The more the Evil God of a Thousand Eyes pondered the situation, the more uneasy it became. Its gaze toward Muria grew increasingly serious as it calculated the cost of compensation.
While it hadn't destroyed the Dragon God's cultivated civilization outright, the slaughter it had orchestrated among humanity was enough to inflict severe damage. For a civilization that hadn't even stepped beyond its world, such losses were equivalent to a deep wound, one that could take ages to heal.
Yet, as the Evil God reflected on the situation, doubts began to creep in.
Logically, a being capable of investing millennia into shepherding a civilization should possess a steady temperament and extraordinary patience. But the Dragon God it faced was anything but.
This was a warlike deity, quick to raise its fists at the slightest provocation. Was it truly capable of nurturing a civilization and waiting for the fruits of its labor to ripen?
"Perhaps this aggression is just a facade?" the Evil God theorized. "Maybe the Dragon God is putting on a show of strength and belligerence to scare us off, ensuring we don't interfere with its plans to reap its civilization's harvest?"
Muria, oblivious to the increasingly wild assumptions being made about him, noticed the odd look the Evil God was giving him.
"What's with that look?" he asked, puzzled.
"Dragon God," the Evil God said cautiously, breaking the silence. "I am willing to offer my entire high-tier servant race as compensation for the harm I've caused."
This proposal caught Muria off guard. He had been prepared to haggle and wring concessions from the Evil God, but such a straightforward offer was unexpected.
"High-tier servants?" Muria asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes, these beings resemble you in form," the Evil God explained, pointing at the remaining one-eyed giants. "I discovered them in another world. They were the most formidable and voracious creatures there, so I converted them into my servants."
Muria's gaze swept over the surviving one-eyed giants. After a moment's consideration, he shook his head decisively.
"Too ugly, too weak, and too gluttonous. I don't want them."
"But they're—"
"Don't try to pass off this trash as compensation," Muria interrupted, his tone sharp.
The Evil God hesitated but quickly recalibrated its offer.
"A world coordinate for a major world—would that suffice?"
Muria's interest was piqued.
A coordinate for a major world was no small thing. While finding and exploring such a world might not be immediately feasible, its value was undeniable for future ventures.
"That's acceptable," Muria replied after a moment of thought.
Yet, he wasn't about to let the Evil God off that easily. "But that alone isn't enough. Finding a major world's coordinates isn't particularly difficult. You'll need to offer more."
The Evil God's body tensed as it tried to mask its irritation.
"I can give you ten tons of Geocore Essence, a byproduct I collected while consuming a world."
"Not enough," Muria countered immediately. "Make it twenty tons."
"Impossible! I—"
"Stop bargaining. Twenty tons of Geocore Essence, plus the world coordinate. Only then can we consider this matter settled," Muria declared firmly.
Reluctantly, the Evil God acquiesced.
"The Geocore Essence is with my true body," it said.
"How convenient. My true body happens to be nearby," Muria replied with a grin.
Beyond the World
In the void outside the world, where the eternal fog of curses hung heavy, Muria's true body opened his eyes and extended a hand toward the Evil God's true form.
"Hand it over," he said, his tone brooking no argument.
The Evil God's countless eyes fixed on the imposing titan, its frustration mounting. Yet, it knew it had no choice.
Gritting its metaphorical teeth, the Evil God produced an enormous, earth-colored crystalline core and hurled it toward Muria.
"Take it," it growled.
Muria caught the core with ease, its weight comparable to an entire mountain range. A satisfied smile spread across his face as he stored the treasure in his personal realm.
"This is good," he remarked, inspecting the Geocore Essence. Its potential for reshaping and enhancing land was invaluable.
Meanwhile, the other two deities, the Mechanical God and the Whale God, exchanged brief, silent glances before resuming their meditative states.
Back within the world, Muria's titan form stood tall amid the blood-soaked mountains. Watching the Evil God's retreating avatar vanish with its depleted forces, Muria let out a wry chuckle.
"What a fool," he muttered, shaking his head.
He had been fully prepared to engage in a fierce battle, expecting to push the Evil God to the brink. Instead, the entity had surrendered far too quickly, leaving him with an unexpected windfall.
For the Evil God, however, things were far less straightforward.
"The Dragon God must have suffered significant losses," it mused as it withdrew, its fractured forces limping behind it. "That would explain its violent temperament. Losing control over its cultivated civilization must have driven it to the brink."
It continued to speculate, convinced that Muria was a shepherd of civilizations—a being who meticulously nurtured civilizations over millennia, only to harvest their fruits at the opportune moment.
"This collision of worlds must have disrupted everything," the Evil God concluded. "And with our arrival, the Dragon God's plans have been thrown into chaos. Its frustration is palpable—it seeks battles to vent its rage."
As the Evil God's avatar led its forces into the merging borderlands, it resumed its grim work, harvesting every soul it encountered.
"Such disappointing prey," it muttered, observing the ethereal spirits its servants dragged forth. "They lack flesh and are poorly formed—a far cry from the blood-and-bone creatures of the other world."
Boom!
A piercing blue light erupted from the distant horizon, cutting through the oppressive darkness surrounding the Evil God's forces. The beam of energy surged toward the grotesque mass of its avatar.
"Damn you!" the avatar roared, its anger flaring. Tentacles lashed out defensively, while its myriad eyes fired beams of destructive energy to counter the incoming attack.
The battle raged once more, as chaos engulfed the merging worlds.
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