CHAPTER 298: CHAPTER 56

The atmosphere within Nox, the newly ascendant capital of the Underworld, was thick with a power no structure had ever been meant to contain.

The Gods of both Norse and Greek Pantheon; Zeus, Odin, Hel, Freya, Poseidon, Metis, and some other important gods, sat before Hades, discussing their next plan; the joining of the Egyptian and Christian Pantheon.

As for why this meeting was held in the underworld, well, it is because with Hades becoming the heart of both Norse and Greek, the underworld pretty much became the center of the Hyperverse.

The merging of the Norse and Greek pantheons, anchored by Hades’ impossible existence, had not merely combined their domains, but it had birthed a cosmic engine, and the Underworld had become its central, throbbing heart.

The transformation was absolute and even inevitable, with the realm of the dead being no longer a bleak periphery, but the Hyperverse’s supreme gravitational point.

The sheer, relentless flood of divine energy of nigh infinite potency, formed from the formation of the Hyperverse had all converged upon Hades’ domain.

It was as if the Hyperverse acted as a colossal, self-feeding power plant, and the Underworld was its tireless core.

This constant, stabilizing influx of pure energy rendered Hades’ domain the single most dimensionally stable location in the newly formed reality, a fortress impervious to the external tremors of the cosmos.

This energy didn’t just pool, but it refined itself.

Greek Ichor and Norse Aether filtered through the ancient soil, coalescing in the deep chasms into hyper-concentrated structures of crystallized, raw divine matter.

These crystalline veins ran like luminous rivers beneath the Underworld, instantly elevating its materials to a quality fit for crafting the most powerful artifacts and weapons the Hyperverse could ever produce.

It made the Underworld, quite literally, the richest and most resource-intensive realm in existence and symbolised Hades’ status as the God of Wealth.

Crucially, the Underworld became the Hyperverse’s infrastructural hub.

The traditional gates and boundaries expanded and warped into the primary Gates of Nexus.

If a Valkyrie wished to fly from Asgard to Olympus, or if a hero’s soul from Greece wanted to enter the Nordic Helheim, the journey had to be routed through specific, designated pathways within the Underworld.

This structural necessity handed Hades an absolute, unassailable monopoly over all interstellar and inter-pantheon movement.

Every god, every entity, every ounce of commerce required the tacit permission of the Lord of the Dead to traverse the vast new reality.

And even Hades’ own transformation was internal and profound.

By housing the Hyperverse’s heart, he had become the Cosmic Anchor, and his presence alone guaranteed the stability of the entire reality.

This linkage provided him with a non-combat leverage that instantly surpassed the brute strength of even the newly augmented Zeus or Odin, as challenging Hades was now synonymous with risking the collapse of the very cosmos they inhabited.

Within his domain, his command over the fundamental rules of physics, entropy, and rebirth was absolute.

This was reflected in the accelerated divine evolution across his realm.

Not only had his children Nekyria, Eros, Mageus, and Ilithyia matured, but every inhabitant—from the Furies and Thanatos down to the river-crossing ferryman Charon—was experiencing an exponential power growth.

Hades now commanded the single fastest-evolving, most formidable standing army the Hyperverse possessed, continuously strengthened by the core energy of their environment.

The Underworld was no longer merely ruling the dead; it was generating and refining power on an industrial, cosmic scale.

Now, as for the reason why the two Pantheon have decided to have meeting, well, it is because Ra’s desperate plea for merger arrived, delivered not through a messenger but through the refined sensory network Hades now possessed.

He actually has a constant monitor system observing the void outside the Hyperverse in case of any outer ones decided to attack, which would allow them to prepare in advance.

Using those monitor system, Hades actually found out that he is able to observe and interact with Universes who wishes to contact him, regardless of distance.

And while he was communicating with Ra, he had informed him of the news of the Christian Pantheon’s civil war, which had worried the God King of Egypt who thinks that they might get dragged into it, using that to urge Hades to approve of them joining the Hyperverse quickly.

Now, at this moment, Hades stood silently in the great hall of his fortress, the new sovereign heart of creation.

His wives—Hecate, Hera, and Aphrodite—still encircled him, their initial worry replaced by awe at the sheer, terrifying majesty radiating from their husband.

The other gods, still grappling with the impossible sight of Nyx’s transcendent form, watched Hades for a reaction.

Nyx, still maintaining her existence on a higher dimensional plane, smiled faintly down upon the assembled gods.

"Well then, Gods," her voice resonated gently in their minds, "What do you think? Ra have been urging us to allow him to join quickly, fearing his pantheon might be dragged into war if they wait for too long."

The gods stared at each other, before offering their own opinion.

"I say we agree." Said Hel, "The benefits of just the Norse and Greek is already way too much, imagine if the Egyptian joined in."

"I don’t think that’s a good idea," Freya shook her head, "The Christian is, after all, connected to the Egyptian Pantheon. If the Egyptian joined us before the Christian solved their war, the rest of us might be dragged into war as well."

"Not to mention Egyptian can’t really provide us with too much benefits," said Metis, "They have been completely sucked dry by the Christian Pantheon."

"Yes, that’s why I believe it is far more beneficial to find another universe to join us." Said Poseidon, "Like the Aztecs."

"But if we wait, the Egyptian might be destroyed. They already expressed their willingness to join, so it won’t take long to have them become part of the Hyperverse, then we can find another universe." Said Hera, standing beside Hades to face the gods of both pantheon.

"I agree." Said Hecate, "If we find another universe first, before we can convince, the Egyptians might be dragged into war. Who knows what could happen then?"

The arguments suddenly got heated, with one side wanting to immediately assimilate the Egyptians, while the other wanting to first find other, more useful universe to assimilate.

"Enough." Hades stated, and the hall immediately went silent.

He then extended his hand, and a globe of coalesced energy, shimmering with the infinite potential of the Hyperverse’s core, formed above his palm.

"Ra’s universe is a spent coin," Hades stated, his voice calm, deep, and carrying the unshakable weight of his new role. "Its energy has been bled dry by the Christian God. It represents no threat, only resource acquisition. We will assimilate the Egyptian Pantheon, bringing the Sun and the Duat into our architecture, but their integration must be swift and absolute."

His gaze sharpened, and he turned to the Greek and Norse leaders. "The instability in the Christian Pantheon, however, is a cancer. A full-scale war in an adjacent universe, especially one fueled by the power of a fallen Seraph, threatens to cause irreparable dimensional tears. If their war collapses their reality, the resulting cosmic shrapnel will affect the Egyptians. We cannot allow that infection to spread."

Zeus, though humbled by Hades and the sheer power of the Underworld, felt the need to voice his traditional warrior instinct. "Then we strike! We send the full force of the Hyperverse’s legions—Asgard and Olympus combined—to suppress this rebellion and annex their realm. We end this ’Satan’ before he becomes a true universal threat!"

"No." It was who refused, as she shook her head, the gesture final. "That is the old way, a waste of our newfound power. Their war is internal; any direct military intervention risks uniting them against us, or worse, drawing a response from their Creator, Yahweh, should he deemed us as threats."

Although she believes she can handle Yahweh, and even if she couldn’t, Hades surely can, but it is much preferable to actually avoid a fight.

She then looked directly at Odin, seeking council from a fellow strategist. "Odin, your knowledge of cosmic warfare is unrivaled. What is the most efficient means to stop a self-destructive civil war without direct invasion?"

Odin stroked his beard, his singular eye gleaming with profound thought. "That is simple, send aid to the one we wanted to support and have them suppress the other we don’t support. However, there should be no need for this, we can just wait."

Nyx blinked, confused, before she smiled, the barest upturn of her lips, as if realizing what he meant. "That’s right, I forgot. Yahweh himself is a very powerful entity. He can easily supress this civil war if He wanted to."

"But why didn’t he?"

Hades pondered their words for a moment, before he looked at his wives, his generals, and the stunned pantheons.

"Perhaps he wanted this war to happen." Said Hades, as everyone stared at him, "If Yahweh is the sole god of his universe, He should also be the one to observe and see the fates and destiny of his own universe. Which means this civil war should also be within his expectations. If He did not stop this war, it means he wanted this to happen."

The gods, upon hearing his analysis, began to ponder his words, and they realised.... that’s right.

If you knew something was going to happen, and you did not try and stop it from happening, it means you wanted it to happen.

"If this war is truly within his expectations, then there is no need to worry." Said Hades, sitting up straight as he stared at every god in the hall, "Prepare yourselves. We will assimilate the Egyptians, does anyone have objections?"

Silence.

No one has any objections.

He stood up from his throne and declared, "I will personally head to Egyptian Pantheon, while Hecate, Metis, Freya, Hel, Odin, the five of you prepare for the assimilation of another pantheon."

Everyone nodded, following his orders.

This made everyone else realize; Hades has truly become the ruler of this reality.