CH928

“So, back to the main course?” Ben taunted, trying to keep the focus on him while at the same time, Abel dropped her hominid form to wrap the demon and secure him to the ground with her flesh. “Just couldn’t resist the succulent meal before you compared to the finger food?”

“Doesn’t exactly matter in the end, I suppose,” he said back, able to break Abel’s hold on the ground below but not get her off of him. “This entire world’s going to be on my plate soon enough, what’s it matter where I start?”

“Fair, but you know what? While I’ve got you, I’ve got a little question for you. What’s the end goal?”

“I’m afraid I’m not quite sure what you mean,” he said as his body combusted, attempting to burn Abel away but failing entirely for the protection of her own armour just under her skin. “And I must say, I enjoy your work significantly less when someone else is using it.”

“Ha, yeah, I’m not really a fan of having to go up against my own products either but what I mean is, you’re going to become a god for all of this.”

“The most powerful god,” he clarified as he gave up on getting the girl off him in the moment in favour of a surprise attack, forcing Ben to jump up high in the air and hold himself there as worm-like structures with powerful, carnivorous jaws came bursting out from below his feet, the demon using Foast’s skill to grow parts of the shifter’s body through the ground to attack.

“And yeah, I can almost get that but there’s one problem. Actually, a significant problem I’m hoping you can help me with,” Ben said, already knowing the other man couldn’t give him a satisfying answer but still wanting to ask in the hopes of what psychological effects would come of it, with the other playing along.

“Oh, what?”

“You demons have a single god.”

“There’s never been another worthy of worship until now.”

“But see, that’s the thing. Actually stop and think about that for a moment and you’re going to know that’s not true. You’ve got Foast’s memories, since you pretended to know us to try and lull us into a false sense of security when we ran into you, that much is clear so you must also know a few different facts about this world and its history. Even pre–system worlds occasionally had individuals who rose to godhood. The person you stole even specifically worshiped one who accomplished that.”

“Saying I stole this doesn’t exactly seem fair,” he pointed out as he changed tactics, using what levels of air magic he held to create a high-pitched shriek, finally driving Abel off of him as her more sensitive senses left her to suffer for it. “He tried to take my soul and he lost. It’s as simple as that.”

“You know what? Maybe that’s even fair but that’s not the point here. Your people have Oaun and Oaun alone but you’ve also had the majority of planets in the galaxy for thousands of years at this point and if we go back before your people had the majority, you’ve still likely had thousands of worlds for tens of thousands of years. The math doesn’t work out, you should be able to see that. The demons should have dozens, maybe even hundreds of gods of their own at this point so where are all of them and why do you think you’ll escape their same fate?”

A question that managed to get a reaction, forcing the other to freeze for the effect it had and letting both Abel and Ben get attacks in, the first jumping forward to eat the man’s head while Ben materialized saws to cut through his legs, with both growing back before either could do more and watching as he started taking steps forward.

“You’re right, that is strange,” he acknowledged, his arms turning into long blades to try and swipe at Ben while battering away Abel despite her repeated attempts to slowly eat away at him. “There should be more, which means there must be something stopping us from reaching that height or getting rid of us after.”

“Then you know it can only be one thing,” he tried, feeling his stomach drop as the conversation failed to go the way he’d hoped.

“Yes, it would appear the god I worship has been killing us to avoid the competition,” he concluded far too easily. “But that doesn’t matter. If he’s going to kill me, then after I’m done consuming this world and eating your gods, I’ll go and feast on him too. Only one power is needed among the stars, and it’s mine.”

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Oh, exceptionally not good!