Chapter 2516: Subduing Slay
Date: Unspecified
Time: Unspecified
Location: Myriad Realms, Card World, Central Region, Central Academic City, Morningstar University District, Morningstar University Campus, Garden of Beginning
"Seven Princes of Hell? Who the hell are those bastards? How dare they set their sights on the property of the âTen Commandments?â Who gave them the nerve?" Slay roared, her voice booming with fury. Thankfully, her power and realm were sealedâotherwise, our eardrums wouldâve been blown apart.
Even in her rage, she wasnât stupid. She didnât dare lay blame on me or the card apprentices for the fall of her faction. She was doing everything she could to redirect her anger elsewhere, forcing herself to stay focused on the negotiation. She already lacked leverage; giving me a reason to withdraw would only make things worse for her.
From the very beginning, it was clear that she wanted to bargain for her lifeâbut eternal servitude wasnât a price she was willing to pay. She was desperately trying to lower the cost, to get out with something left of herself to make a strong comeback.
Funny how life turns on its headâonce, she held her freedom in her hands. Now, she was reduced to bargaining for her very survival.
Once she finished venting her anger, Slay turned her focus to me and asked, "If I agree to your deal, how do you plan to guarantee my loyalty? Do I have to sign a soul contract?"
She knew her situation better than anyone. As a devil merchant, she understood the rules of negotiation inside outâbut reality wasnât something she could sweet-talk her way out of this time. There wasnât enough time left for her usual clever tactics or slow, calculated bargaining. The situation was desperateâthis was a now-or-never moment.
The instant the Celestial Will descends, it would be over for her. She had known the risk from the very moment she drew out the stake carved from the twig of the World Calamity Tree.
"Nope, nothing like that. Ovumiteâs reputation speaks for itself. All I need from you is to serve me willingly and wholeheartedly," I said, making it clear that I wasnât forcing her into servitudeâshe was choosing it, in exchange for her life.
For a dark entity, Ovumites were known to be honorableâso long as they werenât deceived. They despised trickery more than anything. When they descended from the shrouded hills with pure intentions and open hearts, unaware of the deceitful ways of the Dark Realm. But the realm saw them as naĂŻve outsiders, simple folk to be exploited and fooled at every step.
Unfortunately for their deceivers, the Ovumites possessed exceptional bodies that made enslaving them nearly impossible. Quick to learn and even quicker to evolve, they soon outgrew any chains meant to bind them. Their adaptability was their greatest giftâand their greatest weapon.
Thatâs why youâd never find an Ovumite slave in the entire Dark Realm. Every one of them, given time, would rise to a place of powerâadmired, feared, and even worshipped by those who once looked down on them.
"Ah," Slay muttered, clearly taken aback that a hybrid celestial from the backwaters of the Myriad Realm knew so much about her kind. Only then did she begin to realize how badly she had underestimated meâeven though she had tried her best not to, given my celestial heritage.
"One more thing," she continued, regaining her composure, "how do you plan to handle this realmâs Celestial Will? It has already marked me as a threatâit wonât let me go."
Now that she had shown a hint of willingness, her cunning started to surface again. If I didnât have a plan to deal with the Celestial Will, that weakness would become her leverage. The negotiation was far from over; she hadnât agreed to anything yetâjust left the door open.
Unfortunately for her, I wasnât going to grovel just to get her to take the final step. Why would I? Even if I didnât know how to counter the Celestial Willâbut she didâit didnât change the fact that she was still my prisoner. Whatever method she had to save herself would only matter after I chose to release her. Until then, she could only wait to die.
"Youâll have to trust me on that. I have my ways," I said calmly, my tone carrying just enough mystery to keep her guessing. I didnât bother calling out her little trapâafter all, fighting for her life was her right, just as protecting mine was my own.
Slayâs eyes narrowed as she studied me, realizing I hadnât taken the bait. I kept my impatience well hidden, my expression steady and unreadable. I couldnât afford her knowing that time was strangling me just as much as it was herâperhaps even more.
She still had time until the stake was completely burned, but I only had until half of it turned to ash. A quarter was already gone, and with each crackle of the burning wood, my unease deepened. Seeing my plan was taking longer, I found myself wondering if a Semi-ruler-class Ovumite bloodkin was worth losing a perfect evolutionary ingredient for unlocking one of the conditions of my fifth transformation.
One the one hand I didnât know if conditions would ever perfectly align for me to get a powerful and capable Semi-ruler-class bloodkin like Slay. On the other hand I didnât know if I could ever find wood from a ruler-class world calamity tree. It was a dilemma that I wouldnât have to face if Slay were to stop dragging this negotiation out and give an answer right now.
"Fine, I agree to willingly and wholeheartedly serve you. But, I want your essence upfront. As, if you fail to protect me from the realmâs celestial will, our deal is off and I will do everything in my power to protect myself," Slay finally agreed to my offer only after adding a condition of her own.
"Sure, we have a deal then," I said with a controlled smile, knowing what was going through Slayâs mind. Unfortunately for her, regardless of what she had planned once she willingly ingested my primordial celestial daughter gem, I would win.
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