Upon hearing this, the [Deception Apostle] narrowed his eyes, a ruthless gleam shing within them.
"Are you threatening me? It seems you still haven''t grasped your current situation. What right do you have to negotiate with me?"
"I don''t care! I won''t give up! You should be well aware of the effort we''ve put in to get this far! If you don''t help me, once our master learns of what you''ve done, he won''t spare you either!"
At this point, [Lust] was already in a state of reckless abandon, with what little sanity remained nowpletely gone.
"[Deception Apostle], let''s cooperate! How about we join forces? If you help me escape, the two of us together might even stand a chance against the [Deity], don''t you think? Let''s team up!"
"Should I call you naive, or adorably foolish? You''re overestimating yourself and underestimating the [Deity]. However... if you were to die, it would indeed affect my ns.
I have a proposal. If you agree, we''ll cooperate. If you don''t, pretend I was never here. As for tattling, do as you wish."
"What proposal?"
"You can transfer part of your core authority to me. I''ll safeguard it temporarily. Once this affair is settled tomorrow, I''ll return the authority to you. This way, you save your life, and Iplete the task our master assigned me. It''s a win-win. How about it?"
"Impossible!"
Without a moment''s hesitation, [Lust] tly rejected [Deception Apostle]''s proposal.
"You''re utterly untrustworthy. Besides, if I entrust my core authority to you, what if you don''t keep your word? You''re the embodiment of lies; I can''t possibly trust you recklessly!"
Upon hearing this, the [Deception Apostle] couldn''t even be bothered to argue, turning to leave.
"...Wait! I agree, but I have one condition!"
As the words fell, the [Deception Apostle] paused once more, a sinister smile appearing on his face, still turned away from [Lust].
"What condition?"
"This part of the core authority, I will seal it. Besides me, not even the master can unlock it. I won''t allow anyone else to touch it. If you agree, we will cooperate."
"No problem. But I also have one condition: if I help you through this, you must do something for me."
Realizing the gravity of the situation, [Lust] understood their vulnerable position and did not argue further, merely giving a soft acknowledgment.
"So, a pleasant cooperation?"
"[Deception Apostle], even if just this once, I hope you will keep your word."
"Why does everyone think I am untrustworthy?"
"There''s no need for pretense. You know who you are. After this, I will do my utmost to help you."
With that, [Lust] attacked the seal once more.
The seal fortified by ria shattered instantly, and a red-ck light emerged from the fissure, willingly cing itself into [Deception Apostle]''s hand.
Confirming that this light was indeed [Lust]''s core authority, [Deception Apostle] suddenly smiled.
"Then, see you in three days?"
"Don''t forget your promise!"
...
As [Deception Apostle] stepped out of thebyrinth, he suddenly paused, unable to suppress the joy within, bursting intoughter.
"[Lust], oh [Lust]! After all these years, why are you still so foolish? Despite everything, haven''t you realized that the one certainty is that you should never trust me?"
Gazing at the radiant light in his palm, [Deception Apostle] took a deep breath.
After a moment of silence, he abruptly tore open his chest, revealing a deep wound down to the bone, exposing his heart beating wildly within.
"In the face of lies, nothing is absolute. After all these years, you still don''t understand. Since that''s the case, I will dly ept your authority."
Merging the light into his heart, in an instant, this portion of the core authority waspletely under [Deception Apostle]''s control. As for the safeguards [Lust] had ced on it, they were effortlessly wiped away.
From the beginning, [Deception Apostle] had never intended to cooperate with anyone, especially not a fool like [Lust]. Bing his ally would only bring harm, with no benefits whatsoever.
"In three days, there will be no more [Lust] Apostle in this world. As for your authority, I will inherit it for you!"
...
In a sh, three dayster!
Before dawn, John knocked on the rooms of Exiled Immortal and the others, gathering everyone into one room.
"Although we yers don''t need sleep and never feel tired, knocking on doors in the middle of the night is really not friendly, John. Can''t whatever it is wait until morning? Does it have to be today?"
Exiled Immortal rubbed his temples, taking a deep breath before continuing, "So, what''s so urgent?"
"Tomorrow, you all need to stay in the Elven habitat and protect it well. There might be some upheaval. Of course, it''s just a possibility, and hopefully, nothing will happen. But if danger arises, you need to protect the Elven habitat from being destroyed by rampaging monsters."
Hearing this, Helena and Lily exchanged a puzzled nce.
"John, is there some newrge-scale eventing up?"
"No, it''s not exactly arge-scale event. Do you rememberst time when Exiled Immortal and I went to the depths of thebyrinth? There, I saw some peculiar existences. On a strange sealing array, there was a clear countdown of three days, and today is when the countdown reaches zero."
"I''m a bit worried that something unexpected might happen. After much hesitation, I''ve decided to go and check it out personally. Once I confirm there''s no risk, I''lle back right away, so there''s no need to worry."
"John, isn''t this a bit too risky? If there''s really something dangerous in the depths of thebyrinth, can you handle it alone?"
"He''s not alone."
Just then, the door suddenly opened, drawing everyone''s attention. When they saw who had entered, Helena and the others were stunned.
"The Queen of the Elves?"
There was no mistake. Even though they had never seen ria before, her unrivaled beauty and unique level 60 status clearly marked her identity.
"Over the past few days, John has exined the situation to me. After dawn, I will apany John to the depths of thebyrinth to investigate. While I''m away, I must trouble you all to guard the Elven habitat. Once this matter is resolved, there will be generous rewards."
ria approached the round table without changing her expression, doing her best to avoid ncing at John.
"With the Elf Queen''s help, there should be no problem. John, just don''t be a burden!"
"Get lost!"
Back in Calia City, the general''s level wasn''t this exaggerated. He was already a reliable ally, but a level 60 Elf Queen? She could easily bring destruction.
"Since no one has any objections, it''s settled. I''ve already given the light armor and weapons to the Elf Queen. There will be Elven warriors joining us to guard the habitat. As for the existence in the depths of thebyrinth... I''ll deal with it as quickly as possible!"
"No matter what happens, make sure to protect yourself."
Helena bit her lip gently, her eyes full of concern.
"Don''t worry, I will return safely!"
...
Outside, the sky gradually brightened, with the warm sun breaking through the clouds, casting its light upon the earth. John immediately stood up, exchanged a nce with ria, bid farewell to Helena and the others, and turned to leave.
At the next corner, ria also paused.
"John, are you sure you don''t need me toe along?"
"Your situation is like a ticking time bomb. There''s no telling when it might suddenly go off. It''s safer for me to go alone than to bring you along."
"I''m sorry... for such an important matter, yet I can''t do anything to help you."
"You''ve already helped me a lot. The rest, I''ll handle. Don''t worry, I''ll be fine."
"Then so be it... Just make sure youe back alive!"
Meeting ria''s slightly reddened eyes, John smiled.
"If Ie back alive, let''s go on a journey together. Staying here is too boring. I''ll take you to see the world outside."