Chapter 154: The Hades Appears and Fades

"Hades?"

Hearing this name, even someone as experienced and steady as Dohko could no longer maintain his composure, letting out an involuntary exclamation.

Because in this world, there was only one being who held the title of Hades.

That was the brother of the King of the Gods, the supreme ruler of the Underworld, and the greatest enemy of the Sanctuary: Hades!

Meanwhile, lying on the ground, Yin Shiqi heard the old man's exclamation and instantly guessed what the two were discussing.

Aside from Shun, there could be no one else.

"You mean to say that this boy's body is harboring the soul of Hades?" Looking at the unconscious Shun on the ground, the elderly Dohko asked for confirmation once more.

"There is no doubt about it!"

Mu nodded, his expression grave. "At the time, facing a life-and-death crisis, the soul of Hades briefly awakened within Shun's body."

"From close range, I felt an aura from Shun's body that surpassed all else—a terrifying presence."

"That was definitely not the aura of a mortal, but the divine essence possessed only by a god!"

"Coupled with the enemy addressing Shun as 'Hades,' I am certain that the soul of Hades is residing within Shun's body!"

"Shun is the mortal vessel chosen by Hades for this era!"

Hearing this, the elderly Dohko instantly plunged into deep contemplation.

He knew Mu very well; Mu was an extremely rigorous person who would never make groundless claims.

However, he himself had not been present at the time and had not witnessed the awakening of Hades' soul within Shun's body firsthand. He could not simply take Mu's word as absolute proof that Hades' soul was inhabiting the boy.

Especially since Mu had never laid eyes on Hades himself; it was merely hearing the enemy address Shun that led him to that conclusion.

It was entirely possible that Mu had been intentionally misled by the enemy.

With this thought in mind, he transmitted his voice to Mu via telekinesis: "The matter regarding Shun still requires confirmation and must not be leaked for the time being."

"We shall decide how to proceed once the Goddess returns."

As a survivor of the previous Holy War, he had once been fortunate enough to face Hades directly and had witnessed the god's Cosmo, allowing him to easily identify the divine entity within Shun.

Yet precisely for that reason, he understood just how terrifying Hades truly was, far more so than younger Gold Saints like Mu.

If the soul residing in Shun's body was not Hades, then all would be well; but if it truly was Hades, rashly investigating and startling it awake would only drive them into a position of extreme peril.

"Can we not even report this to the Pope?" Mu asked tentatively.

Given that it concerned Hades, he felt it imperative to inform the Sanctuary.

Although he and the current Pope were not on the best of terms, when it came to dealing with the Underworld, they stood on the same side.

"You must not tell him!"

Dohko refused decisively, adding, "Given his temperament, if he were to learn that Hades' soul is suspected of residing within Shun's body, the boy would likely lose his life!"

The current Pope was a man of extreme and ruthless disposition.

Once he learned of this, he would rather kill the innocent than let a potential threat escape.

Dohko had no wish to see the young man's life snuffed out because of this.

More importantly, if Hades' soul truly did reside within Shun, such an action might backfire, provoking the dark god's soul to awaken prematurely.

When that time came, there was no telling who would end up killing whom!

Hearing this, Mu immediately nodded.

Given the ruling style of the current Pope, if he were made aware of Shun's condition, the boy's life would indeed be forfeit.

"Aside from you, who else knows about this?" Dohko asked again.

"Besides myself, there is the Crateris Saint, and that mysterious entity hidden on the continent of Mu!" Mu cast a subtle glance at Yin Shiqi on the ground.

"The Crateris Saint?"

The elderly Dohko was taken aback. Only after taking a closer look at the battered young man on the ground did he recognize him as Yin Shiqi, the Crateris Saint who had once visited Rozan to pay his respects.

"So it's you, kid! Battered to such a state, I almost didn't recognize you!" The old man could not help but laugh in spite of himself.

Yin Shiqi's Crateris Cloth was reduced to little more than scattered fragments, his bones shattered throughout his body, and caked in blood and filth, bearing no resemblance to his former spirited self.

"Please spare me the laughter, Teacher Dohko, and hurry up and take me back to recover from my injuries!" Yin Shiqi smiled bitterly.

"You saw what happened with Shun as well, didn't you?" The old man wiped the smile from his face, staring intently into Yin Shiqi's eyes.

"Yes!"

Yin Shiqi acknowledged.

"I do not wish for a second person to ever hear of this from your lips, including the Pope. Do you understand?" The old man asked with renewed solemnity.

"Understood! Unless the Goddess herself inquires, I shall never speak of this to another soul!" Yin Shiqi replied earnestly.

"Very good, very good!"

The elderly Dohko nodded, thoroughly satisfied with Yin Shiqi's response.

Initially, he had harbored some concern over whether this young successor possessed the nerve to conceal the truth from the Pope.

Now, it appeared his worries had been unfounded.

This young man's loyalty and conviction were unshakable.

Nearby, Mu voiced a slight concern, "However, apart the three of us, that mysterious entity hiding within the undersea continent of Mu is also aware. We cannot guarantee whether he will keep the secret."

Looking out toward the vast ocean, the elderly Dohko spoke with a complex tone, "The undersea continent of Mu is shrouded in mystery, a place from which none have ever returned."

"Had you not escaped by sheer luck this time, I fear no one would have known that such a formidable adversary existed within."

With that, he glanced back at the shattered Aries Gold Cloth on Mu's body.

"Presumably, the entity has little to no communication with the outside world. For the time being, we need not worry about the secret of Shun leaking from the continent of Mu!" The old man concluded through deduction.

"I hope so!" Mu managed a sigh of relief.

"Very well, drop your 'Crystal Wall'! Gather these two little ones and follow me back to Rozan!" The old man glanced at the transparent barrier surrounding them.

"Yes, Teacher!"

Mu replied, immediately dissolving the surrounding Crystal Wall and channeling his telekinesis to lift Yin Shiqi and the unconscious boy into the air.

Taking a step forward, the old man suddenly recalled something, turned back, and asked, "Does that young lad himself know nothing of the soul of Hades within him?"

"That... I cannot say for certain!" Mu wore a troubled expression.

Judging by the circumstances at the time, Shun must have lost consciousness, his ego entirely suppressed, which, combined with an external life-and-death crisis, had stimulated the awakening of Hades' soul.

In theory, Shun's conscious self should remain oblivious to what followed, but memory was a fickle thing—no one could be entirely certain.

After all, Hades' soul was sharing a single body with Shun; if a fraction of the memories lingered, it would hardly be strange.

"It seems this young fellow will have to stay at the Five Old Peaks for some time!" The old man cast a profound look at Shun before turning back to lead the way toward Rozan.

The matter of Hades was of paramount importance and demanded the utmost caution; he intended to keep Shun by his side to observe him for a while.

This was both to prevent the secret of Hades from leaking and to guard against any sudden awakening of the dark god's soul within Shun that might harm others.

"That aside, though the Aries Gold Cloth has been battered to such a state, how is it that your injuries do not appear quite as severe?" The old man asked as they walked.