Chapter 18: Ananke
Ten minutes later, the nutrient solution in the medical pod was completely consumed, absorbed entirely by Hades' body.
With energy replenished and strength restored to its peak, Hades' condition was fully recovered. The excessive replenishment meant he didn't even need dinner.
Because Hades' body was "very full," not lacking energy, yet without that bloated feeling.
Up until now, Hades hadn't eaten dinner for a year, replacing it entirely with nutrient solution.
Hades' Palace was well-located within the Royal Palace but not conspicuous. This was merely his temporary residence; his true Palace was elsewhere.
It was there that his body double was assassinated without warning.
One must know that even his body double had two Underworld Guards secretly protecting him.
Yet, he was still killed in broad daylight.
If a mere CP0 were truly allowed to escape, it would absolutely be a disgrace to the Kronos Kingdom.
Hades stood by the window. The World Government must have already known about the failed assassination attempt, though he didn't know how they confirmed it.
During this time, the probing and assassinations were still ongoing.
With eight Underworld Guards hidden in the shadows, and even deeper, powerful individuals with top-tier combatant strength, possessing such protective power, it was impossible for Hades to be in danger.
Suddenly, Hades frowned and turned to look towards the western part of the Royal Palace.
"Here they come again."
There was no need to guess; these were Agents of the World Government. This was another assassination attempt, or perhaps a mission to gather intelligence.
From afar, he seemed to smell that dark aura.
His rapidly growing Observation Haki could easily cover the entire Royal Capital. Once anyone with malicious intent approached, Hades would detect them.
However, he didn't pay attention because this Infiltrator had already been discovered.
Someone would handle them next.
As the Kronos Kingdom's technology advanced, their control over the kingdom's interior would strengthen.
The life monitoring devices deployed in the Arms Industrial Zone were also present in various blind spots of the Royal Palace.
Perhaps these blind spots were intentionally left for these invaders.
In the past year, they had used this method to capture quite a few World Government Agents.
After all, those who could infiltrate the Royal Palace openly like that Transparent Fruit User were ultimately few.
Ten days later, in the Garden inside the Royal Palace. This was also the day Hades was set to leave the Kronos Kingdom.
Not many people came to say goodbye. Hades and Bane also didn't want it to be too lively, having already informed people in the preceding days.
"Ananke, why are you coming along?"
Hades looked at the blonde girl beside him, frowned, and asked with an unusually gentle tone.
"Of course, to go out to The Great Sea with you, Hades!" the beautiful girl named Ananke said seriously, hugging Hades' right arm tightly, her already very full chest constantly rubbing against him.
With bright blonde hair and delicate features, she exuded a sweet fragrance.
"No," Hades refused without hesitation. "This isn't a game. You stay in the Royal Capital and wait for me to return."
"No, I want to be with you," Ananke said somewhat reluctantly, tears welling up in her eyes, giving Hades a headache.
The others around them tacitly looked away, not disturbing the two.
Ananke, a member of the Tartarus Family, was three years older than Hades. She could be considered his cousin, but their blood relation was not close, belonging to different branches quite far apart.
They had lived together since they were very young, and their relationship was very close.
Of course, she had another identity: Hades' fiancée. Their relationship was decided long ago, personally by his mother, Nyx, and even his father approved.
When Nyx saw Ananke, she immediately liked her and made the decision on the spot.
Hades accepted this matter calmly. Whether in his previous life or this one, it was impossible for there to be only one woman in his life, especially such a stunning girl.
The blood relation connection also happened to bring Hades some psychological stimulation.
This was also recognized by the members of the Tartarus Family.
Hades was the future of the Tartarus Family, Mandated by Heaven! He was the destined Ruler of the Kronos Kingdom!
And Ananke was the most outstanding young woman in the Tartarus Family, whether in appearance, wisdom, or potential. Her union with Hades would absolutely produce excellent descendants.
"Take Ananke with you, Hades. Ananke's ability can also provide you with considerable help."
Bane had also tried to persuade Ananke beforehand, but it was useless, and he eventually compromised.
As he said, Ananke's ability would be of great help to Hades.
Ananke was a Paramecia Type Clock-Clock Fruit User, a bug-like ability involving time manipulation.
She could manipulate time forward or backward within a localized area.
Using it on herself, she could heal her injury, returning to the state before she was injured.
This could play a significant role in battle.
She could use it on others, returning their physical state to a not-too-distant point in the past, often only a few seconds, because it consumed a huge amount of stamina.
It might seem short, but its strategic significance was immense. Returning the body to a state before being injured to heal, or even reviving from death, could be achieved. They had already tested this.
The prerequisite was that it could not exceed that point in time.
In short, someone who had just died a few seconds ago could be revived, effectively canceling out a fatal injury.
The only drawback was the excessive consumption of stamina.
If news of this spread, it would surely attract the covetous eyes of many people on The Great Sea.
Possessing such an ability, Ananke was absolutely a treasure of the Tartarus Family, but if she didn't follow Hades, it would be meaningless.
Despite the danger, for Hades, the benefits outweighed the drawbacks.
If Hades accidentally died, Ananke could potentially save his life. This was all worth it.
In summary, Hades was everything, Mandated by Heaven, the only direct lineage of the Tartarus Family. Everyone only recognized Hades!
The previous one was Jaeger. Although Bane was Jaeger's younger brother and quite outstanding himself, he didn't show that kind of potential.
His own strength reached the Quasi-Admiral level, still some distance from top-tier combatant.
As the Patriarch of the Tartarus Family and even the King of the Kronos Kingdom, he could only be considered barely qualified.
Within the family, there were also people stronger than Bane.
As King, it was unacceptable not to possess the strength to subdue the Kingdom.
Of course, it was also because after Bane became King, he had a large number of affairs to handle and no time to train, so his strength naturally stagnated.
The Kronos Kingdom practiced authoritarian politics. The King possessed absolute power, and the Tartaros Royal Family held the supreme ruling status.
Even without sufficient political means, strength was essential.
This related to the stability of the Kingdom and the ruling status of the Tartarus Family.
The Tartaros Royal Family's ability to govern the nation for over a thousand years relied on absolute strength.
Of course, after more than a thousand years of rule, some things had long been deeply ingrained in people's hearts.
To govern the nation, there were naturally many talents available to do so.
Even the Elders hidden within the Tartarus Family held immense expectation for Hades.
All along, ever since Bane became the King of the Kronos Kingdom, he had only been a Regent, a position he held for over twenty years now.
Bane was also waiting to step down. In the past, it was Jaeger; now, it was Hades.
(end of chapter)