The silver armor that Orpheus wears is the lyra cloth. The reason he possesses this Cloth must be traced back to his first meeting with Hades.
At that time, Hades had just brought Serafall, Gabriel, and Lavinia to the underworld. Afterwards, Hades went to inspect the various hells and happened to pass by this flower garden on his way to the Third Prison.
"I didn't expect this garden to be so beautiful." Hades entered the garden and was captivated by the beautiful sea of flowers. When he had seen it on television before, he hadn't thought much of it, as flowers seemed commonplace everywhere back then.
But after passing through each hell, all he saw was deathly stillness, devoid of any vitality. It was only upon seeing this sea of flowers within the Death-filled underworld that he understood the preciousness of life.
As Hades strolled through the sea of flowers, he was drawn by a beautiful melody being played by Orpheus.
Hades followed the sound and saw Orpheus, dressed in an ancient Greek chiton, sitting beside the petrified statue of Eurydice, playing the lyre for her.
"Are you Orpheus and Eurydice?" Hades stepped forward and asked curiously.
"No, we are Orpheus and Eurydice. May I ask who you are, sir?" Eurydice, standing motionless in place, looked up at Hades and asked.
Hades, wearing a deep crimson robe that covered his body, with gray pauldrons on his shoulders, exuding a kingly aura, said to them:
"I am the master of the underworld, Hades, King of the Underworld."
Ding-ding——!!
Hearing Hades's words, Orpheus's hands abruptly stopped playing, and he looked at Hades with the same shock as Eurydice.
The two of them kept comparing the handsome, long black-haired man before them with the skeletal, bone-only figure they had seen before, completely unable to imagine they were the same person.
"Lord Hades... aren't you..."
"Eurydice!!"
Just as Eurydice was about to voice their shared doubt, Orpheus immediately stopped her. He did not want his beloved to commit the crime of offending a deity.
Hades guessed their confusion and, with a wave of his hand and a smile, said, "You want to ask why I'm not a skeleton, right? Actually, that was just a false body I created using the aura of the underworld and my own power. This is my true form."
"I only recently awakened because that false body died."
Hearing Hades's words, the couple felt their worldview shatter a little. They never imagined the Hades they had always faced was a fake, and his true form was so handsome.
If not for the identical aura he emitted to the Hades they had met before, they wouldn't have believed it.
"Lord Hades, I beg you, please save Eurydice!!" Once Orpheus confirmed Hades was Hades, he rushed before him, hugged his leg, and pleaded pitifully.
Seeing this, Hades quickly helped Orpheus up and said, "Alright, Orpheus, stand up. I know the depth of your love for Eurydice, for you once came to the dark underworld for her sake."
Hades's actions slightly startled Orpheus; he hadn't expected the true Hades to be so approachable and humane.
After speaking, the book of the underworld appeared in Hades's hand. He began flipping through its pages. This book originally belonged to him but was later bestowed upon Lune. Thus, whenever he wished, he could summon the book of the underworld to his hand.
Hades reviewed the information and then looked towards Eurydice, saying:
"I see. Eurydice's current state is somewhat similar to the legend of the 'Gazing Wife Stone.' Ever since you died, Orpheus, Eurydice refused reincarnation, waiting for you in this garden. The pain of longing gradually turned her body to stone."
"Fortunately, you arrived in time. Any later, and Eurydice's head would have turned to stone as well."
"I'm sorry, Eurydice..." Hearing this, Orpheus fell into self-blame, clenching his fists tightly as tears streamed from his eyes.
"Orpheus..." Seeing her lover like that, Eurydice also shed sorrowful tears.
Hades looked at the entry on Orpheus in the book of the underworld, his eyes narrowing slightly. He said to Orpheus, "Orpheus, to see Eurydice, you bypassed the Judgment Hall. This act is no different from a prison break."
"I'm sorry, Lord Hades! I just wanted to see Eurydice so badly! I have offended the laws of the underworld!" Seeing Hades's gaze, fear rose in Orpheus's heart, and he immediately knelt before him.
Hades sighed, closed the book of the underworld, and sent it back to Lune in the First Prison. With full authority, he declared to Orpheus:
"Orpheus, you are dead. You are now a sinner's soul in the underworld. In the name of the master of the underworld, I pronounce your judgment."
"I will accept anything! I beseech you to release Eurydice from her petrification!!" Orpheus continued kneeling before Hades, speaking with utmost piety.
Hades delivered the judgment: "Orpheus, you shall spend your existence in this garden, playing beautiful melodies! Purify the resentment of the souls in the Acheron River who died unjustly or by natural disaster! For every thousand souls you purify, one stone shall fall from Eurydice's body! Only when all stones have fallen from Eurydice may you and she proceed to reincarnation together!"
"Thank you for your mercy, Lord Hades!!" Upon hearing the judgment, tears of emotion welled in Orpheus's eyes, and he kowtowed deeply to Hades.
This was a win-win situation for him. He could play the music he loved, atone for his sins, and help Eurydice break free from petrification to reincarnate. It couldn't be better.
Then, Hades spoke again, "To aid your efficiency, I shall bestow this upon you."
As he spoke, Hades used his infinite deduction ability to materialize the lyra cloth.
Hades opened his palm, and countless stars flew out from it. The stars formed the constellation Lyra in the air, from which a pillar of silver light descended.
A silver box with a lyre relief descended and landed before Orpheus. The appearance of this box left him utterly bewildered.
Just as Orpheus was puzzled, the box unfolded in a cross shape, revealing a silver metal sculpture resembling a lyre to everyone.
"This is...?" Orpheus touched the silver lyre sculpture before him. Even though it was his first time seeing it, the sculpture felt intensely familiar.
Hades stepped forward and said, "It feels familiar, doesn't it? This is the lyra cloth. You could call it the soul of the Lyra constellation. The Lyra constellation was formed when your lyre ascended to the heavens after your Death."
"Wearing this will multiply the power of your melodies."
"The lyra cloth..." Orpheus caressed the lyra cloth, and a resonance occurred between them, causing the Cloth to emit a silvery light.
Then, the lyra cloth flew above Orpheus. With a clang, it disassembled into several components, attaching piece by piece to Orpheus. Afterwards, the lyra cloth transformed into a suit of silver armor adorning Orpheus, and a silver lyre appeared in his hand.
Orpheus looked at the lyra cloth on his body, which seemed to emit a white spiritual aura, with an expression of disbelief. He could feel a powerful energy within him, vast as the Cosmoss—Cosmos.
"The rest is for you to comprehend on your own, Orpheus. Do not forget to play your melodies." Having said that, Hades swished his robe, turned, and left the garden for the next hell.
"Yes, Lord Hades! I will not fail this second chance you have given me!!" Orpheus watched Hades's receding figure and performed a respectful fist-to-chest salute.
"That's wonderful, Eurydice."
"Yes, Orpheus."
The legendary lovers gazed at each other with eyes full of affection. The atmosphere around them made it seem as if the whole world contained only the two of them, filled with a sweet, romantic ambiance.
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