His memories of what happened after that were shattered and disorderly, but he was pretty sure that the entire World had disappeared, leaving him in empty space.

Stars littered the vast darkness like glitter on a dark all-encompassing veil, and it was an imposing sight to witness when all alone, surrounded by essentially nothing. However that would soon turn out to be false. Because he was not alone.

When he turned around, or at least that’s what he thought he did, he didn’t really remember how it occurred, but regardless, he had no longer been alone. Instead, he was suddenly in the presence of what his broken memories told him was a planet-sized golden eye.

The eye had just… looked at him, but he felt like he had been stripped bare. His identity, his knowledge, his everything. Nothing was hidden before that entity. He knew he was finished.

After an indiscernible amount of time passed – perhaps eons or mere seconds – the entity decided to speak. But for all intents and purposes it might as well have been an ancient curse, because his mind had promptly shut down.

His next memory was the Eye again, and his mind was much clearer this time. But not a single thought passed through his mind, he didn’t quite have that capacity. Some would say what he had felt was fear or even primordial fear, but he would disagree. Those words could not properly describe the potent… ‘something’ that he had felt.

In any case, all he did was stare at the Eye, not daring to move a physical or mental muscle. It wasn’t even his decision to behave that way. He just simply could not summon the will to do… anything.

The Eye spoke again, and this time he could understand without passing out. It must have decided to weaken its power for his sake.

“I… am Eridius.” The Entity spoke with a… it couldn’t be called a voice. Not with that kind of sound. However, the sound rumbled throughout the universe and caused many stars to blink out of existence.

It certainly wasn’t a language he had heard before, but he somehow understood. Apparently, this being was addressing itself as this World’s own name. At least, according to the Eridius System. At another time he would have tried to connect the dots, but he didn’t. He didn’t back then, he didn’t now, and he wouldn’t in future.

He didn’t dare.

“You… are Greed.” The Entity spoke again. More stars shattered.

At the time he didn’t know what that meant. He was slightly positive that he had never been called Greed before, but the Entity said it so it must be true. Even if it wasn’t, it was now. The Entity said it, and so shall it be. He was Greed. Always had been, always will be.

“I am the lone god, creator of all. You are mortal, one amongst many.”

Right.

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“Do not disrupt my plans.”

That didn’t seem quite possible, but right.

“The next time you draw my attention, you will have never existed. Do you understand?”

No. But right.

“Go. Sleep for a few years to restore your mind. When you wake you will be a new being.”

At that point, no more stars existed. There was only him and the lone god, surrounded by endless darkness. The only source of light was the light of the lone god’s eye, and what a sight it made.

But then in the next instant he was back in the Sea, not quite where he had been last, but instead deep inside a cave he had never seen before.

Now, as he pondered on what had just occurred, he couldn’t help but think that something serious, very serious had happened to him. But he still couldn’t muster the will to do anything. He could now think about what had just happened, and make thoughts, but he… he just wanted to sleep.

His eyes drooped as he stared emotionlessly at the stone wall before him, not moving a single muscle apart from his eyelids. Soon, he slept.

When he woke, he would be a new being. He would be Greed.

…

‘Well… That was something.’ Eridel thought. He was currently in his more raw state. No avatar, no condensed Spirit Sense, just him in his planetary form. And he was taking some rare time to reflect on his actions.

He had to admit that he had come a long way from his previous self. Who would have thought that he would reach a state where he could so convincingly act like a god. And not just a divine being with divine cultivation, but the kind that most mortals would call a one true god. The creator of all existence.

It felt odd.

He had come from humble beginnings. Yes he was rich, and yes he was a great inventor with a lot of influence, but he had been a mere mortal without the slightest idea of Cultivation and the bigger universe. But look at him now.

From the lowest form of mortal an Enlightened could be, to a bonafide World that could extinguish the Will of a 4th Realm ex-Nightmare with a single word infused with the power of his Soul.

All this because he was lucky enough to be the target of the golden orb on that fateful day…

This kind of thing was probably enough to summon a Rainbow Tribulation, and yet all he had had to deal with was a Red one. It was too abnormal. The only thing that made the most sense was that somehow the golden orb also had the power to hide from fate. But he was incapable of confirming.

He had gained strength now, but it wasn’t nearly enough. It wasn’t enough to reach the pinnacle of power. It wasn’t enough to truly be what he had displayed to Kazolix.

What he had done to Kazolix and what Kazolix had seen were 2 completely different things.

Obviously.

It would be a horrible joke if he actually blew up his own body just to replace himself with an Eye. And there was no way he could destroy a star with just his voice, talk less of all of them. It had all been an illusion.

In reality, he had dragged out Kazolix’s Soul into his own mindscape where he would be completely exposed. From there, it was just a few visual tricks and infusing his words and presence with his powerful eternally upgrading Soul Cultivation.

The intent had been to greatly rattle Kazolix’s Soul and scare him. Him becoming an eye was just the inner boy in him putting up theatrics. He expected the fear and submission, even the damaged Soul.

But what he didn’t expect was for Kazolix’s Will Flame to blow out like a candle.