The King of the Underworld is Tired

Chapter 1: The Story of Hades

I thought I had died on Earth in the 21st century, but when I opened my eyes, I found myself in a world full of dreams and hope.

Or so I thought, until I realized I was just lying naked on the ground, rolling around helplessly.

What the heck was going on? As I struggled to comprehend the situation, someone yelled at “us.”

"Brothers and sisters, pick up your weapons and fight! Before our crazy father swallows us up again!"

A blond man wielding a sharp sword was shouting at the people around him.

Scattered on the ground were spears and swords he had thrown down, and the naked weirdos around me quickly started picking them up.

“Thanks, little brother! We almost ended up stuck in our father’s belly forever!”

“Swallowing your own children as soon as they’re born—what kind of father does that?”

A young man with blue hair swung his sword at that so-called "father."

He was recklessly trying to kill his own father, and the others around him were going along with it.

"We won't be swallowed so easily this time!"

"Hyaah!"

The "father," who was staggering as if he were in a drunken stupor, glared at us fiercely.

But how could someone remain unscathed even after being slashed by a sword?

Watching their fight, I realized something was seriously off.

Ignoring the fact that the ground was a mess from their superhuman speed, and the clashing of weapons was creating deafening noise...

"You dare to defy me, Cronos! And Metis, how could you betray me?"

I could clearly see all of the movements in that fight.

Ordinary humans wouldn’t be able to see such a superhuman battle.

In fact, we’d already be dead from the flying debris exploding everywhere.

"Brother in the back, please help us fight! We’re getting overwhelmed!"

"Uwaaah!"

Clang! Clang!

Whether I had reincarnated as a superhuman or some kind of monster, it didn’t seem like this "father" was planning to leave me alone.

As soon as that thought crossed my mind, I grabbed a spear from the ground and threw it with all my strength.

Whoosh—Thud!

"Urgh! You little...!"

"Nice shot, you hit Father’s arm!"

Sorry, Father, but you were attacking me, so I just...

Father hurriedly pulled out the spear lodged in his arm and muttered something.

"Time!"

"Ugh... my body..."

"Do you think we'll give up that easily?"

My entire body started to stiffen.

An invisible energy spread out from Father, distorting the world around us.

But then, as we all resisted with all our might, time, which had been flowing strangely, returned to normal.

Feeling my body return to normal, everyone continued their rebellious actions, and Father, unable to withstand it, flew into the sky and fled.

“Phew... Is it over?”

“We would’ve been in big trouble if it weren’t for the youngest.”

“It’s all thanks to Mother. She gave him a rock instead of me to swallow.”

“Was that you? When that rock fell into his stomach, I thought Father had gone mad.”

After the battle, the exhausted people collapsed onto the ground.

While we were all catching our breath, the blond young man spoke up.

“I am Zeus, the last child Mother bore. What are your names, brothers and sisters?”

“Hmph. I’m called Poseidon.”

“I’m Hera. Thanks to you, we’re all alive. Thank you.”

A man with blue hair introduced himself as Poseidon, and a woman introduced herself as Hera.

Is this... Greek mythology? Then that father from earlier was Cronos?

“Call me Hestia.”

“...I’m Demeter.”

After finishing their introductions, they all looked at me.

And that’s when I realized what I should say.

One of Zeus's six siblings in Greek mythology, the one who rules the underworld...

“Hades.”

That was my name.

* * *

I briefly summarized everything except my past life, making up a story as I went along.

“So what happened next? Please tell me the story of how Lord Zeus became the king of the gods and established Olympus!”

Persephone, the goddess of spring and seeds, was adorably enthusiastic as she looked at me with an eager expression.

But don’t you have any plans to go back? Demeter is probably worried.

“Humph, not for a while! Mom is always overprotective.”

The goddess of spring and seeds had a radiant beauty and a pure divine power that didn’t suit the underworld at all.

Seeing such a cute niece playing in this dark underworld gave me a sense of cognitive dissonance.

Before Demeter gets angry, it’s probably best to send her back...

“I don’t wanna...! I’m not going!”

Dear niece, please have some dignity as a goddess.

Should a goddess who governs one of the four seasons really be acting like this?

Of course, I knew she only acted this way in front of me, her uncle and one of the three chief gods.

If she ever showed this side of herself to humans, she’d probably curse them without a second thought...

I must’ve spoiled her too much when she was younger because she was so cute.

What kind of education did Demeter give her? Alright, alright.

“Hehe. Thank you, Uncle Hades!”

If I keep telling her stories until she gets tired of it, she’ll eventually wear herself out and go back on her own.

* * *

Astonishingly, We Were Gods

And not in a figurative sense—actual gods from the mythological era.

We were the children of Kronos, the god of agriculture and time who ruled the world, and Rhea, the earth mother goddess.

I slightly flexed my legs and jumped into the sky.

It felt like I had become a superhero, like Superman, as my body rapidly soared upward.

The clear and vast sky welcomed me as the air around me hurriedly rushed past.

As I ascended further, I could see the clouds, and I carefully perched atop one of them.

Are you wondering if I was out of breath? Or how I could sit on a cloud?

It’s all thanks to divine power. The supernatural strength that my mother, Rhea, taught me in this life.

The overwhelming power that surged endlessly within me moved with the ease of something I had wielded all my life.

Since we weren’t even human, it was only natural.

"Hades, did you find anything up there? Perhaps one of Father’s spies?"

Poseidon's voice called out from the ground below.

Although I hadn’t found anything, I wanted to savor the view, so I responded casually and looked around.

Soft, fluffy white clouds floated in clusters around me.

Below the sky, a vast forest and river captured my gaze, as if they were a scene from a landscape painting.

This overwhelming sense of omnipotence from observing the mortal world from such a height.

For a moment, I felt as though the whole world belonged to me, and then I lifted my head higher.

Countless stars were asserting their presence amidst the Milky Way in the distance.

As I expanded my field of vision, the densely layered black silk filled my pupils, and a sigh of awe naturally escaped my lips.

Ah... this world.

It is unbelievably beautiful.

* * *

Until then, I hadn’t necessarily felt like I had to fight to the death with the Titan gods, but after seeing the sky, I grew greedy.

I just wanted to live, enjoy, and savor the air in this world for a long time.

For that, the Titan gods were obstacles in my way.

I imagine the other gods must have felt similarly at that time.

“Wow... Indeed, when I look up from Olympus, it is truly beautiful sometimes...”

And so, we fought Father.

I didn’t want to let go of this world that felt as if it were within my grasp.

There were parts of Greek mythology that I didn’t remember, but some parts I did.

For instance, I knew that the Hecatoncheires, the giants with a hundred hands, would join our side.

So, I wasn’t surprised when the war dragged on, and Zeus brought the Cyclopes and the Hecatoncheires to our side.

Though I was quite fascinated when I received the Helm of Invisibility, the Kynee, which could hide me from any god.

Anyway, with the Kynee on, I hid all the weapons of the Titan gods,

“The weapons! They’re gone! This is impossible, who dared to sneak into Mount Othrys?!”

Zeus, wielding a thunderbolt named Astraphe, blinded the Titans with a powerful flash,

“Close your eyes, Hera!”

“Hmph. Why are you telling me this while grabbing my waist?!”

Boom! Flash!

Poseidon wielded his trident, the Triaena (or Trident), causing a magnitude 10.0 earthquake.

“Arghhh!”

“I... I can’t stand!”

With the Titans disarmed and blind, we mercilessly defeated them and won the war.

That should have ushered in an era of peace and glory, but...

“Lord Hades! The god of death, Thanatos, has gone missing, and those destined for the Underworld are no longer arriving!”

“Someone who produces heavenly melodies like Lord Apollo has insisted on meeting with you, Lord Hades...”

“A muscular human, no, a demigod, is beating up the ferryman Charon and heading this way!”

“Lady Demeter has sent a letter demanding that you return Lady Persephone. If you do not comply, she threatens to dry up the earth...”

I never imagined I’d end up as the administrator of a complaint office, dealing with all sorts of crazy troublemakers.

Hearing the commotion outside, Persephone quietly stood up from her seat.

Ah, so you’re planning to slip away quietly before your mother arrives.

"Uh... um... Uncle Hades, it seems you’re quite busy with work, so I’ll just... hehe..."

Go on, and don’t come back.