Join my Patreon to be 30 chapters ahead of the webnovel releases:
patreon.com/Draco_
I would appreciate your help if you could join my Patreon and support me because it would keep me motivated.
For every 5 Patreon memberships I receive, I'll release 15 chapters all at once. Your support means a lot to me.
******
"Actually, I'm quite curious. Setting Stiano aside, why would Aucuses give up on dealing with you and choose instead to prioritize stopping Roselle?"
After laying down a boundary for Roselle—one that the Eternal Blazing Sun and the God of Steam and Machinery could not possibly break—George manifested a table and chairs. He sat down leisurely, sipping tea as he directed his question toward Adam.
Even if Roselle were to return to life, he would, at most, be another competitor. The God of Steam and Machinery and the Eternal Blazing Sun, working together, would undoubtedly hold the upper hand.
But Adam was different, especially now that he had fused with the True Creator to become Gehrman. For the Eternal Blazing Sun, prioritizing the elimination of Gehrman should have been the most critical objective.
"Because I promised him that until the Apocalypse concludes, I will absolutely not seek revenge against him. Everything will wait until the end of the world," Gehrman replied with a faint smile.
"Compared to the betrayal of those three, I have even less desire to see this world—the one I saved—destroyed by the Outer Deities of the Cosmos."
"To be honest, I actually admire that about you," George remarked, a flash of surprise crossing his face before it settled into understanding.
Currently, Gehrman's strength was at the level of a Half-Great Old One; the Eternal Blazing Sun was certainly no match for him. Facing the Ancient Sun God whom he had once served, the Eternal Blazing Sun likely felt a deep-seated cowardice, fearing Gehrman's retribution.
Thus, only after Gehrman gave his word did he compromise and reach a temporary agreement to help Adam prevent Roselle's resurrection. Besides, stopping Roselle was something he would have done regardless.
What surprised George was that Gehrman possessed the breadth of mind to make such a decision. One had to remember that if not for the betrayal of the Eternal Blazing Sun, the Lord of Storms, and the God of Knowledge and Wisdom, Gehrman—after shedding the consciousness of the God Almighty—would have ruled the entire world to this day.
In Gehrman's eyes, the safety of the entire Earth was more important than his personal vendettas.
It made sense upon reflection. This was the man who had ended the Dark Epoch; among humanity, he was a true Savior. Of course, to call him "kind" would be a stretch. Setting aside the horrific sacrificial rituals orchestrated by the True Creator that claimed countless lives, his divinity-incarnate, Adam, was utterly unscrupulous in achieving his goals.
Adam had been heavily involved in the Loen industrial human trafficking scandals. In George's view, Adam was the type of person governed by extreme rationality—one who would sacrifice a minority without hesitation to save the majority.
If the descent of the Apocalypse could be prevented, Adam was willing to set aside personal grudges and sacrifice a small number of innocent people. He would even sacrifice himself. From the perspective of a bystander, George felt this approach wasn't necessarily wrong.
However, if one were among those "innocent few" to be sacrificed, the perspective would naturally shift. No one wants to sacrifice themselves or their family to save strangers, especially when those strangers might include one's enemies.
"Since you have such a grand sense of the 'big picture,' how about this? Let's make a deal."
"What kind of deal?" Adam asked. He didn't rush to strike, instead sitting down across from George.
He was biding his time, waiting for the Eternal Blazing Sun and the God of Steam and Machinery to finish off Roselle. Once that happened, no matter how strong George was or what hidden trump cards he held, he couldn't possibly defeat the combined force of three True Gods and a Half-Great Old One.
Even if the two gods couldn't kill Roselle, their continuous assault on George's boundary would drain a massive amount of his spirituality. This served as a way to indirectly weaken George. Adam wasn't interested in the deal; he was simply stalling.
"It's simple," George said. "You, Amon, the Eternal Blazing Sun, and the God of Steam and Machinery hand over all your Uniquenesses and Beyonder characteristics to me. Then, I will solve the Apocalypse for you and kill those Outer Deities. You can then live out your lives in peace on this planet. Well? Isn't it a great proposal? You only need to sacrifice the 'small self' to perfect the 'greater self.'"
"Hmph. I suspect your Beyonder characteristics have spiraled out of control and fried your brain for you to even suggest such a thing," Amon, standing behind Adam, replied with a cold sneer.
What a joke, Amon thought. If that were an option, why shouldn't everyone give their Uniquenesses to me? If I become a Pillar, I can also stop the Apocalypse.
Adam looked at George and shook his head. "If you truly were capable of it, I would be willing to surrender my Uniqueness and characteristics. But that is impossible. You have only obtained the Uniquenesses of the Fool and Door pathways. Once you try to take Amon's Error Uniqueness, you will have to face the consciousness of the Celestial Worthy. You can't even overcome the Celestial Worthy, let alone fuse with my Uniqueness and face the awakening consciousness of God Almighty."
In Adam's cognition, the only person capable of stopping the Apocalypse and protecting Earth was himself. He had already fended off the awakening of God Almighty's consciousness; as long as he successfully fused the five pathways, he could fully master the Chaos Sea and become an omniscient and omnipotent being.
Meanwhile, Amon was the Error Uniqueness come to life, making him the most likely candidate to fuse the three pathways of the King of Space-Time without being seized by the Celestial Worthy's will. A normal human could not possibly resist that awakening. Crucially, Amon trusted him. Even if someone else could resist the awakening, they wouldn't be trustworthy enough to ally with.
Only if he became a Pillar-level God Almighty and Amon became a Pillar-level Celestial Worthy could they join forces to eliminate the Outer Deities and protect humanity.
"I will give you a choice as well," Adam continued. "Hand over the Fool and Door Uniquenesses now, and I will allow you to leave safely. Even after Roselle's resurrection, if he is willing to surrender his Uniqueness and characteristics, I can allow him to retain Sequence 2 strength and leave with you."
"It seems there's nothing left to discuss, then. Let's get to it."
George shrugged. He didn't really care either way. He only tried persuasion because Gehrman was, after all, a hero who had saved the world and possessed a relatively noble character. Now, it seemed, the only way forward was through strength.
"It is indeed time to act."
Adam glanced toward Roselle. If they didn't move now, Roselle's resurrection would be complete. Having chatted for this long, George must have consumed a significant portion of his spirituality.
The moment the words left his lips, Adam and Amon struck simultaneously.
George instantly felt the space around him solidify and time grind to a halt. His own fate was being subtly plucked, as if it were about to be replaced. This was an attack launched by Amon, who had already become a Sequence 0.
Simultaneously, he felt his spirit assaulted by terrifying interference and pollution. His physical form was struck by the dual onslaught of a miniature sun and crashing lightning. Finally, a white tower constructed from an infinite number of books descended to trap him.
Clearly, this was the full-force attack of Gehrman, a Half-Great Old One.
"Is that all?"
Facing such a concentrated barrage of divine power, George's expression remained entirely calm.
(End of Chapter)