"You mean to say…" Balveta said, pale-faced, "Yifa ended up becoming the Grade 3 System, Apocalypse?"
"Pretty much." Slayer nodded, "At that point in time, there didn't exist the concept of levels among the Systems. Only after they took over a gaming world did they establish such a power system within themselves."
"Most that were active until then were those that had become Grade 3 and 4 Systems now." He sighed.
"But, this means…" Keel shuddered in fright, "The System World is…alive?"
"Yep," Slayer nodded, "Zaira is now a behemoth that can wield the power of all Systems birthed by her. And, the only one that can go against her is the Main Character System."
Currently, they were in Slayer's dimension and hence could speak freely without any retaliation from the rules set up by the Tell-Tale System.
"If it's like this, then why…" Balveta was confused, "Why were we against the previous Main Characters?"
"The only one that can truly destroy the Systems is the Main Characters. System Slayers can only steal their power." Slayer said, "And until we reach the required level, Main Characters are our foe."
"With our Relics, and as long as we strengthen this world, we'll be able to develop." Slayer spoke, "Even if we cannot surpass Level 99, we'll be able to gather Grade 2 Core Skills just like what I had done. The only necessity is for us to be able to handle the Systems growing in our minds, which is at a terrifying rate while possessing a Grade 2 Core Skill."
"And, I can do that." Slayer said, "My Relic has attained a level sufficient enough to consume the System Fragments forming in my mind constantly."
"Is that why you've been working on strengthening this world?" Balveta's eyes lit up, finally gaining enough clarity.
"Indeed, the foundation that we rely upon to remain System Slayers and not be taken over by Systems is this world." Slayer nodded, "It's special in that and had been modified just for this purpose. Therefore, the stronger this world becomes, the greater our growth."
"And, once all of us attain strength on par with the Grade 3 Systems, our retaliation would finally begin. We can steal all their powers and make it our own." Slayer smiled, "And until then, we have to ensure that the Systems aren't annihilated by the Main Characters."
"But, considering how many Systems exist these days, isn't it better to trim out the weeds?" Balveta said.
"That's true, but remember that the ones that do this are the Main Characters and not your average clean-up crew." Slayer said, "They always target the best of the Systems and never bother with the trash. Just consider Compass Carburettor for example."
He sighed, saying, "After becoming the Main Character, he wiped out the Luck Genre, one of the top 4 genres among Systems, and resulted in Rhizen's birth to power."
"Luck…" Slayer said, "One of the strongest genres has now been removed from our access. This is what typically happens with the Main Characters. They're never interested in cleaning up the dregs. They always aim for the cream of the crop, the best of the best."
"So, it's a conflict of benefits." Balveta sighed, "To think the reason has been so simple and clear-cut all along. And here I was, weaving complex stories for the same."
"The reasons might be numerous, but the essence of conflict always remains simple," Slayer, "Benefits!"
Warl then felt puzzled, asking Slayer, "Then, why are we sparing Compass Carburettor? He already wiped out the Luck Genre. We should deal with him before he destroys other strong genres. Even you said that his talent is on par, if not greater than Arnark."
"If I could kill him, I would have done so already." Slayer sighed, massaging his forehead as he looked at the five System Slayers before him, "Why do you think I evaluated Compass Carburettor to be above Arnark?"
"You mentioned talent," Balveta muttered.
"Right, but if it was simply that, then we shouldn't need to worry, right?" Slayer said, "After all, just like how Arnark was stabbed in the back, there are ways to repeat the same to Compass too."
"Then, what's the true reason?" Balveta felt a mild headache, feeling that Slayer was going around in circles as usual, never getting to the point.
"Compass Carburettor…isn't one individual," Slayer said solemnly.
"What?" Balveta was confused, "What the heck does that mean?"
"It makes no sense." Keel frowned, constantly divining for an answer as the magic circles he created continuously shattered, failing to find an answer.
"What I meant to say was that…" Slayer paused before uttering slowly, "The Main Character isn't one individual. This is the terrifying reason Compass Carburettor is above Arnark in terms of danger."
"As long as even one Main Character is alive, the rest would revive eventually." Slayer said, turning around to walk away, "This is why I don't wish to fight him. There's just one of them in our world. So, even if we win, it matters naught. The Main Character would only be strengthened thanks to the conflict."
"And, we'll end up revealing our cards to our foes." Slayer muttered, "Remember that our goal is the power held by the Systems."
Slayer took a step when suddenly, the action of his foot approaching the ground slowed down by millions of times, as if the world itself had paused.
The figures of Balveta, Ducore, Warl, Suzakh, and Keel were terrified, unable to move their bodies despite their senses perceiving everything around them as usual. It was as if only their bodies had been frozen by time.
Slayer stared with a solemn gaze, tensing up as a stream of sweat dribbled down his cheek while making eye contact with the figure that appeared before him at some point in time.
Horns that were three metres in length, forming a sharp contrast to the two-metre-tall figure, a face so plain that it could be forgotten, but a cruel smile flashed by lips that stretched through the entire jaw.
Demon!
"Gilthru, you've been up to something fun behind my back, huh?" The Demon spoke in interest, seeing Slayer trying to move as he smirked, "Don't bother. I conjured this world just for you. Time runs a million times slower here. Everyone except me will become like this."
"Why…did you appear?" Slayer said, taking almost an hour to convey this line.
"A certain someone conjured a weapon. So, I woke up to find what it was about." The Demon's grin widened, "You say someone better than Arnark arrived here?"
