The Demon Fox and the Underworld King

“Lord Hades!”

The golden-haired deity hurriedly spoke, his tone filled with unmistakable disapproval.

“How could you, in your exalted position as one of the supreme gods, appear so casually before a mortal? If you truly have some interest in this human, why not let me, Hypnos, bring him to Hades City? You could then descend into Lord Aaron’s body and receive him there.”

—Take a mortal to the Palace of the Underworld, where His Majesty’s true form resided?!

What in the world was Lord Hades thinking?

Hypnos felt he was about to die of misery.

The fact that this mere mortal possessed such formidable abilities—enough to bind and imprison gods, and perhaps even come close to slaying them—had already given him more than enough of a headache. Yet that fool Thanatos had actually fallen into the other party’s trap and been imprisoned. From the looks of things, he was unable to free himself.

Hypnos had been cautiously probing his opponent while attempting to contact his foolish younger brother through dreams, only for the Lord of the Underworld to come and make matters worse…

Just how unwilling was His Majesty to let him enjoy even a moment of peace?

Beneath the mask of a noble, aloof deity lay a heart that had nearly been battered to pieces by his foolish brother and his willful—perhaps?—master. At that moment, Hypnos sincerely wished he could fall to his knees before His Majesty.

Unfortunately, His Majesty, far away in Elysium, seemed entirely unaware of his subordinate’s misery.

“Aaron? Heh…”

The cool, emotionless male voice belonging to Hades, Lord of the Underworld, suddenly gave a quiet laugh. The carefully composed expression on Hypnos’s face cracked violently for an instant.

“Bring him to my palace.”

After a brief pause, the Lord of the Underworld continued.

“As for him… it is of no consequence.”

“…”

Hypnos frowned at this. Please, beauty, stay a moment.

He wanted to offer further counsel, but in the end the golden-haired deity merely parted his lips and uttered a single word:

“…Yes.”

Turning his head, Hypnos looked coolly at the demon fox, who remained perfectly composed. His eyes flickered.

“You heard him. His Majesty wishes to see you.”

Kurama blinked, neither agreeing nor objecting.

At this, Lord Hypnos laughed in exasperation.

“I hope you will not do anything discourteous in His Majesty’s presence.”

With a cold sneer, he raised his hand and tore open a rift in the air before him.

He gave Kurama a contemptuous look that clearly said, Follow me, then stepped into the fissure.

He did not mention releasing Thanatos beforehand again.

Kurama arched a brow.

“Since Lord Hypnos has deliberately chosen not to bring it up, it would seem rather tactless for me to release him of my own accord.”

As he spoke, the demon fox cast a smiling glance at the cage-like plant still wrapped tightly around the God of Death, who floated in midair.

“So my apologies, Lord Thanatos.”

With that, he followed Hypnos into the rift.

Once the fissure had completely closed, everything in the scorching, desolate rocky wilderness of Yomi looked exactly as it always had.

Except for…

“Hypnos! You bastard, get back here!”

—Except for one imprisoned deity who had been deliberately “forgotten.”

***

Stepping out of the spatial fissure, Kurama found himself facing a scene entirely different from what he had seen earlier at the entrance to the Underworld, Yomotsu Hirasaka.

Vast stretches of crimson, violet, and golden flowers bloomed across an endless emerald plain. Mountain peaks rose in the distance, while rivers murmured and flowed. The perpetually dim sky of the Underworld, where no light ever seemed able to enter, had been replaced by an azure firmament stretching to the horizon.

Brilliant, warm sunlight bathed every corner of the wilderness. Crisp birdsong mingled with the fluttering of butterflies, and now and then a few rabbits bounded past. The entire world was alive with exuberance, so beautiful that it scarcely seemed to belong in the realm of the dead.

“Elysium…”

According to legend, Hades had poured immense effort into creating this subterranean paradise deep within the Underworld to please Persephone, the goddess of spring whom he had abducted and made his queen.

Though Kurama had seen landscapes more magnificent and splendid in his long life, there was no denying that Elysium lived up to its name. The entire domain was beautiful as a poem, picturesque as a painting, and even a well-traveled being like the demon fox could not help but feel his heart stir upon entering it.

Kurama quickly composed himself, however.

He lifted his eyes to meet Hypnos’s golden gaze, which was full of impatience and the anticipation of a good spectacle. As expected, he found a trace of surprise there. Hypnos clearly had not expected him to recover so quickly from the shock of Elysium’s breathtaking beauty.

Kurama gave him a calm, slight nod.

“Please lead the way.”

Hypnos silently glared at him.

The two walked through the picturesque landscape, one before the other. Before long, an enormous temple of deep black appeared in the distance.

There was none of the elaborate splendor he had imagined. The Lord of the Underworld’s temple was simple, yet possessed an indescribable majesty.

Its main structure had been built from a black gemstone unique to the Underworld. The night-dark stone seemed to absorb every ray of sunlight that touched it, reflecting not the slightest gleam.

A long flight of black gemstone stairs led to the temple’s main entrance. At the top was an intricate, openwork corridor that branched in several directions. The passage directly opposite the stairs led to the main hall, while those branching to either side appeared to lead to different auxiliary halls.

Hypnos led Kurama into the main hall without hesitation.

After crossing the enormous central chamber, decorated in understated luxury, they walked down a long interior corridor and arrived before a massive black obsidian door carved with ornate designs.

“Your Majesty, I have brought him.”

Hypnos announced their arrival in a low voice. Without waiting for Hades to invite them in, he pushed open the door and led Kurama inside.

Unexpectedly, it was a spacious and exceedingly comfortable bedroom.

A thick, plush carpet covered the floor, so deep that their shoes seemed to sink into it with every step.

At the center of the room stood the object most likely to command one’s attention: a luxurious four-poster bed. A thin black coverlet, made from material of unknown origin, draped over the footboard. Under the room’s soft ivory light, its satin-smooth surface shimmered with flowing threads of radiance.

The light seemed to come from small lanterns suspended from brackets protruding from the walls at regular intervals.

Inside the exquisitely crafted lanterns were neither oil nor candles, but translucent, oval, moon-pale gemstones that cast a gentle glow throughout the dim room.

In the one corner the soft light could not reach—

Inside a broad armchair set against the wall—

A tall, slender figure sat half-concealed in darkness, resting his chin upon one hand.

His form appeared and vanished amid the gloom, while his features, wholly hidden in shadow, could not be seen clearly.

Kurama could make out only the dark, close-fitting robes that seemed to contain a subtle flow of light whenever their wearer moved. They were evidently embroidered with ornate patterns in golden or silver thread. His long legs were crossed before him, and the smooth hem of his robe, drawn taut by the posture, faintly outlined the delicate, graceful shape of his lower legs.

Together with the slender jade-colored hand resting elegantly and carelessly upon his knee, the sight possessed an inexplicable air of intimacy and temptation—enough to make it difficult to look away.

The demon fox calmly redirected his attention. As his gaze moved upward, several strands of straight black hair fell over the figure’s shoulder and curled down across his chest, framing a pale chin that was nearly swallowed by the darkness.

This was bad. It only made His Majesty seem even more mysterious and alluring.

Kurama silently turned his face aside.

“Good day, Lord Hades.”

As an uninvited guest who had come seeking a favor, Kurama took the initiative to speak, yet his tone remained neither servile nor arrogant.

“It is an honor to receive your invitation and visit the Palace of the Underworld.”

“…”

The shadowed figure shifted slightly at Kurama’s greeting.

“…Yes.”

After a moment of silence, the Lord of the Underworld finally replied, his tone calm and detached.

Unlike the solemn, imposing voice he had used when speaking through Hypnos—one filled with majesty and domineering power—his tone in direct conversation was markedly different. For reasons unknown, Hades seemed to be deliberately restraining his natural presence. His voice no longer carried the overwhelming pressure that could nearly crush a listener beneath the razor-edged aura of the Underworld the instant it was heard.

Instead, the voice’s true qualities stood out all the more: cool and tranquil, like a clear spring flowing through mountain ravines, its gentle resonance striking the heart with a pure and pleasing clarity.

“I already know why you have come.”

Perhaps unaccustomed to speaking to others in so mild a manner, the Lord of the Underworld paused for quite some time after answering before continuing. His voice still held little menace.

“I can help you leave the Underworld. But before that, there is something I…”

“Need your assistance with.”

—Hm?

Kurama narrowed his eyes slightly.

There was something… with which Hades needed his help?

He was merely a “mortal.” How could the exalted ruler of the Underworld, Lord Hades, have a matter that required his assistance?

Kurama did not answer immediately.

Although he was eager to leave the Underworld and find Mokona as soon as possible, he could not casually agree to the Lord of the Underworld’s “request.”

He had no intention of being inexplicably dragged into the Holy War and turned into a pawn in the struggle between opposing sides.

When Kurama remained silent for a long while, Hades showed no particular reaction. Hypnos, however, who had apparently been harboring resentment for quite some time, gave a low, mocking laugh.

“What is it? As a mere mortal, do you intend to refuse Lord Hades’s request?”

The golden-haired deity walked past Kurama, his handsome face icy and derisive.

“Lord Hades is willing to set aside his dignity and discuss the matter with you calmly in person. That is the highest honor a mortal could possibly receive.”

“Are you still dissatisfied?”

Hypnos came to a stop behind the seated Lord of the Underworld. His features had become indistinct in the darkness, but his tone made it easy to imagine the contemptuous and indignant expression upon the golden-haired deity’s face.

Kurama could not help giving a soft laugh.

“I should at least know what Your Majesty means by needing my help.”

He smiled as he spoke, his voice unhurried. His entire bearing was calm and steady, utterly unlike that of a mere mortal standing alone before two high-ranking gods of the Underworld.

“To make a promise rashly, to agree without giving the matter any thought…”

“If I were that careless, Lord Hades… would you still seek my assistance?”

Before the words had fully left his mouth, Kurama raised his eyes with a smile.

He saw the Lord of the Underworld, who had remained hidden in darkness all this time, slowly rise to his feet and gradually expose himself to the soft light filling the room.

“Lord Hades!”

Hypnos’s voice, laden with disapproval, rang out almost at the same moment.

The deity he called, however, did not pause or hesitate in the slightest.

He took several steps forward, and soon his entire figure stood revealed before Kurama.

“You are right.”

The black-haired god spoke softly, lifting his eyes to gaze steadily at Kurama.