Hades was made of nothing but bone—he was a literal skeleton. Without his crown, his scepter, and his ornate royal robes, blending in with the lowest-tier cannon fodder skeletons made him practically indistinguishable to the average eye.
Unfortunately, this trick couldn't fool Ethan and his companions.
However, they didn't continue the beating. Their anger had been vented, and since they couldn't actually kill Hades without causing a cosmic incident, they decided to let it slide out of sheer amusement at his pathetic display.
The sprawling army of skeletons flooded the palace; some lunged at Ethan's group, but most scrambled toward the exits. Hades was among the runners. Ethan, Ophis, and Riveal watched with deadpan expressions as the "God of the Dead" fled like a rat, though internally they were howling with laughter. Once the show was over, Ethan cleared the remaining bones with a single pulse of energy, and the trio teleported away.
Once he sensed they were gone, Hades—still buried in a pile of rattling ribs—heaved a sigh of relief and dispelled the magic. He retrieved his crown and robes, restoring his "stately" appearance as the King of the Underworld. After a thorough scan to ensure his subordinates were all unconscious and no one had witnessed his cowardice, he finally relaxed.
Ethan had been precise; not a single life had been taken. Hades couldn't even use this as a political weapon to claim "massacre." Looking at his ruined palace, the god's fury boiled over. He had merely tried to catch Ophis and failed, yet they had kicked in his front door, thrashed him, and nearly demolished his home.
For how many eons had he been spared such humiliation?! Regardless of the facts, he was the King of the Underworld! Did they have no respect for his status?!
He considered slaughtering the remaining Reapers in the palace and framing Ethan's group, but he realized the Underworld needed staff to function. More importantly, he was terrified. The sheer, effortless power they had displayed—being pinned down and toyed with—had broken his spirit.
If he couldn't get revenge himself, he would call for reinforcements. This incident could be spun in his favor. While he had flirted with the edge of the rules, Ethan's group had crossed them by invading his domain.
Hades rushed to his private vault, ignoring his groaning subordinates. He pulled out a communication artifact left by Sakra (Indra) before the latter departed for the Eternal Battlefields. He funneled his dark, death-infused mana into it.
"This mana... Hades? What happened?" A holographic projection of Sakra appeared. "It's not time for our scheduled report."
The high-tier gods at the front lines had left Hades a direct line because the Underworld served as a strategic waypoint. If the Eternal Battlefields fell, the Underworld would be the first line of defense.
"Sakra... Ophis and Great Red attacked me today..." Hades began, layering lie upon lie, painting himself as a victim of unprovoked draconic aggression to bait the stronger gods into doing his dirty work.
While Hades was "tattling," Ethan was leading Ophis and Riveal to find Cao Cao. Though he wasn't sure if Ophis's inability to break through was due to her stolen power, it didn't hurt to check.
Finding the Hero Faction was easy. Ophis, now at the peak of Dragon God status, could sense her own essence through the spatial barriers. After stealing her power, Cao Cao had moved his group to a secluded villa in the outskirts of the Human Realm.
The Human Realm was considered the "weakest" zone, a status quo maintained by all major mythologies. Human geniuses were usually snatched up by gods or turned into devils through the Evil Pieces system. Cao Cao's group consisted of pure-blooded humans who sought to overturn this divine hierarchy.
Ethan stepped up to a modest villa and rang the doorbell.
"Come in," a calm male voice replied.
Ethan pushed the door open. He wasn't worried about an ambush; with Ophis and Riveal at his side, the Hero Faction was nothing but dust. Inside, the Hero Faction was lined up in a defensive formation, looking tense.
The only one relaxed was a black-haired little girl who looked 90% like a younger Ophis. She was lounging on the sofa, feet kicked up, reading a manga. This was Lilith, the manifestation of Ophis's stolen power.
Ethan ignored the warriors, his eyes fixed on Cao Cao. The leader of the heroes looked fully healed and even stronger than three months ago. Unfortunately for him, the gap between him and Ethan had only widened into an unbridgeable chasm.
Ethan's gaze swept over the group—Siegfried and the others. They were all talented, roughly at the level of a High-Class Devil, but compared to a Super Dragon God, they were ants. Ethan, Ophis, and Riveal radiated such overwhelming pressure that no one dared to move.
"It's been a few months, Red Dragon Emperor. You've grown... terrifying," Cao Cao said, breaking the silence.
Ethan gave a casual "finger-heart" gesture. "Just a little bit~"
Cao Cao relaxed slightly. It seemed Ethan wasn't here for a bloodbath. Ophis had actually stopped Ethan from seeking immediate revenge; she viewed her betrayal as a hard lesson learned.
"I believe you're here for... this?" Cao Cao gestured toward Lilith.
"Exactly," Ethan nodded. "We're taking Ophis's power back."
"I won't stop you. It was my mistake to take it," Cao Cao said, sounding strangely relieved.
Ethan was confused. Lilith was the core of their future plans; why give her up so easily? Then he looked at the "little ancestor" on the sofa.
Lilith possessed her own consciousness and Ophis's memories, but her personality was a nightmare. She was a "bratty kid" with the power of a God. Cao Cao couldn't control her, couldn't hurt her, and certainly couldn't reason with her. For the past few months, she had been tormenting the Hero Faction like a bored little demon.
Ethan realized Lilith was likely torturing them on purpose as revenge for Ophis. She viewed Ophis as a sister. Having her "creators" be her victims was her idea of a fun game.