"When I was climbing the steps, this same guy was doing it. Of course, I was the better one and climbed it before him," Satan explained, yet Jack looked as if he had something to refute those words with.
"It was only by a couple of seconds and you even buttered up grandpa snake to help you out on the last stage. I'm way stronger than this asshole, but his slyness still took him to the finish line before me…"
"I'm sure you've heard of this asshole before. Jack The Ripper—the unknown killer who only targeted prostitutes and was strangely proficient in the surgical removal of organs. He's just a massive pervert who gets off at the sight of human organs," Satan scoffed while making sure I stayed behind him. This was the first I've seen him so worried about me, but I guess that spoke to just how strong this guy was.
Jack the Ripper. I'm not too familiar with this guy's story apart from the fact that he was a notorious killer despite his record only having a few victims. But, it was hard to believe that somebody so skilled at killing and surgery would let something slide so easily, so many theories popped up… with one of them announcing the murders of thousands of people while only a few were caught in order for him to make a name for himself. Sure there were a few holes in such a theory, but it was mostly believable when you took a look at the surface-level evidence.
"How lucky I am to meet such a famous guy…"
"Woah, woah, woah… don't get the wrong idea. I only take organs in order to research… ummm… stuff. Yeah, stuff," Jack attempted to defend himself, that threatening aura that he unleashed before quickly dissolving into dust.
"Okay… anyways, I need to talk to Satan privately for a moment. Do you think you can go away for a minute while I ask him a couple of questions?"
"Oh, for sure. I'm here to visit the emperor anyways…" The man smiled and in an instant, he disappeared from my vision. It was as if he was never there in the first place, absorbed by his surroundings and attempting to erase any memory of anybody who witnessed his presence.
"What is it you wanted to talk to me about?" Satan turned towards me, but before I could ask anything, he let out a long sigh and gestured for me to follow him. We both sat on the first step and once again he interrupted me, offering a cigarette. "No? Not much of a smoker?"
"Nah, I'm good…" I muttered, pushing the white bud away from me while the devil lit the cigarette with his own flame. Somehow, it smelled surprisingly decent, like a patch of flowers shrouded by the mildew of rain.
"Okay, go ahead."
"Yes, so, first of all, if we were to scale his power to my own Eon, how much weaker than him would I be? He seemed to be around my age, but in terms of magical knowledge he almost seemed to have a bit of wisdom to him."
"Who? Jack?"
"Yeah. Would I be stronger or would he be stronger?"
"Oh, you would be way stronger if he downscaled to your Eon… but that's the thing. If he downscaled. Also, I'm sure you're aware of this, but both of you guys are similar. He's not as manipulative as you, but he's so knowledgeable that to a point you somehow believe he's an old man trapped in a young body."
"Yeah I thought so… but like in what? Magic?"
"Yeah, magic but also other things. If you were ever interested in the basis of how magic and mana work, then learn some math and talk to him. He'll geek out about it and maybe you'll learn something more…" The devil took another puff of smoke, his eyelashes somehow glistening with the green fog whispering over him. "... Actually, you've already grasped the concept of a mana core. So, I guess there's no need for that…"
I then tightened my core and softened my eyes, trying to rid any signs of my anticipation. "Wow, he almost sounds real… like he isn't a creation of your throne world."
Satan turned towards me, his lips arching into a devious but also amused smile. "If you wanted to know the truth then you should have just asked me. No need to go through such a roundabout way." As he spoke those words, his smile slowly relaxed and he looked at me as if he saw something in me. His eyes glistened and as he took another puff of smoke, he blew it into my face, stinging my eyes and nose.
"You asshole," I grunted, wiping my hand back and forth, attempting to dissipate the cloud of musty smoke. Before it smelled nice but now that I took the brunt of the dried-up herbs burned through the wrapping of paper, it just wasn't nice in the slightest.
"This world is real. Definitely real. I wouldn't be the strongest demon lord if I could only create a mere imitation of history," He answered my biggest question instantly. My jaw loosened and as I finished rubbing my stinging eyes, I looked over the courtyard of death and poison.
"Then why haven't you killed your arch nemesis… or nemesis's I guess. Aren't they much weaker back here in the First Eon? I heard their ascension is soon, probably at the end of this Eon, so shouldn't you be killing them now before they get any stronger?" I asked probably the second biggest question I had after having the first confirmed with ease. "And even if you did fail, you could just go back in time again and again and again and again."
The devil lightly chuckled, his two fingers pressing the cigarette from both sides relaxing as his head drooped, his long black hair covering his face. "I've tried, boy. Over and over and over and over again. But my genes to my atoms have been programmed to never be able to surpass those bastards, no matter what I do… no matter what we all do…"
