The King of the Underworld
His first impression was far more ordinary than expected. 'Huh. When I remembered those thunderous shouts from before, I figured I'd be facing some giant over three meters tall.'
The man was roughly in the early-to-mid 180s in height. Compared to Kain, he had an even slimmer build. He sat on a chair made of dark wood, gazing at the entering Kain and Thanatos with deep blue eyes that reminded one of the ocean depths.
'So that's the King of the Underworld.'
Some called him the King of Hell, Yama. Others called him the Sixth Heavenly Demon King, Mara Papiyas. Still others called him the Abyss of Evil itself, Angra Mainyu. But the title everyone used in common was the King of the Underworld, Hades.
He opened his mouth with a voice as dignified as his many aliases suggested.
Was that some kind of nickname for Thanatos? At the name, Thanatos stepped slightly forward and knelt before him.
…….
Whether Thanatos's words had somehow offended him, the King of the Underworld's expression twisted into something far more fierce. He shot up from his seat and strode toward her. Then he yanked the kneeling woman into a fierce embrace and wailed like he was shouting.
With that single action, all the solemn dignity he'd built up until now collapsed in an instant.
'Dad? Daughter? Father and daughter?'
At the King of the Underworld's words, Kain glanced back and forth between Hades and Thanatos. Now that he looked, their eye color and hair color were strikingly similar.
'So the boatman's extremely polite attitude wasn't just because of her position after all.'
Being the leader of the Grim Reapers was one thing, but it seemed the fact that she was the King of the Underworld's daughter carried far more weight.
"Haa."
Thanatos met eyes with Kain, who was staring at them with open curiosity. Then, exhaling a deep sigh to vent the boiling anger rising from within, she shoved her clinging father away with all her strength.
In the end, when words failed, she even resorted to her legs. An absolute being's full-powered kick. The King of the Underworld, struck square in the abdomen, flew backward and crashed into the black wooden chair he'd just vacated.
"Ahem."
Thanatos, who had just kicked the King of the Underworld while fuming, suddenly flinched and let out an awkward cough full of embarrassment.
She spun around hastily and vanished from the room.
A whirlwind of events had just passed. Without showing the slightest hint of surprise, Kain kept his hands in his pockets as he slowly walked toward the King of the Underworld, who was sprawled across the chair.
He sat down facing him. From within Kain's shadow, pure white bones rose up. They formed a single throne that gently caught his descending backside before it could touch the floor.
At Kain's words, the King of the Underworld slowly rose from his spot. He sat properly on the chair just as he had when they first entered. But unlike before, a rather playful smile now played on his lips as he spoke.
…….
Oh, had he struck a nerve? Sensing the aura around Kain growing fiercely savage along with his furrowed brow, the King of the Underworld lightly shrugged his shoulders. As if to change the subject, he continued speaking before Kain could respond.
This was their first time facing each other directly, but that didn't mean they were complete strangers.
The act itself was absurd, but the content was even more ridiculous. Asking if it was really okay to bring the dead back to life. At that question, the King of the Underworld had shouted, "As if that's possible!" and immediately destroyed the connection without a trace.
It meant that since the real thing wasn't possible, he'd settle for a fake. Whether he truly didn't understand or was pretending not to, the King of the Underworld fell silent for a moment at that brazen, forceful statement and tapped his fingers on the armrest.
But at Kain's following words, his fingers stopped.
He shook his head, denying it.
A soul was fundamentally a consumable part. Depending on the individual, they would wear down and erode over time until they disappeared. And when one soul was extinguished, the world would create another soul to maintain balance and send it into the cycle of reincarnation.
"In other words, this is your first life."
That was why Thanatos had been so utterly shocked. It wasn't the case for everyone, but talent was something that normally accumulated in the soul through reincarnation. The absolute beings who currently ruled the continent were all the result of accumulating talent across multiple reincarnations. There had never been a single case of someone reaching the position of an absolute being in just one attempt.
"Of course, the same goes for me. I've gone through countless reincarnations to reach my current position."
At those words, the King of the Underworld simply gave a bitter smile without offering any explanation. Then he stared straight into Kain's eyes, hidden behind those thick glasses, and muttered.
At the King of the Underworld's mutter, Kain clicked his tongue as if it was ridiculous.
As he spoke, the King of the Underworld pointed at Kain's eyes with his finger.
The supernatural ability known as the Evil Eye. Translated literally, it meant the Eye of Death. Just as the name suggested, Kain could see the death of everything his eyes beheld. Whether it was living or non-living, as long as it existed in this world, nothing was beyond its sight.
"You've covered your vision with an artifact to reduce eye strain, but there's no way something like that could possibly contain such a monstrous power."
He was probably suffering from the Evil Eye running wild at every moment even now. As if his prediction was correct, Kain frowned and adjusted his slipping glasses.
The title of King of the Underworld was exactly that—a title. It was a position that granted responsibility, duty, and the corresponding power. Regardless of strength or weakness, no one in this world could directly kill the King of the Underworld. No one except Kain.
It was a yoke of fate that even absolute beings could never escape. And among them, Kain was what was called a singularity. Just like the previous King of the Underworld.
He wasn't interested in that sort of thing. Cutting off the King of the Underworld's words, Kain organized his thoughts for a moment.
'I only came to ask about Bulsa-wang or whatever his name is.'
It seemed the King of the Underworld wanted to dump every piece of information he had on this occasion, as he was pouring out everything he knew. The flood of information caused Kain's brain to accelerate rapidly for the first time in a while, neatly organizing it all.
Based on the organized information, he asked a new question.
'As expected, he's sharp.'
To suddenly dig straight into the core like that. At those words, the King of the Underworld pointed at the ceiling with his finger and said,
Humans in the living world and the world itself perceived him as a god-like being. But that was only half right and half wrong. More precisely, the position of King of the Underworld was like a manager appointed by a god.
The system called god. In other words, it meant there was no real god.
The more souls reincarnated, the more their individual talents continued to accumulate. What this created were absolute beings who transcended human limits. And Kain knew that absolute beings were not the end of humanity, but rather the starting point heading toward somewhere else.
Punishment for the wicked, rewards for the good. By imprinting goodness onto souls through this simplistic carrot-and-stick approach, it ensured that the one who would become the master of this world someday wouldn't destroy it.
There wasn't a single thing wrong. The underworld's system, the reason for humanity's reincarnation, the hidden truth of the world. In this short time, he'd caught all of it and reached the truth. The number of questions needed to get there was only one. It was an insight level that was downright terrifying.
But as if it was only natural to him, even at the King of the Underworld's praise, his face remained indifferent.
Perhaps because he saw his past self in him. The King of the Underworld shrugged as if to say do as he pleased. At that look, as if watching a child showing off, Kain asked another question in a sullen, blunt tone.
This was a simpler deduction than before. What was the reason a new King of the Underworld was needed? It wasn't as if the current one couldn't do his job.
'He said souls are consumables that wear down over time.'
The King of the Underworld was merely a human who had been granted a position by the system. Therefore, he couldn't escape this law either. Unless he escaped even the yoke of an absolute being and became the master of the system.
Even humans couldn't say, "Ah, I'm going to die on this exact day," and pinpoint their death date precisely. The same was true for the King of the Underworld. While he could see the lifespans of other humans, he couldn't clearly perceive when he himself would die.
Surely he wouldn't suddenly die in ten years or something. If that happened, it would be incredibly sad.
At the King of the Underworld's words, Kain rested his chin on his hand and answered calmly. It took roughly ten years to reach the level of an absolute being. A hundred years from now would be nearly ten times that amount of time. That would be more than enough. Enough for him to grow further and seize control of the system.
'There's a huge difference between having an unclear destination and a clear one.'
The end of the destination he needed to reach had been clearly revealed. Kain didn't think the path there would be all that difficult.
A declaration of abdication. Even after becoming the master of the system, he declared he had no intention of managing it at all. The King of the Underworld burst into hearty laughter once more as he looked at the human who openly declared he would maintain the world as it was now and dump all the control onto him.
More information had come out than expected, but the actual reason Kain had come here hadn't been resolved in the slightest.
Beyond the thick glasses, the eyes of Kain as he looked at the King of the Underworld swirled violently with a violet hue.