My Living Shadow System Devours To Make Me Stronger Chapter 966 - 967: An Offer From The Demon God

The book offered no reply.

For a lengthy duration, it remained motionless upon the desk, its leaves still, as if the entity dwelling within had suddenly vanished.

Then, the tome began to ascend, hovering slowly into the air.

Its pages remained static, refusing to flip.

Rather, fresh text began to manifest, materializing across the paper as though reality itself were birthing the words.

"What makes you believe an absolute entity would be shackled by rules?"

The script manifested with a measured, deliberate pace.

"I am the architect of rules."

Sylvia shook her head, her complexion drained to a ghostly pallor. Her heart hammered against her ribs, and despite her best efforts to conceal it, her hands betrayed her with a visible tremor; she knew the entity had already perceived her terror.

"If that were the case," she murmured, her voice wavering, "you would not be pursuing the Pillar of Conflict with such desperation. You would not have spent an eternity orchestrating this, nor would you be striking deals with someone as insignificant as me."

She held her breath, awaiting the reaction to her daring rebuttal.

The silence lingered, heavy and profound.

Finally, the ink began to shift.

"Indeed, you are accurate."

"Rules do exist."

The words emerged with a slow, contemplative air.

"Nonetheless, that does not mean I am unable to shatter them."

"View them as you would the codes of conduct established by mortals. They cannot curb your free will without the threat or application of violence."

"To gods, compromising such rules is trivial."

"We simply discard them as we please."

The tome suddenly quieted.

A long series of dots formed across the page.

...

A shiver raced down Sylvia's spine as she stared at them.

Then, the writing resumed.

"Though you possess the capacity to break rules, you risk exile from the convenient system that grants a veneer of structure to entities who manipulate the omniverse as if it were a child's game."

The message continued without hesitation.

It was clear the Unknown God held no regard for her opinion.

"It is for this precise reason that I have not simply manifested the Pillars myself."

"I assure you, it is an effortless feat."

"In truth, it would require less effort than a snap of my fingers."

Sylvia absorbed the words in silence.

"Then you require my service."

The page remained idle for a heartbeat.

Then, a solitary word appeared.

"Perhaps..."

Sylvia knitted her brows.

"In that case, why would you believe I would betray Damon?"

The response was immediate.

"Because your love for him is profound."

The words carried a heavier gravity this time.

"I am intimately familiar with the agony of love."

"And I understand the exquisite torment of being betrayed by those you cherish."

"Tell me, Sylvia... would you truly force him into such a destiny if you held the power to decide otherwise?"

"Would you allow him to suffer if you could simply choose a different path?"

Sylvia fell silent.

Her hands quivered faintly.

When she eventually spoke, her voice was near a whisper.

"And if I refuse?"

"Nothing occurs."

The text reappeared with calm indifference.

"As I stated, it is a choice. A pact between us."

"Just as I have granted you immense knowledge... it is merely an exchange."

Sylvia cast her eyes downward toward the manuscript.

She grasped a singular reality.

Fate was choice.

Yet, the Unknown God had omitted a deeper, more unsettling truth.

Fate was the byproduct of an infinite tapestry of clashing wills.

A solitary will could not easily dictate the final result.

One mind could not hope to overcome the collective.

For a brief moment, the page stayed blank.

Then, new characters emerged.

"Unless that will possesses sufficient potency."

Sylvia’s breath hitched.

He had peered into her soul once more.

"Fine," she conceded slowly. "What is your proposition... and what is required of me?"

"A task of utmost simplicity."

"A trivial matter."

"Fulfill this for me... and I shall grant you a single favor in return."

She grit her teeth.

"What is it you demand?"

"The will of the omniverse is formed by the collective consciousness of all existence."

"Consequently, in alignment with my primary rule..."

The following line took form with deliberate sluggishness.

"There are no absolutes."

"For this self-imposed mandate, equilibrium must be maintained."

"Much like the balance innate to my own essence."

Abruptly, the script transformed.

The ink took on a darkened hue.

It shifted into a deep crimson, pulsating with a faint, blood-like luminescence underneath the page.

An icy dread crept up Sylvia's back.

"My essence is the most potent force in all of existence."

"In every reality."

"In every flicker of thought."

"In every reverie."

"In every form of expression ever conceived, or yet to be."

"You could not conjure a being of greater power than I."

"You could not forge a destiny more formidable than mine."

"Even if you engineered a champion with an arsenal meant solely to conquer me... I would still emerge supreme."

The text continued its manifestation.

"I would always prevail."

Then, the writing halted.

The abruptness of the silence caused Sylvia to lean in, anticipation mounting.

The pause stretched for several long seconds.

When the narrative regained its cadence, the tone had shifted.

"Yet..."

"Though I possess the innate mandate to triumph in every conflict..."

"When the echoes of battle fade..."

"I frequently find myself the architect of my own defeat."

"While my power is absolute... the outcomes are often hollow."

The crimson letters dimmed slightly.

"Thus..."

"I yield to the constraints of the rules."

Sylvia furrowed her brow, bewildered.

How could such a thing be possible?

How could an entity of such overwhelming stature suffer defeat?

If imagination itself could not surpass his might, how could the threads of fate ever weave a result unfavorable to him?

The retort arrived instantaneously.

"Yes."

"That is precisely the dilemma."

"The outcome never serves my favor."

"Even with my infinite might."

The volume settled back into stillness.

Then, the final line emerged with methodical slowness.

"And that... illuminates precisely what I desire from your hand."

"Fate is a choice, and choice is ignited by will. Since no individual will can subordinate the collective... humanity cannot overcome fate. So it must remain."

The script formed slowly across the parchment.

"However... there are rare intervals. Moments when a single, burning desire pierces through the collective will of the omniverse."

The ink deepened as the sentence reached its conclusion.

"That is the true nature of the omniverse’s will; it is the aggregate of all things."

Sylvia read with a deepening frown.

According to her knowledge, the Will of the Omniverse was the ancient, booming voice encountered upon ascending to a higher class. It was the arbiter that judged, titled, and validated their progression. They had always referred to it as the Will of the World.

Perhaps its influence was simply more vast than they had previously interpreted.

But why would the Unknown God bring it to her attention now?

The tome resumed its composition.

"Not long ago, by your world’s temporal standards, one soul’s resolve overcame Doom herself. The will of a mere insect defeated the Goddess of Doom... and summoned me forth."

Sylvia rigidified.

"A singular decision that defied the emergent will of all existence. Through his agony, he shifted the omniverse itself... and birthed that which you now name the Lake of Tears."

Sylvia’s eyes widened slightly. 'Not long ago' in the context of this book referred to three hundred thousand years prior.

Was he referencing Lazarak?

"Indeed," the book responded, the letters appearing before her thought had fully formed.

"That low-tier god defied destiny with his defiance. It was he who beckoned me here... utilizing the Lake of Tears."

Sylvia felt her throat constrict.

"Then you—"

"Yes."

The confirmation surfaced in an instant.

"The will of the omniverse forbids me from interfering with that Lake. At least, not without dire repercussions."

The subsequent words manifested slowly.

"Consequences such as... the absolute dissolution of your world."

A thin line scored the paper beneath the statement, emphasizing the severity of the threat.

"To be burdened with such power is often a curse."

Sylvia gnawed her lower lip.

Her thoughts were spinning in a chaotic vortex.

"Knowing his rebellious spirit," the book continued with uncanny composure, "I suspect he is already conspiring to turn the Lake of Tears against me."

He.

In her reality, the pronoun could only signify one individual.

Damon.

Sylvia’s fingers curled into tight fists.

So that was the crux of the matter.

That was the hidden agenda of the Unknown God.

The final sentence appeared upon the page.

"Obliterate the Lake of Tears."

Sylvia’s hands were visibly trembling now.

Her gaze darted over the text repeatedly, desperately wishing for the words to alter.

But they remained ironclad.

Slowly, her head began to sway in a refusal.