"Why did you stop running?"
"Weren't you going to teach me something—OWOW!"
"Bitch! Who said you can stop running though? Huh!?"
Eugene came aiming for my neck as I ran again. He seemed to be holding back but I couldn't stop even when he was going to say I was to learn something! To my surprise yet again, surpassing the last Ki realm had made me faster yet again.
I was fairly surprised at how much I was progressing without taking any breaks. It seemed that rest was necessary for growth, logically speaking, that still was the case, but we were in a realm where logic existed to little benefit.
"Listen well, now," Eugene said, holding his fist in front of him as if he were speaking into a mic. "You have already made your body used to being corrupted by the energy of the cataclysm by the constant circulation.
"Woah!"
"By all means, you are about to hit a peak of normal capability. Originally, I would say you should get there, but there is no need to do that yet. You want to break that capability after all."
"I see. Is it similar to how children pick up languages better than adults? So that's why many parents teach them be bilingual right off the bat?"
"That's the principle behind it, yes." Eugene nodded. "If you do reach the peak of Mana and Ki capability in your current state, you will end up with cold glass to bend instead of steaming hot stuff."
He seemed to be struggling with his analogies quite a bit. I thought of it before, but having been alone for so many years sure did end up making him an anti-social crazy. That was also why he frequently hung around with me even though I was supposed to train.
"I see, but before that," I asked. "Should I not become like you? An Over Lord or a Demon God?"
"No, both those terms are overused, it's also likely copyrighted."
"Motherfucker."
"Pfft. Seriously though, not really. Demons and Gods are each other's antithesis. You merge them and you take away what makes both of them them."
"Like how oxygen and hydrogen promote fire but water stops flames?"
"Exactly like that!" Eugene clapped his hands. "Exactly like that. What we are trying to achieve here is to make you sharper than a sword, swifter than a spear, deadlier than a bullet. There are three problems with merging with a god."
I nodded. I already knew one of them.
"My authority as a Demon Lord and Dominion as an Over God would likely intercept with each other?"
"Correct. And believe it or not, your authority is our trump card."
To be able to amplify something was a killer ability.
"Second would be that you lose your immortality."
I tilted my head.
"I do?"
"Didn't you see? Agares and his trio walk around like crazies and still threaten the entirety of hell, but Framtida is already pretty old and needs to cough every time he speaks."
"He's aging."
"That's how it is with beliefs. They grow old. But fear remains strong."
"I see…"
"And lastly," Eugene continued. "The base of a god's power comes from belief in them. Faith from others. I don't think you can get that. Your power of friendship might have worked if you made good friends."
"Excuse me. I have great friends!"
"How many of them did you not threaten?"
I closed my mouth. I definitely threatened every single one of them. Heck, I almost had the person I loved kidnapped just because.
"See. It won't work. There's no need for a strength you can't utilize to its maximum output."
"I can put that effort in what I already have. Sharper than a sword."
"Correct," Eugene seemed to have put on a proud smile. I could tell he did. "Well then, it's simple. All you have to do is focus focus all three of your abilities and merge them into your core. If all goes well…"
He pointed at his horns that had shrunk much lower than mine.
"This should completely disappear."
"I have to move my mana and ki core?"
"Isn't merging them how you managed to make Cataclysm in the first place?"
That wasn't untrue. That is how I managed to keep my abilities and skills up.
"Just merge them."
"For reals?"
I had a bad feeling about this.
"I mean that's the principal behind it, I am not sure if it will work. You might just blow your body up if you do it."
"WHAT THEN!?"
"Then you die, what else? HAHAAH!"
Eugene this fucker. Was this really how I acted with everyone else? I would fix my behavior, I promise. I would apologize, I promise.
I sighed and looked away.
"So you're a pretty useless teacher at the end of the day."
"Scuse me right there?"
"You can't even tell me how to make a Cataclysm core after proposing it. What if I break all three and end up without any ability? What will you do then?"
"I mean, I did say you might die. Isn't that worse?"
"Shut up."
It was worse, but that was just too outrageous of him.
Eugene sighed and placed a hand behind me back.
"Fine. Do it, I'll make sure it succeeds."
I could feel his strength flowing into me.
I widened my eyes.
A serene, calming, almost healing energy was constantly flowing into me as if it was here to break away all fatigue and worries.
"What is this?"
Eugene smiled. "The convergence of Demonic Energy with Holy Energy. I call it, World's Preservation."
Then world's creation was spirit magic mixed with Alfheim, huh?
"Go on, begin. I'll guide you and preserve you."
"Even if my Cataclysm is the exact opposite of what you're looking after?"
"That's why I am doing it. I will make sure it ends what I preserve instead of your body."
In that case.
I turned back at looked at Eugene.
"You'll lose your ability to use World's Preservation?"
"I don't need it in the first place. I am not even alive, actually."
"Don't you need it to train me?"
"I have my ways. Stop worrying about the dead and just get to it, kid."
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