In this strange atmosphere, a black pigeon separated from its flock and flew toward the corpse lying in the coffin. It landed on the coffin, observed the deceased's face for a while, and then nodded in a very human-like manner.
Next, under the stunned gaze of the deceased's family, pure, untainted death energy burst from the small body of the black pigeon. Gradually, a tall and slender figure emerged from the death energy. Soon, large, smooth black wings slowly unfolded from behind this figure.
"An angel of death from the lowest rank of divine attendants in the Underworld, a Messenger of Death!" Aeolus softly recited the figure's identity as he gazed upon the black-winged angel.
This was a batch of divine attendants that Hades, the King of the Underworld, had created based on the suggestion of a certain half-blood. Their strength was not remarkable, but they had a striking appearance. As long as they made an entrance full of dramatic flair, they could easily intimidate ordinary mortals. After all, their only task was to escort mortal souls.
"It's an angel!" When the deceased's family saw the pigeon transform into a black-winged angel, their faces lit up with joy, and they immediately knelt. "A miracle is about to happen. Sean is going to come back to life."
Their faces were filled with fanaticism. They knew that their loved one had believed in the God of Death. At first, they had opposed such faith, but after learning about the teachings of this God, they had also started to believe.
One of the core teachings of the Church of Death, which was established with Muria's assistance, was: "Those who do good shall have a good end!" In simple terms, if you believed in any of the gods worshipped by the Church of Death and regularly did good deeds, the gods would protect you and ensure you die in peace.
Moreover, if you happened to die unexpectedly, the gods would send their attendants to escort your soul back to the mortal realm for true resurrection—not as a mindless skeleton but fully restored to life.
Before them, they were witnessing the gods fulfilling their promise to their believers.
The handsome angel of death raised his hands and borrowed a diluted strand of his god's divine power. Immediately, the corpse in the coffin began to undergo a tremendous transformation.
The crushed head quickly healed, and the face, which had turned pale after a period of death, gradually regained its healthy color. A surge of life force emanated from the body, making it seem as if the person had merely been sleeping.
Resurrection from death was a power Hades had mastered even before becoming a deity. After he ascended to godhood, this power had only grown stronger under the world's laws, becoming his unique ability.
After the Messenger of Death completely restored the body of this unfortunate good soul, he moved on to the final and most crucial step.
The sound of a river lapping against its shores echoed behind the angel. A vast black river appeared, with countless translucent souls bobbing within its waters.
As the river appeared, an old, rickety boat sailed upstream toward the Messenger of Death. Just as the boat became more distinct, almost crossing the boundary between reality and illusion, it stopped.
Then, a middle-aged man, identical to the one lying in the coffin, stumbled off the boat. He gazed in awe at the Messenger of Death standing before him, before taking hesitant steps toward him.
Finally, this honest man's soul, under the guidance of the angel, crossed the boundary between life and death and returned to the material world.
"This town is about to gain a new group of devout believers in the King of the Underworld," Aeolus remarked softly as he watched the soul of this kind-hearted man reenter his now restored body.
"Those who do good shall have a good end." This was the key reason the gods, who controlled death, could spread their faith across an entire continent like a virus. Without this core principle, even with the support of the ruling class, few would believe in a god of death.
Mortals ultimately fear death, and not only mortals—most living beings do. That fear is what gives rise to the many types of undead.
As the good-hearted man named Sean sat up in the coffin, the angel who had conducted the resurrection ritual transformed back into a black pigeon. The pigeon glanced at Aeolus, who was leaning against a wall, then flapped its wings and took off into the night sky.
The flock of pigeons that had accompanied it also flew into the sky, but as soon as they reached a height of less than a hundred meters, they dissolved into pure death energy and vanished.
"Now it's my turn to work!" Aeolus, noticing the pigeon's glance, straightened up and walked toward the newly revived man who had just stepped down from the coffin.
But after a few steps, he stopped because the man's family had already surrounded him, eagerly asking after his well-being, their faces showing a mix of fear and reverence.
It wasn't that these ordinary people were particularly unphased by such supernatural events. Rather, it was because this wasn't the first time something like this had happened.
Long ago, when Muria had solidified his rule over the Senaps Subcontinent, others like Sean had been resurrected. The appearance of the first resurrected person had caused widespread panic.
However, after the authorities issued strong reassurances and explanations, the family of the first person to be revived gradually accepted this miraculous event. They eventually turned their complex feelings into fanatical devotion to Hades.
After this initial incident, Senaps had used magical technology to film a two-hour movie called "A Day in the Life of the Underworld Judge."
Aeolus had seen the movie, which was mandatory viewing at school. Nearly every student had watched this fantastical film. In fact, it wasn't just students; almost everyone living in the cities had seen it.
The film followed a low-ranking judge who served Hades. His job was to judge the souls of mortals who had died in the material realm and fallen into the Underworld.
One particular scene in the movie depicted what Aeolus was witnessing now. The judge would weigh the good and evil deeds of a mortal's soul on the scale of justice. If the side representing good overwhelmingly outweighed the evil, then the soul, if it had died prematurely, would qualify for resurrection. If the soul had lived out its natural lifespan, it could choose to reincarnate or serve as a divine attendant in the Underworld.
If, however, the scale tipped in favor of evil, the soul would be condemned to inhabit the body of a prey animal, forever hunted by predators.
This film, aimed at promoting faith, lifted the veil on some of the mysteries of the god's Underworld for the common people of the Senaps Subcontinent, giving them a glimpse of how it operated.
Although Hades never appeared in the film, everyone who watched it formed a clear impression of him: fair, just, benevolent, and unforgiving of evil.
The movie completely dispelled the common people's fear of worshipping Hades, turning it into fervent devotion. Consequently, belief in the King of the Underworld spread rapidly across the continent.
Now, in the Senaps Subcontinent, there might still be people who hadn't seen the movie, but anyone who wasn't a newborn was familiar with its plot.
Because of this, the number of people who believed in Hades grew every day. Even when Muria allowed other powerful and benevolent deities to spread their faith on the continent, they couldn't compete with the King of the Underworld.
"Sean! Tell me, who killed you?" As the kind-hearted man who had taken a day trip through the Underworld chattered with his wife and children, a voice sounded in his ear, startling him.
Sean quickly calmed down. After all, he had seen much more significant things now. Not everyone got to visit the divine realm of a death god and return alive.
The honest man slowly turned around and saw a figure in a black robe standing behind him. There was no panic in his eyes, for he noticed the figure wore a six-winged angel emblem on his chest.
"Do you remember what the person who killed you looked like?" Aeolus asked gently. He didn't really want to interrupt this emotional reunion, but the sun would soon rise, and he needed to finish this matter quickly so he could make it back to class. Skipping class without a valid reason could cost him credits.
"Who are you?"
"I am the Punisher."
"...I remember!" Sean pressed his lips together and slowly nodded. Though he was a kind and helpful person, that didn't mean he could forgive or forget the thugs who had brutally beaten him to death.
"Good. I'll make sure they get what they deserve."
Aeolus didn't draw his sword or fight. He wasn't that low. Instead, he went to the local law enforcement, made sure they arrested the thugs, and personally oversaw their delivery to the town's court. Aeolus trusted that the law would give Sean a fair and just answer.
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