"You truly are a willful being... more so than my old friend," The Primordial God Almighty said with a sigh, then fixed its gaze on Alaric. "I can sense another power in you, distinct from the Celestial Worthy's yet closer to mine. May I ask where it comes from?"
Is it referring to the Shadow of Time?
Alaric raised an eyebrow, smiling at the Primordial God Almighty. "It comes from a being countless times greater than you. Want to know its name?"
"No, there's no need to share that one's title," The Primordial God Almighty replied, shaking its head. Looking at Alaric, it finally said, "I accept your wager. I still don't believe anyone can do it."
Alaric had no intention of actually naming Yog-Sothoth. Some names shouldn't be spoken lightly... what if it accidentally summoned that entity? He'd be fine, but the world might not.
So, he merely smiled at the Primordial God Almighty. "You've finally made a wise choice, Mr. God Almighty. Let's see how this plays out!"
The Primordial God Almighty seemed to smile faintly. "Shall we seal it with a contract?"
"Sure, why not?" Alaric nodded casually.
Thus, under the witness of the ultimate notary, the wager was formalized.
After the contract was sealed, the Primordial God Almighty gave Alaric a deep look before closing its eyes.
Aucuses opened his eyes, his expression dazed, clearly overwhelmed by the flood of information.
"The Primordial God Almighty isn't trustworthy, though its credibility is better than the Celestial Worthy's," The Ancient Sun God said, breaking the silence.
"I know. I don't trust it, but I believe Mr. God Almighty is smart enough," Alaric said with a chuckle. Did he trust the Primordial God Almighty? Of course not!
But he believed its intelligence would keep it from forming alliances with the Outer Deities as it had in the original story... not unless Alaric pushed it to a corner.
That didn't mean the Primordial God Almighty would side with Earth. Just as Alaric was wary of its schemes, it was wary of his. It wouldn't easily intervene on their behalf.
Alaric's wager wasn't just to humiliate the Primordial God Almighty. It was to create a point of cooperation, a bridge, even a guarantee.
If the Primordial God Almighty lost, it would mean a new "Primordial God Almighty" Had emerged. How, then, would it help Earth against the Outer Deities? By relying on the summoning of the Shadow of Time.
For the Primordial God Almighty, this was akin to another form of revival.
Alaric was certain it saw this, which was why it didn't lash out at his provocative words.
And Alaric didn't mind securing another top-tier ally for Earth, even an unlikeable one.
The wager was inevitable, though the terms might differ.
Their earlier back-and-forth was about seizing the upper hand in the wager, but the Primordial God Almighty hadn't outmaneuvered Alaric.
As for breaking the contract? Setting aside the difficulty, doing so would mean a complete fallout. Until either side could decisively eliminate the other, neither would lightly break the agreement.
The Ancient Sun God saw through the wager's intricacies and nodded. "As long as you know your limits."
"My lord, what exactly was all that…?" Aucuses couldn't help but ask. He wasn't foolish, but the events had exceeded his understanding.
"It's not important," The Ancient Sun God replied, avoiding explanation. Some things were better left to few. He looked at Aucuses gently. "What matters is how to help you suppress the Primordial God Almighty's awakening will."
Aucuses's face flushed with shame. "Over the years, I've been studying how to suppress it, but I haven't made much progress."
"Is it possible you've been looking in the wrong direction?" Alaric said, rubbing his chin. "I bet you haven't explored using humanity."
"Uh… indeed," Aucuses admitted with an awkward smile. He hadn't considered humanity as a means to suppress the Primordial God Almighty, instead focusing on other methods, like leveraging the Primordial God Almighty's mirror-self.
This was a common view among Sequence 0s and Kings of Angels. While they relied on anchors to maintain humanity, no one truly believed humanity alone could counter the Primordial God Almighty or Celestial Worthy.
Take Adam, who had been fixated on elaborate schemes.
"But the truth is, humanity is the only tool you have to suppress an primordial being's will," Alaric said, shaking his head with a look of exasperation. "Isn't that obvious? The primordial being's will comes from Beyonder characteristics, which are fused with your soul. You and the Primordial God Almighty's will are one... you're all mental patchworks."
"In that state, you're equals, like dueling personalities. External forces can influence the outcome, but only you can decide the victor."
Alaric genuinely couldn't fathom how the Sequence 0s and Kings of Angels of this world could miss such an obvious answer and still get it wrong.
"Mr. Lucifer, not everyone's humanity is strong enough to face the Primordial God Almighty," Aucuses said with a bitter smile. "I once thought it was enough, but I failed... utterly defeated. That's why I sought other paths."
"Then your humanity just wasn't deep enough," Alaric said, glancing at him and shaking his head. "But I can't expect too much from you. If everyone could counter primordial beings with humanity, we'd have seen a true Great Old One by now."
Aucuses gave an embarrassed smile.
Alaric thought for a moment, then turned to the Ancient Sun God. "How about you call him 'my son'?"
He could tell Aucuses had a touch of filial attachment to the Ancient Sun God.
It was understandable. The Ancient Sun God was a quintessential savior figure. Anyone raised under him would naturally see him as a father. Even Alaric wasn't sure if, growing up under the Ancient Sun God, he'd feel the same.
The Ancient Sun God gave Alaric a peculiar look. "Are you serious?"
***
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