Myths Reawakened

“I can give you a territory,” Lust said, “but not information of my Deadly Sin. If I share it with you, I will become dispensable. I’ll be no different from the others.”

A human could only exist because of their unique value, and the same was true of demons.

“How about half of it?”

“Only if you exchange yours for it!”

“Exchange...” Wayne stroked his chin. He could make an offer in return, but not so easily. He said thoughtfully, “Let me think.”

“About what?”

“About whether you deserve it.”

“...”

Lust scowled and gritted her teeth. “Do your thinking here then. Don’t come to me until you’ve thought it through.”

She made a waving motion, and six identical succubi in red appeared behind her. She was still frustrated by her continuous defeats.

Wayne looked at her in resignation. It was so difficult to do business with demons. Not only did he have to lie against his conscience, but he even had to bear the humiliation of selling his body.

Bat Demon, get a move on!

Again, you’ve never been talking to Bat Demon. You’re always the one moving.

***

VIP area in the luxurious palace, Lost Paradise.

A male guest walked on the carpeted floor on the second floor, his gait steady and his back straight. Behind him, the door was half closed. Two succubi supported themselves with hands on the door. They watched the man leave with a complicated look in their eyes.

What a strong demon. He had subdued them so easily. What a shame that he was unwilling to reveal the truth. They wondered when they would meet him again.

“Handsome gentleman, don’t forget my work ID. Remember to cum more frequently!”

“The next time, for sure.”

The man waved at them dismissively before walking down the stairs from the second floor. After taking a few steps, the world spun around him and became entirely different. He found himself in a vibrant garden of thriving vegetation.

Lust sat under a parasol with large sunglasses. Her vibrant red lips paired well with the red evening gown she wore. With her long legs tucked together, the hem of her dress slid down her smooth skin, revealing elegant curves and taut calves.

She picked up a glass of wine from the table and shook the glass gently. “What’s the meaning of this, Pride?”

“What do you mean?” Pride took two steps forward and sat beside Lust. “Should I notify you in advance before patronizing the Lost Paradise?”

“Patronizing the Lost Paradise? You’re looking down on me!” Lust huffed. “I admit you’re powerful, but it’s only because Lust ranks lower than Pride that I’m not your match. Putting the Seven Deadly Sins aside, you should be trembling beneath me.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” Pride frowned. Lust was aggressive today.

“There should be a limit to your pride. Your replica is going at it with my replica, but you sought out the succubi below rather than seeking me out...” Lust grew furious as she said, feeling humiliated.

You’re talking about Bat Demon!

Pride dropped his disguise, reverting to his original form. The thought of taking the blame for Bat Demon put a look of disgust on his face, as if he had stepped on Envy on his way here.

Still, only he could take the blame, and there was no explaining himself.

Pride was here to look for Wayne. He had disguised himself before coming here. When walking past the VIP area, he was invited to the second floor. Since it didn’t matter where he waited, he let them have their way.

They didn’t do anything unusual save for some gardening. He watered the flowers and made them bloom.

The succubi were too experienced, so not even their skillful acting could give them the traits that Pride was looking for. After trying a few more of them, he found them lacking.

It was no fun. He much preferred the human world.

Sensing Lust’s anger, Pride huffed and rejected her proposition. He preferred fresh graduates. Both dance major and art major worked. His type was college graduates who found themselves unemployed and had no choice but to work for a rich employer as secretaries to feed themselves.

Their inexperience, resignation, and helpless compliance made demons salivate at the thought of it. Succubi were too skillful, which blurred the line between the patrons and the service providers.

When Pride remained unresponsive, Lust became even more irritated. “Tell me, have you made up your mind before seeking me out?” she said with a frosty expression. “Are you willing to exchange for my Deadly Sin or not?”

Huh? What are you talking about? Exchange for Deadly...

Pride narrowed his eyes. Ah, it seemed that Wayne had found Bat Demon and even impersonated Pride with bat-like traits to strike up a deal with Lust. As expected of the Anointed One, he had slipped away from under his gaze.

Pride’s lips curled into an evil smile. “What do you think about my replica, Lust? Are you satisfied?”

“...”

“Hahaha, my replica is more impressive than I expected!”

Pride cheered silently. The Anointed One could only be his replica in Hell, and he had even lost himself in Lust’s beauty, falling completely under her charm.

“...”

Wait, has Hesione just been watching? Is she going to tolerate all that?

Pride raised an eyebrow. Hesione had not followed the Anointed One to Hell, nor had she stayed by the Anointed One’s side as his bodyguard. The Anointed One was able to enter and exit Hell on his own. He had come to Hell to...

“Lust, about my deal with you, I’d like to make an adjustment.”

“You’re crossing a line!” Lust lowered her glass of wine angrily.

“Crossing a line? Tell me how. How should I know where the line is if you don’t tell me?” Pride lounged on a chair and said in a conceited tone, “I’m prideful, after all. I never care about other people’s feelings. If you don’t tell me, I won’t know how I’ve offended you.”

“Haha, are you not going to even keep up the act now that you’re going to become a god?”

Become a god?

Pride’s eyes twitched. He cursed at Wayne for his irresponsible lies, making who knew how many false accusations with him none the wiser.

That wasn’t a lie one should just tell!

“Say something!”

“What is there to say?” Pride said. “It makes sense for me not to say anything given how prideful I am.”

He glanced at Lust. “Tell me what you find unreasonable, and we’ll negotiate again... Forget it. Just repeat what I’ve said to you. Frankly, I don’t remember very well.”

Lust’s expression grew increasingly irritated. Pride and his replica, Bat Demon, were both annoying.

“Just now, your replica, Bat Demon, told me your plan to conquer Hell and invade Heaven!” Lust said with a sneer.

(一`´一;)

There were so many things wrong with that statement that Pride didn’t know where to start. After some consideration, he nodded and said, “Keep going. If the plan is viable, I’ll do it!”

The plan to destroy Heaven was formulated by the Anointed One. That was an incredible experience for a great demon lord. Just thinking about it excited him.

“Gluttony and Wrath have been corrupted by the Law of Mechanical Augmentation. If the war escalates, the two of them will quickly corrupt all of Hell. You’re right. I’m willing to work with you to eliminate them.”

Lust closed her eyes and shook her head. “You’ve gained a great enough power to defeat Mikhael and easily take down Gluttony and Wrath. I’m staying out of this war so that you cannot use me. I don’t want to lose and count your profit for you.”

“Ah... right. I failed to fool you.”

Pride’s eyes widened. What was Mechanical Augmentation? What was that about Gluttony and Wrath? Wasn’t the Anointed One’s plan invading Heaven with the Seven Deadly Sins in tow?

The story didn’t make logical sense. Pride couldn’t figure it out no matter how he thought about it.

“You have the Law of Mechanical Augmentation. I saw its strength and covet it, but I implore you not to corrupt me with it. I cannot resist the temptation...”

“I can give you a part of my territory, but your traits are too obvious to deceive Gluttony and Wrath. As long as they aren’t blind, they’ll know that you’re the ones who kill them. You won’t succeed in taking two spots of the Seven Deadly Sins on your own...”

“If you want my Deadly Sin, you have to trade for it. That’s my bottom line. Moreover, I want half of Gluttony’s and Wrath’s cantos. Hell cannot do without the Seven Deadly Sins. Even if you become the great demon god, I must continue to exist!”

“Last but not least, I want Wayne!”

Lust’s expression turned vicious as she declared, “He defiled Hesione’s purity, which should be my dream to fulfil. I will have him. However many times Hesione bedded him, I will sleep with him tenfold!”

╰⋛⋋‸⋌⋚╯

The great demon lord only understood the last line and nothing else, and regarding the last line, he had something to say: don’t you know that you’ve already bedded Wayne much more times than Hesione has bedded him? Be confident. Forget Hesione. You are the real Lust!

“You make a reasonable request, Lust, but I disagree. Talk to Bat Demon, my replica, and convince him in the language you know best. If he agrees, I’ll agree, too.”

Pride’s expression became strange as he stifled a laugh. “Believe me. Bat Demon will be easy to subdue through body language. He can’t resist your charm.”

Lust frowned deeply. “What’s the difference between him and you? If you don’t want to say yes, why did you seek me out?”

“Because of my pride!”

“...”

Lust dismissed him with a wave.

Pride smiled at her. “No rush. I’d like to see how Bat Demon has been doing and if you’ve bullied him in your territory.”

He conjured a mirror of light with a black frame, which broadcast what was happening in Lust’s palace in real time.

Lust’s heart sank. What was the meaning of this? A warning, or a demonstration of might?

Pride’s lips curled up. He didn’t offer an explanation since she should know that power indeed enabled one to do whatever they wanted.

Inside the light mirror, Lust’s six replicas lay prone on the ground in haphazard heaps. Once they fell, Moma, Leone, Michele, and Mattea got to their feet, ganging up on Bat Demon as per their master’s order.

The chaotic scene was difficult to put into words, but it was safe to say that under Bat Demon’s careful irrigation, the three succubi and the one spider demoness were thoroughly hydrated, never wanting for nutrition.

Pride was speechless. Was that thing really the Anointed One? If he was acting, hadn’t he sacrificed too much for the act? Was it really right for Pride to shoulder the blame for an Anointed One like this?

He was a little concerned.

After some consideration, Pride believed he should meet Wayne. He was fine with Wayne impersonating him, but he should rein it in a little. Wayne might not care about his reputation, but Pride did. He couldn’t let the Anointed One damage his good reputation as a great demon lord.

Pride turned to Lust. The question was if he should let Lust know the tru—the partial truth.

“Why are you looking at me?”

Lust scoffed. If he wanted her now, no thanks.

You trash. You’re just as useless as all the other five aside from your beauty! Pride judged. He said with a smile, “Lust, you said you wanted Wayne, didn’t you?”

“Yes!” Lust nodded vehemently. Whatever Hesione had played with, she would play with. Whatever Hesione hadn’t done, she would still do. By tainting Wayne, she would be tainting Hesione, effectively realizing her dream.

“Have you considered...” Pride pointed at the Bat Demon in the black mirror, who was incredibly busy. “He... is Wayne!”

“Ha.”

“Don’t you believe me?” Pride smirked. The trash shared their ignorance...

“Pride, look at this face. He looks identical to you.” Lust shook her head. “If he were Wayne, wouldn’t you be Wayne, too?”

“...”

I’m having an honest conversation with you. Why would you insult me? Why did you speak to me so harshly?

Pride didn’t want to be equated to Wayne. He refused to be the Anointed One when the Anointed One was like that. He prayed for Heaven; he prayed that the Seven Sacred Virtues wouldn’t become the Seven Deadly Sins.

The writing was on the wall!

Prideful Humility, filthy Purity, overgenerous Generosity, indulgent Temperance, wrathful Gentleness...

It wasn’t enough. He, Pride, would add fuel to the fire and turn the Anointed One into Hell’s Anointed One.

The Anointed One wanted to become part of the Seven Deadly Sins? For sure. No problem!

Muhaha!