Myths Reawakened

“How fucking absurd. This damn place is getting stranger and stranger...”

With his two bodyguards watching the door, Wayne sat down on the sofa in the office. He opened the letter of recommendation and read it a few times. It was for an unassuming military academy in Berlo. So far, he hadn’t seen anything special about the place. Curious, he decided to pay it a visit tomorrow morning.

Tonight, he would spend his time reading the documents in the archive.

“There are those two as well. I almost forgot.”

Wayne stroked his chin, a plan forming in his head. It would be fun.

He entered the bunker and made his way to the laboratory for producing demon vessels. Since creating something out of nothing would be too unbelievable, he returned to the office to call the first research institute and ask for two female subjects to be sent to the orphanage as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, he summoned Ottilia and Regina telepathically to swap places with the two subjects, welcoming his secretaries to the orphanage.

Laboratory.

After some commotion and moves that resembled interpretive dance, Wayne stopped his work and clapped twice.

On the stone platform, Ottilia and Regina played their roles dutifully. As black mist surged around them, they screamed and completed their transformation into succubi.

“Come on, let’s check on our angel friends.”

Wayne snapped his fingers, walking out of the laboratory with his arms around his secretaries’ slim waists. He headed straight to the holding cell at the deep end of the bunker.

Everyone at the orphanage was abnormal in some way, including the soldiers patrolling the bunker. Though there weren’t many of them, they made Wayne feel a twist in his heart. These weren’t mages, nor were they demon vessels...

“Boss, these soldiers creep me out. Are they Astral beings?”

“No, they’re alchemical creations. Another form of... artifact.”

The three of them conversed telepathically. Wayne figured out what the soldiers were and deduced why they had been exposed the moment they entered Berlo. The stereotype that Prussia’s technology was top-tier wasn’t a stereotype. In the Chosen Land, at least, Prussia was the most technologically advanced country.

If nothing else went wrong, their tanks would blitz through the world.

“How did they do it? How did they just unlock a new tech tree and develop what no one had ever developed to such a scale? The fact that the other countries haven’t noticed means that it’s a sudden development...”

“Did they run into an alien ship?”

Wayne muttered to himself. It was a distinct possibility.

The Chosen Land wasn’t big, and there was only so much faith it could offer. The universe, however, was infinite. If there were ancient gods, there should be alien forces with advanced technology, too. Perhaps there already were ruins of alien and prehistoric civilizations in the Chosen Land.

A few human soldiers with strange appearances stood guard before the holding cell. Wayne patted the handgun he had holstered at his waist.

“You’re dismissed. I’m going to study the angels, so give me space and don’t bother me.”

The soldiers obeyed, walking away from the holding cell without a sound. They found a new post to guard.

After their departure, Wayne patted Ottilia on the backside to have her unlock the door with a key. Inside, the room was pitch black with chains wrapped around the hovering cross-shaped stars. Threads of darkness seeped in, entangling the light and preventing it from escaping.

Paul had said that there was a way to control angels, but not how they would do it. The facts were in the letter of recommendation. Wayne would learn about it tomorrow.

He took two steps forward and grasped the black chains, taking away the Seven Deadly Sins they contained before reforging the chains with his Seven Deadly Sins.

The two weren’t in the same weight class. With crackling noises, the light cocoon protecting Hestia was peeled away by the darkness, revealing the body inside.

(。人。)

“Seriously, girl? Are you really waiting for people to line up?” Wayne grumbled in resignation. The headlights stood out too much. He pulled her shirt down and did his best to cover her, but the tattered shirt could do little for her modesty.

“Boss, you should leave such manual labor to Regina and me,” Ottilia said sarcastically.

“Manual labor isn’t for girls like you. It’s better for me to do it.”

Wayne stared at Hestia’s chest, his eyes radiating light. Beneath the patterns of darkness, he saw the faint glow of her stigma.

“The injury is serious. If nothing’s done, you won’t be able to cleanse the Seven Deadly Sins in you...”

He marveled at her good luck. Though Wayne wasn’t a reincarnated angel, meeting him now was a greater luck than meeting a Śār.

As he pressed a finger to her sternum, visible darkness condensed into lines in Hestia’s body, extracted through his fingertip. The minor surgery took only three seconds.

Without the Seven Deadly Sins suppressing her, Hestia groaned, her eyes twitching, showing signs of waking up from her coma.

Wayne didn’t treat her immediately. Instead, he curled his fingers at his two secretaries. He put one arm around Ottilia’s waist and the other arm... around nothing.

“What are you doing, Regina?”

“Could you put on a different face, Boss? I’m not used to physical contact with a stranger.” Regina fidgeted. She knew that Wayne was Wayne, but the stranger’s face unnerved her. She hoped that her boss would transform back if he didn’t mind.

Then how am I going to have my fun? Wayne rolled his eyes. He didn’t transform back to himself, but he did transform into a demon swirling with black smoke. Standing two meters tall, the demon had long arms and legs. His upper face was covered by a black mask, while his red lips and the cold white teeth inside remained visible.

Regina nodded. Much better.

Wayne put his arms around their waists, looking down and waiting for Hestia to wake up.

“Enjoying the view, aren’t you, Boss?” Ottilia asked.

“It’s all covered,” Wayne said while keeping his eyes on Hestia. “Where’s the view? Besides, she’s an angel. She’s no match for a succubus like you.”

Ottilia huffed. “I may be a succubus, but she’s Lust incarnate!”

“Boss, I’m a succubus, too. You can’t just compliment Ottilia.” Regina pressed her body against Wayne’s, putting her weight on him.

“Stop it. This is the succubus talking. You’ll regret it once you turn back into a human.”

“I’ll regret it then.”

“...”

At his feet, Hestia was about to wake up. Wayne called an end to the chit-chat and let out a cackle. “Kekekeke, beautiful angel, you finally woke up after twenty years.”

Twenty years!

Hestia jerked up into a sitting position. Seeing two succubi and what looked like a demon, she jumped to her feet and made a waving motion to draw her sacred lance.

Rather than drawing her lance, though, she ended up falling to her knees.

Or2

Nice!

Wayne leaned over and chuckled. “You have the natural talent. If you’re made into a succubus, even Lord of Lust may lose the title to you.”

“Damn it...”

Hestia staggered back to her feet, raising her weak arms to cover her chest. She looked at her opponent and saw no chance of winning.

If she couldn’t defeat him with raw power, she would have to rely on her intelligence.

“There’s no point in covering yourself. I’ve tired of the view after twenty years.” Wayne took a step forward. “Think about it. Have you had any strange dreams over the past twenty years?”

Hestia scowled, ignoring the harassment. She knew her physical condition, so none of that was going to shake her. She thought about how she should escape. The claim that it had been twenty years was obviously a lie. It had at most been two months.

She felt an overpowering sense of helplessness. If Wayne hadn’t found his way here after all this time, he was most likely killed in action.

“Demon, where’s my companion?”

“The blond one, or the black-haired one?”

I knew it!

Hestia’s heart shuddered. She had been mentally prepared, but hearing that, she still couldn’t help but feel sad. They had lost completely!

“The blond one is still resisting, but not the black-haired one. Under our torture, he defected and became a subordinate of the great Lord of Wrath. He’s already in Hell.”

“Impossible!” Hestia glared at him. “I know him. He’ll never do that!”

“Are you sure?” Wayne sneered. “That man is a shameless, despicable, selfish man who would cast honor aside to save his life. He’s made quite the contribution in allowing us to break your seal!”

The two succubi in his arms giggled.

Hestia’s eyes twitched. The demon’s words swayed her resolve. Wayne hadn’t yet awakened, so it was possible for him to go against his conscience and join Hell, claiming that he was going undercover afterwards.

“No, you’re lying!” Hestia shook her head. “I will not fall for your attempt to sow discord. Do not slander my companions. Speak. Why did you wake me?”

“Tell me, why did angels descend to the human world?”

“To drive you back to Hell!” Hestia said bluntly.

“Do you think that’ll fool a demon like me?” Wayne scoffed, snapping his fingers. Black chains emerged from under his feet, wrapping around Hestia’s body and dragging her to him.

“Pt—”

“Think carefully before you spit. Don’t ask for humiliation!”

“Tui!”

Ignoring his warning, Hestia spat at Wayne’s demonic face, hitting an invisible wall instead. The saliva trailed down slowly.

Wayne swatted it aside with a wave, but to maintain the demon’s image, he said with a vicious grin, “Time it better next time. My mouth wasn’t open when you spat.”

It wasn’t effective on Hestia. If the demon opened his mouth, she would spit right into his mouth. She wasn’t intimidated.

“I’ve been in the human world for so long that I’ve forgotten what you angels are like. Though you’re human now, your human shame is nothing compared to the long years you’ve lived through as an angel. Let me think... How should I interrogate you?”

“I know.” Succubus Ottilia raised her hand.

“What’s your idea, cutie?”

“Angels value their purity,” she said. “If you threaten her with that, she’ll tell you everything.”

“Makes sense...”

“I don’t think it’ll work,” Succubus Regina chimed in. “Angels hate demons, and she’d rather lose her purity than submit to us. In my opinion, we should take her purity and threaten to take her to her companion. Only that will work.”

“You’re even more right. You’re so demonic!”

Hestia’s eyes twitched. Thinking of her mission, she huffed and closed her eyes. “I won’t tell you no matter what. Give up. But I’m warning you, if I survive, I’ll kill all of you!”

“Aren’t you going to reconsider, Lust incarnate?”

“???”