Knights said as he approached Muria, bowing slightly in respect.
Muria glanced around and saw that every other Titan also had a Death Knight to guide them. Following the knight, Muria rounded the mural wall, and a deafening roar immediately filled his ears. The ground beneath him trembled slightly.
Looking toward the source of the sound, Muria was met with an astonishing sight. Behind the wall was a vast white bone plaza. A Titan, wielding a warhammer and surrounded by lightning, was engaged in battle with a Legendary undead giant of similar size. This was the source of the noise and the trembling ground.
"What is this?" Muria looked puzzled and glanced at the undead knight guiding him. He sensed excitement in the Titan's aura and saw that the warrior was filled with battle spirit, but there was no killing intent. The fight seemed more like a form of entertainment.
"The ritual for the offering will take some time to prepare. So, to keep you entertained in the meantime, His Majesty Hades has arranged these battles. As soon as you step into the arena, a giant undead opponent of matching strength will appear to fight you. During the battle, you don't need to hold back; the undead are formed by His Majesty's divine power. Even if you destroy them, they will be regenerated immediately. You can unleash your full power and enjoy the fight."
"I see!" Muria smiled in understanding. Now he realized why the other Titans seemed so excited. For a Titan, it was incredibly difficult to find a worthy opponent outside their own kin.
"This sounds fun. I'll give it a try!" Another Titan, who had arrived at the same time as Muria, immediately stepped into the arena after hearing the undead knight's explanation.
As soon as the Titan entered, several bones emerged from the ground, intertwining to form a massive skeletal giant. After it fully materialized, a giant spear appeared out of nowhere, which the skeletal giant grabbed and thrust toward the Titan.
"Excellent!" the Titan laughed as the giant attacked. He released his true form, towering over the white bone plaza, and a single-bladed axe appeared in his hand...
"Hades truly knows how to host," Muria remarked with admiration as he watched the undead giant fight the Titan.
Typically, a host would serve guests with food and drink, but for Titans, there was no better hospitality than an opponent of equal strength with no need for restraint. The newly arrived Titans were thrilled.
For example, the female Titan Heloise, seeing this, eagerly entered the arena to fight against the divine power-formed undead giant.
"Lord Muria, would you like to give it a try?"
"Of course!" Muria stepped into the plaza, his body shimmering with brilliant golden lightning. As he grew larger, a Titan with a long draconic tail strode into the arena. Like the other Titans, bones began to gather in front of him, forming a massive undead giant with dragon-like features—clearly modeled after Muria himself.
"Interesting!" Muria chuckled as he drew his poleaxe and charged at the undead.
Clang!
The undead giant conjured a bone spear from the void and blocked Muria's strike. Despite the spear appearing fragile, it withstood the force of Muria's weapon, leaving only a shallow mark that quickly disappeared.
"A worthy opponent!" After exchanging several blows, Muria smiled. Although the undead didn't give him the same overwhelming pressure as a god's avatar, its advanced combat skills made the battle just as rewarding.
Additionally, Muria noticed something peculiar about the plaza. Although 32 Titans were currently engaged in battles, none of their fights interfered with one another. Each Titan and their corresponding undead were contained in separate spaces.
It didn't surprise Muria that Hades possessed such great power. What astonished him was the level of control Hades had over this power—it was absolutely flawless.
Muria hadn't even realized that he had been drawn into a separate battle space. There were no noticeable changes in his surroundings. He could still sense the blood aura of the other Titans but realized that the shockwaves from their battles didn't affect him at all. The only indication that he was in a separate space was the lack of interference.
…
Just as Muria was fully absorbed in his battle, his skeletal opponent suddenly froze in place. The same happened to all the other Titans as well.
"Lords, the offering ritual is about to begin. Please take a break from your entertainment," a black-robed lich announced as it appeared on the edge of the plaza, standing atop a massive skeletal beast.
As soon as the words were spoken, all the skeletal giants crumbled and disappeared into beams of white light. The thirty-two Titans stood together, their golden blood aura mingling to form a vast ocean of power that enveloped the entire palace of Hades.
"This way, please!" Under the gaze of over thirty Legendary Titans, the skeletal beast beneath the lich trembled in fear, its bones shaking uncontrollably. However, the lich remained completely unafraid, calmly gesturing for the Titans to follow him into the Palace of Hades.
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