Chapter 1: The Transcending Youth, The Birth of Consciousness, The New Lord of the Underworld

Eternal chaos.

Endless silence.

Time.

Space.

Fate.

In this chaos, everything seems to be nonexistent.

Yet, amidst this chaos, a barely perceptible speck of light flickers, elusive and enigmatic, like Schrödinger's cat—impossible to definitively observe or quantify.

Suddenly, the chaos splits open, and a meteor-like beam of light descends. The speck of light, sensing something, rushes toward it.

The light and the speck merge perfectly.

At that moment, a giant eye slowly opens within the chaos. Its pitch-black gaze, devoid of any emotion, exudes an aura of boundless majesty. The eye sweeps across the entire chaotic expanse before closing and vanishing.

"Who am I?"

"Where am I?"

"What is this place?"

"This place is... Chaos?"

As these typical questions for someone who has crossed time and space emerge, a consciousness awakens.

Who is he?

He is a youth from the 21st century.

He is the eldest son of the Titan King from Greek mythology.

He is...

The newly born Lord of the Underworld!

Hades!

Who he was before no longer matters. The youth from another world has awakened within the body of the Titan King a consciousness that should never have existed—the consciousness of the Lord of the Underworld. When these two entities merge, they become the new Hades.

He is no longer the youth from the 21st century.

He is no longer merely the Lord of the Underworld.

He is the new Hades.

"In this situation..." Hades murmurs with a sense of helplessness, "Being trapped within the Titan King's body, completely sealed off, unable to wield divine power or manipulate the laws of existence. Even with consciousness, it's no different from my original state."

After assessing his predicament, Hades feels a wave of despair. It seems there is no way out. Even though he has awakened a consciousness within his father, the Titan King, it seems utterly meaningless. Unable to absorb divine power or comprehend the laws of the universe, his growth potential is entirely cut off. Whether he has consciousness or not, it makes no fundamental difference. The only difference is whether he can think and whether he will be driven mad by the endless eons in chaos.

"Could it be..." Hades mutters to himself, "Even with consciousness, avoiding the fate originally destined for me, must I still wait for Zeus's rescue?"

The thought of such a scenario makes Hades' expression incredibly grim.

If he truly has to wait until that time, it will be too late. In Greek mythology, each change of divine rulership is akin to the cosmic cycles in Chinese mythology. When one cycle ends and another begins, the world brims with treasures. But being sealed here, by the time he gets out, won't he still be under the eternal shadow of his overbearing brother, Zeus?

While Hades is lost in various thoughts and musings, in the outer realms of the mythological world, the vast starry sky stands guard, blocking external attacks and ambitions. Suddenly, in this vast expanse, beams of dark purple light begin to flicker, responding to the birth of their master, resonating in unison.

Trapped within the Titan King's body, Hades is pondering how to escape. If he cannot break free, everything will be meaningless. The fate of ruling over the desolate Underworld, as was decreed, will remain unchanged.

"What's happening?"

Hades notices that the chaos suppressing him is gradually loosening. Strands of dark purple divine energy begin to diffuse around him, forming a circular barrier that envelops him completely.

"This is..." Hades contemplates, whispering, "This is divine power emanating from the core of my soul. What is this?"

'Creak... Creak...'

A creepy laughter suddenly echoes in his ears. Hades perceives a vision within his soul—a chorus of eerie, snarling skulls, mere apparitions, maintaining the barrier around him.

After a brief examination, Hades murmurs, "This is a unique divine power connected to my soul. It seems inherently mine. What is this...?"

'Magi Star...'

Hades studies it for a long time, finally understanding its nature. With a quiet utterance of these words, the realization puts his mind at ease.

Following this, Hades embarks on diligent training. While gods are naturally powerful and can grow stronger until they reach their limits, they can also enhance themselves through training—breaking their limits, increasing divine power, understanding universal laws, cultivating faith, and building divine realms, among other things.

Right now, Hades has no faith followers, nor can he build a divine realm. Thus, his priority is absorbing divine power and understanding the laws of existence.

As the Lord of the Underworld, Hades is inherently associated with numerous complex and chaotic laws from birth—death, sleep, dreams, fate, destruction, ruin, pride, and corruption...

And more.

These laws, naturally within his grasp, are too numerous and jumbled to sort out immediately. He must strengthen himself as quickly as possible in the shortest amount of time.

After all, he knows very well that when his brother Poseidon, the future Sea King, is born and swallowed by their father, the chaos will open once more. That will be his only chance to escape. Prolonging it further is pointless.

No matter how much effort he puts in, neither Poseidon's birth nor Zeus's will offer him a chance to surpass their father. Delaying only wastes time.

There will be only one opportunity, and seizing it will be crucial. As for what happens after escaping the chaos within the Titan King's body? That's a concern for later. His instincts tell him that if he can break free from the Titan King's seal, he will find a way to escape.

Why?

He isn't entirely sure, but it doesn't matter. As a god, especially as one of the three divine kings of the Greek pantheon's third generation, trusting his instincts sometimes is beneficial.

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