Chapter 410 Sterfen, The Deadliest G.o.d??
"What did you just day?" Jack asked out of reflex.
"That"s Sterfen has a skill to make his attacks incurable," Lunara answered. "But that doesn"t mean the attack is invincible."
"Why wouldn"t it be?! If the wounds you create are incurable, then you"ll always be at an advantage in a fight," argued Jack.
Shaking her head, Lunara added, "That"s only if the attack lands. Sterfen"s skill adds no extra power or ability to the attack, and it takes a lot more mana than you would expect. Whenever he uses the attack, it"s the same as a common mortal attacking, only that the wound can never heal."
"What? Then why would Dad--"
"Sterfen developed it for a.s.sa.s.sination, not for battle," stated Lunara. "Though it"s rarely applicable to battle, that skill can even kill G.o.ds if used properly. Even if someone is a G.o.d, they wouldn"t be able to survive with a gaping slash carved into their neck."
Taking that into consideration, Jack felt more at ease. If anything, it was an extremely unique skill that intrigued Jack all the more. And pairing that with Sterfen"s abilities withe stealth made Sterfen one of the deadliest G.o.ds in certain scenarios.
"Mom, is Sterfen one of the reasons why the Holy G.o.ds are so hesitant to attack the Neutral G.o.ds.
"Definitely! He"s also the reason why they haven"t activated my contract so far. Naparn must have nightmares about it," Lunara laughed.
"What do you mean? Has Dad and Naparn clashed in the past?" asked Jack.
"Not exactly…" Lunara sighed and smiled softly. "Long ago, when I was about to marry your father, Naparn threatened to activate my contract. He was adamant that I don"t marry anyone outside of the Holy G.o.ds, declaring that he would discuss activating my contract with Halmut should I attempt anything.
"I had already gained Halmut"s permission, probably because of Sterfen being a Neutral G.o.d, but I worried what would happen if all the other Holy G.o.ds pet.i.tioned against it… That"s when Sterfen acted in silence, not warning me beforehand," stated Lunara. "I"m not sure about everything that happened, but I know that Sterfen convinced Naparn to back off somehow. And given Sterfen"s skills, I can only imagine Naparn agreed to avoid a death threat."
"So Dad has the ability to kill the other G.o.ds? How come he hasn"t just--"
"Jack, your father can kill G.o.ds but the circ.u.mstances have to be perfect. Take Olympic Chateau for example. The G.o.ds couped up there are safe because Halmut"s barrier keeps Sterfen out. And they"re always cautious when they"re anywhere else out of fear. So it"s rare that Sterfen is given a perfect opportunity to pull off an a.s.sa.s.sination," explained Lunara. "And if Sterfen just started trying to kill everyone, then they would set traps to catch him on any of the next a.s.sa.s.sination attempts."
"So, the threat exists but Dad has never pulled the trigger and forced anyone to try and act against him? I guess that makes sense," reasoned Jack.
"Either way, now that he"s sneaked into Olympic Chareau there"s no stopping Sterfen, even if I want to…" sighed Lunara. "I just hope he doesn"t actually kill anyone. If he did… then the G.o.dly war would immediately resume with the Neutral G.o.ds as the prime target."
"I"m sure Dad"s smart enough to avoid any unnecessary conflict, at least, I know what I would do in his scenario."
Smiling, Luanara asked, "Oh yeah? Then what would you do?"
"I would try to bargain. I"d take a G.o.d hostage and use the G.o.d"s life as a bargaining chip for your contract," reasoned Jack. "Does that sound like something Dad would do?"
Lunara curst into laughter, feeling at ease. "That sounds exactly like Sterfen! If that"s the case… then I really might be freed…"
"And then you can finally reunite with me and Lina. We"ve already got the perfect place for you."
"Then I"ll be looking forward to it," replied Lunara. "But why did you come again?"
"Right! I came to make a pact with you. That way we"ll be telepathically linked and we can share skills. Also, that means you"ll be telepathically linked to Lina," added Jack.
"Really?! I"d love that!" Lunara shouted, excited to be able to speak with her daughter whenever she wished. But then, Lunara suddenly hesitated and looked to Jack with seriousness. "But… would a mutual seal be better?"
"That… I"m not sure about that…" Jack got caught up in the moment and hadn"t considered such a thing. "That would mean we"re splitting EXP, would that be--"
"That"s not a problem for me, Jack," answered Lunara. "But I won"t be fighting anytime soon, so I would be taking some of your EXP while you"re leveling up… I"m not sure which would be better for you."
"Give me a moment to think…"
Pus.h.i.+ng his brain into high-gear, Jack did his best to imagine the future effects of both a pact and a mutual seal with Lunara. Both were fantastic options and her bloodline was very tempting but Jack also wanted access to Lunara"s skills, which wouldn"t come with the seal. And with the EXP share being a possible issue for the time being, Jack decided otherwise.
"Let"s go with a pact," stated Jack. "I"d love to form a mutual seal with you and use your bloodline like I do with Bowzer"s, but that"s just not ideal right now."
"Well, keep that considered for later, then," replied Lunara. "For now, a pact will be great!"
The son and mother formed a pact, adding Lunara to the mental network. That was verified when Lina shouted in excitement back to Jack and Lunara.
Jack then left, letting Lunara and Lina enjoy a long-overdue conversation. To use Greater Teleportation a third time, Jack used Greater Replenish first. With seventy percent of his mana revived, Jack felt a strange mix of rejuvenation and fatigue wash over his body. It wasn"t that bad and was easily bearable, but it made Jack keep his limits in mind.
Returning to his front door in a flash of light, Jack was excited to rest alongside his wives till nightfall.
He opened the courtyard door to find no one inside. A bit taken aback, Jack looked to his bedroom door. Courageously, Jack walked up and opened the door, finding his a.s.sumption correct as he was bombarded with shouts the moment he entered.
"Jack!" Argyle rushed to Jack, slamming both of his hands on Jack"s shoulders. "Why didn"t you tell me about this?! How could you do this now of all times?! Is that all you care about, Jack?!"
"Father!" Eliza shouted. "I already told you, it was this or Jack get another wife, and I prefer this."
"But…" Argyle released Jack, trying to get ahold of himself. "Jack… Do you realize what you"re doing, right?"
"Yes, I do," replied Jack. "Also, I"m sure you"ll do everything possible to protect her while I"m away. And once the baby"s born, Dragas will come and help protect her."
"Dragas?"
"Dragas, the G.o.ddes of Love and Seduction," mentioned Jack. Then, an idea popped into Jack"s head. He smiled, continuing, "Dragas adopted Eliza as a demiG.o.d, making her Eliza"s new mother."
"What?!"
"That"s just how it works, unless you want to make that official…" added Jack.
"I-I couldn"t--"
"That"s a great idea, Jack!" Eliza ran over to her father and turned him toward her. "She"s gorgeous, Father, so I"m sure you"ll be happy with her!"
"Eliza… That"s not how--"
"Father, trust me, it would be best for both of you. But how can we make this work…" Eliza started to scheme, changing the subject. "Jack, got any ideas?"
"We"re not discussing--"
"It won"t happen overnight, but I think we can make it work out in the end," replied Jack, ignoring Argyle.
"I said enough!" Argyle shouted. "Since you"re all fine with the situation, then I"ll be leaving."
As Argyle opened the door to leave, Jack added, "I"m sure the baby will be happy to meet Grandpa Argyle, don"t you think so, Eliza?"
Freezing for a single moment, Argyle let his proud emotions as a soon-to-be grandpa slip out while his back was turned. Then, he hurried off, not wanting his daughter or Jack to see him get emotional.