Just as Hades was about to be overwhelmed by the fierce 'attacks' from Erica and Lilia, two other heartwarming stories unfolded in the Underworld.
Deng deng deng deng deng deng ~~!!
The Underworld, Cocytus Ring
A majestic yet graceful melody filled the air. Luo Hao was playing the pipa, and the occasional cold wind made the ribbons and her three-braided hair dance around her.
It gave Luo Hao a noble aura, akin to Chang'e in the Moon Palace. Like one of her titles, 'White Lotus King,' she was unsullied by the mud, cleansed by clear water yet not seductive.
Pa pa pa pa pa—!!
At that moment, Rhadamanthys emerged from the Cocytus Ring, clapping his hands with a smile and saying:
"What a beautiful melody, like that of a female general, Miss Luo."
For some reason, Rhadamanthys, who was a musical dunce, found Luo Hao's performance exceptionally beautiful.
Deng—!!
Hearing Rhadamanthys arrive, Luo Hao's hands abruptly stopped playing the pipa. Her expression turned somewhat cold, and without turning her head, she said:
"What are you doing here, celestial fierce star?"
Upon hearing this, Rhadamanthys shrugged and said with a smile:
"What kind of question is that? This Cocytus Ring is the place I guard. In short, it's my territory."
"Is that hell over there?" Luo Hao said, looking towards the direction of Cocytus.
Rhadamanthys walked to her side and said, "Correct. The hell not far from here is the Ice Hell, Cocytus, the hell for those who raised a rebellion against the gods. Half of the world's God Slayers have already fallen into it."
Hearing this, Luo Hao's hands inexplicably clenched into fists. Ever since arriving in the Underworld, her divine authorities were unusable, rendering most of her abilities useless.
Luo Hao was originally no match for Rhadamanthys. Now, having lost her authorities, she stood even less of a chance.
"Why didn't you finish me off back then? Instead, you pleaded for mercy on my behalf to the King of the Underworld?" Luo Hao turned her head to look at Rhadamanthys beside her and asked. She was curious about why he had asked Hades to spare her life.
Clearly, as a God Slayer, an enemy of the gods, she should have been executed on the spot. Why did Rhadamanthys ask Hades to spare her and even requested she join the Underworld Army?
Rhadamanthys turned around, looked down at Luo Hao's beautiful face, and said:
"Because I felt it would be a waste. If you, as a God Slayer, could join the Underworld Army, our combat power would likely increase significantly."
"And..."
Rhadamanthys paused mid-sentence, reached out, and gently caressed Luo Hao's beautiful face, saying:
"I think I've developed a bit of a fondness for you."
"Hah! You! You!! You!! What are you saying, celestial fierce star!!" Upon hearing Rhadamanthys's straightforward words, Luo Hao, who hadn't experienced romantic feelings for two hundred years, immediately blushed crimson and retreated in shock.
Watching Luo Hao's adorable, kitten-like behavior, the ferocious Demon Dragon revealed an exceptionally tender gaze towards the White Phoenix at this moment. He caressed her flushed cheeks with both hands and said:
"I don't know why, but I, who usually have no feeling for music, have developed a feeling for your singing voice and the sound of your pipa. If possible, would you be willing to live with me, Cuilian?"
Cuilian was Luo Hao's given name. Her surname was Luo, given name Cuilian, and courtesy name Hao. It had been a long time since anyone called her by this name. Rhadamanthys likely knew it because his strength had earned Luo Hao's recognition during their previous battle, so she told him.
"Mmm mmm mmm...!!" Feeling the tenderness in Rhadamanthys's eyes, Luo Hao's face turned even redder, her eyes swirling with confusion. With her romantic feelings newly awakened, she didn't know how to respond.
"Hehehehe~~!! To think the fearsome Martial Arts King who terrorized the Land of Shenzhou could have such an expression. How adorable." Looking at Luo Hao's face, now as red as a monkey's bottom, Rhadamanthys couldn't help but laugh and say.
After speaking, Rhadamanthys cupped Luo Hao's face with both hands and, under her surprised and shy gaze, kissed her small, delicate lips.
"Mmmph mmmph mmmph—!!" During this, Luo Hao raised her hands to pound on the chest plate of Rhadamanthys's underworld armor, her actions just like those of a young girl.
After the kiss, Luo Hao, blushing and panting heavily, nestled against Rhadamanthys's chest.
With a flushed face and a somewhat weak tone, Luo Hao said, "Could you give me some time to think about it? Please, Rhadamanthys."
"Alright, I'll wait." Rhadamanthys said softly, then held Luo Hao tightly. He could feel her body trembling slightly, making him cherish this seemingly strong yet inwardly fragile girl even more.
Leaning against Rhadamanthys's embrace, Luo Hao felt his warmth. She knew her heart was gradually being occupied by this man. However, she also clearly knew that as a Martial Arts Sovereign, she had her own responsibilities and mission.
In the following days, Luo Hao fell into deep contemplation. She began to re-examine her life and goals while also getting to know Rhadamanthys more deeply. Rhadamanthys silently accompanied her, offering support and encouragement.
Meanwhile, in the Judas Ring, another of the Underworld's Four Circles,
Allen and Annie's situation was a bit different. At this moment, Annie picked up a book and angrily threw it at Allen, making his helmet tilt slightly. He immediately straightened his helmet, pushed his zero-prescription glasses up his nose, turned to look at Annie behind him, and said:
"Miss Charlton, what's the matter?"
Annie placed her hands on her hips, her face dark, and raised an eyebrow, saying, "What's the matter?! Look at the state you've made of this place!"
Allen's surroundings were piled high with various books, all open and not closed at all. He would finish a book and toss it aside, never cleaning up, which led to this accumulation.
Annie felt both admiration and a bit of resentment towards Allen's thirst for knowledge. She admired how Allen seemed to know everything and could even pioneer new fields of study, but hated his sloppy and untidy lifestyle.
Since arriving at the Judas Ring, Annie had essentially become Allen's book cleaner, sorting and arranging the books he had read.
The longer Allen had possessed emotions, the greater his thirst for knowledge became. The scale of his collection was nearly on par with several national-level libraries, including many obscure books.
Although Annie, using her cover as a university professor's assistant while being a God Slayer, had done similar work, dealing with this slovenly scholar's books every day was another matter. Allen would verbally promise to clean up, but only did so when Hades was about to visit the Judas Ring; the rest of the time, he wouldn't.
Annie initially wanted to physically educate Allen, but remembering her own lack of strength, she immediately extinguished the idea and gave up, grinding her teeth in frustration.
"Can't you clean up a bit?! You always make this place a complete mess!!"
"Clean up? I do clean up."
"Right, right, right!! You clean up!! Only when Hades, King of the Underworld, descends upon this palace do you clean up!! You never change otherwise!!"
"What can I do?! Hades-sama is my master!! My master!!"
"..."
After that, the two began bickering furiously, though without coming to blows. Compared to the romantic love story of Rhadamanthys and Luo Hao, reminiscent of a traditional romance novel, Allen and Annie were more like a bickering couple from a light novel, constantly teasing and flirting, radiating an atmosphere that could make anyone break into an auntie-like smile.
"Hmph, you're just lazy and making excuses." Annie said, hands on hips, pouting angrily.
"Where am I lazy? I'm just too busy." Allen retorted.
"Busy? You stay here all day. What could you possibly be busy with?" Annie questioned.
"I'm busy studying various fields of knowledge to improve the Underworld's defenses. This is very important work." Allen said with a straight face.
"Research doesn't mean you can't clean up. This place is almost a garbage dump." Annie pointed at the mountains of books piled around.
"Alright, alright, I get it. I'll clean up." Allen reluctantly agreed.
"That's more like it." Annie nodded in satisfaction.
The two looked at each other and smiled, then began another round of bickering. Amidst this laughter and banter, time seemed to pass particularly beautifully.
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