Thanatos naturally remembered Arthur's words from earlier that day.
He remembered clearly how Arthur had declared that he would invade the Underworld and pierce the God of Death's heart.
And yet now, under the binding force of a Soul Oath, Arthur was obediently preparing to return the authority to him.
Then suddenly—
Thanatos realized something was terribly wrong.
Arthur's attitude had changed far too drastically.
Not only had he willingly sworn a Soul Oath that placed him at a disadvantage…
He had also asked nothing but meaningless questions.
The moment that realization struck him, Thanatos felt a surge of alarm.
But it was already too late.
Arthur nodded in satisfaction at his answer.
"Good. As long as you remember."
Arthur smiled faintly.
"Then… are you ready to welcome the blade that pierces your heart?"
The instant his words fell—
A spiral-shaped black blade erupted through Thanatos' chest from behind.
It was the Fingerslayer Blade.
And the one wielding it… was Ranni.
Long before entering the Underworld, Arthur and Ranni had already discussed the plan back in the Zen Garden.
Arthur would enter openly and draw Thanatos' attention head-on.
Meanwhile, Ranni would conceal herself beneath the Invisibility Cloak and remain hidden in the shadows.
One in the light.
One in the dark.
That had been Arthur's strategy from the very beginning.
And through their perfect understanding of one another, Arthur successfully created the opening Ranni needed to assassinate the God of Death.
Thanatos slowly lowered his head, staring blankly at the blade protruding through his chest.
His eyes were filled with disbelief.
Within the Underworld, Thanatos was essentially the same as Arthur inside the Zen Garden.
An almost omnipotent existence.
As long as the Underworld endured, he should have been effectively immortal.
Even fatal injuries could normally be repaired instantly through the endless death energy and soul power permeating the realm.
But now…
Thanatos could clearly feel his strength rapidly draining away.
He tried to struggle.
Tried to resist.
Yet even moving his body felt impossibly difficult.
Forget gathering death energy to heal himself—he could barely remain standing.
He simply could not understand it.
He was the God of Death.
How could a mere blade wound him to this extent?
Was it just because the weapon looked strange?
Arthur noticed the confusion in his eyes.
"You're wondering why this blade can harm you?"
"Why…?"
Thanatos' voice had become weak and fragmented.
Arthur explained calmly:
"This weapon is called the Fingerslayer Blade. It was specifically created to kill gods… and even beings above gods."
Thanatos asked haltingly:
"How do you… possess… something like that…?"
Arthur waved dismissively.
"That's none of your business."
"Any final questions? If not, it's about time for you to hit the road."
Thanatos continued weakly:
"How did you… get close… to me…?"
Arthur gestured behind Thanatos.
Ranni removed the Invisibility Cloak from her body and tossed it toward Arthur.
Arthur caught it casually and waved it in front of Thanatos.
"You should recognize this thing… right?"
Thanatos never could have imagined it.
The thing that had hidden Ranni from his senses…
…was his own former Invisibility Cloak.
At that moment, overwhelming regret flooded his heart.
Why had he given that item away back then?
He could have traded anything else.
And now, the very cloak that once belonged to him had become the tool used to murder him.
"Spare… me…"
"I can… swear a Soul Oath…"
"I will… serve you…"
Thanatos' voice grew weaker and weaker.
Arthur stepped closer and pulled back the hood of the god's black robes.
Beneath it was a skeletal face.
Exactly what Arthur had expected.
After all, the legendary image of Death had always been that of a skeleton.
Though one thing still puzzled him slightly—
Why did a skeleton even have a "heart" as a weakness?
Still, Arthur didn't care enough to dwell on it.
He looked directly into Thanatos' hollow eye sockets.
"Sorry. You're not really my type aesthetically."
"So… rejected for being ugly."
Arthur then took out a mass of invisible authority and held it before him.
"In accordance with the oath, I return the authority of death to you."
He paused briefly before smiling.
"Though judging from your condition… you probably won't get much use out of it."
"Goodbye."
"No… I suppose this is farewell forever, Thanatos."
Ranni silently pushed the Fingerslayer Blade deeper.
The god-slaying power sealed within the blade erupted completely inside Thanatos' body.
Thanatos' eyes widened unwillingly.
Then the light within them vanished.
His body collapsed heavily onto the ground.
Arthur still wasn't satisfied.
He immediately pulled out the Dark Moon Greatsword and stabbed Thanatos two more times, just to make absolutely certain the God of Death was truly dead.
(Thanatos: You already killed me and you're still corpse-stabbing me? Where's your manners?!)
Only after confirming everything did Arthur turn around and pull Ranni into a tight embrace.
"My little princess is incredible."
He smiled warmly.
"Thanks to you, killing a god turned out to be surprisingly easy."
Ranni was clearly startled by the sudden hug.
A faint blush appeared across her usually calm and elegant face.
"If my king hadn't distracted him and forced him to shrink his divine form," she said softly, "I would never have had the chance to strike."
"If we're counting contributions properly… then half the credit belongs to you."
Arthur laughed.
"We're basically an old married couple already. Why bother dividing things so clearly between us?"
The moment he said that, however, the smile on Ranni's face faded slightly.
She raised her head and looked directly at him.
"If we are already an old married couple…"
"Then why does my king refuse to share a bed with me…"
"…yet constantly goes to Hermione instead?"
"Could it be… that you dislike me?"
Arthur's smile froze instantly.
Truthfully, he had long suspected that his relationship with Hermione had already been exposed.
He just hadn't expected Ranni to bring it up now, of all times.
Still…
It wasn't something he intended to hide forever.
Arthur gently stroked her soft hair.
"I'm sorry."
"I neglected your feelings."
"It was never because I disliked you."
"I just… never found the right opportunity."
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