Chapter 528 (2): Father, Say Something!

Wayne stared at the three of them coldly. “I see your loyalty. All of you are qualified to become a viceroy. However, there are only two sides to the divine throne. Hesione is the left side of the throne, and she’s irreplaceable. The three of you can’t divide the right side of the throne.”

“You need not worry about that, Great Anointed One. I’ll kill them both.”

“Great Anointed One, there is also the front of the divine throne.”

“Well said. There’s the back of the divine throne, too.”

“Shut up, you three vermin,” Wayne snapped with a scowl. “How is Heaven going to fare well with you bunch of trash? There is only one right side of the divine throne. I don’t need you to tear each other apart. I just want the most loyal among you. Now, it’s time for you to demonstrate your loyalty.”

“Please enlighten me, Great Anointed One.” x3

“Elohim once gave Mikhael a mission. What is it?” Wayne looked at them. “Tell me. The first one to tell me will be the next Viceroy Mikhael, while the other two could only be demons and enemies of Holy Light and justice. They will be the sins that the Anointed One and the Heavenly Father speak of, never walking in the light.”

“...” x3

The three vermin fell silent, their faces turning pale. Not only did they not say anything, but they also looked at each other in case the others opened their mouths.

“How loyal!” Wayne praised, then said in disappointment, “However, your loyalty lies in Elohim and Heaven, not the Anointed One.”

“Great Anointed One...” Mikhael said stiffly. “You are the Anointed One chosen by Father. I’m loyal to Father’s orders, so I’m loyal to you.”

Still, what if Elohim returns?

Wayne took a deep breath and splayed his fingers at the three of them, speaking apologetically, “Pride is an important early investor in my life, Forest’s orphanages saved my dear love, and Mikhael, despite having a twisted personality, was the most important viceroy to Heaven. I didn’t want to corrupt you and turn you into my vassals if possible.”

They blinked in surprise. Visibly shocked, Mikhael unfolded his three pairs of white wings and drew the Spear of Time, with the Oath Sword and the Binding Sword flanking him. He lunged at the incoming white foam.

Rumble!!

Hell trembled. The pale ocean swept down, and infinite white foam surged into the spatial fissures, shrouding the pitch-black world in a layer of paleness. On the surface, Hell seemed unchanged, but the interior had become completely different—Wayne had reshaped it anew. The Abyss had also been turned pale. From now on, no great demon god could emerge without his permission.

Three white figures writhed right in front of the cross, reverting to their original forms. Mikhael stood stiffly with his three divine weapons on his back, muttering ‘impossible’ and ‘that’s too quick’. It shocked him how much stronger Wayne had become that he made He Who Is Like God completely helpless.

In fact, even real gods couldn’t resist Wayne’s corruption without their Divine Realms enhancing them. They only remained uncorrupted because Wayne didn’t like doing it.

This was necessary, however. Elian had emerged as the Horseman of Death, and Elohim was suspected to be the mastermind behind the scenes. The Final Judgment put a great pressure on Wayne. Even if the world weren’t ending, he would still have to break his own rules for his loved ones.

Only the living could worry about their principles. The dead would have nothing. Even if he could survive, what about those he cared about? It was necessary for him to be more flexible.

“Tell me, Mikhael, what is Elohim’s mission for you?”

“It’s-it’s...”

Mikhael’s expression showed signs of struggle and pain. He admired Elohim and had devoted his everything earnestly. At this moment, however, he had no choice but to reveal his mission.

“Protect the Lord of Greed. Anyone could die before the day comes, but not Greed.”

He shut his eyes and slumped down on the ground.

“The Lord of Greed...” Wayne narrowed his eyes, remembering the greedy businessman. Unbelievable. He didn’t expect Elohim to take that form while in slumber.

“Is it really him?”

Things went too smoothly, and he had acquired key intel too easily. He couldn’t help but suspect foul play.

Then he remembered something. “When Bat Demon came to Hell, he wanted to go to the Lord of Greed’s territory, but you didn’t allow it. Is that why?”

“Yes.” Mikhael nodded. Bat Demon was an incarnation created through Pride’s altar, making him his replica, only with Wayne’s thoughts. The ‘Lord of Pride’ had let it in for his own entertainment, curious how the new blood would change Hell. Just in case, Pride kept it away from Greed’s territory.

Wayne frowned in thought. The Lord of Greed was Elohim in slumber, and Wayne had a Book of Greed. Both bore the name of ‘greed’, and both had gone down the evolution path of the ancient gods...

Was the word ‘greed’ a passkey to the Astral Plane?

“It should be a coincidence. If one doesn’t have greed, one won’t crave knowledge, while those who crave knowledge have all lost their mind and could only understand everything after losing their mind...”

Wayne trailed off, unable to come up with more nonsense.

He decided to label it as a coincidence for now. Waving at Forest to dismiss him, Wayne told him to be a good vermin and stop hiding in the back and spectating for his own entertainment—he should notify Wayne so that he could join.

Mikhael didn’t leave. He said with a frown, “Great Anointed One, what is the meaning of Father’s mission for me? Do you know?”

No wonder he was the top leader of Hell and the second in command in Heaven. Mikhael keenly saw the crux of the problem. The fact that Wayne had suddenly resorted to coercion to make him comply meant that the mission concerned something far more terrifying than he had expected.

Mikhael didn’t suspect why Wayne would betray Elohim. An Anointed One handpicked by the Heavenly Father would be fulfilling the Heavenly Father’s prophecy even when he betrayed Him. Mikhael was just curious what exactly the Lord of Greed was and what role he played in the final judgment.

Elohim had never told him about that.

Wayne thought for a moment, then shook his head at the expectant Mikhael. “Do you remember the Revelation from the Sacred Tome? Elohim plotted the final judgment and created the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, and He’s very likely the Horseman of Pestilence. He’s still in slumber at this moment, and his sleeping form is the Lord of Greed.”

“That-that can’t be true!” Mikhael rejected it decisively, his eyes red. “Father will never destroy the world. He created the Chosen Land, so everyone is His child. He’s also completed the Seven Deadly Sins and the Seven Sacred Virtues to guide His children to the virtuous way. Destroying the world would be at odds with His original intention.”

Meeting his defiant gaze, Wayne slowly opened his mouth. “What if... He created the world to destroy it?”

Mikhael stilled, murmuring, “Then what... what are we, His children, to him?”

He suddenly remembered the ‘Mikhael’ he had killed. The replica had asked the same question in front of the cross before his death.

“Mikhael, you see Elohim as your father and hold awe and loyalty for him, as all angels do. But... conversely, Elohim most likely has no parental love for you angels. I saw a laboratory in Heaven that divided the angels into different ranks. You are the products of His experiments...”

Wayne paused. “You angels are the byproducts of his pursuit of evolution, and you in particular are the most talented among them. Do you understand?”

“I don’t believe you!” Mikhael growled and tried to attack Wayne. For that, his thoughts fell into disarray, and his body destabilized, causing him great pain.

Wayne offset his pain with a wave and sighed. “I allow you to keep your loyalty to Elohim since, no matter the reasons, He granted you life. For the world and for myself, however, I must see Him as an enemy.”

“Impossible. Absolutely impossible!” Mikhael still refused to believe it. He pointed at Wayne and said, “You are the Anointed One whom Father prophesied, and you foresaw the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse before the Final Judgment. You... you... you are Father, aren’t you?”

(?_?)

Why would you follow a faith as the Viceroy of Heaven? See? You’ve gotten brainrot because of it.

Wayne was once again suspected to be Elohim after the four goddesses posed the same question. Moreover, the one suspecting him now was Elohim’s most perfect work, Mikhael.

“Say something, Father!” Mikhael roared. “The New Testament makes it clear that the Heavenly Father, the Anointed One, and the Holy Spirit are the Trinity. The Heavenly Father is an untouchable god, while the Anointed One is a god who walks in the human world. The two are not separate entities. You are my father.”

Solid argument, but no.

Wayne knew that he was not and could never be Elohim. He wasn’t even the Anointed One—it was either Hesione or Mikhael. The true Heavenly Father and the Anointed One were a god and His creation.

At least that was the case in the Chosen Land.

“Father?!”

“Stop yelling. I said I wasn’t your father. Why would you adopt an antagonist as your father?” Wayne glanced aside and huffed. “If I were Elohim, why would I work against Him and put in so much effort? I could just wait for the Final Judgment to come.”

“Because you want to redeem us,” Mikhael said with certainty. “We alone cannot survive the final judgment, so you descended to the mortal realm and guided us to redemption. The Revelation says that the horsemen will judge our sins, and we’re all born sinners. We need the guidance of the Anointed One or the Holy Spirit.”

Geez, how do you even come up with the justification?

Wayne gave up. He waved and said, “Fine. You’ve seen through me, so I’ll stop pretending. I am Elohim. Happy?”

“I knew it.” Mikhael was overjoyed. His faith in Wayne and Elohim came together and further enhanced his loyalty.

Wayne covered his face. “Go back to the human world and revise the Sacred Tome. After that, go back to Heaven. Make sure not to pick on Hesione for no good reason. Understand?”

“...”

“Speak.”

“Father, are Hesione and you really... Forgive my bluntness, but is it really appropriate?” Mikhael asked gravely.

Wayne was caught off guard. In a moment of carelessness, he had forgotten that Hesione was Elohim’s most favored child, and so too were Hestia and the other angels. If he impersonated Elohim, wouldn’t he be...

Bam!

He stalked up with wind howling and Holy Light surging around him, his eyes fixed on Mikhael. “I was lying. I’m not Elohim. Got it?”

After three seconds of silence, Mikhael said honestly, “I understand. I won’t spread it.”

What did you just understand?!

Wayne widened his eyes and opened his mouth to explain, but that would only complicate things. This was already the most ideal explanation for Mikhael.

“Good, you understand.” Wayne clapped Mikhael on the shoulder hard. “As expected of my Viceroy of Heaven, He Who Is Like God, the strongest angel, the right side of the divine throne, and one who is second to only one, Mikhael. Keep up the good work. I cannot do without you.”

Mikhael’s eyes brimmed with tears. He dropped to one knee and choked out, “Father, I’ve done you wrong. I pushed you into the Lost Paradise and subjected you to torture.”

“Ahem!”

Wayne fake-coughed to cover Mikhael’s wail. He snapped, “Stop speaking nonsense. I never enjoyed that torment. It’s pure fiction in the Sacred Tome, completely baseless. Don’t believe it. A novel isn’t a diary.”

“Also, stop reading fictional stories. Indiscriminate reading will only do you harm!”

With that, he kicked Mikhael out of Hell.

Then he turned to a teary Pride and said, “Shut up and get out of here. Don’t let me see you again.”

Pride nodded and wiped away his tears, clenching his teeth. “I’ll head to Lust’s territory at once and kill all the succubi. Blood will flow in the Lost Paradise today.”

“That won’t be necessary,” Wayne said hurriedly. “Existence is everything, and everything is for existence. All is fated to happen. I was destined to go through the torment... I mean, the Anointed One in the Sacred Tome was destined to go through the torment. Even if there weren’t the Lost Paradise, there would be other paradises. The succubi merely completed their missions. They don’t deserve death.”

Pride didn’t understand, but Wayne had to be right. He just had to listen and follow the order.

“That’s it. Everything will continue as it is.” Wayne was exhausted, both physically and mentally. “I’ll pay the Lord of Greed’s territory a visit. You don’t have to follow me. Following the prophecy, there will be no Lord of Greed from now on...”

“No, I will be the Lord of Greed going forward!”