Chapter 505 (2): If You Lower Your Arms Now and Surrender, You Would Remain as a Subordinate God. Wouldn’t That Be Nice?

“How about I arrange for you to meet up with a few of the Night Gods? They are ladies in waiting at the temple and former Holy Maidens, all beautiful.” Grau was determined to destroy Saigner's chance.

He truly hated traitors!

Stroking his chin, Wayne took quite some time to figure out what Grau was doing. He would say no to a blind date since Grau’s target was Saigner, and Wayne wasn’t interested in blind dates. He didn’t have to take the joke seriously.

But! He had to say something!

“You’ve underestimated me and Saigner, Grau. I only teased Saigner in retaliation for her treacherous actions. I feel nothing for her.” Wayne shook his head seriously. “On the other hand, Saigner isn’t a fool who would offer her body like that. I’ve been taking care of her because I saw her determination to change for the better. Since the goddess has granted Saigner’s life, She isn’t going to give up on her. Saigner has overcome the trial while being completely in the dark. That is the goddess’s exclusive mission for her.”

That maxed out Saigner’s affection for him. Her eyes reddened in response. When no one believed her, Wayne alone extended his hand to drag her from the abyss. Of course he would leave a deep impression on her.

The progress bar was going in!

Grau frowned. He wasn’t a fool brainwashed by religion, so he didn’t believe Wayne’s pretentious reasoning. He showed Saigner no consideration. “It’s fine for you to toy with her, but don’t take her seriously. She isn’t good enough for you.”

That garnered him a murderous glare from Saigner.

Wayne shrugged without a word.

There were many possible explanations for Death’s successful manipulation of Nature. Perhaps Death was simply smarter. Perhaps Nature desired Death’s information so much that She would make the attempt even while knowing that She was being used. Perhaps Nature had known the truth and was merely playing along for Her own goal. Perhaps the two goddesses had put on a show together for the other goddesses.

There was no point in agonizing over the question before waking Death up. Grau didn’t want to jump to conclusions, and Wayne didn’t want to waste his time. They skipped the topic readily.

“He’s the only one left.” Wayne pointed at the map of the Underworld, specifically at the eleventh level. “The Temple of Eternity, where the goddess lies in slumber, is located in the heart of the One Universe. Both are Sizorn’s territories. I plan to kill the only traitor in the Underworld. What say you?”

Grau didn’t object. Traitors should be executed. They did not deserve the goddess’s understanding.

Saigner nodded vehemently. If Sizorn didn’t die, she would be meeting the goddess alongside Sizorn. Then being lumped together with him would make her a traitor even if she wasn’t one.

It would be best for Sizorn to die.

“If you’re all in agreement, that’s a plan...” Wayne took a deep breath and stood up, touching his right eye. “I dislike wasting time. The goddess has been in slumber for a long time, and the Underworld cannot do without Her. Let’s set out and kill Sizorn to wake the goddess up in the Temple of Eternity.”

The Temple of Eternity housed Aztimor’s main body. Only by corrupting the main body could he take over the Underworld fully.

He had been looking forward to that day. He had taken ninety-nine steps already, so he wouldn’t allow the last step to go wrong.

Grau and Rognes stood up. The former looked excited, while the latter seemed anxious. Worried that she would not be forgiven, she kept making eyes at Wayne.

The subordinate gods were second only to one god in the Underworld, so the concept of seduction wasn’t even in their minds. Her action, however, could only be described as seduction. She might as well be handing Wayne a keycard to her room.

Grau huffed with mockery and contempt.

Wayne patted Saigner’s shoulder with a smile. “You needn’t do this. The goddess has always been in the Underworld, and She’s been watching you. I have a feeling that you’re already forgiven.”

That’s called flirting and running!

***

One Universe, eleventh level of the Underworld.

Above the vast starry sky, grey, washed-out mist permeated the dome. It was a filter consisting of faith and Death, making sure that Aztimor could acquire uncorrupted information from the Astral Plane.

That was the true One Universe. The shortcut that Wayne had taken was a dead end. Originally, it should have led right to the back door of the Temple of Eternity, but the three subordinate gods had cut off the shortcut when they took over the Underworld.

To enter the Temple of Eternity and meet the goddess, one had to walk right over Sizorn’s dead body.

Outside the cosmos, a discreet figure shrouded in grey mist walked slowly, his faint presence becoming one with the environment. Only through direct visual observation could he be detected.

It was Rognes.

He felt at peace as he scanned the infinite One Universe. His calm thoughts allowed him to blend in with the sky perfectly for a successful infiltration. However, progress was a little slow. He remained on the outer rim even after all this time.

Rognes hadn’t sped up. For one, he had to avoid exposing himself and confronting Sizorn head-on. For another, he was waiting for Wayne’s distraction. He believed that Wayne’s operation couldn’t have gone smoothly; even if it had, it would take at least a month for Wayne to draw Sizorn away.

So he took his time. Hurrying wouldn’t help.

Rumble!!!

A large patch of light streaked through the cosmos, each light and shadow an impressive existence. Rognes hid behind a broken star, thinking that Sizorn had found him. After a moment, though, he realized that the glowing figures weren’t coming after him, but rushing out of the One Universe, led by Sizorn.

“What’s going on? What happened?” Rognes murmured to himself, a possibility occurring to him. “Say it isn’t Wayne rushing over with the rebels. Please let it be Saigner or Grau. Wayne isn’t Sizorn’s match. If he covers me by risking himself...”

“He would die!”

Rognes unconsciously moved toward where the glowing figures had disappeared, but stopped after a few steps. He let out a rueful sigh.

“Wayne just bought me a chance at the risk of his life. I must not hesitate now. I must head to the Temple of Eternity...”

“But if I go, he will die. How am I going to live with myself the rest of my life?”

“That bastard. I told him not to confront the subordinate gods openly, that he should take it slow. Why must he be this aggressive...”

Rognes tightened the robe of grey mist around him, the dancing light in his eye sockets growing icy. “Sizorn, Saigner, Grau—you deserve death!”

He rushed toward the Temple of Eternity as fast as he could.

He had been suppressing his energy and never once contacted the outside world, so he didn’t know the progress Wayne had made. He thus didn’t know that Wayne wasn’t fighting alone now; he was joined by Grau and Saigner as his companions.

That was why Sizorn had rushed to the frontline even though he would be leaving the rear unguarded, taking the threat with the utmost seriousness.

Even if Rognes had heard the truth, he would consider it hearsay. Such a growth rate was impossible.

It had only been two months since he last met Wayne. He knew how strong Wayne had been and believed it impossible for Wayne to grow this fast. Grau and Saigner possessed the Authority over the Underworld. That, combined with their inherent power as subordinate gods, meant that they wouldn’t surrender so readily.

There was only one explanation: Wayne was giving away his life so that Rognes could enter the Temple of Eternity.

The willingness to sacrifice moved Rognes. He compared their virtues and found himself lacking. In terms of faith and loyalty, he wasn’t even worthy of being Wayne’s errand boy.

If he hadn’t been born a skeleton, he would’ve burst into tears as he ran.

Still, he felt like Wayne was right by his side, that he had inherited Wayne’s dying wish. He wasn’t fighting alone.

He would win!

Truth was often unimaginably unlikely. The twelve-leveled Underworld was vast, with many elite monsters and side quests to take on. It should take at least three months to complete the whole map. If one employed the decapitation strategy, however, there were only three boss monsters to take on. Wayne had enough raw power to finish them in a day.

He even had time for a few meetings and a good bath, with someone scrubbing his back.

***

On the fringe of the One Universe, thick grey mist covered the sky, its deathly despair permeating space and rendering the starry sky into ruins. The forceful corruption turned the area into a lifeless wasteland.

Against the grim dark backdrop, a hundred demigods hovered, each of their blurry forms radiating an oppressive presence.

At the very front of the troops stood three pronounced figures: Grau, the Observer, Saigner, the Judge, and an unfamiliar pretty boy. The fact that the pretty boy was in the center showed the respect that Grau and Saigner held for him. For someone to command the respect of subordinate gods who held the Authority of the Underworld...

That alerted the army stationed at the edge of the One Universe. They immediately reported the emergency at the frontline to their superior.

Meanwhile, not many cheerleaders had joined Wayne. Aside from the idealists that Rognes had recruited across the Underworld, everyone else was either Saigner’s or Grau’s subordinate.

Their numbers didn’t reach four digits, but every single one of them was a demigod. They were enough to impress—or be the ones to be impressed.

Rumble!!

Dozens of shooting stars cut through the sky and reached the frontline. Corpse dragons and bone dragons with the features of great dragons lined up in a file. They were all vassals that Sizorn had personally created.

Donning black dragon armor, Sizorn appeared as a handsome, heroic man with a dignified presence. The ugly scar on his face stood out, giving his righteous face a villainous edge. He was fully capable of erasing the scar. There had to be a reason he kept it.

His dark scowl made it seem like someone had cockolded him more than once, right in front of him.

“Saigner, Grau, you two...” His face darkened further as he identified the wanted bandits among the demigods. He observed Wayne closely. “So, you are Rognes!”

“I’m Death Knight Wayne, thank you very much.” Wayne drew Shadow Nightmare and held it in front of his chest. Then he turned to Grau and asked, “What’s the deal with the scar on Sizorn’s face? A warm gift from the man his wife has run away with?”

“Huh?!” Grau didn’t immediately catch the joke. Once he figured out the insult, he nodded seriously and said loudly, “That is a personal humiliation for Sizorn, so I cannot say much about it. You know how it is. You should keep it to yourself. Talking about it out loud in front of so many witnesses would be embarrassing to him.”

“You should’ve told me earlier,” Wayne grumbled. “I was too loud.”

“Don’t worry. I was louder.”

“That’s good.”

“Kukuku—”

“Kekeke—”

The two vermin got along like a house on fire. Compared to them, Saigner seemed lonely and arrogant as she stood on the side with a steely expression, unable to blend in.

“Tsk, such pride!” Grau seized the chance to mock her, once again urging Wayne not to let Saigner fool him into giving his body away.

“Right? What’s a traitor got to be so proud of?” Wayne agreed without pause, then pointed his sword at Sizorn and corrected himself. “I’m talking about you, traitor of the Underworld. The rightful ruler’s legion has arrived to clean house all across the ravaged lands...”

“The general public shows their support and admiration. That is the goddess’s will...”

“The faint glow of you rotten weeds is nothing compared to the divine light of the starry sky!”

“If you lower your arms now and surrender as is proper, you would remain as a subordinate god, and this realm would once again have peace. Wouldn’t that be nice?”

That wasn’t a direct quote, but it was a good enough approximation of what Wayne had said.

After going through the motion, Wayne waited for Sizorn to respond. He had come prepared. He could just translate the lines about white-haired brute and bearded scoundrel into this world’s language[1].

Sizorn listened with a cold poker face. “You are not Rognes. He’ll never say something this crass. Who are you?”

“Death Knight Wayne. Are you blind or deaf?” Wayne frowned, turning to snark loudly at Grau, “What’s the deal with this one? Did he lose the ability to understand human language after the dude who cuckolded him crushed his heart at the scene of the crime of infidelity?”

“Shh, you shouldn’t say that, either.”

“Oh, I’m new here. My apologies.”

The two vermin were more devastatingly infuriating together than apart. When Sizorn heard the word ‘heart’, his face became distorted beyond his control. Their back and forth further stoked his ire.

“Stop your posturing. I know who you are. You have nothing to do with Death. You’re the Goddess of Darkness’s subordinate god.” Sizorn scoffed. “Grau, Saigner, the two of you have defected to Nature...”

“Congratulations on finding a new master!”

1. It’s a reference to Romance of the Three Kingdoms. The descriptions are used by Zhuge Liang to refer to Wang Lang after the latter defected to Cao Cao’s Wei. ☜