’My suspicions were correct then. It was never Kenno’s fault...’ Skullius thought. His senses drew taut, and his presence sharpened to the extreme. Amras surged from him, condensing and limning every chord of muscle in his body and every fiber of his soul. He even mobilized the extra Focused Null Life Ota he’d generated for himself.

...But all this only barely allowed him to withstand the almighty pressure that suddenly fell into the Hatcher like some cosmic mass wider than his own imagination. It spilled from a place he couldn’t sense with his Hybrid Warmoth form, shaking the entire Bosom and threatening to wipe it out of existence in a breath.

Skullius’ brows furrowed.

He readied the [Avant Atelier], the [Numinous Ichor] he wore as armour, and the two entities he’d forged just earlier, the nexus of the [Circuit of Impunity], IN and MU.

Only then did Skullius feel secure and confident in his chances of surviving.

He chanced a glance at the throne encircled by great silver rings.

Given the situation, he could now...

<At ease. We are not here to fight.>

The voice, different from the first Skullius had heard, came just when an incomprehensible figure appeared before him. His eyes could hardly make out its shape. It was like an amalgam of an infinite number of the same individual doing multiple actions at the same time.

...But then two more appeared, and Skullius was surrounded.

<Don’t do anything foolish, and we will be civil.> It was that first, condescending voice, speaking in Aigas’ Common Tongue. <But you are welcome to try.>

Just like that, noting which voice belonged to which obscure, humanoid mass became a nigh-impossible feat. Skullius stopped trying to discern that immediately.

’The Hatcher is vulnerable, as I suspected, even though the Second Layer is rich with Litte. The fact remains that the third and first layers have no protection,’ he thought.

This was why he’d opted to use the Timemould Mirror Box for everything he wished to remain completely secret. As powerful as the Power of Dimensions was, it was unable to pierce places suffused with dense amounts of the Cosmic Law.

’They must have been watching from before we left Aigas. Kenno is evidence enough.’

"Might you introduce yourselves?" said Skullius.

<You already know our names, I suspect. We were all thoroughly invested in some of your attainments.> said one of the three – the kinder one. <I am DRADPAS OL’HERT.>

<SVEERCUSK.>

<ABON-RIGGIE. It’s a fine pleasure to speak to you in person.>

Indeed, Skullius recalled all these names. Most of the Primeval Deities had offered him Contracts when he created Maximum Jaqquezjaqqz.

"I see," he said. "My name and identity is no mystery to you, I imagine. Please to meet you."

He folded his arms in front of his chest.

"Now, what business might you have with me?"

<Oh, plenty.> said SVEERCUSK. <I am still writhing from the sheer gall of you to reject my Contract. You are a lucky fellow. You just happened to play your cards right and avoided death. Then again, you wouldn’t know much about that, would you?>

"I do, actually," said Skullius. And he did indeed. "My clone made a Contract with COLMUUN, and he’s been keeping you off my back, right?"

SVEERCUSK scoffed.

<I expected you’d know that much.> said DRADPAS, sounding relieved.

<Indeed.> ABBON-RIGGIE agreed. <But don’t mistake us all as being overwhelmingly conceited. Even if that old brute hadn’t intervened, we wouldn’t have bothered you with vile intentions.>

Skullius didn’t buy that.

Indeed, Future Skullius had told him that he’d (Skullius) made a lot of enemies when he took his sweet time attending to the Contracts the Primevals had offered back on Aigas. To remedy that issue, Future Skullius had signed a Contract with COLMUUN, one of the most powerful among the Primevals. COLMUUN had since drawn attention away from Skullius... for a while.

Skullius knew why that ceased to be the case now.

"If you’re not here to attend to some grudge, what then?" he asked.

It was ABBON-RIGGIE who answered.

<I wouldn’t say that’s completely detached from the reason we’re here. Not to scare you, but we are the least of your concerns. AKHASHA is not very happy about that spectacle you pulled – revealing the Absolute Sun.>

<Acceleration. There’s been a chain of irregularities, innovations, abnormalities, and disruptions all across Reality as a result of that. A great number of the systems we had in place were shaken, and no one suffered more greatly than AKHASHA. You couldn’t imagine the number of opportunistic folk who were waiting for something like this. They got their wish without so much as a prayer.>

The lightness in ABBON-RIGGIE’s tone contrasted their words in an unnerving way.

Skullius raised a brow. "And so... AKHASHA’s got his eye on me, even though it wasn’t my doing?"

<Come now. We have eyes.> said SVEERCUSK, annoyed. <We were watching. Many were watching. You tore down Fulgardt, but you inherited him. You are a risk equivalent to or greater than he was. I wouldn’t be surprised if you enacted the exact same thing he did in the near future. Of course, AKHASHA has his eyes set on you. But killing you would be a waste. You have your uses.>

<What he means to say is that there is a benefit to having amicable relations with you.> chimed in DRADPAS. <As a matter of fact, SVEERCUSK understands that the most out of everyone. Hence why he initiated a way for us to bargain with each other.>

"Bargain?"

<Kenno.> began ABBON-RIGGIE. <I commend that young man’s conviction out of all your subordinates. We watched him from the extremities of Serenity’s Treasure. When he broke himself, driven by fierce loyalty to you, it was SVEERCUSK who saved him – granting him a Contract that would only last him as long as he remained within that realm in Serenity’s Treasure, where this Reality’s limitations are sparse.>

(A/N: Refer to Ch.1677.)

"I see..." said Skullius. Kenno’s fears had come to life, but Skullius had been prepared. "What is the life of my subordinate worth? What do you want in exchange?"

It wouldn’t do to antagonize the Primevals. Not now, when they were trying to be amicable. Two of them were even talking to him as somewhat of an equal. But their price...

<The value of his life is greatly amplified because of his ties to you.> said DRADPAS.

<But that doesn’t work in your favour. Merely pretty words.> scoffed SVEERCUSK. <It just so happens that you are powerful enough to attend to matters we’d rather delegate.>

Skullius frowned. This price...

"What is it?"

<A tall task.> said ABBON-RIGGIE. <We want the complete annihilation of Breaking Chasm #59.>