Myths Reawakened

Wayne came to an astounding conclusion on his own.

“Impossible! It can’t be!”

He shook his head. Pride had not become a god. He was merely the one closest to godhood. Demons owned the Authorities over their territories rather than the territories themselves for one simple reason: Hell had been waiting for the great demon god to arrive at their loyal territory!

“That’s better...”

Wayne sighed in relief. He had overthought. Now that he was calmer, he realized that there were many arguments against Pride being a god. The angel who was considered Pride’s equal was Śār Mikhael, Humility of the Seven Sacred Virtues and a Seraph who served as the Viceroy of Heaven. He was known as ‘He-Who-Is-Like-God’, meaning his prowess was like that of a god.

If Mikhael was the Heavenly Father’s subordinate god, he would be the strongest demigod, and Pride should be at the same level. Neither had ignited their divine fire.

If Mikhael was a god, Auriel wouldn’t be allowed to call him a brother, and Hesione wouldn’t have reincarnated into the human world to look for the Anointed One. Instead, Heaven would just serve Mikhael as the unequivocal sovereign as a united front.

Mikhael wasn’t a god, nor was Pride.

Wayne had met Pride, and the great demon lord truly lived up to his name. If he were a god, he would’ve rushed out of Hell and made it to Heaven to beat up Mikhael. Would he endure the frustration as a god? Of course not! Or he wouldn’t be Pride.

He had been watching six imbeciles baring their teeth at each other in Hell because he wasn’t powerful enough. Since he couldn’t defeat Heaven, but he couldn’t accept being inferior, all he could do was take his anger out on the Anointed One.

He tossed the Anointed One to a group of succubi, telling the Lord of Lust to target the Anointed One’s lower body for a thorough humiliation. That was unbecoming of a great demon lord. Anyone else would’ve thought that Pride was merely chasing thrills.

Those who knew better, though, would know that, be it Pride or Lust, the demon lords had simply lost their confidence because of Heaven.

“That’s right. That has to be the truth!” Wayne nodded to himself. He looked outside and made a waving motion, testing the Authority he had just gained.

Space rippled. Lilith fell out of the water screen with a forced smile on her pretty face. Head bowed in obedience, she said, “Master, what could I do for you?”

She was dressed in a white clergywoman’s robe, put on after she left the Lost Paradise. The white robe was adorned with golden patterns, including crosses sewn on the collar and the back. The fabric covered the entire body save for the face and the hands, but it hugged the figure so intimately that the better one’s figure was, the more alluring they would seem. Lilith’s pronounced curves in the front and back made her a seductive sight.

This wasn’t just a uniform, but an attire that highlighted one’s form.

Lust knew that once Lilith departed, she would never be Lust’s again. Might as well put a provocative costume on her for a smoother transition. In Hell, the clergy uniform was the most provocative.

That was in line with His Horniness’s belief. Though Wayne had made no comment, he gave the costume choice a mental thumbs-up.

“I just made a deal with Lust. You’ll be mine from now on. I’ve paid handsomely for you,” Wayne said solemnly rather than introducing himself. “I do not keep anyone useless. Since I’ve paid a steep price for you, I’m not going to just toy with you and be done with it. Do you understand?”

Lilith nodded in resignation. She knew that Bat Demon wouldn’t just be done with her, but would continue to do her.

“You’re having rude thoughts!” Wayne stood up and walked around Lilith, placing his hands on her shoulders to corrupt her with the Seven Deadly Sins. He transformed her from Lust’s succubus familiar to his succubus familiar.

It was a necessary process, or Lilith would always belong to Lust, and Lust would effectively gain a spy in his circle.

After the corruption, that would no longer be a problem. Wayne wasn’t going to do anything to Lilith, so she had more or less been liberated.

The modification process was a torment. Although Wayne had minimized the pain to the best of his ability, Lilith still felt like she was being pricked all over the body by needles. She stood pale and drowsy, only keeping herself upright through sheer will alone.

She didn’t really care that Bat Demon had become her master instead of Lust. The weak couldn’t determine the course of their own life, which was something she had witnessed in Hell more times than she could count. She was now numb to it.

The only turbulence she experienced came from Bat Demon’s intimidating track record. She worried that she would be tossed out like trash after she was broken.

“Again, stop with your rude thoughts,” Wayne said seriously, attempting to establish his authority as a leader. “What you saw is all an act. I despise carnal activities and possess no worldly desire.”

“...”

She wasn’t blind, nor was she deaf.

“Time will prove my words...” Wayne knew that she didn’t believe him, and he didn’t try to convince her. “From today on, you’ll be the secretary of this territory, in charge of managing it on my behalf. Aside from me, no one else can order you around.”

“Do your best. Then whatever I have, you’ll have your share.”

“Master, for you, I’ll do my best—”

“Try another address. Though I’m a demon, I yearn for the human world. I believe the demons in the human world share an exclusive title. What is it again?”

“Sir!” Lilith said seriously. That was the way all the vermin were addressed, so she couldn’t go wrong with it.

“Sir. I suppose that works.” Wayne was thinking of ‘boss’ since all capitalists were demons. In Lilith’s social circle, though, the higher officials were the demons, so her answer was correct, too. She lived in Franc after all. Although Franc wasn’t as adept at inhuman deeds as Windsor, the two weren’t that far from each other in the race to the bottom. No wonder they had been good friends for the past hundred years.

“Call me ‘boss’ from now on, Lilith. While managing the territory, you must keep training as well. Exactly one year later, I expect you to be a legendary mage.”

“Um...”

“Anyone with hands can be a legendary mage.”

Do you mean tentacles?

“Let’s play a little game. I will not force you to do anything until you become a legendary mage. You may spend all your time training in the meantime. If you don’t become a legendary mage by the one-year mark, however...”

Wayne put an arm around her shoulder and guided her to the balcony to look down at the ‘food court’ below, where he had fought five succubi earlier. “Once I get tired of you, I’ll give you to them. Look at the groups of goblins and the orcs with fingers thicker than your legs. You should know what will happen then.”

Just thinking about the nasty scene made Lilith blanch. She took two involuntary steps back and slipped because of some fluid—it might have been left by Lust. She ended up falling into Wayne’s arms.

Throwing yourself at me already?

Wayne rolled his six eyes and one chest eye and huffed, “Get yourself together. Compared to your unattractive body, I’m more excited about our little game. Do your best and become a legendary mage.”

“Kekekeke—”

Lilith nodded weakly. Then, thinking of something, she said through gritted teeth, “Sir, would you reward me if I win the game?”

“Asking for a reward? You’re not loyal!”

“No, I’m your personally created familiar, and my loyalty to you is unquestionable. It’s just that...” Lilith hesitated. She decided to tell Bat Demon her history. A demon who made Lust personally take him on with a team couldn’t be a nobody. Lilith might just fulfil her wish by offering him her loyalty.

As long as she could get what she wanted, she would give everything.

“Go on. You’re going to be the secretary ruling over this land, so you may speak your mind.”

Wayne pointed at her forehead. Through his Authority, he granted her power that could rival a lord.

In Hell, raw power granted voice, and without raw power, no one would care about the ‘secretary’. Lilith, a beauty and a vessel that Lust had personally forged, would end up dragged into a bush if she didn’t have enough power to protect herself.

Of course, since her new power came from the Authority over the territory, she could only wield it in the territory. If she stepped out, she would still be a Silver-ranked mage with a soft voice and a softer body. Even the goblins would tear her apart, let alone the orcs.

Sensing the power in her, Lilith lamented that she wasn’t in the human world, her eyes reddening. If she were still in the Chosen Land, in Franc, her power would actually be of use.

“Sir, I came from the Chosen Land. My home country is Franc...”

“Right, you had a difficult life in Franc,” Wayne interrupted. “Don’t worry. You won’t suffer as long as you follow me. One day, I’ll open the Gate of Hell in Franc to turn it into a living hell to avenge you.”

“That’s not what I mean!” Lilith shook her head vehemently, hurriedly explaining her reason for coming to Hell and her unfinished business in the Chosen Land.

“My country has been ravaged by war, and people are dying every second. I know that I’m nothing in your eyes, that I’m merely a game to kill time...” Lilith bowed. “If possible, I hope that you’ll grant my lowly wish and save my country, keeping her from war.”

“I’ll give you everything and serve at your feet for eternity, until my soul is burned away and my life reaches an end...”

“...”

Wayne looked down at the blonde woman.

Franc didn’t deserve her.

“Sir?!” Lilith said with a trembling voice, worried that she would hear another rejection. After all, she was already Bat Demon’s familiar. The talk about loyalty was laughable since she couldn’t possibly be disloyal to him.

You can, actually!

Wayne had liberated Lilith and didn’t plan on manipulating her. She could turn down any unreasonable demands of her own volition.

“I’ll consider it. A game will be more fun with a reward system,” Wayne said slowly. “But first, I have to open the Gate of Hell. Otherwise, I cannot descend to the human world, and no amount of begging from you will change that.”

Lilith was equal parts ecstatic and disappointed. After a moment, she finally managed to spit, “Damn Heaven’s seal!”

Hey, that’s a demon’s line. Don’t do as Hell does just because you’re in Hell!