Hades's (Orphos's) figure silently dissolved into the earth and, through a hidden node connected to the Underworld, returned to his kingdom without a sound.
Emerging from the shadows, he found himself already within the initially arranged palace of the Underworld.
Beneath his feet was the icy underworld soil, and the air was filled with eternal silence, echoing with the faint laws of the four Styx rivers.
Metis sensed his presence almost immediately upon his appearance and emerged from the inner temple, which was filled with wisdom and the radiance of the Underworld.
She saw the coldness and resolve in Hades's eyes and knew that his journey to Olympus had been far from peaceful.
"You're back." Her voice was calm, with the power to soothe hearts, but also contained the insight a queen should possess. "The breath of Olympus does not seem peaceful."
Hades nodded slightly, took her hand, and led her to the edge of the hall, from where they could observe the partially organized Underworld and the winding Styx rivers below.
He told Metis what he had seen at the banquet, especially the violence after Cronus's awakening, the reactions of the gods, and his 'accidental encounter' and temptation with Iapetus.
When she heard that Iapetus treated souls as toys and collectibles, and mocked the very idea of reincarnation, a flicker of cold disgust appeared in Metis's wise eyes.
"Foolish and shortsighted," she commented, her tone rarely sharp.
"The soul is one of the fundamental fragments that constitute the consciousness of the world, and its potential far exceeds his imagination. To waste such an important force on satisfying low-level collecting habits is blasphemy against the origin of the world."
"Therefore, he cannot continue to hold the [Soul] divinity," Hades's voice was resolute, like the cold iron of the Underworld. "For the sake of [Reincarnation], for the true order of the Underworld, and to remove the stumbling blocks on this path."
Metis was silent for a moment, rapidly deducing the possibilities.
She knew the risk of a forced attack.
It would be tantamount to forcibly tearing the iron curtain ruled by the Titans, inevitably inviting the fiercest counterattack.
"What is your plan?" she finally asked, having decided to unconditionally trust her king and partner.
Hades's gaze fell upon the dark depths of the Underworld, where the power of Tartarus was on the verge of seeping in, filled with whispers of chaos and danger.
"We need an 'accident'," Hades said slowly, his voice low and full of calculation.
"An accident occurring on the edge of the Underworld, caused by Iapetus's own desire to 'explore', and unfortunately being swallowed by the madness of Tartarus."
He elaborated on his idea:
Iapetus had a greedy desire to collect souls, especially those that were powerful, unusual, or ancient.
They could exploit this and create a 'bait'.
Hades could use the power of [Secrecy] and [Forging], combined with materials unique to the Underworld, to create an extremely realistic 'Pseudo-Soul Core', radiating ancient and powerful soul fluctuations.
Place it near a naturally occurring rift at the junction of the Underworld and Tartarus.
Then, through extremely subtle channels—perhaps using Hypnos's subconscious influence on weak nymphs or low-level messengers in their dreams—the news of the 'ancient soul treasure' would 'accidentally' reach Iapetus's ears.
Given Iapetus's character, it was highly likely he would be unable to resist the greed and personally come to the edge of the Underworld to 'hunt for treasure'.
And when he tried to seize the 'Pseudo-Soul Core', Hades and Metis would secretly make their move.
Metis could mobilize the power of the Styx rivers, disrupting Iapetus's emotions and interfering with his perception and spatial mastery.
Hades would use the authority of Hades to subtly twist the underworld soil beneath his feet at the critical moment, inducing a trace of Tartarus's erosive aura, causing him to lose his balance and 'accidentally' fall into the rift connecting to the abyss.
The entire process must leave no direct traces of divine power.
It must appear as if Iapetus himself, driven by greed, stormed in, angered the abyss, and was ultimately consumed by the power of Tartarus.
"This is dangerous," Metis pointed out the key. "The power of Tartarus is uncontrollable; if it is triggered, we could also be harmed. And how can we ensure that Iapetus is completely restrained before falling, and doesn't try to resist and attract attention? The dying counterattack of a Titan would be no small matter."
"Then we need helpers, and we also need a 'witness'," Hades's eyes flashed.
"Thanatos and Hypnos must participate. Thanatos's power of [Death] can suppress the soul activity of Iapetus to the greatest extent. Hypnos will weave a layer of dreamless sleep, causing Iapetus to sink into 'stillness' before the fall."
"As for the 'witness'..." Hades paused, "We need a 'neutral' and sufficiently established being to pass by 'afterwards' and 'accidentally' witness the final scene of Iapetus being consumed by the abyss, and to spread the news of this 'accident'."
"What about Styx? She is in charge of oaths, has a transcendent status, and is your sister. Her testimony would be extremely credible."
Metis pondered, her slender fingers unconsciously tracing patterns in the air, outlining watery trajectories, deducing.
"Styx... She advocates for order and probably doesn't have a good impression of Iapetus's behavior. But asking her to participate in a conspiracy... the risk is considerable. However, if we simply ask her to patrol the edge of the Underworld 'after the incident' and 'accidentally' see the results, it might work. I will try to communicate with her, but without revealing the full plan."
"Enough," Hades nodded. "The key to the plan's success or failure lies in the secrecy and precision of our actions. We must be like assassins in the shadows, striking with one blow and disappearing completely, leaving no trace."
In the following days, the undercurrent of the underworld intensified, and preparations began in full swing.
Hades delved into the dangerous zone at the junction of the Underworld and Tartarus, and by virtue of his authority and resistance to abyssal erosion, he carefully collected underworld ores that were soaked in Tartarus's power but retained a special soul resonance.
Returning to the initially constructed Hades, he mobilized the powers of [Forging], [Knowledge], and [Innovation] and began to create the 'Pseudo-Soul Core'.
This was the most delicate work.
He not only had to imitate the energy fluctuations of an ancient soul, but also had to implant an extremely faint aura of 'temptation' from Tartarus, enough to attract Iapetus without drawing too much attention from other powerful beings.
Metis began to analyze the power of the Styx, especially the Acheron and Cocytus rivers near the target.
She needed precise control to create just the right amount of chaos at the critical moment, interfering with Iapetus without causing an imbalance in the entire Underworld.
At the same time, she sought an opportunity for a seemingly casual encounter with her elder sister Styx.
During the conversation, Metis 'inadvertently' expressed concern about Iapetus's senseless capture of souls and disturbance of the dead's peace in some areas, and 'speculated' that out of greed, he might venture into dangerous boundaries.
Upon hearing this, Styx coldly stated that she would strengthen patrols of the relevant territory to prevent the laws of the Underworld from being desecrated. There were no clear promises, but it was precisely what Hades and Metis needed.
On the other side, Hades summoned Thanatos and Hypnos.
In the very heart of the Temple of Hades, after establishing multiple [Secrecy] barriers, Hades directly revealed part of the plan to the twin gods—he needed their help to make a Titan who had desecrated the essence of the soul disappear 'quietly'.
Thanatos listened in silence, and in those eyes, there was no wave of death, as if cleansing a Titan was no different from extraditing a mortal soul.
He simply nodded in agreement.
Hypnos rubbed his sleepy eyes, and a strange smile appeared at the corner of his mouth: "I will weave a final layer of dreamless gauze, so that he may walk 'steadily'."
Everything was ready.