Myths Reawakened

The ruined ancient city collapsed, and everyone plummeted toward the abyss. After a brief period of darkness, red glimmers gradually appeared below. The red light resembled blood vessels of different thickness, with vast networks of capillaries crisscrossing where the major arteries converged.

With his excellent eyesight, Wayne could see that the red glow came from slowly flowing rivers, radiating flickering light. Was it a hellish version of the River Thames?

But then his surprise quickly turned to panic when he got a closer look and realized that it was lava rather than rivers of blood; hence the red glow. He wasn’t one of those highly durable people who could remain silent under the heat of six thousand degrees Celsius. If he dove headfirst into that, he would most likely return to the embrace of the goddess.

Atori’s eyes lit up with a golden glow as holy light condensed into a pair of white luminous wings behind his back. He flapped the wings to suspend himself in the air, raising one hand to catch the falling group.

The mouth abomination didn’t receive the same treatment. Following the laws of gravity, the velocity of its descent increased, and it landed squarely in the molten lava flow.

Ten out of ten!

Wayne gave it a silent thumbs-up. Although he didn’t know what had happened, what should have been the corpse fiend didn’t match the description in the alchemy book. The Thousand-Eyed Demon had to have secretly added certain materials for his goal. Now that the monster had plunged right into the lava, the demon’s plan would fail.

If you’re well, that will be terrible!

Only when the demon was unhappy would Wayne be happy.

Rumble!

The shattered ancient city hit the ground first, bringing up clouds of dust. With the dark red flowing light, everyone could see an even vaster underground world. It was a land of red earth covered in lava rivers. Everything that met the eye was crimson red, with no vegetation or life. Under the erosion of the lava, the earth was sunken in places with massive protruding stone walls, pillars, and numerous large stone bridges.

While beautiful, it was barren and desolate. There were no signs of life to be found. Being in this place felt like being abandoned by the world; there was nothing but loneliness and helplessness.

Wayne landed softly with the support of the holy light. When he fell, he dropped out of the holy light prison. Atori didn’t react, turning a blind eye and pretending that he didn’t exist.

Wayne sniffed the dry air but detected no heat. He picked up a broken stone at his feet and tossed it, which passed right through the red lava and made a bright impact sound.

It was fake! There were no rivers of lava, or rather, the winding red currents were vivid projections rather than the real deal.

“That demon’s a real loser to have such a barren territory...”

He frowned. Based on what he had gathered, this should be the Thousand-Eyed Demon’s actual territory in hell, while the ruined ancient city earlier was only an outpost serving as a diversion.

“Mom!”

Mountains rumbled and shook as the corpse fiend opened its red-lipped maw and let out a terrifying cry. It crawled out of the false red river with all four limbs, black corrupted blood dripping from the corners of its mouth. Twisted black smoke rose like venomous snakes.

Atori charged forward first, his sacred spear blazing with light as he thrust it into the large mouth in the corpse demon’s belly.

Injecting Holy light! Oral administration!

He force-fed the corpse demon and stuffed its belly full. Surprisingly, the corpse demon, which should be a creature of hell, wasn’t dispersed by the holy light. Instead, it swallowed it as food.

Shocked, Atori pulled his spear out and put some distance between himself and the abomination, shaking the black, corrupted blood off the spear tip. “Stand back! This isn’t an ordinary alchemical creation. It’s a familiar of one of the Seven Demon Lords, the Lord of Gluttony.”

The reputation preceded the real thing. As soon as Wayne heard that it was a pet of one of the Seven Great Demon Lords, he pushed aside his curiosity about what a familiar was and backed off repeatedly, putting Mona in front of him.

Mona stared at him silently.

“Why are you looking at me like that? The captain said to fall back.”

“Yes, but do we not have to act anymore?”

“Good point. Just to be safe, let me give myself a buff.”

Wayne raised his hand and put a golden band on his head with what little holy light he had. It was to disguise himself as a plaything under Mona’s control.

Mona’s eyes lit up. Holy light! He was definitely one of their own.

Boom!

Atori swung his sacred spear horizontally with tremendous force. The tip of the spear blazed and twisted into an arched afterimage. Magic erupted, and the blade of the spear extended instantly, creating a massive arc of light over ten meters long. His power was extraordinary, his destructive force even more formidable, perhaps amplified by the light wings behind his back.

Under the violent assault of the spear, dust shot up from the ground, and the powerful gusts lifted countless stone fragments. From a distance, it looked like turbid river water overflowing in a fan shape.

The corpse demon’s intelligence was infinitely close to zero. Not knowing how to dodge, it was slashed across the waist by the sharp arc of light, bisected. The large mouth in its abdomen was torn along with it, spilling foul blood everywhere, which corroded the ground and created eerie black smoke.

Atori sensed that the smoke was toxic, so he opened his mouth and blew a hurricane to sweep it away. Then he flexed his arms, slicing through the corpse demon’s belly with his great spear of holy light.

The corpse demon didn’t fall. The black corrupted blood stuck its severed body parts together like adhesive. Not only that, it also covered the corpse demon in a layer of hard, carapace-like armor.

Atori cursed at its troublesome nature. The holy light was ineffective against Gluttony’s familiar, and ordinary physical attacks couldn’t kill it. Moreover, attacks that couldn’t kill it would only make it stronger.

“Go. I’ll handle this,” Atori shouted, telling his teammates to leave quickly. He was about to go berserk.

Good advice should be heeded. Wayne ran the fastest, turning around to pull Mona behind him as he rushed and jumped over the flowing red light, landing on an isolated island.

While the flowing light wasn’t actually lava, its glow meant that it had energy. The Thousand-Eyed Demon had gone to great lengths to move his territory from hell to the human world; he wouldn’t have done it just for giggles and light pollution. It was better not to touch the light if possible.

After several high jumps, Wayne made it to the head of the group, gradually disappearing from everyone’s sight, but then ten seconds later, he returned the same way at an even faster speed.

“Why are you back?” Mona asked in surprise.

“Nastier ones are coming from that direction. That’s not the way to go.” Wayne brushed past Mona, going down a different route. Three to five seconds later, he turned back again.

There was no way out. They were surrounded by enemies.

Wayne’s sense of smell and vision far exceeded those of an average human, surpassing even magically enhanced perceptions. The twenty members of Atori’s team were initially confused, but soon saw the enemies he talked about.

Magical creatures!

Their bodies were ghastly white like corpses, their heads covered in carapace, exposing four red glowing eyes. They had slender legs and broad shoulders and arms, with claws hanging to the ground. Their jumping ability was remarkable, allowing them to reach the group of humans in a few leaps.

Several other magical creatures followed close behind. Some with six eyes, others with four arms, but all had the same ghastly white bodies and two comically short legs.

More and more magical creatures approached. The tactical unit tentatively used their holy light magic and discovered that these magical creatures were fundamentally different from Gluttony’s familiar—holy light could cause damage. They grouped up in twos or threes before starting hunting.

Wayne, meanwhile, heard a thunderous rumble behind him. Not wanting to be caught in Atori’s AOE attacks, he casually threw four crimson crystal knives to draw the aggro of one of the magical creatures and engage it in an intense battle.

He wasn’t even paid a penny. Why would he risk his life fighting a greater enemy?

He didn’t believe for a second that the church had only sent the tactical unit. There had to be other powerful fighters nearby, and the fact that the Thousand-Eyed Demon hadn’t shown himself was the best proof of that.

And hey, maybe the demon was cornered by a dozen legendary mages with even his underwear stripped off, trembling and begging for death.

***

Windsor Library.

The blazing sun scorched the land. It was swelteringly hot outside with heated, smothering air. Only the shade under trees provided some relief. In the special vault, millipedes crawled up the walls to the top floor, reassembling into the Thousand-Eyed Demon in a black robe. He closed his eyes and sensed for a moment, quickly finding the magic circle set up by Bruce, outlined in bat’s blood, which symbolized pride. He had perfectly completed the task.

Among the demon’s subordinates, Sigma had died prematurely, Geoff was mediocre, and only Bruce had not disappointed him. What a pity that a pawn like that had failed to overcome the temptation of beauty and become the church’s prisoner.

“Just wait. I’ll save you and transform you into my familiar in the human world!” the Thousand-Eyed Demon muttered to himself. Then he turned to the side and snorted coldly. “Come out. A Gold-rank mage isn’t good enough to conceal themselves before me.”

Light bent, and two figures emerged, one taller than the other. Both wore the church’s white robes. The beardless middle-aged-looking man with a fair face was Archbishop Gunther of Saint Paul’s Cathedral, also the Church of Heavenly Father’s highest-ranking official in Windsor. He was the one who orchestrated the operation to hunt down the Thousand-Eyed Demon. Beside him was a young girl with blonde twintails and clear, bright eyes, curiously studying the demon.

Innocent and naive, check.

Doesn’t look smart, also check.

The girl was around fourteen or fifteen years old, with a baby face and delicate, cute facial features, her long eyelashes fluttering.

“You must be Archbishop Gunther, correct?” The Thousand-Eyed Demon glanced warily at the girl. “I’m curious. My plan was flawless, yet you waited right where I would inevitably go. How exactly did you gather the intelligence?”

“It’s all written in the book.” Gunther made no habit of celebrating prematurely or selling out his allies. He conjured a sacred tome with a wave of his hand. “According to the book, while demons have many tricks, they follow the same pattern. First, descend with their thoughts. Then, open the gates of hell through an inverted pentagram to bring their territory to the human world and strengthen their power. It’s predictable, isn’t it?”

The sacred tome was gilded in gold, originating from the Papal State. Inscribed with the Golden Law of Angels, it could communicate with heaven and was a precious treasure that the Church of Heavenly Father relied upon.

The divine summoning technique was exactly why the church had been the supreme power for a thousand years and enjoyed unchecked authority, allowing them to commit countless immoral acts without getting overthrown even in their darkest time. In other words, it was a technique of calling their parents for help, summoning angels when facing enemies they couldn’t defeat.

The girl beside Gunther was Renata. Like Olga, the maid Wayne had encountered on Dragon Heart Island, she had the holy spirit constitution. Through the Golden Law, Gunther could summon an angel to descend through Renata.

It was a complex process with an absurd casting time, so the fact that Gunther dared to openly appear with Renata meant that the ritual had already been completed.

The Thousand-Eyed Demon was aware of that. He glanced at the magic circle at his feet, then at Renata’s vacant gaze, scoffing. “How well-prepared. As servants of angels in the human world, you’re experienced in repeatedly foiling our plans.”

The demon didn’t doubt Gunther’s words. It was what it was—there were too many incompetent black sheep among demons.

The earliest batch of demons rushing to descend to the mortal realm had been simple-minded and brutish, relying on their prowess without using their brains. After several attempts, the human world gradually mastered the method of expelling demons. By the time demons remembered that they had brains, humans had already figured out the demons’ patterns, making each subsequent attempt increasingly difficult.

“However, I’m different from them. I don’t plan to return after coming this far.” The Thousand-Eyed Demon smirked sinisterly, showing no fear. “Gaining experience is mutual. You understand our behavioral patterns, but we’ve also learned about you.”

“You’re right. The church doesn’t plan to let you return this time, either.” Gunther smiled mysteriously. Before the demon could say anything, Renata’s eyes lit up with golden light, and a pair of white wings manifested behind her back. The moment they unfurled, they morphed into actual physical wings with real feathers.

An angel descended!

There was no dramatic change in the world or a magnificent light. Everything was calm without the slightest ripple.

According to the agreement signed between the church and the royal family, the church shouldered the mission of expelling demons, but they absolutely shouldn’t make a big commotion.

For that, Gunther had cast magic to reflect the light and shadow of the entire building to conceal what was happening inside. While it was a loss for the church that ordinary people didn’t see the angel’s descent, they also wouldn’t get curious and seek out the faiths of hell as long as they never saw a demon.

Renata wielded a holy light spear and wore an armor of sacred scriptures. The moment she appeared, powerful radiance prevented the Thousand-Eyed Demon’s physical form from materializing. Holy light was a natural bane to him, so there was no way to fight this battle.

The Thousand-Eyed Demon had backup plans. When one thing failed, he immediately turned his tail and left, dissolving into countless millipedes to crawl along the walls in all directions.

Suddenly, holy light rose into the sky. Renata raised her spear with a golden wall erected behind her. It existed between reality and illusion, carved with images of angels slaying demons, as well as complex and mysterious texts embodying the ancient holy energy.

Invisible force rippled out. Sacred flames burned away the magic circle drawn with bat blood, and the millipedes were lifted toward the golden wall.

The Thousand-Eyed Demon was surprised by the different strategy the church employed this time. Instead of having angels shatter his consciousness, they opted to seal him. Strange. Seals would eventually be broken. What benefit was there to keep a demon in the human world?

Could it have something to do with heaven’s recent activities? Was heaven preparing another campaign against hell?

The Thousand-Eyed Demon thought of many possibilities. Choosing not to escape, he actively sent his thoughts into the golden wall and played along; he had already come up with many more plans.

“Let’s play...”

The golden wall swept away all the millipedes. Renata thrust her spear into it, and a cross-shaped sacred mark unfurled, sealing the demon’s thoughts and trapping him.

Gunther recited the incantation of the Golden Law. The wall slowly contracted until it transformed into a stone tablet, hovering in the air. On the tablet was a carving of a half-human, half-bug evil god, bound by chains and pinned to the ground by a great spear.

“Although it’s only part of the demon’s thoughts, it should be enough.”

Gunther placed the tablet into the Golden Law and nodded at Renata. She waved her sacred spear, tearing open a spatial rift. Both stepped into it.

The church was well-prepared and had even formed an alliance with the Free Mage Alliance. If nothing went wrong, things wouldn’t go wrong.

***

“Why do I feel like something’s going to go wrong?”

In one of the ruined ancient cities, three legendary mages from the Free Mage Alliance searched for the passage leading to the next level. Planck said to his two teammates, “Maybe I’m overthinking it, but everything’s going too smoothly.”

“Not at all. Look ahead.” Bourne silently cursed at Planck for jinxing it, looking displeased.

Swarms of millipedes gathered densely, assembling into three figures.

“Free mages, I’ve been waiting for you for a long time. Does anyone want my faith magic?” the three clones of the Thousand-Eyed Demon said in unison, looking at the three mages who believed in freedom meaningfully. Freedom. Who knew how much evil had been committed in that name? Beneath their glamorous exterior lay sordid deeds that even he, a demon, would consider demonic.

These three would not and could not reject him!

“Kekekeke—”