Myths Reawakened

The five Virtues entered the temple of the Heaven of Crystals and were greeted by a scandalous scene they could not bear to look straight at, but none of them said anything. They stared in terror at the divine throne radiating Holy Light. For a moment, they almost felt like they were looking at Father.

It was only a trick of the light, though. The real Heavenly Father wouldn’t hold an angel on the throne, much less with another angel lying on the floor.

After a moment of silence, Hesione stood up blankly and picked Hestia up from the floor, moving to the side.

Her time in the mortal realm hadn’t been completely worthless. For example, she had learned to be shameless from the master of shamelessness, Wayne. She could stop herself from blushing even with this many witnesses.

After Hesione pulled away, the Holy Light faded, and Wayne appeared clearly on the throne. With his eyes half-closed and downcast, he looked calm and aloof. He paid no attention to the Seven Sacred Virtues, as if they were mere passersby, and their arrival meant nothing to him. His slightly pursed lips were curled into an indescribable smile.

It wasn’t a joyous smile, nor was it a mocking smile. It was the serene smile of someone who understood the rules of the universe and appreciated people’s pursuit of hope even in torment.

At that moment, Wayne seemed dignified and upright to the Seven Sacred Virtues. Infinite Holy Light surrounded him, making him infinitely greater. Replacing the sun in the sky, he alone looked down at the whole world with immeasurable authority.

Noble, extraordinary, mysterious, dignified, heartless...

Compassionate, wise, tolerant, composed, gentle...

The divine might, the divine grace, and the elevated status of a god were perfectly embodied by the deep eyes and slightly curled lips.

The air around the Seven Sacred Virtues solidified in an instant. It felt as if an intangible wall had closed in on them, separating them from the man sitting on the throne. While their hearts shuddered, they couldn’t help but feel compelled to bow down at him.

It was the influence of fame—or brand.

Without the Holy Light of the Seven Sacred Virtues radiated by the throne, Wayne would just be Wayne. With the halo of the Anointed One, though, every word and every action of his—even every minute change in his expression—would be considered divine.

Clang!

Auriel’s Spear of Thorns fell to the ground. His haughtiness vanished, and he gaped at Wayne with his lips moving in vain, his hands and legs trembling.

He was sweating profusely.

Behind him, Gerar and Vilkul had reacted similarly. A pressure they had never experienced before stunned them into inaction. Their backs were suddenly drenched in cold sweat.

At that moment, the pressure Wayne exerted exceeded even that of the Heavenly Father.

It wasn’t because Wayne was stronger, but because... they had never bared their teeth at the Heavenly Father, much less accused Him of being a demon.

Why didn’t you say you’re the Anointed One? x3

Oh, you’ve said it, but I didn’t believe you? x3

Ridiculous. Why didn’t I believe you? x3

“Anointed One!” Hesione dropped to her knees with one hand on her chest, her voice trembling and her eyes brimming with fanatical obsession and admiration.

The Anointed One had finally stopped acting. He finally agreed to be a god!

Hestia quickly followed suit. Then, still dazed, Auriel, Gerar, and Vilkul knelt, too, calling out to the Anointed One with trembling voices.

Milia, the embodiment of diligence and Hesione’s good friend, fell to the ground in the form of a massive geometric shape. She marveled at the Anointed One’s inherent presence. He had inherited the Heavenly Father’s full power, making him the unequivocal Lord of Heaven. She was happy for and proud of Hesione.

Hesione had found the Anointed One and guided him back to Heaven, thus earning immeasurable merits. Her status in Heaven would surely increase further. Even if there was no room for promotion, she would still be the unchallenged most favored angel.

Moreover, Mikhael and Auriel had created a stark contrast with their resistance, slamming tables and chairs in rejection of the truth. While everyone believed that Wayne was just Wayne, Hesione alone had insisted that Wayne was the Anointed One. Her loyalty was pure.

Speaking of which, was Hesione on the Anointed One’s lap?

Geez, aren’t you trying too hard to earn promotion? I didn’t expect that from you, Hesione!

Well done!

The Sacred Virtues differed in reactions. Milia was glad to have stuck to her stance, and Auriel, Gerar, and Vilkul were frustrated with self-reprimand. Mikhael alone had not gotten on his knees.

The Viceroy of Heaven stared in shock, still thinking about the way the throne had radiated Holy Light.

He had sat on the throne, but hadn’t triggered the light. He wasn’t the prophesied successor. The throne responded when Hesione sat on it, which meant she was the chosen angel.

The truth was self-evident. He couldn’t deny it no matter how much he wanted to.

The Heavenly Father was handing Heaven over to his most favored angel. Lahr was in charge of safekeeping and interpreting the prophecy. Not knowing who the successor was, he had bet on both of them, telling them how to sit on the throne and enter the tenth heaven.

The Seven Sacred Virtues, humans, and the Seven Deadly Sins. The trinity made a god. It didn’t matter whether one was an angel, but they had to be human!

Hesione had become a human. She possessed the Seven Sacred Virtues inherently, so she only needed the Seven Deadly Sins to meet the requirements of entering the tenth heaven. Given that her stay in the mortal realm was too short for her to master the Seven Deadly Sins, she sacrificed her purity and raised a demon into a new Deadly Sin, bringing him to Heaven.

“Yes, that has to be the case.”

“She hasn’t met all the requirements. Hearing about my power from Lahr, she realized that she didn’t have a lot of time, which was why she was in such a rush to return to Heaven. That was also why she had hidden the truth and called a demon the Anointed One...”

Mikhael mumbled to himself like a drowning fish struggling ashore to clutch hope, refusing to let go.

“What are you doing, Mikhael?” Hesione turned around with grievances when she heard his murmur. “Kneel and bow down to the Anointed One. You’re the Viceroy of Heaven, so you should lead by example.”

Her words were interpreted differently. Since Mikhael was convinced that there was something wrong with Hesione, that she was acting out a farce while knowing the truth, he found the word ‘viceroy’ grating coming from her. It sounded sarcastic.

“I didn’t ask for your advice, Hesione!” Mikhael pointed at Wayne with bloodshot eyes. “You and I both know that he is no Anointed One. He’s a demon. He’s the Lord of Deceit, one of the Seven Deadly Sins in Hell.”

“Mikhael!!” Hesione shot to her feet with golden light overflowing from her eyes. Clutching the Sword of Judgment, she commanded, “Kneel. You will beg the Anointed One for forgiveness.”

“I will not kneel to you.” Mikhael felt thoroughly humiliated, clenching his teeth in resentment. “Auriel, Vilkul, and Gerar made it clear that the man was a demon. You helped him enter and exit Hell. You helped him gain the Seven Sacred Virtues. Do you need me to spell things out for you?!”

“Huh?!” Auriel blanched and trembled. “Mikhael, I didn’t mean that. Wake up. You can’t believe everything!”

“Yeah, you can’t believe everything,” Gerar said on behalf of himself and Vilkul. “We only offend the Anointed One again and again because we were fooled by Auriel.”

Auriel glared at them. “You two bastards. The Anointed One has witnessed your foolishness and ignorance in the human world, as well as the sins you’ve committed. Wait for your judgment!”

They had all made mistakes. Why was he the only one taking the fall? If they died, they died together. No one would be running away today.

“You’re the bastard here. How dare you offend the Anointed One with such filthy language?!”

“Blasphemer, you have sinned!”

“Shut up, wanton Temperance and wrathful Gentleness. Your sins are far more serious than mine. At least I’ve been living by Generosity...”

The three Sacred Virtues got into an intense argument. They started out shirking responsibility and then began to expose each other’s humiliating mistakes, making sure that the others fared worse than they did.

At this rate, the Seven Sacred Virtues would sooner or later become the Seven Deadly Sins, learning Hell’s ways. Then a group of angels would also be weaker than the sum of their individual strengths.

Wayne ignored the three of them, leaning back into the hard, uncomfortable throne with a hand propping his chin. Cocking his head, he observed Mikhael.

The Viceroy of Heaven revealed his ambition with every word he uttered. He was beyond prideful. However, he had been attacking Hesione rather than the one currently believed to be the Anointed One, Wayne.

“I knew it...”

Wayne once again confirmed that Hesione was the Anointed One. Moreover, the interpretation of the prophecy had been wrong in the first place. He was quite certain that Mikhael and Lahr were in cahoots. They had made up the false prophecy about a resurrected, human-like but inhuman god in the mortal realm.

Prophecy was like oracles. What the gods said was one thing; the interpretations made by the Holy Maidens, Great Sages, High Prophets, or Great Archangels were another matter altogether.

“How interesting!”

Wayne looked at Hesione’s confused expression and marveled at Elohim’s eye for people. If she was allowed to take over Heaven, it would only be a matter of time before Heaven met its doom.

Be it before or after reincarnation, Hesione had a strange confidence and an overly active imagination that compelled her to give herself away for free, and she refused to see reason.

Wayne wasn’t making a baseless accusation. Mona/Hesione had done absurd things that left onlookers speechless.

“It doesn’t make sense. Both Mona and Hesione were smart in the beginning...”

He stroked his chin. Ah, it had nothing to do with how religion made people foolish. It was because of love!

He thought with amusement on the Divine Throne, while Mikhael lost the verbal argument with Hesione. Her cutting remarks left his handsome face twisted.

Hesione was convinced that Wayne was the Anointed One. There was undeniable proof, yet Mikhael believed Auriel’s lies and refused to change his way, offending the Anointed One and committing the sin of pride.

Mikhael knew the truth and was convinced that Hesione was pushing him into spilling the actual prophecy, planning to claim the right to succession through him. He refused to take the bait and thus insisted that Wayne was a demon—the Lord of Deceit.

If he told the truth, he would be done for. He would be so great a sinner that there would be no place for him in Heaven.

On the other hand, if he dealt with the demon, Wayne, he would still have a place on the moral high ground.

With his mind made up, he stirred the void with a wave and manifested three weapons of golden light behind his back. Two were shorter than the third. Combined, the two swords and one spear formed a cross.

The Oath Sword and Contract Sword were all white with radiant holy intent, while the all-gold long spear was the Spear of Time, with an air of nobility. The three divine artifacts combined made the emblem of Mikhael’s legion. The golden carpet—bah, the cross-shaped stigma Wayne had seen on Olga’s lower abdomen was that exact emblem.

Hesione and Auriel each possessed one divine artifact, while Mikhael, also a Śār, had three. He was undeniably the Viceroy of Heaven, the greatest angel, and He Who Is Like God.

The Oath Sword Wayne had picked up and gifted to Hesione was a replica that Mikhael had forged in the human world. Using it to slay a dragon, he had earned the name of Saint George the Dragonslayer.

The moment the two swords and one spear emerged, Mikhael became awash in blazing sacred flames. His terrifyingly powerful thoughts filled the entire Temple Garden, compressing space and liquefying it. He pointed his two swords at Wayne.

“Mikhael, how dare you flaunt your combat power in front of the Anointed One?!” Hesione blocked the throne with her sword, her eyes brimming with fright and shock.

Whoa, how terrible!

After a stunned moment, the other four Sacred Virtues scrambled to Hesione and brandished their own weapons at Mikhael.