The demon gods resumed their silent argument. WRATH asked the others, "How are they to work together with us if they are this afraid of us? Their fears are valid too. We can take advantage of them when the Coalition is created. We should just swear the oath and be done with it. We don't need to take advantage of them anyway. If the Coalition is created then we will have a sure way to become world enders without the need to eat demon kings."
The number of votes that Aeternus has alone is enough for his opinion to be taken seriously. Adding the other taciturn demon kings has made it imperative that they swear the oath of non-violence. Most of the demon gods are convinced to sign the oath. But one of them is not.
"I don't care. I am not doing it." The demon god of greed refused.
WRATH almost pooped his lid. "I think I should just kill you right now."
GREED wasn't intimidated. "Go ahead and try, blockhead."
LUST intervened quickly. Things are escalating fast. They have already reached the stage of name-calling and insulting. The obvious next step is violence because WRATH hates name-calling the most.
LUST gave a suggestion. "Calm down everyone. Let us take a vote among ourselves. We will do as the majority agrees."
But GREED remained obstinate. "I don't care about what the majority votes for. I won't swear the oath and that is final."
"You won't be a part of the coalition if you don't swear the oath." WRATH threatened.
That gave GREED pause. It had to reassess its priority.
"Just swear the oath and let's move on," GLUTTONY interjected.
That helped GREED to make up its mind. It said, "I guess this is goodbye."
"Are you sure?" LUST asked in a cold tone. "You should think about this clearly. You shouldn't be rash."
GREED didn't reply. It turned and left the first plane of the abyss silently. The cloud that represents GREED began to fly away. It is the green oozing and hissing cloud of energy. One can see various artifacts in the sea of green energy. But the artifacts have been corroded as if treated with something caustic.
The other demon gods watched it go with various emotions. They are not entirely surprised by GREED's decision. They know the real reason for its stubbornness.
"It seems GREED has made up its mind." WRATH said. "That insatiable bastard will be our enemy from now on."
GREED remained adamant and refused to swear the oath. Its refusal is not solely based on the fact that it won't be able to get Aeternus. Aeternus is a small matter compared to the benefits that the formation of the coalition will bring. GREED is refusing because it wants to eat its cake and have it too. It is being greedy. It wants to have the benefit of the coalition, getting Aeternus, getting any other demon king, and getting a fourth benefit.
Every demon God can become stronger by eating demon kings. So stopping them from attacking demon kings is cutting off that path for them. It is a terrible thing to ask GLUTTONY. But GLUTTONY is ready to forgo that opportunity for the significant chance to become a world-ender. Unfortunately, that is not enough for GREED. Nothing is ever enough for greed.
There is a fourth benefit apart from the benefit of the coalition, Aeternus, and the other demon kings. This fourth benefit is very big. It can only be acquired if the realm of high losses in the era of conquest. The destruction of the realm of high heaven will create enough power to enhance a single demon God and lead to the sublimation of their existence.
In order words, there is a chance for a demon God to become a world-ender if the realm of high heaven loses the era of conquest. That is what GREED is after. For it to be able to get this benefit, it must attack the realm of high heaven and cause wanton destruction that will undermine the realm tree's chance of success.
Betrayal, sabotage, murder, and everything else is allowed. That's what demons do after all. The demon God with the highest contribution to the loss of the realm tree gets to become a world-ender. That was one of the alternative plans for the demon gods. The realm lord knew that so he bribed them with another way to become world enders.
The realm lord offered the demon gods an alternative so that they wouldn't try to make the realm fail in the era of conquest. Demons can participate in the era of conquest on behalf of the realm tree and they will be rewarded for their efforts based on their contribution. They might not become a world-ender since it will require a lot of effort and contribution but they will certainly get something.
Destruction is easier than creation. So the demon gods might choose to work against the realm tree and destroy their preparations since it will be easier to do. But they might not get anything from that avenue. Only one demon God can become a world-ender if the realm fails. The rest will get nothing.
That avenue is open to every demon but it is not sure of any reward as opposed to the realm Lord's bribe. But the realm lord didn't stop there. He offered them a deal. This deal is very tempting. All the demons have to do is form a coalition and swear not to betray the realm tree at all.
That put a stop to GREED's ambitions. It wanted to work for the realm tree and get some benefits. But it also wanted to sabotage the realm tree too so that it could qualify for the benefit of becoming a world-ender if the realm tree loses. It wanted to eat its cake and have it.
Nothing will ever be enough for GREED after all. So it already had its mind made up to try and undermine the formation of the coalition before coming here. It would have done something to create Chaos and divide the rulers of the abyss even if Aeternus were not here. Its plan would have worked if there were other greedy demon gods. But apparently, it is the only demon god not enticed by the realm lord's deal. It is the only greedy demon god.
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A/N: This is the bonus chapter for golden tickets reaching the 150 goal. As for the bonus chapter for 700 power stones, you won't be getting it because you guys owe me one.