Chapter 312: Negotiating?

Soul looked at Aaron in confusion, as did Noctar. "Aaron, are you stupid?" Soul asked him. "You could easily kill this monstrous bitch, and then we'll be out of here with Coranth," Soul told him as Aaron let out a cough. "Of course, I know that, Soul. However, this way, we may be able to discuss peace." Aaron responded before looking down at the ground. "However, I fear that it may be slightly too late for that, considering the damage I've already caused," Aaron noted, causing the humanoid treehugger to tense up slightly, lightly jabbing her finger into Coranth's cheek. "You are correct, skeleton. However, if we're going to make this deal, I want nothing hidden. Return to your natural state, and then we'll chat." She commanded, causing Aaron to shrug. "You hear the woman. Come on, let's join back together." Aaron told Soul, his clothes and skin falling away from his body, revealing his skeleton as Soul let out a sight while rolling his eyes. "Fine. However, if you two start punching the shit out of each other, I'm joining in too." Soul told them as he travelled up the bones that made up Aaron's arm. "Well, I'll be joining Soul. See you in a bit, Aaron." Noctar announced, vanishing into thin air as if he had never existed.

"At least you're willing to cooperate." The monster sighed, before crossing her legs, right over left. She had an unimpressed look on her face. "So, what would you give in exchange for this child's life?" She asked, dragging her finger across the child's cheek, having not pulled it away from when she dug it in moments ago, leaving a thin scar on Coranth's face. "Honestly, the child doesn't matter all too much to me," Aaron explained to the woman, shocking the monster with how he replied. "You..." She began cursing him under her breath. "Do you not care for the life of a child?!" She yelled at him, causing him to smile. "He summoned me to this world, and I didn't put up any resistance. He knows that I don't care what happens to him, nor myself. After all, if you had power that surpassed the gods..." Aaron trailed off.

"What would you do with it?" Aaron asked her, causing her to ponder his question. "It was a rhetorical question," Aaron stated, confusing the monster since they were unfamiliar with terms like that. "When you have that power, you lose all attachment to those around you, realising that the universe is much broader than what you think it is, realising that you are but a speck in a sea of glorious stars," Aaron told her, his seat rising into the air slightly as the two chairs that had been placed for Soul and Noctar were fling into the wall behind him, exploding behind him as if it was special effects.

"What...what kind of monster are you?" The woman asked, looking at him with an expression that could only be described as shocking horror. "One which has too much power for his own good," Aaron told her, an imaginary smile lighting up his face. Aaron jumped down to the ground, his foot splashing against the blood of the treehuggers, bringing discomfort to the woman. Aaron pointed his skeletal finger at her, a blue ball of energy appearing on his hand. A little signpost appeared above it, reading out the words, 'There Can Be Only One', shocking the monster. "You...what have you done to my skill?" She asked him in horror as he chuckled. "I activated the skill. There was never any rule that said I couldn't shape a skill to do what I wished. It's now a skill that chooses one thing for us to compare, and whoever has a higher score wins." Aaron told her, causing her to stand up and move backwards, holding Coranth's skull in her hand. "I won't play your insane game. One wrong move from you, skeleton, and this child dies." The woman told him, causing him to walk backwards. "May I first have your name before you start doing anything drastic?" Aaron asked her.

"Call me a treehugger, as you do to them all." The woman responded, spitting at the ground afterwards. "Well then, treehugger." Aaron sighed before pointing his hand at the woman. "It's your time to die, and this time there isn't anyone for you to go back to." Aaron threatened her, a flash of light separating the woman from reality, if only for a second. Aaron appeared behind her as she turned around, a concerned expression lining her face. However, as the woman turned, her head was separated from her shoulders, Aaron's sword in his right hand. "With power comes speed, and with speed comes the ability to kill," Aaron told her, turning Tsuyukagiri's blade so she could see her reflection in the rainbow blood that it was coated with. "I never thought that you'd fall so easily, but this just shows the disparity in the power levels between a monster and a god is," Aaron told her, his clothes appearing around his body as flesh formed once again. When it comes down to it, Aaron is just here for fun. He was holding back for his own entertainment. "You...bastard. You still haven't killed me!" The woman yelled, her face slowly losing its colour. "You'll be dead in a minute. However, let me speed up the process." Aaron replied, stabbing Tsuyukagiri through her skull. The woman let out a short yelp of surprise before falling quiet, causing Aaron to smile.

"Well then. That's my job done." Aaron said to himself, picking up Coranth from the pool of blood. "Time for me to go, I guess," Aaron said to himself, walking over to the hole he and Soul had fallen through to get to the cavern. The treehuggers that Aaron hadn't killed were staring him down, but they knew that they shouldn't go after him. With a smirk, Aaron jumped out of the hole. He was leaving a rainbow-coloured pool down below for all the world to see. At least, until it dries up.