Since the attack that took place ten years ago, monsters appeared near the village of Cora very rarely, which was related to the decreasing numbers of every their species due to the activities of many familias in various parts of the continent. The servants of the heavenly ones did not cease in their efforts, chasing the beasts, whether out of a moral sense of duty or because of the rewards for bringing trophies from the creatures to the feet of the clients. Many young people and old veterans, tempted by visions of wealth, fame and glory, decided to abandon their previous lives and answer the call of adventure, joining the ranks of the followers of some god.
For this reason, in recent years, only small groups of goblins, kobolds and a wounded dungeon lizard arrived at the gates of the settlement where Hades lived. From its unhealed
wounds, the king of the Underworld quickly concluded that it must have been a survivor from its herd exterminated by adventurers.
However, none of these species were currently standing under the palisade. No, these monsters were close in appearance to humans, and at the same time as far away as possible. The villagers on guard, despite having already had the opportunity to fight monsters under Hades' leadership, could not control their fear at the sight of these beings. Sometimes the beasts held very makeshift weapons, but these here were armed with real swords, shields, axes, spears, bows, and even armors.
When the god climbed the village's wall, he could not believe his eyes. He felt as if he had returned to Tartarus, which was subordinate to him. Bones stripped of flesh or with remnants of completely rotten tissue with worms living inside them. All these creatures froze in an even formation, not moving a single step, not to mention attacking. Cora, standing by her husband, counted exactly thirty-five eyeless skulls. This did not mean that their eye sockets were completely empty. Within each of them burned a cold blue flame that seemed to originate where the brain had once been.- Undead - Hades said, shocked.
He had seen them more than once or twice. After all, he had sentenced the executioner or the madman who took pleasure in human suffering many times to be flayed and wander the endless darkness of the Underworld. But these were the souls of sinners sent to damnation. What could these skeletons be doing in the Lower World? More importantly, what the hell were they doing on the outskirts of his settlement?!
For the first time since his appearance in the land of mortals, Hades felt shock and uncertainty. He would never have suspected that he would encounter the undead here and had no idea how strong they could be and, consequently, whether he and the other inhabitants would be able to defeat them.
Hades stared at them sharply, analyzing their weapons and appearance, trying to come up with a defense plan against every potential type of attack, until he finally came across a figure completely different from the rest. It was not at all because this one was the only one sitting on a horse instead of standing on the ground. Especially since the stallion itself was also a pile of bones with blue flames instead of eyes.
Underworld ruler focused his gaze to make sure he wasn't hallucinating or having a vision, but the rider was indeed... alive. His cheeks, though emaciated, pale and sunken, were not nests for larvae, unlike the foot soldiers. Apart from his pallor and malnutrition, he couldn't tell much about the stranger's appearance, as he had wrapped himself in a black cloak that covered everything except his bony hands, and a black hat with a wide brim hid his entire face from the nose up.
Suddenly, the rider lifted his head up sharply, as if sensing the gaze of a god on him. He lightly nudged his dead horse with his boot, and it obediently began to slowly stomp towards the wooden gates.
The villagers, torn from their grip of fear by the enemy's action, grabbed their bows, notched their arrows, and when many were about to shoot between the eyes of the uninvited guest, Hades stopped them with a gesture of his hand.- Who are you?! - the king of the Underworld shouted, not loud enough to provoke a hostile reaction from the stranger, but clear enough for all the words to reach his ears.
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Danmachi Familia from Hell
FanfictionThere are thousands of gods, hundreds of their attributes and rules that these beings establish in connection with their nature. Women who serve the goddess of purity will never offer themselves to any man. Children of the god of war will be the fi...