Myths Reawakened

Chapter 374 (2): We Were Just Talking, But You Actually Did It

The moment they clashed with Ludwig, Weaving, Baker, and McCarey knew that they were out of their depth. Glancing back at Tubert, who was shielding Desiree, they took in the old man’s flushed face and the veins bulging on his forehead and neck, cursing him out.

Garvin was too late to come to their aid and didn’t bother looking back. He drew his sword in a sweeping arc. The light blazed like a streak of lightning that tore through the night sky, crackling thunderously and reaching Ludwig in an instant.

Ludwig raised his broadsword to meet it. As he cleaved through the sword aura, Garvin closed the distance, eyes narrowed as he slashed at Ludwig.

Their blades collided with deafening clangs, their auras crisscrossing and overlapping. The two fought for their lives while using every last technique they had acquired in their lives, holding nothing back.

With every exchange, Garvin’s heart grew heavier. Eyes glinting green, he transformed into a tall elf.

Unlike most elves, Garvin’s elven form had a thick beard and a powerful build. The knightly sword in his hand blazed like a rainbow, and every strike thundered with the force to split the sky and shatter the earth.

Behind Garvin, a dim phantom descended. A hazy figure radiated immense authority. As Garvin’s sword danced, the phantom slowly opened their eyes, and the light that poured out made the sun, moon, and stars pale in comparison.

Divine art!

“You’re not getting what you want.”

Ludwig’s eyes glinted in alert. Guilt made him uneasy. He dared not face the Goddess of Nature’s phantom. He made no visible movement, yet the vitality field around him hummed and tremored. In response, the space that the Church of Nature inhabited seemed to stutter to a halt. Air stilled as though time itself had stopped.

The many mages at headquarters lost their sense of nature’s vitality. The vegetation was right there, but when they reached out and touched it, nothing felt real.

Alarmed, the legendary mages led the rest of the followers to the council hall. Halfway there, the Order of Nature blocked their path, sealing the area and prohibiting approach.

This was the promise Garvin had made to Wayne: the Order of Nature would maintain order.

Meanwhile, in the center of the battlefield, the phantom goddess behind Garvin had vanished. The divine art collapsed on its own. No matter how he called out to the goddess, he could no longer sense Her blessing.

Garvin’s heart lurched. His swordsmanship remained steady and composed, but without the buff of the divine art, his speed and power fell short. Ludwig’s blade caught him in the shoulder.

Garvin’s armor shattered. He staggered backward, immediately vanishing from the spot when he sensed another incoming slash.

Ludwig didn’t pursue. He smiled at Garvin’s pale face. “Well? It feels like the goddess has abandoned you, doesn’t it?”

“What did you do?”

“It’s part of the pope’s legacy, a secret method passed down verbally from one pope to the next. You have no right to know.”

Ludwig spoke calmly. The black light in his eyes deepened, and his body shifted subtly. He frowned, recognizing the influence the Seven Deadly Sins had on him.

Pride, Envy, Wrath, Sloth, Greed, Gluttony, and Lust. Pride compelled Ludwig to answer Garvin’s question: “I’ll explain so that you’ll know how to meet your death. The headquarters of the Church of Nature exists in a complete Philosopher’s Stone. Every Law here was created by a living demigod. Without their sacrifice, the sanctuary wouldn’t have existed...”

“As the Pope, I control the Philosopher’s Stone and can manipulate anything inside, including your connection to the goddess!”

Ludwig grew even more prideful and laughed derisively. “You need my permission to use divine arts. If I don’t permit it, you’ll never meet the goddess again, even after your death.”

A chill hit everyone present. With a Philosopher’s Stone, Ludwig was practically a demigod even though he wasn’t one.

Ludwig looked at Garvin’s steely expression and then glanced at Tubert, who was fighting no one. Ignoring the three cowering insects, he shifted his gaze to Senna. The woman hadn’t moved at all.

“Oracle High Reverend Senna, you’ve witnessed power beyond the Legendary rank, the demigod rank. Tell me, is it Mr. Moula’s power, or Mr. Wayne’s?”

It was a key question, the answer to which would decide what Ludwig did after killing everyone.

“It was mine!” Senna smiled with fierce confidence flashing in her eyes.

The woman was unhinged, so her words shouldn’t be taken at face value. Ludwig snorted and said, “Since you’ve seen the power of a demigod, feel mine... Vitality domain!”

Rumble—

The three-meter vitality field around Ludwig dissolved into white nothingness. Black vines erupted from the edges, spreading in every direction at an incredible pace and expanding the domain. There were only eight of them, but they grew terrifyingly fast, and when they broke through the ground, the impact seemed to signal the awakening of an ancient great dragon.

The eight black vines writhed and coiled toward the sky, covering it in almost the blink of an eye. Their rough surfaces were covered in jagged, weathered ridges. Like eight mountain-sized tendrils, they shrouded the world in darkness.

Countless smaller vines sprouted from the ridges, growing without limit or restraint as they devoured everything around them. The manifestation embodied the way the vitality domain suppressed and influenced the vitality fields.

The world of mountainous forests created through the joint effort of the six mages was ravaged beyond recognition by the vines. The mountains crumbled, the waterways turned foul, and the trees darkened with black light, losing the green completely. Instead, the world was filled with a rotten, oppressive energy. The brimming vitality was no more, leaving the world a barren wasteland.

In the apocalyptic tableau, the eight black vines were the only overlords. They grew and spread while devouring and encroaching on everything, rewriting the world to make it their own.

Weaving, Baker, and McCarey despaired. They couldn’t stop Ludwig. Their combined power couldn’t even delay their demise. They had no choice but to rush to Tubert and Garvin, and the combined power of the five of them barely maintained a small sanctuary.

Their faces turned ashen. It felt like the sky was falling on them.

Ludwig had already taken the step toward demigodhood. Since he was a demigod and he possessed the Philosopher’s Stone forged by one, he essentially held the power of two demigods.

0.5 + 0.5 = 1. He was basically a full god!

Never mind if the math made sense. The equation was still correct.

To the five of them, Ludwig was essentially a god at this moment. He could determine if they lived or died.

“Your Holiness, I, too, wish to go to Hell!”

“I’ve always wanted to become a demon. I just need Your Holiness to show me the way.”

“Please give me a chance! I didn’t have a choice, but now, I just want to be a demon!”

The three opportunists fell over themselves declaring loyalty to Ludwig. Garvin grimly tightened his grip on his sword.

Tubert and Desiree said nothing, their hearts thumping. They saw no way for them to survive. They had met Wayne and knew that the successor of the Nature Knight was near, but...

It had only been a year since Wayne was picked as the successor. No matter how talented he was, he couldn’t possibly defeat a demigod with a Philosopher’s Stone.

Besides, Wayne wasn’t even here. He had sent Senna as his representative and went god-knows-where. If he was somewhere inside the church’s headquarters, then it was all over. Everyone was within Ludwig’s grasp, leaving no one to get an SOS signal out.

“How is it, Oracle High Reverend Senna? How does my demigod domain compare to the demigod you’ve seen?” Ludwig raised both hands, basking in his own power.

“No, you haven’t become a demigod.”

“...”

“They’re still standing. Their vitality fields are still holding. This isn’t how a real demigod’s domain should work. While your power has reached demigod level, you haven’t actually become one.” Senna pressed her lips together, savoring the infinite pleasure coursing through her body and thoughts. She said slowly, “Let me guess. You haven’t taken the final step yet and are using the Philosopher’s Stone to simulate a vitality domain. Am I right?”

“You’re too smart, Senna. A woman like you would never be favored by your knight master!” Ludwig didn’t deny the truth. She was correct. He had not taken the final step since his foundation was still lacking, preventing him from devouring the vitality fields of Garvin, the three Oracle High Reverends, and Tubert.

The reason was simply that it wasn’t yet time. Only when the Gate of Hell opened would he accept the demonic bloodline and take the step.

One could never be too careful when dealing with demons. It was also a precaution against the Divine Realm of Nature, in case the goddess enslaved him immediately after he became a demigod.

Although Ludwig wasn’t a true demigod at the moment, he had the power of one as well as a vitality domain. Thus, he didn’t see Senna as a threat. He only wanted to know how strong Wayne had become.

He considered Wayne a prodigy, but the Silver-ranked mage couldn’t have gotten any higher than Gold in a year. With Elemental Mantra, he would be close to a demigod’s level of power, but no more than that.

Still, that remained a speculation. It was better to make sure to be on the safe side.

“You’re right. My knight master does dislike me, but me being a bad woman is in my favor...”

Senna felt a building pleasure in her cells, almost making her transform on the spot. She quickly took a breath and changed the topic, her eyes turning icy. “Ludwig, you’re not yet a true demigod. There’s no need to call upon my master. Today, I’ll take your head myself.”

“You?” Ludwig chuckled. What a joke. His cold laugh was tinged with a hint of amusement. The woman was in over her head.

“Traitor Ludwig, you’ve become a demon’s pawn and betrayed the goddess and your faith. Your future ends here.”

“Save your nonsense. As if you’ve ever been faithful.”

“I truly am...” Senna cut a line into space and drew Elemental Mantra from her personal storage. Surging vitality spread, creating ripples of energy shockwaves in the sky.

“Elemental Mantra?!”

The divine artifact’s might could not be faked. Everyone, including Ludwig, was stunned.

None of them understood why Senna would be entitled to wield Elemental Mantra. Moreover, she could even wield its power.

She was nothing like a chosen knight.

“Don’t you understand? This is my faith’s reward for my loyalty!”

Senna smirked. Raising Elemental Mantra above her head, she expanded in an instant, casting a massive shadow down below.

Roooar—

A great dragon descended, triggering a surging mana tide brimming with four elements. Amid rippling space, Senna’s draconic eyes opened slowly.