King of Underworld

Chapter 37

Crash—Crack!

The sound of Charon’s ferry splitting in half under the weight. No, it was the sound of it breaking.

Unlike humans, our gods are transcendent beings with quick reflexes. They moved with unimaginable speed and agility.@@@@

Charon urgently pushed Otus and Ephialtes' souls aside and threw himself towards the riverbank. The Acheron River is in the domain of the underworld, and I manipulated the river water to raise the sinking shipwreck.

Thud. Thud.

“Gasp... This is insane!” “The ferry that hasn’t broken for thousands of years...” “...?!”

This was why Otus and Ephialtes' souls did not fall into the water.

Charon, looking despondent, opened his mouth wide. Even Aphrodite, who had only heard about Charon’s ferry breaking, was shocked to see it with her own eyes.

“Wasn’t that a divine artifact...?” “No, I never thought it would shatter like this...” “Do you have any idea why? Did you perhaps make a mistake recently...?”

No matter how heavy those two souls were, Charon's ferry was a divine artifact. It had various functions such as reducing the weight and assisting movement in the river through Charon’s power.

Ordinarily, no matter how many souls boarded, there should be no reason for it to break...

“It started creaking a bit since the last great flood, and now it’s ended up like this.” “Since the great flood? If you had told me in advance, I could have taken measures...” “...? How could I go all the way to the fortress to tell you when I’m so busy?”

Well, it was a miracle that the ferry, which had been in operation for so long, was still intact until now. No matter how much divine power it had, it might have been overused for too long.

“After all, since the creation of the underworld, countless souls have boarded the ferry. It’s bound to break eventually...” “Tsk... It’s because mortals keep dying over trivial things.”

Charon spoke while looking at the remains of the completely shattered ferry and his oar. His face showed a sense of emptiness.

“Damn it! What is this! Hades!” “As you can see, Charon’s ferry is in this state. Thanatos.”

Thanatos, who had been controlling numerous avatars in the living world, appeared. He probably came to protest because of the situation with many souls stuck at the Acheron River.

Souls unable to cross the Acheron River gradually increased in number and collectively complained about the chaos. The dead who saw us began to murmur more intensely.

“What on earth is going on..?” “Huh.. P-Pluto God?!” “No way.. It looks exactly like the statue in the temple.. Aphrodite?” “Why is Charon’s ferry...?”

Upon dying and being guided to the underworld by Thanatos, the ferry we were supposed to ride was broken, Charon was standing dazed with his oar, and encountering Thanatos and Aphrodite left the souls looking bewildered.

“Oh, my Zeus...”

But in the mythological era, we can supplement shortcomings with supernatural powers. Also, in the underworld, there are plenty of metals but no trees, so it might be feasible?

“Alright, let’s give it a try. I’ll provide any materials you need.” “Then, trust in the world’s greatest blacksmith, Hephaestus!”

The blacksmith god laughed heartily and pounded his muscular chest. Daedalus, next to him, was also thinking about something with a determined expression.

Thus began an unexpected shipbuilding project in the underworld.

Clang! Clang!

“Is this the metal that only comes from deep underground?” “Will this be floating on the Acheron River now?” “Move it a bit to the side.” “A metal boat in the underworld, who would have thought...”

Numerous technicians, blacksmiths, and laborers from the underworld were moving materials according to instructions. Some were carrying heavy metals as part of their penance, while Hephaestus and Daedalus were busy giving orders.

“Hmm. How can I majestically depict Charon’s baldness... maybe just make it full...”

Pygmalion, the greatest sculptor of Greece, was also seen creating a figurehead resembling Charon. Once Pygmalion carved Charon’s likeness, I planned to imbue it with divine power and place it on the bow.

The work on Charon’s boat was completed swiftly. Thanks to the blacksmith god’s leadership, Daedalus’s design, and the tireless souls’ efforts.

“This should satisfy Charon, right?” “As requested, we installed various devices at the bottom to push away the water current...”

I looked at the massive boat that seemed capable of carrying dozens of souls without any issues. It was made of all sorts of metals and equipped with devices to naturally repel water currents as I had requested from Hephaestus, plus it had divine power and a figurehead resembling Charon.

“Even Poseidon would be envious.”

It was incomparable to Charon’s shabby ferry.

Near the entrance to the underworld, at the Acheron River.

Charon, who was urgently ferrying souls, and Aphrodite, who was controlling the unruly souls, greeted us.

“What... Am I supposed to transport souls with this from now on?!” “Hades, how long do I have to keep doing this?”

I didn’t know about Aphrodite, but Charon’s face lit up when he saw the grand boat. He climbed aboard and admired it, touching here and there.

“Oh! It has the power to cut through the water, with this, I won’t need to row anymore...” “Ah, because of the rules of the Acheron River, you still have to perform the ‘rowing action’.”

Charon’s face, which had momentarily brightened, darkened again.

________________________________

The next chapter will be updated on July 28 at 8 PM.