"From a purely temporal perspective, it doesn't seem like much time has passed."
"But recalling the journey, I feel as if ages have gone by."
With his feet back on solid ground, Heracles felt as if he had been reborn.
Unlike when he left, he now had no rivals left in the human world.
The Giant Lion, Hydra, Sea Serpent, Caucasus Divine Eagle, Sphinx, Ladon — six demon descendants left by Typhon.
Star of Death Omen, Ares — these gods and demons, some orderly, some chaotic.
As he stepped on the earth, infinite power surged into his body, just as Mount Othrys once propped up the Sky from the ground.
Under this invisible blessing, the Great Hero was reminded of the feeling of borrowing divine power.
It was just that his knowledge was still insufficient, so he couldn't measure which was stronger.
"Ender, with this power, I should be able to reach the Spirit World smoothly, right?"
"Who knows? The Underworld is not the human world. There were originally no such powerful laws restricting it… Of course, now it's hard to say."
The puppet's mouth opened and closed, but its voice reached his mind directly through his spirit.
"I can feel that not long ago, a great change occurred on Mount Olympus, with several incredibly terrifying powers colliding."
"At the same time, the order of the human world has also begun to infiltrate the Underworld, but how much effect it will have, we'll only know once we go in…"
"Of course," Ender reminded with a smile, not wanting the other party to stumble again at this point, "While your current power is strong, you must remember that these are all external forces."
"External forces can be relied upon, but not depended on… And for those truly great beings, your current abilities are still far from enough."
"Like the God King?" the Great Hero asked.
"Like the God King."
Nodding, Ender spoke without respect: "If he didn't have that power, he wouldn't be able to sit securely on his throne."
"Alright, let's inquire around here."
"I only know that there is a passage connecting to the Underworld, not the underground world, but I don't know exactly where it is."
"In this wilderness, just find a large lake, and you should easily see Sea Nymphs or Oceanids… Oceanus's ability to have children is unparalleled in the world; even the weeds by the roadside know this."
There weren't many true god-level Oceanids; Heracles knew of over a dozen, and there might be many more obscure ones.
But Regional God-level ones were countless… Not long after, in a jungle about a hundred miles from the coast, the Great Hero found a large lake.
As expected, after he released his powerful aura, the lake water rippled slightly.
Soon, a lightly clad goddess emerged from the water.
"Who are you?"
Very curious, as a Regional God bound to this lake, this was only the second human the Oceanid had ever seen.
"Are you a Golden Human?"
"Or… would you be willing to stay?"
"Stay?"
Heracles was slightly startled by the question, then shook his head.
"I am not a Golden Human, and I do not intend to stay."
"In fact, I'm just here to ask for directions."
"Oh, alright then."
Somewhat disappointed, the Oceanid showed no sense of unfamiliarity despite it being their first meeting.
"Are all you humans like this? Powerful, yet not knowing how to enjoy yourselves, only knowing how to do what you have to do."
"We humans?"
Surprised again, Heracles couldn't help but ask:
"Could it be that before me, Your Excellency has seen other humans as powerful as me?"
It wasn't boastful, but the Great Hero truly hadn't seen any mortals at his current level.
Unexpectedly, the Oceanid nodded again, confirming it with a god's perception.
"Yes, it's just that you give off different feelings."
After a brief thought, the goddess slowly described:
"You give me the feeling of a tall mountain, majestic and weighty, giving a great sense of security."
"He gives me the feeling of a warm sun, shining upon the living beings on the earth. Benefiting those who follow his will, and making those who oppose his will feel blinded."
"It's just that he hasn't made up his mind yet, so he hasn't shined his light upon the world, and you still have your own ties—I can see that."
"So, coming back to it, brave and fearless hero, do you really not consider it?"
"Consider what?"
"Naturally, spending the night with me."
As a matter of course, the Oceanid winked at him, as if Dionysus beside them didn't exist.
"Being able to sleep with an extraordinary human like you, I could boast to my sisters for a hundred years—how about it, won't you really try?"
"Or do you humans have no interest in this… Then your lives are too boring."
…
He left quickly, looking a bit hurried.
Somewhat different from what was recorded in the original myths, perhaps because he was born much earlier and hadn't mingled in human kingdoms, Heracles was clearly somewhat unable to parry the Oceanid's advances.
Without asking further, after inquiring about the Underworld entrance, the Great Hero left the nameless lakeside amidst a burst of clear laughter.
He didn't know what kind of treatment the Golden Human who had once visited here received, but it was probably quite similar.
Following behind, Dionysus was clearly a bit embarrassed.
This was partly because he had been ignored, and partly because what he had just witnessed somewhat affected the lofty image of a god.
Hmm, although many goddesses were indeed like that, and the image of gods in Heracles's eyes was probably no longer lofty…
Muttering to himself, Dionysus couldn't help but casually bring up a topic to quickly move past what had just happened.
"Heracles, are there really humans in this world who can be compared to you?"
"I thought you were already the strongest human in history, and that no one after you could surpass you."
"…Strongest is an overstatement; before time, there is no absolute."
"It's just that Golden Human… I'm not sure what his situation is."
Shaking his head slightly, the Great Hero was indeed very curious about this matter.
He had reached this point due to his own factors, but also due to the opportunities he encountered along the way.
Of course, Heracles wouldn't deny his own abilities because of this; after all, whether it was so-called destiny or bloodline, they were like a person's Wisdom and character, an innate part of them, themselves a component of what makes a person who they are.
There was no meaning in forcibly separating the two, and the Great Hero wouldn't be so pedantic.
But speaking of the Golden Human… Heracles couldn't help but recall the image he had once seen concerning the Goddess of the Magic Web.
Perhaps the person the Oceanid saw was the same person the Lord of the Magic Net spoke of.
…
Heading west, after crossing the third great river and passing five high mountains, at the foot of the sixth mountain, Heracles finally saw the cave leading to the Underworld.
It was bottomless, with faint gusts of cold wind howling.
Not far from the cave, the Great Hero saw a simple shrine with a statue of Hades inside.
However, unlike most statues in the material world, the King of the Underworld's statue had no face, only a rough humanoid shape.
And on the statue, Heracles detected a trace of aura that was contrary to Life.
"What is this?"
"These are Undead."
Prometheus opened his mouth to explain, speaking slowly.
"Skeletons and corpses regaining vitality, acting like living beings."
"They live beneath the earth, love moonlight, and hate sunlight."
"This statue must have been built by some Undead who gained Wisdom and occasionally came to the surface, but compared to humans, their technology is still too crude."
"Undead, huh…"
Silently uttering this word, rarely heard on this continent, Heracleslooked at the cave entrance and leaped down.
There were many ways to the Underworld; some were a gradual journey, some connected from a certain point in the underground world, and some were like this, a direct jump down, reached through endless falling.
The former two had to face potential enemies along the way, who might be tribes living in the underground world, or evil gods hiding within.
The latter, however, directly tested one's personal strength; if one's level was insufficient, it was easy to turn into a puddle of flesh upon landing.
Fortunately, none of these were problems for Heracles… The whooshing sound of wind echoed in his ears.
He didn't know how long had passed, perhaps half a day, perhaps half a month.
As he was about to hit the ground, the Great Hero stepped into the air, slowing his descent with a sonic boom.
Finally, with a 'thump—' he felt the changing rules around him.
The Sky was misty, with only a faint purple moon illuminating the far distance.
The ground was a Dust, and some water sounds came from an unknown source.
He stepped onto an ancient path, artificially paved—perhaps by the Undead—with pomegranate vines climbing on both sides.
Mint grass filled the remaining areas, swaying gently in the wind.
And at the extremes of the ancient path, eternal darkness and night swallowed in silence.
Even a single glance filled one with a sense of awe from the soul.
"Is this… the Underworld?"
His gaze swept around, finding no trace of Undead.
Looking further ahead, in the direction the ancient path extended, Heracles saw a large gate obscured by mist.
The Gate of the Underworld, a portal separating the inside and outside of the netherworld… It was rumored that in front of it, the Hellhound Cerberus, one of Typhon's Sons, personally guarded it.
And behind it, a terrifying Black Knight stood guard, prohibiting any unauthorized entity from passing between here and the human world.
Of course, Heracles didn't think they could stop him, no matter which one it was.
He stepped forward, not drawing his weapon, preparing to be courteous before resorting to force.
He hoped the guardians here weren't like those Sea Nymphs in the human world, prohibiting him from passing through here into the netherworld…
"Hmm?"
After only a few steps, Heracles suddenly stopped.
He didn't know why, but looking at the tall and majestic Gate of the Underworld, he suddenly felt a warning sign.
No, not the Gate of the Underworld, but something else… His gaze shifted downwards, and with the help of the Caucasus Divine Eagle's eye, the Great Hero's vision instantly increased a thousandfold.
The mist, imbued with magic and negative energy, was pierced, and the giant beast hidden behind it entered his sight.
The three-headed demon dog, Hellhound Cerberus, was it him?
He didn't understand why; in the Great Hero's perception, though its strength was extraordinary, it wasn't as powerful as Ladon.
However, on the body of this great demon, Heracles did feel an extremely powerful sense of threat.
It was as if once it erupted, even the impenetrable skin of the Giant Lion wouldn't be able to protect his Life.
Bang—
"…What's wrong? Why did you stop?"
Following closely, with a sound, Dionysus also arrived in the Underworld.
Unlike the Great Hero's keen senses, he felt nothing unusual.
Frowning, Heracles didn't know how to answer Dionysus's question.
Should he respond truthfully? But this was just a feeling he had no evidence for.
And on Hellhound Cerberus, he couldn't find the source of this threat at all…
"Don't look, you won't find it."
"Who?"
His expression changed, and the bronze staff on his back fell into the Great Hero's hand, startling Dionysus beside him.
However, Heracles scanned his surroundings and found nothing.
"Who are you?"
The Great Hero spoke faintly, not believing this was his imagination, nor thinking that the person who spoke was merely trying to play tricks.
As expected, when his voice fell, a voice came again.
"Don't be afraid, hero of the human world."
"Welcome to the Underworld. It's not like the human world here… I just don't know why you've come?"
"Before asking others, perhaps you should introduce yourself."
Unmoved, Heracles slowly spoke.
After a moment of silence, the voice quickly continued.
"Of course, a very cautious human, that's a good quality."
"Since you asked, I'll tell you."
"I am a god from the Spirit World, who was purged for opposing the God King of the human world."
"This ruler, outwardly fair but actually tyrannical, pursued me relentlessly, and eventually I had no choice but to hide here… This is also why you feel a threat from Hellhound Cerberus despite your strength."
"Because it carries the God King's power; it is a weapon used to slay me… Hmm, it might also be used against you."
"No," the Great Hero calmly retorted, "The gods of the God Court want me to come to the Underworld; Hellhound Cerberus has no reason to stop me."
"Hmm, that's true, but have you considered one question?"
The voice from an unknown source spoke faintly again:
"You carry too many demon remnants, all from Typhon's Sons, sharing the same origin as Hellhound Cerberus."
"So, have you thought about how much power it could gain if it devoured you?"
"And at that time, would the God King pursue and kill a powerful enforcer, rare in the world, for the sake of a dead man?"
"Perhaps, perhaps not, but what do you think?"
"…"
Speechless, the Great Hero didn't know the answer to this question.
But no matter what, he certainly didn't have much confidence in it.