Myths Reawakened

Wayne shook his head to disperse his intrusive thoughts. Staring at Lily, he said, “Is that your name? It’s pretty. Did Lust give it to you?”

Lily—or Lilith—nodded.

The mortal realm and Hell were two different worlds. The Lord of Lust granted Lily a real name in Hell so that she would bid her past farewell and continue her life as Lilith.

Wayne was about to say more when Lilith faded away, vanishing. Lust came over in a red evening gown with a high slit on the side, revealing her long, beautiful legs in fishnet stockings.

Stockings hadn’t been popularized in the human world for long. Mattea was the one who brought them to Hell, and Lust, identifying the potential for the blue ocean strategy, disseminated the product in the Lost Paradise.

Lust had a good eye for anything sex related.

Wayne stopped pretending after Pride recognized him. He offered Lust a few suggestions to update the basic design, producing fishnet stockings, garter socks, and leg garter rings.

The professional fashion designer applied his creative work to five succubi and personally inspected their quality for conscientious scientific research, confirming that the items were useful.

“Lust, you disturbed my conversation with the girl.” Wayne turned to her with dissatisfaction.

“She’s too green to satisfy you.” Lust went up and leaned into Wayne’s chest.

“Really?” Wayne said darkly. “But you care about her a lot. Let me guess. She’s important to you, isn’t she?”

Lust frowned slightly, but her voice was calm. “She is. If one day I am sealed or killed, I can come back to life fully through her body.”

It was a common trick among demons, so there was no point in hiding it. All demons had contingency plans for their life and freedom, and the great demon lords were no exception.

Moma, Leone, Michele, and Mattea could all be Lust’s vessels, useful for survival at a critical moment. It wasn’t innovative, but it was practical.

One couldn’t have too many vessels. Lilith was Lust’s newest. That was why she had helped Lilith grow steadily rather than molded her directly.

Wayne nodded. “I want her. Name your price!”

“She?!” Lust said, vexed. “This is the first time you asked a succubus from me. Compared to me, she’s nothing. What about her attracts you?”

She’s a poor soul!

Wayne’s impression of Lilith had remained unchanged. The spy loved her country and would give her all to save Franc, including and not limited to herself. That kind of loyalty was completely beyond Wayne, so he appreciated it.

The last time they parted, Lilith had suggested giving Wayne, her admirer, a good time, but he rejected her. He respected her. Franc was lucky to have her.

“I’m drawn to her inexperience,” Wayne said with a smile. “Compared to mature succubi like you, I’ll find more joy in giving her experience to help her mature.”

Lust rolled her eyes. That was typical demon, not angelic at all. Was it really appropriate for him, Heaven’s weapon, to say that?

In the span of a few days, Lust had battled Wayne more than a hundred times, and she knew the kind of person he was. That was indeed something he would say.

He was just being himself, or perhaps he had been reining himself in somewhat.

“Strange, demons who are allowed free rein here are at least demigods, like Michele and Mattea. What’s with Lilith? She’s inexperienced, and more importantly, weak.” Wayne affected an aroused tone.

“She wasn’t born a succubus. She’s a human from the mortal realm.”

“No wonder that her legs gave out as soon as I took off my pants. She’s a human who’s never seen the real world.” Wayne nodded. “Why is she here? Did you fool her into coming?”

“No, it’s Mattea...”

Lust explained what happened. The Gate of Hell was likely to open in Palis, so Mattea, ever the loyal subordinate, came up with a plan for Lust. She set her eyes on Lilith, whose appearance and figure met the minimum requirements, and she had demon blood in her veins. She would make a good vessel for Lust.

Mattea had made all the preparations, but unfortunately, her superior was stuck in Hell. Resigned, she gave up the plan.

Since Lilith was already primed, it would be a shame to toss her aside. Through an incomplete Gate of Hell, Mattea brought her to the Lost Paradise personally. Then Lust granted Lilith the evolution of succubi and a real name in Hell.

Lust didn’t go into the details, but she did mention that Lilith had willingly come to Hell to save her country from collapsing. She would not stop even if the path led to Hell.

The poor girl was fooled!

Mattea just wanted a vessel for her superior to descend to the human world, and as soon as the deal was finalized, she forgot about what she had promised. Lilith found no help in Hell, no matter where she sought it. She fell into depression and ended up training in magic in her room every day.

“She is important to me, Wayne, as she’s one of my life vessels,” Lust said with a smile. “By taking her, you’ll owe me one life. That’s going to cost you quite a lot.”

“Call me Bat Demon. The council meeting is going to start soon. Envy can’t take hearing the name.”

Wayne patted Lust on the backside. Since she knew his name, Lilith would soon know, too. The unlucky girl was unlucky enough, and her misfortune should stop here.

“A couple of additional vessels don’t matter to you, and I’m only doing this on a whim,” he said bluntly. “Don’t ask for too much, or I won’t even feel like negotiating for a better price.”

“How cruel,” Lust said resentfully. “I’ve given you everything. I thought we were lovers.”

“You haven’t even given me all of your Deadly Sin,” Wayne scoffed. “Cut the crap. We have more important business to talk about after this. You don’t want to waste your time, do you?”

Lust thought for a moment. “I want part of Gluttony’s and Wrath’s Laws and territories, and once you become a demon lord rivaling Pride, you will not break our alliance.”

“You’re too greedy.”

“I want Wrath’s Law!”

Lust didn’t trust anyone but herself, so rather than hoping for Wayne to honor their agreement, it was better to make herself stronger.

“Deal.” Wayne nodded readily. “What about my territory? Where’s the territory you’re supposed to allocate to me? It’s been days.”

“Haven’t you taken it?” Lust asked in surprise, pulling his hand to her chest.

Wayne fell silent. This was why he would never develop feelings for Lust even though he coveted her perfect body. She was too much of a veteran.

In comparison, his harem only acted seductively to create the mood, including stepping on him with derisive expressions. They only did it because they knew he liked it.

“So?” Lust exhaled fragrant breath at him with parted lips and seductive eyes. “Great Bat Demon and soon-to-be member of the Seven Demon Lords, aren’t you going to patrol your territory?”

“Give me my territory first,” Wayne said while tightening his fingers. “The council meeting is starting soon, so I don’t have a lot of time.”

Lust groused in her mind. Wayne’s desire was too strong, making him another great demon lord she could not conquer.

After the negotiation, he demanded to check the wares: both the territory and Lilith.

“I’ll only transfer the ware sonce you pay me, and I have not received Wrath’s Law.”

“That’s why I said I was checking the wares.”

“...”

***

The Lord of Lust’s territory in Hell was vast, five times as big as the Rus Federation.

Hell was much bigger than the Chosen Land. Each of the great demon lords’ territory could accommodate all of the Chosen Land, while the population was small. Most of Hell was no-life zones, where not even the resilient hellish creatures could survive.

None of that mattered to demons. Only low-level creatures were concerned about survival, while the strong never complained about the environment. They just wanted a bigger territory.

The land Lust had allocated to Wayne was located in a thriving hub for delicacies and cultures. It wasn’t large, but it was a rare fertile land with a good variety of species and a prosperous tourist industry.

It should be obvious that the culture, rather than the food, was what had been boosting the tourist industry.

Inside a luxurious palace, the Lord of Lust lay on the balcony, with four succubi prone on the floor. Lilith, watching the door outside, couldn’t stop trembling—in a non-sexual way.

Aside from attending the council meeting, Lust had not stepped out of the Lost Paradise for a long time, but the Seven Demon Lords enjoyed such notoriety that no demon would dare lay a hand on her territory while she was absent.

After a growl, Wayne put his pants on and immediately changed his attitude. “This is a nice territory. I need to start moving. I won’t walk you out, but I’ll visit you in the Lost Paradise someday.”

Lust, whose eyes had rolled back, rolled her eyes harder.

He had been whispering sweet nothings to her while on top of her, but he immediately put on his pants and kicked her out. He wouldn’t even keep up the act. He should expect no goodwill from her the next time they met.

Saying, “See you tomorrow,” Lust brought her four loyal subordinates as she stepped out, vanishing through the ripples in space.

Wayne narrowed his eyes. This territory had not been reshaped, but once he gained the Authority tied to it, Lust wouldn’t be able to come and go so easily.

“And the Abyss...” he murmured. There had to be something special about that.

He had already decided on a name. Once he took Gluttony’s or Wrath’s territory in the Abyss, he would remodel it and name it the Bat Cave—or Gotham, whatever fit the theme!

Wayne closed his eyes. The chains of the Seven Deadly Sins shot out from his feet and sank underground, branding the land. A strange sensation rose in his heart, followed by the pleasure of what felt like a buff.

“Rather than acquiring the territory’s Authority, it’s more accurate to say that I’ve received rights over Lust’s property...”

“I enjoy the right to inhabit this land and ownership over my personal assets, but... I don’t actually own this land. She can take it and reshape it for others...”

“Is Hell a Divine Realm?”

Wayne opened the six eyes on his face. If Hell was a Divine Realm, who would Hell’s god be?

“There is no true demon god in Hell. The most likely answer...”

It can’t be. Is Pride a god?