Perhaps Zeus could fight ten at once, but Hades couldn't. Handling three gods simultaneously was his limit.
The deteriorating situation forced him to do something shameless.
"Hades! Surrender! The gods won't make things difficult for you!" Hera shouted from below the fourth layer. She didn't even believe her own words—if not now, when else would they strike down the Lord of the Underworld?
However, she'd underestimated Hades' ruthlessness. The Lord of the Underworld stood within the fourth layer's barrier, looking down arrogantly at the gods with undisguised contempt in his eyes.
"Hera, look who this is!" Hades gestured behind him. Numerous undead pushed a massive coffin before the gods.
Inside lay a giant over ten meters tall. Clearly the giant had died long ago, yet his body still radiated a bronze luster accompanied by intense, oppressive power.
Several formidable deities sensed the immense force contained within the corpse.
Thea actually recognized this body. Years ago, when she and Hera had wreaked havoc in the Underworld, the young miss had drawn the holy sword in furious anger, shaking the entire Underworld and awakening many of the dead. This corpse had been among the most prominent—the father of Hades, Poseidon, and Zeus, the second-generation god-king, the Titan Kronos.
Back then, Kronos had awakened with extremely limited consciousness, probably less than one percent of his peak, yet had still caused severe damage to the Underworld. Now that Hades had dragged out their father's corpse, what was his plan? Chop him up and make soup? Then distribute bowls to the siblings below?
Hera and Poseidon were equally puzzled. Neither spoke, instead watching coldly to see what Hades was really up to.
Hades didn't keep them guessing long and revealed his answer himself. He produced a sky-blue, unidentifiable substance and waved it at the gods. "I still hold this old bastard's soul. Take one more step forward, and I'll resurrect him. With his body, his soul, plus my authority as Lord of the Underworld, Kronos can be completely resurrected!"
"Do you dare bet on whether the old bastard will deal with you first or come after me?!" Hades now looked disheveled, like a madman.
Watching this scene, Thea clicked her tongue. This tactic of "can't win, so release dad" was quite creative.
In the outside world, father-daughter or father-son reunions would be joyous occasions. However, with the dysfunctional Greek gods, things weren't quite so simple.
Their father showed no kindness—Kronos, fearing his children would overthrow him, swallowed each one as his wife gave birth. Similarly, the children showed no filial piety—Zeus overthrew their father, freed his siblings, then silently dealt a killing blow. The massive hole in Kronos's chest made it clear this was Zeus's work. No one else had the power.
Now Hades, truly desperate, had thrown out a massive bomb: keep attacking me, and I'll resurrect Dad. Today there was no Zeus to hold back Kronos, and this former god-king Titan, filled with rage, could completely crush the gods.
Mount Olympus had taken everything from him, while Hades had at least resurrected him. The Lord of the Underworld was betting on Kronos's attitude and the gods' fear of this Titan god-king.
His ruthlessness indeed shocked the gods. Hera, sharp on details but blind to the big picture, immediately hesitated.
Once Kronos—Gaia's own son—was resurrected, he would inevitably absorb the Underworld's earthly power to restore his divine strength. The Underworld would descend into chaos, but afterward, Mount Olympus would face his vengeance—starting with her, Hera.
Actually, Hera already wanted to retreat, but pride prevented her from saying anything conciliatory. She lowered her head in thought.
Hades watched her tensely, his heart in turmoil. Given a choice, he didn't want to resurrect his father. Resurrecting a god-king of this level required astronomical amounts of divine power.
Even as Lord of the Underworld, borrowing the Underworld's vast power for such a task carried significant risks. And even if successful, given his father's character, who knew if the old man might turn around and devour him?
The card was played. Now it depended on Hera's choice.
Poseidon watched coldly. Kronos was Gaia's son and hated seawater, so among all the gods present, he felt the least pressure.
Hades clutched his father's remnant soul, feeling extremely anxious. Among all present, his pressure was greatest. Seeing Hera unable to make a decision, his heart sank.
Fortunately, someone finally spoke up to advise Hera.
"Retreat, Hera." A woman dressed in shorts and a T-shirt, modern attire completely out of place, emerged from the void with an owl perched on her shoulder and a baby in her arms.
Her sudden appearance shocked all parties.
"Who's that woman?" Flash asked Kara beside him. This modern outfit among all the ancient armor-clad figures was jarring—impossible not to notice.
Though usually scattered, Kara had excellent Kryptonian memory. She tapped her chin thoughtfully. "I think she's Diana's former employer, but I remember Thea saying the baby she's carrying is Zeus's..."
Such complicated relationships made Supergirl's brow furrow. Flash was equally confused and decided to just enjoy the spectacle.
Without divinity, they could only watch from the sidelines, but the gods present recognized the woman's true identity.
"Athena!" Several deities shouted simultaneously.
Indeed, this woman who'd suddenly appeared holding a baby was the origin of everything a year ago—Diana's former employer, Miss Zola. Of course, now that her divine soul had awakened, those twenty-plus years as Zola were nothing compared to Athena's vast past, directly assimilated away.
That day, it was precisely because of her and Hermes's respective schemes that Diana got pulled into this vortex. Unfortunately, the young miss had interfered repeatedly, leaving no trace of the original plan. Hermes was severely injured and imprisoned by the gods, while Athena had long retreated to the rear lines to have her baby, sitting helplessly as events developed to this bizarre state.
She'd silently given birth to Zeus's backup body, but facing the complex situation, even the goddess of wisdom was bewildered. How exactly had things developed to this point?
She had originally been hiding in the shadows, analyzing causes and effects, trying to redirect events toward her desired outcome.
Unfortunately, Hades' desperate gambit completely disrupted her plans. If Kronos was resurrected, everyone would suffer. Hera thought herself the primary target, but actually Zeus bore the greatest hatred.
Zeus's main body was currently sleeping, training a backup—this was his most vulnerable moment. The gods couldn't find his hiding place, but the second-generation god-king Kronos could.
When facing his utterly defenseless son Zeus, would Kronos braise him or steam him?