Myths Reawakened

Weaving let out a sharp cry. Mana tides burst out of his body in volatile waves, summoning the four elements gathered within his vitality field. A vortex of wind blades sliced through the thorned whip and sent Regina flying. He reached up to yank the venomous snake off his neck, transforming into a nature elf to suppress the restless poison of the Divine Comedy with his divine art.

For a mage of his caliber, a lethal strike like that wasn’t lethal at all. He was able to seal the poison away with a simple pass of his hand.

A black shadow fell from above. Weaving heard only shrieking wind before a succubus dropped from the sky and swung a massive greatsword of black flames downward. He raised his left hand. The rings of the four elements conjured an energy shield. The moment it blocked the blow, he glared up.

A terrifying mental shockwave burst out of his eyes, slamming into the shield and accelerating it instantly. The greatsword in Ottilia’s hands shattered on impact. She herself was sent soaring through the sky, plastered against the shield.

Weaving teleported away and reappeared directly behind Ottilia. Drawing a slender silver blade from his sleeve, he thrust it through her back to the hilt, piercing the heart.

With a huff, Weaving tossed aside Ottilia’s body and repeated the same combo of teleportation and backstab, turning Regina into another corpse.

The two silver blades had a built-in sealing ability, able to sever the target’s thoughts and bypass the target’s regeneration entirely. With the right tactic, the blades could even kill a legendary mage instantly.

He was certain that both vessels of the Lord of Lust had died from a clean stab through the heart.

“Damn the SS. They even developed a method to counter vitality field...”

Though Weaving had won, his expression was stormy. To have his proudest ability fully figured out and countered was bad. If the two succubi had been any stronger, he would have been the one lying dead. No wonder they had been bold enough to attack him right outside the church’s headquarters. They had concluded that he wasn’t worth bribing and wanted him dead to clear a path for the vermin from the church.

Weaving felt rattled, not because of the assassination attempt, but because of the successful counter of his vitality field. As a mage of considerable mastery over magic, he understood the implications of the research result. Prussia could reshape the world of magic—no, the entire world itself.

“It’s not that dire, it’s not. Only two succubi could do it. The vessel of the Lord of Gluttony couldn’t do it...” Weaving reassured himself, pressing a hand to his neck, where the venom still stung. He teleported to Wayne. “Tell me, where is the laboratory that created you?”

Wayne’s face was a picture of fanatical loyalty. “Great Führer—”

Crack!

The black thorned whip whooshed back in a strange arc, lunging for Weaving’s throat.

“Impossible. How are you still alive?”

The sudden turn of events left him dumbstruck. He had been a step away from extracting the information he needed, but he was interrupted.

He had no time to think. He teleported backward, and as soon as his feet touched the ground, a black figure flew toward him at lightning speed.

Ottilia was wielding her greatsword of black flames, Weaving’s silver blade still jutting from her back. She moved as though she had long died, ignoring the sealing effect and the suppression of regeneration.

Weaving didn’t understand. His wariness of Prussia’s research deepened further. It felt like demons weren’t the ones who knew demons the most, but the SS.

He teleported again, but in that instant, Regina charged in with her thorned whip, similarly with Weaving’s silver blade protruding from her back. It wasn’t that the succubus was too fast for him to react to, but that she had been waiting to strike, reading the vitality field clearly.

Weaving couldn’t believe that his teleportation had been rendered useless, and the unpredictable vitality field failed to disorient the two succubi. Refusing to accept it, he repeated his usual tricks in quick succession.

Legendary mages had always had a full repertoire of tricks for crushing weaker opponents.

Unfortunately, the result was disappointing. Ottilia and Regina were being coached by a master, given a cheat view of the complete map. No matter how precise Weaving’s micro movements were, they could always see it.

Weaving was like the evil god who had supplied Wayne with a treasure trove. All of his seemingly brilliant moves ended up as blunders.

The two succubi moved like ghosts, weaving in and out around Weaving with a relentless barrage of attacks from front and rear. Every time Weaving tried to claw back control with a clutch move, they gained greater advantage.

Weaving hadn’t felt this frustrated since he became a legendary mage. The two succubi were capable, but he didn’t actually consider them as threats. If he took them seriously, he was confident that he could finish them off with ease. However, he had to first prove to himself that his vitality field was still the pinnacle of mortal power.

He wouldn’t be able to sleep at night otherwise.

Meanwhile, Wayne noticed how his two succubus secretaries had failed to break the prolonged stalemate, steering the situation further and further from the intended script. He quietly gave them a buff.

Ottilia’s eyes flickered with red light. With a low cry, she swung her long, sharp nails, leaving five crimson arcs in the air.

As if a switch had been flipped, the motionless Wayne tilted his head back and let out a strange gurgle. White foam gushed out of his mouth, and with it came a barely audible murmur that spread across the entire vitality field. The wandering energy began to congeal, as though drawn to the sound and stopping to listen.

The one listening wasn’t the four elements, but Weaving himself. The owner of the vitality field listened to the whispers and was about to reject the voice when he realized how much sense it made. His movements slowed, and with his stiffening thoughts making his reflex sluggish, Ottilia and Regina were able to land several blows.

Regina’s whip wound around Weaving’s neck, turning into a serpent to inject him with the venom of the Divine Comedy. His neck and then his entire face turned a deep purplish black.

Ottilia leapt over Regina and wrenched the silver blade from Regina’s body, charging at Weaving for a merciless strike. After a flash of cold, blinding light, the blade thrust toward him.

With the better part of his thoughts occupied by Wayne’s whispers, it was too late when Weaving finally noticed the danger. The blade found his neck.

Crying out in pain, he broke out of the black whip and ripped the serpent bare-handed, but before he could drive Ottilia away, her silhouette had already pulled back like a bolt of black lightning, leaving afterimages in her wake.

Regina and Ottilia swapped positions seamlessly. She pulled the thin blade from Ottilia’s body, planning to repeat the same trick to add two more holes to Weaving’s body.

The whisper in his ears was an unfathomable threat, and the three demons were each more troublesome than the last. Weaving didn’t know if they had more tricks up their sleeves. If he didn’t escape now, he might not get the chance.

Waving a hand to shatter his vitality field and putting a great distance between him and the three demons, he spat a promise, “I’ll be back,” and vanished.

The vitality field dispersed a few seconds later, and the cubic barrier dissolved right after.

By the time Wayne ‘recovered’ and led the two succubi in pursuit, Weaving was long gone.

“He ran fast!” Wayne stomped in frustration. “We wasted the perfect opportunity. How did we let him escape?”

He turned around and scolded Ottilia and Regina for their incompetence, laying the lion’s share of blame on them for the failed ambush.

The two women rolled their eyes in unison. Being someone’s subordinate was a thankless job. They were told to act, yet they still had to take the blame.

“This is the church’s headquarters,” Ottilia said. “Weaving could bring an entire army of reinforcements back at any moment. We need to go before we end up surrounded.”

“Fine. We report back to the base and revise our assassination plan.”

Wayne stayed in character to the very end. Regardless of whether someone was watching, he insisted that his two secretaries deliver the final part of the script, keeping up the act until the curtain fell.

***

Alley.

Three figures slowly stepped out. Regina looked down at the silver blade in her hand, breathing on it to polish it cheerfully with her sleeve. She murmured a thanks to nature as she did so.

Hearing that, Ottilia, who had been eyeing the blade with envy, said, “Regina, the blade was in my back. I’m the one who acquired it.”

“How so? Your name isn’t on it.” Regina tucked the blade to her chest firmly. “Besides, there was a blade in my back as well, and you swiped it. You shouldn’t be too greedy. You already had one.”

Suddenly you’re being smart! x2

Ottilia pouted, turning to Wayne. She didn’t want to be a demanding girlfriend, so she wasn’t going to make Wayne take the sword from Regina and gift it to her. Still, that didn’t stop her from staring at Wayne, waiting for him to ask Regina for the sword and then give it to her.

If Ottilia asked, it would be robbery, but it would be different for Wayne to do it in her stead. How could a boss rob his employees? Regina would be offering the weapon voluntarily.

“Boss. Boss, you’re a man of great fortune. You aren’t going to take something from your underling just to gift it to your girlfriend, are you?” Regina stepped forward to block Ottilia, speaking with a pitiful expression.

They were both vengeful spirits and both succubus secretaries, but Ottilia was also Wayne’s girlfriend and would sooner or later be his bed partner; Regina knew that she couldn’t compare. Playing the sympathy card was her only chance.

“Don’t worry. I’m a man of principle, so I won’t do what you think I’ll do.” Wayne rolled his eyes, pulling a Dragontooth Sword from his personal storage and placing it in Ottilia’s hands.

As she took it with delight, he closed his hand gently around hers and said lovingly, “Ottilia, the Dragontooth Sword is extraordinarily rare. It’s the only one in the world, in fact. Keep it close and protect yourself well.”

Ottilia’s heart fluttered. It was the only one in the world, meaning it was hers and hers alone. Only she had gotten the privilege.

It was Regina’s turn to be envious. She compared the Dragontooth Sword with the plain silver blade in her hand, blinked, and took two steps forward with an endearing expression. “Boss, we’re both secretaries. You shouldn’t play favorites!”

“This is a gift for his girlfriend,” Ottilia interrupted. “Do you still want it?”

Regina deflated immediately, stumbling over her words. “Boss, I’m deeply loyal to you, but work is work, and private life is private life. If the two bleed together, it gets complicated, and work will be affected. Don’t you agree?”

“Not necessarily,” Ottilia said. “Look at Secretary Mona. She manages both fine.”

You’re acting strange!

Regina’s eyes widened. Reading between the lines, it sounded like Ottilia was trying to drag her into the harem to deepen their sisterhood.

Blushing, Ottilia looked away. She had said it almost without thinking, and even she found the words absurd. It was all because of the pressure she felt from Senna. The extraordinary beauty was so flawless that she felt suffocated.

If she couldn’t match Senna in quality, she would need to compete in quantity. As a fellow secretary, she found Regina to be a good candidate. Compared to the cool and composed Mona, she would rather ally herself with Regina, with whom she spent most of her time. Besides, Regina had a twin sister. She was a perfect ally that wasn’t easy to come by.

Wayne said nothing. He had been looking at the abandoned factory ahead, weighing the practicality of going in for a look.

“Boss, won’t that spook the enemy?”

“The snake’s already spooked and gone. If we don’t go in now, there won’t even be anything left by tomorrow.” After some consideration, Wayne decided to head in. They had come this far. They couldn’t possibly go home empty-handed.

“You two, stay here. I’ll be back shortly.” He strode toward the factory. “If there’s any danger, reach me with your thoughts. Don’t play heroes.”