Chapter 521 - 448: The Flesh That Holds the Soul
"Honorable Death God and esteemed Judges of the Netherworld, with the assistance of those Heroes, I have completed your trials."
Baird stood below the lengthy steps, his head raised as he addressed the assembly before him:
"Now, it’s time for you to fulfill your promise."
The unconscious three-headed dog lay beside him, its four legs sprawled as if crawling on the ground. The Heroes all looked unanimously towards the Death God and Judges on the Palace steps; they remained silent, yet their collective gazes interwove anticipation with oppression.
The Judges exchanged glances, caught off guard. They had always remembered the wager with the Great Angel, hence they had troubled the heroes to the utmost in the nine trials, yet in truth, they had not prepared to keep their promise after the trials.
But a promise was still a promise. If they did not honor it, the credibility that the Netherworld Judges had meticulously built over thousands of years would crumble, and mortals would no longer heed their judgments. At that time, what authority would the Netherworld, the realm of the afterlife, hold?
"Heroes, I recognize your bravery in battle and exceptional cunning, but such a matter has no precedent,"
the Death God Nakbet now stepped forward, raising his Scepter:
"Let us first discuss this matter. Our response will surely satisfy you."
Following this, Death God Nakbet and the Judges of the Netherworld retreated into the Palace, leaving hundreds and thousands of Heroes waiting outside on the steps.
The Heroes engaged in fervent discussions, kneeled in prayer, and took a moment to celebrate. None could be certain of the outcome; all had to entrust their fate to destiny’s hands.