Maynila, capital of the Filipinas.

It was now 7.00 a.m. Street food stalls were already emerging at every corner of the streets. This was a country that was known for their fruit exports, and fruit was a quintessential part of their breakfast. That said, there were also stalls offering beef bone soup, seafood rice, adobo, and so on and so forth. The sky wasn’t bright yet, but the city was already stirring into the usual hustle and bustle of things.

Just then, one of the stall owners shuddered wildly, and then turned to the stall owner next to him, “Did you feel that? Why does it feel like there’s suddenly a cold front sweeping in?”

“That’s right…” The other stall owner hugged his arms and shivered softly, “That’s strange. We’ve never had such cold mornings here in the tropics--…”

Whoosh!!!

As he spoke, a mighty gale suddenly picked up out of nowhere, sending trash and litter, and even some of the roadside stores flying off the ground as though they were completely weightless! Both merchants and pedestrians alike screamed at the top of their voices as they crouched down instinctively.

Clang! An iron pot filled with water was sent hurtling into the air like a kite with a broken string, before finally landing several hundreds of meters away. Likewise, stools, chairs and other cooking equipment were also sent flying everywhere, and the usual orderly bustle of the morning instantly devolved into chaos. The terrifying gust of wind lasted for about a dozen more seconds before it finally subsided.

Even then, nobody dared to move from where they were.

Three seconds later, someone rose to his feet with great trembling and stared in horror at the skies beyond, “What’s going on…”

An intensely dark cloud was sweeping right across the horizon, almost as though it was concealing something terrifying within. The horrific sight caused the citizens to shriek at the top of their voices as they immediately gathered what belongings were left around them and began fleeing back to their own homes.

“Typhoon? Is this a super typhoon alert?” “Where’s the government? What in the world is our government doing? Why weren’t there any warnings before this?” “Such an intense gale… I’m afraid that this must be one of the strongest typhoons we’ve experienced in recent years!” “Evacuate! Hurry up and evacuate to the nearest shelters!”

The city was in chaos. However… those located on the outskirts of the city were instead staring at the skies with completely frozen expressions.

One of the farmers who habitually woke up early was just brushing his teeth when the toothbrush abruptly fell to the ground. His mouth was still filled with white foam, but he couldn’t care less, because he was staring at the large mountain towering before him.

Boundless clouds of Yin energy appeared to lick the peak of the mountain as they crept up the sides of the mountain and loomed over the hapless farming village, almost akin to the march of thousands of Yin soldiers. These clouds blotted out every source of light from the skies, and everything was consumed in abject darkness.

Whoosh! Then, before he could even snap back to his senses, the roiling dark clouds immediately swept down from the mountains like waters bursting out of a dam, instantly engulfing the village!

30 seconds later, the clouds passed, and the farmer scrambled up to his feet. His legs were trembling wildly, but he couldn’t even find it within himself to scream. He took a quick glance around him, and the unbelievable sight that he saw caused his knees to buckle and him to collapse to the ground once more.

The Felipinas were known for their tropical climate, and they hardly saw winter. But the sight that he was greeted by was that of complete desolation. The ground took on an unnatural black hue, and every single flora and fauna in sight had already completely withered up. It had only been 30 seconds, and yet the ground was already littered with dead and dried leaves. The lush foliage that covered the sides of the mountains had turned from a deep verdant green to the black and yellow, the colours of death and decay. Yet, what was even more terrifying was the fact that the poultry he reared were all lying horizontally on the ground, completely limp and lifeless.

It was as if death itself had just passed through the lands in those earlier 30 seconds, blowing out every wick of life and ushering death to the lands. The farmer had obviously not seen any particular being in action, but he could’ve sworn that he sensed an icy cold sensation chill the marrows of his spine as the cloud passed through the lands earlier.

“Is… the god of death finally bringing punishment onto mankind…?”

Meanwhile, the Felipinas government was already mustering their forces and rallying the troops.

“What’s the situation now?” A man in uniform rushed right into the surveillance room of the Felipinas special agency, only to be greeted by a room full of salutes. But he didn’t even bother looking at the rest. Instead, he simply stared at the man standing in front of the surveillance monitors, “Speak!! What’s the situation now?!”

It was obvious that he had come in a great hurry. His hair wasn’t even combed, and he didn’t look quite the part for the rank that he held. That said, he wasn’t the only one who sported dishevelled appearances.

Just 30 minutes ago, a special alert had gone off, dragging everyone right out of their sleep. Even the president of the nation was on his way here.

The bigwigs of the nation were all huddled around the monitors right now, and the person in charge of manning the surveillance devices shivered wildly in response, “Not--... Not good.” But before he could even go on, the uniformed man that had just barged into the room promptly marched right up to the monitors to take a closer look for himself.

He could see the map of the Felipinas depicted on the screen in front of him. That said, there was a massive red dot overlaid right across the entire nation of Felipinas, travelling north at speeds comparable to that of planes. Furthermore, he could see a heart-stopping number at the top right corner of the screen - 2.4 billion!

At once, his eyes rolled back, and he promptly passed out. The soldiers around him immediately rushed over to help him, “Sir!” “Chief!” “Leader!” Fortunately, he came back to his senses in the next moment, and gnashed his teeth, “Are they… stopping here in the Felipinas?”

“No. They appear to be passing through and heading north.” The staff member trembled, “After screening our records, we have ascertained that the source of Yin energy has emerged from the west, quite likely from the Alkebulan Continent. Furthermore, we have detected a total of more than ten energy signatures, and their target doesn’t appear to be the Felipinas…”

The chief immediately grabbed the arms of the bodyguard beside him. The veins on his forehead were bulging and throbbing wildly. Mustering every bit of strength that remained in his body, he scrambled back to his feet and barked his orders hoarsely, “Immediately notify the Hindustani special agencies and corroborate our findings with their records! Additionally, activate all artifacts we have in our reserves!”

“Yes!”

It was only then that he heaved a sigh of relief and walked up to the windows, lifted the curtains and stared out across the horizon with a grave expression on his face.

It was pitch-black outside.

And everything was silent.

No chirping of birds, no usual hustle and bustle of the mornings, and only ominous black clouds that filled every part of the sky as far as the eyes could see. It was darker than darkness, and deeper than night.

This was the march of the death gods, and all living shall tremble in fear.

“Dear god…” As he walked away from his bodyguard, the leader trembled profusely as he made the sign of a cross across his chest, “Please look upon us…”

“The gods of the underworld have once again surfaced on earth…”

…………………………………………….

Bodh Gaya, capital of the Hindustani Underworld, one of the P4 underworlds. [1]

The lands were thriving and flourishing with prosperity. Yin spirits could be seen everywhere, and Yin beasts were flying everywhere in the skies. Countless skeletal elephants were carrying goods across the roads that connected various parts of the underworld, and merchant caravans were dime a dozen. Countless Yin soldiers stood guard valiantly across the city walls, while others stood at their respective stations, manning the mechanical beasts used to fortify the city walls’ defenses. Scarlet-golden formations flickered glowed lustrously from beneath the buildings in the city, while several sources of Yama-class energy signatures could even be detected throughout the entire city.

This was a huge city no less prosperous than Fengdu in its prime. Anyone who sees its current state would most certainly worship it for its majesty.

It was also a place of legends. Many gods of the Hindustani Underworld were garrisoned within the city walls, among which there were none more well-reputed than Yamaraja, their god of death.

Legend had it that nobody had ever seen Yamaraja’s true form, save for the Eight Warlords and the Four Heavenly Saints. His name was only spoken of in traditions and various written sources, and yet countless bowed and sang praises for their god.

It was now 10.00 a.m.

The original Mahabodhi Temple located in the heart of Bodh Gaya had already been destroyed in the mortal realm. However, the same temple still exists in the Hindustani Underworld because of the Laws of Yin-Yang Coaction. Naturally, the same was rebuilt in the mortal realm and modelled after the original. Bodhi trees lined both sides of the underworld, covered with netherflames. Then, just as the clock struck ten, they suddenly began to sway wildly!

Whoosh! Countless Yin soldiers glanced over, but what astounded them most was the fact that copious amounts of Yin energy was pouring right out of the ground and rising into the air and coalescing into a mighty vortex of Yin energy that rose straight from the ground and high into the sky!

Simultaneously, three Yama-class sources of Yin energy erupted at once, and a pair of eyes slowly opened up in the heart of the Mahabodhi Temple located in the very core of the city.

“One.”

A voice echoed throughout the otherwise empty and solemn grand hall. As soon as the voice appeared, the skeletal monks in the hall immediately knelt down to their feet and cried out with deep reverence in their voices.

“Congratulations to the God of Death on his awakening!”

But the voice appeared to ignore them, “Two.”

“Three.”

“Four, five… nine, ten… fifteen…”

“A total of fifteen Mythic Spirits… What a terrifying battle. The gathering of powers is already no different from the Federation of Underworld conferences when a vote is about to be taken on a major decision pertaining to the netherworlds. Lord Garuda.”

“Here.” A hoarse voice echoed through the grand hall, and a multitude of black feathers instantly fell from above. Moments later, a golden-haired man clad with the clothes of nobility with wings on his back slowly drifted down from the sky.

“Fifteen Mythic Spirits have just left Alkebulan. Something huge must have occurred. They crossed the East Hindustani Ocean, paying neither heed nor regard to the countries along the way as they rushed northwards. Nothing is amiss here in the Hindustani Underworld, so… their destination has to be either Hell or the Russian Underworld.”

“Keep a close eye on them, and report back immediately if you sense any developments!”

“Yes.” Lord Garuda paused, and then continued, “Do we… need to stop them?”

“Stop them?” Yamaraja revealed a grim smile on his face, “How?”

“Not even I would dare stand in their way right now. Do you think you’re the Second King Yanluo of Hell? Do you think the Aegyptian Underworld isn’t aware of the movement of such a terrifying force? Do you think all of the underworlds that have detected their approach are completely blind? But who dares stop them?”

“They’re practically the most powerful gathering of forces in the netherworld right now, and that gives them the right to do anything they so desire. So long as they’re not setting off another great netherworldly war, then… just let them be. Even the secretary-general of the Federation of Underworlds wouldn’t dare to say a word about their approach, so what gives you the right to do so?”

……………………………………………….

A magnificent pyramid hovering above a black desert.

This was a city that was no less magnificent than Fengdu or Bodh Gaya. Aegyptian buildings and frescoes were everywhere, and glorious temples abounded. Camel-driven caravans could be seen trudging through the deserts at every turn of the corner. At that moment, a dark silhouette could be seen rushing straight into the main entrance of one of the pyramids around.

The ground was covered with lush red carpet and flanked by Aegyptian lamps and frescoes on the walls. Yin soldiers lined both sides of the carpets like valiant statues guarding the core of the city. The Yin soldier who had just entered the pyramid rushed straight into the innermost sanctum and knelt down with a thud as he faced a wall with a bird-headed figure, “Pharaoh, we’ve detected Yin energy readings exceeding 2.4 billion travelling through the West Hindustani Ocean and in the direction of the East Hindustani Ocean! We understand this to be a dozen Alkebulan Mythic Spirits moving at the same time! Sir…”

“Got it.” The eyes of the bird-man’s mural shifted slightly, and the voice chuckled coldly, “Something is stirring in the distance. Something large and important enough to trigger the movement of a dozen Mythic Spirits at the same time. Inform Onyxia that the troops stationed in Astana [2] should move eastwards! All darkfeathers are to be deployed. I want a full report of the entire incident from start to finish.”

“Yes!”

It didn’t take long before the entire netherworld came to learn of the movement of such jaw-dropping sources of Yin energy.

This was a terrifying force comprising a dozen Yama-Kings that was travelling towards the East Continent. What happened? What could possibly justify the deployment of such powers?

“The winds are changing…” Lan Xang University. One of the twelve envoys, Zhou Yu, fanned himself placidly as he gazed intently at the overcast skies.

It was an all-consuming cloud that exuded divine authority. The sheer pressure of the Yin energy even caused the waters around them to slosh wildly.

Back in Ashmound City. Arthis and the other scholars couldn’t help but pause what they were doing as they watched the march of the Mythic Spirit intently. Even though they knew what exactly was going on, it didn’t change the fact that their hearts were stirring with indescribable tension and complex emotions right now.

Hell had remained silent for far too long.

Everyone knew that it was finally time for Hell to make its voice heard throughout the netherworld once again.

After a hundred years of silence, someone was finally declaring to the world that Hell was still in existence!

It was a long time coming. And their actions were soon going to speak far louder than their words!

1. Bodh Gaya is a religious site and place of pilgrimage where Gautama Buddha is said to have attained enlightenment. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bodh_Gaya

2. Kazakhstan.