Myths Reawakened

Mikhael looked around, sensing nothing with his thoughts. He realized with shock that the voice had been Wayne’s. He frowned deeply.

“What’s going on?” x2

“...” x2

His pupils contracted suddenly as the golden fire dancing in his eyes gained a hint of fear. The holy radiance was no more. He looked up at the sky and saw the golden ocean obscured by a swathe of white foam. The white tissues clung to the ocean, and as the foam writhed like parasitic creatures, the flesh parted vertically to reveal a massive fiendish eye, looking down from above.

White tissue rained down and hit the crystals and vegetation, corrupting and assimilating them in the blink of an eye. Not even the space of the Heaven of Crystals itself was spared. Anything and everything became pale.

Mikhael looked at the massive eyeball with horror, pushing his aura to the limit in an attempt to burn the pale rain to ashes before a drop could touch him.

Within the ruined temple, white rain continued to fall and converge, transforming into writhing, distorted forms. They were alive, but lacked a stable form. Sensing the world with their tentacles, they turned to Hestia at the same time.

“???”

Chased around by the tentacled monsters, the Throne blanched in fear.

Hesione rolled her eyes, insisting that Lust incarnate must be tossed into the Spring of Reincarnation.

From the side came a tentacle, sliding across Hesione’s face like a slimy tongue. Her submission and lack of reaction made it lose interest. Soon after, it joined the army of tentacled monsters and chased after the only moving target in the area.

Thump, thump!

What sounded like heartbeats echoed in the Heaven of Crystals with no distinct sources, like they were one entity. Paleness overwhelmed the space, corrupting it through assimilation. Spatial rifts tore open, from which massive tentacles reached out with the tips morphing into large pale hands, reaching toward Mikhael from different directions.

Awash in the downpour of white rain, Mikhael swung his two divine swords and one divine spear to cut the incoming tentacles to pieces. His golden aura surged like fire as countless tentacles fell apart. Mikhael was so strong that he seemed like a god of war.

The massive eye in the sky didn’t start preaching immediately. Instead, it tried to infiltrate the tenth level through the golden ocean, but failed.

The golden ocean that Mikhael had drawn with the key was a projection rather than the Heavenly Father’s actual manuscript. Only by entering the tenth level of Heaven could Wayne acquire Hesione’s dowry.

“That makes you even less than Pride. You aren’t qualified to be a safe keeper, while he—”

“Kekekeke—”

A clump of white foam passed through the blazing sacred flames and turned the fire pale. The explosive white viruses swarmed downward in droves, wrapping around Mikhael’s limbs and infiltrating his body through the orifices and skin. At the same time, the white tentacles grappled the Spear of Time, Oath Sword, and Binding Sword. Following a gulping sound, the power Mikhael had borrowed was taken away.

The doorway that had been his source of power had been blocked by the massive eye, and now he was quickly losing his power to Wayne. A mutation began. He slowly lost himself as his balance crumbled, spiraling into an endless fear and resentment.

He didn’t understand what had gone wrong. Why would he, with the power of god, be so easily defeated?

Balance!

Mikhael perked up. Yes, his enemy had said that he lacked balance due to his Seven Sacred Virtues significantly overpowering his Seven Deadly Sins. His might was a house of cards that fell apart at the lightest tap.

The Seven Deadly Sins! He needed enough Seven Deadly Sins to match his virtues!

Whoosh!

Following a flash of gold light, Mikhael vanished into thin air, having abandoned the corrupted parts of his body and thoughts. He had brought with him only his angelic heart, part of his spine, and his brain.

The white foam stirred violently, dissolving Mikhael’s remains before fading away. Then one tentacle pulled a cross-shaped key from the void, handing it to the eyeball in the sky.

A figure dove into the black iris, grabbing the key with a boneless arm. Though Wayne didn’t manage to keep the three divine artifacts and Mikhael, he had extracted the key for the doorway from the Spear of Time.

“Running away?”

“This is Heaven. Where are you going to run?”

“Kekekeke—”

As the laughter rang, white foam that corrupted space itself devoured everything downward, starting from the Heaven of Crystals on the ninth level down to the lower levels.

The Heavenly Father’s most favored angel and the prophesied successor of Heaven had brought to Heaven an ‘Anointed One’ who was a human-like, inhuman god in the mortal realm that had gone through resurrection. On that day, Heaven experienced a revolutionary change.

It had become paler!

***

Amid the white mountain ranges, the six-winged sacred dragon opened its golden eyes, looking around in shock.

The world was turning cancerous, and space was becoming ill. A powerful corruption had twisted Heaven. While the regular angels might not notice, Lahr, a Śār, noticed.

“What’s going on? Has Mikhael entered the tenth floor?”

Whoosh!

Golden light particles converged. A golden spine regenerated into a skeleton, then blood vessels grew out of a beating heart. The partial brain was writhing and expanding, quickly generating flesh and internal organs.

It was Mikhael.

On his bloodied face, muscles stretched, and two eyes darted. Without lips, the gum was entirely exposed. He glared resentfully at the six-winged dragon.

“You betrayed me, Lahr. You told Hesione everything!”

Three divine artifacts hovered behind Mikhael. As his six wings recovered, He Who Is Like God returned.

Mikhael wore a white robe woven from sacred flames, adorned with golden patterns that accentuated his holiness and authority. Pointing his spear at the giant dragon’s eyes, he said, “Hesione has learned everything. She’s even cultivated a powerful demon as a lover. It’s all because of you!”

“What are you talking about, Mikhael?” Shocked at the sight of the Viceroy of Heaven looking so defeated, Lahr said hurriedly, “What happened? What’s going on in Heaven? Haven’t you entered the tenth level?”

“Bastard, you’re still humiliating me!”

Mikhael flapped his volatile six wings, the black patterns of the Seven Deadly Sins once again emerging on his body. He thrust his spear as he cried out in pain.

Golden light surged and sliced off the giant dragon’s head. The rest of the momentum cascaded down, evaporating the dragon’s body. Three pairs of wings fell after the body parts they were attached to were gone, slamming into the mountain ranges. The impact sent dust rising into the air and scattered the white clouds. The land itself almost fell apart.

“Are you trying to kill me, Mikhael?” The sacred dragon howled in pain. The heavy hit had critically injured it, so it couldn’t immediately recover. Much of its skeleton remained exposed.

Mikhael was going to follow up with another attack to kill the fence-sitter for betting on both sides, but he sensed the danger coming for him. Shooting Lahr a hateful glare, he vanished once more.

“Viceroy Lahr, you’ve won the bet. Hesione has gained everything...”

“But I will not give up. I will come back to Heaven as a god before she enters the tenth level, with a perfect balance!”

“...”

Lahr stared at where Mikhael had disappeared from in confusion, unable to understand his ramblings. Lahr had been Mikhael’s ally from start to finish, having bet everything on Mikhael. How could he possibly defect to Hesione’s camp with that much sunk cost?

“Come back and explain!!” Lahr growled, but then he noticed the space above him showing signs of cracking. Without hesitation, he followed the spatial disturbances that Mikhael had left at his departure, chasing after him.

Although Lahr didn’t know how Hesione had defeated Mikhael, Mikhael’s misfortune would be his misfortune. He could not stay in Heaven.

With this much sunk cost, he had no choice but to follow Mikhael.

After the sacred dragon vanished, a vertical line opened into a large eyeball in the sky, sweeping over the floor like a whale devouring smaller marine creatures.

“The spatial disturbances smell of sulfur...”

“The Viceroy of Heaven has gone to Hell. Is Mikhael serious?”

“Ah, he’s going to Hell to acquire the Seven Deadly Sins he needs for a second round...”

“That’s a nice idea, but are you sure you can defeat Pride?”

“Kekekeke—”

A thread of thoughts forced open a spatial pathway to Hell. The white foam rushed in, pursuing Mikhael and Lahr.

***

Rumble!!

Red lightning scorched the sky. In the infinite darkness of the edge of Hell, a world named the Abyss was in tight lockdown to prevent it from escaping. It would be Hell’s slave for an eternity.

At the top of the Seven-layered Abyss was a peaceful place known as Heaven. While it was named that, it was actually a well-crafted counterfeit. There were no nine heavens in Heaven, only a pure whiteness.

The angels captured during the last battle between Heaven and Hell lay hidden across Heaven, evading Pride to avoid servitude. They refused to kneel at Pride’s feet and call him Viceroy Mikhael.

Pride, dressed in a black suit, stood before a cross with blank eyes, murmuring, “The Anointed One has entered Heaven. It happened. What am I lacking, Father?”

“Why is it he rather than I? How is he better than me...”

“Shouldn’t I be the most extraordinary?”

His complaint was heavily laced with resentment and frustration, but listening closely, one could detect the hurt feelings and the crack in the voice.

“Huh?!”

Pride turned to the entrance of the First Abyss, his scummy face twisted with shock.

“Why is Mikhael here?”

“And is that Lahr? Why is he so hurt?”

He laughed.

“Pride!!”

Golden flames pierced into Heaven. A six-winged figure appeared in the sky, looking down at the Lord of Pride.

“Bastard, how dare you create a heaven in Hell?!”

“Bastard, how dare you look down at me?”

Mikhael and Pride hovered in the air as a sacred dragon flew over. Tension ran high, and all hell could break loose at any time.

Mikhael had two swords and one spear, and another Śār, Lahr, was on his side. On the other hand, Pride had not a single teammate and was at an absolute disadvantage.

“Pride, hand over your Seven Deadly Sins!”

“???”

Pride wordlessly looked at Mikhael like he had lost it. Where did the prideful angel come from? He was more arrogant than Pride.

“The Anointed One is a demon. He does not deserve to be the Anointed One. Hand over the Seven Deadly Sins. I’m going to kill him!” Mikhael’s eyes blazed with fury. He was so furious that he forgot to ask why the traitor had followed him to Hell.

Pride seethed. Barely keeping his temper in check, he said in a cool voice, “What Anointed One, Mikhael? What are you on about?”

“Stop playing dumb. The Lord of Deceit, your subordinate, has entered Heaven. He is a demon and does not deserve to become the Anointed One!”

Mikhael would not and could not tell the truth, so he continued to speak like the false prophecy was legitimate, his expression twisted. “The prophecy must be wrong. A degenerate like that does not deserve to be Father’s successor. I will deny it to the end!!!”

Pride looked at Mikhael calmly. “Are you... denying Father’s prophecy?”

“The prophecy is wrong!”

“Then die!” Pride’s face twisted as he snarled. “Arrogant trash, how dare you challenge Father’s prophecy?!!!”