Mythology Rebooted

Pale magic power flooded into his body, decadent and withered, filled with the silence of death.

Wayne only felt as if he had drunk a cup of ice water in the dead of winter, his gums sour and aching, and he couldn't help shivering.

The Book of Greed pulsed and breathed, sweeping away the madness-inducing silence within the magic power, dispersing its corrupt turbidity, and elegant, tranquil magic rippled with the clear sparkle of flowing water.

Wayne could feel that The Book of Greed was not devouring magic power but some kind of energy tangled up with it.

At the same time, The Book of Greed was very picky, having actively tasted Monica's magic power the previous time, but this time, it was much more perfunctory, as if to say, "I'm idle anyway, might as well take a taste."

So perfunctory!

The small eyeball that opened up did not change, still gray and blind, unable to respond to Wayne's gaze.

Wayne didn't understand – The Book of Greed had changed too much, completely different from his original intent when programming it. He could only fumble for its pattern bit by bit until he mastered the correct way to activate it.

Monica sent all her magic power into Wayne's body, guiding her own magic power for Wayne's use, indicating her trust in Wayne and her high regard for his potential.

Wayne did not disappoint Monica's trust; he truly had great potential. The cool moonlight unfolded brilliantly, enveloping Wayne's body until his entire figure blurred into a cocoon of light.

Such pure moonlight!

By the Goddess above, he was indeed a genius!

Monica was both shocked and delighted; it had completed its guidance, allowing Wayne to cast magic for the first time, fearing its own presence would interfere with Wayne's thought process during the spell, it leaped away and watched him from a distance with its tail held high.

The oval cocoon rapidly expanded, a large hand reached out, and a figure over three meters tall emerged from the cocoon of light.

Humanoid, with the facial features blurred, obscuring eyes, nose, mouth, ears, and other organs.

The simple modeling included only limbs and torso, rough to the extreme. William, who was watching from the side, couldn't help but let out a soft gasp, feeling as if his magic had been plagiarized.

In the spirit of friendship, he considered this a tribute to him.

Monica was so excited that her fur puffed up; looking beyond appearances to the essence, Wayne's magic was crude and simple with nothing much to see, yet its core radiated noble, tranquil moonlight, unseen before and could be said to set a standard for disciples of the Moonlight Goddess.

It was right; Wayne could certainly become a favored one of the Goddess.

Wayne hadn't used magic to conjure a nuclear bomb, which was unreliable, not to mention whether Monica's magic power was sufficient, even if he had created one, he wouldn't dare use it.

All life is equal; he would run for it if he could.

In comparison, William's little light person mode was more dependable.

Is this magic?

Wayne raised his arm, and his vision was filled with white light, without eyes, he couldn't see anything, nothing but white.

Just as he wondered where his eyes had gone, a sound of flesh and muscle writhing erupted from the chest area of the figure of light, and a vertical fissure tore his chest open, as a huge eyeball suddenly sprang open.

I can see!

The world became abruptly brighter and clearer than ever before.

As magic was cast, Wayne felt as if he had merged with The Book of Greed; he couldn't see this world clearly, but The Book of Greed could. This sight, like a sword cleaving through fog, revealed the madness beneath the handsome exterior.

The colossal eyeball swept around, and the figure of light turned to look at William and Monica, giving a thumbs up to show he felt fantastic.

"..."x2

William and Monica felt terrible, not good at all. The moment the eyeball looked at them, they felt as if they had fallen into an icy cavern, their hairs standing on end, their hearts racing loudly in their ears.

For instance, Monica stood stiff on all fours, her fur bristled, tail erect, arching its back and letting out a scream.

The scream sounded so pleasant to Wayne, encouraged by his friend, he turned and rushed out.

Veronica and Mike Nelson were in a chaotic battle. As a Dragonblood Descendant, his strength was prodigious, surpassing human limits and reaching the realm of magic, making wrecking the house as easy as dismantling building blocks.

Mike was being brutally overpowered, unable to find an opening to cast his spells, relying entirely on his Immortal Body and white gloves to endure, somehow managing a stalemate with Veronica.

Veronica held the upper hand steadily; her punches were exceptionally fierce, but Mike was not worried. With the priest's assistance, he had become one with the town, a strong law greatly coveted by the Goddess of Death, not to be scattered by common physical attacks.

Moreover, the ritual was about to begin, and everyone would become his offerings.

At that thought, Mike revealed a cruel smile.

Boom!

A white fist came whistling through the air, and Mike, smiling, was sent flying.

Veronica looked at Wayne, whose appearance had vastly changed, and quickly understood the reason after a brief contemplation. She pouted slightly, somewhat upset, and turned away from the battlefield.

Of course, she was also startled; the Great Eyeball gave her a very bad feeling, visceral and indescribable terror.

"You handle the Death Walker..."

Only magic could counter magic. Veronica knew she couldn't deal with Mike, and she began searching for the Magic Array that would trigger the ritual.

Destroying the Magic Array, there was still time.

Mike stood up with his battered body, his eyes meeting the gigantic eyeball, and he froze for a moment, feeling an indescribable fear deep inside, as if he would go insane if he looked any longer.

What magic is this?

Wayne kicked Mike away with a foot and strode forward to trample him on the ground. The height difference made it very difficult to throw a punch, and bouncing a few times on him was more efficient than wasting time with fist swings.

Mike's body was fragile, and after several grindings, large patches of his human skin fell off, revealing a withered body no different from the villagers'.

He glanced in Veronica's direction, seemingly worried that she might find the Magic Array. Witnessing this, William, who was among the onlookers, shouted to remind Veronica that their enemy was panicking, which meant the Magic Array was nearby.

Mike's roar cut through the air as the black inverted triangle symbol drawn on his white gloves released black tendrils. Eight spider-like legs crawled on the ground, wrapping around the Shadow Giant's hands and feet, immobilizing it on the spot.

Bathed in the moonlight, the Shadow Giant's hands transformed into two long knives, their clear, flowing arcs slicing through the air and severing the spider legs.

The severed spider legs twitched on the ground, unable to continue their assault due to the tranquilizing effect of the moonlight.

The Shadow Giant's hands morphed into two long spikes, which pierced through Mike's torso and shoulders, nailing him to the ground. A Great Eyeball at the chest stared directly at Mike, reflecting his hideous face and provoking incessant screams.

Mike felt as if he were going mad; his resilient mind, fortified through trials of death, was now fragile. In the eyeball, he saw his grotesque self and the pale moon hanging high in the night sky.

Pain from deep within his soul made his body convulse uncontrollably, as if he was bound to a grill, his skin peeled and muscles twitching from the torment, leaving him nearly drained and unable to resist.

"Ahhhhhhhh---"

Mike wailed in agony, his hands ripping open his sallow ribs to reveal his shriveled internal organs.

At the position of his heart, there was the conspicuously striking symbol of the Golden Triangle.

Wayne looked at the symbol in surprise, sensing no presence of Death within it. As soon as his confusion arose, he was vehemently knocked back by a golden glow.

In his chest, the Great Eyeball burst, and a gray-white liquid slowly oozed out. The injured eyeball shut tightly in response.

Where the gray-white liquid flowed, new skin tissue proliferated, veins rising beneath the skin like parasites squirming underneath, periodically shifting their position. This new layer of skin was pockmarked and resembled the cover of The Book of Greed.

The Golden Triangle radiated light, casting its projection on the eerie, enormous lunar surface. The air suddenly grew heavy, and the entire space came to a standstill.

The flames ravaging the town ceased to flicker, the zombified villagers fell silent, and all was still—no wind, no tree movement, so quiet one could hear a pin drop.

Veronica and William looked up at the sky, unable to move, their faces contorted with the beginnings of madness in their eyes. Monica, somewhat better off, her fur on end, passed out with her eyes wide open.

Wayne didn't understand what the Golden Triangle signified, but he knew that his Supernatural Sensing was emitting a piercing warning: the ritual was complete, and Mike had etched the Magic Array into his own heart.

"Hahahaha---"

While everyone was immobilized, Mike's body slowly rose. With his hands lifted and his withered face serene, he welcomed the grand descent as if on a pilgrimage.

Countless gray mists converged from every direction of Caforno Town, gathering within Mike and causing his flesh to swell and mutate into a vast black sphere.

The sphere, about ten meters in diameter, was formed from numerous greasy, filthy black human bodies. They appeared as if submerged in tar, limbs endlessly twisting and writhing, each face mouth agape emitting soul-piercing, meaningless wails.

Buzzing-----

In an instant, Wayne's head nearly burst, his thoughts diving into a frenzy, barely maintaining control.

What Wayne did not realize at this moment was that when the gray mist flowed towards Mike, he intercepted a portion of it, or more accurately, his version merged with The Book of Greed swallowed it.

This mist entered The Book of Greed, which then opened a second, smaller eyeball.

The Great Eyeball in his chest recovered and slowly opened, the gray-white liquid that dripped from below its slit pupil solidified into a dark ink color, indelible and inseparable.

Simultaneously, the gray proliferating tissue spread over his entire body from head to toe covering completely the outline of the Shadow Giant.

Internally, a flesh without bones or organs gradually filled out.

Thump!

Thump!!

Thump!!!

Rhythmic thudding, reminiscent of a heartbeat, began to sound.

The Great Eyeball trembled, fixating on the black sphere in midair.

Desire!

"The Gate of Truth has been opened, and from this night forth, I, Mike Nelson, shall echo across this land with the name of a legend!"

Above the flesh sphere, Mike's upper torso slowly emerged from it, from chest to abdomen, melding with the black arms and contorted faces. His consciousness now dominated the will of the entire Caforno Town.

Now, he was ready to sacrifice the town and himself to reach the Gate of Truth, a destination long coveted by Mages.

Boom!!

On the lunar surface projected by the Golden Triangle, an abyssal black spiral opened against the backdrop of the studded cosmos—vast and infinite, awash with endless possibilities.

Wayne's head exploded with a bang. His eyeballs fixated on the Gate of Truth, irises oscillating wildly in excitement, his whole body trembling uncontrollably.

Crave!!!

The Book of Greed conveyed its manic desire to Wayne, making the black sphere that was once so coveted seem unappealing, not even qualifying as an appetiser before the main course.