The Primal Hunter

Chapter 1018: A Relationship Doomed From The Start It had been a mutually beneficial relationship. One that had helped them both greatly to accomplish their respective goals, yet throughout it all, they’d kept each other at arm’s length. It wasn’t that out of the ordinary, though, as two beings recognized as supreme geniuses tended to each have quite the ego, but this had still been different.

Ell’Hakan and Yip of Yore hadn’t respected each other like the Malefic Viper and Jake. They hadn’t considered each other close from the very beginning but merely used the other as a useful tool to further their own interests. Everything was transactional, Ell’hakan playing the role Yip wanted while reaping the rewards of his actions.

One of the primary reasons their relationship could never grow beyond this was due to their limited interactions. They never spoke when it wasn’t purely about business, and the number of times they had met in person could be counted on one’s fingers.

The cause of this was an emotion far more simple than respect... fear. Something that made their relationship doomed from the start.

Ell’Hakan was afraid of Yip of Yore because he knew the god would discard or even gladly kill him if he believed that would be of benefit to him. At one point, he even felt as if Yip of Yore was floating the idea of killing Ell’Hakan and framing it as if the Viper had it secretly done as a way to further justify his crusade against the Primordial.

At the same time, the mere fact that Ell’Hakan knew this was something that made Yip of Yore apprehensive. It was an odd concept for a god to hold some level of fear of his own Chosen, but it was nevertheless the truth. His Bloodline was fundamentally dangerous, even to gods, and Yip of Yore recognized this.

Sure, they had many methods to ensure they weren’t manipulated by it, but there were no guarantees, especially not if exposed for a prolonged period, and that in itself was a scary thought. If an extremely subtle sentiment was planted and amplified by a fraction with every meeting, not even gods could say they hadn’t been affected in some fashion at the end of it, and any kind of uncertainty, even if it was minuscule, was too much for most gods to accept.

Even assuming any kind of manipulation he did was impossible, that didn’t remove his ability to read emotions perfectly. Again, gods could try to hide their emotions, something many of them did most of the time anyway, but they would need to use different methods than normal against Ell’Hakan. Perfect control of outward expression or even one’s soul simply wasn’t enough, as against Ell’Hakan one didn’t need to hide one’s emotions but fully control and not have them in the first place to fool him. That required a certain kind of mindset and focus, one it would be hard to find many people with, even among gods, as it simply wasn’t a skill they had ever needed to learn.

Someone like Valdemar could be read like an open book by Ell’Hakan. So could many others who thought they had him fooled. Yet he knew the emotions they tried to hide, the truths they wanted no one to know... which was also why he had the feeling something was off for a long time.

No, more than feeling... for a long time now, Ell’Hakan had felt a high level of certainty that his own Patron wasn’t as in control as he believed and thus began to make his own preparations accordingly.

Oh, and as for the question if a small planted sentiment was possible to implement in a god... well, at least it appeared to have when it came to affecting a god’s subconscious decision-making in their final moments before death.

Ell’Hakan breathed calmly as the ritual around him was ready to activate at any moment, humming with energy. It had a level of complexity beyond his understanding, but that didn’t matter as he wasn’t even the one to operate it, only benefit from it.

The ones in charge of the ritual were people he’d trusted and vetted himself, and those he knew wouldn’t dare cause him harm as that wasn’t what their higher-ups wanted. In many ways, the fact that the universe had been cut off was a great boon, as it allowed Ell’Hakan to speak more with the Holy Church and put his plans into motion, which was how he ended up standing within a massive magic circle constructed by the single-largest faction in the multiverse.

Considering how massive the Holy Church was, they naturally also had insight into rituals to usurp other gods, though it wasn’t anything they would “officially” do. Ell’Hakan had heard some whispers of defector gods being slain and their prior blessed or even Chosen to end up usurping their Path happening a few times, but that was purely coincidentally, of course.

As he still stood waiting within the ritual, waiting to either hear that the seemingly impossible had happened and that his Patron had won or of the god’s death, Ell’Hakan didn’t feel any nervousness, though there was a hint of impatience for learning the outcome. He also couldn’t help but consider how things had even ended up like this.

In truth, this hadn’t been the plan for that long. For the longest time, he’d genuinely believed in Yip of Yore and that he would defeat the Malefic Viper and become the first Primordial Slayer. Ell’Hakan had seen his Patron as someone worthy of that title and a presence in his life that would only lead to further greatness as he would be the Chosen of a truly great being.

He’d gone along with everything Yip of Yore asked of him without questioning anything, as why would he question someone he genuinely believed was the most powerful person in the multiverse – or at least had the potential to soon be the most powerful?

But, slowly, cracks began to form, and then... Nevermore. More accurately, what happened during the Colosseum of Mortals in Nevermore.

arrived. He’d risen through the gladiator ranks and swiftly defeated many top gods in their mortal forms, even if some of them proved

or maybe doubt had already begun to sprout in his heart then, but Ell’Hakan couldn’t help but try and take advantage of the fact that Valdemar seemed

of which Valdemar had naturally not answered... but he didn’t have to. Even if the system didn’t allow him to

but his emotions were clear. At first, he didn’t believe the Viper was back, but once he was convinced of that... he found the sentiment absolutely hilarious. As if Yip killing

confirmed this time and time again as he reframed his questions with every life he spent against the War God,

to question many things and look for clues to confirm these doubts. He began to make backup plans in case Yip of Yore was indeed simply a fool being played by the Primordial, and luckily, he already had an easy in

lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on

his Chosen? He could have told him so many times. Voiced his doubt

the god reconsider what he was doing or changed the strategy in some way. Maybe it would just make him double and triple-check some things himself, leading to

he signed his own death sentence. Yip of Yore was too deep into his own story. He had become a slave to the legend he was forging. At least, he seemed to think that way. If his own

would have been far too

believed safest and hedged his bets by doing so that both outcomes of the confrontation between gods would end up beneficial to him... and as part of that preparation, he’d planted

die, even after perishing. It wasn’t hard to do either, as he only very subtly amplified the strong

soon had its time to prove if

come as a surprise, Ell’Hakan still found himself a little shocked when he

When his Patron died.

instant, but right before he could fall

it yanked hard. As it did, Ell’Hakan felt his

or perhaps Yip had already known what Ell’Hakan was planning and viewed this as a valid backup. Either way, despite being a Usurper in the making, he didn’t truly have to usurp much as the Records more than gladly

ritual had a slightly easier time due to this, but they still strained themselves as Ell’Hakan bathed in the stream of energy and Records. Light began to envelop him as a pillar formed all around, the rush of energy only intensifying as it combined with the

and shortly after, one of his skills upgraded. The entire scenario reminded him of when one picked a skill upon reaching a level milestone. Instinctual knowledge of how a skill worked would enter one’s mind, making the person aware of how to use the skill while still leaving

god’s Legacy skills, and with the help of

understand more and more of his Legacy skills. His passive skills – which were the main part of what Yip of Yore had mainly given him - also got better as he used them to amplify his other core

Holy Church occasionally being switched out with ones who had sufficient energy remaining.

one that felt different than any prior. Usually, the Records were scrambled and just puzzle

Ell’Hakan didn’t even know could exist, and despite feeling a bit apprehensive, he absorbed it into himself. It was a full puzzle in itself. Rather than help upgrade a skill or anything like that, Ell’Hakan

he wasn’t even in his own body but instead trapped inside someone else’s. It was like his own skin had become a prison, and his insides were boiling, making him want

that was left was soul-searing pain that permeated every part of his being. He felt the Viper’s presence, the hopelessness of being utterly suppressed by a superior being, and

Chosen, to the final ode of a

Chosen still took in everything, his eyes wide as he learned things he wasn’t sure he wanted or needed to know

the ritual around him also came to an end, and Ell’Hakan fell down on one knee. The entire magic circle cracked as the ground shattered all around him, several hundred