The Witch Hunter System

'I believe Lady Hecate already knows about Great Devil Abaddon's wild ambition and the current situation here. His Evernight Territory has invaded my Great Ratholos Empire, unprovoked and without justifiable cause. I wonder if I can interest Lady Hecate in joining hands to take Great Devil Abaddon down and share the benefits?'

'How interesting…'

Hecate wasn't in a hurry to provide an answer as she mulled over his particular choice of words.

'What a good "His Evernight Territory" and "my Great Ratholos Empire." I can see that you only distinguished the domains and not our worlds. I wonder why, hmm? Are you being considerate of me?'

'Not at all, Lady Hecate,' Vaan patiently replied, not minding the change of topic.

'I simply stated things as they are. Pangea and Gehenna will inevitably become one. Thus, there is no need to distinguish between them. The truth of the matter is that the two are already considered one world.'

'To stubbornly separate the two only speaks volumes of one's narrow mind and shortsight,' Vaan commented.

'Hahaha, well said!'

Hecate didn't expect to laugh heartily, but she couldn't help but find Vaan's words pleasing to her ears.

'If you truly think that, and not just saying it for the sake of my goodwill, then you have earned my respect. It's rare to meet someone from Pangea with such an open mind. It seems you have learned to accept the situation.'

'Instead of accepting, it would be more accurate to say that I am recognizing the situation and adapting accordingly, Lady Hecate,' Vaan calmly replied.

'Be that as it may, someone in Pangea with your kind of mindset is rare when it concerns Gehenna,' Hecate argued before continuing, 'Pangea is still young, and its people are underdeveloped.'

'They fear change and reject it with all their might despite its futility instead of learning to embrace the change and ride its flow into the future. If their stubborn persistence continues, only self-destruction awaits them.'

'You are mistaken, Lady Hecate.'

'Oh? How so?'

'Pangea's people—no, people in general do not fear change; they only fear uncontrollable change. The unknown is not so scary if they understand and control it.'

'So you're saying Pangea's people fear the seven Great Devils, not because of our power but because they don't understand us?' Hecate asked with interest.

'You could take it that way, Lady Hecate,' Vaan calmly acknowledged before adding, 'The seven Great Devils' powers could indeed instill fear. However, at its root, fear does not stem from power itself but the intention to use said power.'

'In other words, Pangea's people fear Abaddon because of his intention to his power to harm them. On the other hand, if a Great Devil such as your esteemed self isn't out to harm them, what do they have to fear?'

'The world has always been comprised of both weak and strong people. Does the weak fear the strong for simply being strong? Definitely not. It's how they mingle that gives birth to said fear,' Vaan stated.

'You're clearly a young soul, but why do I feel like you have lived for a very long time? I'm even more curious about you now. That said, you are absolutely right,' Hecate acknowledged.

'It's Great Devils like Abaddon that make things difficult for Great Devils like me to change the people's minds and views of us. He instilled so much fear into the world that the people have learned to fear all of us.'

'That said, since you seek my help, surely you don't expect me to do so for nothing. What have you prepared to offer me in exchange for my help?' Hecate finally asked the important question.

Vaan lightly smiled before mentioning, 'Since Lady Hecate has already fought Abaddon earlier, you must have done so out of rage due to the loss of followers you have incurred due to Abaddon's scheme.'

'That's right. But I have also taken his left arm with 10,000 drops of divine blood as compensation. So, we are considered even right now. You won't be able to use this as a reason for me to help you deal with him,' Hecate stated amusedly, curious how Vaan would respond.

'Nor did I intend to, Lady Hecate,' Vaan calmly replied, adding, 'I only wished to point out the importance you have placed on your devoted followers. Surely, their death was no small loss to you.'

'As such, this is my offer – If you can help me slay Abaddon, I am willing to acknowledge the orthodoxy of your religion. Your emissaries and worshippers can openly spread your faith without fear of persecution as long as they are carried out within my sphere of influence.'

'I will also help them build three of your temples anywhere within my sphere of influence. What do you think of this offer, Lady Hecate?' Vaan calmly asked.

'Oh? You would do that for me?' Hecate smiled before saying, 'It has just dawned upon me that you are incredibly shrewd.'

'Although I may have been the one to change the topic at the start, you did not hesitate to use it to your advantage by guiding the flow of the conversation, pointing out the difficulty of accepting change—all in a bid to increase the value of your offer.'

'And I must say you were quite successful in this aspect. Your offer is indeed tempting and hard to resist,' Hecate acknowledged.

'Does that mean you accept?' Vaan asked.

'Unfortunately, no matter how good the offer is, it is not more valuable than my life,' Hecate sighed and said, 'An all-out battle between me and Abaddon will result in mutual destruction. In the end, I won't be alive to enjoy the benefits you promised.'

'Thus, I can only reluctantly decline your offer, Sir Vaan,' Hecate stated.

However, Vaan was not disheartened by the rejection. On the contrary, he smiled and said, 'Since this is our fight, why are you assuming you would have to fight Great Devil Abaddon by yourself, Lady Hecate?'

'I believe if you add me into the equation, the odds of you surviving victoriously will increase greatly,' Vaan declared.