Volume 2. Chapter 13. Threat

There was a dead silence. Everyone was looking at everyone, waiting for them to do the first move.

"…Soooo, what now? Will we sit here, staring in each other's eyes or, shall we start this business finally."

The woman sitting on the throne said nothing, yet I could feel her hate towards me.

"… Do it."

At her command, the woman next to her started to shine before we found ourselves in a richly decorated room.

Between me and the goddesses, a mahogany table that had several documents laying on it.

Over our head was a humongous chandelier shining in an eye hurting light.

While adjusting my eyes to the brightness, a male announcer's voice could be heard.

"Today we shall conduct the peace trial between Astera, Queen of Gods, and Destin Torres, King of Dis. To make this treaty as productive as possible please swear onto your own name that you will follow the following rules. Rule Number One: No combat is allowed during the negotiations. Rule Number Two: The negotiators need to respect each other, during all circumstances. Rule Number Three: No outside assistance or interference! Do you accept these terms?"

"Yes, by my name, Astera, I accept."

"Ehh, sure. Me Desmond accepts it."

"Then start the negotiations!"

The documents on the table disappeared leaving one for each of us.

Next to Astera, the woman in brown, made a fake cough, before speaking.

"Mister Desmond, we shall start this trial by establishing the main terms of this peace treaty. my client has provided me with a list of requests." The brunet materialized a piece of parchment. "First, we request that you stop the production of bombs and any weaponry using souls as an energy source. You will also stop summoning, creating, and sending out hordes of monsters into the other worlds. Finally, we demand that you release all heroes that you captured and pay for all the damages that you caused. You may tell us your terms so that we can proceed."

"my terms? Sure, give me a second."

I did as if I was looking through my coat for something, only to take out a small, empty yellow paper.

"So, my terms are the following. Goddess Astera, queen of gods shall wear a bikini for the rest of her life. She needs to pay me an amount of gold equal to that of a planet while allowing me to take over her post and rule the gods as their king. "

around us I could hear laughing, swearing, and shouting, reinforcing my doubt that we were being watched.

The brunet inhaled sharply before continuing.

"Mister Desmond, please take this treaty seriously."

"After you." I threw the paper away before I put my elbow on the table." Your demands make this feel like if surrounded after a losing battle! My entire people are made up of dumb soldiers who have almost no reproductive organs. If we stop the raids, we cannot feed them, and their numbers will drop drastically. Also, my world is a dead planet without any suns, meaning there is no natural food source there. We can only feed ourselves by using soul energy, Energy that we harvest from humans and monsters. If I accept any of these terms ii would sentence my people to extinction."

"You would deserve it!"

From a shadowy area, where the light of the chandelier didn't reach, someone walked in.

It was another woman wearing a crimson red jeans and shirt, with her red hair having the color of congealed blood, which matched with her pall skin.

"…Do I know you?"

My question seemed to anger her; a red aura started to form on her body.

"You almost killed my Apostol, and you dare play ignorant!"

"Lady, I have killed so many that I can't remember them all. Also, if that guy is alive then deem yourself lucky then."

That seemed to make her extra angry.

She rushed at me; her hands covered in crimson energy.

Then…she stopped.

as if she was freezing into place, she just stood there, motionless.

Then, the announcer's voice could be heard.

"You have violated the Third rule! You are banished till the end of the treaty!"

Poof, she was gone, leaving no trace behind her.

"Aaannnnyway, my point is that I can not allow these changes to happen. If you want me to stop it, you need to provide me with a new planet that can house these them, THEN we may talk about me stopping the raids."

The lawyer seemed a little nervous while Astera seemed unfazed.

Yes bitches, there is a reason why I am called Dealmaker. You dig your own graves!

I tapped the table several times.

"This is my proposition. Give me a planet where I can relocate my monsters. Then once or twice a month I will send out a raid party to the other worlds."

"Why would we allow something like this?"

"Glad you asked. You want to strengthen your worlds for some reason, right? Well, while I lived amongst the mortals, I noticed that thanks to my raids, they became mentally and physically stronger. Imagine my monsters as an injection that strengthens the immune system of your planet. We will take the materials that we need and in exchange, we will provide… training for your people."

They said nothing but I could tell they are thinking about it.

" Also, I want to become a fully-fledged god and become one of you. This will allow me to work in peace while you can be sure that I abide by your rules. And my final request. " I made a dramatic pause, to raise the tension a little. " I am in the search of something. I want you to allow me to search for it without any hindrances."

"I can't promise something like that!" Astera shouted." This would put all of us in danger!"

"Look, do you want to keep your precious system intact? Just for the record, I have dozens of bombs with the same number of souls in them, just imagine what would happen if I detonated them all at the same time?"

Silence.

Whispers could be heard; the audience was probably disgusting if what I said was true.

If only they knew that I was bluffing.

Making something like that took me a lot of effort, not talking about the process to keep them together.

The brunet cough again.

"We accept about your own world; we need to want us for the riads. As for the search, we can only promise to not interfere till it does not pass a certain point of destruction."

"I can work with that. Then shall we talk about the details?"

*****

It took us around 5 hours to complete the Treaty, which we later named The Dis Treaty.

After we signed two handcuffs appeared on my and Astera's hand, which disappeared immediately.

"We will send a messenger to Copper tomorrow, who will help you proceed with the initiation procedures."

"Fine by me. See you guys tomorrow."

I teleported back to my world, into my throne room, I threw myself into my throne…And started to laugh.

"IDIOTS! RETARDS! HOW COULD THEY NOT SEEN IT HAPPEN!?"

I was tortured for a decade! Why do they think that I will pardon them with just some words and a piece of paper? Those retards!!

While we were negotiating, I released several parasitic insects infected by something that I have been working on for a while. These beauties will ride with their hosts to another world where they will release the gift that I have prepared for them.

Hehhehehehhehehhe, I just can't wait!

*****

At the celestial realm:

"That lowly beast! How dare he act so high and mighty in front of me! I will kill him! I will make him pay!"

The Goddess of Blood, Ichar, ravaged her room, throwing, breaking everything, she could and couldn't lift.

"Because of him, my perfect Apostol was ruined! She lost an arm and now she even developed some stupid phobia. My perfect Apostol, my masterpiece, he broke her! He deserves to die! LUCAS!"

She threw a VERY expensive-looking vas at a nearby wall while screaming.

"I have told you several times, I am above you. If we didn't know each other for milliners, I would have killed you for that."

Behind her, a young man materialized from thin air.

He wore a three-piece suit that was bright red that matched whit his crimson red eyes. On top of his head, amongst his black hair, two goat horns were poking out.

"Lucas, I need you to do me a favor. Kill that brat for me!"

"…No."

She was dumbfounded. Even amongst the dark gods, she was amongst the strongest. No one, ever in her life has said no to her.

"What?"

"You are not thinking straight. The Dealmaker will replace that old madman soon. From his character and past, he will surely become one of us, The Dark Gods. Killing a possible ally who developed a weapon that threatened the Queen herself is just foolish. Having him next to us and use him would be more convenient. "

"b-But he broke my Apostol!"

"So? You also killed many Apostles already, a few of your own. Just make a new one and forget about it. That thing was hundreds of years old anyway, it would have happened sooner or later."

"You don't understand!" She stormed to the man, grabbing his collar. "That thing didn't just break her! He also…infected them with something! The tribe that my Apostol had been wiped out, its habitant becoming nothing more than insane maniacs who just, kill eat or **** anything they see! They have already spread half of my world when I finally managed to stop them. HALF of my people died because of him!"

"I understand, but my answer is still no." Lucas gently pushed away Ichar from himself. " Believe me, as a master opportunist, that we will need someone like him in the future."

*****

Tomorrow the messenger came.

By that time, we have already collected the corpses of humans and monsters, which were probably already used to call more troops.

When I arrived, I felt surprisingly uncomfortable. the sun was too bright and the wind touching my skin uncomfortable.

The messenger was an angel, and I mean that in the most literal sense of the word.

The messenger had a pair of white wings and a bright yellow halo on top of its head.

"Hello, I came to guide you to your new home."

"New home? I thought you will help me become a god."

The angel smiled at me, flashing his perfectly white teeth.

"Yes, that's correct, but to do so we need to find you your own world where you can strengthen yourself enough to support the transformation."

"…Fine but try to trick me and you know who knows what happens."

"I wouldn't dream of it. Please follow me."

The angel tended his hand to me, which I shacked with disgust.

I might have developed some anti-social behavior with this body.

In a blink of an eye, we were transported to a beautifully illuminated cave.

"ah, I like it. Will my entire world only just be this cave?"

"Hahaha, sir please do not make jokes like that! No, this is only the entrance to the heart of the planet."

I followed my winged friend, making sure to not get lost while dropping some parasites here and there, just in case if things go south.

Soon we reached a huge golden door, decorated with several patterns, but the most eye-catching was a huge depiction of a deer skull with a hand coming out of its mouth, which had a mouth on its palm.

"Is it safe for me to guess that that symbol is my new logo?"

"Are you dissatisfied with it?"

"Not at all. I just wish to add something else. Cane of Beginning."

I materialize one of my divine weapons and pressed it to the door.

Carefully manipulating it, I added a little detail. My crooked cross, which was placed between the two antlers.

"Better. Shall we?"

Not waiting for an answer, I pushed the heavy doors open and entered.

*****

At the Core Room, several gods were waiting, with a feeling of nervousness and excitation.

It's been eons since a mortal became a fully-fledged god and The Dealmaker was far from being the ideal candidate.

The gods chatted between each other nervously, when the heavy doors opened, and the star of the event walked in.

As always, he wore the black suit, and the white coat, with his deer skull mask.

But now the gods looked at him differently from today forward he was a possible ally or an enemy.

The Dealmaker made an exaggerated bow, before looking at the mass of immortals before him.

"Shall we?"