After reaching the threshold of a low-level Chief God, my strength surged several-fold.
But power without form is like a formula one car without steering wheel. The realm had accepted me as its ruler, but I was far from true ruler of it.
Across the hall, Hecate stepped forward. She bowed slightly and spoke in a tone both respectful and guarded.
"Now, Your Majesty… what is your next move?"
As God of Sin and Secrets, I could feel the truth behind her words, the hesitation buried in her heart, the wariness in her thoughts.
She didn't trust me.
She didn't serve me out of loyalty,
But out of necessity. She had been the caretaker of the Underworld. Her service was duty, not devotion.
But she is right.
Why should she trust a stranger simply because I wears a crown?
I met her eyes and said calmly, "Hecate, from now on, I command you to speak to me as an equal when I am not on the throne."
Her expression faltered.
She hadn't expected that. She, like many, assumed I would be like the kings before me proud, distant, lording over subjects like they were lesser creatures. But I was not Zeus. Nor Poseidon. I did not need hollow worship only understanding.
"Okay… Hades," she replied softly, testing the name on her tongue.
Then, after a pause, she asked again, more directly now, "So what will be your next move? Will you seek the primodial gods… or confront campe?"
I narrowed my eyes.
This was not just a question. It was a test to see what kind of ruler I would become. Would I chase power blindly? Would I confront danger before knowing my realm?
"No," I said. "First, I'll train. Sharpen what I have and what can I become. Learn what this realm is."
In her mind, I felt her noting my reply. She measured every word, every choice perhaps still deciding whether I was worthy of her allegiance.
"So, what is current status of my realm."
"Currently, the Underworld is divided. In the west lies Tartarus, the pit of punishment. But the ones who've held it without a king, are the Ten Dukes. Beasts of ancient birth, sovereigns of their domains. Together, they're known as the Dukes of the underworld."
I asked coldly, "And now that I've ascended… do they recognise me? Or do they see me as a threat to their rule?"
She didn't hesitate.
"Some of them hold power equal to the Cardinal Titans. They have ruled for too long to bow easily. So yes, they will see you as a threat. Not a king."
I nodded.
Then, without another word, I leave the throne and come to training ground.
I remembered nothing of my past life only fragments. But in those fragments lived muscle memory, instinct, knowledge etched into the bones of a warrior.
Martial arts.
The principles remained intact: stance, footwork, centre of balance, force redirection.
But my current body was not the same as before. I was no longer mortal. I was God, and my structure, especially my wings, gave me new leverage, new potential. The old arts had to be reshaped.
I began with the basics.
Punches. Kicks. Breathing. Flow.
Then I moved through human styles: boxing, karate, taekwondo, grappling, testing. I learned how my wings could act as shields, how they could deflect blows like steel, how they could deliver strikes in flight sharp, brutal, silent.
Over three months, I trained in isolation.
Each day I broke and rebuilt, redefined what a warrior meant in this new body.
In time, I created something new a martial style built for mid-air combat, where I could hover, glide, and dive without flapping my wings. This style relied on precision, redirection, and 360-degree awareness. My wings became my third and fourth arms as tools of defence, pressure, and devastation.
But even mastery of movement was not enough.
I needed a weapon.
I tested many: dagger, sword, mace, hammer.
Each had flaws. Daggers lacked reach. Swords restricted my aerial flow. Hammers and maces had raw power, but robbed me of the agility unacceptable in flight.
After countless trials, I found the balance.
A short spear easy to handle in close combat and flight and a chain blade, flexible, dangerous, and unpredictable. Together, they became the extension of my style precision and chaos, reach and fluidity.
But theory is only as good as untill the enemy it faces.
So I left the castle.
I walked alone across the desolate plains near the edge of the western gate. Hecate had spoken of skeletal legions an undead army that roamed this no-man's land.
But the plains were silent.
Dry. Cracked. Lifeless.
Still… I wandered arround, suddenly feel…
My instinct are ringing loudly
Something is here.
I unfurled my wings and conjured a spear of pure shadow cold and humming with divine weight. As it formed in my hand, the ground beneath my feet trembled. The earth cracked.
Bones.
One by one, they rose from beneath skeletal hands clawing from the dust, eyeless sockets staring blankly upward.
I leapt into the air to gain distance but a skeletal grip seized my ankle.
With a casual jerk, I shattered its arm and ascended high above the ground.
What I saw next made even me pause.
The entire plain had shifted what was once barren was now a living sea of the dead.
Thousands of skeletons. Armored. Armed. Forming ranks.
"So this is the welcoming party…"
I dove.
With my spear outstretched, wings spread wide, I plunged into their army like a blade into flesh. The first wave was torn apart. My wings cleaved through bodies like guillotines. Bones shattered, skulls flew, spines snapped. I destroyed half their army in a single charge.
But as I hovered above the field, breathing slowly, something strange happened.
bones… moved.
No, they reassembled.
Bones slithered back to sockets, torsos rejoined limbs, heads snapped into place.
A low laugh rumbled in my chest.
"Now this… this is interesting," I murmured, twirling my chain blade in my hand. "Let's make this game more intresting."
I landed gently among them, cracking my neck to the left… then to the right.
Thousands of skeletons turned toward me, raising shields, spears, and bows. Arrows were nocked. Halberds lowered.
Their eyes empty, soulless locked onto me.
I exhaled slowly and slid into my stance knees low, wings wide, weapons humming with divine energy.
I smiled.
"Alright then," I said, my voice echoing across the plain.
"Let's begin… Round Two."