"Don't worry, I'll only beat Amon to half-dead at most, and I won't touch their Sequence 1 characteristic or Uniqueness." Alaric said, flashing a reassuring gesture to The Ancient Sun God. This was the unspoken agreement with the True Creator's camp. "But…" He pivoted, giving The Ancient Sun God a sly look. "Those characteristics Amon gobbled up that weren't theirs to begin with? Don't expect me to go easy on those."
"Naturally." Alaric continued with a grin, "Those belong to your kid, so I won't pocket them. Aside from what I need, I'll hand the rest to Medici to nurture talent for the revolution."
Ordinary Marauder characteristics weren't that useful to Alaric, and he had no intention of giving them all to Pallez. Their partnership wasn't that close. In Alaric's view, restoring Pallez to Sequence 2 was enough... any higher, and Pallez might get ideas he shouldn't.
Alaric hadn't decided whether to back Klein or Mr. Door for Lord of Mysteries, but it definitely wouldn't be Pallez. Not just because their bond wasn't strong enough, but because Pallez, in Alaric's eyes, was too indecisive, making him seem unreliable. If Pallez had been more resolute, he wouldn't have ended up in such a sorry state.
Sure, Pallez couldn't beat Amon... that was a fact. But if Alaric were in Pallez's shoes after losing in the Fourth Epoch, he'd have decisively sought a true god's protection, like the Evernight Goddess or the three gods opposed to Amon.
Those deities would likely prefer anyone but Amon as Lord of Mysteries. Forget past rivalries... in the Lord of Mysteries world, enemies one moment could be allies the next. The three gods might bicker constantly, but they'd unite when it mattered.
The Lord of Mysteries was inevitable. With Amon unreliable, Mr. Door tainted, and Antigonus lost to madness, Pallez, a Sequence 1 angel with a decent reputation from the cunning trio, had a natural edge.
If he'd wanted to climb higher, he could've leveraged his Sequence 1 status to win over a true god's support. Even if he couldn't beat Amon, he wouldn't have fallen so low, and the Zoroast family might've been preserved.
If Pallez had no interest in the top spot, he could've traded his Sequence 1 characteristic and loyalty for protection from someone like Evernight, who likely wouldn't refuse.
As for risks? What in this world wasn't risky? Was being hunted by Amon risk-free? In Pallez's shoes, Alaric would've either gone all-in or bowed out, not lingered in limbo, chased by Amon. Even now, even in the original story, Pallez wasn't without options.
After noticing Klein's anomaly, he could've gambled on seizing the Sefirah Castle or become an angel investor. Instead, he hesitated, dabbling in small bets without committing. If not for Leonard, Pallez might not even have secured a spot as an angel under The Fool.
If the other cunning trio members balanced caution with decisiveness, Pallez was just caution personified. Not that his choices were entirely wrong... his waiting did yield a decent outcome.
"But leaving your fate to fate? I couldn't stomach that. Too passive." Alaric muttered to himself, considering another angle. "Maybe Pallez was banking on others opposing Amon and having no choice but to back him, only to be blindsided by The Fool's rise?"
The Ancient Sun God, unaware of Alaric's wandering thoughts, lowered his gaze, tacitly agreeing with Alaric's earlier words.
Even through his parental bias, Amon's devouring of the entire Error Pathway's characteristics was excessive and deserved a lesson. Using those characteristics to cultivate revolutionary talent was a form of atonement for Amon's past.
Alaric tilted his head, as if listening to something, then looked at The Ancient Sun God. "Let's move! Amon's sensed something's off and is about to bolt. Time to cut them off."
…
Meanwhile, in the alternate space, the once-lively atmosphere had gone quiet. Everyone was still reeling from the sight of the sun illuminating City of Silver.
Thanks to Mr. Door's impeccable craftsmanship, those inside had practically witnessed the Ancient Sun God create a sun up close.
Despite the high-sequence density in the space, there was a chasm between them and a Quasi-God Almighty like The Ancient Sun God... a gap wider than human to dog.
Only Medici and Ouroboros, former followers of The Ancient Sun God, had seen a being above true gods act. Even Pallez, ancient as he was, became Sequence 1 after the Cataclysm and had only glimpsed The Ancient Sun God from afar, never seeing him in action.
Now, witnessing it, Pallez understood what a Pillar was, what it meant for the gap to widen with each sequence. If a Quasi-God Almighty was this formidable, how terrifying would a complete Lord of Mysteries be?
Pallez felt a flicker of yearning but mostly bitterness. He knew the future Lord of Mysteries could be Amon, a freed Mr. Door, or Leonard's Sefirah Castle-linked colleague... but never him.
He wasn't naive; he saw the Lord of Chaos's camp's stance. They'd pit him against Amon but wouldn't back him for the throne.
"Forget it. An old failure like me becoming Lord of Mysteries would probably just harm others and myself. Better to stay a retired angel." Pallez thought, shaking his head with a bitter smile, then sighing in resignation.
***
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