Ragnarok said with a sigh, "Power corrupts and great power corrupts greatly."
His body has gained a lot of power but it is power that came through a shortcut and requires a sacrifice of his soul to wield. It is not a rare situation in the void universe for a great being to grant weaker beings power but it always comes with a disadvantage.
This kind of power will corrupt him so he won't have any of it. The fact that a mana entity like him has stats that rival lords of law and he can gain more doesn't tempt him at all. He is not happy about it. Even his greediness knows its bounds.
He thought back to the last time he was greedy and where it led him and he couldn't help but chuckle. It brought back memories of the taste of powerful flesh in his mouth.
"Greediness is bad but it is certainly enjoyable when it is going well."
He certainly enjoyed eating Gator and the other Executioners so it wasn't bad that he succumbed to his greed. But killing those paragons seems like a waste now. Their death is clearly of little use to him now that he has the heart of Carnage. The heart of Carnage also helped him to gain 9 tails. That means his divine ability will be able to reach its full potential.
The next bad news is that he lost his boost from POWER because of the modifications to his body. His forceful evolution removed the runes of power from his body and destroyed the anchor in his horn. His scrambled existence has also made it impossible for him to gain any more boost from his POWER stat. At least not in his current state.
That isn't the most important bad news. He has also lost his affinity to Mana and probably his connection to Laws too. He already knew that it was likely. But to have it confirmed like this despite his scrambled existence indicates how certain it is. He can recover his POWER stat but he might never recover from the disconnection to mana.
"I am not even one yet but I already hate being a Vampire," He said with certainty.
He is in an unnatural state of transition between life and death. Going back means death while going forward means enslavement to a demon god. He doesn't know what to do. But for now, he will hide and take things one step at a time.
Aeternus might become a demon god and the others might become world gods too. They will be able to help him defeat the demon god. He will just have to be patient and survive till then. CARNAGE is not the only one that can be patient. Patience is an important quality to have if one is to be greedy and smart.
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Somewhere In The Lumen Plane.
A group of Warrogs just came out of a forest. They are exactly 23 in number. They look tired and worn out. Most of them spot scars from healed injuries here and there. Some are missing horns, eyes, arms, or even ears. This group of Warrog dragged their hooven feet along. They just came out of the forest into a green plain.
"Are we there yet, Boss?" One of them asked.
Lamplard replied, "We are almost there. It should be just past this hill."
This group of Warrogs is a pack. Lamplard is their leader. He is not an Alpha anymore. He is a pack leader now. He became a pack leader during the journey to find the Emperor of fairy tales.
This group of avengers has changed a lot after they left the mountain range. It has been 100 years now. Many of them have died. Some to old age. But that isn't the reason why their number which used to reach a thousand has fallen to 23 in number.
Warrogs are a social people with a strict social hierarchy. It is not natural to move around even in a pack. They will face several challenges and dangers that will weaken them and kill them. They also have low morale. Death is normal, but it has to count for something for it to be honorable or it will be a wasteful death.
These remaining Warrogs are not sure if all the deaths that they have witnessed will amount to anything. It is difficult to be excited when there is no substantial thing, be it a home or a family to fight for. They set out to avenge the death of their loved ones but many people that should have lived have died for their aim of vengeance. Was it really worth it? That's what is on their minds.
All except Lamplard. He is a Warrog of unparalleled determination if there ever was one. The years of suffering and witnessing death have not cowered his bravery. It has only made him stronger. He is also sure that he will soon achieve his aim. They have gotten several misleading information that led them to a dead end but this particular attempt will surely work.
Lamplard said to himself, "I can feel that I am getting closer to the Emperor. Just a little more and I will meet them. Then Tesrat will be avenged."
He can feel himself getting closer to an Emperor or something that feels like an Emperor. The others can't feel it because they are not pack leaders like him. It is a special sense that seems to indicate something pulling him towards a more powerful variant of his race.
"Don't worry. We will certainly meet the Emperor this time." He said to his pack.
Someone grumbled. "You have been saying that for quite a while now."
Another one joined in. "You have said that several times and you were wrong."
He assured them. "I promise to let you go if you want to go after we look at the city. You don't need to continue looking if you are tired."
He is very sure that this settlement is where the Emperor can be found so he feels confident enough to promise them freedom and safety in the city. The group of Warrogs continued to walk despite their weariness. The promise of finally locating the Emperor and peace spurred them on.