Myths Reawakened

The gunshot made the air thicken with tension. The leader smiled, saying unhurriedly, “We’re all followers of hell. Even though our faiths differ, we share common enemies. The enemy of my enemy is my friend, as they say. Don’t point your gun at your friends.”

“Which demon do you serve? Forgive my bluntness, but there are many unethical mages nowadays pretending to follow the faiths of hell. Why should I believe that you’re not deceiving me?” Instead of holstering his gun, Wayne only pointed it down at the ground. Seeing that, the robed men tilted their heads higher, reaching for their waistbands to give him a lesson.

Useless trash, thinking only with your lower heads!

The leader scoffed. No one dared challenge their leader’s authority, and the heckling came to an abrupt halt. Mona sat down in a corner with her back against the wall, breathing heavily. She glanced around before closing her eyes in despair.

It’s over!

“I’m Geoff. I can’t tell you which god I worship, but I can tell you one thing. You’ll figure out the rest.” The leader of the group introduced himself. “I see you can use Blood Magic, so you must be a disciple of the Lord of Blood in this mortal realm. My master and the Lord of Blood are allies, which makes us allies, too.”

Really? Demons have alliances?

What for? To better betray each other?

Wayne didn’t get it, but it was a good excuse. “I see you’re too shady to be members of the Church of Heavenly Father. In that case, I’ll trust you this once.”

He quickly approached Mona and knocked her out with his gun, hoisting her over his shoulder.

“What, don’t you want to talk about working with us?” Geoff raised his hand to block his path, speaking in a soft voice, “We’re working on a grand plan. If we succeed, we’ll crush the Church of Heavenly Father’s presence in Londan. Now, you don’t think you can just leave easily after I’ve told you this much, do you?”

“You want me to join you?” Wayne dusted his pants, his fingertips caressing the fabric as he spoke in a tone with suppressed fury, perfectly portraying a beast getting bullied by weaker critters in an unfamiliar environment.

“Yes, and you can’t refuse,” Geoff said. Immediately, his underlings burst out laughing like a bunch of clowns, if not a circus of fiends.

“You’re right. I indeed cannot refuse...”

“Come on. We’ll provide lodging. Perhaps my master will be interested in you.”

Wayne suppressed his irritation and closed his eyes. He didn’t understand how his foolproof plan had gotten him in this situation. Tonight, he had only wanted to probe Mona’s background, confirming that she was from the Church of Heavenly Father before dumping the responsibility of protecting Londan on her. He’d be without burdens, waiting guilt-free for the chance to put on his disguise and double-cross everyone.

Why, oh why was he putting himself in danger and infiltrating the criminal den?

Also, trusting him only after seeing him use Blood Magic? These people sure had cute brains. With subordinates like them, the Thousand-Eyed Demon would need a miracle to accomplish anything!

He had reason to suspect these people were only cannon fodder.

A black portal opened, and Wayne followed Geoff to a clearing. The sky was grey with no visible moon or stars, and the omnipresent fog didn’t exist here.

The clearing was located in a desolate, ruined ancient city with the same architectural style as the ancient city he had been to before. However, he couldn’t sense Bo’s presence, meaning this was another stronghold of the Thousand-Eyed Demon.

The demon understood the merit of having multiple hideouts, teaching Wayne a harsh lesson with his caution.

In one corner of the ancient city, over a hundred existences of varying strength gathered, each showing a different type of ugliness. They all wore black robes. It was clear that this was a lair of the villains.

And a particularly rundown one.

Around the clearing were five campfires, surrounded by many people. Viscous ingredients bubbled in iron pots as people who looked like they carried feces for a living served as cooks, stirring the pot with large ladles and seasoning the food as they tasted it.

The sanitary condition was concerning!

Wayne caught a whiff of the repulsive aroma. He turned to bury his nose into the soft fabric of Mona’s robe, using her fragrance to dispel his repulsion.

Geoff and the group he led came from different backgrounds. Geoff himself was a follower of the Thousand-Eyed Demon. He gathered a group of underlings and received his master’s favor, making him the most powerful among them. The others were mostly dark mages with bounties on their heads, varying in strength and their original faith.

Seeing the newcomer, especially one carrying a clergywoman from the Church of Heavenly Father, the dark mages got agitated, wanting to snatch the spellcasting material on the newcomer’s shoulder. As for whether they would get magical or physical with her, well, it was obvious that most were going for the latter, judging by their lecherous stares.

A brothel would see booming business here.

“Trash!”

Wayne was close enough to hear Geoff’s disdainful whisper. He agreed. Those obsessed with women were destined for mediocrity. These people would be nothing but cannon fodder.

He became more curious about the Thousand-Eyed Demon’s plan. It seemed from Geoff’s actions that they needed more manpower, even if they had to resort to threats and coercion. But why? Did the demon need more cannon fodder? Wouldn’t these bugs suffice?

Suddenly, Wayne thought of something: the Thousand-Eyed Demon seemed to be looking for a new body.

He might as well play along. If the Thousand-Eyed Demon appeared in his true form, He could put on his Death Knight disguise and slaughter him without worrying about being exposed.

Geoff gave him a warning. “You can pick a room, but not too far from the clearing. Infighting is prohibited here, but group robbery is allowed. If you can’t defend yourself, you would be better off sharing your prey with everyone.”

“I’m not in the habit of sharing...” Wayne patted his pants and left. It appeared he believed himself to be above others, and his arrogance annoyed Geoff’s underlings. They gathered around him and grumbled sarcastically.

Understandable. They had been eating scraps while Wayne had a piece of fresh meat on his back. How dare he have his fill without letting others have even a taste? Why not let them borrow the meat? They promised to return it as good as new after use.

Geoff listened to the complaints without showing any change in expression. That intimidated the others, and they scattered like a flock of birds.

With a huff, Geoff left through the portal.

He had recruited a capable newcomer who used Blood Magic and followed a demon who was an ally of his master. He should report back.

***

Meanwhile, Wayne chose a relatively clean ruined house and set Mona down, sitting on the ground to meditate. Around him, several black shadows crept closer, their faces hidden by black robes as they sneaked about, casting greedy gazes through the damaged walls.

Wayne slowly opened his eyes, mana radiating from him in a burst that gave the approaching figure pause. They compared their power. Three suppressed their greed and left, while the remaining two hesitated for a moment. Exchanging a glance, they decided to give it a try.

This brat just had a big fight and took a holy light attack directly. He was surely putting on an act now. If they attacked together, there was nothing to fear.

Try it and meet death! Wayne thought.

Eight crimson crystal knives shot out. In a flash of dense crimson light, they passed through the damaged wall and struck the two robed men. The rest of the momentum thrust the knives through their bodies and nailed them to the boulder behind, which cracked like cobwebs.

The strong scent of blood spread, causing onlookers in the distance to frown. Infighting was strictly prohibited here. Someone had broken the rule. There would be a good show once Geoff returned.

Wayne waved his hand to eliminate the two robed men. With no one else coming to cause him trouble, things finally quieted down.

He frowned at Mona. Given her strength, the officials sitting in offices at the Church of Nature would be no match for her. She would be a fine blade no matter where she went. Why would she go undercover at his detective agency?

What about me is worth paying attention to?

Well, too many. Rather than making a wild speculation, it would be better to make her talk. But not now. There were too many eyes around, not suitable for mushroom feeding.

Half an hour later, Geoff returned through the portal, bowing as he followed behind someone else in a deferential posture.

It was the Thousand-Eyed Demon.

Seeing the demon, all the dark mages in the base knelt on one knee, lowering their heads and not even daring to breathe loudly.

The Thousand-Eyed Demon never revealed his true identity since the dark mages weren’t qualified to know. He hadn’t even demonstrated his power, simply having Geoff do it to win over this group of underlings.

Due to them being wanted by the magical world, the dark mages desperately needed support, temporary or not. Even if the promise ended up empty, it was enough to give them some breathing room.

Geoff came to Wayne’s room, frowning deeply when he saw the two bodies in pools of blood. He had just told Wayne about the rule, yet he had already killed two people? It was clearly a slap to his face. The brat had to be disciplined!

The Thousand-Eyed Demon looked at Wayne, saying in a sinister tone, “You can use Blood Magic, which means your master has high hopes for you, or perhaps you have another mission.”

He could guess what that mission was with his toes. While demons might pull many tricks and come up with many schemes, ultimately, it all boiled down to their ultimate goal of descending to the mortal realm.

The Thousand-Eyed Demon felt indignant. He was already planning to open the gates of hell to facilitate his allies’ descent to the mortal realm, yet his ally had another plan? It was a clear display of distrust.

It made sense, though. They were demons at the end of the day, and they usually had plans within plans. He was no exception!

The mortal realm was large, but too small to accommodate many demons. Noticing his ally’s secret moves, the Thousand-Eyed Demon wasn’t angry. On the contrary, he was pleased to have rooted out another hidden risk!

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Wayne stared coldly at the Thousand-Eyed Demon. Seemingly intimidated by the demon’s powerful aura, he gripped his crystal longsword with crimson energy swirling in his eyes.

“Poor fellow, you’ve been deceived by your master. Let me guess. What did he promise you? Extraordinary power or unrivaled status...” The Thousand-Eyed Demon sneered. “Demons are best at temptation. You’re only a tool—a disposable one. He won’t give you anything.”

Wayne said nothing. The pressure the Thousand-Eyed Demon was giving off was quite ordinary, far from the level the one at the Great Cemetery had shown last night. It was another replica!

“Rather than serving the demon and risking your life for nothing, why not serve me? I can give you everything you want.”

As the Thousand-Eyed Demon spoke, red lights began glowing beneath his black hood. Shadows projected down as thousands of eyes darted to Wayne from all directions. His hand trembled around his sword. Instinctively, he wanted to strike back, but a strange energy flowed into his body. The Book of Greed stirred and told him to wait.

Here comes the big one!

His eyes became confused, the red inside replaced by fresh mana from hell. It came from the Thousand-Eyed Demon, transformed and purified by the Book of Greed before being reinjected into his body.

After a brief moment of feigned confusion, he blinked and got on one knee, saying like a loyal servant, “Master, thank you for granting me new life. Your follower offers absolute loyalty and wishes to be of use to you.”

The Thousand-Eyed Demon nodded. He was certain that he had corrupted Wayne’s thoughts. His new watchdog would bite whoever he pointed to and would never betray him.

“Since you’re reborn, discard your old name.” The demon didn’t ask his new underling’s name. After thinking, he said, “From now on, your name is Bruce. Understood?”

(⊙ˍ⊙)

Bruce. Wayne.

Bruce Wayne!

Um, won’t the name be inappropriate? Maybe a change? James will be nice. It has a nicer ring in Windsor.

“What’s wrong? Didn’t you understand?”

“I understand perfectly, Master,” Wayne hurriedly explained. “Receiving a new life from Master left me so excited that I forgot to show gratitude.”

Fine, Bruce, it is. An undercover agent doesn’t care about names. Finding the Thousand-Eyed Demon’s true body is more important.

Nearby, Geoff looked bitter and resentful. His master had taken in a new subordinate and personally granted him power. His chest felt tight, as if part of his master’s love had been divided.

The Thousand-Eyed Demon wouldn’t care about Geoff’s feelings even if he knew. He opened a portal with a wave of his hand and stepped into it. “Follow me, Bruce. I have a task for you.”

“As you command.” Wayne picked up Mona and carried her on his shoulder, following the demon.

“Why bring the woman?” the Thousand-Eyed Demon questioned in displeasure. Dogs should obey and listen to orders. They shouldn’t have their own thoughts—especially not lustful thoughts. Such behaviors reminded him of one of the Seven Demon Lords, powerful, cruel, evil, yet one who haunted his dreams and made him wish he could die in their copulation. The terrible memory had crushed his self-esteem and made him a laughingstock in hell.

“She’s a clergywoman from the Church of Heavenly Father. I’ve been fighting her for a long time. Killing her now would be too easy on her.” Wayne curled his lips and pinched hard on his thigh to make his eyes flash fiercely. “I want her to know what hell is, strip away her holiness and pride, and personally destroy everything she is. When she’s addicted to desires and has completely fallen, I’ll send her back to the Church of Heavenly Father.”

“Acceptable.”

The answer greatly pleased the Thousand-Eyed Demon. As expected of a mind he had corrupted, his new follower’s evil idea was exactly like his. Worth encouraging!

The Thousand-Eyed Demon put himself in Wayne’s shoes, imagining the cleric as Lust. Not only had he lost his anger, but he even rambled on about the many techniques for tormenting people.

It was like a new door opening before Wayne. He stood at the entrance and glanced inside, seeing such darkness and depravity that he had to look away. He criticized it from the bottom of his heart and drew a line, refusing to step inside no matter what.

But he did look again.

How depraved!

The Thousand-Eyed Demon spoke at length, and Wayne memorized everything. After exiting the portal, another desolate ancient city appeared before him. It was clear that the demon had divided the city into three parts—possibly more—for different plans.

“Bruce, find the hellish faiths lurking in Londan and eliminate them all.” The Thousand-Eyed Demon handed him the key to the portal and an alchemy book. “I’ll give you one month to gather sixty-six corpses. Bring them here and follow the steps in the book to create magical creatures.”

What does this mean? Are the demons fighting among each other?

Wayne accepted the key and the book, saying uneasily, “Master, I’m afraid I’m not powerful enough to deal with such great enemies. I’m not afraid of death, but I fear being unable to complete the task you assigned me.”

The Thousand-Eyed Demon laughed. “Don’t underestimate your master. Feel your rebirth. Unlike the lowly blood demon, I’m generous. You can accomplish anything now.”

“Including stealing someone’s life essence?”

“Yes!”