"I'm fine, just… never mind!" Pallez shook his head, dropping the topic. He glanced at Leonard and suddenly said, "Focus on being a Nightmare and advance quickly. Your talent's not bad. With effort, you might not reach Angel, but Demigod is within reach."
Leonard blinked, caught off guard by Pallez's sudden push for ambition.
"Really? I could become a Demigod?" He asked, unable to hide his excitement.
Not everyone could ascend to Demigod. Beyond digesting the Sequence 5 potion and preparing the right ritual and materials, the key was whether the ascender could withstand the sliver of divinity gained at Sequence 4. That truly depended on talent. For example, the Disease Lieutenant was favored by her mother precisely for her aptitude.
"Why would I lie to you?" Pallez shot him a sidelong glance, exasperated.
Leonard broke into a grin, looking like an overjoyed fool.
Pallez couldn't bear to watch, but seeing Leonard's enthusiasm, he gave a small smile before sighing inwardly. Advance, climb higher. Only then can you protect what matters to you. Don't… don't end up like me…
…
"I hope I didn't hit Pallez too hard." Alaric muttered to himself, shaking his head as he left the Cathedral of Serenity.
If not for maintaining Lucifer's persona, Alaric's nature wouldn't have led him to say such cutting words to Pallez. But… "You're not entirely blameless. In this world, incompetence is a sin, and holding a treasure while being incompetent is an original sin." Thinking of the original owner's turbulent, abruptly ended life, Alaric felt no guilt for his harshness.
After all, in a way, Pallez was incompetent.
"Now, what's next…" Alaric snapped his fingers, and a figure coalesced from the air... Mr. Door, Bethel Abraham.
"Good day, Bethel!" Alaric greeted with a smile.
"Good day, Lucifer." Bethel replied, returning the smile. Noticing they were in his crafted alternate space, he frowned slightly. "Is something wrong with the space?"
"Here's the deal…" Alaric quickly outlined the Beat-Amon operation, concluding, "I spoke with The Ancient Sun God. He can bring the alternate space into the Forsaken Land of the Gods, so others can stay inside. The only issue is how to let those inside observe what's happening outside. Any ideas, Bethel?"
Letting low-sequence members spectate an Angel-level battle was risky... they could easily get caught in the crossfire. Alaric wanted to see if a viewing mode could be set up to keep Klein and the others safe.
Bethel listened quietly, his expression flickering with something like "Amon's finally getting what's coming." He coughed lightly. "It's not difficult. I can create a mirror surface…"
Alaric's request was no challenge for Bethel, who immediately devised a plan and listed the needed materials. With those, he could make the modifications.
Alaric nodded along, then flashed an "OK" gesture. "You're awfully skilled at this, Bethel!"
Bethel suddenly had a bad feeling.
Alaric rubbed his chin, musing, "Come to think of it, not just you... others like the True Creator, the Evernight Goddess, and Adam are the same. You all seem to love spying through space. No wonder you're so good at it. Tsk, such voyeurs!"
Bethel's mouth twitched. He wanted to argue but didn't know where to start. He knew how skilled Alaric was at twisting words... engaging might just trap him in a verbal maze. So, Bethel redirected. "Since most spectators will be low-sequence, we might need to treat the mirror to prevent Amon or other Angels' mythical creature forms from harming club members."
While high-sequence knowledge didn't pollute like an Outer Deity's, a mythical creature form could genuinely harm those of insufficient sequence. "Do not gaze upon a god" wasn't just about divine authority... it was a fact. For those of lower sequences, directly witnessing a god's mythical form could lead to death at best, or collapse into a monster at worst.
Alaric raised an eyebrow at Bethel's words, then teased, "You've gotten sneaky, Bethel, dodging the topic like that."
Bethel pretended not to hear, continuing, "If you're planning to take on Amon, I might be able to offer some help."
Alaric looked at Mr. Door, feigning proficiency at playing dumb, and sighed inwardly about the state of the world. Even Mr. Door wasn't an honest man anymore. Then again, maybe he never was... who keeps a record of their colleagues' dirty secrets if they're truly honest?
With that thought, Alaric perked up. "What kind of help?"
"While The Ancient Sun God can suppress Amon, beating them down to low health for you to finish off, that takes some of the fun out of it. I can do better... I can seal Amon's abilities, limiting them to an ordinary Sequence 1's strength for a short time." Bethel said with a smile. "Isn't taking down a Sequence 1 Amon more thrilling than beating a weakened one?"
Alaric blinked, studying Bethel. "Didn't expect you to be such a sly one. Truly, no honest folk among the cunning trio."
Bethel smiled without responding.
If he were truly honest, Amon would've gotten him killed back in the Fourth Epoch. The three cunning dukes of the Tudor Empire had camaraderie, sure, but they never held back when it came to scheming against each other.
"Still, it's a solid plan. Approved." Alaric said, nodding with a grin.
…
"So, you're all set to thrash Amon next Monday?"
In the familiar villa, Medici, the last to be informed, raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued.
"Yep. I've cleared it with The Ancient Sun God. He thinks the brat needs a good lesson. The True Creator's even more on board... probably been fed up with that rebellious kid for ages." Alaric said with a nod, grinning at Medici. "Pallez, Bethel, and Ouroboros are all in for the operation. You coming?"
***
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