Chapter 312 Enticing Offer
'How much longer'. Orun internally asked with a stern tone while keeping his body busy.
[ Not much master. It needs a few adjustments is all ].
'I am going to need you to work faster on it. We don't have much time left. Orun instructed to which Oracle did not respond in words, but with immediate actions to hasten its pace.
"I admit Fire spirit king. You are an opponent that is worth going all out for".
Mammon confessed with his body held down by vines protruding from every part of his body.
His voice was what interrupted Orun's private conversation with Oracle, forced to cut it short so he could bring his focus back on the demon lord
Orun is well aware that Mammon is only staying tied down by the vines of his own will. Not because Orun's vine skill was impossible to get out of, but because the demon lord plans to entertain Orun, or rather break his resolve by showing that no matter what is done, no pain, fear, or hesitation could truly hold him down.
Whatever it is that the demon lord Mammon is thinking by not getting himself out of the vine sooner, Orun does not feel the need to know, nor does he want to think about it.
His mission is to get the demon back to where he belongs, or somehow find a way to put an end to him right here.
"I want to extend an offer to you. Join me on my mission, and I will appoint you as my second in command. You will have authority over the world that I rule, and will answer only to me".
Mammon proposed an offer that he believes Orun would not be able to refuse. Second in command of the world, a position where he will be able to do as he sees fit while answering only to a single person.
That is a position that many would kill themselves over, a chance to get a real taste of true power.
"I hate to disappoint your expectation, but I will have to decline your offer".
Orun without giving it any thought was quick to refuse the offer. His demeanor showed how he was not even moved by the thought of having a second in command control over the world.
"I believe all life to be precious and of value. Though I treasure and put my life first above all else, it still does not change what I believe in". Orun said, tightening and squeezing the vines in Mammon's body through telepathic means.
"Your goal contradicts and goes against everything I believe in, that is why I cannot work with you. Not now, not ever".
Orun has always been a devout follower of equality, and although his actions so far had portrayed him as someone self-centered, he remains with his belief knowing full well that the world he is in requires him to put himself first before others.
It is only when he is living and breathing can he get the chance to think about what he believes in and try to stick with it.
Mammon's goal would not only portray him as being self-centered, but it will also have him betraying everything he believes in for no justifiable cause.
Orun could not have that happening. It is one thing to go against his beliefs for a good, logical reason, and it is another thing to do so for a reason as childish as wanting to rule over the world.
Another important factor to note is that Mammon is the demon of greed. As an entity that rules over greed, will it be so willing as to have by his side another entity that he knows he cannot overpower?
If Mammon is to stick to his role, what he would do is turn Orun into a puppet form, making him very easy to control and not ever seek to go against Mammon's will.
At least that is what Orun would do if he were the one in that position.
"That is too bad spirit king, for I desire to have your power by my side".
When Mammon declared, the vines that were holding down his body were weakening, and Orun was losing control over it.
He tried to regain control of the vines by increasing the amount of mana spent on them, but Orun stopped himself from doing that.
"He is absorbing the mana from the vines?".
Orun saw what was happening with the vines that were embedded in Mammon's body. The once healthy and vital vines withered into dry lifeless sticks.
The vines lost the life present in them because Mammon was sucking out the mana that was used in their making.
If Orun tries to redirect more mana into the vines, he would only be serving Mammon an extra plate of free mana for the demon lord to absorb.
"I am unstoppable. Whatever attack is thrown at me, be it in physical form or not, I absorb it all. So long as it is an attack guided by energy, it is all mine to have".
Mammon passionately declared out loud, crushing the dried vines embedded in his body by literally walking through them.
"Do you understand it now spirit king? There is nothing you can do to stop me. I only offered you a chance by my side as a form of redemption, but you rejected it".
While he was talking, Mammon slowly lifted his body off the ground with both arms proudly stretched out.
"In here, you will meet your end. You and everyone you have ever cared about will die by my hands. I will make you regret refusing the will of I, Mammon, the Demon Lord of greed".
Mammon declared, sending shivers to the atmosphere, bending the will of everything present to his submission.
"Don't think you can get away from me that easily!".
During his pose, from the back came a fist that disrupted Mammon's elegant posture and declaration time.