Myths Reawakened

Western District Great Cemetery, night.

Under the shroud of faint mist, tombstones stood at different heights. Withered trees stretched into different shapes as they lay hiding in the mist, only their silhouettes barely visible from the outside. Occasionally, a cold gust would sweep over, pushing the rolling mist apart and revealing the deep and faint traces on the tombstones. Branches rustled like a fiend’s claws, like the whispers of a conversation between spirits.

There was no sun or moon in the inner world. Both sunlight and moonlight came from the mirror in the sky. Following the day-night cycle of the surface world, the inner world transitioned through the day. Never could the inner world escape the surface world’s shadow. Even the precious light it received was leftover.

Their resentment and jealousy were understandable.

The Great Cemetery was quiet tonight, just as usual. Wayne the Death Knight, with a tattered grey cape, looked up at the surface world through the mirror. His eyes were crimson and flickered with a bone-deep coldness. There was a scar from his left eye socket to his upper lip. The slash had cut into his skull and almost split his face in half.

The scar left by Auston, the Darkness Knight, could not be mended. It stung the Death Knight’s thoughts every day.

He didn’t consider it a humiliation. Scars were medals for the strong. The one thing he did find humiliating existed in the surface world. ‘Wayne’ had betrayed the faith of Death, and he could not cut down the humiliation, only watching as ‘he’ had the best time of his life.

“You deserve death, Wayne!”

The Death Knight called out his own name. He had once been summoned to the surface world, but failed to seize the opportunity because his projected self was weakened. Not only that, but his other self had humiliated him.

Every time he thought about that night, his rage and resentment grew. He prayed to the Goddess of Death to grant him a chance to avenge himself. He wished for the other Wayne to enter the inner world so that he could fight fair and square with him at his peak.

It was such an absurd scenario that even the Death Knight didn’t believe that it would be possible. The thought thus remained as a thought, and he only fantasized about it during the nights, when he was alone.

Beside him, the undead warhorse Julia stomped on the ground with her front hooves, with Shadow Nightmare hanging off a side of her saddle.

In the surface world, Julia was a happy mare with a loving former master and current master. She didn’t have to worry about anything and led a carefree life. If she ever got bored, she would hang out with Do. She had even learned the dog language for her friend.

The warhorse in the inner world wasn’t so lucky. She was gloomy and aloof, a skeletal horse of few words. She seemed downright depressed with the air of misery surrounding her.

A short distance from them, Juno and her fiancé Alistair were waiting in boredom. Technically, the Western District Great Cemetery wasn’t the home base of the Death Knight-Princess faction, and the Lando Estate wasn’t the home base of the Darkness Knight-Queen faction. However, with the two knights growing stronger, they became masters of the royals rather than allies, and their bases naturally changed.

“Wayne, there was quite a commotion at the Lando Estate. It would seem that the Darkness Knight encountered a powerful enemy. Shouldn’t we check it out?” Juno asked, at the end of her patience.

Let’s check. What if they have nearly destroyed each other, and the Darkness Knight is one foot in his coffin?

During the day, the Death Knight and Juno had formulated a plan to use the enemies’ plot against them. Sophelia would be the main target. Capturing her and locking her in a basement would weaken the Darkness Knight’s faction. Of course, it would be ideal if they could kill the Darkness Knight.

The Queen was still beautiful, and she was the Darkness Knight’s lover. Capturing her alive would come with many benefits, including ensuring their strategic upper hand.

Frankly, Juno, the unfilial daughter, had been coveting Sophelia for a long time. She had lacked the audacity to back up the desires, but now, she was bold enough to carry out the thoughts, only she didn’t have enough power.

Wayne the Death Knight only sought to fuck up the Darkness Knight, while Juno had no interest in the Darkness Knight and only sought to fuck Sophelia. They lacked a common goal.

She had finally managed to convince the Death Knight, but once again, he didn’t make a move. He insisted that decisiveness only led to easy loss, and they should wait and see in case the Darkness Knight was up to something.

Later, energy disturbances occurred above the Lando Estate, and the Death Knight still chose inaction. His reason was the same, and once again he said that they should wait.

It was the safe option!

Juno felt her chest tighten because of her student. Whenever the Death Knight used his brain, she felt frustrated.

You brainless skeleton, why would you use your brain? You don’t even have any grey matter in your head!

There was no comparing the intelligence of the Darkness Knight and the Death Knight in the inner world. The former hadn’t defeated the latter for two years only because Juno had been playing strategist and external brain for the Death Knight, and because Auston, unable to move on from losing his wife, lost his sanity every time he met the Death Knight.

When the battle escalated to a point where both sides relied on raw power, the two Windsorian strongmen ended up in a gridlock due to their matching strength. To tip the balance, Sophelia had to go.

Juno once again confirmed their plan. When the Death Knight continued to look up at the sky as if his undying lover were in the surface world, she pressed, “Wayne, you didn’t grow up in a good environment, and your grades were average at best. You’ve suffered much as you grew up. It’s all because of Queen Sophelia. She bears undeniable responsibility for the state the country is in...”

“The Darkness Knight isn’t your only enemy. Queen Sophelia is, too. Believe me. Let’s lure the enemies to our turf to capture her alive and retaliate against her.”

“She’s the Queen, the mother of two children, a widow, and a lover of your mortal enemy, the Darkness Knight!”

Juno listed Sophelia’s appeals and ended up making herself salivate. Wayne the Death Knight didn’t salivate. He had always maintained the serene state of celibacy with no carnal desires. No matter how attractive Sophelia was, she was nothing but a skeleton covered in living skin in his eyes.

He would prefer skeletons since skeletons didn’t defecate.

All women were the same to him, including Juno and Alistair. They were nothing but walking skeletons, with no appeal whatsoever.

He hadn’t always been like this. He used to have desires and harbored a one-sided crush on his colleague, Lily Haworth. However, after acquiring Shadow Nightmare, he killed his crush to show loyalty to Death, leaving him with no weakness.

Kill your loved one to be free of worldly desires. Kill your partner, for godhood could only be achieved in the absence of love.

On one hand, he was demonstrating his loyalty to Death. On the other hand, he was learning from Auston’s example. The Darkness Knight had only experienced a power leap after he lost his loved one.

That was why Juno got a headache every time the Death Knight used his brain.

Rumble!

From a distance, a veil of darkness swarmed toward the Great Cemetery, stretching across the sky like a large, fiendish claw. Thick, ink-black darkness covered the mirror in the sky. The distant view became blurry and distorted, replaced by a hazy, mysterious impression.

Under the encroachment of darkness, the countless remains buried in the Great Cemetery emerged from underground in the form of phosphorescent fire, glowing with cold energy.

“Wayne, the Darkness Knight is here!”

Juno watched the changing scenery in surprise. Was the Death Knight right to be cautious today? Had the unusual commotion been Auston’s plan to lure them in?

Something didn’t feel right. Still, a violent fight was inevitable tonight; the Darkness Knight never did things halfway.

Two pillars of Holy Light soared into the sky. Juno and Alistair transformed into esoteric angels and moved away from Wayne. The battle between Death and Darkness wasn’t for them to intervene. Based on their experience, they chose to look for Sophelia.

“Alistair, cover me. I’ll take Sophelia today even if I suffer a critical injury!” Juno’s eyes turned crimson, her gaze blazing with desire.

The royal family had turned into a diorama of mother and child going after each other’s throats, thoroughly corrupted by the negative information of the inner world.

Of course, there was a possibility that they had always been like this, only the dark thoughts and desires in their hearts had been amplified.

Boom!

With a loud bang, an aurora of Darkness trailed across the sky from a distance. With crimson eyes, Auston wielded Twilight Despair and teleported between shadows, leaving a longer trail every time he jumped through space. When he reached the Great Cemetery, his speed had increased to an inhuman level.

Absolute speed was absolute might. With Twilight Despair raised high, the incredible power Auston had accumulated distorted space, making the blade look curved.

“Wayne!!”

“Auston!”

The moment darkness invaded, the Death Knight transformed and hopped onto his undead warhorse, raising Shadow Nightmare and charging through portals to accelerate.

The black and white knightly swords clashed, both appearing curved from their sheer speed. Death energy erased Darkness, while Darkness devoured Death. The all-powerful energies generated a blinding radiance, breaking everything in the vicinity like paper.

At the center of the battlefield, clashing energies ground against each other, causing curved ripples of spatial disturbances that distorted the visages of the two knights. Terrifying energy was forcibly compressed into a tight space until it reached the limit. Then grey and white burst out, with Darkness plunging and staying low, and Death rising and churning.

The two colors painted the sky. From the intersection of the two energies, crackling currents snaked along. The four elements flickered in and out of existence as space groaned sharply. The oppressiveness made all hearts sink like a vast ocean.

The battlefield was too dangerous. It would take a chosen knight to survive it; anyone short of that level would die.

Juno and Alistair stayed far away. Juno watched the ray of white light slowly approaching from a distance and gave Alistair a pointed look. The two attempted to flank the enemy from both sides without missing a beat.

“Sophelia, today, I’ll make you—”

Juno trailed off, the ugly look of lust on her face stiffening. Sophelia wasn’t alone. She was joined by a man and a woman, both in black robes.

Were they the Darkness Knight’s allies?

She had wanted to flank one target with two, but ended up getting outnumbered by three enemies. Despite her surprise, her lust overwhelmed her caution and suspicion in no time. She stared at Sophelia with crimson eyes.

The Queen was skimpily clad in a red evening gown with a slit that reached the waist. She had unfolded her wings without transforming into an inhuman angel, and every breeze revealed everything.

She had obviously dressed up for the night. Her long hair was put up to reveal her long, slim neck, and her red lipstick completed the alluring look. The fitted gown hugged her mature curves, accentuating her heavy assets in the front and the perky shape in the back. She was a perfect embodiment of an hourglass figure. Paired with the stockings wrapping her long legs, her allure was so powerful that no nobles would be able to resist her.

Sir Wayne might be able to resist because he already owned many luxury cars, but Juno couldn’t. Her breathing quickened, and she could not tear her eyes away.