The Sword Emperor Transmigrates-Chapter 276

“He is a great, mighty being, but it is curious how he is almost like a ragdoll. He is a monstrosity born from the remains and scraps of dead gods. Quite interesting.”

“I don’t think this is really the time to just sit around and make observations. Only his hand has slipped through, but I already sense that he has the power of a True God. If he intends to give us a serious fight, at least half of us will die.”

Other than Wade and Nicholas, who were still recovering from their injuries in a safer place, the Demigods talked over each other as they tried to process what was going on.

They were exhausted, having used up much of their energy in their fights with the Named, and now they were facing something much, much bigger. Even those trying to act normal and make casual conversation were clearly nervous. After all, they were talking about the master of the Demonic Realm. Even if they were to go up against his hand alone, all six of them would have to be ready to risk their lives.

Fortunately, though, there was no need for that.

“Do not be so grave. Have you forgotten about me?”

Hades appeared before them and turned to glare at Crom Dubh, who was trying to invade his Divine Territory. He held out his right hand, and a two-pronged spear formed under his palm.

“This is but a poor imitation of the original... but I suppose I have no other options.”

It was the king of the dead’s bident.

The divine weapon was just as powerful as Zeus’s Astrape and Poseidon’s Triaina. Though the original one had been destroyed long ago, with the amount of divine power he’d recovered, Hades could now create a replica of it. And that being said, it was still a weapon of a principal god. With that, he’d be able to channel at least a third of the destructive power his Underworld had once had.

“How dare you try to run amok my territory, you wretch?!” he roared, aiming his bident at the creature.

The weapon channeled all the power of the Divine Territory, attacking Crom Dubh with the power of death.

Not even gods could escape death. It was the great leveler that came for all. The mere sight of it shook Crom Dubh in his very soul, and the Great Demon’s hand began to necrotize, his skin rotting away.

Crack...! Craaaaack...!

But as soon as his flesh and bone rotted to the core, they would regenerate.

Even though he had to strain himself to reach across dimensions, Crom Dubh was able to withstand Hades’ attack with his sheer power.

The Hades of the ancient era would have had no problem toppling the monster even if his full form appeared. He had been the overseer of Tartarus, where the greatest criminals and enemies of Olympus were imprisoned, and had come to earn that authority because he could still contain prisoners such as Kronos, even in the one-in-a-million chance that they escaped. A mutant monstrosity such as Crom Dubh wouldn’t have stood a chance.

But alas, those days were past.

“Tsk. If I keep using this method, it will take another ten minutes,” he muttered, irritated as he thought about the power he’d lost. He lowered his bident.

He had finally reclaimed his throne as the king of the netherworld. It wouldn’t do to let others see that he was struggling against such a lowly entity. He’d also recovered much more power thanks to these humans, so he had to figure out a way to expel the monster in one go, even if it wasn’t optimal.

“Leave—this—place!”

He raised his bident once more and threw it like Zeus would throw his thunderbolt.

It pierced through Crom Dubh’s hand. And this time, he couldn’t withstand the attack.

Death did not care about one’s physical abilities and defenses.

The divine authority concentrated inside the spear began to spill out, burrowing into Crom Dubh’s actual body on the other side of the dimensional wall. In the same way that Yama, the King of Hell in Buddhism, could sentence souls based on their karma, the King of the Underworld pronounced Crom Dubh’s inescapable fate.

■■■■■■■■■———!!!!

Though neither his throat nor lips had crossed through, his furious roar crossed through dimensions and shook the ground.

The Demigods sensed the deep malice in the sound. It made them freeze up.

Crom Dubh had made a promise to crush them, tear them apart, kill them, and then desecrate their corpses. The evil god’s voice was imbued with boundless enmity. Pure, simple hatred. There would be no room for negotiation or even conversation. The only way the Middle Realm would survive was if they defeated him.

“Silence! You’re whining like a child!”

Unconcerned about the difference in their power, Hades closed his hand into a fist, and the bident buried in Crom Dubh’s hand exploded.

The blast was more than enough to expel his single hand from this dimension.

Crom Dubh let out one last ominous, ghostly wail, his fingers slipping back into the otherworldly dimension. Despite his dramatic entrance, his exit went eerily smooth.

But Simon Magus seemed even more unsettled now.

“...Heavens, he got us.”

As Hades and the others turned to stare at him, he hesitated a little before he told them what he’d discovered with his magic.

“His goal was never to fight Hades or to kill us. I am quite sure it was to stop more of his influence in the Demonic Realm from being stolen.”

“But he failed, didn’t he?” Grace said.

Simon shook his head solemnly. “He did not. That is why I brought it up. He has stirred ripples in the water, sending an order all across the Demonic Realm. I could not fully understand all that he said, but I have an idea.”

“And what would that be?”

“To isolate themselves. To prioritize their survival over attacking us, to preserve their numbers and their power so that it’s enough to cause a dimensional disruption to allow the Outer Gods through.”

Simon pressed at his temples. He would have gladly risked his life to attack Crom Dubh, but the difference in their power was immeasurable. Even with the power Hades had bestowed him, he wouldn’t land a scratch on the monster.

“—It has begun.”

And then, they saw why Crom Dubh had been willing to be wounded to reach into their dimension.

***

The ground rumbled. Something around them had shifted.

This was a calamity.

After the army had slaughtered the Demoniacs, Hades had been able to expand his Divine Territory and his influence to capture nearly forty percent of the netherworld, but Crom Dubh still had dominion over most of the realm. Sure, the death of eleven Royal Demoniacs and tens of thousands of noble and commoner Demoniacs was a huge loss, but the Demonic Realm was vast. The army they’d slaughtered had only made up a fraction of the full population.

So, Crom Dubh had ordered Hades’ Divine Territory to be cut off from the rest of the netherworld. And of course, the god immediately noticed what had happened.

“How dare he try to separate me from my kingdom! That filthy little...” he spat, his voice filled with rage. He turned to glare across the horizon. “We’ve been had. Crom Dubh still rules most of the netherworld, and I cannot break through the restrictions he’s placed with the current state of my Divine Territory. No—even if I should attempt to do so, I would have to wait until they weaken enough.”

Crom Dubh still had more influence, so Hades couldn’t override his orders. However, since he had retreated to his own dimension, the binds would weaken over time until they lifted. They were lucky it wasn’t permanent, but now, they couldn’t completely block the Outer Gods from coming through.

“...The situation isn’t ideal, but it is more than we can hope for,” Wade said when he finally joined them, his body still ragged.

“Well, it was very unlikely we were going to prevent the Outer God invasion before it began. They’re not idiots.”

“Crom Dubh has already lost much of his influence to Hades, and he has likely used up over half his energy to quarantine his Divine Territory. Let us take that as a victory.”

The others agreed and said nothing more.

Now that Crom Dubh had been forced to retreat with his injuries, they no longer had to worry about him attacking or ambushing them, so they could save their energy and focus their efforts on preparing for the disaster to come.

“Three years,” Hades estimated after testing his new restrictions a few times. “Not even he can lift these binds before three years pass, but he has also made it so that no external force can affect my territory or its constraints. But the moment that time is up, he will come.”

“Is that an estimate?”

“Three years, give or take a few days. I will be able to tell, so you do not need to concern yourselves. You should return to the Middle Realm and begin your preparations. When living beings remain in my Divine Territory for too long, they will begin to deteriorate. Perhaps, as Demigods, you yourselves will be fine, but it will not be so with your subordinates.”

After giving his warning, Hades paused.

“Oh, and if it interests you, I am able to preserve the souls and egos of your men who have passed away in battle within my Divine Territory. Since this is where the battle will take place, perhaps that would be wise.”

Unlike Crom Dubh’s twisted and chaotic Demonic Realm, Hades’ Underworld was a place of respite for the dead. They could regain their bodies and do as they’d done while they were alive. If it weren’t for the oath he’d sworn on the River Styx, Hades likely would have taken them as their subjects without even asking.

Simon, who was keenly aware of this, narrowed his eyes before turning to the Knights of Cardenas. “What do you all think? I do not believe Hades would disrespect the dead or treat them as playthings, and it could be helpful to have support troops, as long as that is what they wish.”

“Couldn’t Cruella do the same thing?” Demian suggested. “She already has authority over them as a leader.”

Cruella looked up.

“Oh, that wouldn’t be possible,” she said simply. “You’re trying to compare a mage to a god. Hades would make them into genuine subjects of the Underworld, while all I can do with necromancy is use their corpses to make them into fragile Undead. It would be pointless.”

“Is that so...”

“Besides, they’d be far weaker and fewer in comparison to Hades taking in their souls. Even if I could create that many Undead, I would refuse. It’s completely inefficient.”

Cruella could only summon a single Demigod Tier master at a time, and for a short period at that. But Hades had no such limitations. The dead would be able to fight the same way they’d fought while alive. There was no reason for her to do something that he could do much better.

The knight commanders held a brief discussion, but it didn’t take long for them to come to a unanimous conclusion.

This 𝓬ontent is taken from freeweɓnovel.cѳm.

“We will allow this,” Wade said. “But only until the final battle. Then, you must respect their decision on whether they would like to remain as your subjects or to pass on to the next world.”

“To think that you are trying to negotiate with me about death. In the ancient days, I never would have forgiven such a trespass,” Hades said disapprovingly. Still, he was bound by his oath. He nodded. “Tsk, fine. I accept.”

As soon as they reached an agreement, the troops that had fallen in battle returned. Those whose bodies had been ripped apart were reborn from scratch, and those who were mostly intact had their wounds close up, their hearts beating again. As long as they didn’t step out of Hades’ Divine Territory, it was basically like they were still alive.

Some rejected the option to stay and fight, and they were granted their eternal sleep. However, the vast majority chose to become subjects of the Underworld.

Especially the Knights of Cardenas. Every single one of them chose to stay.

“It has always been my desire to die on the battlefield, but I cannot in good conscience put down my sword just yet.”

“I don’t care about dying, but it has to be at the hands of a worthy opponent! I’d much rather be killed by an Outer God or a Royal Demoniac, not the small fries that took me out! They didn’t deserve that honor!”

“How could I possibly sit out when the fate of the world is at risk? If I decided to move on now, my late father would kill me again!”

Leonard couldn’t help but laugh at that. The return of the knights was a welcome sight, especially because it would be impossible to train replacements within a mere three years.

Though they’d fought a good fight, they’d been far outnumbered. Despite their overwhelming victory, hundreds of them had fallen during the battle’s utter pandemonium. Every warrior was worth their weight in gold, and it was a miracle that most weren’t truly gone yet.

Three years was not a long time to prepare for the end of the world. A newborn would barely learn to walk by then, and it simply wasn’t possible to train hundreds of knights to reach the peak of the Transcendence Tier in that time.

...And I know what I have to do in the next three years too.

Quietly, without anyone noticing, Leonard told Ancestor Cardenas about his intentions.

“The last of my divine power, yes?” she said warmly. “Of course. As long as I can be of assistance, I will do anything you ask.

Thank you.

The two swordsmen, the dawn and dusk of the House of Cardenas, understood each other perfectly.