'Percentile chances…' Skullius thought with a groove-like frown.
This was the first thing to strike at him critically where this list of species was concerned. Indeed, the guidance field had warned him beforehand that taming any of them was terribly difficult, but he had not expected his chances to be so…dismal.
Again, the Hybrid Warmoth found himself thanking his lucky stars for not disregarding the Taming Appixel's properties.
'My ability to summon Apostles saw some kind of qualitative improvement ever since I reached Divinity. That's why I managed to summon Weaver, or at least that's how a creature of his calibre ended up under my charge,' Skullius thought, and hissed out a breath. 'I get it now.'
Now everything made sense.
The Generous Bonus… was not an inherently good thing.
Skullius had discussed with Unnio Lak (the guardian of the Universal Purge Banner in the Null Verse) about the fates of creatures that died in the Null Verse. Apparently, they didn't just perish. Instead, they entered some kind of cycle that existed as a result of the manner in which the Null Verse was designed. Hence, it was possible for them to return at some point through various means.
This was how Unnio Lak supposed Weaver came to be, but Skullius gathered a more sinister conclusion from the odd Null Lifeform's theories.
'No wonder some of the species the guidance field is offering are… currently extinct in the Null Verse. As a Divine Nullmancer, I have obtained the ability to summon even long-lost species of Null Lifeforms, but it's a dangerous game. If Future Skullius hadn't tamed Nunax first, the Weaver situation likely would have repeated itself, only, I wouldn't get even the slightest chance to tame the summon, especially if it was especially hostile. I lucked out with Weaver, who submitted himself to me without a brawl.'
Indeed, this was the point of Nullmancy to begin with. It was different from the summoning process afforded by Undeath. Skullius clearly remembered the instance when he summoned Red Rage all those months ago. The idea that his summons weren't brainless minions that he could treat however he liked had been ingrained into him back then.
Heck, Araeyn was a prime example even now.
The Hybrid Warmoth felt a chill run down his spine.
Just the thought of using [Apostle's Liege] and suddenly having to fight a malevolent Maverick Wafer was horrifying.
In truth, with the sole exception of the Supreme Qualifier Amamm and the Cabbaline Chalice of Exceedance and Exodus, he could not imagine himself surviving a preemptive attack from the species presented before him.
The Vexxacan Future Nugget likely wouldn't be able to kill him instantly if it began its journey as a, well, nugget, but it could definitely inhabit him before he could stop it.
'Using other organisms as a blueprint for creating a perfect future version of yourself is ridiculous. What if you used an endless series of models, like Fulgardt, or the Primeval Deities, siphoning off their current and future – full potential – strength? What would you become in the end?'
The thought made Skullius shudder.
The whole idea of being able to study someone else's future powers and absorb them was hard to wrap mind head around. Having an Apostle like that…
'And it wouldn't even have a Flaw!'
It was no wonder the perfect version of one Polished Vexxacan Future Nugget had once sent an Authority of the Null Verse running.
As for the Meandering Throngrra…
'If it manifests with this average size, there's really nothing stopping it from crushing Aigas immediately,' Skullius thought, 'and that's not even counting its supposed ability to destroy a whole cluster of worlds with its light-based abilities. Come to think of it, I think Weaver showed me a variant of this thing when we went to the Null Verse earlier.'
Skullius considered the creature as he'd seen it before. In truth, he didn't have a very accurate idea about how large even a light year was, but he knew 20 million was even more vexing.
'I guess such a vast Apostle would have its uses. If it could be used to cordon off a large chunk of the Null Verse to prevent a war…' Skullius chuckled nervously. 'And it has a Broader Existence to match its size. I could sneak attack an enemy who is worlds away.'
Skullius could also imagine that some of the lethal threats that ran amok in the great void likely wouldn't be a problem if he had the Throngrra by his side. It could simply… swallow them.
'A nine percent chance to subdue this thing sounds generous, at least compared to everything else.'
And indeed, compared to everything else, the Throngrra seemed to be the species with least going for it.
But even more ludicrous was the idea that the Nugget and Throngrra had not piqued Skullius' interested as much as everything else on the list; a list where every species would start its tenure as his Apostle with Deity levels of power!
The Supreme Qualifier Amamm.
The Cabbaline Chalice of Exceedance and Exodus.
The Maverick Wafer.
Skullius could hardly choose between these three.
Kenno and Red Rage were stumped by the passion burning in the Hybrid Warmoth's eyes. From their perspective, Skullius had activated an ability on Nunax's corpse, and then gone silent for a full thirty seconds. The shuddering booms that pushed the whole continent further and further away from the conflict between the three Deities hardly seemed to earn a spot in his interests.
But then…
"Red Rage," Skullius said.
"My liege…" the Apostle stood aloof.
"After I granted you the First Rank, you gained the ability to choose the names and powers of subsequent Apostles on my behalf, right?"
"Yes, my liege."
"You can also tell the kinds of options that I can see here for my sixth Apostle, right?"
"Indeed, my liege," said Red Rage. "Do you want me to pick one for you?"
Skullius was silent for a little while. But then his blank eyes throbbed with fiery resolve.
"Yes. But I'm also going to pick one," he said.
This… puzzled Red Rage.
"My liege…?"
Skullius turned to him with a grin.
"You're going to pick a species. I'm going to pick another, and Weaver will bring forth the third. I want to merge at least three of these racial powers into this next Apostle."