Myths Reawakened

July fifth.

Wayne returned to the human world, descending to the Papal State. He had been coming and going in Heaven to enhance Mona/Hesione’s power. By increasing the Seven Deadly Sins in her, thus allowing her to acquire more Seven Sacred Virtues, he had managed to maintain a rapid growth rate for her.

Good news: Hesione was full.

She didn’t have the Book of Greed, so the acquisition of large volumes of knowledge exhausted her. She needed a good rest. Only once her thoughts caught up with her knowledge base would she be able to enter the next stage.

Before Wayne left, she had told the two clergywomen tending to the garden and Olga, in charge of guarding the temple, to go outside, while she listened to the Anointed One preach about the Sacred Tome in the temple.

It was meant as a warning to the new blood not to think about staining the Anointed One’s purity all the time. What she couldn’t swallow, she would rather spit out than let anyone get a drop.

Wayne took good care of the two clergywomen and gave them each two fruits, bestowing upon them Throne-level wings and telling them to learn more about music and dance. The Anointed One might just invite them to a party in the garden on a whim.

He had also given Olga, who had always been obedient, two fruits. Knowing that she had a difficult life, he had transferred her out of Mikhael’s legion and given her a standalone stigma, allowing her to only follow the Anointed One’s orders from then on. Her stigma remained on the same part of her body. Wayne respected her choice in that and didn’t want to force her to change.

After molding her new stigma, he inspected it. The golden carpet was as classy as ever.

Wayne brought Mona, his personal secretary, back to the human world with him. Since it had been a long time since he was last alone with his secretary, he spent two days at his palace in the Papal State, showing her around in the meantime to make up for the neglect she had experienced.

For quite some time, demons and angels had appeared in droves, requiring Hesione to take center stage since they were beyond Mona’s capability. As they were two sides of the same coin, Hesione’s frequent appearances meant less time for Mona to pilot the body.

The secretary cared about nothing but her boss, so she would never say no to something that would benefit him. Wayne’s feelings for her deepened. For the two days they spent in the Papal State, he showered her with all the best secondhand sweet talk he knew.

On July seventh, they returned to Londan. Wayne said goodbye to Archibald and Titus, bringing Kael with him.

Kael had requested it. Since he was still a reincarnated angel, he could continue to benefit from that for a long time if he stayed in the Papal State. Unfortunately, that wasn’t where his ambition lay. He was a man who pursued freedom and autonomy.

Simply put, Kael didn’t find anyone who fit his taste in the Papal State.

The clergywomen were all graceful and fit because of their study in magic. While not everyone was Hestia—that would be far-fetched—they were at the very least slim and well-proportioned.

More than in the Papal State, few women fit Kael’s standards in all of the world of magic.

Even Isabella had been overweight two years ago only because she didn’t have a choice. She was a glutton, and she had to conserve mana. Since she became a Gold-ranked mage and mitigated the problem of a lack of mana, she had never been overweight again, her fat now distributed to the right parts of her body.

“The Papal State isn’t as good as Londan. The Pontiff is a tyrant who enforces his standards of beauty on all clergywomen. People like him will not fare well.” Kael rambled on, portraying the Pontiff as a bad ruler who committed inhumane acts.

Wayne picked his ear. He disagreed completely.

Reza was beyond excellent and enjoyed the Anointed One’s deep appreciation. If not for the fact that no one had named him during the vote for the new Sacred Virtue, the old boy would’ve become one.

Moreover, there was nothing wrong with the Pontiff promoting his preferences in the Church of Heavenly Father. If he hadn’t gone against the mainstream and dealt with a few typical cases to send a message, little boys would still be the mainstream preference at the church.

That would make them no different from the demons! Not even ten thousand Indulgences would offset the sin!

“Let’s go. Stop looking that way.” Wayne cocked his head at Mona when her eyes remained fixed on the Papal State. He whispered, “What is it? Are you still thinking about Titus’s belly?”

Mona blushed. Mustering the courage to meet his gaze, she nodded vehemently.

She wanted to be like Titus.

“Do your best. Maybe that will happen one day.”

Wayne pinched her on the face, encouraging her to merge with Hesione more. Only by acquiring more knowledge together could they improve together, and only with mutual improvement would they be able to catch up with his evolution.

Wayne’s life essence was so advanced that he would produce no offspring without someone who matched his existence. Veronica was a good example. Dragonbloods were compatible with many bloodlines, but she still couldn’t bear his child. That made the others even less likely to become pregnant.

At this moment, those who were most likely to bear his children were the five goddesses.

Thinking of Ines, Wayne raised an eyebrow. Someone with strong desires wouldn’t be satisfied with the current situation after acquiring power. Driven by desires, they would only yearn for more knowledge and greater power.

Wayne had acquired the knowledge of Heaven and Hell, clearing both stages. Now, the five Divine Realms were the only places that could satisfy his appetite.

Ines had said that Wayne might become as strong as the gods, if not stronger, but not having a Divine Realm was his biggest weakness. He shouldn’t set foot in the Divine Realm of any of the goddesses, not even hers.

It was unwise to test someone’s bottom line; the goddesses were no exception.

Ines had warned Wayne that she was a wicked woman. If he ever stepped into the Divine Realm of Darkness, She would keep him there as a family heirloom. The other goddesses were the same. Wayne should put his arrogance aside and not assume that Kaleb and Siluk were pushovers he could easily attack and exploit just because Ines had been talking them down.

Wayne agreed, but evolution had to continue. Thus, he decided to pick on the weakest among the goddesses.

The Goddess of Death!

The Divine Realm of Death was now under the control of Her three subordinate gods. Aztimor’s main body had been alternating between existence and nonexistence, making Her Schrödinger’s goddess. She would be the easiest target.

Part of Her thoughts was in Wayne’s right eye, fully corrupted and easily moldable. Moreover, he had two of Aztimor’s incarnations, Monica and Julia. Going for the Divine Realm of Death would give him the best odds.

It was shameful to admit that while he was the Death Knight, he had never visited the Divine Realm of Death, nor had he ever communicated with the Goddess of Death. The closest he had been was in the underground catacombs. Worried that he would barge in, Rognes had sealed up the spatial passage after entering the Divine Realm, leaving Wayne with no chance to enter.

Wayne coveted Aztimor’s astronomical wealth, but as long as he couldn’t find the entrance to the Underworld, he wouldn’t be able to meet Death’s embrace. His plan remained on paper.

Aztimor was unconscious right now, so this was the perfect time to steal Her wealth. There wouldn’t be another opportunity like this. What if She woke up?

He had to act quickly!

After some consideration, he concluded that he needed Ines’s help. The resourceful Goddess of Darkness was good friends with the Goddess of Death and once formed an alliance of Darkness and Death against the Life Alliance. She had to know where the backdoor to Her best friend’s home was.

Once in Londan, he would contact Her. He was sure that Ines wouldn’t mind him entering Her friend’s backdoor.

“Speaking of which, the dumb and dumber have descended for days. Are they done with collecting materials for the Sacred Tome?”

***

Londan.

Wayne kindly dropped Kael the tanker at Fallen Angel, his favorite bar, then returned to the Lando Estate with Mona. There was no one there, neither Auston nor Silvia. The three magical girls weren’t around, either.

Wayne’s thoughts flashed. The two parental figures were at work, while the three girls were at Wayne’s residence. He then caught a glimpse of Buckingham Palace, where powerful figures gathered. With a snap of his fingers, he created a spatial passage and reached the palace’s garden with one single step.

Long tables lay in the garden, stacked with a great quantity of documents. Clergy members were busy writing before sending the manuscripts to Reza. He would choose the best entries and submit them to Mikhael for final approval.

Only those receiving Mikhael’s nod would become candidates for the Sacred Tome. Whether a story would be the main plot or a subquest would be determined once the outline was finalized.

“This place sure is lively!”

Wayne watched Mikhael lounging on a chair, basking under the sun. He was speechless. Ever since the bastard was permitted to walk under the sun, he had insisted on being the most radiant person in any room, as if he were worried that others wouldn’t recognize him as the Viceroy of Heaven.

He was arrogant and vain. Nothing about him was humble.

“Great Anointed One.”

Mikhael stood up, huffing at Hesione. Since he ignored her out of his dislike, he hadn’t noticed that ‘Hesione’ was actually Mona.

Even if he found out, he probably wouldn’t care. He would hate her all the same.

“Great Anointed One!” xN

Reza rushed to Wayne like a gust of wind, bowing down in greeting along with the other clergy. When he noticed that the Anointed One was short a chair, and Mikhael didn’t seem intent on yielding his seat to Wayne, Reza dropped to his knees with an audible thud.

Please take your seat, Great Anointed One!

Wayne kicked the old man aside. He rejected the influence of the feudal era. Give him the sweet fruit of capitalism.

Mona conjured a bench of Holy Light for him. Once he sat down, she stood behind the bench and looked at Reza, who was on his knees in apology, with crinkled eyes.

The Pontiff knew all too well that the Anointed One disliked the old rules, but he still made the gesture. He wanted the Anointed One to kick him aside so that he could accentuate the Anointed One’s progressive beliefs with his conservative ones.

Someone who made a stupid mistake at the smartest time would sooner get kicked to death than lose favor.

As Mona thought, Wayne realized the situation after kicking Reza, concluding that he couldn’t do without the Pontiff. If the old boy hadn’t found Wayne too late, he would’ve earned the same place as Veryl in Wayne’s mind.

Similarly, Reza was one of the few vermin Mikhael found agreeable. During their stay in the human world, the bombardment of flattery had changed the way he saw Reza. Once, he even gave Reza a smile of appreciation.

The six great demon lords in Hell had never seen him smile like that!

“Is the first draft of the Sacred Tome complete?”

“Great Anointed One, writing the Sacred Tome is a heavy task. Its artistic value, especially, requires careful consideration. Only the first few chapters have been drafted.”

Reza offered the documents with both hands.

Wayne flipped through the pages, his expression turning bewildered after reading a few lines. “The cowshed part... Who came up with that?”

“Esteemed Holy Mother.”

Really? Is Master capable of using her imagination to that extent?

Wayne didn’t believe it. Silvia’s ability to fantasize rivaled Veronica’s only when they were jealous. They weren’t particularly smart in other scenarios. They were women of action whose fists moved faster than their brains.

Silvia was a little better since she had years of real-life experience, which granted her a broader horizon. Veronica, on the other hand, still hadn’t grown out of her tsundere character even after reading many of Wayne’s diaries.

“The part about the pure Holy Mother... Whose idea is that?”

“Great Anointed One, the idea belongs to me, Viceroy Mikhael.” Mikhael looked proud of himself.

“...”