I Am Hades, Lord of the Underworld!

Earth, water, fire, and wind.

The four divine beasts!

In fact, Hades originally planned to replace these positions with the four elemental spirits of earth, water, fire, and wind. After all, the concept of the Underworld Armor was based on these four elemental spirits, which made it a simple choice.

However, if he did so, there would be a limitation on the potential of the World Tree.

It's straightforward.

If you use level 1 materials for forging, the resulting composite material will be level 4. If you use level 100 materials, the resulting material will be level 400.

Whether it's the sky and earth serpents or the seventy-two demon pillars, each step is nearly perfect.

In comparison, the aspects of earth, water, fire, and wind seemed lacking, and Hades found it unsuitable.

Initially, he planned to wait until the Titan War was over and, if necessary, use the four elemental spirits. However, he coincidentally encountered the Earth Mother Serpent and integrated it into the earth element.

As a result, Hades became even more reluctant to follow his original plan.

With the Earth Mother Serpent in place, he wanted the other three beasts to match its level!

By integrating four God-King-level beasts into earth, water, fire, and wind, Hades could propel himself to the level of an Ancient God in one go.

This was absolutely, without question, a sure thing.

But if he only used the four elemental spirits, he would at best reach the pinnacle of the God-King level.

The problem was, that had no real significance.

For Hades, he wasn't at the pinnacle of the God-King level yet, but reaching it would be extremely easy, almost effortless, if he wanted to.

Precisely because of this, it held little meaning for him.

Hades needed a more profound foundation. Whether he aimed to become an Ancient God, a Creator God, or an Absolute God in the future, every step needed to be based on a more perfect foundation.

That was what truly mattered.

Hades withdrew his thoughts and returned to Elysium.

"Brother," Hestia smiled at Hades as he returned. "Is it over?"

Hades replied calmly, "It's done. The integration of the Earth Mother Serpent and the Black Sea Whale is complete. The next step involves the wind beast, for which I have some ideas. But the fire beast is the most troublesome."

Hades felt somewhat helpless about this.

Earth and water were results of various coincidences, and he had a clear idea for the wind. But as for fire? He honestly had no clue, not even a hint.

Hestia pondered for a moment and said, "We'll just have to keep looking for it later. There's no rush for now."

"Indeed," Hades said quietly. "Sister, go get some rest. Before the God-King Council begins, just rest well. There won't be any issues."

"Alright."

Hestia nodded happily, turned around, and left cheerfully.

Hades watched her leave, then closed his eyes again, quietly filling in the gaps, stabilizing his foundation, and making it even more solid.

These were all extremely important matters. Hades had much to do and couldn't afford to waste too much time.

Hestia left Elysium and soon returned to her room.

"Ah!"

She threw herself onto the soft bed, closed her eyes comfortably, and said with a smile, "Now I can finally sleep in!"

"Hestia."

"Mother..."

Hestia's expression stiffened as she looked at her mother, who had appeared out of nowhere. Before Rhea could speak, she quickly said, "Mother, my brother said it's best to rest well for now, at least until the God-King Council starts. Otherwise, we'll be targeted."

"I know."

Rhea smiled and nodded. "Of course, I'm well aware of that. The Underworld's actions have reached their limit. If we continue, it will bring trouble to the Underworld rather than benefits. Repeated actions are not a good thing."

Rhea understood this clearly. She had followed her husband through many trials, from facing the oppression of her father to reaching their current position.

Success, joy, failure, death.

What hadn't Rhea experienced? To her, everything now was far too ordinary, and she understood it all too well.

Because of this, Rhea was never in a hurry or simplistic in her approach.

She knew very well when to act and how to handle things. Timing was crucial.

"That's good, Mother. I'm going to rest now..."

Hestia lay on the bed and soon fell into a deep sleep. Although the recent events weren't physically exhausting for her, they had mentally worn her out.

Even though these actions didn't cause great fatigue, the mental strain from the importance of her duties was significant.

Hestia knew how crucial her tasks were, and if she messed up, it would be devastating.

Because of this, she had been extremely focused, not daring to relax even a little. This mental tension needed release, and she required proper rest to calm her mind.

Hades had noticed Hestia's strain, which is why he urged her to rest.

"Hehehe..."

Rhea chuckled softly, shaking her head gently as she murmured, "This child... But now, the earth and water beasts are in place, but what about fire?"

Rhea was contemplating the issue.

Earth, water, fire, and wind.

Rhea knew her son had a plan for the wind element, but for fire, he had no ideas. Rhea herself didn't know if a fire beast existed.

She had searched the Eternal Book but found nothing. At the very least, it was not something that could be easily found.

"In the future..." Rhea whispered softly, "we'll have to search carefully. Finding a fire beast would bring unparalleled benefits to the Underworld, and Hades would truly ascend to the next level."

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