The Games We Play

"How does it feel, Alaya? I have already told you not to agree to cooperate with him, yet you didn't listen. You insisted you would conquer him and bring him to his knees. Now, look at yourself, you suffered a dumb loss at that vampire's hands," Gaia spoke sarcastically when she saw her partner and rival's state.

"I will, if I can't have it, I will break it," Alaya replied meaningfully.

"He is not someone you can conquer. Even if you broke him, it's useless; he has already been broken long ago. You can't break what is already broken. You should kill him the moment he shows weakness," Gaia shook her head in pity and sighed at Alaya.

It was unknown whether she was regretting the fact her friend didn't kill that man despite the opportunity or sighed at her arrogance and self-centeredness. Only time will tell.

"Don't think I don't know what your scheme is, Gaia. You fear him and wanted to use me to kill your greatest threat. He will undoubtedly have his vengeance, and you fear that day will come. You are the source of his suffering and isolation. After all, compared to me, it's you who should be worried, Gaia," Alaya chuckled menacingly.

Unlike Crimson Moon, who is a pushover and easily influenced by emotion, Titus only uses emotion as a tool and justifies his actions in ways that are easily acceptable to the public. To be precise, he used his anger to amass the crowd and make them join him like he did in Jerusalem and when he intimidated Yu Mei Ren and Sima Yan.

Did he really want to avenge Crimson Moon and hate Zelretch? No, he didn't. He didn't even like Crimson Moon in the first place. So, where did this hatred come from? He killed all that Zelretch cared for, for what? For measly anger and vengeance at someone he didn't care about? No, he didn't.

It's not about avenging Crimson Moon or hating Zelretch—those were convenient narratives to unite his forces.

According to her observation, every movement of Titus has never been useless but bore fruit. Yet, everyone was deceived by their own foolishness and only thought this guy had anger issues.

He is a master manipulator, and he was so good at it, just like her, because only genuine emotion is a great weapon for manipulation. Without anger, how could he intimidate Yu Mei Ren and Sima Yan to bend to his will and rally all Dead Apostles to raid Jerusalem? Without cruelty, how could he make others fear him and make Dead Apostles swear their loyalty to him? Without genuine passion, how could he create poems to conquer Cleopatra?

His ability to create genuine emotion when needed makes him a master manipulator, earning him the loyalty of those around him and striking fear into his enemies.

Titus's ability to craft genuine emotions extends to his softer side too, like when he wrote poems to win over Cleopatra. This isn't just about showcasing his versatility; it's about demonstrating how he can wield any emotion to his benefit. Whether it's love, anger, or fear, Titus uses them all with the same ruthless efficiency.

This makes him an unpredictable and dangerous adversary because she never knows what his true intentions are behind any given action.

Moreover, his ability to switch between intense emotional engagement and detached strategic thinking makes him a formidable enemy. This duality is evident in his handling of the hate sex with her, where he channels his anger into physical dominance but ultimately makes a calculated decision to reject her.

He knew when to unleash his emotions and keep them in check at the same time, always striking at the perfect moment to maximize his advantage. It's this impeccable timing that makes him such a fearsome adversary. Fortunately for her and unfortunately for Gaia, Titus only hated Gaia now and was only a threat to Gaia rather than her.

After their night, he would put down most of his hostility towards her and transfer it to Gaia.

As much as she hated what Titus did to her, she knew that this is not the time yet to make an enemy of Titus. Not yet, not until she took care of Gaia in front of her. Just like Titus, she knew when to unleash her hatred and vengeance against him and keep it in check at the same time.

Knowing this, Alaya smirked smugly and said, "The very reason I didn't kill him or go all out to war with him is because I knew the time when the era of humanity arrived we would become enemies, Gaia. Even if that day didn't come, as long as humans dominated the era, even if it was just the Age of Mystery, our goal would already be achieved. When that day comes, who do you think will become the biggest threat to me or you?"

Gaia didn't comment on that and hummed.

When they obtain the authority to divide the timeline into many parts and make Earth stronger by killing all cancer on the Earth like demons, gods, or any other threats, plus have access to the Root, she would kill all humans on the ground like the maggots they are while Alaya would try her best to defend them and their survival. Thus, when that day comes too, they would become nemeses.

"No wonder you wanted him to put his dick in you. As much as it doesn't get you the ally, it would put away all of his hostility towards you, and I will only be the one who is the target of his vengeance. But don't think I don't know that's not the case, Alaya." Gaia chuckled as if she saw through something.

"As much as you planned this, your emotions are undoubtedly more dominant than your pragmatism. You hated him. You hated how he made you feel insignificant. He rejected you and made you feel worthless. The very reason why you're the Will of Humanity, you inherited all of their flaws too, the flaws that made you ugly inside."

"How about we cooperate with each other once more, Alaya? If it fails, you can basically still get away with it. Anyway, there is no loss for you, is there?" Gaia smirked.

Alaya didn't agree or deny her request for cooperation and signaled to go on as Gaia's smile grew wider and whispered something in her ears.

As for the content of their cooperation, only time will tell.