Demonic Devourer's Development

I could hear the cogwheels in God of Rogues' mind turning. How much I knew? What were my goals? How could I be used? He still knew so little about the full extent of what was going on, but he had some suspicions I was curious about. I couldn't hear them in his head—they were so unformed, God of Rogues himself only knew that they existed.

But he was nothing but cautious with new opportunities. He wouldn't miss one because he thought that I still was likely to jump at him with the intent to bite. Unlike me, he didn't have a personal grudge with me. For God of Rogues, I was an interesting anomaly, dangerous, but one that could've been left alone. At least, before I ate his dagger—now he was quite irked under the calm facade.

I frowned at that. Then what he was doing with the rest of the Twelve Bastards when he attacked me? I could clearly remember him and his vicious daggers.

"Nothing really important, Devourer," God of Rogues said with a cheeky smirk. "Just discussing what a shithole this place is. Even with fire resistance. And I have to say, as a topic for conversation, it's much more boring than the question of why you are talking to me instead of attacking. After what me and my friends did to you, I expected you would be sore for another century at least."

I sneered at him and drew a little closer, feeling satisfaction from the way God of Rogues tensed. Almost imperceptibly, but I could perceive a lot.

"Oh, I'm sore, trust me. But… Think what you want about me, that I'm a brute and whatnot, but I'm not stupid, you know. I wouldn't have attacked someone that strong without a good reason, but I know you, 'gods', are still after my head. Or at least, some of you. You, God of Rogues, don't seem that inclined to attack me either, do you?"

"I feel you are hinting at something. Could that be a truce?" God of Rogues arched his brows. "I don't know what's harder to believe—that you would ask for one, or that you would think this is possible."

"Why not? You, 'gods', had a problem with me because you thought I will go to the mortal realm and wreak havoc, right?"

God of Rogues hesitated for a moment. I could see in his head that this was what all of them agreed on, and how he now doubted that it was more than a cause to call everyone to jump on me. Still, he couldn't disagree that I looked like someone very prone to wreak havoc, and that protecting the mortal realm was the divine duty ever since the days of old.

"Yeah, you got that right. What, are you going to promise to be good? You know the chances of us believing you."

I snorted. "No, I have something better. A simple deal—help me get rid of the rest of your 'friends', and I will let you live. You can even take Heaven for yourself and be its sole ruler."

God of Rogues' eyes widened in astonishment. "Did you go mad, Devourer? What makes you think you can give these sort of 'deals'?"

Now it was my turn to smirk. "Don't you know? Things changed while you were in Hell, chatting with locals about weather. I already killed one of you, and the rest will come eventually… Though it will be easier with your help, God of Rogues."

He recoiled in confusion and shock, with a head full of disbelief, and I realised with a glee that he didn't even hear the news yet. A wide grin spread over my face.

I reached with my hands inside my chest, morphing my body to pull out the tome of magic from Goddess of Wizards, and held it high. "Look at this if you don't believe me! I tore out Goddess of Wizards' throat, ate her still warm flesh, and took her magic book with me! She probably still sulks in Heaven after all the power she lost from this. And I will kill her again, in a place where her soul won't escape my grasp!"

"Damn…" God of Rogues made a step back. "You really did, didn't you? Bet she didn't even think that could happen. How much did I miss down here? Why no one told me?"

I put the book back, where it would be nice and safe, and shrugged. "If you ask me, that means that they just don't want to see your face, God of Rogues!"

"If you ask me, Goddess of Wizards wouldn't have told anyone about her death at all…" God of Rogues muttered, so quietly that I could only hear him because I had a mental projection next to him. Then, he added in outdoors voice, "I admit, you aren't the enemy I would want to fight, either, Devourer. If we clashed now, who knows who would win? This is just too risky, don't you agree?"

God of Rogues himself thought it was fifty-fifty, and didn't want to risk being eaten for good… Even if the chance of him losing was only one percent. Cowardice, if you ask me, but it worked for me.

"For you—maybe, but for me…" I brandished my claws in a wordless threat.

God of Rogues kept his fearless facade, but on the inside, he was worried. Because he had a feeling that I had no brakes, and these, in his experience, were the worst sort of opponents. Besides, what he learnt from the demon sage, added to the fact of Goddess of Wizards' death, made him wonder… if my offer wasn't as bad as it seemed at the first glance.

"Well, being a sole ruler of Heaven doesn't seem that bad of an offer," God of Rogues finally said. Truthfully. "And you can have the mortal realm, then." A lie. But I let it pass.

This was going to be a useful, if tenuous, alliance.