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Avarice walked over to the tanks with the weird solution and figures inside them.
"After a while of experimenting, Verin and I finally figured out a way to create beings on par with the Primordials. This solution is a special compound made from my blood specifically designed to change the genetic makeup of a human and heal beings like us. Once my spirit energy was infused with it, its effects drastically improved. Now, should any human be placed inside, their body will begin undergoing augmentation, breaking down before being made stronger, denser, and capable of greater feats. If the subject survives this process, the solution fills their new spirit energy capacity by duplicating the spirit energy. At that point, it's only a matter of time before they emerge from the tank with their own power. Unfortunately, over 98% of our attempts have failed."
Avarice walked back toward Za'Fia as he motioned toward Junichiro, who was still watching Za'Fia with an unbreakable focus.
"Of these three, I first came across Junichiro while in Japan just under 1,200 years ago. He was a rare prodigy among swordsmen and very dangerous during his time. He was being hunted by a group of thirty-five men and managed to defeat twenty before being overwhelmed. I saw great promise in him, so I killed the remaining fifteen. Junichiro was amazed at my display of strength and asked if I was his guardian deity. I told him no, but that I could give him unimaginable power if he joined me. A little over a century later, he became the second human to survive the augmentation process."
This is bad, Za'Fia thought to herself. Avarice had the means to create beings strong enough to kill them. And there were two more being prepared.
She didn't want any of them to notice how much this news was getting to her, so she pretended not to take it seriously.
"I'm more curious about that Greedy Goblin form of yours. When you transform, what does that look like," Za'Fia said mockingly.
Out of nowhere, four purple blades made of spirit energy appeared outside of Za'Fia's container – each pointed directly at her head.
Za'Fia looked at them, recognized the spirit energy, then looked at Junichiro as he approached her. At least she knew he could do that now.
She rolled her eyes.
"So, Junichiro seems to be the oldest of the three; where's the first," she asked.
From her peripheral, Za'Fia saw Wren and Trevor look down as if that topic was a sore one.
Junichiro stared at Za'Fia coldly.
"He's dead. He tried to orchestrate a rebellion against Father, so I killed him," he said impassively.
Avarice placed his hand on Junichiro's shoulder.
"I was already aware of his movements against me. They wouldn't have worked, but I got to see where everyone's loyalty lay," he said proudly.
He then redirected his attention back to his story.
"Anyway, we experienced more failures for decades until we found Wren on a ship in the middle of a violent storm. No one else was on the ship, just her, fearlessly chasing storms. Her passion would have caused her to drown that day had Verin and I not been flying by. After saving her, I offered her the power to continue chasing storms without the fear of dying. She was hesitant at first. She said she was surprised that a man claimed she had any promise. After I assured her we'd achieve great things together, she accepted my offer. Half a century later, she emerged from the tank as the third human to survive the process," he said as he pointed their attention to Wren.
Then his head shifted to Trevor.
"Thirteen short years after that, Wren and I stumbled across Trevor. We were on some manmade island where I was teaching Wren how to control her powers when we noticed fighting in a nearby rainforest. At the center of the commotion was Trevor, who was expertly fending off his captives with explosives. Like Junichiro and Wren, I immediately saw potential in him and approached him only to be bombarded with explosives hidden in the trees and ground. After seeing that the bombs did not affect us, Trevor still refused to give in. I was truly impressed by his tenacity, so once I used Order to calm him, I offered him the power of gods. Surprisingly he said no, but Wren had taken a liking to him. You see, she'd always wanted a younger brother, so she showed him what she could do. Eventually, he agreed, and after four decades, he became the fourth human to survive the augmentation. As you can see, it's an arduous process, creating perfection."
"If you and Verin were much older than the rest of us and probably more powerful after feeding from humans for so long, why didn't you just target each primordial individually after teaming together?" Za'Fia asked.
"We did consider that," Avarice replied. "But, although it would've been easy to surprise you all, even with the two of us teaming, we both, individually, were barely as powerful as a Supreme Primordial. Had we fought, the others would have sensed our spirit energy and rushed to help. At the very least, Verin and I needed to become powerful enough to quickly defeat each Primordial without using our spirit energy."
"Then, later, once you became unmatched and you'd formed your perfect team, you went after Tymon two hundred years ago," Za'Fia said, summing things up. "But why choose one of the most powerful first?"
Avarice smirked in amusement.
"Look at you, asking all the right questions. It's good to know you're not all beauty," he said.
"Father, are you sure we should be giving her any more information," Junichiro asked.
"It's okay; after living for as long as I have, it's nice to have an entertaining challenge now and again. That's why I didn't stop your brother's rebellion against me. Besides, it's about time you three face some real opponents, don't you think?" Avarice answered as he patted Junichiro on the back.
He wants to test them, Za'Fia thought to herself. They were created to rival a Supreme Primordial, but they've never actually fought one. But if that's the case, why didn't he have them fight Tymon instead of doing it himself? He had no issue sending two to face me if push came to shove. Why not show the same treatment for Tymon?
"You asked why I chose the most powerful first," Avarice told Za'Fia. "My initial target wasn't Tymon. I'd already gotten to someone else many millennia before. Then, either Tymon or Michael was going to be my second. They both possessed something convenient that'd make going after the others much less stressful. I chose Tymon because he was an old man then, and going after Michael would've been too much of a headache."
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