Greece: I am Zeus!

Chapter 277 Go, go, go and bestow peace and rest

Hades paused for a moment, then said solemnly, “You must now immediately travel to the Three Realms and bring ‘the peace of death’ and ‘the tranquility of rest’ to all living beings in the universe.”

“Especially you, Thanatos,” Hades’s gaze fell on Death, his tone becoming particularly solemn, “your task is even more important and more arduous.”

"You need to work with Keris to sort out the rules of death in the mortal realm as soon as possible and thoroughly integrate them into the sacred Heavenly Order."

"Only in this way can the universe function more healthily and perfectly."

"This matter is of utmost importance and is urgent; there can be no further delay. Go now and exercise your authority over the entire universe."

"Thank you for your hard work, children. I will give each of you a gift when you come back."

"These are divine artifacts that Cyclops (the Cyclopes) and the like personally crafted for you. I believe you will love them."

The two gods rose simultaneously once more, bowed to receive the order, and solemnly said, "Your Majesty! We are keenly aware of the importance of our duties! For the development of the universe, and for the sacred heavenly order of His Majesty the God-King, we will certainly do our utmost!"

"We are even more grateful for your kindness! We are very much looking forward to the gift you have so generously prepared for us, and we are truly thankful!"

Keres silently got up and came to their side.

Hades laughed heartily, very pleased with the two children.

"Go, go. I believe in you. You can do all this well and will not let me and Zeus down."

"Please rest assured, it will never happen!"

Having said that, the two gods bowed and, together with Ceres, turned into three streaks of light and headed towards the world.

Hades watched them rush towards the earth, and for some inexplicable reason, he sighed softly.

From this day forward, the path to death will become clear.

And death will give "life" a heavier meaning.

As for the transformation of life forms, that will be another topic.

That requires... the appearance of another crucial deity for it to be perfected.

For now, it's enough.

Let's solve the problem of "creating something from nothing" first, and then solve the problem of "perfection".

First, let those beings who are living a life worse than death be freed.

As for what to do after liberation?
Then we can only wait for the follow-up and add more elements gradually.

As for now, let them stay in the underworld for the time being.

Ultimately, there are still too few divine hands, and the entire divine system is too rudimentary. It still needs continuous development and improvement.

When these three deities descended to the earth and came to the mortal realm, it can be said that all living beings, both gods and mortals, sensed a clear and profound fundamental change occurring in the universe itself.

Death and sleep are completely different from the laws of fate, time, creation, retribution, luck, and opportunity.

The perfection of other laws mostly occurs in a latent or slow manner, like spring rain nourishing all things silently.

But death and sleep, one is something we see often, and the other is the ultimate fear that all living beings will eventually face.

The other one is something you experience almost every day.

Therefore, many living beings have discovered, with fear, doubt, surprise, or excitement, that they no longer have to suffer a complete and devastating blow before they can die, as they once did.

In the past, it was an era where the "end point" was unclear.

Not dying easily isn't necessarily a good thing.

In the past, even if one was covered in wounds or even missing half a body, one had to continue to eke out a living in pain.

Even if one is terminally ill, or even if one's body undergoes terrifying changes, the soul will still be imprisoned within, unable to escape.

Burned by raging fire, submerged by floods, frozen by ice, harmed by deadly poison...

In the past, there were various ways to kill a living being so easily.

However, much of the damage and torment inflicted is simply irreversible...

Thus, this became a terrible form of torture.

It's like a lion being swept away by a river and suffering the torment of drowning underwater until its body completely breaks down, only then can it finally find release.

As long as a trace of life remains in that broken body, the poor soul will be trapped inside, constantly enduring endless pain.

And now, death has become "easy"...

They can finally be free.

No living being knows what the world is like after death.

However, humans, who are favored by the gods and possess true wisdom, had long ago learned from the gods that the final destination of the soul is the underworld.

The demise of the physical body is not the true end.

After death, the soul can still go to the underworld and continue to "live" in another form.

However, the death of a mortal is a one-way street.

The road to the underworld is a one-way street.

In the underworld, the Goddess of Retribution will determine the final fate of each living being based on their good and evil deeds throughout their life, in accordance with the divine order of the God-King.

All living beings who abide by the sacred and righteous order of the Supreme God-King can find peace in the Netherworld and live a normal life there.

Those beings who defied the divine order of the God-King would be cast into the icy River Styx, where they would be cleansed of their sins in endless drowning and freezing cold.

Different offenses will result in different periods of punishment.

Even the least intelligent creature knows the pain of drowning and the torment of being cold and freezing. And the gods solemnly declare that ordinary water in the mortal world will freeze into ice if it gets too cold.

However, the water of the River Styx is many times colder than ordinary water, and it never freezes.

The waters of the River Styx grow colder the deeper you go, and the more they pierce your soul as you flow into the depths.

It can even make powerful gods feel the real, chilling pain that freezes their very divinity.

Don't even dream of floating to the surface to breathe any air, because a goose feather won't float on the River Styx.

Everything that falls in will only continue to sink.

Even creatures that can breathe in water are useless.

Because the River Styx is formed from pure ocean water, there is no breathable substance in it.

The River Styx treats all beings that fall into it equally, ensuring that they all endure the most extreme and ever-increasing agony of drowning.

And the icy, soul-chilling pain, and the relentless tearing and collision of the surging undercurrents.

This punishment may seem simple, but it is in fact extremely cruel.

Later, some ordinary people imitated one ten-thousandth of its form and created a cruel torture method for extracting confessions and punishment, which was always effective.

Its name is—water torture.

The punishment from the River Styx is equivalent to the S-PRO-PLUS-MAX deluxe version of this water torture.

Throwing something into the River Styx is a severe punishment even for a god; one can only imagine how terrifying it would be for a fragile mortal soul to be immersed in it.

Although no human has yet experienced the torment described by the gods.

However, there isn't anyone who absolutely wants to try it.

Once you fall in, you can forget about getting out until you've washed away your sins.

Currently, there are no individuals among the pure and innocent human beings who have fallen to the point where they need to enter the River Styx to cleanse themselves of their sins.

However, it will definitely happen in the future...

Moreover, it's likely that the number will be quite high.

Of course, this judgment is only for beings with higher intelligence.

Those beings that do not possess higher intelligence do not need to be judged; after death, they can simply live a normal life in the underworld.

In fact, beings that do not possess higher intelligence often have a shallower spirituality.

Even though Zeus had given them souls, those souls were still weak and thin.

Under normal circumstances, in the underworld, the soul will naturally dissipate after a few hundred years at most, leaving only the purest spiritual light.

As for life in the underworld, it is far less comfortable than life in the mortal realm.

Because the Netherworld is too desolate and too vast.

The air was stuffy, devoid of sunlight and warmth.

Looking around, all I see is desolation.

Moreover, once you reach the underworld, you are basically destined to be separated from all your relatives and friends.

Because after being judged, the souls that enter the underworld are randomly scattered throughout the underworld.

The Netherworld is so vast that once it disperses, it becomes virtually impossible to meet again.

This is also to demonstrate a complete farewell to the past and a complete farewell to one's former life.

Entering the Netherworld can be considered a new beginning.

Birth is a new beginning; death is also a new beginning in another world.

Death means losing everything you have.

Everything will be said goodbye to forever.

People with high intelligence do not want to lose everything they cherish.

Although there are many things in life that we don't want, those that we cherish are worth holding on to with all our might.

Life is about striving for those things that are worth cherishing.

But God also gave them good news.

That is, beings who fight for the divine and just order of the God-King and make outstanding contributions to the universe may ascend to the supreme and sacred kingdom of the God-King—Heaven—after their souls have been judged.

In heaven, they will have new, more perfect, stronger, and healthier bodies.

There, one has no worries about food and clothing, no hunger or cold; it is the most peaceful and beautiful place.

It boasts the most beautiful scenery and the "ethereal atmosphere" that only gods can breathe.

In the superior environment of heaven, there is no need to worry that the soul will dissipate with the passage of time.

Furthermore, even without cultivation, one can gradually become stronger over time, whether in terms of physical body, spirit, or soul.

Those who reach Heaven are, in principle, no longer mortal beings; they can be called celestial beings.

With enough effort, even becoming a god is not impossible.

If one is even luckier, it's not unimaginable to have an unforgettable encounter with a beautiful nymph fairy.

(End of this chapter)