NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 682: Nexus Prime Analysis
"Father…" Murad probed, testing the waters. He wanted to see if Zeus would react to being addressed this way—whether with aversion, indifference, or any other hint of emotion.
But, as expected, Zeus's unfeeling eyes betrayed nothing. There was no trace of sentiment or reaction. Deciding to approach this occasion purely as a business, Murad continued.
"I would like to join your pantheon and become a god. In return, I will ensure humanity's obedience to you," Murad stated his case. He believed that if he openly declared his desire to destroy humanity, the Olympian would never agree.
Besides, his goal wasn't to annihilate humanity—it was to punish them. He wanted them to suffer. If surrendering humanity to the gods' rule would achieve that suffering, he was willing to go through with it. Murad believed that once he was part of the pantheon, he could manipulate events to ensure their torment, even if the gods proved merciful—though he doubted they would.
"What do I get out of this?" Zeus asked.
Murad hesitated, tempted to retort that he had already opened the Hell Gate, allowing infernal mana to flow into the world to restore its capacity to sustain the gods. But his gaze shifted to Hephaestus, who wore a smirk. Murad recalled the deal he'd made with the smith god. At the time, he had assumed Hephaestus was acting on behalf of Olympus, which was why he accepted.
But perhaps Hephaestus wasn't as forthright as he seemed. The deal might have been a private arrangement between the two of them, unendorsed by Olympus. And since Hephaestus had already saved his life, Murad was sure the god would consider the favor repaid.
He turned his attention back to Zeus, deciding not to press the matter. Zeus was not the mercy sort. Unlike Envy, who was stronger than him but more lenient. With Zeus, he had no room for manipulation. Envy's mercy had allowed Murad and his people to push boundaries and exploit advantages.
But with Zeus… it was different. To put it bluntly, unlike with Envy, Murad had no room to f*ck around when it came to Zeus. He would immediately skip to the find-out phase directly.
"What do you wish, Father?" Murad asked. He had nothing to offer at the moment, after all... the thing the gods desired most, 'the restoration of mana,' had already been achieved. He could only play along with the Olympian's game.
Hearing the question, Zeus let out a satisfied smirk. This brat knew his place. It was good to have someone who understood their position and proved capable.
"Right now? Nothing," Zeus replied, his smile brimming with satisfaction. "But stay around and prove that you are useful to us, and I'll consider it."
— Abyssal Realm —
Under the red sky, with blood-red clouds and a fiery landscape, Daniel found himself stranded at the top of a desolate crimson mountain. The peak was high enough for him to survey the land below, revealing what appeared to be the abyssal realm.
In the far distance on the horizon, he spotted a city—a red metropolis constructed from metallic, crimson materials. The buildings pierced through the blood-red clouds, adorned with numerous thorn-like structures in their architecture. It looked like a city belonging to a demon king.
"This is definitely the abyssal realm… but whose domain is it?" Daniel muttered in confusion.
"Prime… do you copy?" Daniel called out to his wrist console. After a few seconds of silence, he heard the sound of the console rebooting.
[I'm sorry, Master, but I cannot connect to my main server. I can only provide limited support using the processing power of this console,] Nexus Prime replied in its robotic tone.
Daniel nodded. "That's fine. Give me a reading of the surrounding area," he said, cautiously beginning his descent down the mountain.
[The air composition is 15–20% oxygen, 70–75% nitrogen, 2–5% carbon dioxide, with small traces of sulfur and several unknown gaseous elements, including a composition resembling liquid mana,] Nexus Prime reported. [Sir, I advise against traveling to areas with higher sulfur concentrations and urge caution with the unknown gaseous elements. If you have a gas mask in your storage space, I highly recommend using it, sir.]
"I see… thanks. Next time, I'll make sure to pack a gas mask and an oxygen tank in my universal pocket, just in case. Don't forget to remind me, Prime," Daniel replied with a sigh.
[Noted, sir. I'll remind you the moment we return to your workshop,] Nexus Prime responded in its usual robotic tone.
After that, Daniel spent some time climbing down until his feet finally touched the ground. He decided to check out the place that looked like a city—the area with a high concentration of skyscrapers.
Daniel jogged toward the red metal city on the horizon, navigating through the hellish landscape. Whether it was sulfur pits, wild hellish mana fonts, or even breeding grounds for hellish creatures, he passed through them without much trouble.
Nexus Prime gave him early warnings for all of it as Nexus Prime had connected to several small metal scarab scouts Daniel had deployed to scout ahead.
When Daniel finally arrived at the red metal city, he was taken in by its towering buildings, pointy architecture, and many adornments depicting a black-winged angel. The entire place screamed narcissism.
"Hmm… a fallen angel? Lucifer, I guess? This realm must belong to him," Daniel muttered, observing the large portraits of Lucifer adorning the buildings. The city resembled the capital of a narcissistic dictator, where only the leader's portraits and monuments were displayed everywhere.
Speaking of monuments, Daniel immediately noticed a gigantic one in the distance. Because of its size and location, it was likely in the city center. The monument depicted Lucifer pointing his sword toward a faraway horizon, as if leading his people to a brighter future.
Classic narcissistic dictator.
"Is this some kind of joke?" Daniel muttered, his jaw-dropping at the monument's sheer size.
"Does this guy have some deficiency somewhere? Is that why he loves building ridiculously large monuments to compensate for his small part shortcomings?" Daniel added with a smirk.
At that moment, the red clouds in the sky darkened as though a storm was about to break. Daniel looked around and noticed that all the building doors were sealed shut. With no other option, he continued exploring the city, hoping to find some clue on how to return home.
As Daniel walked toward the city center, he noticed something odd—despite the sprawling streets, no one was in sight.
"Prime, is there any sign of life?" Daniel asked.
[There is, sir. In fact, I detect numerous heartbeats inside all the buildings, from top to bottom. There's a 98% chance that whatever is in there is planning to ambush you. Please remain vigilant at all times,] Nexus Prime replied.
"Good to know... Are they strong?"
[Nothing you can't handle, sir, but their sheer numbers might prove challenging, even for you,] the A.I. reported.
Finally, Daniel arrived at the city center, dominated by the colossal monument of Lucifer. He had to crane almost 90 degrees to take in its massive height.
At that moment, the storm intensified, crackling with thunder. A bolt of lightning struck the ground just ahead of him. Almost instantly, demons of various sizes and powers emerged from the buildings, quickly surrounding Daniel in the city square. Among them were numerous archfiends, eyeing Daniel like a prized delicacy. Continue reading on empire
From the turbulent skies, Lucifer descended slowly, adorned in his blue-and-red royal garb. He landed gracefully on the spot where the lightning had struck, his black wings folding neatly behind him. It was clear that the lightning had been his doing.
"Welcome to my realm, Mr. Emberweave. Your arrival was foretold," Lucifer declared with a smile. Spreading his arms wide, he gestured to the city around him as though to say it was all his.
At this signal, the demons erupted in applause, singing praises to Lucifer as they reveled in their lord's vanity—the essence of their pride.
[Sir, based on my analysis of historical and contemporary data on dictatorships, narcissistic tendencies are a common feature. However, the extent of Lucifer's narcissism significantly exceeds the average dictator profile. I detect an extreme degree of self-absorption, a profound detachment from reality likely rooted in delusions of grandeur, and an insatiable need for admiration—far surpassing the usual patterns in my database. This information will prove valuable for refining my predictive models regarding the behavior of authoritarian regimes in the future, sir,] Nexus Prime analyzed.
Hearing this, Lucifer's expression twisted with fury. It was the first time anyone had dared to insult him so blatantly, let alone a soulless A.I. on Daniel's wrist.
"Silence, you soulless husk!" Lucifer growled.
[Activating emotion simulation module… Oh? Touched a nerve? HA HA HA HA HA,] Nexus Prime retorted with a laugh that was equal parts mocking and mechanical.
Lucifer seethed with anger, his fury mounting until all he desired was to obliterate the soulless husk into oblivion.
"Silence!" Lucifer roared, his face contorted with rage. Any semblance of noble composure had completely vanished from his demeanor.