Timeless Assassin

Chapter 1078: Temptation

(Planet Granada, Leo’s POV)

After reading the text on the last multiplier card, Mauriss began to laugh again, though this time it was slower, more controlled, as if the amusement came not from chaos but from realization, as his eyes remained locked onto the final multiplier slot with a curiosity he could no longer suppress.

"I have been avoiding this strange card till the very end," Mauriss said, his voice carrying a thoughtful edge as he leaned back slightly, his fingers tapping lightly against the table while his gaze shifted between Leo and the board.

"When I first saw it, I assumed it was something you desperately wanted me to play, which was why I avoided it like a plague." he continued, as his lips curled into a knowing smile, the look in his eyes sharpening with quiet understanding.

"And yet here I am, at the final move, compelled to understand what it is, because I reckon that without understanding it... I might not be able to win this game."

He tilted his head slightly, studying Leo carefully now, as though trying to peel apart the layers of intent hidden beneath his calm exterior, as the look in his eyes conveyed a clear message that he understood that this was all a part of Leo’s design.

"But what if I don’t take that route?" Mauriss asked, his tone shifting as he leaned forward again, resting his chin over his clasped hands while watching Leo’s reaction closely.

"What if I simply refuse?"

A faint smile spread across his face.

"If I don’t sign the contract, you won’t be able to use the multiplier either, because both players must agree for it to activate," he said, as his voice carried quiet confidence while he laid out the logic of his alternative path.

"In that case, you attack, I defend, and since my golem doesn’t get destroyed completely and both players have the same number of unused cards at the end, the match ends in a draw...."

His fingers tapped once against the table.

"And a draw gives me significantly better chances to win when we play this game all over again."

He leaned back slightly, clearly satisfied with the reasoning he had constructed, as though he had found a safe path out of the trap laid before him.

However, across from him, Leo simply shrugged.

A small smile formed on his lips as he leaned forward, his gaze steady, as he remained unshaken by the logic Mauriss had just presented.

"Yes," Leo said calmly.

"You can do that."

He paused briefly, letting the words settle.

"But then you’ll never know if you could have won this round."

His eyes held Mauriss’s firmly now.

"That last multiplier... it could be the difference between you winning and losing.....

Because it might not be a simple multiplier, but something more...."

He teased, as he played at the one emotion that he knew Mauriss could not manage..... curiosity.

*KABOOM*

The storm rumbled faintly in the distance as his voice lowered just slightly.

"And if you truly want entertainment unlike any other..."

He leaned in just a fraction more.

"Then you’ll sign the contract with me and see what it is."

Leo offered, as for a moment, Mauriss said nothing in return, the Deceiver weighing his options, as he thought about Leo’s offer seriously..... until eventually, his grin returned.

"Very well," he said, his voice laced with intrigue as he extended a hand forward slightly.

"Show me the contract first, because I’m certain it is something outrageous."

He said with confidence, as Leo chose not to respond verbally.

Instead, he reached into his inventory and retrieved the items required, placing them onto the table with deliberate care as the materials themselves carried an unmistakable weight.

A soul-binding contract.

A phoenix feather.

And a vial of ink that shimmered faintly with an unnatural hue.

The combination was unmistakable, as this was the only method through which a binding soul contract could be formed, a pact that even gods treated with absolute seriousness due to the consequences tied to breaking it.

Leo pushed the document forward.

"This contract states that if you lose, I take the water from Granada in whatever quantity I require and return with it freely," Leo said, his tone steady as he outlined the terms without embellishment.

"You will not interfere, you will not block me, and you will not attempt to kill me in any way."

His gaze did not shift.

"You will also not seek revenge for a period of two years against me, the Cult or anyone connected to me following this outcome."

The storm outside intensified slightly as the words lingered.

"That’s the first condition of this contract...."

"While the second condition is that since you initiated the request to reveal the multiplier, I will decide the weapon used for the final exchange," Leo continued, as his fingers rested lightly against the edge of the contract.

"Whatever I choose... we both use."

He exhaled slowly.

"And you are bound by that choice just as I am."

The contract remained between them, unmoving, as its implications settled into the space, the weight of it undeniable as the consequences of breaking such an agreement would result in agony that could stretch across centuries, a punishment severe enough that even beings like Mauriss could not take it lightly, as although Mauriss had an immortal soul that could not be destroyed unless its vessel was, it could still be tortured, which was exactly what breaking a soul contract felt like.

Mauriss looked at it in silence.

His expression unreadable.

"Interesting..." he murmured softly, as his fingers hovered just above the parchment without touching it.

"An interesting proposition you’ve placed before me, Skyshard."

He leaned back slowly, his gaze lifting from the contract back to Leo.

"However... I don’t think I’m inclined to sign."

With that, he pushed the paper back across the table.

However, Leo simply chuckled.

Then pushed it back.

"If you don’t," Leo said, his voice carrying a faint hint of amusement now, "you’ll never find out just how interesting the end of this game could be."

He tilted his head slightly.

"I have planned something special for you..... just sign and see what it is."

He said with seduction in his voice, as his eyes sparkled with madness for the first time.

"Huh?"

Mauriss said in surprise, as he had not expected Leo to go full crazy on him, as suddenly it felt like the roles had been reversed.

"Are you okay, boy?"

Mauriss asked, as for a moment his eyes flickered.

"Are you really trying to deceive the Deceiver?"

He asked, as his grin widened once more, stretching slowly across his face as something within him stirred again, not the chaotic madness from before, but a deeper, sharper excitement that resonated with the very core of his nature.

As after thinking about it.... He felt as though he could not resist the temptation after all.

"Very well..... let’s see what you have planned."

He said, as he took the phoenix’s feather, dipped it in ink, and signed first.