The cathedral in the forest was usually almost empty, but not that day.
In the main hall, all of the 108 specters that served Hades himself had assembled. All of them kneeling before the altar, where their god stood with his attendant Pandora by his side. They had been called to receive their marching orders now that this new holy war had properly begun. Also next to him was the little dog that'd been killed by Pandora in their first meeting, now alive once again thanks to the divine powers of Hades. He stood by the right leg of his owner, seemingly still very much attached to him.
"Warriors of the underworld!" Spoke Pandora. "As you can see, our Lord Hades, Emperor of the Underworld, has finally awakened."
The specters lowered their heads, a sign of respect.
Hades then took a step forward, prepared to address his army personally this time.
"My specters, when every color in the world mixes, the result is always the purest black, which is the calm and peaceful color of salvation." He spoke with a tone that was as regal as it was imposing. "I ask you, paint the skies and all of the earth with it. Bring me Athena's head, and crush anything that stands in your path."
Pandora then turned her gaze to one of the specters that knelt on the front row.
"Griffon Minos, the Star of Nobility. We'll start by retaliating against the sanctuary for their pitiful attempts at attacking us in our own territory." She smirked. "Assemble your men and head straight to the sanctuary, your mission is to spread terror and thin the ranks of the saints as much as possible."
She continued. "You're one of the three great judges of the underworld, certainly this task is well suited for a warrior as skilled as you."
The three judges of the underworld: Minos, Aeacus, and Rhadamanthus were three of the highest ranking specters in the armies of Hades, each one even stronger than your average golden saint. Their mere presence was enough to instill fear in the hearts of Hades' enemies.
After hearing Pandora's words, Minos stood up. His dark armor was much more imposing than that of your average specter, having a pair of griffon wings similar to those in Kagaho's armor. His long white hair flowed out of his helmet, obscuring his eyes almost completely.
"Understood." He sounded almost excited as he said that. "I, Griffon Minos, will make sure to bring Lord Hades the heads of as many saints as I can find."
-x-
Shortly after that, the specters disbanded and went about their ways.
Alone, who was now Hades, headed to his atelier in the cathedral where he'd keep practicing his painting skills. But once he got there, Bennu Kagaho was already waiting inside.
"I noticed you weren't present during our meeting earlier, Kagaho." The emperor of the underworld spoke, walking past him and towards his painting tools. "Where were you?"
"I don't like crowds." The specter answered, kneeling in respect.
"Typical." Hades chuckled, putting a blank canvas into a tripod. "Then tell me, why have you come here?"
"That golden saint, Libra Dohko." Kagaho's words were quiet but full of anger. "He tried to take your life back at the castle my lord, and that's a sin I cannot forgive."
"Minos and his troops are already heading into the sanctuary, I ask for your permission to go with them." The specter made his request, lowering his head.
"Granted." Hades answered as he started painting, completely nonchalant.
In turn, Kagaho simply stood up and walked through the door. He was determined to have his rematch with Dohko no matter what, and if he'd have to join up with one of the three great judges to achieve that, he was fully willing to do so.
-x-
"Take this sword." Said Hakurei.
Back at the Himalayas, the mentor of Jamir handed the strange curved sword he carried with him to the unicorn saint Yato, now determined to rescue his rival Tenma from the jaws of the underworld.
"Listen Unicorn, it's not possible for a human to go to the underworld while still alive under normal circumstances." The old master continued. "That's why you must have this sword with you."
"This is a sacred sword that received Athena's blessing during the previous holy war, it should grant you and Yuzuriha a protection not unlike that of Pegasus' flower bangle for a short period of time." Hakurei explained, placing the item in the hands of the bronze saint.
"Leave it to me!" Yato answered, strapping the weapon to his belt.
"I'll fulfill my mission, master." Said the warrior lady, just as determined.
"Well said, you two." The mentor then started to emanate a silvery aura around himself. "Now, I'll use a secret technique that will warp you both right to the margin of the styx."
"The bulk of the specter army is on the world of the living right now because of the Holy War, so you likely won't face too much resistance in this mission, but still, stay on your toes and watch out for ambushes. I wish you good luck, both of you."
Hakurei raised his index finger, pointing it in the direction of Yato and Yuzuriha.
"Sekishiki Meikai Ha!"
A ghostly silver energy surged from the finger, and then ripped a hole in reality right behind them. A portal that'd take them directly to the realm of Hades. Without even thinking twice, Yato and Yuzuriha jumped into the unknown, determined to bring back their fallen comrade.
-x-
Before they knew it, Yato and Yuzuriha were standing in a breen wasteland of red stone, dirt and a dark sky. The sources of light around them were simply from the flames of the will-o'-the-wisps that spread far. It was a place where seemingly no life grew, no grass, plants, no animals, only the dead.
"So this is the underworld…" Yato commented, a bit freaked out by the absence of the sounds of nature that were so common in the world of the living.
"Let's get going, we shouldn't waste time." Said the girl, walking forward.
"Hey, wait for me!" The unicorn followed behind her.
"Say, why did that old man send you with me again?" He asked, a bit annoyed.
"Does he think I'm not good enough to get this thing done by myself?"
She smirked, not taking him too seriously. "Look at it this way, I'm here to protect you."
She said in a jokey tone. "I'll be your bodyguard, how about that?"
The Unicorn blushed, even though he knew she was just screwing with him.
"I should be the one saying that y'know. I'm the guy!"
The girl chuckled. "C'mon, let's just go Yato." She continued walking.
"Right now we gotta hurry, you know that the protection of the sword won't last long, right? And the same thing goes for the pegasus' flower bangle."
The young man nodded, getting serious again.
"Yeah, you're right."
As the duo walked the wastelands of that limbo between life and death, they finally saw the river styx in the distance. An ominous dark enormous body of water that stretched far beyond their eyesights.
Now, all they had to do was locate Tenma. Which look like it was gonna be easier said than done.