CHAPTER 288: CHAPTER 46

Greek Universe, the Heart of Cosmos.

The center of the Greek Universe was a place where light and darkness intertwined perfectly, where time and space had first taken form under Nyx’s will.

It was the birthplace of existence itself, where the Primordials had first awakened after Nyx had created them.

Countless aeons ago, this was where creation began, and where the foundations of Olympus and the Underworld were born.

Now, that same sacred place burned with power. Rivers of starlight coursed through the void like living veins and celestial rings of energy spun around a colossal sphere of condensed creation.

Each pulse of the sphere sent ripples across reality itself, making even gods tremble.

In this place, the most ancient beings stood in a circle around it.

Pontus, the Primordial sea that gave birth to the tides.

Aether, the pure air of the heavens.

Hemera, the daylight that banished the night.

Khronos, the infinite time who ruled over all cycles.

Gaia, the Earth-Mother and cradle of life.

Erebus, the shadow that swallowed all beginnings.

Eros, the spark of existence that drove gods and mortals alike.

Even the Fates were there, their threads glowing faintly as they rewove destiny itself to prepare for what was to come.

Hecate, the goddess of magic and guardian of the crossroads, also stood with among them, her staff glowing with mystical light.

Athena, who stood next to Hecate, looked as poised as ever, her eyes sharp as she was controlling the energy conduits that connected every god to the heart of the universe.

And beside them stood Hera and Aphrodite, their divine beauty dimmed by worry.

Hera’s hand was clenched over her chest, her face tight with concern, while Aphrodite’s usual playfulness had vanished, replaced by quiet tension.

Both their eyes were fixed on the same man—Hades, standing at the very center.

He stood tall and composed, dressed in black robe with gold accents that shimmered with faint reflections of countless stars.

His expression was calm, his breathing steady, and his gaze unwavering. He looked more like a force of nature than a god, a being who knew he possessed absolute power and was not afraid of anything.

Just then, the void rippled and darkness gathered like a living storm. Everyone turned their head as before that void, Nyx appeared.

Her arrival was silent, yet every being present felt her presence as if the entire cosmos had bowed its head.

Her gown flowed like the night sky itself, filled with swirling constellations. Every step she took caused ripples in the fabric of existence.

Her gaze lingered on Hades for a long moment, and dspite her stoic expression, there was an almost imperceptible softness in her eyes.

"You’re finally here. We can begin." Said Hades.

At his words, the Primordials, the Fates, Athena, and Hecate all prepared themselves.

"Are you ready?" Nyx asked quietly.

Hades looked up at her, his voice calm and low. "I am."

Just then, Hera took a step forward.

"Be careful, my love," she said, her voice trembling despite her attempt to sound composed.

Aphrodite nodded quickly, forcing a smile.

"Please, come back safely." she said lightly, her eyes were bright with worry.

Hades chuckled faintly. "Don’t worry. The universe has yet to see the end of me."

He turned towards Nyx and gave a firm nod.

Nyx nodded back. "Then let us begin."

She raised her hand, and the void immediately trembled.

A moment later, light erupted from her fingertips, and a golden staircase appeared before them.

It spiraled upward endlessly, stretching far beyond mortal sight, piercing through planes of reality and into the unknown.

Its surface shimmered like divine glass, and every step pulsed with the rhythm of the universe’s heart.

"This staircase," Nyx said, her voice carrying through every layer of existence, "will lead you to the Heart of the Universe. As you ascend, we will gradually bind the universe to your essence, and when you reach the top, you must fuse with the heart and become its core."

Every god felt the weight of those words. To fuse with the heart meant to bear its infinite energy, to feel every particle, every soul, every law and concept of the universe within one’s being.

Hades simply nodded. "Understood."

He took a deep breath, and his aura flared like a burning star.

Then, without another word, he placed his foot on the first step. The staircase hummed, reacting to his touch, as waves of golden energy rippled upward.

Each step he climbed sent vibrations through the cosmos. The stars shifted, the earth trembled, and even the river of souls in the Underworld momentarily stilled.

Below him, Nyx lowered her hand. "Begin the procedure."

Immediately, the Primordials moved.

Aether and Hemera raised their hands, channeling pure energy from the upper realms.

Erebus and Gaia stabilized the foundation.

Khronos unfolded the threads of time, ensuring the process would not tear reality apart.

Pontus and Eros intertwined creation and emotion, weaving stability into the expanding force.

The Fates began spinning new threads, golden, radiant, binding Hades’ soul to the cosmic fabric.

Hecate summoned her triple flames, creating barriers to contain the divine resonance.

Athena guided the energy flow, her eyes glowing with concentrated brilliance as she calculated in real time, adjusting every parameter to perfection.

Nyx stood at the center, her power spreading outward, holding everything together.

Her gaze never left Hades as he continued to climb, his figure becoming smaller, yet his aura ever brighter.

At the foot of the staircase, Hera and Aphrodite watched, their hearts feeling heavy as the god they loved ascended into eternity.

And as the golden light swallowed the void, the universe itself began to change, its rhythm, its pulse, its will, slowly bending toward the man who would soon become its heart.

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As Hades ascended the spiral stairway of creation, the world beneath him seemed to vanish into a sea of white.

Each step groaned like the cracking of ancient mountains, yet the sound came not from stone, but from the fabric of existence itself resisting his ascent.

Then it struck him.

A pressure unlike anything he had ever felt pressed down on his body and soul.

It wasn’t gravity, but it was deeper, older, and even omnipresent. It feels like the concept of everything clawed at him, both infinite in scale and unmeasurable in form.

His lungs burned, not from lack of air, but from the sheer paradox of enduring something that should not be endurable.

He paused, brow furrowing. "What... is this?"

Though his body stood firm, his mind wavered.

It was as if he was carrying a bucket filled with the seas of eternity, yet the handle itself was lined with blades.

He could bear it, yes—but every moment was agony and every breath was a test of will.

Just then, a whisper touched his consciousness.

It was Nyx.

"The weight you feel is the weight of the entire universe," her voice said, calm yet reverent. "This isn’t a physical weight, but a conceptual one. You are carrying the absolute totality of the universe. Every fate, every possible timeline, every layer of reality, every shadow of what could have been. The infinite parallel universe, you must beat it all."

Hades clenched his fists. His expression hardened.

"So, to bear one universe... is to bear them all."

"Correct," Nyx answered, before her tone shifted to one of worry, "Can you handle it?"

Hades laughed, his voice low and defiant. "Are you doubting me, Nyx?"

His purple eyes glimmered like burning coals. "I am the one who reigns beneath all creation. My dominion, the Underworld, bears the weight of every soul, every sin, every forgotten name since time began. And this is no different."

He continued his climb.

The staircase trembled under each step, but he moved with the composure of a god who had already accepted eternity’s cruelty.

Below, the watchers stood silent.

Nyx, Hecate, and Athena gazed upward as the very universe bent around Hades’ will.

The stars dimmed, constellations shuddered, and reality stabilized under his unseen authority.

Athena’s eyes narrowed. "He’s suppressing the conceptual chaos by force alone..."

Hecate’s tone was quiet, yet awed. "He’s binding existence with sheer dominance."

Nyx’s expression turned grave. "Bind the fates, no, bind every thread of reality to him, now!"

The others obeyed without hesitation. Golden lines of destiny stretched toward the stairway like threads drawn to their master.

Hera whispered his name, her tone uncertain.

Aphrodite bit her lip, her usual radiance dimmed by fear.

Meanwhile, Hades’ breaths grew heavy.

His godhood trembled, not from weakness, but from duration. He could bear the weight, yes, but even immortality had limits when facing the endless.

It was like holding one’s arms outstretched, supporting a stack of books.

Even an ordinary person can carry them, yes, but eventually exhaustion will caught up and the will pain grow with every second.

His vision blurred, feeling like the stairs stretched on without end. His legs screamed, and his essence cracked.

But he remembered why he climbed.

He thought of the Author, the being whose whims could erase all of this in a blink.

The one who toyed with gods and mortals alike.

"If I cannot bear this," Hades muttered through clenched teeth, "then I have no right to defy it."

His roar tore through existence.

The void trembled, timelines convulsed. From the beginning to the end of creation, the cry of the Underworld King echoed as he surged upward, breaking through the final barrier.

And then silence.

With one final step, he reached the top.

Before him floated a massive crystalline sphere, spinning with infinite colors, a kaleidoscope of every parallel universe, every possibility, condensed into one.

Hades stood there, chest heaving, covered in sweat and light, and a slow, weary smile spread across his face.

He had reached the top.

He had conquered infinity.