…Death?
Alaric blinked, feeling the Sequence 0 Death abilities granted by the Dice of Delight. A wild idea struck him. "Since I'm the Death now, could I help Azik suppress his other soul half and the Death's uniqueness?"
It seemed worth a shot.
He'd already planned to visit the Numinous Episcopate to discuss church-building with Medici, and Azik was also based there. Without hesitation, Alaric set off to surprise them both.
When he arrived, Medici was buried in work.
Though less swamped than before, he still had plenty to handle.
"Who's there?!" Medici snapped to attention at Alaric's presence, then paused, staring in disbelief.
"Hey, Lil' Red! Miss me?" Alaric greeted with a grin.
"You…" Medici frowned, scrutinizing him. "Death?"
He'd mistaken Alaric for an intruder because the Death aura was so potent it threw him off.
"Yep, that's me right now!" Alaric nodded eagerly.
Medici's expression flickered, then relaxed. He recalled Alaric's endless array of abilities, previously capped at angel level. But this was Alaric, after all. After a moment, he asked, "You advanced?"
"Yep, Sequence 4 now," Alaric confirmed, not hiding it. He smiled. "Got some new tricks, like this Death ability."
Medici wasn't surprised, just muttered something under his breath, then said, "You didn't come just to flaunt your new powers, did you?"
"There's a bit of flaunting involved," Alaric admitted, unabashed.
Medici choked, rolling his eyes. He tidied his desk and smirked. "If you're that bored, how about helping with some work?"
"No way, I've got real business!" Alaric shook his head instantly. "I'm here for a reason. You know my Lord of Chaos persona? Now that I'm Sequence 4, it's time…"
He paused, looking at Medici. "To establish a church."
Medici met his gaze, snorted, and scoffed. "Dragging me into grunt work again?"
"The capable do more!" Alaric soothed his top worker. "I know it's a hassle, but you're the only one I trust with this. The others? I'm not confident. Plus, once the Church of the Chaos is up, you'll be the Lord of Chaos's right-hand man. Faith anchors won't be an issue for you!"
"Tch," Medici sneered but didn't refuse. He needed believers, and whether due to working for Alaric or their bond, he couldn't say no.
You can't expect Alaric, the ultimate slacker boss, to build a church himself, right?
"I must've been a crook in my last life to end up with you," Medici grumbled, glaring. "Got the church's doctrines? Holy scriptures drafted? Any framework ideas? Informed your people about this?"
Alaric gave a sheepish smile. "Nope, nope, none of that."
"..."
He knew it!
For a split second, he wanted to quit.
Sensing Medici's exasperation, Alaric quickly added, "I haven't planned anything, but I'll work with you on it and assign others to help... like those 200 assistants. You won't be doing it alone."
Medici's expression softened slightly.
Alaric, struck by another thought, said, "Oh, Lil' Red, want the Red Priest uniqueness?"
He recalled that the Red Priest uniqueness, Sealed Artifact 001 "Salinger's Blood Banner," was with Herabergen, or rather, sealed in Morora, the "City of Exile." In the Fourth Epoch's end, it fell to Salinger, who forcibly absorbed it, leading to corruption by the River of Eternal Darkness. After Salinger's defeat, the uniqueness became 001 and ended up sealed by Herabergen, as Sefirot-tainted items were too "dirty" for most Sequence 0s to use.
"I know where it is. Herabergen contacted me," Medici said, his mood darkening. He wasn't ignorant about the artifact and clicked his tongue in frustration.
For him, the Red Priest uniqueness's corruption was bad news. Without cleansing it, using it to reach Sequence 0 would be tough.
Alaric raised an eyebrow, unsurprised. Herabergen, ever astute, wouldn't withhold such info after their formal alliance.
"Any thoughts on it?" Alaric asked.
"What can I do? If I can't use the Red Priest uniqueness, I'll just swallow the Primordial Demoness," Medici said boldly, though his face soured.
He was thinking of Alaric's gossip about the Primordial Demoness. The idea of absorbing such a chaotic figure made him queasy.
Unlike other Hunter or Demoness, Medici was too normal for their madness.
"Uh…" Alaric's expression mirrored Medici's concern. He genuinely worried Medici might be tainted by that crowd.
Frankly, Medici's temperament suited a pure Red Priest, not a Calamity of Destruction.
As for the apocalypse... before Alaric arrived, the world needed a Calamity of Destruction. Now? If it still did, what was Alaric even here for?
***
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