Chapter 2455
Randidly considered the floating consciousness in front of him. She regarded him coolly, aware of how the power dynamic had shifted. His method of defeating this Devick, of removing all the antagonism aimed at her and leaving her adrift in her own madness, meant that her image had lost the bite of rusted iron, even if she still released a whiff of a feral wolf.
He also knew he was taking a gamble with this choice; the third element in this grand ritual needed anchoring, sure. And of the three, he felt the most conflicted on who and how to find a proper anchor for the negative subconscious. His familiarity with that darkness that threatened to unbalance them all was shaky at best. An easy answer didn’t present itself.
He selected Devick for two reasons. First, because of the presence of Pangu that Randidly had witnessed inside of the accumulated negativity of the Nexus. Any anchor he chose from within the darkness, despite perhaps having an easier time of the acclimation, might possess a connection to Pangu that Randidly wanted to rip out and discard. Plus, if Pangu had methods to reach back… Devick was contrary enough to sock the foreign Eternity in the mouth before she would listen to some plot to betray him.
Secondly… Randidly narrowed his eyes as he considered her. His actions were purposeful, reaching back out to those he had defeated to claim his supremacy in the Nexus. They would not just become additional corpses to fuel the growth of the universe because they had lost to him. You could fail, you could disagree, and there would still be a place for you in the home Randidly attempted to build.
Besides, the restless dead of the underworld have my condolences if they think resistance against this insane parasite will go well for them, Randidly smirked. They might complain loudly about the situation foisted upon them… but soon, they might even be quite pleased.
“Oh, do you find my request amusing?” Devick’s consciousness pulsed, releasing small rust-colored sparks. He felt her defensiveness, overcompensating for her weakness. “I can assure you, I am not willing to negotiate in my demands.”
“Do you know why you don’t rule us all, Actus Suprem?” Randidly said instead. The sparks quieted, proving that he had her attention. This was what he needed to unravel, that need to lash out, if she would work, if he could trust her, if this was possible. She needed to feel seen— because if he demonstrated he understood, she wouldn’t be able to avoid facing her flaws any longer.
Randidly cleared his throat and spoke slowly. “You found yourself dealt a very disadvantageous hand. You were the last of your kind, struggling to find a connection. And after that failed repeatedly… well, I admire your stubbornness. You didn’t change your method. But you did change your target.”
Randidly leaned forward. His emerald pupils burned. “You started lying to yourself. You decided, if the universe wouldn’t acclimate, you would, just the slightest bit. Everything spiraled out of control from there, until you had folded in on yourself. In the end, you flinched. And that is why, here and now, you cannot fight against me.”