The Heavenly Demon remained silent.
He was right. She didn't have that many more loops left in her. Her soul was still eroding with the loops. The time she had left wasn't enough to master that technique.
Cipher looked at her seriously. "Just come with me to my world."
"Why am I even entertaining this?" the Heavenly Demon sighed. "It's not like I can leave anyway."
"You can, though," Cipher said. "I've also received a skill from the Time God"
She looked at him, skeptical.
"Ten years into the future, my world will also experience its own apocalypse. Everyone will die. I'll be the only one left, wandering a dead world for ten years until a meteor crashes down - a remnant of the Time God."
Cipher then proceeded to explain to her about his regression, how it glitched, how he kept his memories, and how his class evolved into the Cheater Class that allowed him to cheat the system.
"I still don't see how that allows me to leave." she said.
"I was getting to that…"
He then proceeded to explain the new card he had discovered in the cheat shop.
Name: Soul Card
Type: Mod Card
Description: Applies "Live" edition - makes a skill alive and allows it to manifest into the world like a summon.
Note: Requires a soul to work. Skill must be compatible with the soul for it to work.
"What do you think?"
"This world is already dead anyway, give it up and help me save mine. Before it becomes like this."
The air grew heavy and her killing intent flooded the area, pressing down on him like a mountain.
"Do you understand what you're saying?"
Her aura crushed him. The ground cracked beneath them. Cipher's knees buckled under the pressure.
His vision swam. But he didn't look away.
"You're telling me to give up on my world? To abandon the Heavenly Demonic Cult? " she asked.
Cipher dropped to one knee. Not from the pressure, but deliberately. He bowed his head.
"Please. Lend me your strength. Help me save my world before it becomes like this."
She remained silent for a moment but the pressure didn't lessen.
"And why would I care about your world?" she asked.
Cipher looked up at her. "Because you do care."
Her eyes narrowed. "What?"
"You protected the heroes. Set up the fake apocalypse so they wouldn't be exploited…"
"I simply dislike the hypocrites in the Murim Alliance. Don't mistake pragmatism for compassion."
"You saved me when I wandered into the real apocalypse…"
"You were in my path. I was clearing that area regardless. You just happened to be there."
"You talked to me. Trained me. The Heavenly Demon herself, spending time with a weak outsider…"
She scoffed. "I found you mildly interesting. Don't be so full of yourself. Even insects can be amusing for a moment."
Cipher struggled to get up. The pressure was still crushing him, but he smiled.
"Then why are you still listening?"
The pressure intensified violently. The ground beneath him shattered. But he kept smiling.
"I'm asking you to commit treason against the Heavenly Demonic Cult by abandoning it. That's a death sentence, isn't it? Yet here we are, still talking. You haven't killed me."
She remained silent.
"If you truly didn't care, I'd be dead already. But you're listening. You're interested in what I'm saying. You know it in your heart…"
Rage flashed in her eyes. "What did you just say?"
Before Cipher could react, she moved. Her sword was already mid-swing.
The blade stopped inches from his neck.
She held it there for a long moment, then slowly lowered it with a sigh.
"Killing such a weakling is an insult to my name. You can leave, I'm no longer interested in whatever you want to say" she said.
"Although going to another world is somewhat interesting, I can't abandon the Heavenly Demonic Cult. Such is my responsibility as the Heavenly Demon. How can I think of saving just myself?" She spoke, turning around to leave.
Cipher glanced at the blade nervously, this old woman was really hard to deal with. He sighed internally, it seemed his plan was flawed. There was no way to convince the heavenly demon with this fairy tale-like dialogue. Even if he believed she cared a little, her pride simply wouldn't let her accept it.
He decided to change his method.
"You're not abandoning them," he said.
She stopped, looking back at him.
"The Heavenly Demon goes on long trips, doesn't she? Think of it as that." He spoke carefully. "You'll grow stronger outside, where you aren't restricted by the soul erosion. And eventually, you'll be strong enough to save the Heavenly Demonic Cult."
"And what about the others who are having their souls eroded every loop?" she asked.
"There's nothing you can do about them," he said honestly. "Staying here won't help them anyway. It will only risk more people. Will you stay here to watch all of them eventually die? Or will you join me and become strong enough to save whatever is left of the Heavenly Demonic Cult?"
He straightened.
"You're the Heavenly Demon. You should know how to make tough decisions. This is the best I can offer you."
Silence fell between them.
The Heavenly Demon stood there, deep in thought.
Cipher watched nervously. The timer in his peripheral vision kept counting down. Five minutes left. Four. Three.
Would she fall for it?
She finally looked at him.
"Have you made your choice?" he asked, trying to keep his voice steady.
"Yes," she said with determination.
Cipher summoned the Soul Card to his palm and stretched it toward her.
She approached slowly, stopping just before it. She stared at the card for a moment.
"Still... becoming your subordinate," she said quietly.
"Partner," Cipher corrected firmly. "You're not my subordinate. You're my partner. We'll face everything together."
She looked at him, then back at the card. "Where will you find a skill compatible with me to merge? Will I be stuck in there until you find one? Won't my world be already dead by then?"
Cipher understood that he had already convinced her ninety percent. She just needed a little nudge.
"I already have one," he said.
He opened his inventory and retrieved the manual, materializing it in his free hand.
"This is..." she began.
"Your Heavenly Demonic Sword Art," he cut her off.
He held it up. "What could be more compatible?"
Her eyes widened slightly.
"I swear to practice without rest until I've mastered it. I'll merge you with the art that defines you."
She stared at the manual, then at him.
Then, slowly, she smiled.
"Don't disappoint me...young cult leader"
With that, she reached out and touched the Soul Card.
Light enveloped her and her form dissolved into motes of energy that flowed into the card.
The card pulsed with dark energy and on its surface, an image of the Heavenly Demon formed.
[Soul Card: Heavenly Demon (Sealed)]
[A living soul bound to this card. Cannot be summoned until merged with a compatible skill.]
Cipher stared at the card in his hand, "young cult leader?"
[Automatic return to Safe Zone in 3 seconds]
Light began to envelop him.
Then he was gone.