Myths Reawakened

“Yeah, accidents happened. I hope you don’t mind the sudden change of plan.”

Wayne stood behind Rognes, side-stepping to take a look at the blurry figure. “Rognes, I saw the knights at the door. You must be tired after all the fighting. Allow me to take over.”

He pulled the energy rushing into Rognes’s body back, converting it to the most primitive information through the Book of Greed. Everything that existed in the universe was matter, and all matter was energy. Energy was information.

From something as vast as the macro universe to something as small as a blade of grass, everything was an amalgamation of information, people included. The more information one had, the greater their energy.

That was the essence of evolution. Evolution was studying.

Nom.

Rognes looked at him in surprise. He didn’t know what had just happened, but he found Wayne a little difficult to read now.

“Be careful. He’s the Destroyer, one of Nature’s subordinate gods, Juvian the Butterfly of Gravity.” He shook his head, smiling. Miracles belonged to the youth, it seemed, and he was all old bones. Pushing Juvian back with a swing of Death energy, he stepped out of the battlefield.

“Who... are you?” Juvian looked at Wayne in confusion. Remembering something, they said tentatively, “Are you a subordinate god of Darkness? Has She cultivated an enforcer behind everyone’s back?”

“No, the goddess who has cultivated me is named Nature. You may not believe it, Subordinate God, but I am an Oracle High Reverend of the Church of Nature.”

Wayne introduced one of his identities. Since the fact that he served five factions at the same time shouldn’t be shared in polite company, he refrained from bringing it up. Instead, he observed the energy manifestation curiously.

Juvian’s form consisted of radiant butterflies of light. They pulsed like they were breathing and changed their vibrant colors at every moment. One second they would be crimson red and radiant gold, and the next, they could become a cold mix of dull blue and dark purple.

Every butterfly’s wings were etched with energy circuits, so every beat of the wings generated a chaotic swirl of energy.

Things followed the course of the least resistance. Accumulation could lead to greatness. The small could topple the big with leverage. Water could gather to form a deep pond.

The butterflies of gravity were like a black hole of energy, capable of exerting great influence through small changes, weaving a storm that would sweep everything without anyone noticing.

Wayne wanted it. This powerful subordinate god possessed the Law of probability.

Another subordinate god with rule-based information would be Grau, the Misfortune Spider, whom Wayne had just beaten to a pulp. Since fiddling with Grau’s silver coin, Wayne had never lost a card game. Similarly, Auston, who possessed the silver coin, enjoyed such good luck that his business always succeeded.

When encountering information like that, the Book of Greed always stored it straight in the book cover rather than sorting it into a smaller eyeball. Wayne had been wondering why some information was stored in the smaller eyeballs while other information was stored in the cover when both had been gulped down, but after many feasts, he had come to some conclusions.

Moreover, rule-based information might sound impressive, but it wasn’t exclusive to subordinate gods and gods. Many demigods and even creations of demigods possessed such information. The most commonplace of them, ‘raw power’, existed in the most rudimentary manner. Descendants of great dragons were even born with it.

It was advanced, but it was right within reach; it was commonplace, but not many could fully utilize it.

Gulp!

Wayne swallowed, drooling after the colorful energy entity and taking a deep, savoring breath.

You smell good, Subordinate God!

His lecherous gaze made Juvian’s heart stutter. They felt like they were facing an apex predator.

It wasn’t their imagination. The lecherous eyes showed the desire to devour.

Juvian came to a sudden realization. The wild butterflies around them surged, stretching them to three meters tall without warning. “The third subordinate god that Darkness has been training is named the Devourer. It’s really you!”

“Actually, I’m an Oracle High Reverend of the Church of Nature, thank you very much.”

Wayne corrected Juvian. These subordinate gods were each more stubborn than the last. They never listened to what other people were saying.

Wiping his drool, he said, “I have many questions for you, such as why a subordinate god of Nature would appear in the Underworld. Since everyone’s busy, I won’t waste time. I’ll deal with you and then ask the questions.”

Boom!

A flash of light scattered the countless butterflies of energy. They converged ten meters away into a human form, but a smaller one. When the last butterfly found its rightful place, the figure had shrunk from three meters to two and a half meters.

“The Devourer...”

Juvian’s heart clenched. They had heard of the Devourer, but never had they imagined that the Devourer would be this powerful, able to claim their energy so easily. A few more repeated attacks would leave no scrap of Juvian behind.

They turned to flee from the Underworld, but then, seeing the Temple of Eternity and remembering their mission, they decided against fleeing, clenching their jaw. With their fingers splayed, they pulled at space and modified the gravity around Wayne.

Caught in the complex energy field, Wayne’s body immediately lost its shape.

Half of it turned into sludge and pooled on the ground, while one quarter hovered in the air and another quarter was twisted into a spiral spearhead. The connective tissue at the center resembled pale stringy cheese.

Splurt!

Tentacles reached out of the writhing white foam, appearing right beside Juvian by folding space. They tore Juvian apart in crisscrossing patterns.

“Kekekeke—”

Pale mouths split open all over the pale tentacles. More appendages rushed out from within and captured the fleeing butterflies of light. “Don’t even think about running away. While you possess part of the Underworld’s Authority, my portion far exceeds yours. You cannot resist me. Without my permission, you’ll never get out of here.”

After a brief contact, Juvian’s energy form quickly dimmed, and ninety percent of the flying butterflies were gone.

They couldn’t win. They weren’t Wayne’s match at all!

“...”

Rognes watched the battle play out nearby, rubbing his smooth skull. The white light in his eye sockets wobbled like question marks. The fight was so dangerous that if Wayne wasn’t careful, Juvian would be decimated without leaving behind any remains.

So how did this happen? It had only been two months since they last met. How did Wayne become such a macabre being?

Was it also the goddess’s doing?

“Oh? Isn’t this... Astral life?”

Grau stepped into the twelfth level, stunned at the sight of Wayne’s mutated form. Saigner had also come to a halt, shocked.

For the first time, Saigner found herself fitting in. She was thinking the same thing as Grau and Rognes.

What an insidious Death Knight. Is that the goddess’s mission, too? x3

White foam swarmed around Juvian in waves, the pale vortices twisting and converging into a rising white tornado. When the currents quieted, what stood within was a pale humanoid figure covered in growths. The figure stood at two meters tall with asymmetrical limbs of different thickness, with no facial features on the smooth head. A human face suddenly emerged from the chest, along with the marks of hands straining against skin. It appeared that something was trying to break out.

Gulp! x3

The three spectators stepped back at the same time, providing the reaction shots.

Soon, the signs of Juvian’s struggle vanished. The white foam writhed and reverted to Wayne’s human form. Dressed in a black suit and white shirt, his hair impeccably slicked back, he looked like an elite in society.

He reached into his chest and pulled an arm out, tossing the naked form onto the ground.

The man—the woman? Their face was delicate with facial features that existed in harmonious balance, projecting both a feminine softness and a masculine air. The slim body showed no defined muscles, and the skin was the kind of cold pallor that would belong to someone who hadn’t seen the Sun for a long time.

There was no Adam’s apple, and the chest was flat. Between the legs...

There was nothing.

“This should be the Goddess of Nature’s creation, I believe...” Wayne frowned deeply, muttering to himself. “Now the question is if they are a ‘he’ or a ‘she’. The meta has already changed before the Second World War even ends? Isn’t that too progressive?”

Rognes took two steps forward and looked at the unconscious Juvian, manifesting a greatsword of Death energy. “He is Nature’s creation and subordinate god. He’ll never betray Nature, so interrogating him will yield us nothing. It’s better to kill him now and eliminate the risk.”

“Rognes, how could you just assume Juvian’s gender? People will—” Wayne pressed Rognes’s greatsword down and offered friendly advice, stopping himself mid-sentence. “Damn, I forgot that you’re a minority, too. You’re evenly matched. They can’t pull the minority card on you.”

Rognes didn’t understand what Wayne was talking about at all. He dismissed his blade and said, “Do you want to keep them as a captive, Wayne?”

“Yes. While creations are common, a god’s creation, not so much. Besides, the Butterfly of Gravity seems rare. I think they’ll sell at a good price.” Wayne nodded. “The Underworld has been in constant war recently, and now, it’s time for large-scale reconstruction. It shouldn’t be paid by our goddess. When Nature comes for Her subordinate, we’ll get the funds from Her.”

“In the Underworld, energy and matter can be freely converted, so material goods mean nothing here,” Rognes reminded him helpfully.

“It doesn’t matter. Nature must pay for the reconstruction!”

“Alright. If you insist,” Rognes acquiesced easily, turning to Grau and Saigner. “Wayne, what’s the deal with these two traitors? Did they surrender voluntarily when they saw that the goddess would wake up soon because they wanted to be absolved?”

“Hey, who are you calling a traitor? I suggest you cut your nonsense!” Grau marched up to Rognes with an aggravated expression. “I’m a spy. I’ve pretended to be a traitor under the goddess’s oracle. Take back your accusation and apologize to a loyal subject.”

“Hmph!”

Saigner huffed and stood with Grau, similarly glaring at Rognes to demand an apology, as if she were also a spy.

Grau, however, wasn’t going to indulge her. He stepped away from her derisively. “What are you doing, you traitor? How dare you stand by my side when you aren’t a spy?”

Saigner’s face alternated between looking pale and flushed. The insult had hit a nerve. She clenched her jaw and turned to Wayne for comfort.

Now, say something.

“Rognes, here’s what happened. Remember the hypothesis I shared with you?” Wayne pointed at Grau. “He is indeed on our side. He had been playing a spy under the goddess’s order, so you shouldn’t hurt his feelings.”

“As for your sister, Saigner...” Under Saigner’s hopeful gaze, Wayne stroked his chin and said, “She’s also received an oracle. The goddess wished for her to become the next God of Death. She looked down at Grau, Sizorn, and you, so she rebelled hard. It was thanks to my tough love that she saw her mistakes and handed her Authority over. She’s now on our side, too.”

“But she did rebel,” Rognes insisted.

Grau nodded. A traitor was always a traitor. If even treason could be whitewashed, wouldn’t that render the loyal ones’ resistance moot?

“I am in no place to judge a subordinate’s actions, much less give the verdict about her fault,” Wayne said. “Let the goddess be the judge.”

“Really? Why don’t I believe you?” Grau stubbornly pushed himself into Wayne’s face and pointed at his own eyes. “I’m not blind. I saw how Sizorn, the other traitor, died with a cry. You just find Saigner beautiful. Listen to me. The woman isn’t good enough for you. Do not speak on her behalf in front of the goddess.”

His large eyes stood out so much that Wayne couldn’t resist the urge to poke at them.

“Ah! Eyes! My eyes!!”

Grau rolled around on the ground in pain, showing none of the serenity that Death represented.

“Stop acting. I didn’t even use any force.”

“I’m not acting. I’m blind.”

“You are blind. What do you mean Sizorn died with a cry while Saigner was spared because she was beautiful? You make it sound like I’m a pervert.” Wayne huffed, ignoring Grau’s antics. He addressed Rognes instead, “So that’s the long and short of it. I defeated and captured Saigner on the eighth level. After that, she changed her ways and wished to plead guilty in front of the goddess.”

“I ran into Grau on the sixth level. He was a spy, so we barely fought before he surrendered...”

“On the fringe of the eleventh level, just now, I slew the dragon because there was no convincing a determined traitor like Sizorn.”

Rognes fell silent. He would like to say something, like asking how Wayne moved so fast, but he couldn’t find the right words.

If I had known you were this powerful, I wouldn’t have arranged a distraction to lure the tiger out while I infiltrated the tiger’s den. We could’ve just fought together and eliminated all enemies.

As it was, Rognes ended up doing nothing but rushing his way here.

Thinking back, though, he realized that Wayne had told him the truth. Wayne even tried to demonstrate his power by requesting a spar, but Rognes turned him down.