I Became the Guild Leader in Exile

66 – 13# Hades Guild (1)

Even Persephone had never seen this before.

Was it confidence or ignorance of the world? Persephone concluded it was the former. If it were the latter, he would have already demonstrated his power excessively.

It’s a pity. He wouldn’t be able to crush that confidence with his power. Persephone’s pale hand grasped the scythe. At that moment, Isaac had already made his move.

His opponent was the embodiment of death.

He would go all out from the start.

His sword, which had been quietly sleeping in its scabbard, opened its eyes once more. It was a sword technique that had reached its peak after a lifetime of dedication. However, Isaac hadn’t even had the chance to use his sword drawing technique.

“Crazy.”

In an extremely short time, less than a second, Persephone intervened. Her scythe swooped in like an axe, striking the sword’s hilt.

Thanks to that, Isaac couldn’t draw his sword from its scabbard. Before he could even attempt to, her scythe had already pushed his sword back into its sheath. This was the first time he had been blocked.

“Focusing only on sword drawing is the epitome of inefficiency.”

While sword drawing itself wasn’t entirely useless in real combat, focusing solely on it was indeed inefficient. Moreover, he was a cursed genius.

“But that’s why he could become the strongest.”

This was beyond understanding, entering the realm of madness. Who could mock this man? He had obtained the strongest sword through his unyielding efforts, and Persephone respected and admired him for it.

The moment he drew his sword…

His sword technique, which even he couldn’t dodge or defend against.

Then, he would block it before drawing the sword.

It was easy to say, but putting it into practice was by no means easy. Especially against Isaac’s sword drawing technique, which was truly in the realm of the gods. Knowing it wasn’t enough to block it.

This was also proof that Persephone had reached the realm of the gods. She didn’t miss the small opening where Isaac was taken aback by his blocked sword drawing.

Using the handle of the scythe like a club, she reversed her swing and struck Isaac’s jaw with precision. She wielded the scythe as freely as her own body.

“Is this what it means to be the master of the strongest guild?”

The power was absurd, and even his martial arts skills were unmatched. He was truly a being favored by the gods. Therefore, she couldn’t back down here.

“Just one more question.”

“What’s going on?”

“Are you thinking of giving up already?”

“That’s something I can never yield to.”

Gazichigi, the act of cutting off branches. In the original work, Persephone called it “selection”. Like a rotten fruit that spoils all the fruits in the box.

Weeding out the weak and favoring the strong. That’s their policy.

Isaac knows. If he can’t stop her here, most of them will perish, even behind the iron shield. So, this fight. He can’t afford to lose.

“At least there’s an advantage on our side.”

Persephone is wary of Isaac’s swordsmanship. She has no choice but to be, since his sword is an unbeatable, divine sword that even she can’t block or dodge.

Thanks to that, Isaac can force her to reveal her movements through feints. And more importantly, he can put restrictions on her authority. Even though she’s the strongest hero.

However, during this intense battle, he won’t be able to use that authority. Even if he wins, the moment she unleashes her power, everything will be over.

“Whoa!”

He punched the giant axe swinging down from the air. Thanks to that, Persephone’s body stumbled for a moment, and Isaac took advantage of the opening to grab her again.

However, this time, Isaac couldn’t pull out his sword either. Persephone’s fist, which seemed to follow him like a ghost, struck his abdomen, and his body flew backward.

She even had the upper hand in hand-to-hand combat. At least, Isaac could immediately recognize what she was doing. So, Isaac eventually had to give up on pulling out his sword.

“Something’s off.”

A fight without an inch of retreat. A clash of convictions. Their skills seemed evenly matched, at least on the surface. But Isaac felt a strange sense of unease.

Persephone.

The master of the Hades Guild and the embodiment of death, also known as the strongest hero. But the extravagant titles seemed meaningless now. This fight itself was unexpectedly doable.

It was a ridiculous feeling, of course. She’s called the embodiment of death and the strongest hero for a reason. That’s how strong she is.

“What’s she aiming for?”

At that moment, a single thought flashed through Isaac’s mind. But he immediately erased it. Even Persephone wouldn’t be so arrogant.

But…

Unfortunately, that thought perfectly fit the situation.

Persephone’s scythe struck the ground. Isaac, who had judged it as an opportunity, tried to close the distance and swing his fist. But just then, the ground began to shake violently.

The ominous tremors stopped, and a gigantic gate burst out of the ground. It was a gate-like structure, firmly sealed with ominous black iron chains.

Isaac wouldn’t have known what it was. It was Persephone’s authority, granted by some god. A transcendental power that could control the boundaries of life and death at will.

The Gate of the Realm of the Dead.

However, as an absurdly transcendental power, the Gate of the Realm of the Dead had significant restrictions. One of the conditions was that it could only be used when fighting a strong opponent recognized by the gods.

Of course, it wasn’t something that could be used immediately after meeting the conditions. Using the Gate of the Realm of the Dead required immense concentration. Otherwise, it would be impossible to maintain a connection to the mortal world.

In other words, Persephone was using the Gate of the Realm of the Dead while simultaneously blocking Isaac’s path. For the first time, Isaac felt anger towards her.

“How dare you save your strength in front of me?!”

But he couldn’t move forward anymore. The moment the gate opened, a storm of unimaginable intensity burst out, covering Gideon.

The world gradually darkened, as if death had descended upon Gideon.

And…

Nothing happened.

“…”

“…”

“…”?

“???”

Persephone, who always remained calm, showed a rare look of astonishment. Since the gates of the underworld opened, it was normal for the soul to leave the body and enter the gates of the underworld.

Especially, the Iron Shield was trying to take away the souls of almost everyone, except for a few. There were so many useless remnants, after all. But the soul couldn’t escape.

“It’s as if something powerful is blocking it.”

* * *

Authority.

It was the power given by the gods to test humans. Those who passed the gods’ test would gain glory. Those who failed would perish. However, some people say:

Authority is not just a power to test humans, but a power for the gods to intervene in human affairs. Nevertheless, it proves that the gods are watching over humans.

However, not all authorities are equal. Just like the gods have their own hierarchy, authority also has its own hierarchy based on the gods’ ranks.

For example:

Let’s assume there’s a sword that can pierce all shields and a shield that can block all swords. If the two were to clash, who would win? This is a contradiction.

But in the case of authority, it’s quite simple:

The authority of the higher-ranking god wins.

Hera’s glory. The authority given by Hera, the goddess of family and marriage. And Hera was a very powerful goddess, ranking high in the heavens.

However, compared to the three gods who ruled the heavens, sea, and underworld, her authority was inevitably one rank lower. And Persephone’s authority was that of the underworld.

The powerful authority to control life and death, given by Hades, the god of the underworld. If it were Hera’s authority, he might have been able to resist to some extent.

But.

That was all.

Isaac couldn’t have protected his family.

[I wish my family stays healthy and happy for a long time.]

He once made a wish in a dream he couldn’t remember. Even if he did remember, he would have dismissed it as just a foolish dream. It was just a foolish dream.

But.

The gods even reward humans for their actions in dreams. Isaac’s case was no exception. The man sitting on the golden throne in the heavens above.

“That’s the reward for the potatoes I ate back then.”

He gave Isaac the authority.

Aegis

Aegis

The shield of the heavens. As long as Isaac was alive, no one could harm his family’s lives.

Zeus.

The king of the gods, ruling the heavens, or rather, the world.

One of the few gods who could rival Hades, the god of the underworld.

At the same time.

He was also the god of hospitality.