Myths Reawakened

Vichy had never seen something like that. Although Darkness was supposed to be all-encompassing, and using Darkness to accept Darkness fit the concept perfectly, it was easier said than done, especially when it was the Darkness of Twilight Despair that was being offset.

After careful consideration, she stopped attacking. “May I ask which subordinate god you are, the Listener or the Avenger?”

“Why, has Solsknar reached an agreement with them?” Ines asked with a smile.

“They only agreed not to intervene,” Vichy responded. “It’s a good thing for the development of the Divine Realm for there to be an additional subordinate god. The goddess must want that, too.”

It wasn’t something she should reveal, and answering the question was at odds with her quiet nature. Facing the mysterious, formidable opponent, however, she unconsciously chose to reveal everything without holding back.

“How about you? Why did you choose to stand by Solsknar? What’s wrong with being the Goddess of Darkness’s pet?”

“The goddess is too distant from me...” Vichy said after a moment of silence. “I don’t have enough power to serve her properly. If I support Solsknar to become the Devourer, on the other hand, the goddess will gain a subordinate god.”

“Tsk, you speak as if you were entirely loyal. Do you not have any selfish need?”

“I do have some.” Vichy nodded. “My power stems from Twilight Despair, without which I’m merely a regular demigod. Once Solsknar becomes a subordinate god, I’ll be able to gain more knowledge through his Divine Domain.”

“So you crave power.” Ines squinted. “You aren’t compatible with Solsknar. His Divine Domain won’t give you what you want. I, on the other hand, can grant you power exceeding a regular demigod’s as long as you serve me as master.”

Vichy’s heart clenched. She almost agreed then and there. She was certain that this mysterious woman was either the Listener or the Avenger.

“Apologies. I’ll have to say no.”

“Why?”

“I’ve already deceived the goddess once, betraying Her. I cannot do it again.”

“According to Solsknar, however, your betrayal hasn’t escaped the Goddess of Darkness’s eyes. It’s only because of the goddess’s implicit permission that you were able to betray her.”

Ines spread her hands and conjured a sphere of darkness, sending it to Vichy. “You haven’t betrayed your faith. This is the first time. As long as you say yes, you’ll gain a power you have never had before.”

Vichy’s thoughts trembled. The Darkness was right within reach, radiating a tremendous energy that made her heart thump. If she just reached out, she would become more powerful than she ever was.

After an agonizing moment, however, she still rejected the offer.

Her education as a knight forbade her from repeating the same mistake. She could find an excuse for the last time, convincing herself that she was trying to help the development of the Divine Realm of Darkness, but this time, power was her only goal. If she set a precedent for herself, she would lose her bottom line.

“Good, you passed the test.”

Ines scattered the black sphere and narrowed her eyes, extending her aura. Though others couldn’t sense it, to Vichy, it felt as if the entire sky had come crashing down, prompting her to get on one knee for a knightly greeting.

“God-goddess...”

She lowered her head. She didn’t understand why her faith had come to inhabit her body and why She had cultivated another subordinate god. Was Solsknar’s action so offensive to the goddess that he would never become a subordinate god?

“Yes, Solsknar will never become a subordinate god because he’s spoken ill of me behind my back.” Ines bent down and lifted Vichy’s chin with a hand, stroking her smooth face and clicking her tongue. “As for you, though your disappearance troubled me for a while, the new knight is quite an interesting one, so I won’t hold you accountable.”

“Thank you for your mercy,” Vichy said with a trembling voice. Looking at her own face from a close distance, she felt nothing but a great awe that compelled her to stay on her knee.

“Solsknar will never become my subordinate god. Don’t waste your time on him. The man I was with, Wayne, will be your master going forward. Serve him as you would serve me.” Ines looked down at Vichy, returning her body to her while creating another body with white foam.

Vichy didn’t quite understand the order. She asked tentatively, “Goddess, is he going to be your third subordinate god?”

“He is.” Ines nodded, but she thought otherwise. She was still trying to tame Wayne and would be putting more stake on the table when needed. She had already invested Holy Maiden Anastasia, and now, Darkness Knight Vichy would join. There was also Auston, the new chosen knight. She had effectively planted three pawns by Wayne’s side.

“Goddess, I still—”

“Do you have a lot of questions?”

“No-no.”

Vichy felt like she had been traded away by her faith, which left a bitter taste in her mouth. When she looked up again, the Goddess of Darkness was already gone.

***

Divine Domain of Storm and Thunder.

Boom!

Bang—

Dust and stones flew across the land, and sand rose into the air to form a veil. At the same time, powerful gales howled, and lightning crackled across the sky, crushing obelisk after obelisk with terrible energy to erase any thoughts hidden within.

The process was dull, but Seleucia didn’t find it tedious. It was her faith’s order for her; besides, it would greatly benefit her.

By erasing Sett’s thoughts, she would be avenging the loss of her Laws and passing the test, improving her faith’s impression of her. She wasn’t stupid, just straightforward and less inclined to scheme against others. Compared to scheming, she believed a head-on assault to be more efficient.

Moreover, once Sett’s thoughts were erased, all the liberated Laws would become hers, and she would be able to reforge her Divine Domain. She could focus on studying the Laws to show her faith her talent—she was quite talented, if she dared say so herself.

In the distance, a dark portal opened, and Solsknar emerged while laughing.

Then his laughter halted.

What was going on? Where was Sett? Who blew the giant up?

Solsknar felt a numbness in his head when he saw Seleucia rampaging about in the Divine Domain. He didn’t understand where the madwoman came from.

“Thunder and Storm. She has similar Laws, too. So...”

Who the hell are you, and where did you come from?

Solsknar was confused. Thank goodness that he had prepared multiple plans, coaxing Sett into reviving and creating a contingency. Otherwise, all the Laws would go to the madwoman, and his work would’ve ended up benefiting someone else. That would be beyond frustrating.

Solsknar’s appearance alerted Seleucia. Batting her wings of Storm, she reached the portal so fast that it looked like she had teleported. She thrust her spear into the ground and demanded coldly, “Who are you? Such thick Darkness. Are you part of the test, too?”

Solsknar didn’t understand what Seleucia was talking about. Fool.

Just then, a dark figure flew over, yelling, “Coming through!” while accelerating. Failing to stop the momentum, the figure slammed into Solsknar.

Wayne stood where Solsknar had been, looking down at him. “Told you I’m coming through, but you won’t get out of the way.”

Following the shriek of a free fall, the land shuddered. Large cracks snaked outward amid rising dust like a spider web.

“Boss, why did you return so soon?” Seleucia went up to Wayne and pointed at the obstacle at their feet. “Is this another test? Should I defeat him, too?”

Don’t be silly. Why would there be that many tests? Besides, you aren’t his match.

“Let’s say it is. After erasing Sett, I’ve sent most of the obelisks to the Rus Federation and leaked the energy to lure Solsknar the Devourer from the Divine Realm of Darkness...” Wayne lied without even batting an eye. “He’s devoured most of the Laws of Storm and Thunder and will be your future enemy. I’ve arranged this meeting to give you a rehearsal.”

Seleucia would buy whatever he said to her. For one, she was the simple-minded sort, and for another, she was his vassal and was thus absolutely loyal to him. Even when his lies were crude and obviously false, she would come up with an explanation for him.

At this rate, she would sooner or later be doing it nine times a night with him.

“I understand.”

Seleucia nodded. Her faith had already paved the way forward for her. Once she dealt with one enemy, another was introduced. She could practically see the path of progress ahead of her. She didn’t need to think about anything other than finishing the tests.

Her admitting looks made Wayne feel guilty again. “I’ll suppress my rank to demonstrate to you how you could confront this powerful enemy. Watch closely and sneak up on him when you see fit. This will be a chance for you to correct your stubborn way of always fighting fair and square. Do you understand?”

“I’ll work hard!”

“...”

Her integrity shone so brightly that even though she was an idiot, Wayne still couldn’t help but blush in embarrassment when facing her.

He turned his eyes red to match his blush, aiming his heat vision at Solsknar. Enhanced by the active fire elements in the area, the two burning rays shot down, blasting the ground into a deep pond of lava.

Solsknar couldn’t use his full power since he had descended through Kane’s body. The humiliations he had suffered at Wayne’s hands infuriated him into enhancing his vitality domain, forcibly changing Kane’s existence to transform him into a black python running a hundred meters long.

The python had a massive head, its eyes glinting with cold red light. Inside its mouth were messily arranged fangs and a fiery-red tongue, hissing and stirring the air.

From the deep pond of lava, the python emerged with red liquid dripping from its dark scales, wholly unscathed. The way its large body prostrated amid the forest reminded Wayne of... well, of Monica’s fecal matter.

From above, a long black thing was barely visible amid the grass.

The python continued to grow larger like an inflated balloon until it reached a thousand meters long. The energy it radiated triggered lightning storms and summoned a gloomy mass of dark clouds. Dark red lightning crackled amid the clouds like snakes, breathing out sulfuric air.

“Smells like Hell...” Wayne lit up, looking at the massive python in shock. “You’re a demon, too?”

Auston and Hesione/Mona surfaced in his head. He finally believed what they had said. No matter if he had somehow turned his enemies into demons or if he just attracted demons left and right, the smell of sulfur was undeniable. Solsknar the Devourer, who wanted to become the Goddess of Darkness’s third subordinate god, was a demon.

“Snakes are one of the Lord of Envy’s symbols...” Wayne murmured, his curiosity piqued. “Does the Goddess of Darkness have a hand in Hell as well?”

Right, She craves progress too much to forget about the yet unclaimed Hell!

He considered whether he should visit Hell later. If he could become a god in Hell, it would save him a lot of effort.

“Speaking of which, how’s my Bat Demon replica doing...?”