Azik opened his eyes, looking at Alaric with a resolute expression. "I want to accommodate the Death's Uniqueness. I don't want to be a Death Consul at the mercy of others anymore. I want to protect my children, my family, and all of you."
The God of Death had pursued power for himself, casting aside everything... subjects, offspring... treating them as mere tools.
Azik, in stark contrast, sought power precisely for those he held dear. He knew he needed strength to safeguard the family he had now.
"That's the choice I expected from you." Alaric said, unsurprised. He smiled at Azik. "Looks like we need to open a new chapter for you, Azik. I'm looking forward to seeing you rewrite the saga of the God of Death in this world."
"Thank you, Lucifer." Azik said sincerely.
"No need for such formalities between us." Alaric replied with a smile. "We're friends, aren't we?"
Azik smiled at that, about to say something, but Alaric cut him off.
"Alright, no sappy stuff. Keep working on your Sacred Text. Becoming a god isn't easy. Even if the God of Death doesn't revive within you, you'll still have to contend with madness, divinity, and the potential awakening of the Primordial God Almighty. None of that will be a walk in the park." Alaric said, waving a hand.
"I know." Azik nodded, his gaze catching something out of the corner of his eye. He froze, then turned to Alaric.
Lady Sia stood at the doorway of the study, her expression less than pleasant. It was unclear how long she'd been listening.
Alaric, unsurprisingly, seemed unfazed by her presence. He leisurely poured himself a cup of tea, took a sip to soothe his slightly dry throat, and turned to her with a smile. "Heard everything?"
Lady Sia didn't deny it, nodding. "Yes. You meant for me to hear."
"You catch on quick." Alaric said, not bothering to deny it either. He smiled at her. "Azik is the candidate for the next God of Death, backed by me, the Evernight Goddess, and the True Creator. If you're smart, you'll know what choice to make."
At that, Lady Sia couldn't hold back, her composure cracking as she looked at Alaric. "I don't understand. I get why others support him, but why the Evernight Goddess? Weren't they enemies?"
"In the world of high sequences, there are no eternal enemies or friends. I thought you'd understand that." Alaric said, taking a sip of his tea before meeting her gaze. "I let you hear this so you wouldn't do something foolish and start scheming."
"Sia, I'm not one for killing." He continued. "So even if Azik ascends to godhood, you can still live as a Sequence 1."
He paused, his tone shifting. "But if you insist on doing things you shouldn't, I won't hesitate to reduce you to your characteristics."
Lady Sia bit her lip, her reluctance plain. But even the most unwilling must bow to reality.
She was only a Sequence 1. She couldn't even defeat Tolzna... how could she stand against Azik, backed by multiple Sequence 0s?
With a sullen glance at Azik, she let out a self-mocking laugh. "I once thought I could become the next Underworld Emperor, even surpass him… Now, it seems I was far too arrogant."
Azik looked at her calmly and spoke. "You took the wrong path."
Sia looked at him, puzzled.
"The world doesn't need another Underworld Emperor." Azik said, almost sighing, as if looking at a misguided junior. "The Royal Family Faction led you astray. Even without me, do you really think you could've reached Sequence 0?"
"Or would you have merely become a vessel for Salinger's revival?"
Lady Sia froze, her eyes widening as realization hit.
Azik said no more, lowering his head to resume work on his Sacred Text.
Alaric glanced at the now-enlightened Sia and smiled faintly.
It was common knowledge that Sia, too, was a descendant of the God of Death, styling herself the Pale-White Empress. If the God of Death could use Azik as a vessel for revival, what was to stop him from using Sia?
Alaric didn't think it was impossible.
Especially since the Royal Family Faction had clearly been grooming Sia to follow the God of Death's path.
…
After Azik's words shattered her illusions, Lady Sia became despondent, like a fish without a dream.
Alaric didn't care to coddle her. As long as she worked obediently, her feelings were irrelevant.
After all, even Alaric himself was swamped in the days that followed, leaving him no time to fuss over a marginal tool's emotions.
But amidst the busyness, a small interlude occurred.
"Not bad, Klein. You're finally advancing to Faceless. I was starting to think you loved life here too much to head to the border city for some real experience!" Alaric, in his Lucifer guise, teased Klein with a sly grin, dripping with sarcasm.
I've already been digesting as fast as I can… Klein thought, feeling a bit wronged but staying silent. He quietly retrieved a box containing the materials for the Faceless potion, opened it, and began preparing the potion.
As a skilled hand, the process went flawlessly. Soon, a fresh bottle of Faceless potion was ready.
"This is the Faceless potion? Looks disgusting." Lil' Amon commented from the side.
"Are there any potions that don't taste awful?" Jack, standing nearby, spread his hands. Then, as if struck by a thought, he added, "Wait, no... Spectator potions supposedly taste decent… Tch, so unfair. Tasty potions, versatile abilities... good at fighting, healing, and tanking. The Spectator pathway is way too overpowered in this meta!"
"If you're so jealous of Spectators, why not switch pathways? You could jump over now and vie for the Sequence 0 spot with Adam." Medici, who had appeared out of nowhere, said with a glance at Jack, his tone laced with his usual sarcasm.
"Nah, Adam's been grinding for that Sequence 0 spot for ages. It'd be rude to swoop in and steal it." Jack... Alaric in disguise... replied, casting a glance in a certain direction.
In the corner, a golden-haired priest seemed to sense his gaze and returned a gentle smile.
Jack then shot a look at Medici.
***
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