"Now that I think about it, he truly is," Diya muttered under her breath. She was amused by the sudden rise of a prodigy who was not affected by nepotism, such as Aditya or Lucas. Instead, someone fresh had appeared.
Her interest had been piqued since before the meeting, and considering he seemed to be important enough to be mentioned in such a meeting, it seemed her interest was not baseless and worthless.
It seemed there truly was something to the story.
"Only that bastard Hugh ever came close to achieving the milestone," Zeus muttered, his gaze intense. "We've never known what all thirteen Constellation Tokens can do. It is not wise to allow this boy to receive them."
"Why not?" Vesto inquired, cocking her head. "Isn't it best to allow this boy to get all the Tokens? To see what would happen? We can always steal it from him or kill him. It is not too difficult to control someone who isn't even an Elite Ranker."
"How cowardly can one be, to steal from a newbie?" Diya protested, her eyes oozing with disdain and mockery of the Fake Dragon. "I think we should allow him to get the Tokens, and see what he does with them. We've wondered what happens for centuries, now."
Zeus, Indra, and Odin remained silent. Ahriman and Daniel watched in amusement, while Felix stifled laughter.
"Felix, aren't you allied with that boy?" A random high-ranker inquired.
"Indeed," Felix replied, leaning back in his chair while enjoying the argument between the Divine Rankers, knowing he held an advantage. It seemed it was the correct move to monopolize the crimson-eyed man, judging by his value among the Divine Rankers.
'It's the first time I've outplayed those fuckers,' thought Felix, letting out devilish laughter internally. Although everyone adopted civilized behavior when attending a meeting, every single person in the hall held immense hatred for each other.
Not a single person would sacrifice anything for another.
'Except Diya,' Felix muttered internally. 'Diya still retains a bit of her humanity, although I'm uncertain why.'
It was a mystery how a person with moral values had ascended to a position in which humanity was but a weakness.
"How is the boy?" Diya inquired. "Is he matching up to your expectations?"
"Exceeding them, I would say," Felix announced, casting sneaky, condescending glances at the Divine Rankers, who seemed somewhat annoyed. Suddenly, the Saint Sealing Devil let out a horrific chuckle. "Oh, what can I say? He's one of the most talented players I've ever met… except me, of course."
Silence.
"I expect him to become an Elite Ranker, soon!" The Saint Sealing Devil announced shamelessly, stretching his words so as to portray his sheer excitement and pride. "Oh, how powerful, wise, and talented he is!"
"I have yet to see another heaven-gifted prodigy such as him."
"I will rip this guy apart," A certain High Ranker whispered, his voice laced with immense annoyance.
"Oh? And how will you go about doing that?" Felix shot back. Unless a Divine Ranker were to reprimand him, the Saint Sealing Devil was untouchable and invincible. He was the peak of what a High Ranker could achieve, and no one of the same rank could contest with him.
The High Ranker arose from his seat, followed by Felix performing the same movement.
Their auras clashed, brewing a storm.
"Sit," a single word escaped Ahriman's crimson lips, forcing the auras of the two High Rankers to diminish. The hall reverted to its original state, while a malevolent aura escaped Ahriman's body, releasing a gooey, black liquid.
Felix spat in indignation before taking a seat, massaging his temples as he attempted to extinguish the painful, burning sensation that coursed across his temples. Ahriman's mere voice shook his mind to the core.
His aura vanished in a second, while he was forced to suffer backlash.
His pride was chipped at, while his authority was questioned. Then again, the existence who dared to commit such an act was a Divine Ranker, and the leader of the Demonic Order, so he could not retaliate.
He could only swallow his indignation.
The other High Ranker seemed to be of the same thought, as Felix felt his gaze burn a hole in his attire. The two simply glared at each other, refusing to let out a single word as the hall was enveloped in silence.
"Ahem… Perhaps we should move on," Vesto suggested, to which everyone nodded.
It was best not to linger.
"Indra, Odin… How is your conflict progressing?" Zeus inquired, leaning forward while revealing an arrogant smile. "Do you need Olympus' help, or can you manage on your own? I'm feeling generous, today."
Odin and Indra exchanged glances before glaring at the Wielder Of Lightning.
"I would rather die than ask you for help," Indra spat, his amethyst eyes flashing with murderous intent.
"Same here," said Odin, his ravens releasing a vicious roar.
"Honestly, though, do you wish to allow this to progress into a war?" Diya inquired, stroking her chin as she observed the two conflicting parties. Their enmity was evident, while their interests were separated by an impregnable barrier.
Even the Divine Rankers were unbeknownst to the reason for their conflict, but they didn't wish to pry. However, if the conflict were to develop into a full-scale war, it could equal benefits and losses, depending on circumstances.
If one were to side with either party, they would inevitably suffer losses.
Many believed it was best to remain neutral and reap the rewards externally.
The leaders of the worldly powers continued to chat for a few minutes before Felix abruptly stood up. "I apologize, but I have other matters to tend to. I would like to take my leave if that's all right."
The others nodded and decided to take their leave, too.
There weren't many topics to discuss, and they did not have strong opinions on most. It was mainly a rather timid meeting.
As the Divine Rankers took their leaves, two questions lingered in their minds.
'What should we do with that boy?'
And.
'How can we reap the most benefits from the conflict between Asgard and the Devas?'
