Chapter 81: The final gambit

[Hæven].

(The trickster’s domain.)

Tak!

A sharp click reverberated through a vast room.

The floor was squared and decorated exactly like a chessboard.

Within this vast room, a lone figure sat staring at a deck of cards scattered across the round table.

Loki smiled viciously.

“Hmmm, the little one seems to be doing quite well, I wonder what parting gifts I should give him.”

He pondered deeply about it but stopped abruptly when he heard footsteps.

“Well, well, what a lovely surprise, the grim reaper himself, lord death came to visit me, I must say I’m honored.” He grinned, playing with the strands of his silky green hair.

The newcomer didn’t respond, instead a swirling mass of darkness writhed before forming the silhouette of a human figure, then it spoke.

“What are you planning, Loki, I can smell death around the gods.”

Loki chuckled, narrowing his amber eyes.

“Ah… truly you flatter me Noctis, what made you believe that humble old me would have a hand in such?”

Noctis ignored Loki’s silly face, then took a seat which materialized behind him.

His vicious purple eyes met Loki’s, his gaze narrowing in suspicion.

“Because you are the only one capable of doing so.”

He lingered.

“The whole situation reeks of chaos, and chaos… is your fable, your affinity, your element.”

“And death is your domain, little fragment of tenebrae, you must have noticed it then…” Loki muttered. “Have you thought deeply about my offer?”

Noctis stared at him with an expressionless face.

“You know primordial beings are forbidden from interfering with mortal affairs.”

“Yet it is one of your kind who seeks to destroy the world.” Loki countered calmly.

“Tea?” He asked, fixing his gaze on the pale skinned Noctis who sat across him.

Noctis shook his head in a dismissive gesture.

“The gods can take care of him.”

Loki nearly choked in a fit of laughter.

It sounded melodious but at the same time displeasing.

“Oh Noctis, you know very well that the gods can only do so little against an adversary of that caliber, if we could then we would have already done so, especially considering the fact that he is in a weakened state but despite the rewinding of time we can only stall and hope.”

Noctis averted his gaze to the cards.

“Rewind time, that’s treading a dangerous line.”

“A dangerous one yet one we had no choice but to resort to, Chronostasia knew the risks involved and she went through with it.”

“Do they remember?”

“Remember the past timeline? Only Chronostasia, Sehalia, Amun Rá and Ares… myself included, the rest have no idea but they can sense that something is amiss.” Loki replied honestly.

“So you plan to use all the gods for your own sake…” Noctis asked.

Loki narrowed his eyes slightly then smiled.

“Not all.” He replied. “I’ll leave Ares and Sehalia alone, those two are expecting a baby… I think. Chronostasia will look after the mortals but Amun Rá and I will not be spared the torment of what’s to come.”

He chuckled.

“Why am I explaining anything to you? It’s not like you actually care, you’re just bothered at the amount of souls you would have to transport to the underworld.”

Noctis looked away without offering a single word.

“Indeed, it is too much work.”

“Are all primordials this lazy or are you just the exception?”

“The former.”

Loki let out a breathless scoff then smiled, returning his gaze to the cards once more.

“Say Noctis, which one of these do you think I should give to my spawn?”

“Your spawn.” Noctis repeated with a blank face. “You mean the soul you took from the original world and placed into your body in Liefher?”

“Haha yes, one of my incarnations fusing with another, I must say I did a magnificent job.”

“You’re playing a dangerous game Loki, across different worlds, almost all versions of yourself have been destroyed, are you truly going to stake it all on your original source, you know if he dies then there’s no saving you.”

For the first time Loki’s infuriating smile gave way into a grim look, he remained quiet for a while then sighed.

“I know, besides him I only have one incarnation left… Lucinda, to ensure that she isn’t harmed I’ll give her a portion of my soul.”

He stared at the ceiling.

“Myself from the original world—Si-eun—is dead, he no longer exists there which allowed me to place a marionette of myself in that world; however without a puppeteer to pull the strings, it is only a matter of time till his consciousness is snuffed out.”

Then he shrugged.

“Well it’s not like we’ll fail or anything this time around.”

Noctis narrowed his eyes.

“You’re confident that mortal Azazel and the rest of the gods spawns can defeat ’that’ being?”

Loki laughed.

“Ha… hahahaha… hehe, oh goodness gracious no! Although given a bit of time they might but no… I’m not confident.”

He tapped a certain card which contained a particular fable then gazed at Noctis.

“You’re the main player I have in mind Noctis, the black horse and the one I trust to execute it.”

“Including a primordial in your plan is a futile effort.”

“Oh it is… but on the contrary I think you’ll play the part I have laid out for you.” Loki said.”You see Noctis, it’s the only way for you to obtain what you desire.”

“And I’m supposed to believe you?” Noctis asked in an aloof tone.

“Well you’re not, but I’m sure you know this.” The trickster god lingered then smiled darkly. “Trickster’s don’t lie, we deceive, there’s a difference between deception and lies, a simple truth can change one’s perspective and truths are the most misleading, depending on how it’s told you could perceive it to be false information.”

He picked up a card then placed it beside another.

“Take it or not Noctis, this is your only chance to obtain that life.”

Noctis didn’t reply, his gaze lingered on a single card for a second too long, then he simply vanished.

Loki let out a small laugh then stared at the two cards placed above the rest.

They were both tarot cards with the number one and zero.

A nostalgic light gleamed within his amber eyes but he casually shook off the feeling.

“The Trickster and the Fool… ah this takes me back.”

Then he picked both cards.

“These shall do nicely, a gift fitting enough to aid my incarnation. I guess diviners don’t lie, who would have thought my final gambit would play out the way it all began.”

****

[Demon realm, Palace of lust.]

A grand palace of obsidian stretched into the distance, its imposing figure was made ominous by the presence of the twin moon which glowed a pale crimson.

The soil below was black, yet the crimson light of the moon altered its appearance causing it to shimmer a faint red in some areas.

The corridor of the castle did not feel like a place meant to accommodate visitors without spelling out their inevitable doom.

Within the palace grounds, demon servants were sprawled.

From succubus to incubus and even high ranking devils, they all tended to their respective duties but inside the castle?

There were no guards.

The place was as ominous as one would expect from a demon castle.

The stairway was made from black polished marble while the walls seemed alive.

It pulsed crimson like veins and the steady heartbeat of a demonic beast.

Asmodeus’ palace was more like a living creature with a consciousness rather than a mere building.

At the far end of the corridor was a large door which was tall, far taller than a mundane human’s height.

It stood like a giant construct of obsidian unmarred by hinges or handles yet its surface glowed with crimson runes which traced deliberate patterns over the door.

The door didn’t have any means of being opened at least by mundane means, it opened when Asmodeus willed it to.

Only a handful of people could open it without his interference because beyond that door was the demon of lust, Asmodeus.

His chambers were nothing short of grand, from ceilings arched impossibly high which dispersed into shadows to rich silken drapes spilling from above.

The floor seemed less like marble and more like a blackened mirror which showed faint outlines of those who walked on its surface.

At the heart of the room rested a grand throne and seated upon it was Asmodeus.

The demon did merely sit on the throne, he rested on it.

One leg draped loosely over the arm of the throne in a careless posture while his fingers tapped idly against its polished surface.

His crimson eyes narrowed into a lazy stare at the shimmering portal which appeared at the side of his throne.

Silky black hair fell like a waterfall while two obsidian horns crowned his head.

Asmodeus wore a red robe which had black accents, a strange set of ornaments adorned his crown.

His nails traced a slow circle on the armrest of his throne

A slow smile crept up his lips as his eyes remained on the portal with mild amusement.

“Azazel… what a peculiar child.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep