Jake couldn’t help but stumble back as the projection was broken, and he was forcibly returned to his own body fully. After taking a few steps back, he stabilized himself, breathing heavily. In part because of the shock from getting his consciousness flung back into his real body and in part because he was still mentally processing everything that had just gone down while he was projected.
He had no idea how well things had gone, and he wasn’t good enough at reading people to understand if he had properly tricked Yip of Yore. Nor was he entirely sure if Villy was satisfied with his performance.
Things hadn’t gone entirely to plan, and Jake had veered from the script more than he probably should have. Sure, he had covered the most important parts, but he felt like he’d definitely said a bit too much at times, and he also had the nagging feeling that he’d forgotten some important things he had to say.
After breathing heavily for a bit, Jake took a final deep breath and sighed. None of it mattered anymore. He’d done what he’d done, and things couldn’t be changed anymore. All he could do now was trust in the Malefic Viper to handle everything on his end.
Having calmed himself down, Jake finally addressed the flood of notifications he’d gained. He’d expected to get levels, but not that many, considering he’d already gotten a steady influx of experience over the last many weeks while the rumors of Jake’s betrayal of the Viper had been spreading. That made him assume the reward would be lesser… and maybe it was, but Jake was still pretty darn satisfied seeing six whole levels gained.
’DING!’ Profession: [Heretic-Chosen Alchemist of the Malefic Viper] has reached level 290 - Stat points allocated, +35 Free Points
…
’DING!’ Profession: [Heretic-Chosen Alchemist of the Malefic Viper] has reached level 295 - Stat points allocated, +35 Free Points
’DING!’ Race: [Human (C)] has reached level 293 - Stat points allocated, +45 Free Points
’DING!’ Race: [Human (C)] has reached level 295 - Stat points allocated, +45 Free Points This leveling pace felt like he was back in D-grade again, but he knew it was only because so much was happening. He also suspected Ell’Hakan was experiencing a similar level of growth in the meantime, but that would only make him more worth it to kill once all this was over. And hopefully, a little something that could help make that kill even easier had also arrived…
Because he’d also gotten another message after reaching level 290 in his profession:
Heretic-Chosen Alchemist of the Malefic Viper profession skills available
He already knew what skill he would pick as-
“Lord Thayne, we need to move!” Bobby yelled from outside of the now-broken magic circle after whatever Villy had done proved powerful enough to actually destroy the formation on their end through his will alone.
Jake was thrown out of his thoughts as he heard what the man said, and for a moment, he looked confused at the World Leader. Then, he realized what Bobby was getting at.
Right… the Usurper ritual…
Admittedly, Jake had kind of forgotten about that thing. Or maybe he’d just not wanted to remember its existence due to what using it would imply, but nevertheless, he knew he had to go there even if he never planned on using it.
“Coming,” Jake said as he ran out of the broken magic circle and followed Bobby as they flew to the other circle. He noticed Carmen was nowhere to be seen, and he couldn’t help but ask while flying:
“Where’s Carmen at?”
“I apologize for not telling you before, but I didn’t wish to distract you in any way. However, shortly before you were summoned, a man from your planet arrived, and Carmen went to greet him,” Bobby answered apologetically.
“A man? Who?” Jake asked, unsure who it could be.
“The Void Machinist… I believe his name is Arnold?” Bobby answered, Jake pleasantly surprised. Both at Arnold having a cool title assigned to him by Valhal and partly because he knew what his arrival had to mean.
Jake didn’t say much more while flying over to the ritual site he could use to usurp the Legacy of the Malefic Viper should the Primordial fall. When he got closer, he saw there were already hundreds of shamans gathered around, ready to do their part in the massive ritual should the need arrive.
Valhal had massively invested in making it, of that there was no doubt. Jake already knew that when he inspected it the first time around, but now it looked even more impressive. It was odd seeing the circle and all the people there who seemed quite certain they would have to use it. Even Bobby looked like he was looking forward to seeing it activate.
Meanwhile, Jake hoped that all of this investment would turn out to be a total waste of time and resources for Valhal.
Ultimately, all of that would be down to the Malefic Viper, and as Jake went to the middle of the circle and sat down with his legs crossed, he passed whatever small prayer a Heretic-Chosen was able to give unto his Patron.
--
Back in the first universe at Primordial-4, all looked on as Yip of Yore activated the pinnacle-grade Void Sphere as he flew toward the Malefic Viper. A pulse of pure void energy echoed out, and in an instant, the two gods disappeared to their own private dimension.
There was no doubt in anyone’s mind that only one of them would exit it… the only question was who. Would it be the Malefic Viper proving that he was still worthy of being called a Primordial? Or would it be Yip of Yore making history by being the first one to slay a Primordial, upending the multiverse’s entire power structure?
Either way, in the meantime, with the two main characters of this event gone, things didn’t calm down at all. Left behind was still the army of gods who followed Yip of Yore alongside the many gods of the Order, including the Lord Protector.
Then, there were the top warriors of Valhal alongside their leader, Valdemar. With the Malefic Viper and Yip of Yore gone, the only being capable of standing up to him was Eversmile, who already made it clear he wouldn’t get involved, and maybe the Lord Protector, though all the Lord Protector would possibly be able to do was stall the War God.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.
Many expected something to happen as Valdemar’s words echoed at the first sign of someone considering if they should make a move: “Sit down and wait. None are to draw arms.”
The god from Yip’s faction, who looked like he was about to propose something, instantly shut up as no one spoke or did anything. The world was silent as Valdemar stood there with his arms crossed, one of the other warriors holding his axe for him, the message of his actions being clear: if someone were stupid enough to pull out a weapon, he would respond in kind by taking his axe back.
His sheer presence ensured that while Yip of Yore and the Malefic Viper fought, no one else would do anything but wait to see who the ultimate victor would be. At the same time, Eversmile gladly waited around, his eternal smile filled with expectation for the conclusion of this entire arc.
Void Spheres were truly ingenious creations that the system had gladly helped in the creation of to limit the destruction of the true universe. Whenever one was used, it effectively created a separate dimension mirroring the real world, but only with a limited number of creatures within… in this case, with only two beings entering.
From the perspectives of the Malefic Viper and Yip of Yore, the world was merely colored black and white for a brief moment before all returned to normal, except every other person was gone. Now, only two Truesouls existed with the entire Great Planet and much further laid bare to be their battleground.
Even the large Order of the Malefic Viper compound beneath them was now entirely empty, though much of it appeared murky, as if censored somehow. A feature of the many enchantments placed on the city to make it so using a Void Sphere didn’t mean one could go in and explore the empty city. Not that many would even dare consider wasting a Void Sphere of this caliber on something like that, and if a weaker one was used, it was possible that those outside could detect disturbances in overlapping dimensions. With this level of Void Sphere used, though, there was no risk of that happening. The only ones breaking in and out of this dimension were the Viper and Yip were entirely isolated. Only their Truesouls had been attuned to it, after all.
Within this world, they were free to fight without worrying about their allies. Free to fight without worrying about destroying anything in their vicinity… and free to act with the knowledge that none were able to observe or hear them.
The Malefic Viper stared across empty space as Yip stood there, looking far more relaxed than before. He glanced at the Viper before smiling.
“Reminds me of our first meeting within the void. Just the two of us with no curious gazes,” the god spoke in a nostalgic tone. “Though much has changed since then.”
“Are you sure it changed for the better, though? Because last time I checked, you ran away after a single exchange, and now you cut off that possibility for yourself,” the Viper responded in a snarky tone.
“True, true, but let’s be honest, we both know my intent back then wasn’t actually to fight you,” Yip smiled while shaking his head. “Also, you can stop with the acting already; it’s just the two of us now. The setting has been established, and the build-up is complete. What happens from here on out will be naught but a tale told by the victor.”
“Me? Acting? Aren’t you the one acting weird, not being in a rush despite working so hard to build up momentum?” Vilastromoz responded, tilting his head.
“You know, it’s weird; you don’t seem as angry now as you did less than a minute ago,” Yip shot back, still smiling. “I must admit, you are a better performer than I first expected. Then again, you are a notorious schemer. Everyone’s been telling me that anyway. The thing is, I can’t figure out what the goal of your scheme is this time around.”
“What’s so hard to understand?” the Viper asked in a relaxed tone.
“You. What you want,” Yip said with genuine puzzlement. “I dare call myself an expert in the art of spinning tales and telling stories, and what I witnessed today was quite the drama. Brilliantly performed by everyone involved, your Chosen and yourself included. I have a lot of questions about how you pulled it all off, especially the heretic aura… though perhaps that part was genuine. The best lies need a foundation of truth, after all, and I know it is true that Valdemar has an interest in your Chosen and that his faith isn’t exactly strong. Alas, I don’t believe any of the words he uttered today.”
The Malefic Viper wasn’t surprised at what Yip of Yore said. Honestly, he’d never expected to fool the god with all his schemes. He walked a Path that revolved around false legends and lies, and could read the flow of such things at a deep conceptual level. It was pretty obvious he would realize something was up at some point… not that it mattered. Why would it?
Everything that happened was to Yip of Yore’s benefit. Even if he realized that the Viper and Jake were actively helping him get stronger, why would he say no to that? Why would he point out that the Chosen and Patreon were actually super tight buddies and that there was no conflict between them? What good would that have possibly done him? It wasn’t even as if he could prove the two of them were lying to make himself look smart, and his objections to them having a falling out would just seem odd and out of place.
No, he pretty much only had the choice of leaning into their lies, even if he realized they were lies. From the beginning, the objective had never been to fool Yip of Yore, just the average uncritical observer.
“As you said, this is our own little world, cut off from the speculation of outsiders… so you tell me. Why do you think I did as I did, assuming you are correct?” the Viper asked with raised eyebrows.
“Now that’s the big question,” Yip spoke, wagging his finger in the air. “I’ve been trying to figure that one out for a while and come up with a few theories. Three, to be exact. Theory number one, you believe you can beat me no matter how much stronger I get and that killing me at my apex will reap you the most benefits. Needless to say, I find myself forced to write this option off as if this was the case, I was doomed from the start, so there’s no need to even consider it.”
“Fair,” the Viper smirked.
“Number two, you’re just a moron. You’re truly arrogant and overconfident to the point of being an idiot, believing yourself infallible. This one is quite similar to the first one, except with the built-in assumption you are far more idiotic than I have come to believe. Still, not entirely one to write off, as you are indeed quite the arrogant god, and I do believe you fail to fully grasp my abilities,” Yip of Yore continued. “Though, of course, this theory being proved true is partly my own fault for keeping certain things hidden.”
“Got any more fun theories?” the Viper asked in a mocking tone.
“There is the third one, but before that, I want to talk a bit more about a certain someone… your dear Chosen and fellow schemer in this entire matter. I will not lie; I’ve found myself a bit jealous at times when hearing about your Chosen. Jealousy many other gods, including Valdemar seem to share. You got incredibly lucky with that one, catching him in a Tutorial like that. I can only suspect you saw the latent powers of his Bloodline, including his abilities to affect Primeval Origins, and jumped to quickly bring him under your banner,” Yip of Yore spoke as he began to pace back and forth in mid-air.
“Truly something that happens only once in a lifetime. Don’t get me wrong, my own Chosen isn’t bad at all either and quite a lucky find, but as I said, I find myself filled with envy at times. I’m also not blind to the odd relationship you seem to share with your Chosen. One far more equal than one would expect any god would allow their faithful to have with him. Yet you are clearly fine with it and even invite it. You set your Chosen up to be independent right from the day you revealed him as your Chosen, not trying to take even partial credit for his powers… which made me wonder… why would the selfish Malefic Viper do something like that?”
Vilastromoz frowned as he wasn’t entirely certain where Yip of Yore was going with all this.
“However, then it struck me one day. See, I also wondered what made you leave your divine realm in the first place. What was the impetus for your return? Many speculated it was because of your Chosen, while others said he was merely one element… but I do believe it was due to him appearing before you,” Yip said with a high level of confidence, not incorrect with his assessment so far.
“I think you were waiting all that time. Waiting for someone like him to come along… someone you deemed worthy,” Yip spoke as he sighed. “So this is my third theory: you willingly helped set all this up, not because you were fattening me up for the slaughter, but because you were setting the scene for something even grander: the birth of the first Primordial Usurper. A grand exit for a god who’s not felt alive for so many eras and an opportunity to once more reunite with those you’ve lost.”
The Viper’s demeanor changed as he looked at Yip with cold eyes.
“Valhal already made the circle for him, I heard. Everything is ready on their end. In fact, I’m sure everyone is ready all across the multiverse to see the conclusion of this tale,” Yip of Yore said, his words calm as he spoke. “So tell me, oh Malefic One… which theory do you subscribe to?”
The Viper’s aura flared as his cold eyes didn’t leave Yip of Yore for a single moment. “I guess you’ll have to find out.”