Iruma began to open his eyes, and what he felt was a softness he had never experienced before. His entire body was in a state of rest and relaxation, and the comfort was so overwhelming that even when he opened his eyes, there was no need to get out of bed.
But there was an unexpected individual standing by the side of the bed, and she made her presence known by speaking.
"It seems you've awakened," a voice he had never heard before said. Judging by the tone of her voice, he assumed it was a woman. When he turned his face in the direction of the voice, he confirmed that it was indeed a woman, a woman who, due to her small size and youthful appearance, could be better described as a girl, no older than 13.
"Who are you?" Iruma asked as he got up from the bed and studied the girl more closely. He immediately noticed that she seemed to be wearing a full-body hood, and in one corner of the room, there was a giant scythe.
"From your tone of voice, you must be speaking Japanese, and therefore, you must be Japanese. Quite a distant place from where the prince hails," the girl pronounced with an adorable smile.
"Prince?"
The word "prince" began to resonate in Iruma's mind, and it started to bring back memories he thought he had blocked.
"Prince, are you exaggerating?" Iruma replied, ignoring the girl's words.
Iruma's response was met with silence, and the mysterious girl stood up.
"I don't believe I'm the right person to continue this conversation, so I'll let you know that you've awakened, Prince."
With those words, the girl began to make her way to the exit and disappeared in a black blur before Iruma's eyes.
Iruma was left bewildered by the mysterious disappearance, which compelled him to get out of bed. At first, this action was difficult because his legs were weak, as if he had experienced a great shock.
After gathering some strength, he got up and walked toward the door. However, just as she had left, the girl returned, but this time she was not alone; she was accompanied by a mysterious adult man.
The man was an obvious adult, not more than thirty years old in appearance. He had white hair and tattoos on his face in the shape of olive branches, which highlighted his otherworldly beauty. With his purple eyes fixed on Iruma, he ran toward him.
Before Iruma could react, he received a strong and affectionate hug, leaving him bewildered because he had never felt so much love in such an affectionate gesture. In fact, he had never felt any affection from another person except pity.
"Don't ever worry me like that again," the man said while continuing to hug Iruma. "I lost you once, and now that I've found you again, I didn't want to lose you so soon. You have no idea how worried you made your father, young man when you fainted."
The words of the mysterious man began to resonate in Iruma's mind, and he began to remember the events that had led him to this place. He remembered everything, even the incident with his pizza delivery, and it brought back the memory of meeting his father just hours earlier.
"F-Father," Iruma stammered while still receiving the affectionate hug of the man, who had now turned his gaze away.
"Yes, my child, I am your father," the man said with understanding and joy.
"But what happened, and how did I end up in this room?" Iruma asked, still perplexed by the situation.
"I could explain that."
A third voice intruded into the room, and an elderly man began to walk in.
"Your fainting, which was quite understandable, is due to the incompetence of this inept king."
The words of the mysterious man struck hard at the man who had been hugging Iruma and had now turned his gaze away nervously.
"This foolish king forgot that times have changed, and the mythical is no longer as normal," the old man said, emphasizing his words to inflict more damage. "And, therefore, he forgot to present himself in a more comfortable appearance for humans, which you are seeing now."
"Come on, it was a small mistake due to excitement. I didn't expect to create such an impact on my son," the man replied.
"Think it through next time. You can take the Greek out of Mount Olympus, but you can't take Mount Olympus out of the Greek."
"I know, it won't happen again, and I didn't expect to be scolded. I am not only a king but also a god."
The argument between the two men, and the girl's decision to keep her distance, weighed heavily on Iruma's mind, and he began to remember everything that had happened.
"A skeleton, there was a three-meter-tall skeleton," Iruma said as he remembered. "It hugged me, called me its son, and then everything went dark."
Iruma's words made the old man and the girl look at the nervous man who had been hugging Iruma, and as he tried to regain his composure, he began to cough while standing up. From Iruma's point of view, he appeared to be around 6'6".
"That was a moment, as I said, driven by excitement. Let me introduce myself properly..."
With that said, he started to envelop his body in a mass of energy, and in his place appeared a three-meter-tall skeleton that left Iruma dumbfounded.
"My name is Hades, I am the God of the Underworld in Greek mythology, and this is my Reaper form," Hades said, and a purple energy surrounded the skeleton that began to disappear. "And this is my human form, not as terrifying as my Reaper form and much more attractive, if I may say so, and possibly what you will inherit, my dear child."
"So, I can be tall... I mean, why am I your son?" Iruma said, calming down from the excitement of the possibility of becoming tall.
"Let me show you," Hades said while raising his hand.
Dark blue energy began to emanate from his hand, capturing Iruma's attention and making him move his hand, from which the same shade of energy emerged.
The two energies intertwined until they became one. While this was happening, Iruma's heart felt warm and familiar, as if he had sensed this energy in a distant past.
"This aura is proof of your divine lineage, as your aura comes from mine. It signifies that you are my son. Just as strength is the lineage of Zeus or audacity is the lineage of Poseidon, as a being of the underworld, your strength comes from the realms of the underworld, which is magic."
Hades' words began to have a profound impact on Iruma's psyche, and he began to accept the reality. However, before he could ask the important question, Hades spoke.
"I know you want to ask why I've never been with you in the life you've led and where your mother is, but first, let me introduce you to the new world where you're going to live. When you're ready, I'll tell you the tragedy that happened on what should have been the happiest day of my life."
With those words, Hades began to applaud, and a large number of veiled maids entered the room.
"Maids, prepare the prince. We have time for him to arrive at the event that Sullyvan has prepared."
"Yes, Lord Hades," the maids responded as Hades left the room, leaving Iruma speechless at the unfolding situation. He couldn't say anything to his father as a group of maids rushed in and took him out of the bed, leading him out of the room.
"Uh... uh, huh?" Iruma exclaimed in surprise as he was carried away by the maids, and the one with her veil uncovered began to speak.
"As the son of one of the great gods of the world, you will be provided with suitable food, appropriate clothing, etiquette, and, above all, an education befitting your future title. You will be given a house near your school and Mr. Sullyvan will look after you."
"That's right, so you can call me Grandpa or Grandpa if you like, Iruma-kun," Sullyvan said, interrupting the maid leader as they led Iruma away.
"Oh, the word 'grandpa' sounds great. When we arrive at the school, we'll take a photo at the entrance and send it to Hades-kun," Sullyvan replied while Iruma was already too far away to hear clearly and offer his opinion. Besides, due to his personality, he couldn't refuse any request made of him.
.
.
.
After bathing, getting dressed, and having breakfast (which surprised the chef due to what the prince could eat), Iruma found himself in front of a massive fantasy castle. However, that wasn't the biggest surprise for the young demigod. It was the students entering the castle. There were kids who measured up to 10 meters tall, and others with humanoid bull-like forms, and they all entered the castle as if differences in size or non-human appearances were no problem.
"Iruma, the photos turned out great. Hades will be jealous," Sullyvan said as he began to leave, now having a strange oval-shaped figure resembling an egg. "See you later. First-year students go this way. Have a great start to the year. Enjoy yourself."
With those words, Sullyvan disappeared, leaving Iruma by himself. Nervously, he walked towards the entrance, where he was surrounded by all these fantastical creatures. He found a seat, still looking quite intimidated, while other supernatural species sat around him, either ignoring him because he seemed weak or sizing him up as a potential target for bullies.
"(Damn, some of them are staring at me. They could be just as terrifying as that centipede woman... I'd better focus on not standing out. That's what I'll do.)" Iruma thought as he remained in his seat, pretending to be invisible. "(I am air, I am air, I am air...)"
While he was deep in thought, the professor who seemed to be leading the ceremony called the school director to come up and make an introduction. The word "director" caught Iruma's attention, and his curiosity turned to sheer dread when he saw Sullyvan emerge from a corner.
"Hey, Iruma, your grandpa is here!" were the words Sullyvan spoke as he appeared on the stage.
"(So this is your job? Is this the reason my father abruptly sent me to this school, so I could become acquainted with this world?)" Iruma thought, terrified, as his plan to blend in started to unravel.
"Truth be told, my grandson, the son of a great friend I even consider my own son, is attending this school in his first year. How cute he looks! We took a photo together before, and I had it turned into a huge poster," Sullyvan announced, displaying the photo they had taken at the entrance, which left Iruma paralyzed.
"But don't try to take advantage of him just because he's adorable. His father, my dear friend, is none other than Hades."
The director's words left the entire school in shock at the mention of the child in the poster alongside the director.
"The son of Hades? A God or a demigod?"
"They said the great H had a child. The man who defeated an army of titans has just become a father."
"Oh no, I don't want to run into that kid. Greek gods or demigods are terrifying. Heracles and Perseus were monster slayers."
These were the murmured words of the students, all surprised that there was a God or a demigod among the new students this year. As this news spread throughout the school, Iruma sat huddled in his seat, pretending to be invisible.
Sullyvan, feeling satisfied with his show-off moment, left the stage, and the teacher in charge continued with the presentation.
"Moving on with that, why don't we proceed to the next item on our agenda? It's time for the honor student and representative of the new students this year, Alice Asmodeus, to come up and deliver the honor speech."
At the mention of these words, all eyes shifted away from Iruma and focused on the handsome teenage boy with pink hair, dressed in white, who stood up and began to walk towards the stage.
"The much-talked-about genius from the Asmodeus family, will he be someone who believes in peace, or will he follow in the footsteps of his ancestor who opposed the Supreme God?"
"Who cares about that? He's so handsome, and that's probably how the current generation of Maou students should feel."
"One of the Seven Treasures of the Demons, seeing him in person is majestic. He not only has talent but also the intelligence to be at the top of his class."
These were the words coming from the students as they watched Alice make his way to the stage.
"Wow, he's got all the attention on him. Considering his last name, he must be someone important," Iruma said with a smile, thinking that he might have been saved.
"Oh, there's been a last-minute change. The representative of the first-year students will not be Alice Asmodeus, but it will be passed to Iruma."
Suddenly, the teacher in charge's voice rang out, and Iruma's expression went from joy to complete shock.
—(But what the hell...) —Iruma thought as he looked around and glanced at his new grandfather, who was giving him a thumbs up to encourage him to speak while recording him with a camera. —(This must be a plan that my father is involved in as well.)
Iruma thought as he slapped his face and began to stand up, earning the attention of everyone in the room as the teacher in charge called him out to deliver the speech.
In a short time, he stood in front of the students, and they began murmuring about him.
—Is that the same guy from the photo? Is he Hades's son?
—He looks weak for a God or a demigod.
—He might be one of those who deceive with appearances and are monster slayers.
—He doesn't show any fear or anxiety standing in front of so many people, so maybe he's the second type.
—(Damn, what am I saying? I'm so nervous I can't think.) —Iruma thought, until he felt someone calling him and saw his grandfather pointing to the back of the poster he had left. —(Hey, there's a letter. Maybe I should read this.)
Taking the letter and opening it, he found a strange text with strange letters that read as follows:
μέσα στη νύχτα και στο σκοτάδι, ο άρχοντας της πλούσιας νύχτας σε συστήνει τον κληρονόμο σου και δες αν είσαι άξιος να είσαι στην παρουσία του.
—So, I have to read this. I don't understand much of what it says, but I feel like I can pronounce it —Iruma said with a low voice while trying to test the pronunciation. —Well, it's better than nothing, so here goes.
μέσα στη νύχτα και στο σκοτάδι
As the students in the room pronounced those words, they began to feel a cold breeze filling the space, and a spectral figure appeared.
ο άρχοντας της πλούσιας
A massive skeleton made its appearance, and the gleam in its eyes paralyzed everyone in its presence.
νύχτας σε συστήνει τον κληρονόμο σου και δες
As Iruma continued with the words, the figure began to fade away due to the ignorance and nervousness. Iruma couldn't sense that the skeletal figure had emerged from his aura
αν είσαι άξιος να είσαι στην παρουσία του
As Iruma spoke those words, the students in the room began to feel a cold breeze filling the room, and a spectral figure appeared.
The lord of wealth,
A great skeleton made its appearance, and with the gleam in its eyes, it paralyzed everyone in its presence.
"Night introduces you to your heir and behold,
Continuing with the words, the figure started to disappear due to the ignorance and nervousness. Iruma couldn't sense that the skeletal figure had emerged from his aura.
If you are worthy to be in his presence."
Finishing his speech, the figure vanished completely while silence reigned in the auditorium. Iruma was reluctant to make eye contact with the audience, nervous about thinking he had done something wrong.
"Hey, you, what was that? Haven't you realized the incredible power you've just revealed?" a teacher said as he approached Iruma. "You've frightened them; this energetic group turned completely silent due to the overwhelming force you displayed."
"Eh, I'm sorry, I didn't know..."
"It was dangerous, but don't worry. One understands that young gods can't fully control their strength. It's good to see that you are one of those gods who prove their worth through their strength rather than their status. You've impressed me."
"Eh? A god?" Iruma asked in amazement, being mistaken for a complete god rather than a demigod. "You know, I'm not..."
"And modest, I expected nothing less from a child of great Hades. With the strength you just showed, you demonstrate that you won't be a god who sits by and only observes, but a warrior who isn't afraid to be challenged and face opponents regardless of their lineage. I even want to see you a bit worn out by the aura you revealed; I'm quite satisfied and happy with your presence in this school," the teacher said, interrupting Iruma. This teacher was a man with brown hair and horns, and in his eyes, like many students, was the first presence of a god not seen from afar.
And Iruma couldn't deny that, unintentionally, he not only failed to go unnoticed but was also considered a god rather than a demigod.
With those words spoken by the teacher, the ceremony ended, and everyone went their own way through the school. Many students were impressed by the power of a god, but one, in particular, scowled and went in Iruma's direction.
Iruma walked with his head down as students avoided him, either out of fear or admiration for the powerful aura he had unleashed during the ceremony. It was an aura that Iruma had never wanted to display in his life, but now he had to live with it until the effects passed, with the stigma of being observed with fear or admiration.
While he was in this state, a voice from the background intercepted him. As Iruma turned around, he saw the pink-haired youth who should have given the speech instead of him.
"Oh, you must be Alice Asmode..."
"Let's go outside; we need to talk," Alice said, cutting off Iruma sharply and walking toward the field outside the school. Iruma, not understanding but unable to say no, followed him to the school's field. They didn't take long to reach their destination.
"Hey, why did you summon me outside... Ah!" Iruma suddenly yelled as he quickly dodged a fireball attack that exploded behind him. "What is this? Is he trying to burn me?"
"As you already know, my name is Alice Asmodeus. I am the descendant of the powerful Demon Asmodeus, who once challenged the Almighty. And for the honor of my house, I was supposed to give the entrance speech," Alice spoke while generating another fireball in his hand. "But you, believing in your status as a god and the influence of your family, took my place."
"Your aura even forced me to step back. I, a descendant of the demon who once challenged the God above all Gods, felt intimidated by the aura of an unknown god. It doesn't matter if you're the son of Hades; you're still a nameless god."
"Uh, my name is Iruma, nice to meet you..."
"Shut up, even on this day when I was so well-prepared, even in my best attire, I was humiliated by a nameless god."
"Uh, I already told you my name is Iruma."
"Shut up! My magnificent performance was humiliated by you," Alice said as he increased the fireball. "For the honor of my blood, I won't let myself be insulted this way. So, show me if you're a god or a coward."
As Iruma was about to speak again, he felt a massive presence and heard shouts coming from the surroundings. When he raised his eyes, he saw that the stands and upper floors were filled with students.
"Since when did so many people arrive here?"
"It was me who called them," Alice said with a smile. "Now, in front of all these eyes, they will see how the blood of one of the demon kings defeats the descendant of a forgotten god."
With that said, Alice threw several fireballs at Iruma, causing destruction all around them and increasing the excitement of the students witnessing the battle. It even prompted those watching to call more students to witness the fight.
The auditorium was filled with more students, curious about the "student of honor vs. superior student" battle, and both students' lineages were ecstatic about what was about to happen.
"Whoa, what firepower! I haven't seen such power unleashed, even in mid-level rating games or the Phoenix immortals," a student with a gargoyle-like appearance exclaimed.
"Ha, I expected nothing less from a descendant of the original Maou and the star of the demon underworld. Look at how he's cornering that insolent god," another student, clearly of demonic origin, said with pride in his voice.
"Yeah, yeah, lots of flash, but don't you feel like none of Asmodeus's powerful attacks are hurting Iruma at all?" pointed out a student with an oni-like appearance and a single horn protruding from his forehead. His observation was something that everyone had realized after the display of power – none of Alice Asmodeus's powerful ultimate-level attacks had touched Iruma at any point.
After 20 minutes, fatigue began to set in for both young men, and it was more pronounced in Alice, who spoke first.
"How can you dodge all my attacks so effortlessly?"
"I-I'm so sorry..."
How was it possible that Iruma, with no battle experience, was evading attacks that would even challenge professional high-class demons?
The reason was quite simple: Iruma, being someone with very bad luck and no divine gifts, had to develop a skill for survival at a young age, and that skill was the ability to dodge both direct and indirect attacks.
A being who had eliminated all offensive capabilities to survive and had dedicated everything to defense, achieving a Attack level of 0 but an infinite Defense level, something perhaps only the embodiment of infinity could overcome.
A power that left all spectators in awe.
"Asmodeus has a mighty power, but before Hades' son, he's being analyzed and dodged with the agility of a dancer."
"But he hasn't attacked; maybe he believes it would be a waste of energy to attack a demon in possession of God."
"Such a great difference between the lineage of a God and a demon king!"
These were some of the comments the students were making, and Alice could hear them clearly.
"Do you think I'm not worth attacking, and you pity me, huh?"
"No, it's not like that. Even with your great skills, I might be just an insect in your eyes, or worse."
Nervous and due to the distance and the situation, Iruma misunderstood that he was calling Asmodeus's powers worse than insects.
"To call Asmodeus's lineage power even worse than insects, so terrifying is the son of Hades."
"Fleeing now is not for cowards, Asmodeus; it's just a natural difference in power."
"How cruel. The fame of the Greek gods is as they say, and now he's humiliating a little descendant of a demon king."
Upon hearing that, Iruma grew even more nervous and tried to correct himself, but a massive amount of demonic energy, now exceeding the power of an ultimate demon, began to emanate from Alice.
"My ancestor fought and died challenging the most powerful God, but you, a nameless God, say that my inherited abilities from such a demon are not much better than insects," Alice said as his aura continued to increase and began to frighten the students around them. "How dare you insult me so much!"
Concentrating all of his immense demonic power, which now reached Maou level, into a sword, he prepared to launch himself at Iruma.
"If magic doesn't work against a God, then martial arts will bring you down, and now you die..."
With that said, Alice launched himself at Iruma, but his powerful and fast attacks, which exceeded the speed of sound and even lightning, couldn't touch Iruma's agile and fast-moving body.
A demonstration of the strongest spear against the mightiest shield was witnessed by the students, and Alice's rage had escalated his power to Maou level. As a result, Iruma's body began to react to the danger, and as the sword came dangerously close, Iruma, with the quick mental agility worthy of a Greek hero, raised his hand and unintentionally released his divine aura, which collided directly with Alice.
"Aaargh!" was Alice's cry of pain as he was sent flying into one of the walls due to the force of the divine energy.
The students looked in astonishment as they felt that all of Alice's attacks had failed, and a single attack from Iruma had hit Alice.
"Aargh... I can't fall here; I can't lose to a nameless God carrying the Asmodeus name," Alice said, rising from the impact that a regular ultimate-class demon might have killed. It was a testament to his hidden talent. "I will defeat you."
With that shout, Alice launched himself at Iruma. Sensing that another aura attack could be lethal to his opponent, Iruma tried to redirect his attacking power elsewhere using aikido techniques he had learned to redirect Alice's incoming attack without releasing his divine aura.
However, his plan would have been perfect if not for the scream of a student who was standing behind them. Alice's attack was at a level that no student, other than Alice himself, could withstand, and if it hit the girl behind them, it would be fatal.
"(He's so furious he can't control himself...)" Iruma thought as he threw himself towards Alice, who, due to his rage and his injuries from the previous attack, hadn't noticed the poor student about to receive his attack. "I will stop you, even if I fall in the process!"
Iruma yelled, and, like an unexpected miracle, he felt his divine energy strengthening him instead of leaving his body. With inhuman strength, Iruma managed to lift the furious Alice and launched himself backward, directing the full force of the attack into the ground.
The explosion was tremendous, shaking everything nearby. The spectators who had been witnessing the battle were left bewildered by what they had just seen. According to a member of the journalism club, summarizing the situation for one of the witnesses:
"The fight was born in Greece and perfected in Rome, and by displaying the techniques of his homeland, Iruma, the God and son of Hades, amazed us all with his final move... a perfect suplex that immediately defeated the descendant of Asmodeus."
And so, Iruma's first day of school began. His first heroic or powerful act in the eyes of the supernatural world was his victory against the heir of Asmodeus's bloodline.
The newspaper headline the next day would read:
"During the opening ceremony, Iruma recited a speech in magical Greek while unleashing his powerful aura, which even made some teachers tremble. Not only that, but he also defeated the honor student, Alice Asmodeus of the Asmodeus House and the heir of the famous demon Asmodeus, with a perfect suplex."
"Wow, your father will be pleased with this news, Iruma. Who would have thought that your first heroic act would be defeating an Asmodeus?" Sullivan said, hanging a giant poster of Iruma's suplex on the wall of his office, which was featured on the newspaper's cover. "A bright future awaits you. Several sons of Zeus have been outdone with this feat."
"This doesn't make me happy at all. I wanted to remain inconspicuous, and now I'm on the front page of the newspaper. I must apologize to my father and rectify this misunderstanding."
As Iruma was saying this, the office door opened, and Alice walked in. This made Iruma nervous, as he wanted to talk. Before he could say anything, Alice kneeled.
"I thought my lineage and my talent would put me even above novice gods, but you demonstrated not by flaunting your title as Hades's son, but by the difference in our power levels, and you defeated me without me being able to do anything," Alice solemnly stated while kneeling. "Even with your dignified victory, you showed humility by sparing the loser and taking me to the infirmary without asking for anything in return. Not only did you defeat me in power, but you also demonstrated how a noble should react."
"For this reason, like my ancestor who lost to the original Lucifer King, I, Alice Asmodeus, by my demon honor and the honor of my House, fully surrender to you, Iruma," Alice said as he took Iruma's hand. "Together, we will rule this school. A God like you should aim even higher, and we will rule the world, defeating even that idiotic God who only protects weak angels!"
"(He just insulted God so easily. Oh, dear God, if you exist, please don't punish me. It wasn't my intention for my words to lead to such a crazy situation)," Iruma thought, worried about the existence of other gods besides his father and how they would react to the insults.
"So, Mr. Iruma, what will be our first objective to take that pathetic God's place?"
"Iruma, your father says he's going to publish your victory against Asmodeus on mythological forums."
"Wait, don't stop, please don't do it!"
These were Iruma's final words as he finished his first day of school, accepting that he had a God as a father and now defeating the heir of one of the demon king families, all in the same day.