Chapter 369 *Third Hidden Chapter Title, Ain't No Spoilers Here FUFU*

“WOAH WOAH, HOLD UP, WHAT IN THE FUCK DO YOU MEAN? I know Vinestra is ever expanding, but I never really put much thought into just how big it is….” Reacting like a cat who just got its tail stepped on, Cynrik blurted out but soon shut up because of another glare from Norik.

“I know damn well you actively pay attention to every word I say in my lectures Cynrik, so shut up. Anyway, as I was saying, there wasn’t much I could do except use my limited access to the CSH and start creating billions of quests that, if fulfilled, would aid in balancing the powers of the world to the extent that no one reigned supreme.”

“But as time ticked on, I grew bored with my never-ending, monotonous life. With my Wife and unborn son gone, I began searching for a way to return to Earth, and when that failed… I built this castle deep in the core of the planet. At the moment, only I have access to this fragmented space, and without my approval, no one can enter, not even Deities.”

“As I lived my days in solitude for thousands of years, one day after another passed uneventfully, that is until 100 years ago. The CSH Adjudicators suddenly notified me that thousands of Divine Beings of Tiers 9 to 11 had appeared outside Vinestra and demanded negotiations to begin another Legacy Strife.”

By this point, the CSH had grown to become a powerful Hive-Minded Entity, which had enough power to completely suppress the miniature army of Deities floating in space outside of Vinestra’s atmosphere. Over the thousands of years since its creation, the initial spell formation had merged itself with the planet’s core, becoming the single most powerful entity history has ever seen. As such, when it came to holding off the hordes of Tier-9 through 11 beings, it was nearly a cakewalk…as I am sure, you’ve already witnessed.”

Remembering how easily one of the CSH Adjudicators had wiped the Goddess Wadjet out with merely a snap of its fingers, Cynrik and Brance shivered.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

“Oh, that reminds me, CynBrat, That little stunt you pulled that day, calling up the admin privilege to summon one of the Adjudicators; I do hope you don’t believe you had any hand in that.” Shooting a smug smirk at Cynrik, and feeling proud about giving the brat a new nickname, Norik popped the boy’s bubble, bruising his ego in the process.

“Che, let me guess, you were spying on us, and the instant Wadjbitch tried breaking into Vinestra, you sent someone to deal with it.” Rolling his tongue against his left cheek, Cynrik scoffed and crossed his arms defiantly.

“Of course, it was me, you dunce. Do you honestly believe that YOU, a measly ant barely at Tier-1 at the time, had any shot at summoning one of the Enforcers from the CSH to your side? Don’t make me laugh. Sure, the CSH constantly monitors the movement and actions of every Legacy Charge on the planet, but it will not step in to aid anyone being, no matter the reason.”

“If a Deity Class Being attempted to break into our planet’s sealed space, that’s a reason to act. However, I will admit that I may have found the timing perfect and dispatched an Enforcer after your words because I found it humorous.” Seeing the sour expression creeping onto Cynrik’s face, Norik chuckled and waved his hand dismissively.

“Getting back on the topic of 100 years ago. Having seen an army of Deity Class beings floating in space, I, along with every Adjudicator, appeared in front of them. This included the Goddess of Magic, Hecate, who sent me to Vinestra as her Legacy Charge thousands of years prior.”

“Hecate…the Greek goddess of Magic and Witchcraft, that makes sense since you inevitably became an ArchMage.” Mumbling under his breath and bringing his left hand up to stroke his chin, Cynrik’s eyes sharpened while looking up at Norik.

“Indeed, Hecate’s Divinity Fragments allowed me to carve a similar path to hers and become a supreme being by wielding powerful Tier-9 and even a handful of Tier-10 and 11 spells. Needless to say, Hecate was probably the most pissed out of the bunch of overbearing ego-driven maniacs who showed up that day because the instant she saw me, the dumb bitch tried to kill me.”

“It wasn’t her alone, Yuelral, the Goddess of Elven Magic, and Fenrisúlfr, who I believe you know as Fenrir, the Wolven God, who were the ones in charge of sending my Wife and Do’irra to Vinestra banded together and tried to take me out for my Taboo actions.”

“After a long, drawn-out battle that saw me merging with a quarter of the Adjudicators, allowing me to increase my Tier to Tier-11 temporarily, I was left on the back foot and put into a compromised position. In a miserable state and unable to fight back, it would have spelled my death if I so much as took a step backward.”

“Just as the three were about to deal the finishing blow…she appeared and came to my aid. A Supreme Adjudicator, the highest ranking being within the ranks of the CSH, wearing my Wife’s appearance, came to my aid and, with one strike, slaughtered all three of the attacking Deities, horrifying everyone present with her unfathomable strength.”

“The singular act of killing three Tier-11 Deities with one move showcased how powerful the CSH had indeed become, and it was only then that the haughty and arrogant Deities realized they had fucked up badly.”

“What they viewed as an uncivilized planet run by a Tier-9 being had swelled up to a supreme powerhouse in their minds in an instant; the only problem was, the showcase of power was an act. A one-time thing was possible because the right cards were played at the optimal time. The Supreme Adjudicator had not only shown a power beyond Tier-11 but also drained a massive amount of Mana and Energy from the Vinestran Planet Core, which didn’t go unnoticed by the majority of the old fogeys.”

“Still, with the threat of mutual destruction hanging over the Deities’ head thanks to the Supreme Adjudicator, the Deities in charge of the mob came forward and were willing to sit down for genuine negotiations instead of strong-arming me and the CSH into a forced situation.”

“The meeting between them and us took nearly 30 years to conclude, but the gist of the event was simple. There was no reigning Deity in charge of Vinestra. With its ever-growing and strengthening, the planet had become a hot ticket that would inevitably cause a large scale war between the higher Tier beings.”

“With that thought in mind, it was agreed upon by a majority vote that they would once again whole their little tournament, the Legacy Strife, on Vinestra for a second time. However, with the bad taste left in their mouths from the First Strife, they feared another intervention, thus their appearance in numbers.”

“To those arrogant bastards, Vinestra is nothing but a pretty resource that can help them strengthen the  Divinity of their followers and themselves, so planets like ours are a hot commodity. What they can’t buy, they take, which was made very clear early in the negotiations.”

“Luckily, the CSH proved to be the perfect shield, and we were able to knock those assholes down a peg and bring them to the table. Still, it was a lose-lose situation; either way, I saw it, we either lost the ruling power over our planet to some random Deity who didn’t give a shit about the lives on Vinestra, or it was destroyed.”

“It took thirty long years, but we were able to draft a contract detailing all the different rules and regulations that shape the strife into a fair competition, something that has never happened in the past.”

“The linking of Deity-based System Ai’s to the CSH, the inability of directly interrupting battles between charges, and the inability to steer any Charge in a specific direction are only some of the clauses that were added to the contract to promote a fair competition environment.”

“The Contract outlines everything and places heavy restrictions on the Deities, leaving everything in the hands of the Legacy Charges, but that wasn’t all.” Amid his statement, Norik flashed a sadistic and borderline evil grin.

“The CSH and I dealt a hefty blow to the pride and ego of those Deities who wished to partake in the newly regulated Legacy Strife. If they wanted to send a Legacy Charge to Vinestra, hehe, they had to pay a high cost; a minimum of 9 Divinity Fragments had to be placed into the souls of all potential Charges, plus, the Deity in charge had to give their Charges a minimum of 8 blessings.”

“The Supreme Adjudicator and I managed to sneak a little clause into the contract that went unnoticed by all Deities who signed it; in the event that a Legacy Charge dies, the CSH will confiscate all Blessings and unclaimed Divinity Fragments, as well as wipe all System AIs to advance the planet’s System.”

Letting the last part of his statement hang in the air for a second, Norik examined Cynrik, waiting for a reaction from the boy. And it didn’t take long for the boy below his throne’s eyes to quiver in realization before the previously silent Throne room exploded with laughter.

“HAHAHAHAHA, HAHAHA, HOLY FUCK, YOU MAD MAN! THAT IS FUCKING AMAZING.” Dropping to his knees and laughing his ass off, Cynrik was immobilized by how hard he was laughing as tears streamed down his face.

Meanwhile, Norik, upon his throne, held his belly and laughed just as hard as Cynrik, leaving Selene and Brance confused at the scene.

“Uh, Brancie, didn’t these two hate each other? Am I missing something?” Creeping away from her boyfriend as he rolled around in a fit of laughter and hiding behind Brance’s broad back, Selene asked in confusion.

“Honestly, Selene, your guess is as good as mine at this point.” With a weird expression painting his face like he had smelled something putrid, Brance’s eyes flicked between Norik and Cynrik before he shook his head and let it go.

“Hehe, I knew you were clever, kid; you caught on to the plan almost immediately; that’s good; you will need that sharp mind if you want to keep ahead in the Strife.” Wiping a tear from the corner of his eye and calming down, Norik complimented Cynrik and glanced at the two confused faces staring up at him.

“Do you want to tell them, or should I kid?” Fighting back a few more chuckles, Norik asked when Cynrik finally calmed down and got back to his feet.

“I got it, hehe, so, Norik here just confirmed two valuable pieces of info for us, and the way he pulled it off was genius. Not only did he leak the minimum amount of Turning Point quests we will have to face as well as how many potential Blessings we’ve received, but in one fell swoop, he neutered every Deity competing in the Strife, leaving them in a weakened state.”

“With this, even if their Charges die, he has severed any potential refund they could have received. Remember when we were first summoned to Odin and Yahweh? They specifically stated that if we die, our souls become part of their Divinity; that was false information. Although they may believe that to be the case, if what Norik said is true, THEY NEED US TO SURVIVE, OR ELSE THEY WILL TAKE A HUGE LOSS AND POTENTIALLY DIE! THEIR LIVES ARE LINKED TO OURS NOW, BUT THE SAME CAN’T BE SAID ABOUT THE OPPOSITE!

(Chapter 369 – The Truth About The Grand Strife, Headmaster Rivia, and Yennifer (2) )