Myths Reawakened

West of Windsor, in the vast ocean west of the Republic of Erland.

Under the moonlight, the deep, mysterious sea stretched endlessly like a scroll painting. In the distance, the sky and ocean blurred together, forming a gradient of deep blue to pitch black like a massive black hole that devoured all sound and light while radiating loneliness and an unknown fear.

Once the portal opened, the Lord of Pride flew out with his six wings, followed closely by four of the Seven Sacred Virtues. The angels each took a spot to circle Pride.

Whether one saw it as Pride taking on four Virtues on his own or the four Virtues ganging up on Pride, it painted Pride as the unequivocal top demon lord of Hell, befitting his status.

Conjuring a sacred lance with bands of Golden Law surrounding him, Pride looked like a holy angel dispersing darkness and bringing light and hope. It was such a grating sight that the four Virtues felt increasingly enraged.

Pride didn’t think he was doing enough. He triggered the stigma on the back of his hand to make it glow. Then, with a devout smile, he lowered his eyes, giving off a sympathetic air to the entire world.

“Where did you get the information, Pride?” Auriel demanded with a dark expression. “Who told you about the Anointed One?”

Hesione, Gerar, and Vilkul were paying close attention, too. They looked at Pride with frosty expressions.

Pride had been in the human world for a long time. Way before the reincarnated angels even awakened, he was already in Londan, looking for the Anointed One. Clearly, Pride had acquired concrete information, enough for him to make a move before the seven reincarnated angels could.

Hesione was both fearful and relieved. She was fearful that an agent of Hell existed in Heaven and had allowed Pride to reach Londan early with leaked intelligence; she was relieved that she had woken up on the Anointed One’s bed, completing her mission while lying flat on her back.

Or it might not be an undercover agent from Hell. Perhaps some angels simply didn’t want the Anointed One to return to Heaven. As for who it was, the four Virtues had an ominous feeling about it.

Lahr, the Śār, was in charge of the safekeeping and interpretation of the Heavenly Father’s prophecy. He thus had first-hand information on the Anointed One’s defining traits. Then the suspects were Mikhael, Hesione, and Auriel—Lahr’s fellow Śārim—as well as Vilkul, who was close to Lahr.

There was no one else. Among the reincarnated angels, at least, the three Thrones didn’t know anything concrete about the Anointed One, only that they had descended to the human world to look for the Heavenly Father’s successor.

In other words, there were only six suspects capable of leaking the information: the four Virtues who had descended, and Mikhael and Lahr, who were watching over Heaven.

Gerar was under the least pressure. Among the four Virtues and one Deadly Sin present, he alone didn’t know about the Anointed One. Despite being an important official in Heaven, he knew less about his own company than a demon lord of the enemy company. He would rather be a prime suspect than be marginalized like this.

After more consideration, they all suspected Lahr of being the traitor. The reason was simple: while all four Śārim were suspects, Lahr, as the safe-keeper and the interpreter of the prophecy, could choose to make a false interpretation or hide some of the traits.

A resurrected, human-like but inhuman god in the human world. Lahr had listed three traits of the Anointed One and never told the three Śārim that the Anointed One was in Londan. If he had secretly told Pride that, it would have allowed Pride to come to Londan right after his descent.

In fact, Pride might have succeeded in reincarnation when it should’ve been angels’ exclusive right because of Lahr’s help.

Didn’t expect you, with your thick eyebrows and big eyes, to betray Heaven[1]!

Lahr didn’t have thick eyebrows, but he did have large eyes.

The four Virtues couldn’t immediately accept the truth. Although the facts were right before their eyes, although all leads pointed to Lahr being the traitor, they held onto the hope that there was another explanation.

Taking a deep breath, Auriel demanded an answer from Pride, who had a cryptic smile on his face. “You should be too proud to lie,” Auriel added. “I’m sure you’re too proud to hide the truth, too!”

Son of a beach, what do you take me for? A brainless idiot like you? Pride smothered a derisive huff and said, “I’ll tell you the truth. Just then, you, Śār Auriel, told me, a demon lord from Hell, that the reincarnated angels had descended to look for the Anointed One.”

“Nonsense!” Auriel scoffed mockingly. “Though you’re the Lord of Pride, you’re a disingenuous liar in reality. You’re not prideful at all. You’ve disgraced your name!”

“Speaking as if you all have lived up to your name.” Pride had a lot to say about the topic. Thrilled, he shared all his comments without reservation, “Hesione, as Purity, you’ve been lost in carnal desires. Look at your hypocrisy. Underneath your dignified, sacred appearance, you’re filled with filth. Even a demon like me finds the sight humiliating, yet look at you. If you have the least bit of shame, you should commit suicide and confess to the Heavenly Father!”

Hesione’s expression didn’t even change. The demon knew nothing. She wasn’t covered in filth, but traces left by the Anointed One. They were the highest form of stigmata. If they didn’t belong to opposing factions, she would’ve thanked Pride. It was because of Pride’s machinations that she met the Anointed One.

As an angel, she could say objectively that someone so different from the image of the Anointed One would’ve been impossible to find. Not even if all four legions of angels had descended would they have found him, much less with only the four Śārim looking for him. In fact, not even if all of Heaven and Hell descended would they find him.

Wayne had hidden so well!

No wonder Pride had found nothing even though he had arrived in Windsor early.

“Tsk, you didn’t even blush. You seem proud of it, old friend. You’ve fallen.” Pride grinned at Hesione’s shameless face and silently congratulated himself. If not for his seal, Wayne wouldn’t have found Hesione’s ditch even if he wanted to unclog it. Pride was technically responsible for Hesione’s fall. The same was true of Gerar.

Pride turned to Gerar and sniffed, covering his nose and mouth with disgust. “What terrible smell. Are you Cherub Gerar, representing temperance?”

Gerar remained calm. His situation was complicated, so fully explaining it would be a waste of time, and summarizing his condition wouldn’t clarify anything. It’s better to skip the explanation.

Strictly speaking, he had gone into a slumber to investigate the Lord of Pride, who had been hiding in Londan. He had allowed Kael to mess around in Fallen Angel because he was worried about exposing himself.

Kael was him, but he wasn’t Kael. The fact that Kael showed no self-control didn’t mean that Gerar had lost temperance.

To conclude, Pride’s taunt didn’t work. Gerar had a clear conscience, and his colleagues would never buy the demon lord’s nonsense. The followers and the general public wouldn’t believe Pride, either. Demons had lost all credibility. Whatever they said about angels would be considered part of a smear campaign.

The enemies’ slander only proved their innocence!

Auriel understood the same thing, so he remained collected and composed when the Lord of Pride turned to him. With a huff, he said, “Tell me, Demon, what slander do you have in store for me?”

“Oh, no. Facing true Generosity of the Seven Sacred Virtues, not only won’t demons slander you, but they will praise you.” Pride kept laughing. “You generously granted me intel on reincarnated angels, a stigma, and recognition before eyewitnesses, as well as information about the Anointed One. Why should I badmouth you?”

He let out a string of cackles.

A demon’s laughter was the greatest jeer to an angel. Vilkul furiously glared at his three colleagues. Look what you’ve done. You almost make a demon lord laugh to death.

Upon further consideration, though, it might be a good thing. Titus’s belly was growing bigger by the day. He might be able to hide it for now, but not for ten months. The reincarnated angels would notice sooner or later. When every single one of them had a stain on their records, it meant that none of them had a spotty record. No one would get passive-aggressive with him.

I’d suggest you keep your temper in check, Vilkul, or you’re going to make a mistake, too! x3

Aside from me, none of you three are good angels! x3

Pride had done nothing but repeat the truths for his own entertainment, yet that alone made the four Virtues show signs of infighting.

To remain politically correct in Heaven, the angels didn’t lose their temper. Instead, they kept their eyes on the enemy and tightened their encirclement. Pride’s jeer had dampened morale. Auriel thought he had to do something. Without pontificating from the moral high ground, it felt like something was missing.

They needed to be fighting for the greater good!

Auriel knew that he had to rally his fellow angels and stop Hesione from stealing his leadership role, so he spoke up, “Pride, you’ve gone to great lengths to gain a stigma, which contained the Golden Law of Angels. Tell me, are you planning on infiltrating Heaven with the stigma acting as your disguise?!”

Huh? I never thought about that!

The human world is such a nice place. What’s so fun about Heaven? Staring contest with angels like you?

Then I’d rather go to Hell!

Pride replaced his smile with a serious expression. “Since you’ve seen through me, I’ll stop hiding it. Yes, that’s what I’m planning. You’d better deploy a large troop to guard the Gate of Heaven. Better yet, station a whole legion of angels. Otherwise, you won’t be able to stop me.”

It was very much Pride’s style. The demon lord had proudly stated his plan to invade Heaven, provoking the four reincarnated angels and instantly boosting their morale. A fight was about to break out.

The first to make a move was Vilkul. The angel of Gentleness had suffered a series of unfortunate events, bottling up much rage that he could not vent. He saw Pride as a perfect punching bag. Raising his hand, he pointed a greatsword of Holy Light at the sky.

A flash of golden light surged with the overpowering sacred intent of the Golden Law. A magic circle of Holy Light stretched across the ocean, connecting heaven and earth.

Up in the sky, sacred rays cascaded down like crashing waves. The immeasurable Holy Light condensed into a massive phantom that slowly stood up in the sky, but upside down.

The phantom was humanoid with only the upper body, three strangely-shaped heads, and more than ten arms. The hands paired up and clasped together in devout prayer.

The appearance alone seemed insidious, but with the dancing golden bands, the flying white feathers, and the magnificent cross held in the hands, the figure appeared exalted.

Light shone on the land while tremendous holy intent washed over the ocean and the sky. A terrible pressure turned the space awash in light into a physical thing.

Vilkul had made his ultimate move immediately, eliciting a questioning noise from Pride.

He raised a hand while laughing. “Vilkul, have you lost your head in your rage? Using a trick against demons to attack an angel like me is a waste of effort!”

The upside-down phantom faded away just like that. Vilkul’s ultimate attack had been easily countered, without even making Pride sweat.

Pride glanced at Vilkul proudly. “Old friend, it’s been too little time since your awakening, so you cannot match my power at this moment. Why don’t we start with you?”

He flapped his pristine wings and vanished. Following a flash, a light that couldn’t be caught by the naked eye thrust toward Vilkul.

Clang!

The Oath Sword blocked Pride’s attack horizontally. Hesione had moved.

“This sword is Mikhael’s weapon, Hesione.” Pride pressed the greatsword of Holy Light downward with narrowed eyes. “Your relationship with him seems quite strained. Why don’t you give me the sword? I have Saint George’s blood, so I’m more entitled to wield the weapon.”

The two six-winged angels entered a battle of strength that Hesione was slowly losing. Learning from the best, she taunted, “If you want the sword, you have to ask Mikhael first. I’m curious. Are you considered his child now?”

“Tsk, what a misfortune for Mikhael to have a demon lord as a child. Do you want to kill him with rage so that you can become the Viceroy of Heaven?”

Hesione still fell short of Pride in trash talk, and her insult ended up hurting herself.

“Why aren’t you saying anything? Did I get that right?” Pride put on a look of realization. “Ah. You’ve personally descended to the human world to look for the Anointed One because you wanted to take down Mikhael. By establishing a relationship with the Anointed One, you’ll become Viceroy Hesione.”

Auriel and Gerar flanked Pride from both sides. With a low shout, Hesione unleashed volatile holy intent and swung her bands of Golden Law to grapple Pride, immobilizing him.

Sensing the killing intent from the back, Pride frowned and disintegrated into light.

Auriel and Gerar ended up hitting nothing. When Pride broke out of the encirclement, they rushed up to stop the demon lord from fleeing.

Pride’s energy was now entirely heavenly. The angels’ attacks were meant for demons and didn’t work at all on one of ‘their own’. The four Virtues felt like they were fighting with restraints. They weren’t sure how they should use their skills.

Pride was having a hard time, too. Since they were using the same power rather than naturally conflicting powers, an ultimate move was less effective than a regular attack. He struggled to adapt to the new dynamic.

1. Thick eyebrows and big eyes are an expression to describe someone handsome or someone with masculine features. It’s a type of face that’s generally considered heroic/good, so it’s also used humorously to say someone looks trustworthy but isn’t. ☜