Chapter 395 (2): A Habit, a Very Bad Habit
Seeing that Hestia had settled down, Wayne dissolved the chains with a wave, giving her the freedom to move. She immediately took advantage of it and lunged at him, swinging her fists at his face.
Wayne raised his cannon barrel so that her forearm slid right into it. Her eyes lit up. Remembering how the projected demon god had slammed a dragon to the ground, she went for an over-the-shoulder throw.
“Ha!”
He didn’t budge.
“Hah!”
“...” x4
“Take this.”
Wayne remained perfectly still. Pressing his two fingers together to form a blade, he jabbed Hestia in the side. A wave of tingling, numbing pain spread through her body, making her shudder violently and stumble to one side. Though her eyes were still burning with fury, she had finally settled down.
“Demon, just you wait. Once I break free, you will pay for this.”
“Save it.” Wayne raised an eyebrow. “I’ll have awakened by then. Would you dare to do it?”
“You—you...” Hestia’s expression became shocked. “You’ve remembered who you are, haven’t you?”
“No.”
“You definitely have.”
She became flustered, her hot temper reined in. She seemed almost meek all of a sudden.
Wayne held his fingers together with a small gap. “Though our standings in Heaven differ greatly, I have not recovered my memories. You may relax. For now, I’m human.”
“You... you really have recovered your memories.” Hestia bowed slightly. “Do you still remember me? I’m Throne Fr—”
“I don’t care who you are. Your rank is lower than mine anyway.”
You’ve clearly awakened!
Hestia nodded to herself. After awakening, Wayne was no longer the same Wayne. The slate between them had been cleaned. “Since you’ve awakened, I should properly introduce myself. I’m Throne Frey. Do you remember me now?”
Wayne leaned in. “I don’t. Let me see your stigma. Maybe that’ll jog my memory.”
Hestia nodded and started undoing her top.
“Stop. I was teasing you. Why would you take me seriously?” Wayne hastily stopped her. “I was only saying things at random. I haven’t awakened at all. It’s a test. Now, I’ve confirmed that you know who I am, and that I apparently hold a prominent position in Heaven.”
Hestia nodded. “I understand. Your identity is a top secret. I won’t say a word about it, and as far as anyone’s concerned, you still haven’t awakened.”
Oh, no. My fun’s over!
Wayne greatly regretted his actions. Sharp as he was, he couldn’t believe he had committed the most elementary of mistakes—he had chosen instant gratification over sustainable entertainment.
He cursed at himself and fell silent. Time would tell. In no time, Hestia would realize that Śār Hesione hadn’t awakened and was nothing but a demon wearing a human skin.
In that, Wayne was confident.
He pointed at the Philosopher’s Stone fragment. “Don’t underestimate this junk. The information it contains is something neither of us has ever encountered. Demonic vessels are nothing compared to it. Prussia believes that angels can also be influenced by it and brought under control.”
“Impossible!” Hestia declared.
“My thoughts exactly.” Wayne shrugged. Even if he were thinking with Seleucia’s little brain, the probability of success would be zero. If Hestia were somehow corrupted, he would eat these stones.
“It would be useless against you, but not against the mages of the Chosen Land. These fragments are walking disasters. I intend to investigate the production facility, so I can’t expose myself just yet. Do me a favor and help me create the illusion that I’ve completed the mission.”
“No problem.”
Hestia put her hand on the stone fragment, receiving the information within.
I’m gonna just stand here. What are you going to do about it?
Two seconds later, the confident smile on Hestia’s face froze and crumbled into terror. She snatched her hand back, trembling. Disbelief filled her eyes, then morphed into utter bewilderment.
“What’s wrong?” Wayne lowered the document case and seized her arm. The moment his thoughts surged in, he sensed her life essence changing.
“Impossible!”
Yet the evidence was right before his eyes. He had no choice but to believe that machine ascension was more advanced than angels. Hestia had been corrupted, and she couldn’t expel the corruption on her own.
“Relax your thoughts and hold onto your form as an angel.”
Wayne’s eyes turned pale. With his five fingers tightened and melded with Hestia’s arms, his tendrils of thoughts extended like precise scalpels, cutting out the invading corruption and drawing it into himself.
Ten minutes later, Hestia stood pale against the wall, with lingering fear still visible in her eyes.
Wayne, the lead surgeon, had completed the operation, but his expression was dark. With a looming shadow in his heart, he said with difficulty, “This isn’t the power of a Philosopher’s Stone. Prussia is backed by a god. Only a god can alter a demigod.”
The Heavenly Father had unified the Chosen Land, defeating all rivals and becoming the one and only authority in the entire world. He seemed to be going down the evolution path of the ancient gods.
Hestia wasn’t an ordinary demigod. An angel’s evolution far outranked that of elves. If even an angel couldn’t resist the stone fragment, the other demigods...
He gulped. The waters in Prussia ran far deeper than he had expected. Technologically, Prussia had not only surpassed the overall level of the Chosen Land, but also the churches and the Divine Realms.
Which god had been orchestrating everything from the shadows?
Wayne no longer believed that mustached Führer to be the mastermind. This was undeniably the kind of power that only a god could wield, merely wrapped in the shell of a Philosopher’s Stone.
“No wonder they’re so confident. No wonder even the demon lords keep a low profile here...”
“It also explains the unnatural amount of Philosopher’s Stone fragments...”
Wayne narrowed his eyes at Hestia. “You can’t resist the new evolution, so you’re destined to become a traitor to Heaven. If I stop here, I’ll be exposed.”
Hestia blanched. “I’d rather die than fall!”
“Don’t worry. I won’t let you fall.” Wayne drew all the information out of the stones in the document case. A bet was a bet. As promised, he ate every last one of them.
“Are you going to expose yourself?” Hestia was deeply moved.
“Don’t be stupid. The situation is too dire for me to do that. Even Heaven is at risk of falling. There’s no way I’d expose myself for your sake.” Wayne huffed, snapping his fingers. “I’m a professional, so I have a solution. Regina, I’ll need you to take the burden for a while.”
“Boss, can’t you have someone else do it?” Regina stepped forward with a grimace.
“Be good. I’ll buy you a new purse.”
Wayne pressed a hand to her face, shooting out white foam to produce a lifelike skin-suit based on Lust incarnate, putting it on Regina. Then, he used his newly acquired Law to make ‘Hestia’ appear to have undergone the evolution of Mechanical Augmentation.
‘Hestia’ stood beside Wayne with a pitiful look, holding his arm in her bosom. She didn’t want to stay in the holding cell. She demanded to swap places with Ottilia.
“What are you dreaming about? You’re a librarian, while she’s the library director’s lover. You’re different.”
“...”
Regina despaired. She suspected that Wayne was suggesting something. A librarian could become the director’s lover any day; she just had to think about whether she wanted to put in the effort.
Hestia watched everything unfold with wide eyes. Before she could ask any question, she found Wayne studying her with a hand on his chin.
“With your figure, you can’t pass as Regina. Using magic will cause mana disturbance. I’ll have to transform you into a succubus.”
Wayne took out his incomplete Philosopher’s Stone and coated Hestia’s forehead with a layer of white foam before pressing the stone between her brows. The black bands of the Seven Deadly Sins wound around her voluptuous figure. The cantos on Lust sang, transforming her into a succubus with horns, fleshy wings, and a long tail.
With the skin suits, Regina and Hestia swapped identities.
“Regina, you’ll be Lust incarnate from now on,” Wayne said with narrowed eyes. “When the word gets out that an angel has been converted to a being of Mechanical Augmentation, someone will want to see you in person. Remember to maintain a mental link with me at all times. It’s crucial. Do you understand?”
“Mm.”
“Stop sulking. Once we’re back in Londan, I’ll take you to a movie. How about that?”
“Boss, that’s a punishment.”
“You’re asking for a punishment.”
Wayne hit her head with a hand chop and wrapped her with black chains. Then he turned to Hestia and said with an eyebrow raised, “I’ve got to say, people may be given the wrong name, but never the wrong nickname. You make a lewd succubus!”
Hestia looked ready to fall apart. Though she was covered in plenty of fabric, she felt a surge of unstoppable shame, as though her angelic heart might fall from grace at any moment.
“Hm? Someone’s coming.”
Wayne frowned, telling his secretaries to stand behind him.
Ottilia turned into a succubus and stood behind Wayne, while Hestia, not yet immersed in her new role, lowered her head and returned to the chains, only realizing then that ‘herself’ had taken her place.
Then who am I?
“Idiot, you’re Regina now. Get over here.” Wayne beckoned her over with a scowl, warning her, “A demonic vessel is coming. Do not speak or even make a sound. You hear me?”
“Yes. I won’t put you in trouble.”
Hestia nodded. The succubus’s skin was mortifying, but it was the best option available. Wayne was protecting her. She had to be grateful.
Bam!
The door to the holding cell slammed open. A wolfman and a tigerman strode in—Wrath and Gluttony.
The moment the two demon lords returned to the human world, they had been snarling that they wanted to divide Derrida and Hestia between them, but couldn’t find the angels anywhere. After a quick physical exchange, they learned that the angels had shut themselves in and been transported to the bunker under the orphanage.
Without wasting a moment, they came straight to the holding cells, fighting any soldiers in their way.
As soon as they entered, they stopped. They saw two succubi of exceptional quality. Judging by their bright eyes, they were no ordinary demon vessels, and they certainly weren’t disposable one-use products.
Wrath narrowed his vicious wolf eyes. “Lust’s vessels. Has she come, too?”
Gluttony lowered his tiger head and saw the empty stone shards in the document case, his expression twisted. “Damn it, we’re too late. The angel has been corrupted.”
Shouldn’t you two demon lords be laughing when you see an angel fall? You’ve gotten the wrong script!
While the two demon lords might not know their roles, Wayne did. He stepped forward and blocked the unconscious ‘Hestia’. “Demons of Hell,” he said icily. “This isn’t your place to be. Go back to the projected space.”
“Who are you?”
“The new director of the orphanage, Major Christian.”
“A major...”
“How dare a mere major speak to us like that? You spoke as if you were a marshal.” Wrath’s face darkened. “Reincarnated angels are Hell’s spoils of war. Prussia has no claim. Since you’ve done your research, hand the angels over.”
“I’m afraid I can’t do that. I answer only to the Führer.” Wayne scoffed with contempt. “As for you... This is Prussia, not Hell. You don’t get to run wild here. Go back and sit in your territory. Don’t force me to make you do the right thing.”
“Bastard!!”
“You’re dead!”
Comments