Myths Reawakened

Even without Shadow Nightmare, Rognes was unstoppable. With a simple greatsword of Death energy and extraordinary techniques—um, his techniques weren’t actually that good. Just like the other chosen knights, he wielded his raw power like a blunt weapon.

What set him apart was that his raw power was even greater, so he could make stronger swings.

The greatsword of Death energy tore open space itself. With howling noises, black cracks spread like turbulent currents, joining Rognes’s irresistible power in detonating space with incredible flair.

A simple charge from him shook the entire underground catacombs.

Without a word, Wayne met him with Shadow Nightmare. When their blades crossed, violent waves of Death energy rippled out, corroding everything in the way. Nothing save for Julia was able to witness the fight.

The mare quietly cheered on her master and prayed to the Goddess of Death for Wayne to defeat this powerful opponent. However, the Goddess of Death was Schrödinger’s goddess at this moment, unable to even defend Herself. Even if Julia’s praying worked, given the way Julia’s stance had been flipping nonstop, the goddess wouldn’t know which side to help.

Bam!!

Following a loud noise, the tunnel rumbled and collapsed. Large pieces of earth and stones fell, disintegrating as soon as they touched the grey mist.

Two glinting blades collided with blinding auras, accompanied by nonstop metallic clangs. Their slashes drew eye-catching curves in the air, chaotic yet free and elegant in their smoothness. There was a pleasing beauty to it.

Rognes wielded his sword with both hands, marveling at Wayne’s incredible talent. Wayne was a perfect successor born to embody Death. Unlike him, Rognes couldn’t even be fully devoted to his faith.

“Julia, who are you happiest with?”

“You!”

“Who do you want to stay with?”

“You, you, and you.”

“...”

Rognes took it back. He had a terrible successor.

Clang!

Two blades crossed. Shadow Nightmare pressed down and easily cut through Rognes’s greatsword of Death energy, the tip of the blade drawing a brilliant trail in the air. The two weapons weren’t even in the same league. Rognes was able to counter Shadow Nightmare only because of his mastery over Death energy. Any other demigods would’ve been rendered ashes.

The greatsword of Death energy broke. With nothing stopping it, Shadow Nightmare swung down... and cut nothing. Rognes didn’t have a head to be cut off.

Retreating, Rognes restored his weapon with a flick of his wrist. The cloak of Death energy behind his back fluttered, scattering wisps of grey particles. They surrounded Wayne like chess pieces on a chessboard.

Suddenly, grey particles morphed into small, fierce blades, intersecting and interweaving into countless fierce slashes with thunderous might. Standing amid the dense web, Wayne ignored the Death energy. “It’s no use. We’re both using Death. Though you’ve worked longer, the knowledge you’ve mastered isn’t necessarily greater. The Death energy won’t hurt me.”

“I’ll say the same to you.”

“We’re different,” Wayne said calmly. “I’m stronger than you, and I have Julia cheering me on. You, with a crippled body and a disturbed mind, won’t be my match.”

Rognes was undoubtedly powerful. It pumped Wayne up just thinking about challenging such a powerful enemy to a fair, manly fight. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the time to be manly, but to be rational. Mona messaged him that the Lord of Envy had tampered with the Gate of Hell, allowing him to use his Authority in the human world. He had effectively descended in his true form.

Hesione and Auriel weren’t faring well, and Hestia, Olga, and Fred were trapped by the demon alliance. The priority now was to take Rognes’s head back as soon as possible. Only a clear-headed Rognes could help them banish the demons to Hell for a happy ending.

For some reason, Envy had lost his mind and started making losing bets, completely defying a demon lord’s calculative nature. Wayne didn’t understand, so he didn’t try. He just knew that the demon lord was up to something.

Because of Envy’s unreasonable behavior, it had become more difficult to take Rognes’s head back, catching Wayne off guard. Thankfully, there was a silver lining. After joining the demons, Rognes had learned to throw his allies under the bus like them, following Hell’s tradition.

Wayne could tell that Rognes had been suppressing or resisting the demons’ orders. The fact that he hadn’t tried to take Shadow Nightmare back was the best proof.

He had no head, no horse, and no sword, and he was using much of his thoughts to defy the demons’ orders, further crippling him.

Wayne hadn’t sensed the pressure that the strongest chosen knight should be exerting from Rognes. Rognes had been using only regular attacks, without making any ultimate moves. The few simple skills he had used were nothing special. Wayne could block everything with Shadow Nightmare. Julia’s heart-rending remarks, especially, made the fight easy for him.

Clink!

After a flurry of exchanges, the two swords collided once more. Again, Shadow Nightmare cut through the greatsword of Death energy, but this time, Rognes got kicked in the chest, flying backward like a cannonball.

“Headless Knight, you’ve failed to use much of your power. You’re too disturbed. You don’t know what you’re doing and why you’re fighting. You’ll never be my match.” Wayne charged forward and knocked Rognes’s blade out of his grip, making another kick to his chest.

“You’re the best, Master!” Julia made a follow-up verbal attack.

With jumbled thoughts, Rognes flew into a rage. Instead of restoring his broken sword, he splayed his fingers and called on Shadow Nightmare.

Just before he was going to catch the hilt of the divine artifact, a powerful force pushed him away. Shadow Nightmare rejected his summon!

The power had come from Wayne’s right eye, where the now homeless Goddess of Death resided. An apprentice knight like him definitely didn’t have priority over Rognes, but Shadow Nightmare was the Goddess of Death’s creation, and the goddess outranked Rognes.

The goddess could give Shadow Nightmare to whoever She wanted, but Wayne couldn’t take it for himself. He was simply swinging the sword with the goddess’s hand, so of course Rognes couldn’t take the weapon from him.

Rognes wasn’t him. Rognes had proper faith! He, on the other hand, had been thinking about nothing but offending the goddess!

Rognes failed to grip Shadow Nightmare, his chaotic thoughts suddenly waking up. He looked at Wayne in shock, saying with disbelief, “You... Did the goddess... reject me?”

“Yes, the goddess walks with me.”

Wayne squinted with a wisp of greyness glinting in his eyes. The warrior of true love put on the mask of a homewrecker against his conscience, saying, “Shadow Nightmare, Julia, and the goddess—what were yours are now on my side. With what are you fighting me? Just admit defeat!”

The goddess is also inside me! Rognes responded silently. Unlike the other chosen knights, he wasn’t a regular living being, but someone whose life was bestowed by Death.

“What, do you have nothing to say? Are you ready to surrender?” Wayne continued to attack Rognes’s fighting spirit. “Honestly, your performance disappointed me. You’re too weak. Is it because of your chivalrous spirit, or because you look down on me?”

Rognes didn’t respond. His voice boomed from his chest, “You’re not my successor. The goddess values you, so you should protect yourself well rather than risking yourself with the goddess.”

Wayne frowned. The blow to Rognes’s ego was bearing fruit. Rognes was quickly deflating. But it wasn’t in the way Wayne had imagined. He thought the cuckolded man would drop to his knees and yell no while Wayne, the homewrecker, ran away on Julia’s back, accompanied by lilting background music. It would be even better if it were snowing, and there were a phone booth to complete the picture.

“I have indeed thought of something,” Rognes explained. “Because of you, I’m able to remain rational temporarily. Since I cannot resist the demons’ orders, I’ve made you my target.”

Rognes hadn’t explained in detail. He said bluntly, “How are you going to take my head back for me? Do you have a plan?”

“...”

“You could try to trust me.”

“The first step of the plan is to knock you down,” Wayne said.

“What’s next?”

“Next...”

Wayne rubbed his head, cackling instead of answering.

“Kekekeke—”

***

Deep in the catacombs, away from the Gate of Hell, the demon alliance had surrounded the three Thrones. In this advantageous domain, every single one of the demons seemed unbeatable. If the conditions were unfavorable, the demons would be running, trying to outrun their fellow demons.

Hestia, Olga, and Fred were having trouble keeping up. Subject to the abuse of more than ten demons, they were close to becoming captives. The demons were already celebrating and discussing how they were going to divide the spoils.

“Those two female angels are quite nice. I’m going to make them fall!”

“You’re too greedy. I just want the lewd one. She’s a perfect match for Lust, and she’ll make a perfect succubus with a little dose of the Seven Deadly Sins.”

“Since no one claims him, I’ll have the male angel.”

“I didn’t say I don’t want him!”

“You bastards are naive. Angels won’t fall so easily. In all of Hell, there has only ever been one success story. Do you think you can do what even the Lord of Pride cannot do?”

“What should we do then?”

“We divide them fairly.”

“I want the butt!”

“I want the head!”

The three Thrones ignored the demons’ vile remarks. Hestia, especially, wasn’t even bothered. She had heard much worse when she was locked up in Prussia.

The Big Three ignored the demons and their antics. Instead, they looked at their keys and tried several times to control the Death Knight, failing every attempt.

“What’s going on? Isn’t he supposed to be tamed?” Enguema complained, blaming Stolas for doing a bad job.

“He should be...” Stolas would like to complain, too. They had had the Death Knight’s head in their possession for years. He was certain that the knight had been tamed last month and would do whatever they told him to do. No one expected the keys to stop working all of a sudden.

Rip!

A dark portal opened. Clad in black armor, the Death Knight leaped out on his undead mount. He didn’t have his head, but he had his horse and the white sword wreathed in Death energy—Shadow Nightmare.

The Big Three were surprised by Rognes’s sudden return. They clutched the white skulls in their hands to confirm that they still had the keys, finally relaxing.

“No wonder he broke out of our control. He went to take Shadow Nightmare back...” Stolas murmured, narrowing his eyes. “Death Knight, kill the three angels and bring me their heads.”

The undead warhorse breathed out purple flames while stomping the ground, charging at the three angels in the heart of the battlefield. Seeing a vicious demon in his way, the Death Knight raised Shadow Nightmare and decapitated the demon, catching him by surprise.

The knight’s grey cloak scattered. Devastating Death energy surged and morphed into grey tentacles, swinging around with no discrimination between friends and foes. They grappled and lifted the demon’s head and headless body, unleashing volatile Death energy to erase the demon’s thoughts before he could use his Authority and field.

The demon’s real body was in Hell, so only the thoughts that had descended were erased, along with his vessel.

Despite it not being a true death, the demon had descended with such a large part of his thoughts that his great loss led to a significant decrease in his power in Hell. It was evident what would happen to the demon after losing the power to protect his territory, given Hell’s culture.

The Death Knight was fair. He knew that he should dispense Death fairly. He wasn’t going to bring misfortune to only one demon, but go after all demons equally.

“...” x3

The Big Three exchanged glances. Stolas was rendered numb.

“Why are you looking at me? You two have your keys, too. Order him!”

Why should I? They can all die for all I care. Should that matter to me just because we’ve formed an alliance? x2

They were acting like typical demons!

Stolas said nothing. The Big Three lined up with their keys, acting like they were straining. Anyone else would’ve thought that they were trying their best to control the Death Knight.

The group of demons, after a momentary panic, launched a concerted counterattack.