Chapter 9: Nexus
Michael beat Lucifer to the chance to give a gift first, and Lucifer was visibly annoyed. But picking a fight would only prove he was inferior, so he had to come up with another way.
"Hey, it’s really inconvenient that you don’t have a name. Look at us. Even though we’re existences like you, we all have names. Want me to give you one?"
The suggestion caught the young man slightly by surprise. Plenty of people had given him nicknames before, but no one had ever given him an actual name.
Of course, every nickname people gave him was meant to insult him. Not a single one was anything good.
"Sure."
He only replied with a single word. His attitude was extremely punchable because, even though he didn’t mean it, it made him look like he was looking down on the other person.
A cunning gleam immediately flashed through Lucifer’s eyes. He already knew what kind of gift to give this guest to make him remember him for a very long time.
"The rules of your plane form strange connections with you as long as you’re there. In a way, you’re the most important point of connection for all things. What do you think of the name Nexus?"
If those golden words mixed with a bit of flattery reached the ears of the cultivators he had harmed, they would definitely spit in his face and curse him nonstop for three years without even stopping to breathe.
Nexus simply nodded.
That single movement made Lucifer feel like he had wasted a second thinking for nothing.
"Don’t you find living like this boring? Don’t you want to try something a little more interesting?"
Lucifer poured one hundred percent of his power of temptation into his voice, but Nexus’s face stayed as expressionless as a rock, making him feel completely embarrassed.
"Hahaha, so the rumor that devils are incredibly good at playing with everyone’s emotions and desires was just made up by people spreading lies, huh?"
The archangel Michael, who was always incredibly serious and admired by countless angels, actually knew how to throw sarcastic jabs.
If other angels were watching, he had to maintain his image, but since there weren’t any now, there was no need.
One of the few things that could genuinely make him happy was watching Lucifer, the lord of hell, embarrass himself.
"Hmph, if he wasn’t stronger than me, it wouldn’t have been completely ineffective."
A failure was a failure. As the lord of hell, Lucifer couldn’t openly admit it, but he wasn’t so shameless that he would deny reality.
"You want me to become unbalanced?"
To Nexus, having more complex emotions or becoming more human was an extreme imbalance.
If that really happened, he guessed part of his personality would become quite similar to that number one genius of the plane.
"That’s right. Your emotions have been frozen like this for so many epochs. Wouldn’t it be better to try something new?"
The reasoning made sense, but Nexus shook his head without hesitation.
"You’re not capable of doing that."
That blunt statement directly trampled on the pride of Lucifer, the lord of hell, making Michael burst into laughter.
The mighty lord of hell was actually being told by someone that he wasn’t capable? Lucifer had to admit he had never felt this humiliated before.
"Hmph, I’m only a little weaker than you. Don’t look down on me like that. As long as I’m willing to pay the price, I can definitely do it."
The moment he finished speaking, Michael looked at him with a very strange expression. Michael naturally understood what Lucifer meant by paying the price.
Just thinking about it made the corners of his mouth curl upward. Wasn’t this twice the fun?
"Are you sure?"
Not only Michael, but Nexus also understood what method would actually work. He just hadn’t expected Lucifer to go this far.
"I am the lord of hell! Corrupting others is what I do best."
Even though he didn’t answer directly, one look at Lucifer’s face made it obvious he was about to go all in. As the proudest being in this plane, he wouldn’t allow himself to fail so miserably.
"If I can’t make Nexus become unbalanced, then I don’t deserve to be the lord of hell anymore!"
Then he thrust his hand through his own chest and pulled out a pitch-black heart engulfed in dark flames.
Any emotion, whether positive or negative, that came into contact with it would be endlessly amplified until it reached an extreme.
"Trade me a part of yourself."
Nexus nodded but didn’t make a dramatic move as Lucifer did. A stream of chaotic light appeared in his hand before slowly drifting toward Lucifer.
Meanwhile, Lucifer’s black heart entered Nexus’s spiritual soul like a deadly curse.
In an instant, both of their expressions changed. Nexus actually smiled, while Lucifer became somewhat like Nexus had been just moments ago.
"How exhausting. This is the first time I’ve actually felt tired just from changing someone’s emotions."
Lucifer flopped backward onto his throne, his reaction surprisingly calm instead of as intense as usual.
Seeing this, Michael tried to hold back his laughter but couldn’t. Cheerfully, he threw an arm around Nexus’s shoulders as if they were close friends.
"Hahaha, thanks a lot. The longer Lucifer stays like this, the less work I’ll have to do."
The moment he finished speaking, Lucifer’s crimson eyes flared. A sword appeared from the void and slashed straight at Michael.
"Michael! I’m just a little calmer, not deaf."
The clash between the two strongest existences of the plane quickly shattered this vast space.
Nexus remained seated without suffering the slightest damage. The only difference from before was that he watched with eyes full of interest.
"Besides, this is only temporary, got it? Once Nexus leaves, I’ll return to normal."
"That’s right. There’s no way to keep something that never belonged to us forever."
Nexus had no objections to that. Although having stronger emotions brought many new feelings, he was already used to that balanced state.
Having more emotions made his interest in Earth completely different from before. He stood up and waved goodbye to the two existences fiercely clashing with each other, a smile on his face.