MIGHT AS WELL BE OP Chapter 1144: Peacefully

The God’s projection fixated on the Demon King’s projection’s peculiar and almost playful ’smile’. Internally, his mind raced with calculations, surpassing any computational device imaginable, as he meticulously charted every conceivable avenue for the Demon King to enact treachery and devised countermeasures for each, cycling through innumerable potential outcomes in mere moments.

After all, the likelihood of such betrayal loomed as high as a seventy percent chance. While not all alliances with Demons ended in deceit, such occurrences were typically limited to situations where the Demon stood to gain nothing and felt disinclined to act, or when specific constraints and circumstances rendered betrayal impossible.

The God’s thoughts briefly recalled the Mana Contract, a renowned BINDING in the Acarnis Galaxy. Disappointingly, no such mechanism existed within the Divinora Galaxy. Yet, its absence wouldn't necessarily influence the pact between them, considering Demons possessed their own Chaos Contract. However, they seldom employed it, regarding the Chaos Contract as a tool for the weak and foolish among their kind.

A truly cunning Demon understood the power of pure rhetoric and disdained relying on any higher entity to arbitrate justice.

The fundamental reason preventing the Demon King and the God’s projection from formalizing any agreement was the stark difference in their energy affinities. The God’s projection wielded Faith Energy, whereas the Demon King commanded Chaos Energy. A binding agreement, by its nature, necessitates a congruent energy source from all involved parties.

Nevertheless, it was undeniable that artifacts capable of circumventing this requirement, allowing individuals like the Demon King and the God’s projection to forge a pact and mitigate the risk of betrayal, likely existed. However, such artifacts were ultimately just that—artifacts. If one artifact could facilitate such a feat, it was reasonable to assume another could achieve the inverse, or perhaps something even more detrimental.

"So, what are your intentions following the great battle? I speak of you and your lesser Demons, naturally, as the propagation of Faith requires several years," the God inquired placidly. It was implicitly understood that the Demon King was expected to withdraw and disappear afterward, maintaining clandestine contact.

"My Demons and I shall remain within the Abyssal Realm. I can feign the reception of an epiphany necessitating approximately ten thousand years before I ascend to the next plane of existence, thus requiring every Demon to remain sealed within the Abyssal Realm until my emergence from seclusion," the Demon King declared without hesitation, as if he had long prepared a plan and solution before the God’s projection even voiced the question.

Although the Demon King’s projection refrained from explicitly stating it, he too was actively seeking the Acarnis Galaxy Core. This was precisely why he permitted his Demons to rampage across every planet; the Galaxy Core could be concealed anywhere, necessitating the exploration and subsequent abandonment of each world.

Yet, the Demon King now recognized that a single Galaxy Core was insufficient. Had it been otherwise, he would have remained in reserve, awaiting the battle’s crescendo—or more precisely, awaiting the God’s projection to discover the Galaxy Core—before launching his own decisive move, seizing it, and ascending alone, sharing nothing.

"Thus, when I rend a passage through the Boundary separating the Upper and Lower Galaxies, you will simply follow, correct?" the God’s projection queried calmly.

"Peacefully," the Demon King responded with equal calmness, adopting the demeanor of an obedient subordinate.

The rationale behind the God’s projection maintaining the probability of betrayal at a considerable seventy percent, rather than escalating it to ninety-five or even one hundred percent, was straightforward: collaborative synergy often yielded superior outcomes.

While the Demon King remained reticent on the matter, the God’s projection possessed sufficient acumen to discern that the Demon King’s ultimate ambition mirrored his own—ascension. Though he refrained from enumerating the Demon King’s past strategies as the Demon King had done for him, the God’s projection could readily infer his ultimate goal.

They shared a common objective. Two distinct beings, divided by galaxy, race, and energy, yet profoundly united by the same ultimate aspiration.

They had potentially toiled for billions of years, achieving neither victory nor substantial progress. However, by uniting their comparable powers and intellectual faculties, they could now achieve significant advancements. Furthermore, would an individual who had dedicated millennia to a singular pursuit truly jeopardize it all through betrayal? This represented their singular, definitive opportunity. Should it falter due to treachery, they would be relegated back to square one, never to cooperate again, irrespective of whether one party perished.

Not even the Demon King would gamble with his ascension to pull a trick on the God’s seemingly foolish projection. Sacrificing aeons of ambition, study, training, and perseverance for a fleeting moment of gratification is an act beyond the comprehension of even the most foolish entity.

This was a mutual understanding between both sides.

Furthermore, should they succeed in their ascension, a bond, however tenuous, would form between them. Such a connection, weak as it might be, could potentially aid them in navigating the unknown challenges of the Upper Galaxy.

Like Anthony, they too foresaw the harsh realities of the Upper Galaxy and the unfathomable experiences that awaited them upon ascension. A joint effort between the God and the Demon King might just offer a path to survival against the perils ahead.

Conversely, betrayal was also a possibility; one could exploit the other as a lure for escape, or perhaps sell them out. Yet, this prospect seemed unlikely, as it was doubtful an advanced being would value the insights of a lesser entity.

However, all these considerations were secondary to the immediate goal: succeeding in their ascension. Without this crucial step, all their musings, strategies, and potential outcomes would dissolve into nothingness, rendering any thoughts of what lay beyond moot.