"Let's talk, 'son in law'"
At that moment, Kaito was standing before the most powerful person in the entire galaxy, unsure of what to say. The only reason he wasn't trembling with nervousness was because his abilities wouldn't allow it.
"Tell me, what are your intentions toward my daughter?"
"Eh?" Hearing such an ordinary question, Kaito reacted before he even realized it.
"Of course it's a joke" Gid said with a slight smile. "Lala and Sephie have told me I'm too serious, so I've been trying to be funnier. What do you think?"
'What am I supposed to say?' Kaito chose to remain silent.
"It seems my sense of humor isn't appreciated. Let's move on to serious matters then" Gid sighed, giving Kaito the impression that he was genuinely trying to appear less intimidating.
However, every thought vanished from Kaito's mind the moment Gid became serious. Despite looking like a teenager and even being slightly shorter than him, Kaito felt an unprecedented pressure, as if he were facing a supreme being, someone capable of killing him without even making a serious move.
The last time he had felt something like this was when he faced the corrupted Alien X.
There was one difference, though. Alien X had wanted to kill him, so the danger had been obvious, the malice that had annihilated an entire universe directed specifically at him. Gid, on the other hand, had merely become serious, probably without even intending to intimidate him.
For a brief second, Kaito wondered whether using Omnipotence would be enough to face him.
The instant that thought crossed his mind, the pressure around him rose to unimaginable levels, forcing Kaito to his knees and making him cough up blood before he even realized what had happened.
"Oh, you were thinking about fighting me? I reacted out of habit. My apologies" Gid apologized with the casual attitude of someone who truly didn't care before withdrawing the pressure.
"Cough...cough... it's fine. It was my fault" Kaito did his best to recover before sitting back down in the chair across from him.
The only thing separating them at that moment was a small round table with a few snacks on it, although neither of them was eating.
"Of course it was" Gid nodded. "Now let's talk about what's important. Do you know what a Demon is?" Before Kaito could answer, he continued himself. "Of course you do. You are one, aren't you? What kind? Some derivative of Motion?"
"Motion."
"Motion itself? Rank 2. Not bad, you have more potential than I thought. In fact, you might be the perfect replacement for me" Gid replied, somewhat surprised, before asking Kaito something he hadn't expected. "Do you know the origin of demons?"
"I'm not sure. I only know the absolute basics, that they descend from the concepts of good and evil" Kaito shook his head. "I don't even know which universe they're from."
"Which universe?" Gid laughed sarcastically. "This one.
Just as you said, demons come from Good and Evil. But let me tell you the full story.
A very long time ago, at the beginning of everything, when the only thing that existed was the universe itself, nothing but an absolute void, it created something.
Two concepts. They didn't have specific names yet, so they were simply called 'The Opposites', Good and Evil, Black and White, Yin and Yang, Life and Death, Day and Night, every opposite you can imagine, and even those you can't, were represented by those two. Everything we know today as reality was divided between them.
Since they were opposites, they fought the moment they were born. Billions of years passed with those two concepts doing nothing but battling each other, with neither side ever winning.
Eventually, the universe itself grew tired of it and ended the conflict. It split those two beings into all the remaining primordial concepts, based on rules and divided into demons and gods.
To prevent the previous situation from happening again, no living being could ever be identical to another. There always had to be someone stronger and someone weaker. Thus, the Demon of Dominion was born, the very first demon, and the most powerful one.
So that the universe could travel from the beginning to the end, the God of Time was born.
To prevent creation from remaining still, there had to be a force that drove every action and every change, thus the Demon of Motion was born.
To prevent things from lasting forever and halting progress and change, every life was given a limit to its existence, thus the Demon of Death was born.
To prevent everything from being determined from the very beginning and allow every being to walk a path created by themselves or by circumstance, the Demon of Chaos was born.
Conversely, to prevent chaos from destabilizing everything and making it impossible for anyone to control their own destiny because of outside interference, the God of Order was born.
Finally, so the universe would no longer have to create everything itself and life could arise on its own, the God of Life was born.
From that point onward, every other concept was either created or bestowed by those seven, becoming their derivatives, Rank 3 Demons or Gods. Rank 4 and below can be derivatives, combinations of derivatives, or simply natural born children."
"So you're Dominion?" After processing all the information, it wasn't difficult for Kaito to notice that part.
"That's right, you're sharp" Gid nodded confidently. "The first demon and the strongest one, that's me. Concepts at their full power can control any rule associated with their concept.
The fundamental rule I control, the very one I was born from, is this: There must always be someone stronger than someone else.
Using that rule, I declared that I must be the strongest, and that everyone else in the universe must be weaker."
'That's cheating' Kaito immediately thought. 'Are all concepts this broken? Kaguya can kill anyone, Gid can decide who's stronger, don't I end up being the weakest of them all?'
While thinking about it, another question came to mind.
"If you're so powerful, even invincible, why are you looking for a successor?"
"You're asking the right questions, Kaito. I like you more and more.
The reason is simple, Time. The moment Time was born, she used the very rule she had been created from and applied it to every living being in the universe, including us."
"So you're dying of old age?"
"Exactly. That damned Time, always so serious and boring. The only one who managed to escape that rule was Death. She declared that only she could decide when she would die and escaped, successfully bypassing Time's rule."
"Death is alive? That's..."
'Impossible' Kaito wanted to say, but he realized that would reveal too much.
Even so, Gid noticed.
"You're surprised Death is alive? Why? Could it be... that you know her reincarnation?" Gid raised an eyebrow.
'Everyone in this family is psychic. I can't hide anything' Kaito lamented inwardly.
"So Motion and Death are on the same team? I feel sorry for everyone else, hahaha" Gid laughed. "As for how it's possible for Death to reincarnate if she never died, the answer is simple. I never said she hadn't died.
I told you before, didn't I? Time imposed a rule upon every living being. So Death's solution was simple, she killed herself instantly.
Those two really don't get along." Gid recalled it with a nostalgic smile.
'I see, that explains Kaguya' Kaito nodded before remembering his own situation.
"How exactly does reincarnation work? I used to be the Original Demon of Speed, but Kagu... Death helped me become the Original Demon: Motion. She said she broke some kind of barrier inside me.
Are all demons like that? Is it some kind of evolution?"
"Of course not. Rank 4 concepts and below are all normal. No matter how much stronger they become, they cannot increase in rank. The only exceptions are Rank 2 and Rank 3 concepts. Because of the limited power of the host, those concepts usually downgrade themselves into derivatives before entering a host and merging with them. That way, as they grow stronger, the concept within them gradually reveals more of its power" Gid explained.
'That means Makima is at least a Rank 3 demon' Kaito realized. 'Although with my luck, she's probably Rank 2.'
"Then, earlier you said I'd be perfect to replace you. Why?" Kaito asked.
"It's simple. What is the fundamental rule of motion?
Most people would think it's 'Everything in the universe is in motion' but it isn't. It's 'Everything in the universe needs to be in motion' Anyone who wants anything has to move, whether for their goals, ambitions, danger, threats, or simple desire. No matter what it is, motion is required to achieve anything.
Now, what would happen if you nullified that rule within yourself, if you declared that you didn't need to move to reach somewhere?"
"...Omnipresence" Kaito realized in astonishment.
"Exactly. Who better to govern the universe than someone who can literally exist throughout the entire universe at the same time?" Gid smiled. "Of course, that's something you'll only achieve far in the future. You still have a long way to go before reaching that level.
And speaking of goals" Gid changed his expression once more as he raised the five fingers of his right hand. "Five planets."
"Five planets?" Kaito asked, confused.
"Once you conquer five planets completely, I will hand over Deviluke and all of its resources to you."
"That's..."
"A lot, I know" Gid nodded. "When the Lords situation began, I decided it would be two, the home planet and one more. But given your circumstances, yours will be five."
"Circumstances?" Kaito raised an eyebrow in confusion.
"Think about it. With an enormous galactic empire like Deviluke, there's obviously no way a single king can govern everything alone. Who do you think I would normally share authority with?"
"With his close associates? No, that would basically mean he'd still have complete control. Then... with the other people the planet trusts the most?" Kaito answered while analyzing the question.
"And who are they?"
"Who are they?" Kaito muttered as he thought before suddenly widening his eyes in realization. "The husbands of the other princesses?"
Gid didn't answer, but the satisfied smile on his face was already an answer in itself.
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+15 chapters in advance on Patreon.
p-atreon.com/IAMME26
(just delete the hyphen)
80 power stones = 1 extra chapter (cumulative)