"Is there no other way?" Martial, the Beast God sighed, "Honestly, I'm not confident in fighting Compass. This world is his."
"He has the home advantage here."
"Even after so long, your indecisiveness as a Genre Representative hasn't vanished." Arnark snorted, "Well, I guess it makes sense. That's how you've been for millions of years. I can't expect you to change overnight. But still,"
He slapped Martial, "Grow a pair, will you?"
"You're no longer a Genre Representative."
"Enough!" Martial glared at Arnark, offended by the slap, "I'll kill you!"
"Sure, give it a try." Arnark coolly spoke as he stood right before Martial, "I'm within your reach. All you need to do is raise your hand and you'll touch me. Go on, do it."
"You…bastard!" Martial glared in rage as he clenched his hand into a fist. Arnark didn't even use any abilities, so at present, he was in a vulnerable state. With his power as the Beast God, Martial only needed to launch an attack to end his life.
But, the moment he clenched his hand into a fist, Martial felt dull, lacking power. No, there wasn't any power affecting him. It was just his mind.
He was afraid of Arnark.
He was afraid of killing Arnark. No, rather, even if he had the power, he didn't have the confidence in killing him. Secondly, he was uncertain about his future.
A long time has passed already. So, did the Murim worlds birth a new Genre Representative?
When he became the Beast God, Martial could sense his powers funnelling into this world. After all, his strength as Martial was still flowing into him. Of course, that was being intercepted by this world that devoured everything.
But recently, Martial was unable to sense that influx anymore. It meant that the Murim Worlds either diverged further or simply birthed a new Martial.
Then, what did that make him?
If he were to escape from this world successfully, what will he be? He wasn't sure. Without any power funnelling into him, Martial might just vanish the moment he left this world. Or the new Martial might simply devour him.
He had been suffering from an identity crisis, lacking any hope for the future. In the end, he relaxed his clenched fist, grunting in response upon staring at Arnark's face. "Bastard!"
"So you know your place." Arnark grinned and backed away casually, "Forget your past and work on erecting a future in this world. As long as Compass is killed, this world will become your playground."
"An unstable power like faith has been stabilised in this world. Moreover," Arnark grinned, "The laws of this world will devour any existence that interacts with it. So, no external enemy would ever be able to interfere with the workings of this world. Rather, they would be devoured and assimilated by it."
"After all, this is the only world in existence that has both Lore and Tell-Tale." Arnark said in all seriousness, "The laws here are sentient. Unlike other worlds, they are active. So, once they finished assimilating the energy obtained from us all, they would extend their reach to the nearby universes and continue to grow."
"And the one ruling this world would eventually rule the multiverse." Arnark proclaimed, "Since Compass wished to kill us, I took the chance to wager Lore. This way, the winner takes the ultimate power that would allow them to rule the multiverse."
"It means I have two choices, huh…" Martial said in disappointment, "Either under you or under Compass."
"Yeah," Arnark nodded as a matter of fact, "Lore and Tell-Tale isn't the type of power an average shmuck like you can wield. So yeah, it's impossible for you."
"What about Zaira then?" Martial retorted, "She wielded Tell-Tale before. She can do so again. And Lore too is a Core Skill. That makes her the sole entity that can perfectly control this world."
"You're right about that, but you see," Arnark grinned, "Zaira can never win against me, neither in the past nor in the future. She's just my greatest sponsor and lives in denial."
'What is the source of his confidence?' Martial thought before sighing in surrender, 'I have no choice but to ally with Arnark then.'
It was because his powers complemented Arnark's side better. He had better value here than on Compass Carburettor's side. Moreover, it didn't even seem like Compass Carburettor had a use for the powers of the Beast God.
"What should I do now?" Martial asked.
"Take the rejects." Arnark spoke, "Not all races have the capabilities to produce a Deity. So, take them under your wing. I can facilitate the process. Through your blessings, add a scope for evolution in them. So one day, some of them might gain the potential to become a Deity. That'll be helpful for me."
"Also," He pointed at the divine beasts before him, "Gain some believers from their respective races. Your powers would allow them to develop similar to the tools of humans."
"Fine, I'll do that." Martial nodded and began to work immediately. At least, through this task, he was able to observe that he was intricately tying himself to the beast races. Therefore, as long as they exist, he too would maintain his power.
It was pretty stable in terms of future prospects.
"What…about the rest?" Martial asked once he finished discussing with the divine beasts, staring at Arnark in hesitation, "Are they acting on their own?"
"Invader and Waning Essence have become Devils instead." Arnark said, "They are actively rampaging around in human societies and are proving a headache for the Deities. Moreover, they have managed to birth a few more Devils."
"Every Devil is a menace to human society, so an increase in their numbers is to our benefit." He grinned, "I have yet to talk with them, but it doesn't matter. As long as they maintain their growth and actions, it's enough for me. They are the parasites eating away at the stability of human societies."
"Then, that leaves the last of us six." Martial asked, "What the heck is Adventure…I mean, Secondary up to?"
"As for him…" Arnark frowned, "All I managed to find was information regarding some unscrupulous merchants. They are simply transacting with everyone, whether affiliated with Deities or Devils, whether on my side or Compass's. There is no discrimination."
"No one knows what he's planning."
