Death Knocks on Hell’s Door Chapter 82

Chapter 82 The Price

In the dressing room, Hypnos, dressed in a golden suit, adjusted Thanatos’ tie, sighing with a hint of melancholy. “I still can’t believe it. My younger brother is getting married.”

Thanatos was wearing a silver-white suit today, with a silver rose pinned to his chest. His silver eyes were half-closed, giving him an air of aloofness and nobility.

Yanluo and Thanatos had been living in Greece for some time, during which they were busy preparing for a Western-style wedding. Greece was where Thanatos had been born and raised, so Yanluo had decided that their first wedding would take place there. Hades had sent out invitations to both the divine mountain and the sea realm, ensuring that the event would not be too quiet.

The marriage of Eastern and Western gods was no small matter, especially with Yanluo’s high status among the Eastern gods. Many Greek gods, intrigued by the mysterious Eastern god, had also decided to attend. Despite the fact that the God of Death was associated with the underworld and had little interaction with the divine mountain and the sea, countless gods had come, both to honor the King of the Underworld and to witness the marriage of the God of Death and the Eastern god.

“Many gods have come today for your wedding. It’s quite lively outside,” Hypnos remarked as he finished tying a perfect knot in Thanatos’ tie. He stepped back to inspect his work, satisfied. “My little brother will surely be the brightest star in the room.”

“Thanatos,” he added, his voice soft with reluctance. “You have to be happy.”

Thanatos gave a slight nod. “I will be.”

Hypnos’ expression shifted to one of worry. “I contacted Mother and told her about your wedding. She promised she would return in time for the ceremony. It’s almost time for the wedding to start, but she still hasn’t shown up……”

In another dressing room.

Yanluo, also dressed in a silver-white suit, calmly accepted the scrutiny of the goddess before him, who was wearing a black ceremonial gown. His expression remained as composed as ever, giving no hint that he was currently fighting off the terrifying power of the dark night.

Two immense divine forces were clashing between them. The dense darkness consumed half of the room, while the other half was shielded by Yanluo’s golden light.

The Goddess of the Night, Nyx, daughter of the primordial god Chaos, was one of the original five Greek gods, holding unparalleled status and power. However, what made Yanluo treat her with such caution was her other identity — she was the mother of the God of Death.

Nyx did not approach her son first. Instead, she assessed her future son-in-law. If he failed to meet her standards, she wouldn’t hesitate to destroy the wedding altogether.

Suddenly, Nyx withdrew her divine power, and the room returned to normal in an instant.

Yanluo slowly withdrew his power as well, smiling as he spoke, “Mother-in-law, are you satisfied with the results of your test?”

“I admit your strength is worthy of my son, and I approve of your marriage,” Nyx paused, then added with a warning, “But if, after the wedding, you mistreat Thanatos or take other lovers—”

Marriages among the Greek gods were rarely reliable, but the Goddess of the Night and the God of Darkness were a rare example of a devoted and loving couple. She hoped her son would also find true love.

Thanatos had rarely opened his heart. If he were betrayed, it would be better if he had never met anyone.

Yanluo grew serious. “That will never happen. I will love him for all eternity.”

Seeing the solemnity in the Eastern god’s eyes, Nyx’s prepared harsh words caught in her throat. With a cold snort, she muttered, “It better be that way.”

Hypnos had no idea that his mother had gone to warn his brother’s husband. He was still anxiously wondering if the Goddess of the Night would miss the wedding.

“Wow, Big Brother God of Death, you look really good today.”

A young, innocent voice called out from below. Thanatos looked down to see a familiar golden-haired boy holding a small wedding cake, his face smeared with cream.

Cupid?

Wasn’t he supposed to be traveling in China with his parents?

“Has the King of the Sea returned?” Thanatos’ first thought was this.

Poseidon couldn’t possibly leave his own son unattended and let Cupid return to Greece alone.

Thanatos hadn’t completed his task of bringing Poseidon back from China, but instead, he had brought back Yanluo. He hadn’t expected Poseidon to return to Greece on his own, just in time for his wedding with Yanluo.

The mission, by chance, had been completed.

“Yeah, we were in China for a vacation, and we happened to meet the God of Darkness and the Goddess of the Night, who were traveling around the world and had just arrived in China.” Cupid fluttered his small wings as he flew up to Thanatos. “We were about to spend the day together, but when the Goddess of the Night heard about your wedding, she rushed back to Greece. Of course, we came back to attend the wedding once we heard.”

“Huh?” Hypnos exclaimed in surprise. “So, that means Mother has already returned?”

“Of course.” Nyx entered the room, her intimidating aura in front of Yanluo now replaced by a gentle smile. “Children, it’s been a long time.”

The wedding venue was already bustling with guests.

The arrival of Poseidon and Venus sparked hushed conversations among many of the Olympian gods. Everyone knew that Poseidon had nearly taken Olympus and become the ruler of the divine mountain, but at the crucial moment, he had chosen to pursue Venus to the East. This allowed Hephaestus, the God of Fire, to seize the opportunity to overthrow Zeus and become the fourth King of the Gods.

Furthermore, Hephaestus was Venus’ ex-husband.

Whether for power or for beauty, the relationship between Poseidon and Hephaestus was like that of water and fire.

The fact that the King of the Gods would be attending today’s wedding made it feel like a grand show. The gods even speculated whether the two might end up fighting, regardless of the occasion.

Among the guests, the messenger god Hermes observed the stunning golden-haired beauty standing beside Poseidon and remarked, his tone tinged with bitterness, “He’s still as beautiful as ever.”

Dionysus, the God of Wine, lazily added, “You’re just a former lover, don’t act like you’re the ex-husband. The real victim hasn’t even arrived yet.”

Shortly after, a man in a red suit, strikingly handsome with a mesmerizing appearance and red eyes, stepped into the hall. His fiery gaze, however, appeared cold and distant.

The gods fell silent for a moment, holding their breath as their eyes flickered between the God of Fire, the God of Sea, and God of Beauty.

Hephaestus’ gaze briefly landed on Venus before he quickly averted his eyes and took his seat, acting as though he were seeing a stranger for the first time.

The gods: ???

This was it?

What a letdown.

Poseidon let out a cryptic chuckle. Today was Yanluo and Thanatos’ wedding, so it was basic etiquette not to steal the spotlight. Hephaestus, however, had played his part, not staring at Venus the whole time. If he had, he’d be challenging Hephaestus to a duel after the ceremony.

This complicated love triangle caused no real stir. Once the two grooms made their appearance, the gods quickly shifted their attention.

The gods were used to seeing the God of Death in his black robe, so when they saw the handsome young man in a silver-white suit, they briefly wondered if Hypnos had dyed his hair and put in colored contact lenses.

But they quickly discovered the difference between the two brothers, one cold and one warm, one quiet and one active, making it easy to distinguish them.

Then there was the dark-haired, dark-eyed Eastern god, whose appearance was flawless in a way that was completely different from their own. Many elegant ancient poems could describe Yanluo’s looks, but unfortunately, the Western gods were not familiar with poetry, so their minds couldn’t conjure anything beyond the same thought that instantly arose—

He was the Eastern Venus.

Venus represented the pinnacle of beauty in the West. He was the very embodiment of beauty itself, and calling someone “Venus” was the highest praise for their looks.

The God of Love and Beauty, Venus, was personally officiating their wedding. Originally, Hypnos was supposed to do the honors, but with Venus returning just in time, what could be more perfect than marrying under the blessing of the God of Love?

Under the watchful eyes of the gods, Yanluo and Thanatos took their vows, exchanged rings, embraced, and kissed.

From then on, they would walk side by side, together for the rest of their lives.

They would forever be each other’s other half.

The wedding rings were a gift from Hades. Two weddings were held, one where Thanatos married Yanluo, and the other where Yanluo married Thanatos. Both sides agreed that this was the fairest way to do it. As a result, most of the arrangements for this Western-style wedding were provided by the underworld.

Hades had originally intended to have Hephaestus, the God of Smithing, custom-make the rings, but Hephaestus had refused. No matter what generous conditions Hades offered, the God of Fire refused to agree.

In the end, Hephaestus reluctantly told Hades that he had lost his ability to forge.

Hades was stunned. Hephaestus had always held dominion over both fire and forging, creating countless beautiful jewels and powerful weapons. How could such an essential ability simply disappear?

Hephaestus offered no explanation.

He had once been disfigured and lame. His current health had come at a price.

That was the price he had paid.

When he had ventured to the ruins of the battlefield in the Nordic lands, he had nearly perished. In the moment of his near death, he was saved by Lucifiel, an angel from the Hebrew pantheon.

He woke to see the holy angel and introduced himself, thanking Lucifiel for his help. Lucifiel apologetically told him that he had intended to heal the birthmark on his face and his disabled left leg, but his holy light was unable to cure them.

Hephaestus bitterly replied that it was the fate written for him, and he had long accepted the fact that it could not be changed.

It was also because of this that he had always felt inferior, even when pursuing Venus, handling everything with the utmost caution.

Just as Lucifiel sympathized with his plight, a mocking sneer interrupted. “Fate is the most boring thing.”

Hephaestus looked up in shock, only to see that the golden-haired angel with three pairs of pure white wings and a halo above his head had transformed into a black-haired demon, horns sprouting from his head, and his wings now stained with darkness.

“How about making a deal with me?” the devil said, his tone arrogant and nonchalant. “Hephaestus, God of Fire and Smithing, give your forging to me, and I will grant you an unblemished appearance, a swift and healthy body, and unparalleled strength.”

Hephaestus could not refuse. With these gifts, he would finally have enough power to rescue Venus from Poseidon.

So, he made the deal with the devil. Shortly after gaining a healthy body, he encountered the Nordic God of Fire, Loki, who was on the brink of death. He absorbed his power, becoming incredibly strong.

That was his fortuitous encounter.

But when he returned, thinking he now had the strength to compete with Poseidon for Venus, he discovered that Venus had already fallen in love with Poseidon.

The competition hadn’t even started, yet he had already lost.

Later, Hephaestus researched various texts and discovered that the archangel Lucifiel from the Hebrew pantheon had fallen into hell as Satan countless years ago. According to these records, there should be no angel named Lucifiel in the world today, only the demon, Lucifer.

Yet that day, he had seen both the angel and the devil.

They appeared alternately.

It seemed as though…… they were two souls in one body.

“You’re pregnant again.” After the wedding, sensing the faint life force within Venus, Hephaestus spoke, “Congratulations.”

Venus responded politely, “Thank you.”

Hephaestus lowered his gaze. “Before I overthrew Zeus and locked him in Tartarus, he cursed me. Continuing the tradition of the divine royal family, he said that I, too, would eventually be overthrown by my son.”

Hephaestus looked at Venus. “I don’t plan to marry or have children again. Venus, do you think his prophecy will come true?”

Hephaestus had only one nominal son. Cupid.

Venus thought for a moment before replying, “Then you can rest easy.”

Meaning, Cupid was not his biological son.

Hephaestus smiled, looking unsurprised.

“I actually hope he will come to overthrow me.”

“……That’s fine too.”

“I wish you happiness.”

Poseidon hadn’t intended to leave Venus alone with Hephaestus, but he found himself tangled up with Hades.

“Poseidon, you still know how to come back.” Hades was brimming with cold energy. “You asked me to temporarily take over your duties, then you disappeared for months. Don’t you think that’s a bit much? Thanatos has another wedding in China. After this, I’m heading there with Hypnos. I’m done with your matters.”

“Got it, Hades.”

Poseidon added lazily, “Thanks.”

Previously, the Olympus throne had just changed hands, and the sea realm was in turmoil, which required the King of the Underworld to step in. Now that the situation had stabilized, he could let his own subordinates take over.

He and Venus weren’t finished playing yet.

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