Myths Reawakened

Following a series of flashing lights and shadows, Wayne and the four goddesses arrived at the fourteenth level of the Divine Realm of Nature, the Kingdom of Forest.

The order of the levels showed Elian’s arrogance. She had ranked earth, fire, water, wind, Light, Darkness, Death, will, and thoughts all below Nature, valuing it above all.

Almost all demigods resided in the Kingdom of Forest, along with Elian’s vassal creatures like unicorns and pixies. Managed by the three subordinate gods, they were tasked with preventing outsiders from entering the last two levels.

The Ocean of Order, the fifteenth level, was the filter consisting of faith, connected to the Astral Plane, while the Source of Life, the sixteenth level, was Elian’s divine throne, standing above all and elevated beyond mortality.

“This way, please.”

Juvian, with his mastery over the spatial patterns of the Divine Realm, forged a portal and led Wayne and the others straight to the entrance of the Ocean of Order. Because he had come without attempting to keep a low profile, soon enough, the group drew the attention of two.

A man and a woman emerged one after another.

The masculine man had a sculpted face covered by a messy, bushy beard that resembled a tree’s roots in the soil. He had a large build with arms as thick as tree trunks, able to prop up the sky on his own. Wearing a brown robe, his awe-inspiring form stood sturdy like a boulder on the land. Thriving vegetation rapidly grew from where he stood, brimming with vitality.

It was the Dreamer, Acosta the Totem Tree!

Compared to him, his female companion seemed much more petite. She had a delicate, fair face free of blemishes, her eyes clear as a river. Her long, blonde hair had a hint of green to it, like the dappled sunlight cast on the ground through canopies. The light green robe she wore was draped with a light gauze, and intricate flower patterns adorned the sleeves of her robe, swaying in tandem with her footsteps, with a faint fragrance. She was so beautiful that it seemed as if She had walked right out of an oil painting.

It was the Oracle, Mirelle the Lark of Wisdom!

Seeing the visitors behind Juvian, the two subordinate gods were certainly shocked, if not intimidated by the formidable opponents. All four other goddesses had arrived at the Divine Realm of Nature, joined by an unfamiliar black-haired man.

Acosta’s eyes widened as his mind blanked. A voice in his head warned him that Juvian had betrayed his faith, that the visitors meant no good. The Divine Realm of Nature faced the greatest crisis since its construction.

Mirelle recovered quickly. Suppressing her shock and panic, she bowed in greeting and said, “I, Mirelle the Lark, have failed to give you a proper welcome because I didn’t expect your visit. I ask for your merciful forgiveness for my failure to carry out my duty.”

As expected of a subordinate known as a lark, the lilting, pleasing voice coming out of her red lips was so pleasant that she could make anyone stop and listen to her speak patiently. However, neither of the four women behind Wayne was susceptible to the charm of the lark.

When the goddesses remained silent, Mirelle swallowed a sigh and said politely, “What is the purpose of your visit? If you’re seeking an audience with my master, goddesses, please wait a moment here. Acosta will—”

“No need.” Wayne huffed, revealing their intention bluntly. “We’re here to stir up trouble!”

Mirelle’s face stiffened. She speculated about Wayne’s identity and assumed for now that he was the four goddesses’ mouthpiece. To buy more time, she batted her misty eyes at him and said, “May I ask who you are, sir?”

“Oracle High Reverend of Nature and Nature Knight candidate, Wayne.”

“...”

That rendered Mirelle and Acosta speechless. They froze, tongue-tied like generals who lacked a way with words.

“Are you curious why I, as an important backbone of the Church of Nature and the next knight whom the goddess had carefully picked out, would betray the goddess?” Wayne raised an eyebrow. When the two subordinate gods nodded dumbly, he said, “It’s simple. There are bad apples around the goddess. That’s why I invited the four goddesses to clean the house with me, returning the Divine Realm of Nature to peace.”

He stared at the two subordinate gods with hostility, suggesting that they were the bad apples he was talking about.

They exchanged a glance. If even Juvian would betray the goddess, it wasn’t surprising that the Nature Knight had defected. What mattered at this moment was how they should drive the enemies—right, that wouldn’t be possible. They should count it a blessing if they could buy some time.

Acosta broke into cold sweat. They were surrounded by formidable enemies, and any of them would be impossible to defeat. The goddess, the only one who could deal with the situation, was in slumber. Was this truly the day the Divine Realm of Nature met its doom?

“We’re going in, if that’s fine with you.”

Wayne stepped forward and teleported behind Mirelle and Acosta.

The two subordinate gods had been on guard, but not even with the Authority of the Divine Realm that Elian had gifted them could they keep track of Wayne’s movement. When they realized it, their limbs were already twitching uncontrollably, and they found themselves completely enveloped by pale foam.

From the Kingdom of Forest of the fourteenth level, the pale ocean surged up to invade the Ocean of Order and cascaded down to pour over the first thirteen levels. Wayne showed no hesitation at all. It would be difficult to defeat Elian, and negotiating with Her wouldn’t be effective. She was an indispensable combatant they needed for the Final Judgment, and She would only become their ally if Wayne corrupted Her.

Watching the pale ocean assimilate with the Divine Realm of Nature and corrupt the entire world with unstoppable momentum, Siluk felt a bitterness in Her heart. Just as Kaleb had said, it wasn’t as if She could resist.

Her heart ran cold. She hoped that Kaleb’s instinct would continue to be correct, that Wayne wouldn’t pick on Her if She just lay low and followed his orders.

Nom.

While corrupting the Divine Realm of Nature, the Book of Greed licked through it and consumed a few snacks. As it wasn’t enough to even sate its hunger, the book urged Wayne to quickly find the sleeping beauty in the Source of Life.

Wayne was going to do just that. He had his three vassals take point. He wanted to meet Elian right this moment, without delay.

Mirelle and Acosta had been reborn anew. While they still harbored awe and respect for the Goddess of Nature, they admired and feared Wayne even more. Not daring to disobey his order, they led the group to the Ocean of Order.

Meanwhile, Wayne had acquired the particle Authority of the Divine Realm from his two new lackeys, which raised his odds by another thirty percent. As long as Judgment didn’t suddenly arrive, he would have nothing to fear.

The Ocean of Order was a starry cosmos under a veil of green. Wayne had seen it many times, so he didn’t even linger. Corrupting it swiftly with his pale ocean, he stepped into the Source of Life of the sixteenth level, bringing his pale ocean with him.

The paleness crashed in. The Order of Nature, guardians of the place, tried to stop it, but the three subordinate gods made quick work of them.

The Source of Life was the Divine Realm of Nature’s highest level. It was where Elian’s temple garden and divine realm were, thriving with vitality. Everything beautiful in nature could be found there.

Or that was what everyone believed until they noticed the greyness of Death occupying half of the sky.

The Source of Life was divided into two parts from the center, where the temple and divine throne were. On one side was a thriving green, while the other side was all grey from the thick Death energy.

Where the green light shone, life abounded. Bird chirps amid floral fragrance, weaving a pleasant symphony.

Where the grey enveloped, there was no light, only a soft, deep grey that covered the silent land. The ground was covered in wilted leaves, and the trees weren’t verdant green, but deep brownish grey. A faint sorrow filled the air. It craved the green of the other side and craved to complete the cycle of life.

Hiss—

“She really did it!”

“And she seems close to succeeding...”

Even the three subordinate gods were shocked, let alone Wayne and the goddesses. They knew that Elian had acquired Death, but not how far She had progressed. This was their first time stepping into the fully transformed Source of Life.

They were suddenly struck with a realization that Elian was no longer the Goddess of Nature, that She had become something else entirely.

“It’s fine. It’s not too late yet. Even if She becomes the Goddess of Life, She may not be able to kill all of us if we just attack together.” Wayne rushed toward the main hall where the divine throne was, cracking a joke when he noticed the heavy atmosphere.

He didn’t need the four goddesses to do anything. He was confident that he could take on Elian alone, even if She ascended successfully!

His reassurance did little, though. Wayne saw a thick envy in the four goddesses’ eyes, mixed with frustration and resentment. He had to roll his eyes. These goddesses were way too difficult. It was a relief that he had only gotten involved with Ines, or sooner or later he would pay the price.

The divine throne was magnificent, consisting of pure crystal and ancient rock. Half of it was studded with emerald gems, glowing with the light of Life, while the other half was all dim metal, reflecting the introspection of Death.

At the heart of the temple and the topmost part of the Source of Life, Nature’s divine throne hovered at the intersection of grey and green. Elian, with Her regal, overbearing disposition, sat upright on the throne.

Her beauty and figure were both godly and required no description. What stood out the most was Her temperament.

Her sharp eyebrows gave off an air of determination and decisiveness, and Her green robe was splendid but dignified. With Her long blonde hair put up, Her long, slender neck was on display, as fair as white jade.

Everything about Her was graceful and fierce, including Her looks, figure, and bearing. She daunted the same sex and looked down on the opposite sex. Even when She wasn’t saying anything and Her eyes were closed, She...

She looked hateful!

Perhaps it was because of all the criticism he had heard about Elian, Wayne felt little goodwill for the goddess. His first thought was that She was someone he shouldn’t mess with. With no time to dawdle, he flew into the air and grabbed Elian’s fair, smooth face with a hand.

White foam surged into Elian’s mouth, nose, and eyes in full force, aiming to turn Her into his vassal as soon as possible. Not long after, though, he realized what was amiss. The body was already dead.

There was no vitality inside, nor was there any thought. As the white foam writhed, the body remained unresponsive, as if saying it would just lie down and take whatever abuse he could throw at it.

Wayne gaped at the sleeping beauty, clutching his fingers to crush the decayed face. Under the beautiful skin were bark-like wrinkles and no sign of life.

Wayne only realized then that the hands on the throne had already turned into yellowed skeletons. It seemed like that had happened a long time ago.

“Really? This is what happened if the ascension failed?”

Wayne turned around stiffly. He had imagined many scenarios for his first meeting with Elian, from the most far-fetched love at first sight to the most likely epic battle, but not Elian’s death.

I’ve seen everything. (?)

But this is a first. (?)

He pulled a muscle in his side in a moment of dumbfoundment. His gaze dragged across the four goddesses, stopping on Ines’s face. “You may not believe it, but She... is dead.”

“???” x7

That stunned everyone. They didn’t understand what he was saying. It would be absurd if he meant it literally.

“Impossible. Even if her ascension failed, she wouldn’t die. Moreover...” Aztimor had the most say in this. Looking at the clear division between the two different-colored worlds, She continued darkly, “She has not died for real. She’s waiting for her rebirth, and she’s succeeded.”

Even so, Wayne found nothing to corrupt. He turned back and inspected Elian again. Stripped of the beautiful skin, the goddess was completely decayed inside. The white foam he had injected into Her found no purchase.

“Could I only corrupt Her once She came back to life?” he murmured. He had no qualms with Elian and wouldn’t envy Her for achieving the feat of becoming the Goddess of Life. Quite the contrary, the stronger Elian was, the better their odds of overcoming the Final Judgment, so he would only praise Her in earnest.

But he couldn’t tell how powerful the Goddess of Life, who had been resurrected after death, would be. His only reference was the half-baked Goddess of Light he had fought.

If She was so powerful that She demanded that Wayne slave away for Her while She ruled supreme? He was pretty sure that he would be a slave rather than a sex slave for the queen, which was fine. As long as they could all survive the Final Judgment intact, Wayne was willing to let someone else be the leader, and he wouldn’t say no to slaving away for the queen.

The problem lay in the other goddesses. They couldn’t tolerate Elian’s arrogance.

“How troublesome. Another difficult fight I have to win.” Mumbling, he smoothed out the goddess’s wrinkled face, trying to restore Her original stunning beauty. On the decayed face, an eye suddenly opened. All the white foam was forced out.

“Horseman of Pestilence,” She groused, “what are you doing?”