Chaos Will Reign

Chapter Seven: Ten Steps Ahead

Flashback

"To make this plan work, I need some of you to willingly give up on your save data." Damien would announce.

Lacie slams her hand on the meeting table. "Absolutely not." She growls. "Do you even hear yourself?!"

"I know what you might be thinking, but let me explain." He says. "From what I've gathered, our Divinity seems to be tied to this "save data". If this is the case, then we need to give them what they want to make them think they have the upper hand."

"I'm listening..." Veto nods along.

"While I make it sound like I'm making this a voluntary thing, I already have an idea of who I want it to be." He says, and glances over to Aileus in his seat.

The young man looks back at Damien, then points to himself again in surprise. "Wait, me?!" He asked.

"That's a bad idea..." Lacie sighs.

"Hear me out." Damien would also sigh. "Lord Aileus, in the past, has shown how powerful he is, even before becoming a god. Despite everything thrown at him, he always found a way to push through and overcome his enemies. And all of this was when he was just a mortal. Aileus is strong, whether he is a god or not." He explains his reasoning.

"Huh... Well that was shockingly flattering." Aileus would say with a light chuckle. "If that's how you see it, then I guess I'll do it." He agrees.

"Are you agreeing because you think Damien's plan will work, or do you just want a challenge?" Cerys would ask with a raised eyebrow.

"Both." The male answers.

"As for the second person to give up their save data." Damien turns his head to Aella next.

"I think I know what you might be insinuating." Aella nods. "As the Goddess of Lust, my divine powers aren't as combat oriented like Lacie or Tine's. In fact, the strong sense of lust could end up making someone so horny, they become more of a hindrance than a help. Is that right?" She asked.

"Precisely." Damien nods with a smile. "You, as a Kanzaki, are the only person who could possibly control the powers of Lust. But you also amplify it. Whoever your save data is given to is sure to have a hard time controlling themselves. And lastly, for the third person to give up their save data... Me." He says.

"You, Damien?" Cerys asked, wide eyed.

"That's right. Being the God of Wisdom, it's obvious that their next target is going to be my data. The enemy is clearly smart, but they're still ten steps behind me when it comes to making plans. If I was the enemy, my save data is way too valuable to just leave in the hands of the enemy." He explains.

"And I agree." Veto says. "Which is why I object to you giving your data to them."

"Haha. Don't worry, Lord Veto. I may be giving up my save data, but I'm not giving them my Divinity." Damien says with a smile.

Veto leans forward, intrigued. "Explain..." He mutters.

"I'm going to temporarily pass on my powers as the God of Wisdom to my disciple, Ava. Then, I will spend the night at my temple, and trick the enemy into stealing my save data, making them think they stole my Divinity as well."

"And how do you know they even want it?" Lacie asked this time.

"Because I have a traitor in my temple." Damien says. "And I have a good hunch that he is working with the enemy, and is the one that wants my position."

Everyone looks at each other, as Aileus raises his hand. "Okay. I understand the plan and how it goes. But why? Why go through the trouble of just giving them our data?" He asked.

"It's to make them think they have the upper hand. When that happens, one gets overconfident. When one gets overconfident, they let their guard down. And when one lets their guard down, they get sloppy. And when they get sloppy, they will realize they've been played. They get desperate. And when they're desperate, that is when we crush them." Damien would demonstrate this by slapping the side of his fist into his palm, a grin spread across his face. "Makes sense, right?" He would ask with his usual, kind smile now.

"Yikes..." Cerys would murmur. "I never knew you could be so ruthless, Damien. Although, you were also the one who plotted up starving an enemy army 15 years ago, so I suppose I shouldn't be as surprised anymore." She adds.

"Why thank you." Damien says, pretending that was a compliment. "Now then..." He stands up, and turns to Ava. "Ava. I'm trusting you with this plan." He says.

The white haired girl would gulp, as she felt she wasn't ready for this. "Lord Damien...? I-I don't think...—!"

"Don't worry. You are. I believe in you."

"Lord Damien... Did you...foresee this happening? Way back when you took me on as a disciple? So that this plan could work...?" She asked.

"That's not it at all." Damien pats her head. "While I did figure a bigger threat was lurking, I took you as a disciple because I saw that you were worthy. Your drive for knowledge is real, and you genuinely the most intelligent person in this entire multiverse that I know, other than myself. These past 15 years have shown me your dedication to seeking the unknown, and learning new things. That is why I trust you with my Divinity." He would say, as he focuses his powers down into his palm. He takes a deep breath, the light dims slowly, revealing that it turned into an apple. An apple that held Damien's identity as the God of Wisdom. "Take a bite, and my Divinity will flow through you. Once the battle is done, you can do whatever you want with it. You can keep it, and become the Goddess of Wisdom. You can give it back to me. Or even give it to someone else. It's yours."

Ava would hesitantly lift up the golden apple in Damien's hands. She takes a deep breath herself, and takes a huge bite out of it. As she chews, she can already feel the divine powers flowing into her. Stimulating her brain. She takes a second bite after swallowing the first. Then a third. And final bite to fully take on his powers. She lets out a satisfied sigh, as she opens her eyes. They had a certain gleam to them now, one that was similar to Damien's before. Looking back at her former god, he seems to have lost his shine, but he still smiled brightly.

"And with that, the first step to my plan is complete."

End of Flashback

Suoh slams his fist onto the stone wall beside him. "That damned maniac...!!" He shouts. He then turns his attention back to Kheios and grabs his cloak collar. "Are trying to say that I got duped?!"

"It's only a guess. Not even I can guess what goes on in that guy's head." He would reply.

"If that's the case, then we quickly need to verify whether or not we actually got Divinity from the two save data files we just stole...!" Anny says and darts away to find her sister, Erii.

"Grrr...!" Suoh continued to growl, as he unhanded Kheios's cloak. "Damn you, Damien...! Just you wait...!" He curses the former God of Wisdom, but at this point, there was nothing he could do. He needed to find out who he gave his Divinity to, and there were three options he could think of in his head.