Chapter 517 (1): Look at her, Wayne. She’s bullying me. - Ines

In the heart of the Palace of Night, the tenth level of the Divine Realm of Darkness, was a path that led straight to the Abyss of Dark Stars. It was constantly shifting. Sometimes it took the shape of a single vortex stirring dark clouds, sometimes it seemed like a crack in time and space, and other times it was quiet and eerie, seemingly hiding starlight within. No matter how it shifted, though, it always released the deepest, most primitive information of Darkness of the Astral Plane.

Two palaces of the subordinate gods stood vigilant at the start of the path, with two columns supporting the sky. From afar, the pathway leading to the Abyss of Dark Stars looked like a fiendish eye suspended in the air, overlooking all of the tenth level, with shifting shadows that seemed almost alive. The eye appeared to devour all light, taking in everything happening in the Divine Realm.

Wayne followed Briar and Kaya to the path, trying and failing to put his arm around either’s shoulders. Not only were the two subordinate gods avoiding him like the plague, but Vichy, who had always been obedient, had also kept her distance, putting aside her loyalty.

Use your words and stay away. x3

How dull, Wayne thought, but he did use his words. He learned about the overall situation in the Divine Realm of Darkness from Briar.

First, the Palace of Night was usually bustling with activity rather than bleakly silent like it was today. A certain Goddess of Darkness had made a sudden order that all subjects of Darkness should stay home and avoid any outings or social activities. They were forbidden from going anywhere. Even if the sky fell and subordinate gods were killed, they had to stay inside.

That was why Wayne the adventurer had seen not a single soul except for the bandits.

He also learned from Briar that Ines had an impeccable image in the Divine Realm. She was compassionate, fair, tolerant, wise, and pure; She was the embodiment of perfection, checking all the boxes of how followers saw their goddess.

She had managed Her image well. No one other than the two subordinate gods and a few Dream Gods, those serving the Goddess of Darkness, knew Her true nature.

Those who knew didn’t dare tell the truth, and those who remained in the dark believed the propaganda. The goddess’s perfect image remained unchallenged. Never had She lost any of Her die-hard fans.

Finally, putting aside the facts and the truths, Ines did put in great effort to maintain the facade. While She had no moral compass to speak of, She was strict with Her subordinates, which was why the Divine Realm of Darkness and the Church of Darkness were the way Wayne knew them to be.

Anastasia, his white moonlight, was an obvious example. The Holy Maiden of Darkness was the embodiment of perfection to Wayne. Every time he went rough with her, he felt the pleasure of committing the taboo of desecrating sanctity. He was so lost in it that he could not pull out.

Ivan, the Pope of Darkness, Solsknar, a candidate subordinate god, and Vichy, the former Darkness Knight, might not be as perfect as Anastasia, but they all had a strong moral compass and self-control. Their selfish feelings weren’t strong enough to undermine their strong suits. The only shortcoming worth mentioning about them was their eagerness to climb up.

Ivan adored his daughter so much that he used his authority to help Anastasia become the Holy Maiden of Darkness without difficulty. Solsknar yearned to become a subordinate god so much that he gathered troops for his ambition, then used trickery to send his rival to the hellish Hell when he couldn’t win in a fight. Vichy used to crave greater Darkness, so, knowing that her talent was limited, she faked her death and went off the radar, lending the Darkness Knight’s power to Solsknar so that she could benefit from his success once he became a subordinate god.

Those were their mistakes, and Ines had punished them accordingly. Ivan and Vichy had become obedient afterwards. As for Solsknar...

Since he had sent the goddess’s man to Hell and subjected him to the abuse of an army of succubi, Solsknar could forget about becoming a subordinate god.

Auston, the current Darkness Knight, was rebellious, morally bankrupt, and faithless. To tame the knight, enjoying the pleasure along the way, Ines had invited Auston to a dark game of pain.

Then She couldn’t continue.

Auston had luckily raised a son named Wayne. Ines, realizing that the vermin would be Her father-in-law, generously pardoned him and let him stay morally bankrupt.

To conclude, everyone in the Church of Darkness and the Divine Realm of Darkness at large, save for the goddess Herself, was a model of integrity.

Another important reason that the goddess was able to maintain the facade, victimizing only a small group of people, was Her merciful nature. She had created the crack of the Abyss of Dark Stars of the eleventh level so that all residents of the Divine Realm could access the filtered information of Darkness.

Anyone could earn a promotion in the Divine Realm of Darkness. The talented and the diligent would become stronger and even become the third subordinate god.

Moreover, Ines was picky. Not everyone could trigger Her kink. Thus, She was able to maintain the image of a dignified deity whose grace was vast like the ocean.

“So, those are your roles in the script.”

Wayne learned of the roles the two unlucky subordinate gods played: ignorant NPCs who joined the party after being defeated by the adventurer, then side female characters.

Briar and Kaya hadn’t been informed about the ring or Wayne’s true identity. They had assumed he was the third subordinate god and a new colleague who would share their burden.

But no, Wayne wasn’t a colleague. He was their superior’s husband!

Thinking back to the incriminating words they had said, they couldn’t help but throw aggrieved glances at their superior’s husband. He had deceived them and caught them off guard, making life hell for the loyal employees.

Wayne was currently trapping Vichy in his arms while she struggled hard. What a pitiful soul.

Briar and Kaya saw no hope for their future. Vichy was what they could expect to become. Not only would they be subjected to their superior’s lessons, but they would also be teased by their superior’s hubby, pinned in a corner now and then so that he could have his way with them.

They saw no hope!

They had to rescue Vichy before things spiraled out of control.

Briar shot Kaya a glare. Go. Placate the boss’s husband and spell things out clearly for him.

Kaya looked down at the tiled floor thoughtfully, her mind miles away.

Trash. You’re hesitant and indecisive. Expect to endure the boss’s hubby’s teasing, then get picked on by our jealous boss from now on.

Since her teammate couldn’t be trusted, Briar clenched her teeth and decided to take matters into her own hands. She sidled up to Wayne tentatively, whispering from three meters away, “Adventurer, the goddess is still waiting for us to rescue Her. With such a meaningful ring in your possession, you should keep your distance from the knight. Otherwise, once the goddess learns of this, She will be displeased.”

“What do you mean?” Wayne asked loudly. “Are you calling Ines a petty, unreasonable, stubborn woman who even gets jealous of Her knight? Is the goddess you know so senseless?”

The accusations she didn’t make drained the color from Briar’s face. She hurriedly shook her head. “That’s not what I mean. In my mind, the goddess is perfection itself. It’s because She serves as our role model that the Divine Realm of Darkness has come this far. I admire Her wholeheartedly. She’s the best goddess in the world.”

“I get it. You mean that Darkness is accommodating, and the goddess is merciful...”

“Yeah, yeah.”

“So I can keep women in my arms right in front of the goddess, and She won’t get angry.” Wayne put on a look of realization, then lifted Vichy’s chin to kiss her on the forehead. He turned to Briar, who was on the verge of a mental breakdown.

“I wasn’t going to do that, but I decided to heed your advice. Come. I only have one woman on my left arm. I need another on my other arm.”

Vichy covered her face with both hands, bursting into tears when she received a bombardment of anonymous messages from a certain goddess. Then Briar started crying, too.

Kaya patted herself on the back for staying put, or she would be the one shedding tears.

“Adventurer, how could you do that to me?” Briar wailed. “You knew I didn’t mean that. If the goddess holds me accountable, what should I say? She’ll surely... surely... forgive me with a smile.”

What impressive survival instinct!

Wayne grinned gleefully. Peeling Vichy’s hands off her face, he pecked her on the cheek once more and put his arm around her shoulders. “Have you considered that Ines already knows Vichy is my girlfriend, so She won’t get angry about that?”

“What? Did Vichy have you first?!”

“The goddess stole Knight Vichy’s boy—”

Briar was so shocked that she stopped crying, her eyes widening like Kaya’s.

It was absurd enough that the goddess was preparing for a wedding, but She had been a homewrecker who stole Her subordinate’s boyfriend?

The two subordinate gods imagined the dramatic scene. When Wayne and Vichy, the loving young couple, were getting intimate with their hands clasped, Darkness suddenly descended and swept Wayne away in a gust of black wind, while Vichy ran after them with tears running down her face. Due to pressure from her workplace, she had no choice but to break up with Wayne.

We know you have a cruel streak, but that’s crossing a line!

The two advocates of true love raged, but since they were working for the homewrecker, they could only express sympathy for the victim silently to avoid getting dragged in.

Don’t be scared, Vichy. You can cry while staying on your feet!

“Don’t be ridiculous. Ines would never steal Her knight’s boyfriend. Ines did come earlier...” Wayne paused. “More accurately, Ana came first. She’s the current Holy Maiden of Darkness... Vichy came last. Ines knows about our relationships. Without Her, we wouldn’t have come this far.”

Huh? Why is there another one?

Briar was thoroughly confused. She shared the shock with Kaya.

When she finally recovered, Briar hurriedly stopped Wayne from speaking more. “Enough. We aren’t interested in that. Please stop. Kaya’s scared.”

“Yeah, Kaya’s scared,” said Kaya.

“Why are you scared? This may be a secret others shouldn’t learn, but you two are Ines’s subordinate gods. You’ll know sooner or later.” Wayne waved dismissively, continuing with his story.

(╥﹏╥)x2

We would know sooner or later, but if we hear about it now, we’ll die now! x2

“Speaking of which, Ines and I didn’t start out wanting to get married. I’ve catered to four other goddesses like Her, so in the beginning, we were merely business partners. She invested in my small company as an early major shareholder.”

“Our partnership went smoothly, and since we shared common interests, we came to fall for each other as we chatted. To stop me from messing around, She allowed Ana to stay with me, even pushing Vichy into my arms...”

“Then our feelings deepened as our contact deepened, and my company grew. She wants to become the boss lady. That’s why I’m here to propose to Her.”

Briar and Kaya listened to the whole thing while covering their ears; their eyes widened with disbelief. They observed Wayne closely, curious what was so extraordinary about the man that their goddess would lower Her pride and pick up a used product, even pushing Her Holy Maiden and chosen knight to tie him down further, as well as preparing Her own ring. Then...

Wait, aren’t you the boss lady? x2

The two subordinate gods gaped at Wayne. He didn’t come to marry into the family, but to merge his family with Hers!

Kaya glared at Briar. Aren’t you the Eye of Tears? You’ve been observing the mortal realm for so long. How did you see nothing about the emergence of a god-level individual in the Chosen Land?

Briar found the accusation unfair. What was she supposed to do when the goddess didn’t want her to notice?

The two subordinate gods criticized each other, severely overestimating Wayne’s age. He hadn’t been active in the Chosen Land for long; in fact, he had only been studying magic for less than two and a half years.

In the earlier stage, he had been laying the groundwork, and his power didn’t jump until two months ago, when he went to Hell.

Even compared to Anastasia, who was over a hundred years old, Wayne was a child through and through. To Ines and the other goddesses, even more so.

Well, he was a child in human skin.

“I told you this on behalf of Ines, too. When I saw the ring, I knew that She must trust you deeply, or She wouldn’t have entrusted you with the ring. There are things She can’t easily put into words, but I can.”

Wayne looked at the two subordinate gods seriously. “I pursued Ines of my own volition, having fallen for Her charm. Darkness is my only goddess. This proposal is no exception. She’s giving me a chance reluctantly because She can’t say no to me forever.”

“Well said!”

“That’s more like it!”

Briar and Kaya nodded in agreement. Wayne was right. They thought the same.

“Alright, I’ve said my piece. Let’s head to the eleventh level. There are two hidden bosses for me to defeat!”

Wayne huffed, patting Vichy on the backside to urge her along.

Vichy was still crying. She had received so many anonymous messages that she felt like a victim of cyberbullying. To make things worse, she couldn’t cut off the internet.

“Congratulations, Adventurer. You’ve arrived at the last stage after overcoming numerous trials.” Vichy played the cutscene while wiping her tears, filling in the blanks. “Please be careful. The true trial is only just starting. Two ambitious schemers have started a rebellion in the Divine Realm of Darkness. They imprisoned the goddess and worked against a pure, wonderful relationship. They are the most terrifying, insidious, and despicable demons. If you can’t defeat them, not even the token will wake the goddess up.”

Wayne’s head hurt. The introduction further cemented his speculation about the two bosses. If his guess was right, those two were indeed some vicious opponents.