Hades looked at her.

He looked at her warm hands he was holding.

It reminded him of the warmth of his child's hands.

"No."

Hades could no longer destroy the Cosmos.

He had far too many precious people.

As for the world…

He recalled Ultris, and his near-infinite talent.

'The next generation will be better than us. They will be able to find paths we could not.'

Hades was reminded of Ouroboros' words.

Yes, the next generation would be able to find a better way than what Hades had.

He brought back the ashes of his child from the Forbidden Lands and began to set up rituals to revive him.

He called upon the Voraka from the 9th Eon and temporarily fused it with the Voraka of the 10th Eon.

Devil of Womb was remade.

There were a lot more complicated procedures since Hades wanted to reincarnate the child into the 10th Eon as a proper resident.

It would take a long time.

Hades estimated the process would take 10 years.

Throughout that time, Persephone would enter the ritual site daily, and talk with the slumbering soul of the child for hours.

When Hades asked why she was doing that, she said, "I want to become his friend. You know, nowadays children don't share much with their parents. But if I become his buddy mom, I bet he will share everything with me."

"But he can't hear you?" Hades said.

"Stop. He can hear everything."

"He can't. His soul is still asleep—"

Persephone cut him off with a snort. "I'm a woman. So it's obvious I know more about childbirth. Stop trying to tell me what I'm supposed to do."

Was she mimicking the actions of mothers talking to their children while they were still in the womb?

Hades smiled.

'She is really kind.'

'Perhaps that is why she could love a monster like me.'

Hades thought everything would proceed smoothly.

For that, he began to create a "utopia."

It was a planet Earth, a place where he had shifted his underworld too.

He manipulated Fate, making it so that most, if not all, geniuses of the next generation across the Cosmos would be born here.

This way, they would be able to interact with each other since the beginning.

It would make it easier to find a way to save their doomed world.

Hades was beginning to look forward to the future. Soon, his second son would be born and their family would be complete.

Soon, he would have happiness in his grasp.

But Ouroboros returned.

Bloodied, injured, yet prepared to make a final stand and take Hades down with him if needed.

"I don't want to destroy the Cosmos anymore. So return. There is no need for us to battle."

Ouroboros looked at Hades with a smile.

"That's quite a big change. Let me see…"

Ouroboros accessed time to check what was happening, and what he saw made him laugh uncontrollably.

"A family? A monster like you has a family? I guess that's what made you give up on destruction."

"Yes, so—"

"Fuck it."

"…what?"

"I don't care if you have a family, you psychopath bastard. You suddenly have a family and now you are a good guy? What if your family dies? Will you destroy everything in mad rage? What if something else happens?"

"What are you trying to say?"

"I can't leave the fate of the Cosmos in the hands of a fickle person like you."

Hades closed his eyes and exhaled.

He did not want to fight Ouroboros.

Not because Hades could lose, but because he believed someone like Ouroboros, who gave his life to the service of others, should not die here.

But Ouroboros was adamant to fight.

So…

Hades agreed.

And just as they were about to fight, a Dark Age began.

'He' appeared.

The bearer of the Golden Throne.

In an instant, a hand pierced Ouroboros' chest, killing him instantly.

Hades was alerted, shocked that Ouroboros died so easily.

He—

Suddenly, the world paused.

No, it was the memory that paused.

Apollyon looked at Hades and then to the side, at Neo, who was watching this memory.

"That much should be enough, I believe. I have let you watch long enough," Apollyon said.

Neo did not answer him.

He was staring at Hades.

Then, Neo spoke, "The curse you placed was on Father only. You used it because you couldn't kill him. The curse killed his reincarnations before they could get strong, and it sealed their memories until the moment of death, so that he couldn't find a way to break your curse."

Neo continued to speak, "As for the rest of my family, you didn't curse us."

"Correct," Apollyon nodded. "I was going to kill all of you. But Hades managed to tamper with my curse, tying you all into it, and thus saving you all."

Apollyon pulled his hand out of Ouroboros' chest and walked towards Neo.

"Now, it is time I end you too."

"Before that, can you tell me how you are here?"

"I connected your father's fragments in a hidden way. It made it so that once someone checked his memory, the fragments would temporarily align and the entire memory would be shown instead of just a portion."

"Because you wanted to play the memory until you appeared in it?" Neo asked.

"Yes. Through this method, I could catch a person and then find your location through it. But your arrival here is even better. I can kill you directly."

"I see."

"You seem quite calm," Apollyon said, standing in front of Neo.

"Do you remember?" Neo suddenly asked.

"What?"

"I woke you up by mistake the first time."

"Yes, I do remember that. This time too, you met me by mistake and called upon destruction for yourself."

"Not really," Neo smiled. "I learned from my mistakes."

"What—"

Before Apollyon could complete his words, he noticed a sword in Neo's hands.

Severant.

Apollyon's expression became serious.

He moved quickly, trying to kill Neo.

But Neo had already swung the sword.

The memory was cut in half, forcing Neo and Apollyon to be ejected out of it.

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