Chapter 88: A Surprise Assault on Hades, Lord of the Underworld

It is common knowledge that, to enter the Underworld in the flesh, there is only one way besides awakening the Eighth Sense: one must receive the special permission of the Lord of the Dead.

And Lyra’s Orpheus happened to have received that permission, even wearing his sacred armor into the Underworld to perform before the god of death.

Clad in flawless silver armor, with blue hair, graceful bearing, and striking features, he was the very image of a born musician.

"Orpheus, this is Balendin of the Wailing Star. He has come to challenge you."

Pharaoh of the Beast Star looked down on Orpheus from the start, and having long since toyed with him at will, he held him in utter contempt.

Orpheus had no interest in such a senseless challenge. Turning away, he said, "I play only for those who know how to listen."

In other words, everything else was beneath notice.

Pharaoh was annoyed, feeling as though those words had been aimed at him, and he snapped at once, "That is not for you to decide!"

He plucked the strings, and the demon instrument unleashed a soul-shaking melody, warping the surroundings as though reality itself were twisting.

And the target of that melody was none other than Lyra’s Orpheus.

With his eyes closed, Orpheus gently touched the strings, and between his fingers there flowed a wondrous passage of music, beautiful enough to pierce the heart with dread.

The power of that music was gentle, yet fiercely destructive; before his opponent even realized it, it shattered the mind and stripped away all will to resist.

Both men were masters of music. Their two melodies intertwined, yet remained distinct, influencing one another like a duet.

Caught within them, Feng Zhe had no choice but to ignite his cosmos, and from his lips there rose a marvelous song.

The voice of Balendin of the Wailing Star was deeply seductive, and at once it tangled with the other two melodies.

The flowers around them seemed to dance in the air at that moment, blossoms opening and falling in a shower across the sky, a scene of exquisite beauty.

Crack!

The first to give way was Pharaoh of the Beast Star. His strings snapped, and he coughed up blood as his sacred armor shattered to pieces.

Then, a thread of flame rode the song straight into Pharaoh’s body, igniting him at once.

He cried out in agony. "This is absolutely not something that should exist in the Underworld! No!"

With a final scream, Pharaoh of the Beast Star was reduced to ashes.

At that point, Balendin and Orpheus both ceased their singing and their music. Orpheus stared at him in astonishment, as if seeking confirmation of something.

"Who are you, really? Why do you possess the holy fire of Mount Olympus?"

Balendin gave a faint laugh and said, "Because your lover Eurydice died by accident, you sought to revive her with the power of the Lord of the Dead. That is no different from betrayal."

"No! I did not betray the Sanctuary. I only..."

The moment Orpheus heard the name of his beloved Eurydice, he panicked. His face turned ghastly in an instant.

"Then are you still Athena's Saint?"

That question nearly made Orpheus lose his footing. He looked into the distance, and the feelings he could never let go surged up within him once more.

Feng Zhe let out a quiet sigh. It seemed that unless this matter was resolved, Orpheus would never turn back.

In a flash, Balendin appeared at the far end of the garden, where there stood a very special figure.

The upper half was the beautiful form of a少女, while the lower half was a stone statue.

Balendin raised his hand, about to destroy it completely. The girl flinched in fear, but then tears began to fall from her eyes, and for her, such an end would no doubt be a release.

That girl was none other than Orpheus's beloved Eurydice.

"Stop! Don't hurt her!"

Orpheus stood before his lover and spread his arms wide, taking up a posture of protection.

Feng Zhe sighed. In the end, he did not strike. Instead, his fingers flickered, releasing a strange force that coiled around Eurydice.

"This is... corpse gas!"

With a wave of Balendin's fingers, Eurydice's soul was instantly drawn out from the stone body.

The moment her soul emerged, the statue crumbled entirely into dust.

And Eurydice's soul was terribly fragile, as though a single breeze could scatter it.

"The Lord of the Dead never intended to let you leave!"

Seeing Eurydice in that state, Orpheus understood everything at once.

At the sight before him, Eurydice could not possibly leave the Underworld alive.

Orpheus was undoubtedly in agony, while Eurydice, having gained freedom, seemed to have found release at last.

The two lovers clung to one another unwillingly, speaking their final words of farewell, and Feng Zhe could not help but feel a pang of sorrow at the sight.

Only after an entire hour had passed did Eurydice finally vanish completely. Orpheus collapsed to the ground and wept bitterly.

After a long while, he slowly recovered from the pain, then looked to Feng Zhe and said, "Thank you. What do you want me to do?"

"I need to enter the Fourth Circle and assassinate the Lord of the Dead!"

The only one who might have a chance of seeing the Lord of the Dead at any moment was probably Orpheus.

"All right!"

Orpheus agreed at once, without the slightest hesitation.

Then the two of them pressed onward.

...

Several days later

At the entrance of the great palace in the Fourth Circle, Feng Zhe did not see Saga. The Underworld warriors guarding the place, seeing that it was Orpheus, did not stop them either.

So the two of them went inside.

The immense and empty palace was pitch-black everywhere, making it impossible to see anything clearly.

Within the darkness, a majestic cosmos descended there, accompanied by the three great lords of the Underworld.

Feng Zhe tightened inwardly. He remembered very well that Radamanthys was utterly tone-deaf, completely unable to understand music, and even hated it.

And precisely because of that, the plan in the original story had failed. Just as he was wondering what to do, Radamanthys spoke.

"Balendin, why are you here?"

Balendin sighed. "Lord Radamanthys, I have received intelligence that the Sanctuary has secretly sent people to infiltrate the Underworld. The Heavenly Star, the Heavenly Hero Star, and the Beast Star are already dead!"

"What!"

Radamanthys looked shocked. Beside him, Minos nodded. "We have just received word that Lune of the Heavenly Hero Star was assassinated, but..."

At once, Radamanthys flared with anger. "I'll see which fool is courting death!"

The moment Radamanthys left, Feng Zhe finally relaxed. Throughout it all, the Lord of the Dead had shown not the slightest reaction, merely waiting quietly for Orpheus's performance.

Sure enough, once Orpheus composed himself, he began to play.

The tense atmosphere began to ease under his music. Feng Zhe felt himself unconsciously relaxing, as though basking in the warmth of sunlight and drifting into a sweet dream.

This was not music that should exist among mortals. It was as though it had been brought by the gods themselves.

Before long, the Lord of the Dead and the other two great lords had fallen asleep, lulled by the music.

This was the greatest mystery of Lyra.

Death Trip Serenade!

This music could lull all things in the universe into slumber, and bring the time of the cosmos to a standstill, gods included.

Those struck by it would not even know what had happened. It was a power far beyond the Gold Saints.

And then, at that moment, Orpheus changed his fingers. The crucial instant had arrived.

As his fingers moved across the strings, Lyra’s ultimate technique was finally played.

String-Cutting Finale!

Countless notes instantly turned into countless strands, binding the Lord of the Dead at once before tearing him apart.

The whole process was unbelievably swift, happening in the blink of an eye.

Just as Orpheus thought the ambush had succeeded, a longsword shot straight through his chest.

Orpheus stared in disbelief at the sword in his chest, then saw clearly who had appeared before him.

It was the Lord of the Dead, Hades, whom he had just torn to pieces!