"Ah, there you are. I knew you'd be hiding in there…"
Aucuses suddenly heard Lucifer say this, as if he'd stumbled upon something delightful. Then he noticed Alaric looking at him with a half-smile.
"Are you going to keep hiding? If you don't come out, maybe you'd like to taste absolute madness?"
Aucuses swore that the eager expression on Alaric's face as he spoke was genuine, not feigned. He seemed genuinely ready to do something terrifying.
My lord, what kind of being have you allied with?
Aucuses muttered inwardly, then belatedly realized something... who was Alaric talking to?
Could it be…?!
At that moment, Aucuses felt his body slip out of his control. The sensation was familiar, like every time the Primordial God Almighty's awakening will had taken over, yet different. His consciousness remained awake, relegated to a mere observer.
"You wouldn't do that," Aucuses heard himself say, his voice familiar yet laced with a composed elegance, as if assured of victory. "My consciousness exists in every characteristic tied to me. If you truly used your madness to corrupt me, every being connected to me would be infected by that madness. You wouldn't want to see that."
Aucuses then saw Alaric raise an eyebrow, as if amused, before responding, "How interesting. You're threatening me with that? Why don't you ask the gentleman beside you, Mr. Sun God, if I'm capable of dragging everyone down with me?"
The Ancient Sun God, standing nearby, kept his expression neutral, neither confirming nor denying.
In such a situation, any response from him would feel awkward.
Still… the Ancient Sun God gave "Aucuses" a deep look. No, he should now address this being as "the Primordial God Almighty."
He was no stranger to the Primordial God Almighty's existence, but this was his first time confronting it so directly.
Yet, he could tell this Primordial God Almighty was incomplete, only partially awakened, still far from a full return.
"You would absolutely do that," The Primordial God Almighty said. "I can see you don't love this world. In that, we're not so different." It paused, then shifted tone. "But that would be far too dull, Mr. Zoroast. Destruction is simple for you, but it holds no meaning."
Alaric raised an eyebrow, unsurprised that the Primordial God Almighty knew his name. Given its omniscient nature, that was expected.
He merely smiled at it. "You're scared, Mr. God Almighty. Looks like my madness is enough to taint you."
The Primordial God Almighty fell silent for half a second, not denying it. With a similar smile, it said, "I don't deny that. But I also don't understand your choice, Mr. Zoroast. You're an existence above all things, perhaps even greater than The Oldest One. Why lower yourself for these mortals? They don't fully trust you... they accept your gifts while plotting to stab you in the back."
Alaric lowered his gaze, as if touched by the words.
Aucuses, watching, grew anxious. He didn't know exactly what Alaric was, but from the glimpses he'd seen and the Primordial God Almighty's demeanor, he could imagine the catastrophe if Alaric was swayed to abandon humanity.
At that moment, Alaric raised his eyes again, chuckling. "Flattering me like that, I'm almost embarrassed."
His expression showed no trace of embarrassment. He nudged the Ancient Sun God with his elbow. "Hey, Mr. Grisha, did you hear that? Even the Primordial God Almighty can't stand your actions. Got anything to say?"
The Ancient Sun God seemed mildly exasperated but unhurried. His gentle eyes met Alaric's, and after a moment's thought, he said, "How about I lend you Sasrir?"
"Now that's what I'm talking about!" Alaric's eyes lit up. He gave the Ancient Sun God a thumbs-up. "I knew you'd get me, Sun God."
"But…" The Ancient Sun God added, emphasizing, "It's just a loan, not a gift."
"Sure, sure!" Alaric nodded dismissively.
A loan was fine. Hadn't Medici been "loaned" back in the day? Now he was Alaric's top tool. Once someone was lent to him, returning them was entirely up to Alaric.
The Ancient Sun God shook his head helplessly. He could see Sasrir might not come back, but with Alaric seizing the opportunity, he had to offer something satisfactory.
It might not be a bad thing, though.
Satisfied with his prize, Alaric turned to the Primordial God Almighty with a smile. "Happy with what you see, Mr. God Almighty?"
The Primordial God Almighty gazed at him silently for a second before saying, "Humanity always surprises me, but I still don't understand your choice. I can see traces on you... your current power isn't entirely yours, yet you contain it perfectly. Your essence must be even greater."
"If I'm not mistaken, you were once greater than you are now, but you chose to abandon that power to become mortal." The Primordial God Almighty looked at Alaric, curiosity and confusion rare on its face. "Have you ever regretted it?"
Before Alaric could answer, it continued, as if it already knew. "I bet you did, which is why you chose to embrace power again."
"No, I've never regretted embracing humanity," Alaric said, shaking his head. He looked at the Primordial God Almighty, smiling. "I just learned a lesson: to protect my humanity, power is essential."
"And…" Alaric's expression turned puzzled as he regarded the Primordial God Almighty. "I thought you'd understand the importance of humanity, Mr. God Almighty. After all, only anchors built from humanity can truly suppress you, right?"
The Primordial God Almighty didn't deny it. It glanced at the Ancient Sun God, smiling. "Unfortunately, no one can manage that."
"I wouldn't be so sure," Alaric said with a grin, looking at the Primordial God Almighty. "How about a wager, Mr. God Almighty?"
***
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