Jake, Carmen, and Bobby stood alone once more, now having an hour’s break before it was time to continue, and they all had some thoughts.
”It does feel a bit too easy, doesn’t it?” Carmen muttered, clearly also unsure of how things were flowing. “He definitely wants your story to be true, but he almost wants it too much. Pretty sure you could tell him that everything you’re doing is with the express intent to fuck him over, but just add on a little giggle and a “hypothetically” at the end, and he would instantly ignore it, if not help you explain it away…”
“I do find myself surprised,” Bobby also agreed. “But, and I must reiterate, does it matter? He seems to be going along with everything we’re planning so far, and while he may be scheming and making his own plans in the background, we just need to be ready for those when the time comes. Who knows, perhaps our interests may even genuinely align. It’s possible he views Yip of Yore’s victory as a done deal even if the Malefic Viper is trying to put a struggle by using us, and he is thinking the same things we are right now, that despite our schemes, it doesn’t matter to him in the end. Ultimately, it all comes down to who is more powerful in the end: the Malefic Viper or Yip of Yore.”
“Out of curiosity, who are you betting on?” Jake asked with a raised eyebrow as he playfully smirked. “To sell our story, we will need to make the preparations for me to usurp the Malefic Viper, so if he does end up falling, who knows what will happen…”
Bobby took his words a lot more seriously than Jake expected him to and slowly nodded as he looked Jake in the eyes. “If the Malefic Viper does fall, everything we said today simply becomes truth. At that point, you will have no reason not to usurp the Path of the Malefic Viper and take whatever Records you can. As Ell’Hakan mentioned, there is a good chance it will instantly make you significantly stronger. We are talking about immediate upgrades to Legacy Skills and likely even an instant influx of a lot of levels. After that, without the god whose Legacy you are usurping being alive, progress will prove a bit more difficult, but in terms of immediate gains, it would be a huge boon.”
Jake didn’t really comment on what Bobby said, but he had read up a bit on usurping during the day he spent with Carmen, and Villy had also given him some details for him to help sell that he actually intended to usurp the snake god’s Path. If Jake had a bad relationship with the Viper, he could totally have seen himself try to genuinely become a Usurper, but seeing as they were best buds, it all remained purely theoretical. Hopefully.
There was going to be some nagging feeling within Jake until Yip of Yore was dead that things wouldn’t go as planned. The rising star coming out of the ninety-second universe was incredibly powerful; no two ways about it, and he was still rapidly growing even more powerful by the day. Even the Path he walked was one recognized as impressive by all the top figures of the multiverse and one that could take him to the top… Jake just hoped that as he got toward the top, he would encounter a Viper in the bush, ending him for good before he had to change to truly reach the peak.
“Say, I just had a weird thought,” Carmen muttered as she looked at Jake and Bobby. “Here we are talking about Jake becoming a Usurper when Yip of Yore kills the Malefic Viper… but what if Ell’Hakan wants to become one when the Malefic Viper kills Yip of Yore?”
Bobby and Jake both looked at Carmen for a bit, both silent. She stood there, scratching the side of her head for several seconds, looking a bit embarrassed before trying to excuse her words. “It’s just a weird thought, and-“
“Fuck,” Jake blurted out as the cogs began to turn in his head. “Fuck me.”“No, fuck us,” Bobby also said as he seemed to be going through the same thoughts and emotions Jake was right now.
It really was proof Jake had been all up in his own ass about the story he’d been cooking up that he’d completely neglected to consider that Ell’Hakan could also have some sneaky plot not aimed at Jake or the Viper in the oven. He’d also gone with the impression that Ell’Hakan was a loyal Chosen who wished to see the victory of his Patron, and while it was possible that was still his ideal outcome…
“He’s totally the kind of guy who would, at minimum, have a backup plan in place should Yip of Yore lose, right?” Jake asked with concern.
“He totally is,” Bobby wholeheartedly agreed. “Though it is unsure if Yip of Yore would be okay with this, as he’s bound to know if Ell’Hakan has a backup plan.”
“Maybe he doesn’t care?” Jake asked, asking himself as much as Bobby. “Maybe he’s so self-assured he truly doesn’t believe it matters… shit, questioning himself by questioning Ell’Hakan may even be bad for him due to his story-teller bullshit…”
“Fuck…” the Valhal World Leader blurted out again, punching an imaginary table as he paced around. “It’s obvious if you really think about it… and it makes everything fit so damn well. Ell’Hakan doesn’t need to care who wins. He just needs Yip of Yore to be as powerful as possible at the end, no matter the outcome. If he wins? Great, Ell’Hakan will be the Chosen of the first Primordial Slayer and a figure of immense renown. Yip of Yore loses? He can become a Usurper, and seeing how cozy he is with the Holy Church, join them and use their faction the same way you would use ours should the Viper fall.”
“Also explains why that King Iludar guy isn’t some Yip of Yore loyalist. He’s sure that the people closest to him would follow him no matter who wins,” Jake continued as he sighed. “Fucking hell… this shit is so goddamn messy. We don’t even know if this is right, but just on the off chance that it is…”
Carmen stood a bit awkwardly as she muttered. “Now I almost feel sorry for bringing it up.”
“Don’t be,” Bobby comforted her. “It’s good to keep in mind as an option.”
“Do we even need to do anything different?” Jake asked, unsure. It really was still a gamble if Ell’Hakan was even planning something like that or if it was just their own imaginations going wild. Shit, maybe they were the ones overthinking everything…
“I don’t think so?” Bobby said, not entirely certain either. “Just focusing on our side is probably for the best.”
“Yeah,” Jake nodded, as he was in thought for a while, considering things. “Say, how long yet till the meeting restarts?”
“Thirty-three minutes,” Bobby answered. “Why do you ask?”
“Thinking of making a phone call,” Jake said, still thinking.
“Contacting the Malefic Viper directly may be trackable if you do it here due to-“
The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
“I’m not,” Jake shook his head, cutting him off. “I’m gonna quickly talk to Miranda. That shouldn’t be suspicious and easily explained away with me doing so to keep selling a lie.”
“Should be fine, then,” Bobby said. “Just walk out of the barrier before doing so as no skills to contact her will work within. Carmen should be able to let you out.”
“Sure,” Carmen agreed as she allowed Jake through. He went outside and placed down the simple ritual to reach out to Miranda. It wasn’t actually her he wanted to talk to, though. Instead, he wanted to be put in touch with a certain mad scientist as he had some questions and a few matters to discuss considering recent potential outcomes of the conflict, as well as perhaps a few solutions.
Just short of half an hour later, Jake was back inside the barrier, and just in time for things to get started again. His conversation with Arnold had gone well and would hopefully lead to something good in the future, but as always with things like this, only time would tell.
On the dot, the magical conference call resumed, and this time, Jake spoke first when he saw the three fully lifelike projections appear:
“Good to see we’re at least all punctual people. How did your talk with your Patron go? Is he interested in our mortal plots?”
“He’s skeptical but optimistically so,” Ell’Hakan smiled. “He’s chosen to defer to my judgment in this matter, and I believe moving forward with our discussed plan is the best course of action. We shall make a joint declaration to establish this truce and plant the seed of doubt in the hearts of those who follow the Malefic Viper. Then, when the time is right, and I contact you once more, you make the true denouncement of your Patron, at which point my Patron will launch the final attack.”
“So we’re doing exactly what we agreed to an hour ago?” Jake asked in a curt tone, acting like he truly saw the break as a complete waste of time. “Guess this intermission was entirely meaningless, but I guess it makes you feel better to have gotten permission from your honored Patron. Can’t say I’ll miss being a suck-up myself.”
Ell’Hakan just threw Jake a glance and shook his head as his mood turned serious. “Let’s just get on with it, shall we? If all goes well, we will not have to speak much once all this is after and can go our separate ways. You make it no secret you are not a fan of mine, and I have no particularly positive or negative emotions towards you either. The only reason we are forced to oppose one another is due to our Patrons, so once that’s settled, let’s cut all ties there. Good or bad.”
Jake looked back at Ell’hakan, meeting his gaze. “Can’t say I’ll miss being rid of you either.”
By now, Jake had begun to realize one problem, though… one quite massive one. All these talks had made Jake think. Especially the part about Ell’Hakan potentially being a Usurper. If he truly was, the Holy Church was likely helping him set up everything. That means they had significant investment in him, and likely even a recruitment plan in place.
In other words, after Yip of Yore was dead, Ell’Hakan would likely end up being part of the Holy Church. Becoming a Usurper would also be him proving he never had any true loyalty to Yip of Yore in the first place, and any actions he did could easily be excused by the Holy Church as something he had been forced to do. They could spin a story of a hero who’d been manipulated to act the villain, all to protect their newest asset and remove anyone’s excuse to go after Ell’Hakan.
All connection Jake would have left between himself and Ell’Hakan would be whatever personal enmity remained. It would be him one-sidedly attacking a member of the Holy Church due to personal hatred that they would no doubt believe had a very thin reasoning behind it. Shit was bound to turn into a real royal mess if Jake’s theory was right and he really decided to go after Ell’Hakan, and many would likely expect him to back off. However… Jake wasn’t sure he would be able to do that.
I’ll cross that bridge when I get there, he thought, trying to focus on what mattered most right now: the joint declaration.
“It hurts my feelings to hear you say that,” Ell’Hakan smiled. “Perhaps we could have been friends if we’d met under different circumstances. Alas. I just hope we can all let the past stay in the past after this and look to the future together, perhaps not as friends, but simply uninvolved parties.”
Jake kept eye contact and saw the relaxed and confident gaze of Ell’Hakan, almost saying that everything was going as he wanted it to. It was the same look he’d had in his eyes the day Jake first saw him back on Earth… right before he threw Chris’ head at Jake’s feet.
Yeah, fuck crossing bridges; I’d rather burn them all down if that’s what it takes to get his head on a pike.
Hours later on that same day, a grand announcement echoed throughout the Milky Way Galaxy. On one side, Ell’Hakan and the Holy Church, and on the other, Jake Thayne and Valhal, both agreeing to a truce through a recorded message with the two Chosen.
Instantly, the different factions made their moves to abide by the terms of the truce, clearly having been prepared. The Holy Church began to retract many of its spies and had their members who were causing local dissidence take a chill pill. Everyone knew this would only be a temporary truce, and conflict was still boiling below the surface, ready to erupt at any point, but for now, things would calm down, much to the relief of the average citizen who quite frankly just wanted people to stop fighting.
Still, even they knew the truce was clearly not one meant to last forever. Just long enough for a resolution to be reached between the Malefic Viper and Yip of Yore. It wasn’t an equal truce, though, as the mere fact that the Chosen of the Malefic Viper had agreed to a truce was quite telling to many.
One had to remember that the only reason a truce had been needed in the first place was because Ell’Hakan made his move. From the outside, it looked as if the Chosen of the Malefic Viper had seen everything going on in the multiverse and the galaxy before quickly concluding he wasn’t willing to put up a fight. Perhaps he was even looking for a way to use what he still had to negotiate, putting many of those who’d sided with him in quite a state of panic.
What only made it worse was the lack of answers. Miranda, the person many viewed as the de facto leader of the Chosen’s alliance, simply told them to trust the Chosen and the Malefic One while refusing to say more publicly. Behind closed doors, things weren’t much better either, as that could also just be boiled down to just needing to show trust and faith in them.
Despite there being a truce, that didn’t mean everything was paused, though… because no one said anything about entirely peaceful decisions made by individual World Leaders to change alliances. The alliance led by the Chosen of the Malefic Viper bled a few members even on that first day, with little effort to keep them around.
Within the first few days, it also became obvious this entire truce was far more beneficial to Ell’Hakan and the Holy Church than Valhal and the Chosen of the Malefic Viper. It allowed them to continue cementing their own power in the larger territory they controlled while slowly enticing others to switch sides, all in a perfectly peaceful manner that adhered to the truce.
The state of things in the Milky Way Galaxy was obviously quickly leaked to the rest of the multiverse. While it didn’t have as much impact in the ninety-third universe that the Chosen of the Malefic Viper had allied with Valhal to make this declaration, it sent echoes throughout the rest of the multiverse.
For the Chosen of a god to ally with an enemy faction to get a truce like this was… unprecedented. It created so many questions, all of which the Order of the Malefic Viper had no good answers. Valhal, on the other hand, gladly told everyone that the Malefic Viper’s Chosen had approached them to make this truce and that they “were in talks about the future.”
All in all, things were getting messier and messier, something Yip of Yore thrived on, as the Order of the Malefic Viper continued crumbling by the day, rumors now circulating that even their Chosen – who’d almost become the symbol of the Order’s revival and the Viper’s second coming – had now turned his back on them.
About a week after the announcement of the truce within the Milky Way Galaxy, the war in the rest of the multiverse took a turn. A base belonging to the Order of the Malefic Viper was attacked, and in what many came to view as a move of desperation, a low-tier god who’d been the one in charge there personally got involved. In one swoop, he killed over a thousand A-grades and several S-grades, and in response, a dozen gods descended from Yip of Yore’s side, with the Order finding themselves forced to respond in kind.
The war had now officially entered its late stages, as the war between mortals had ended, and the duels between gods began.