Soul Domain.
After leaving Ōtsutsuki Hamura's office, Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo took Gol D. Roger, Mu, and Uchiha Kagami with him.
They boarded a Nether-ship and set sail from the Styx estuary of the Pure Land.
Guided by the "soul coordinates," they entered the vast Hell Sea—shrouded in dense fog, with even the waves below as black as ink.
After a voyage lasting less than two days when measured against the material realm—
Roger stood silently by the railing, staring down at the dark waves of the Hell waters.
From time to time, phantoms of the dead surfaced within those black waves.
Some wore hideous expressions, some appeared calm, while others wailed in agony.
But to Roger, they were nothing more than a strange kind of scenery.
Still, his mood was heavy.
At first, he had intended to refuse the invitation of the Sage of Six Paths.
But then came that question: Do you plan to run from the World Government for the rest of your life, never seeing your wife and child again?
Those words struck him harder than any blow. Rayleigh, Jabba—everyone else was gone. Only Rouge and Ace remained to bind his heart.
He had thought that since he had already died, he might as well enter reincarnation.
But now, with the World Government's conquest wars spreading not only across the living world but even here in the Underworld—
If he "left," what would happen to Rouge and Ace once they died and entered this realm?
He could never allow them to suffer the fate of annihilation.
So he had resolved to stay, to follow the Sage of Six Paths, and guard this final pure land for the sake of his wife and child.
When the time came, if they wished to reincarnate, he would do it with them.
If they wished to remain, he would bring them to the Pure Land and reunite the family.
From now on, he would fight only to protect them!
"Roger, the Sage of Six Paths asked me to tell you—we're almost at the Starfish Underworld."
From behind came Uchiha Kagami's voice.
"So soon?"
Roger let out a long sigh.
He didn't know how to face Shakky or Kozuki Toki.
Why had everyone else died, yet he had returned alive—staying at the side of those once considered enemies?
"Maybe… you should disguise yourself," Kagami suggested gently, sensing what weighed on Roger's heart.
But after a moment of thought, Roger shook his head.
"No. I'll face their anger head-on!"
"All right, but we may not see them this time," Kagami replied.
"Mm."
Roger nodded, his expression calm.
He had weathered countless storms in life. This was nothing that could shake him.
Meanwhile, in the Starfish Underworld—
On the wide river surface before the western Styx estuary, thousands of Nether-ships floated upon the pitch-black waters.
On both sides of the Styx, countless troops had gathered.
Under the orders of their respective leaders, they assembled in designated zones, forming block after block of phalanxes large and small.
Far away, in the Court of Souls—
Enma, in her voluptuous onee-san form, sat at the far end of a long obsidian table, gently stroking the blue flames on the body of the "Two-Tails" nestled in her arms.
Her gaze stretched toward the direction of the Western Styx.
It was as if she could pierce through every barrier, every layer of space, and see Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo within the Underworld-ship.
Her flawless face curved into a smile—both alluring and wicked, with a glint of excitement in her eyes.
"So, you've finally arrived~~"
"Hm?"
"That's Roger?!"
Enma's brows furrowed. She could not fathom why he dared return.
"So, it seems the Sage of Six Paths is shielding him… hmm."
Enma hesitated for a moment.
In the end, she decided to wait until this matter was settled before asking Father for his judgment.
For now, the most important task was the invasion of the Falmart Underworld!
...
This was a desolate, ghostly underworld.
Pale blue frost mist filled the air, while the barren ground was covered in crystalline white ice.
An unnatural, bone-piercing cold.
It forced the souls dwelling here to adapt, reshaping themselves with the ability to coexist with frost.
Human souls that lingered too long would gradually transform into terrifying figures: skin drained pale, hair dried and brittle, eyes glowing icy blue.
Yet in this form, they no longer feared the cold.
Their bodies grew larger, their strength greater, ensuring basic survival.
Other creatures' souls underwent similar changes, all infused with attributes of ice and snow.
This was the Falmart Underworld of Hardy, the Goddess of the Underworld and Souls!
Among the eleven surviving main deities, her individual strength might not be the greatest—
But her dominion far surpassed Emroy, God of Darkness and Death, and Flare, Goddess of Light and the Sun.
For unlike them, Hardy alone commanded an entire world.
The Underworld of Falmart.
At its heart stood a towering castle, constructed from "Black Ice."
Its whole body radiated an eerie, ghostly blue glow.
Encircling it were two colossal ice walls, each dozens of kilometers in diameter, dividing the realm into three sections—
For thousands of years, Hardy gathered all souls of notable strength here.
"This World Government is far more entertaining than I expected."
Hardy sat on the Frost Throne, her white gown shimmering with a faint blue crystalline light. With delicate white fingers propping her chin, she watched the virtual images suspended in the air with amused curiosity.
They were extracted from the souls of the Starfish World's native Army officers.
At the recent "Summit of the Gods," Hardy had only shown Emroy, Flare, and the others the battle between Kaido and Uchiha Madara.
After returning, Hardy remained "holed up" in her castle, watching more fragments from the souls of the captured Army officers.
Over the past days, she had grown increasingly fascinated, while also realizing that the power of the World Government far exceeded what they had ever imagined.
Those so-called Generals of the Three Forces—
Each of them appeared to possess power on par with the gods themselves.
And in terms of numbers, they clearly outmatched her side.
That meant the World Government possessed at least twelve beings on the level of gods—
And every single one specialized in battle!
The discovery left her shaken.
"Fortunately, this goddess can always 'shut the gate.' No matter how powerful they are, it won't matter. If cooperation is possible, we'll cooperate. If not, we'll simply cut ties!"
So spoke Hardy to herself.
The deities of the Falmart World—
They had once tried entering other worlds.
But once inside, they found their divine offices ceased to function. They could only burn through the faith within their bodies to use their powers.
This terrified them, and they hurried back to the Falmart World.
Since then, they only opened "gates," waiting like hunters by a trap for creatures of other worlds to wander in.
After less than a year, they would close the "gate" again, making those creatures permanently their "possessions."
Finally, they would send apostles to spread tales of the gods, occasionally putting on displays of miracles.
Thus they gathered more and more faith, the cycle repeating endlessly.
Only this time, the unexpected factor of the World Government had appeared.
Yet Hardy did not fear that they might refuse cooperation.
After all, who could resist the chance to commune with gods?
No matter how strong, they were still mortals—and mortals would inevitably yearn for and revere the divine.
"Hehehehe… when the time comes, let the World Government send us vast numbers of people. Best of all, let them bring beautiful women from every world."
The goddess Hardy drifted for a moment in a vision of that bright future.
Though she was female herself, she did not desire men—she preferred women.
"Hmm?!"
Suddenly Hardy snapped to attention.
The will of the Underworld had just alerted her: an intruder had entered this realm.
In all these long years, it was truly the first time!
At once, Hardy called upon her divine authority, lifting her gaze toward the eastern reaches of the Underworld.
Her eyes flared with a ghostly blue light.
Through that glow, she pierced walls and mountains alike in an instant, seeing the place the will of the Underworld had indicated.
She saw it—
A ship, gliding slowly in from the outlet of the River Styx.
On its deck stood four figures, arranged one ahead and three behind.
In the next moment—
The one in front, whose appearance was the strangest of all,
Suddenly turned his head, locking eyes directly with her gaze.
Those purple eyes, circled with black ripples, and the single crimson eye at his brow—
Even Hardy, mistress of ice and frost magic, felt a chill seize her heart.
"What manner of man is this?!"
On the other side—
Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo stood upon the underworld ship.
He first cast a glance over the icy, snowbound landscape flanking the River Styx.
Then at once he felt a gaze fixed upon him from afar.
Turning his head toward its source, he spoke in a calm yet solemn tone: "Greetings. I am Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo, Lord of the Pure Land of the Shinobi World. By the express command of the master of the World Government, my supreme deity, Lord Imu—I have come to arrest the mistress of this Underworld, Hardy!"
"I ask that you submit yourself and come with me at once!"
Inside the castle, Hardy froze for an instant upon hearing those words.
But at once her expression darkened, her eyes blazing with ghostly blue fire.
"How dare you!!!"
Slamming a palm against her icy throne, Hardy rose abruptly, her body erupting with a violent, crushing aura of ghostly blue.
[Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!]
In an instant, the four women kneeling nearby, ever ready to serve, exploded into drifting clouds of icy mist, scattering into nothingness.
[Woooooooooooo—]
Soon, the blaring cry of war horns echoed from within the castle.
In the blink of an eye, their thunderous call resounded across the entire Falmart Underworld.
From every corner, Ice Demons, Frost Goblins, Snow-Winged Folk, Ice Trolls, and countless other undead races lifted their heads.
Without hesitation, they heeded the order carried by the horns.
At their fastest speed, they surged eastward in a vast tide, shrieking and roaring with terrifying cries.
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