章節 336: Chapter 336: A Trial By Fire

Perseus POV

"Look man, I understand the neutrality thoughts and ideals, my village is a master of not taking sides despite feeling a certain way, but Cain is taking things several steps too far, shouldn't you at least help out a bit?"

"I owe you nothing, Perseus Ellis Silver."

"What the fuck?! How'd you know my middle name?!"

"Heh."

"You have a middle name?" Lilith asked.

"Of course he does, it's the only thing he's more insecure about than his inability to grow a beard," Ruka responded, "Dad, how's you know...? Oh, I told Mom and she probably told you."

"Why'd you tell her my middle name?"

"I was curious." Dawn chimed in

"Guys, back on the topic." Leilah interjected, "Dad, can you at least tell us about the gods and as much information you can, it'll help us prepare for the fight and we'll have a chance at least."

"Fine, since you asked." Jerah sighs, "The 7 gods on their side are the new 7 personifications of the 7 deadly sins."

"Dad, if it's them, wouldn't they be just trying to destroy everyone and everything, like they won't take any side at all? They're the sins, wouldn't they like just pure chaos and destruction to humanity?"

"It's not as simple as destruction or chaos, nor is it just about reshaping the world into a perfect one." Jerah explained, "You see, I've met them before and I've asked about their intentions, and learned the motivations behind their actions. They are not mere forces of chaos, but agents of change in their own unique way.

"Each of them, Wrath, Greed, Sloth, Pride, Lust, Envy, and Gluttony, represent the darkest aspects of human nature. But beneath their sinister façade lies a purpose that's rooted in the belief that humanity can transcend these flaws. They want to challenge us, to force us to face our inner demo...I mean inner evil and emerge stronger."

That sounds like a lot of complicated bullshit, but 7 personifications of the 7 deadly sins...that's a scary thing to go against, but if I remember correctly, wasn't there a black class, Project Lust...are they different?

Going against them will be mentally challenging as well, what if they give off auras of wrath or something, and we'll feel angry, we may find it harder to think and fight as we're consumed by rage.

"What about the destruction? The suffering they'll cause through following Cain's plans?" Maple asked

"To them, it's a trial by fire of sorts," Jerah answered, "They believe that by dismantling the current world, they'll strip away the comforts that keep us complacent. We'll be left with nothing but our innermost struggles. And from that so-called chaos, they envision a new world, one where these vices have been turned into virtues. Greed becomes generosity, Lust becomes affection, and so on."

|I tried searching for the more good opposites of lust, I got unity or affection, so I chose affection.|

"Envision? So they are just hoping on some sort of dangerous gamble?" Leilah questioned

"Not everything is perfect," Jerah shrugged, "Their perspective is both insightful and flawed. They've come to understand the patterns of human history, the repetitive cycle of advancement and downfall. They're convinced that humanity needs a shift to break free from this cycle and ascend to a higher state of existence.

"Yes, that means involving resetting time and resetting everything, which involves erasing a lot of existence and a lot of lives, but that's the tragedy they're willing to embrace. For them, it's a matter of short-term suffering for the promise of long-term evolution. But they're also willing to be challenged."

So, they're not just heartless villains. They're...some misguided optimists? They're willing to be challenged, which means that they can be talked to, but I doubt we'll get through to them since they've been working with Cain for this long.

They're driven by a twisted version of hope, a belief that humanity's flaws can be transformed into strengths. But can their drastic methods truly lead to a better world? The destruction they plan to unleash is staggering, and the lives that will be lost...

They're probably reasonable enough to meet for a talk, but it's doubtful that they're gonna back off since they've gotten this far. But where do we begin if we proceed with that?

The 7 sins won't yield easily, and convincing them to alter their plan won't be a straightforward task, how do you reason with beings that are both embodiments of human nature and something beyond it?

Besides, I've seen the suffering caused by these so-called vices in our world and by the people who they're working with, and the pain they've inflicted on individuals. To think that they think embracing their plan would be the answer, that we should just surrender to their twisted notion of evolution, is out of the question.

We, humans, maybe shit since we're responsible for a lot of things wrong in this world, but we're also capable of growth, empathy, and progress. We've overcome our flaws throughout history, and we don't need to plunge the world into chaos to evolve.

Well, now, I will need to plan out ways to save some people and put them into a safe house while we fight them in the future, and that will mean that I will have to reveal myself to them since I rather not take them forcefully or doing it against their consent.

"This world just gets more complicated the more I spend my time here."

*****

"So, Ellis, wh-" I then cut Lilith off.

"Please don't call me that."

"It's a cute name." she replied, "I like your parents more and more now...Perseus Ellis Silver...heh."

"It isn't, anyway, let's rest for 4 hours and we'll then leave to explore South Korea, we're not that far off since we were in Japan, we can use that to relieve some stress and have some fun."

"Yeah, I'll go and watch this film with Maple, since I can't sleep." Ruka responded, "There's this trilogy called the world war, and I'll start with the first film, world war 1: the great war."

Trilogy...? TRILOGY?!