Translator-Sama - Chapter 65: The Dumbfounded Twin Gods

The temporal artifact—the Amulet of Uroboros embedded within Persephone's golden sphere—had been heavily fortified by divine energy. Its power was now vastly magnified. It could no longer merely reverse or accelerate time around inanimate structures; its range of effect had expanded to an unimaginable degree.

Axis could now accelerate time upon living creatures, reducing them to infants, aging them into withered husks, or accelerating their decay until they turned to ash. The time-freezing capability had also evolved drastically. Even weaker deities could now be frozen in place, and any entity below the divine tier was absolutely incapable of breaking free from its hold.

'If these two women don't know what's good for them,' Axis thought, 'I'll just use this artifact to see exactly how much weight they carry.'

"You cur! How dare you disrespect Lady Pandora! Do you wish to die? Allow me, Behemoth Violate of the Celestial Lone Star, to witness exactly what you are capable of!" the towering, fierce woman roared.

Violate was one of the strongest combatants among the Celestial-tier Specters. Aside from the three Underworld Judges, Bennu Kagaho, the four Dream Gods, and the guardians of the Demonic Temples, she stood at the absolute pinnacle of Hades's army. She was the trusted vanguard of Garuda Aiacos. Crushing a mortal who hadn't even awakened a Cosmo should have been as easy as picking up a stray stone.

However, she didn't need to strike. Lady Pandora could easily handle this whelp herself. Violate only hoped Pandora wouldn't reprimand her for overstepping her bounds.

"Stand down, Violate," Pandora ordered sharply. "Do you truly believe a mortal without a Cosmo poses any threat to me?"

"Y-yes, Lady Pandora. My deepest apologies," Violate murmured, glaring fiercely at Axis before retreating behind her commander.

'Damn, these two have terrible tempers,' Axis mused. 'You had both better watch yourselves. Once I take control here, I'm making you two scrub the floors.'

"I see. You possess the power to manipulate fire?" Pandora observed, crossing her arms and lifting her chin arrogantly. "No wonder the Twin Gods took an interest in you. But did you truly believe that would save you from my discipline?"

"I think you have misunderstood the situation," Axis replied smoothly. "I haven't offended you. I simply repeated the promise Queen Persephone made to me. Are you absolutely certain she won't punish you if you lay a hand on me?"

'It's called winning without fighting,' Axis thought. 'I'll just borrow the Queen's authority to keep her in line.'

"You...!" Pandora gritted her teeth. The bastard was using a goddess to blackmail her! Was he trying to usurp her command over the Underworld army? If she killed him now, Queen Persephone and the Twin Gods would undoubtedly hold her responsible.

Pandora's expression darkened into an incredibly ugly scowl.

"Miss Pandora, I have absolutely no intention of usurping your position," Axis clarified. "I am merely stating that, aside from the divine lords who command me directly, I will not take orders from anyone else."

"You arrogant wretch!" Pandora snapped, her boobs heaving with indignation. "By joining Hades's army, you are subject to my command!"

'Damn, even when she's furious, she's giving me an excellent view,' Axis thought. 'Please, Miss, you're wearing a low-cut dress. Calm down.'

"You bastard! Where are you looking?!" Violate shouted, having clearly noticed where Axis's eyes had wandered.

"What? You... you insolent pig!" Pandora's face flushed a deep crimson, pointing a trembling finger at Axis in a mix of profound shame and fury.

Forget the consequences. If the gods wanted to punish her later, so be it.

"Violate, do not kill him. Just capture him and break a few bones," Pandora ordered. She still didn't dare execute him outright, but beating him into a bloody pulp was fair game. She was confident Queen Persephone wouldn't hold a severe grudge over a bruised mortal.

"With pleasure, my Lady. I will teach this whelp a lesson," Violate smiled cruelly, instantly lunging at Axis.

"Tch. Why make things difficult for yourselves? Just strike a pose and hold it," Axis sighed.

He instantly triggered the temporal artifact. A wave of deep green energy swept across the tearoom, engulfing Pandora and Violate. The two women were immediately frozen in time, completely immobilized. They couldn't even speak; they could only widen their eyes in sheer, unadulterated disbelief.

This was the absolute power of time! Impossible! How could a mere mortal wield the authority of time itself?

'Damn my carelessness!' Pandora panicked internally. 'I let this brat get the drop on me! What... what is he going to do to me?'

"Now, you two just sit quietly for a bit," Axis said, casually leaning back in his chair. He poured himself another cup of tea and took a slow sip. "I imagine things on the other side will be wrapping up shortly."

'My teammates are heavy hitters,' he thought confidently. 'They should easily clean up those two second-rate Twin Gods. Excellent. I'll just sit back and cheer them on from the sidelines.'

Meanwhile, deep within the sealed chamber of Hades's palace, Thanatos and Hypnos surrounded Persephone.

"Your Majesty, allow us to help you restore your divinity and purge the lingering weakness of your mortal humanity," Thanatos declared.

"Once cleansed, your divine vessel can slumber peacefully in Elysium," Hypnos added smoothly. "We will prepare a pure maiden's body for you to use in the mortal realm."

As long as the Queen restored her former divine nature and completely discarded her human attachments, she would undoubtedly thank them in the future.

"I refuse," Persephone stated flatly.

She instantly donned her magnificent Kamui, erupting her Cosmo to its absolute zenith.

"I fear it is no longer your decision, Your Majesty," Hypnos mocked. "But do not worry. You will thank us once you are truly a goddess again."

"Your Cosmo is undeniably powerful," Thanatos admitted. "In a one-on-one duel, neither of us could defeat you. Even if we joined forces, the odds of failure would be extremely high. But unfortunately for you, you followed us into Hades Castle."

"This palace was forged by Lord Hades himself," Hypnos continued. "It is warded by his absolute barrier. Your power is severely suppressed here."

The only reason they hadn't struck outside was that they weren't entirely confident of victory, and a clash would have caused a massive commotion. But within the isolated confines of Hades's palace, they held the absolute advantage.

"Do you truly believe this lingering remnant of a barrier can suppress my power?" Persephone mocked. "Only Hades himself could hope to contain me."

She could feel it. If she unleashed the full, unbridled fury of her Cosmo, she could effortlessly tear the barrier apart.

"As you said, if you unleash your full Cosmo, you could break the barrier," Thanatos agreed. "But do not forget, there are two of us standing in your way."

"Indeed, Your Majesty," Hypnos smiled. "We are only doing this to help you become a true god once more."

"Hahaha! Did you actually think I came alone?" Persephone laughed brightly. "Alright, Athena. Kratos. Come out and clean up these two fools."

Under the utterly disbelieving gazes of Thanatos and Hypnos, Athena and the Ghost of Sparta stepped out from the shadows.

[Next Chapter: The Professional God Slayer Goes to Work]