Myths Reawakened

Boom!!

The portal tore open. A black shadow fell from above, crashing heavily into the ground and shattering the floor, falling into the corridor below.

Wayne rode Julia out of the portal leisurely, looking down from above with disdain. “Your Death isn’t much. You’re too weak, and that weakness is the greatest disloyalty to the goddess!”

The Death Knight growled, “The barrier cannot project my full strength. I didn’t lose to you. I’m just—”

“Shut up. Only the weak make excuses. Real strength fears no challenge.” Wayne hurled insults to trample his opponent’s self-esteem. Julia followed suit by breathing purple flames mockingly at the opponent’s mount. It wasn’t very effective; the horse seemed dead inside, remaining numb without the slightest sign of a reaction.

“You’re too weak. How can you protect the goddess like this? Hand over Shadow Nightmare. You don’t deserve the title of a knight.” Wayne made an even harsher comment, eyeing the Death Knight’s sword.

Though he already had his own, one could never have too many good things. Perhaps this would be an opportunity to resolve the dilemma between him and the Headless Knight.

The Death Knight flew into a rage, swinging his sword to stir up a deadly vortex. A twisted clump of currents expanded rapidly, and then, pop, like a balloon bursting, all elements fell silent.

Wayne looked at his body in surprise. An indescribable power had descended and suppressed his power of Death. While it didn’t quite seal the power fully, it did compromise his control over Shadow Nightmare.

Julia snorted, but produced no purple flames. She shook her head in confusion. “Master, my nose is blocked. Do I have a cold?”

“Impossible. You’re already dead,” Wayne replied with exasperation, looking at the Death Knight. Was it his doing?

But no, the Death Knight fared far worse than him. Suppressed by the invisible force, he could no longer maintain his knightly form. His black armor vanished, revealing his true appearance. The undead warhorse remained motionless, attempting to open a portal but failing.

Wayne looked at the knight’s face. It was identical to Wayne’s, with white light flickering violently in his eyes. He had been certain that the knight wasn’t him, but seeing the face, he couldn’t help but question his conclusion.

Could it really be him?

Whatever the case, he could tell with a test. He jumped off Julia and approached the Death Knight with Shadow Nightmare, pointing the blade at him. “A little restriction makes you unable to maintain a knight’s dignity? How shameful. Dismount and fight me. I’ll give you a dignified death and allow you to depart from the world with the last bit of honor.”

The Death Knight’s face darkened, his hand trembling around Shadow Nightmare’s hilt. He abandoned his mount to become a land unit and strode toward Wayne with bloodshot eyes. Only then did Wayne notice his opponent’s ragged clothes—he looked like a beggar.

Their swords crossed in the air.

“Never thought you would have retained the spirit of a knight with that repulsive mouth of yours,” the Death Knight said acidly.

“Idiot, this is the privilege of the strong. You’re weak, so you don’t understand. You only deserve pity.” Wayne snorted. When the Death Knight lost his calm, he suddenly angled Shadow Nightmare down, unleashing tremendous force to completely overwhelm his opponent in an instant.

“Despicable. The battle hasn’t—”

Swish!

The blade sliced across the Death Knight’s throat. He propped himself up with his weapon while covering his neck with his other hand, coughing blood through his fingers.

Wayne swung his longsword habitually even though no blood had gotten on it, shaking his head. “Wayne, right? You aren’t me.”

The Death Knight swayed and fell on one knee as endless cold encroached on him, the world turning grey in his eyes. The undead warhorse behind him remained motionless, showing no grief for its master’s approaching death.

“I am you... a version of you drowned by negativity...” The Death Knight struggled to raise his head, his vicious eyes filled with hatred. “I won’t die. Next time the mirror world descends, I will take your head.”

The mirror shattered, and gone were the Death Knight and his mount.

What was the mirror world? Wayne raised an eyebrow. His test told him that the opponent was weak with inadequate speed and reaction. This meant that his opponent didn’t have Book of Greed, and thus his life essence wasn’t enhanced significantly, remaining at the level of an ordinary mage. With Shadow Nightmare, he could put up a fight against Wayne, but he was easy to defeat without the weapon.

If the mirror world was literally a world where everything was mirrored, including him, Wayne suspected that the mirror hadn’t refreshed, reflecting the original Wayne instead of him.

He sucked in a breath. When he first arrived in this world, he had been targeted by the Church of Death, and one of Death’s three avatars, the Observer, had personally extended an invitation.

Silvia wasn’t the first to steal him away; Kristen was, by snatching him from the Goddess of Death’s embrace.

“Master, I cannot open a portal out.”

Julia jumped down from the platform, reporting her condition to Wayne. He smiled and dismissed Shadow Nightmare with a wave. Julia disappeared with it.

He removed the Death Knight disguise, making a sound of surprise. He could clearly sense that not only had the four elements in the air vanished, but his mana was similarly suppressed, becoming inaccessible.

He retained his thoughts, but couldn’t use magic!

“Magic is not such an inconvenient thing. Though I don’t know what the restriction is. A true powerhouse won’t let such a restriction stop them.”

Wayne was absolutely certain that while he might not be able to resist the restriction, his Death Knight disguise could, and he could still sense Shadow Nightmare, able to summon it at any time. Also...

His chest squirmed. His cheat wasn’t sealed, either!

“Master...” Mona jumped down from the platform, standing pitifully behind him like an abandoned puppy, not even daring to breathe loudly.

“Don’t tell anyone what you just saw. I trust you, so don’t disappoint me,” Wayne said simply. Only when he turned around did he see Mona’s hurt expression. She looked pitiful and nearly in tears.

He quickly figured out the reason, beckoning her over.

Smack!

“Still sad?”

“Yes.”

Smack!

“Much better.”

“...Stop blinking. I’m not going to spank you more than twice, or I’ll be rewarding you. I’m not so easy to trick.”

It was everyone’s duty to say no to fraud!

He put an arm around Mona and leaped to the upper floor with an explosive jump. It had nothing to do with magic, but pure physical strength.

“Can you still access your mana, Mona?”

“My mana is sealed, so I can’t directly release holy light. I can do it through my stigma, but my thoughts are slower than usual.” Mona raised her hand. The glowing cross on the back of it remained undiminished.

Wayne nodded. “At first, I thought this was a trap set up by the Death Knight, but he was too weak to pose a threat, and you also encountered your mirror image...”

He looked at the damaged corridor. Spaces were folded in complex patterns and combined perfectly, leaving no seams.

“We aren’t the targets. Other mages are fighting in the hotel.”

“Boss, should we join?” Mona knew that her master wouldn’t stay on the sidelines.

“Of course. Setting aside that they dragged me into a battle without reason and must apologize, I cannot sit by and do nothing when they set up such a wide-ranging killing move with no concern for the ordinary people.”

Wayne squinted, not voicing his third reason: he smelled a business opportunity.

Such an exaggerated means had to be driven by an extraordinary goal. Both the ambushers and the ambushed were most likely holding something precious, especially the unlucky souls being ambushed.

He would step up and recover his lost treasure so that both sides would call a truce; wouldn’t that be wonderful?

“Let’s go.” He rubbed his hands together with a serious expression. “During the battle, I sensed mana disturbance. Follow me to bring them justice.”