GREED: ALL FOR WHAT?



"We still have some time before the battle starts. I will converse with those that acquired crowns during the last challenge. They will be the commanders and leaders of this army. It doesn't matter if you're a good leader or have leadership qualities. You will not lead in this army since you didn't get a crown. You will listen to orders, or you will pay the consequences." Then he asked them with a stern voice, "Am I clear?"

"Yes, sir." They roared.

He ordered. "Call me commander."

They roared again. "Yes, commander." 

He gave them another slight nod before he continued. "Think carefully before you disobey any order. Make sure that you can pay the price when a world god comes asking for it. I know that simply bringing the name of a world God might not convince you since most of you don't know how powerful a world God can be. So I will tell you a short tale. Listen and listen well."

"An origin God once offended a world God and he was cursed to die forever. His immortality was turned against him. He began to wilt and decay as he lived. He became as weak as an aged mortal who can't even stand. All he could do is stay in bed and groan in pain. And yet, he couldn't die. An origin God will always resurrect after death. It is just a matter of time. The curse of the world God made him resurrect immediately after he dies. Then he resumes his suffering."

Some of them shivered when they heard the cautionary tale. It is to be expected. Even Soverick had swallowed nervously when Guntu, the eye of destruction, told him. To die forever is not a pleasant experience. The origin God will wish he isn't immortal just for the sweet release of death.

He continued after the short pause, "Imagine becoming a decaying, decomposing, and wilting being while being alive. Imagine having your existence, your body, and your mind decaying bit by bit. Imagine a suffering without an end. That's what can happen to an Origin God."

"Your ancestors are Origin gods. If they can't afford to offend a world God, I don't think you can. I repeat, think carefully before you disobey any order. Make sure that you can pay the price when a world God comes asking for it."

"For now, you will stay in formation until told otherwise. You will not make any noise, and there will be no movements. All forms of communication are restricted to the usage of divine sense from now on. Do you understand me?"

"Yes, commander." They all roared their assent.

He gave them another nod before descending. He thought to himself, "I am impressed. The Sage sure knows how to rile up a crowd." 

He can see that most, if not all, of the bloodlines within the competitors are activated. They are being compelled to act like soldiers, and they don't know it. He would like to take credit for their orderly behavior, but he knows that he is not that charismatic. 

"He is not even here, but he is still pulling strings with a few words. The first Sage will be a terrifying enemy." Then he thought to himself in relief. "Fortunately, we are not enemies. I just have to take care of Salvini, and everything should be alright."

The first Sage has a terrifying ability to manipulate people. He has felt the effects himself, and he has seen it in others. So he is relieved that he is not the first Sage's enemy. After all, there is no reason for them to be. He hasn't antagonized the first Sage, and he is winning this competition for the first Sage. 

Plus, he is obviously the best choice for the position of the child of the plane. Surely the first Sage is aware of that. There is no need for him to be afraid of replacement. To top it off, the first Sage promised to keep him safe. The only one he should be worried about is Salvini.

Those with crowns walked to him and surrounded him after he landed. He waited for every one of them to get into position before he started speaking.

"Everyone here knows about Vipers, but not everyone knows what their divine ability is. In fact, information about their divine ability has been lost in history. It wasn't lost by chance. The sages did it deliberately. It was to bury everything about Vipers."

"I must say that they did a good job of it. But we need every information that we can get to beat them, so I'll tell you what their divine ability is. Vipers have a virtual circulation system that connects every one of them together. It can be likened to the heart and the blood vessels, but this system cannot be seen in the physical world."

"Every Viper is born as a part of this unseen circulation system. Most of them are born as part of the vessels. They don't gain anything from their divine ability. But there are some special Vipers that are born as the node of the system. These nodes then form connections with the vessels like the heart and the blood vessels." 

"These special individuals are called paragons. They become more powerful the more vessels that are connected to them. The normal Vipers exist to augment their paragons. That is their divine ability. It is the ability to empower the few so that they can protect the many."

"In the past, the nodes become immortal when its carrier achieves the soul body. That means that transcendent paragons were capable of instant resurrection with their strength and body completely intact. They can't be killed until every vessel has been cut off or destroyed."

"That has changed today. Their divine ability has changed with time. It has become versatile, but they have also lost their immortality. Of course, there are some that are still immortal, just like the bloodline of the sages still exists today. So be prepared for an elongated battle."