Myths Reawakened

Erland Sea was sixty meters deep on average, with the deepest part being no more than three hundred meters in depth. The obelisk had fallen somewhere around a hundred meters underwater.

To a regular person, free diving a hundred meters would be incredibly difficult, even close to impossible without extensive professional training. And even if someone could dive that far, they might not be able to come back up. Many would’ve fallen to the bottom of the sea to their death.

To a mage, free diving a hundred meters wasn’t much of a challenge. Even without using magic, their enhanced physique would’ve guaranteed an easy round trip.

The four mages parted water to create a magical version of a submarine, going a hundred meters down to the vicinity of the obelisk. The fifty-meter-tall obelisk lay prostrate across the bottom of the sea, entirely consisting of gold. Etched on the surface was a giant wielding lightning and storm.

Without hesitation, Gaye opened the briefcase-sized Book of Seals, using it on the obelisk. Since the book acted as a container with a built-in trigger, the moment he opened it, black chains shot out to wrap tightly around the obelisk. Then a pale, slim arm reached out to grasp it, pulling it into the book.

Mission complete. Not a challenge at all.

“Sebastian, you’re useless!”

Gaye closed the Book of Seals and gestured at his four subordinates to follow him back up. Suddenly, he sensed an incredible energy approaching quickly. He conjured a multiple-layered barrier of Death energy with a wave, shielding himself from any possible surprise attacks.

“Who are you? Show yourself!” Gaye snarled, staring at the outside of the barrier with grey mist surging in his eyes. Under his gaze, the figure easily passed through the multi-layered barrier on a warhorse, ignoring the Death energy entirely.

The Death Knight!

“Sir Knight, what brought your esteemed self here?” Shocked, Gaye hurriedly dissolved the barrier and explained that he meant no offense. He hoped that the Death Knight would forgive his reckless reaction.

“You did well, much better than Sebastian. I haven’t misjudged you,” Wayne said slowly, riding Julia to the group. A thick layer of Death energy shrouded his skeletal body, keeping the seawater out.

The moment Wayne saw the Book of Seals, he had guessed who these men were. And indeed, they turned out to be members of the Church of Death, serving the Headless Knight.

How nice of the Headless Knight to always send Wayne fresh loot. He was so generous that Wayne felt bad about it.

But do keep going!

“Why are you in Windsor, Sir Knight?” Gaye asked the same question that Sebastian had asked.

“Do you want to know?”

“This subordinate has mispoken.”

Gaye hurriedly covered his mouth. It wasn’t a good thing to know too much. Fearing the Death Knight, he offered the Book of Seals with both hands, unwilling to stay for long.

Wayne didn’t take it. Based on his experience last time, he could make an educated guess that the Headless Knight had hidden his thoughts in the book. Wayne wasn’t going to make the same mistake this time.

He looked at the deep ocean and said, “Leave the book and go. I have other matters to take care of. You’re lucky to have avoided disturbing its slumber.”

Gaye and his four subordinates gulped, curious what ‘it’ could’ve been to warrant such caution from the Death Knight. It was always wise to follow the ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ principle when dealing with one’s superior, though, so he pretended not to see or hear anything, respectfully leaving the Book of Seals and moving away.

Just then, a wisp of grey mist emerged from the Book of Seals, splitting into two parts. One part slammed into Wayne, while the other part transformed into the cuckold himself.

I knew you would’ve prepared something!

Wayne drew Shadow Nightmare, swinging its cold, glinting blade at the grey mist. The attempt at defense, however, failed.

Both being masters of Shadow Nightmare, Wayne enjoyed equal authority as the Headless Knight, giving them equal claim over the weapon. However, the Headless Knight’s thoughts were undoubtedly more powerful than Wayne’s.

After the violent clash, Shadow Nightmare vanished from Wayne’s grip. His disguise dropped, so he had to cover himself in Death energy on his own, floating in the sea with a look of resignation.

Meanwhile, the grey mist had finished transforming into the Headless Knight. He growled furiously, “Pick up the Book of Seals, Gaye. He’s not me, but a despicable, shameless, and immoral thief.”

Gaye gaped in shock, his head ringing. He didn’t understand what was going on. Wearing the same expression, his four subordinates froze in place, at a loss.

“Don’t listen to him, Gaye.” Wayne scoffed. “He doesn’t even have a head. The traitor has betrayed the goddess and now follows demons. How could you continue to call yourself the Death Knight? I am the goddess’s chosen!”

The Headless Knight continued to growl in rage. Gaye looked between them. Although he didn’t quite know what was going on, Wayne was making quite a lot of sense. When Gaye received the Book of Seals, he had thought that it looked distinctively hellish, unlike the style of the Church of Death.

It seemed that the previous Death Knight had betrayed the goddess, so She chose another knight. And now, the two knights were coming to blows.

However, they should turn to the goddess for their grievances; what did the matter have to do with Gaye? He was only a Gold-ranked mage, a subordinate working for his bosses. He wasn’t in any position to get involved in the clash between two knights.

He played ignorant and didn’t say anything. While he didn’t leave, he didn’t pick up the Book of Seals, either. How typical of an experienced mage!

The Headless Knight snapped, “You idiot. Don’t be fooled by him. I’ve never betrayed the goddess, or She would’ve long taken my divine power! I’m not going to comment on the alliance with hell. All is going according to Her divine oracle. I suggest you keep quiet. It’s not something you should know.”

The Headless Knight might no longer have a brain, but he retained his intelligence. With a few choice words, he managed to clear his suspicion.

Gaye agonized over how he should react with beads of cold sweat covering his forehead. The two knights alone had a voice, and they kept talking about divine oracles. Without access to the goddess, how was Gaye going to figure out who was telling the truth?

In his eyes, they were only forcing him to pick a side. He smiled awkwardly without doing anything, looking like a right fool. Furious, the Headless Knight turned into grey mist and charged into the air bubble.

Death energy raged, and the humans’ screams resounded. Wayne crossed his arms while he watched the massacre play out. He had no qualms with Gaye, and usually, he wouldn’t kill those he didn’t know the character of. He had planned to let the five people go, making it seem like the Death Knight had taken the Book of Seals. But alas, those five had seen his face, so they had to die.

When the Death energy dispersed, the five mages from the Church of Death had already turned into skeletons, their thoughts erased and bodies taken over by the Headless Knight. Death claimed them without warning!

Wayne looked a little closer. The four lackeys were only a stronger version of the usual skeleton soldiers. The one the Headless Knight had taken as a host was Gaye. He wore a tattered grey robe, holding a bone greatsword and a fist-sized ruby in each hand. White light danced in his eyes, while strange laughter came out of his clacking mouth.

“That’s it? If he retained the power of a Gold-ranked mage, I might show the appropriate degree of concern, but he’s nothing now. What are you going to do to me?”

Wayne huffed. Among the many smaller eyeballs of the Book of Greed, the eye of Death was in a league of its own, capable of suppressing Dorrin, a Gold-ranked mage from the Church of Moonlight. When facing Gaye, who followed Death, Wayne was confident that nothing would harm him even if he just stood still and took hits.

Gaye never stood a chance, much less after the Headless Knight wiped his thoughts.

Wayne didn’t understand the tactic. He laughed at the Headless Knight for being such an expert in internal strife, only ever striking at his own people with ruthless efficiency.

“You’re celebrating too early!”

‘Gaye’ cackled, charging at Wayne with the bone greatsword. The blade cut through the sea without fanfare, triggering no vortex, undercurrents, wind, or waves. Yet wherever the blade passed through, all lives were erased, leaving only absolute serenity.

Oh, things are getting interesting!