novelraw Chapter 473: Gamble
Chapter 473: Gamble
"You should have understood by now that it’s impossible for you to win in our confrontation. I don’t know what you possess to make the Demon World judge your ’weight’ to be so heavy, but I can be certain you’re unable to make use of whatever it is."
The Hollow Ancestor spoke up.
"Let’s make a deal."
"As long as you give it up, I will let you go. In fact, I’m even willing to let you take the concepts I plundered from the Four Elements Devil."
Saying this, the Hollow Ancestor stared at Liora, his gaze seemingly able to penetrate her outer shell and peer into her true nature.
"I saw the world you displayed earlier."
"As long as you fuse the concepts of Four Elements and World with it, you should be able to become a pseudo-Ancient Devil. With the assistance of that time technique, you can be considered invincible in the Archdevil stage."
The offer the Hollow Ancestor made was sound, and he did not simply use his power to force Liora to make a choice, giving her substantial benefits instead.
As long as she agreed to his proposal, she would be able to leap forward in strength, quickly becoming a nearly apex creature within the Origin Sea.
With the Snake of Time, she would even have a chance of becoming an Ancient Devil in the near future.
Any other Archdevil would have immediately agreed to those terms, especially given the gap in strength between the two.
However, Liora didn’t.
Not because she didn’t want to grow stronger, or because she didn’t trust the Hollow Ancestor. After all, the two could always sign a Devil Contract.
The reason she didn’t agree was that she knew what she would have to give up.
The Evolution System.
She didn’t know if the Demon World could strip it away from her, but she also didn’t dare to bet on it.
As such, the offer the Hollow Ancestor made was meaningless for her.
Let alone a pseudo-Ancient Devil, even if the Hollow Ancestor promised to help her become a true Ancient Devil, she would not agree.
"Of course, giving up and simply dying is also impossible.", Liora whispered softly, understanding her current predicament.
A few moments later, her eyes lit up as she had an idea.
Her consciousness swept out and communicated with the True Balance, relaying her request.
When it was confirmed that it could work, her lips couldn’t help but curve into a faint smile, much to the Hollow Ancestor’s dismay.
The other party believed that Liora had been driven mad. This idea was only further reinforced when Liora put forth her first request.
She calmly pointed at him.
"I request the concept of the World..."
The moment her words fell, the Hollow Ancestor experienced the pain the Four Elements Devil had previously gone through.
His own soul and essence seemed to have been torn apart, as an invisible hand reached into them and grabbed something out.
His Throne, resting at the banks of the River of Time, lost one of its many hues.
As a result, a light landed on Liora’s side of the scale, bridging the gap between them.
The Hollow Ancestor, however, did not show fear or anger. A sneer couldn’t help but form on his lips, and he laughed, planning to mock her for her desperate struggle.
Unfortunately, he didn’t have a chance to utter a single word.
The moment he opened his mouth, another wave of pain assaulted him.
"I request the concept of the Four Elements..."
Another light shot out of the Hollow Ancestor’s body and landed on Liora’s side.
Instantly, one-fourth of the total difference between them had been bridged.
Just like before, Liora did not let the Hollow Ancestor relax or speak. Pointing her finger, she made her next request.
But this time, she didn’t demand any of his possessions. Instead, she put forward a condition.
"Under the witness of the Will of the Demon World, I request to make a gamble..."
Before she could even finish that sentence, the Demon World, having always paid attention to this place, locked its gaze onto her figure.
It displayed an anthropomorphic curiosity, as if waiting for her next words.
Liora felt intense pressure standing under its oppressive gaze.
Yet, knowing the gravity of the situation and that she only had a chance, she did not choose to back down.
She continued with her earlier words.
"..."
As she voiced her idea out loud, the Will of the Demon World trembled, as if entertained by her line of thinking.
On the other hand, the Hollow Ancestor stared at her without saying a word, his expression darkening.
Liora did not heed his gaze.
"...I wish to be reborn one million years before the Hollow Ancestor.", she followed up on her request.
Unfortunately, the Will of the Demon World trembled violently, expressing its refusal.
Clearly, Liora was no longer communicating with True Balance by now, but was directly speaking to the Will of the Demon World.
She knew this was because her idea greatly satisfied the Demon World’s chaotic and predatory nature.
However, the Demon World would obviously not give her any overwhelming advantage in their negotiation.
Knowing this, Liora shook her head and made another attempt.
"I wish for the Hollow Ancestor to lose his memories during the competition."
Unfortunately, the Will of the Demon World had the same reaction, expressing an explicit refusal.
Liora did not give up.
"I wish to possess my full strength from the beginning..."
"I wish for the Hollow Ancestor to be reborn as an insect..."
"..."
Request after request was put forward, only to meet the same answer.
Moreover, the Will of the Demon World appeared to have grown impatient with her repeated attempts.
Its gaze on Liora became ferocious and murderous, as if it would strike at her if she made such an outlandish request again.
Many worlds did not have the ability to directly take action.
They could only operate according to their established rules. At most, they could manipulate destiny to target those who offended them.
But the Demon World was far from being an ordinary world.
Even if one ignored its own strength, just its chaotic nature made it invulnerable to such stringent conditions.
Realizing this, Liora stopped courting death.
Feeling that the first part of her request had made up for more than 50% of the remaining "weight" difference between her and the Hollow Ancestor, she no longer made such absurd requests.
With a sigh, her consciousness dove into the Space Orb. A female insectoid creature was taken out the very next moment, looking quite similar to a Zerg Queen but also like a human.
Diana wanted to flee as soon as she felt the formation no longer binding her. But before she could do so, the several towering auras surrounding her left her stunned.
In particular, the pressure of the Will of the Demon World caused her to fall to her knees, quivering in fear.
Liora paid no attention to her antics. She glanced at this woman briefly before making her final request.
"I wish to decide the ’venue’ of the competition. Using this person as a coordinate, I want us to be reborn in her universe."
The Will of the Demon World did not immediately respond, giving neither an approval nor a refusal.
It froze for a brief moment, as if entertaining her request.
Several moments later, just when Liora was beginning to feel anxious, it finally "nodded its head".
Once it did, the sound of metal creaking rang out. The scale that had remained motionless for a while began to move.
The weights shifted.
A true equilibrium was reached between Liora and the Hollow Ancestor.
At the same time, the items she had previously plundered were fused with her body.
Once the process was completed, the True Balance began to fade away.
Within moments, it had disappeared completely, allowing the two to regain their mobility.
Unfortunately, the Hollow Ancestor, who had been waiting for this moment, could not put his earlier plans into action.
The second the two were freed from the scale’s shackles, the power of the Demon World descended.
Neither of the two could react.
With a bang, both of them exploded.
Their remains quickly transformed into two tiny lights—one crimson and one black—and were wrapped by an inexplicable power.
Then, they were guided towards a distant place.
If a powerful being were here and tried to trace their route, they would discover that their destination was a large world within the Origin Sea.
With a strange structure, a universe composed of countless galaxies and planets, it was divided between several races.
Humans, Demons, Mechanical Beings, and Zerg...