Myths Reawakened

Wayne rolled his eyes. Without Heaven’s seal, all of the Chosen Land would crumble under the demons’ abuse, and Franc would fall way back before the mustached Führer made a move, buried in the grave that demons dug for her.

Thinking of the Führer, Wayne stroked his chin. Could it be that he was the origin of Mechanical Augmentation?

He cheated everyone, including the Chosen Land, Heaven, Hell, Divine Realms, and the Astral Plane... Prussia underwent an epic enhancement. The destination of her tides of steel was the vast cosmos.

“I’ll take care of you once I return!”

Wayne regretted not killing the mustached Führer last time he was in Prussia. If he had been more decisive, things wouldn’t have...

Right, he wouldn’t be able to do much if the man was the source of the evolution since he couldn’t win.

“Work hard, my secretary. There’s no point in thinking too much about the human world. Worry about protecting yourself first. Given how alluring you are, perhaps I’ll be in the mood one day and end our little game prematurely.”

Wayne grinned demonically, ogling Lilith’s voluptuous body. He didn’t get the intended effect. She struck a pose and quickly untied her waistband.

This isn’t necessary!

“What are you doing? The game is only just starting!”

“I’m trying to prove my loyalty, Sir...” Lilith said weakly.

“Then you should be playing this game properly. You'd better become a legendary mage by next year, or...”

Wayne tightened his fist. He had considered clutching her heavy assets, but couldn’t do it because of his respect for her.

The threat was too mild to work on Lilith. It confused her that Bat Demon wasn’t as terrifying as she had expected.

Does he... like me?

That couldn’t be the case. Demons had always been straightforward with their feelings. If they hated someone, they attacked from the front, and if they loved someone, they did it from the back. Their desire would directly translate into actions rather than beating around the bush.

Again, it wasn’t as if she could say no.

If Bat Demon didn’t like her, why had he been doing laps around the bushes?

The more Wayne spoke, the more he risked exposing himself. Lilith was already wondering whether Bat Demon was a kind-hearted lust demon. It was surprising. Could there really be kind-hearted lust demons?

“Let’s call it a day.” Wayne gestured at Lilith to get out of the room and turn right. “Patrol the territory. You’ll work during the day and train during the night. You will not rest. Your mission is to complete this game with me.”

Lilith didn’t dare question it. She concluded that this had to be the demon’s way of manipulating her. The mission to become a legendary mage was only a front. The demon was seeking fun from seeing her struggle in the game.

“What a nice woman,” Wayne murmured. “If Franc hadn’t wasted her potential, she would’ve become an excellent singer or actress rather than a spy selling herself...”

He shook his head and cleared his thoughts. Closing his eyes, he familiarized himself with his Authority.

The last time he fought Envy, he had been an outsider who didn’t know the local environment. He ended up getting defeated by a local, forced to escape and take a detour.

If Envy hadn’t had his Authority, Wayne might just have defeated him.

Now that Wayne had acquired his own Authority and the vast knowledge of Pride’s and Lust’s cantos, he was certain that he could defeat Envy in their next duel.

“While my territory is small, and my Authority isn’t as good as his, it doesn’t matter. I’ve become a registered resident and a part of Hell. That’s the key!”

***

On June fifteenth of the Chosen Land, the council meeting of demon lords commenced. As soon as she received the news, Lust got up from Bat Demon’s lap and put on her favorite red evening gown in a second.

Yes, Wayne had visited the Lost Paradise again.

According to him, he had only come because Bat Demon wanted to come. Besides, what bad could Bat Demon be up to? He was a child who wasn’t even two years old, incapable of adults’ evil thoughts. His mental world was all sunshine and rainbows.

“Go down already. We’ll continue once we return. The council meeting is starting,” Lust pinned her long hair up, speaking to Wayne’s prone form on the water bed.

“Finally. I thought he forgot...”

Wayne sat up, putting on his distinctly hellish leather clothes.

“No, Pride didn’t convene the meeting. Envy did.”

“Why? Does he have another joke to tell?”

“Who knows? We’ll find out.” Lust glanced at him and raised an eyebrow. “Interested in introducing yourself properly at the meeting?”

“There’s no Wayne, but only Bat Demon,” Wayne emphasized. “According to the script, I’m Pride’s replica.”

Worried that Lust would go off script, he added, “If Envy and I start fighting, you aren’t getting the Wrath cantos you want. Think carefully. Pride won’t let you off the hook, either.”

“Cold-blooded man, you have no sense of humor.” Lust scowled. She had used every trick she had learned in her life and invested all her charm in Wayne. She was this close to developing feelings from their numerous interactions, yet Wayne didn’t reciprocate at all.

Clapping didn’t count. That shameless bastard just wanted her body. He wasn’t affected by the poison of lust at all. She was beginning to suspect that she had been giving herself away for nothing.

She would try a few more times, but if she still failed, she would not suffer the losses. Wayne would have to pay if he wanted to touch her again!

Splitting space with a wave, Lust pushed through the black screen and walked out, leading Wayne to the floating island shrouded by black clouds.

The council venue’s well-worn style was a revelation to Wayne. Did it lack taste? But the Seven Demon Lords were Hell’s masters and thus didn’t need to chase luxury or grandeur. The minimalistic style was in itself a statement of their individualities.

But was it tasteful? The answer would be a resounding no. What was with the wonky table and chairs? Even as firewood, the nails would get in the way.

Lust was the first to arrive. As soon as she pulled out her chair, Wayne took a seat.

She didn’t comment on that, but instead sat gracefully on his lap, lighting a light cigarette with an eyebrow raised. “So? Are you interested in doing it here?”

You really aren’t picky at all!

Wayne rejected her decisively, shifting his gaze from Lust’s stunning face to the six other chairs. To regular people, the Seven Demon Lords were unreachable figures who were the embodiments of fear and the sources of nightmares. It was because of them that the Seven Deadly Sins existed, and it was because of them that sins remained abundant in the human world.

However, those with great power would see something different in the Seven Demon Lords.

Seven Demon Lords (✕)

The Story of One Woman and Six Men (✓)

In fact, rephrasing it and adjusting the format would make it a novel:

The Story of the Most Beautiful Woman in the World Trapped in a Dark Room with Six Perverts.

Didn’t that sound compelling? The title alone would make it a bestseller.

“What’s going on? It’s been ten minutes, but no demons have shown up?” Wayne asked in exasperation, realizing what was happening as soon as the question left his mouth. He closed his eyes, feeling like he was back in Londan.

“Ten minutes. As soon as I arrived, all of you would suddenly be good to go...”

Who are you looking down on?!

Wayne was about to comment on the demon lords’ behavior when the dark space tore open before him, and a demon walked out. The man had a lazy, unkempt look and didn’t move a finger after slumping down in his chair. His demeanor was so distinctive that Wayne could tell who he was even without Lust introducing him.

“Lust, this is a council meeting. Why did you bring your pet?” Sloth cocked his head at Wayne. Since Wayne had tucked his bat wings in and showed few bat-like traits, Sloth didn’t relate him to Pride.

“He’s not my pet,” Lust lied without batting an eye. “He’s my husband, and we’re getting married because we have a child.”

That shocked Sloth awake rather than Wayne.

Sloth looked at Lust and Wayne in disbelief, his eyes widening. “Lust, did you really fall for a pet and even bear his child?”

“Yeah, isn’t he amazing?” Lust breathed in with the cigarette in her mouth.

“Stop smoking if you’re pregnant.” Wayne put out the cigarette. “It’s bad for the child’s father.”

“...” x2

Lust’s eyes twitched, while Sloth’s expression became even more shocked. He could tell that the two were equal, so Lust had to be telling the truth about her pregnancy.

“Who is he to sit on the same chair as we do?” Greed stepped out and gave Wayne an irritated glance, saying seriously, “Whether you’re telling the truth, Lust, I’m not paying a dime the day you get married and deliver your child.”

(⋮‸⋮)

Wayne looked over. So this was the Lord of Greed. How did he put it? The demon looked... well, rich. But what was with the air of frugality he projected? Was he really Greed rather than Dingy?

He shouldn’t be called the Lord of Greed. He should yield that title to someone who deserved it—Wayne would shamefully admit that he was that person.

Then, Gluttony and Wrath appeared at the same time. Their attention was monopolized by each other and nothing else, so they didn’t even notice that Lust had quite an elevated seat today.

Rip!

Following a streak of red lightning, the demon lord whom Wayne was most familiar with showed up.

Here he came. The great Lord of Clowns and the champion of laughingstock in Hell had arrived with his latest joke.

“Pfft!”

“Hahahaha—” x5

Whoever was the first to laugh—it might have been Sloth—the other four demon lords followed suit. Since they were all laughing, Wayne decided to do as Hell’s demons did and laugh with them.

“Kekekeke—”

Envy sat down with a nonchalant look on his face, as if he had reached the zen state of not letting anything in the outside world bother him. However, it took him less than three seconds to lose it.

Bam!

He slammed the table and snarled, “Damn Pride, he’s late again. Why is it always him?”

“Hahaha—” x5

“Kekekeke—”

“Who the hell is that? Who are you to enjoy the same entertainment as they do?” Envy glared at Bat Demon for the ignorant offense, venting all the anger he had been bottling up. “Bastard, are you entitled to laugh here? Get out from under Lust’s ass. I’m challenging you to a duel!”

“That won’t do. He’s my husband,” Lust declared right in front of all the great demon lords. Whether Wayne admitted it or not, she would be able to flaunt their ‘relationship’ to Hesione, claiming that not only had they gotten married, but they had also received the blessings of all Seven Deadly Sins.

Wayne couldn’t be bothered with responding, while Envy looked stunned. Gluttony and Wrath woke up to their surroundings then, and just like Sloth had, they looked at Wayne in shock—or at Lust.

What’s the woman’s problem today?

“Look carefully. He isn’t a regular demon, but Pride’s replica!” Lust dropped the bombshell, leaving all participants in the council meeting shaken.

Holy Hell! Pride is getting married to Lust!