On the roulette, the light spot kept flickering, indicating that the Divine Emissary was right below John and Deception at this moment. It seemed that the Divine Emissary had not noticed John's arrival.
However, John hesitated and didn't dive down immediately.
"Is there a problem?"
Noticing John's expression, Deception stepped forward slowly and asked in confusion, "Why did you suddenly stop? Isn't the Divine Emissary right below? As long as we find him, we can team up to kill him, and then take out [Gluttony], solving two major threats in one go!"
Hearing this, John gave Deception a sideways glance, as if to say, are you kidding me?
The Divine Emissary, a Demigod tier being, is not someone you can just decide to kill.
Once a fight breaks out, Deception would be almost useless, and John would have to face Miles head-on, with very little chance of victory.
Moreover...
"Yes, he's right below, but..."
John took a deep breath, looking down with a deep gaze, as if his eyes could penetrate everything and discover the terrifying presence hidden in the silent depths. Although it was still dormant, who could be sure it wouldn't suddenly awaken?
"If we engage the Divine Emissary here and wake up that presence, we might all die here."
"What should we do then? Draw him out?"
"It's useless. The reason he came here is because he's certain we wouldn't dare to fight him. As a Demigod tier Divine Emissary, he can wake up Leviathan anytime he wants."
At this point, John took a deep breath and hesitated. Whether to continue diving deeper or to engage the Divine Emissary if encountered weighed heavily on his mind, making it hard for him to decide.
Deception understood John's meaning, frowned, and said, "But we've finally found him; we can't just give up like this."
"Deception, do you have any way to lure the Divine Emissary away from here, like you did with [Lust]? Anywhere else will do, but we absolutely cannot fight here."
"I can't do it."
Deception refused John almost immediately, without a moment's hesitation.
"Now, the Authority is no longer within me. Even if it were, a fully powered Divine Emissary is on a completely different level compared to a weakened [Lust]."
"Then we'll have to fight and pray we don't wake Leviathan."
...
In the depths of the Silent Abyss...
Miles seemed to sense something and looked up blankly, his star-like eyes glimmering faintly.
"Master... is this the guidance you have given me for my destiny? I didn't expect... they would catch up so quickly."
Miles sighed deeply, turned away from the core of the magic array, and left. The array instantly stopped operating, and the light gradually dimmed.
He could easily sacrifice himself, exchanging his life for John's. But John couldn't afford to die. If he died, all the efforts he had made over such a long time would go to waste!
With this in mind, John gritted his teeth and, after a long silence, finally sighed deeply.
"Tell me, what do you want?"
"I can help you eliminate [Gluttony] and even give you his Authority. My condition is that you must give me Deception's Authority."
"Such treachery. Does your master know you're doing this?"
"That's not for you to worry about. So, John, consider this: you give me Deception's Authority. First, I help you kill [Gluttony]. Second, I swear I won't attack you, and I can even help you with another problem. You might not know this, but there are two Divine Emissaries in Spartonia city—Hunt and War. They are not as easy to deal with as I am."
"You, you're sure?"
John's face turned pale.
One Divine Emissary was already difficult to handle, and now there were two in Spartonia city. If they found Helena...
"John! Calm down. He might be lying to you. You can't be sure if he's telling the truth right now!"
"But he can't be sure that I'm lying either. So, John, what's your choice? Will you trade one Authority to save your companions and yourself, or will you insist on fighting me and risk losing everyone? I believe you'll make the right choice."
"John! You absolutely cannot give it to him!"
Deception grabbed John's wrist urgently. "If he gets my Authority, we're all dead anyway!"
"I told you, I will swear an oath."
"Bullshit! Deception's Authority can deceive even gods. Tricking an oath is a piece of cake! John, stay calm!"
Seeing John's silence, Deception became increasingly frantic.
If someone who could see the future obtained his Authority, it wouldn't be as simple as 1+1=2. Miles could potentially control the future! If he succeeded, no one below the gods would be able to stop him!
"Prove it to me."
John lifted his head, a resolute glint in his eyes.
"Prove to me you're not lying, and I'll give you the Authority."
"I can't prove it. You'll have to choose to believe me, and I won't make any guarantees. John, this is a gamble, and the stakes are either my life or the lives of all of you. You need to place your bet. My patience is limited."
"You get me [Gluttony]'s Authority first, and I'll give you what you want."
"You're not in a position to bargain. Yes or no. I'll give you one last minute to decide. If you still can't make a choice..."
Miles pointed to the Silent Abyss below and smirked.
"Then I'll make the choice for you. I'll awaken Leviathan and wipe out everyone!"