Amon narrowed his eyes.
"So…" Alaric looked up at Amon, his voice sudden and sharp. "Beat him!"
In an instant, the space around Amon sealed shut. This time, it wasn't a deliberate lure but a true lockdown. Alongside the spatial seal, Medici appeared behind Amon, while a massive silver-white serpent phantom loomed over the area from the sky.
Abruptly, Amon felt himself aging, as if his lifespan was being stolen. In the midst of the chaos, he glanced sideways and, sure enough, spotted Pallez, who had joined the assault without him noticing.
At the same time, the shadows beneath Amon's feet came alive, delivering a righteous backstab to his core.
Clearly, this was the work of a certain "third father" who'd been itching to teach the kid a lesson.
Faced with such an onslaught, even Amon couldn't hold up. Within seconds, he was in a sorry state. His hair was singed by flames, his clothes tattered, one arm hung limply as if broken, and a shadow-forged dagger was lodged in his side.
Worse still, every moment brought a wave of malicious fate, as if death itself were stalking him.
"You all really think highly of me. Perhaps I should feel honored." Amon said, his voice defiant even as he took a beating.
"Oh, come now. If I truly thought that highly of you, I'd have the Ancient Sun God himself come down to deal with you!" Alaric's leisurely voice rang out from the sidelines. He had somehow acquired a camera and was snapping away, capturing every moment of Amon's thrashing.
Amon's anger flared at the words. Being beaten was one thing, but he'd much prefer it be by the Ancient Sun God himself rather than this humiliating group assault.
"Don't look so glum. It ruins the photos. Come on, Amon, give me a smile." As Amon coughed up blood from the physical beating, Alaric didn't miss a chance to twist the knife further. Smiling, he said, "Let's make a deal. If you let me take a satisfactory photo, I'll arrange for you to see your father."
"Amon, I'm the only one who can make that happen!"
Amon, mid-beating, stiffened. His eyes blazed with fury, but faced with Alaric's lens, he forced out a rigid smile.
Click!
The camera faithfully captured the moment. Alaric nodded in satisfaction, grinning at Amon. "Good boy! So obedient. I love how you want to kill me but have no choice but to play along."
How vicious!
For a moment, everyone present reached a rare consensus, even feeling a flicker of sympathy for Amon. Crossing this guy was like crossing a ghost!
Yet, despite these thoughts, they beat Amon even harder.
After all, the world had suffered Amon's antics for far too long!
In another dimension, the host, "Jack Jones." looked at the silent group around him and suddenly spoke. "If I said the old guy isn't a villain, would you believe me?"
Azik frowned, then shook his head. "His Excellency Lucifer is not inherently evil. If he ever tried to destroy the world, it would surely be for some unavoidable reason."
Reinette Tinekerr and the others remained silent, as they weren't particularly familiar with Lucifer.
"…I believe Mr. Lucifer would never destroy the world." Klein said, his expression a mix of subtlety and conflict.
As someone sensitive to emotions, Klein could tell that some of Lucifer's words were deadly serious. But considering Lucifer's past, it wasn't surprising. Still, Klein didn't believe Lucifer was the type to wantonly destroy the world. It wasn't just bias from their shared origins... Klein genuinely believed that, unless pushed to the brink, Lucifer wouldn't drag the world down with him.
After all, despite his somewhat malicious nature, Lucifer had never committed true evil. On the contrary, he was always helping others.
"And if the old guy does decide to do it one day?" Jack Jones, sensing Klein's thoughts, leaned in and pressed.
Klein paused, pursing his lips before answering firmly, "I'd do everything I could to convince Mr. Lucifer not to."
Unless there was no other choice, Klein had no desire to cross blades with Lucifer.
"And if you can't convince him?" Jack Jones seemed determined to get an answer, pressing further.
"Can't you think of something more positive?" Klein gave Jack a helpless glance, then hesitated before continuing with resolve. "If I truly can't convince him, I'll stop Mr. Lucifer. Destroying the world is too much. If it comes to that, I think Mr. Lucifer should consider some therapy…"
Of course, by "stop." Klein only meant preventing Lucifer from destroying the world. Killing him? That wasn't even a consideration. Klein wasn't a saint... he had his own biases. Duty and kindness would drive him to stop Lucifer from ending the world, but his personal feelings meant he'd never wish for Lucifer's death.
"That's the answer I expected from you." Alaric said, not upset by Klein's response. He knew exactly what kind of person Klein was.
Alaric smiled. "Don't worry. Unless there's no other way, the old guy won't actually drag the world down with him."
That was the truth. Alaric wasn't a lunatic. He might not have cared about strangers before, but now, with friends he valued in this world, he was content to live happily here unless forced otherwise. He had no urge to go down with the world.
Klein let out a sigh of relief.
Alaric patted Klein's shoulder, his voice soft. "So, Klein, don't let Lucifer reach a point where he feels he has to take the world with him."
Klein froze, sensing a deeper meaning in Jack's words. Recalling Medici's earlier comments about "monsters." His mind raced. After a few seconds, he nodded solemnly. "I will."
He didn't know what else had happened to Mr. Lucifer beyond what was recorded in the diary, but as long as there was even a sliver of hope, Klein would do everything to pull him back... just as Lucifer had once pulled Klein from the depths of his own "despairing" fate.
Alaric could hear the sincerity in Klein's words, and it made him smirk. Then, with a mischievous glint, he asked, "So, what if one day I decide to destroy the world?"
***
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