If you asked what Alaric had just done, the answer was simple: he had used the powers of the Trojan Horse of Fate to steal from the Mother Tree of Desire. By channeling the fragment of Nyarlathotep within him for an extra boost, he successfully pilfered a portion of the Mother Tree of Desire's power.
Still, Alaric had a feeling that even if the Mother Tree of Desire hadn't fled, he likely couldn't have stripped away more characteristics at his current level.
As for how he could wield the Trojan Horse of Fate's powers? That was straightforward... his Lucifer persona had just successfully completed its transformation into a proper Sequence 2.
The "Avatara" potion had been fully digested the moment the Lucifer persona was complete.
Admittedly, this progress was slightly faster than Alaric had anticipated, but given the effort he'd put in, it wasn't surprising.
"Once the matter with the God of Steam and Machinery is settled, I can advance to Playwright," Alaric muttered to himself. He then pulled a box from a pocket dimension, placing the Sequence 9 characteristic stolen from the Mother Tree of Desire inside, planning to analyze the Mother Tree of Desire's power later.
"From that perspective, Tolzna's pretty lucky," Alaric nodded, stowing the box back in the pocket dimension. Then, a thought struck him. "But Tolzna's still under the Mother Tree of Desire's control. Removing the corruption remotely was one thing, but surgery can't be done that way. Tsk, looks like I'll need to find a time to snatch him back!"
With that in mind, Alaric turned to the Ancient Sun God. "Grisha, I might need your help with a fight in the near future."
"Who's the enemy?" The Ancient Sun God asked, looking at him with mild curiosity.
"The Rose School of Thought," Alaric replied openly. "I plan to take Tolzna back."
The Ancient Sun God paused, then nodded. "Alright."
He was well aware of the Chained God Tolzna's current situation, so he had no objections to Alaric's plan... quite the opposite, he was eager to help.
The Outer Deities were the enemies of all. Any action against them was something the Ancient Sun God was happy to support.
Alaric began mentally sketching out more details of the plan, like reaching out to Reinette Tree beforehand.
Just then, he sensed something and looked in a certain direction.
The Ancient Sun God, too, turned toward that direction, sensing a familiar presence approaching.
It was a strikingly handsome man, tall and clad in a splendid white robe with golden trim, his radiant golden hair evoking the sun itself.
The man's golden eyes locked onto the Ancient Sun God, his expression a mix of disbelief and daze.
Alaric raised an eyebrow, guessing the newcomer's identity... Aucuses, the Eternal Blazing Sun.
It wasn't surprising that he'd show up. The divine kingdoms of the Seven Gods were all in the Astral World, not exactly neighbors but not too far apart either. The commotion caused by the God of Steam and Machinery wasn't something Alaric had bothered to conceal, so it was only natural others would notice.
Alaric didn't mind... in fact, he'd intended for others to sense it. If, in the past, he'd needed to keep a low profile due to limited strength and allies, that was no longer necessary.
The Evernight Goddess, the Lord of Storms, the Earth Mother, and now the God of Steam and Machinery all knew of his existence. Of the remaining three gods, the God of Combat was a minor figure destined to fall, not worth worrying about. As for Herabergen, Alaric trusted that the God of Knowledge and Wisdom would make the right choice upon learning of him.
And the Eternal Blazing Sun… Alaric had always been curious about him and didn't mind him knowing of his existence.
Of course, Alaric wouldn't deny he was especially intrigued by how the Eternal Blazing Sun would react to seeing the Ancient Sun God.
"…Who are you?" The Eternal Blazing Sun finally spoke, stopping a distance away from the Ancient Sun God. His golden eyes fixed on him, his expression calm, though his hands clenched tightly beneath his robe.
The Ancient Sun God didn't shy away from his gaze, meeting it openly. He sighed softly, then smiled. "It's been a long time, Aucuses."
The Eternal Blazing Sun's body stiffened. One could only imagine the complexity of his emotions in that moment. He looked at the Ancient Sun God and said, "You're back?"
"No, I'm only briefly here from the past," The Ancient Sun God shook his head. "Think of me as a traveler through time. I'll only stay in this era for a short while."
"The past?" The Eternal Blazing Sun was understandably puzzled but didn't question the truth of the statement. Instead, he seemed to realize something. "No wonder I still hold my uniqueness, yet I can faintly sense the Sun's power within you."
His gaze shifted to Alaric. "Your power?"
"Hey!" Alaric greeted him with a smile. "I'm Lucifer, though you can also call me Helel. Also, please use 'he' for me... I prefer to be seen as human."
"…You're dangerous. I can feel the power within you... extremely dangerous, capable of overturning this world," The Eternal Blazing Sun said after studying Alaric for a few seconds.
"Gotta say, Stiano's looking pretty pathetic. Seems like every god sees more than he does," Alaric said with a laugh, then added candidly, "I do have the power to overturn this world, but lucky for you, I have no plans to do so. At least for now, I'm on your side."
The Eternal Blazing Sun didn't say whether he believed him or not, instead turning to the Ancient Sun God.
"He's indeed on humanity's side, at least for now," The Ancient Sun God confirmed with a nod.
The Eternal Blazing Sun seemed to relax, or perhaps not. After a moment's silence, he seemed to think of something and looked at the Ancient Sun God. "You said you're from the past. Do you know your future?"
"I do," The Ancient Sun God replied calmly, his expression carrying a trace of compassion as he looked at Aucuses, like a forgiving father. "It wasn't your fault, Aucuses."
Aucuses's body trembled slightly. He didn't speak, only gazing at the Ancient Sun God.
The Ancient Sun God stepped forward, approaching Aucuses. He reached out, gently patting his head... a gesture both like a priest guiding a lost lamb and a father comforting a child.
"It's been tough on you all these years, Aucuses," The Ancient Sun God said.
***
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