Myths Reawakened

Be ready to offer yourself, then! Wayne thought. Ines had not only offered Herself, but had also gone around pulling in more investments to solidify his foundation. Even if Siluk put Herself on the table now, She would be no match for Ines.

Some people did business to become business partners; some people did business to become life partners and were honest about it. There was no comparison.

After conversing with the two goddesses, Wayne recognized his mistake. He promised to complete the oracles as quickly as possible, trying his best to strike a balance between darkness and light, not straying too far toward either side.

If someone offered extra, that would be another story.

He offered them a crystal. “This is the evolution of Mechanical Augmentation, Goddesses. Have you seen it?”

Siluk took it. Her brows lifted in pleasant surprise, but then dropped as She sighed.

“Goddess?!”

“This information already has a master. Another god is emerging...”

You said ‘another’ as well. You goddesses know more than you let on!

Wayne asked about it, but Siluk shook her head with a smile. “I can tell you, but you have to banish the source of the information first.”

That was almost identical to Ines’s response.

Wayne stopped pushing. He brought up his trip to Prussia and invited the two goddesses along. They would set out at daylight if nothing went wrong.

Siluk didn’t reject him. “What did Darkness say when you invited her?”

“I haven’t invited Darkness. I only asked Her to come earlier to raise the price.”

I don’t believe you!

Siluk smiled wordlessly, shooting Darienne a glare. She didn’t have to say anything since the knight would understand what to do.

Darienne saw her goddess off, aggrieved. As she exchanged glances with Galen, Corte slammed the table and lunged at Wayne.

He pushed the redhead away and said, “Calm down. I didn’t say you can’t do it. How about this? Once we’re back from Prussia, provided that we’re both alive and intact, we’ll sit down and talk about your oracle.”

“Are you buying yourself time?”

“Have some confidence in yourself, Corte. Given your beauty, I can’t possibly say no to you forever.”

“...”

“It’s about time to move.” Wayne got to his feet and pushed Darienne down on his chair. He checked his watch. “I’m going to play a demon tonight to attack the reincarnated angels in Londan. It’ll be a convincing disguise. Play cards here and don’t get in the way.”

He turned to leave. While walking, he realized that there was one person he had not notified. That person couldn’t do much and was too cowardly to get involved. However, that person did have a divine artifact. Perhaps that person would volunteer for a beating on an impulse.

Auston!

Wayne picked up the phone and affected a shocked tone when the line went through. “Auston, how did you know that I’m now a demigod?”

Hearing the resounding silence, he hung up and didn’t warn Auston about the drama that would unfold tonight. He just thought that Auston wouldn’t dare charge into a battlefield between demons and angels. It definitely wasn’t because he wanted to take the chance to kick Auston’s butt.

“You’d better get your ass over here, old man!”

***

Suburban Londan, fifty kilometers from downtown.

Chilling midnight winds howled and gathered clouds, forming a black vortex in the eye of the tempest up in the sky, pulsing with red lightning. The ominous phenomenon radiated the evil energy of the Seven Deadly Sins.

Almost instantly, five reincarnated angels arrived at the scene, including the four Sacred Virtues, Auriel, Hesione, Gerar, and Vilkul, as well as Auriel’s subordinate, Throne Fred.

Hesione was here for appearances’ sake. She was a Śār, so she had to show up when a demon made themselves known in suburban Londan. Otherwise, Auriel would get suspicious.

“Such evil energy, and it’s... foreign.”

Auriel stared at the depths of the vortex of red lightning. Where the vortex was sunken, deep in the eye of the clouds, a doorway could barely be made out.

The Gate of Hell!

“Impossible. There hasn’t been any sign...” Vilkul stared at the sky in horror. “The incredible power makes it seem like the gate is being opened from the human world, but why would there be such a powerful demon in the human world? If it’s being opened from Hell instead, I had never sensed the disturbances.”

Gerar was just as confused as Vilkul.

Seeing Hesione’s expressionless face, Auriel suggested with a frown, “Pride may be opening the gate from Hell. He’s powerful enough to project some of his thoughts to the human world.”

“No matter how big a part of his thoughts he sends, we’ll wipe everything out,” Gerar said. “What’s the meaning of wasting his thoughts?”

Auriel huffed. He had a lot of questions. Just think about the possibility!

The cold wind and black clouds filled the heaven and earth with tremendous energy. The overwhelming pressure escalated and reached an incredible degree.

The four reincarnated angels looked on gravely. “It’s not just Pride,” Auriel said through clenched teeth. “Knowing that he can’t enter the human world alone to steal the Anointed One away, he’s told the other demon lords. All Seven Deadly Sins are coming.”

Hesione closed her eyes, sensing the omnipresent might. “They’re too strong,” she murmured. “We can’t beat them...”

“Shut up,” Auriel snarled. “This is no time to praise the enemies. We represent Heaven’s glory. You, in particular, are a Śār. You must not bow your head to the demons.”

Rumble—

Red lightning pierced through the night sky. From the depths of the clouds, the projection of the Gate of Hell shattered. Gone was the terrifying energy that shrouded the sky and overlooked the land. The black clouds dispersed, and the chilling wind stopped howling. Sparkling stars accompanied the full moon. It seemed as if a great crisis had ended before it began.

The four reincarnated angels, however, didn’t believe so. They looked up at the sky with bated breath. As the Gate of Hell fell apart, a sinful, evil being descended to the human world.

Boom!!

Bat wings unfolded. Bat Demon hovered in the air, dressed in a dark metal style. His arms were crossed before his chest, and his long tail wrapped around his legs with the tip pointed toward the land. He looked like a hellish cross to the four angels.

Hesione’s eyes glinted. The style aside, it was a cross!

Great Anointed One, the truth is evident. You can’t deny that you’re the Anointed One!

“The human world... So this is what it smells like...”

Wayne opened his six eyes and praised the world’s pleasing taste, offering the world the highest blessings.

His haughty disregard was insulting to Auriel. He cast sacred flames and demanded, “Pride, having the Seven Deadly Sins open the Gate of Hell won’t help. This part of your thoughts will be eliminated.”

“I’m not Pride, but Deceit. Judging by your visage, you must be Śār Auriel.” Wayne looked at the angels in turn and, ignoring Fred, commented on the Seven Sacred Virtues. “Wrathful Gentleness, debauched Temperance, and tainted Purity. If I hadn’t been forewarned, I would’ve thought that this is Hell.”

(눈‸눈)

Although Hesione knew that the demon was the Anointed One in disguise, she couldn’t stop the ire burning in her heart. Was it because the act was too convincing?

She was pissed!

“A demon can never change their spots. You’re full of lies...” Auriel secured the moral high ground first, then said, “Deceit? That’s not one of the Seven Deadly Sins!”

“Deceit points to you. Because of the depravity of the Seven Sacred Virtues, the Seven Deadly Sins enter a new phase. Wrath and Gluttony are no more...” Wayne pointed at the four Sacred Virtues. “Your lies breed Deceit, and your anxiety breeds Fear. I came from Hell to punish the Seven Sacred Virtues.”

The esoteric, divine words could be interpreted in many ways. Hesione’s heart throbbed. She knew it. She knew that the Anointed One had not given up on the Seven Sacred Virtues. With his infinite compassion, he played a demon to bestow upon the ignorant and thus reckless reincarnated angels a path to redemption.

“Nonsense!” Auriel huffed. “The Seven Deadly Sins do not change, and the Seven Sacred Virtues do not fall. What gives you, a demon, the right to punish us?!”

(눈皿눈)

Hesione hissed silently. Whatever the Anointed One says is law. You’d better know your place!

Before the battle even began, Hesione, one of the main combatants among the angels, was considering taking the demon’s side.

“That is the truth. Angels spout blatant lies, but not demons...”

Wayne spread his arms, his six eyes radiating golden light.

“I, the Lord of Deceit and one of the Seven Demon Lords, possess the cantos of Deceit of the Seven Deadly Sins. Angels, tonight will be your Judgment Day!”

***

“Nonsense. Since when is there a Lord of Deceit in Hell? How did I not know?”

In the estate of the Julian family, one of the Tulip Families, in downtown Londan, Forest stood on the balcony in his pajamas. Holding a wine glass in one hand and a cigar in the other, he gaped at where the ‘Gate of Hell’ had shattered. The power was tremendous. It had to belong to a great demon lord at the level of the Seven Deadly Sins, but...

“Son of a beach, who the hell are you?!”

Forest shook his head. He suddenly remembered that the Pride in Hell did possess a Book of Hell named Deceit.

“What happened in Hell for the Seven Demon Lords to undergo changes...?”

“Also, how did the newcomer, Deceit, so easily descend to the human world, right in Londan in particular? What’s the move? Is that bastard crazy? Does he want me to keep sharing my happy life with him or not?”

Cursing, Forest contacted Hell. After a moment of silence, he cursed even more harshly.

“Stop crying about the sour grapes!”

“Someone at my level? I should be the one to tell you that. Who do you think you are? Without me, you would be watching the six pieces of trash at each other’s throats and nothing else!”

“Let’s exchange memories already, or I’m gonna delete my recent experience...”

“Yes, I am threatening you. I just hired two new secretaries. Both are fresh graduates who have learned dance, and their families are all devout followers of the Church of Heavenly Father up to their grandparents’ generation. They have gone to the theology college and sing in the choir.”

“That’s more like it!”

After rebuking his other self, Forest closed his eyes in silence for two minutes. The connection between the human world and Hell was lackluster. It took time for the two Prides to exchange memories, especially important memories.

Browsing what he had just received, Forest remained silent for a long moment. He picked up his wine glass to calm himself, but ended up splattering wine out of his mouth.

“Are you fricking kidding me? Are you mad, or am I hearing things? You call Wayne, that damnable man, the Anointed One?”