Era of Madness

Battle of the demigods 4

Huh? What happened? He... he couldn't have done that with so few hesitation, could he? No, Cain was just another hypocrite... he, he was an Angel, he couldn't be so vicious...

That's what Saginus thought until he saw Cain's expression: there wasn't sick satisfaction, or relief that his plan had worked, just amusement, as if he saw a fly hit a window. What... what kind of reaction was that?

"Oh, by the way, my dear Saginus, I think now's the good moment to read the paper I gave you earlier" Cain said. "I garantee you the trick is going to leave you speechless"

The... paper? At a time like this, he was talking about a paper?What was he thinking,

Yet, Saginus' curiousity took the better out of him, and he took out the paper, unfolding it. And, as he read it, for the first time for a long, long, long time, he started feeling a hint of fear.

<<After killing a few people around Londris based on a random motive, Saginus will go to the building where Tyler's allies are hiding, and take them as hostages, thinking I wouldn't dare attacking him. Too bad for him to be a delusionnal piece of shit, UwU.
- Cain, your favorite best magician of the Milky Way ;)>>

"Wh-what...how did... how is that possible?" Saginus asked.

Cain's Authority was revolving around dreams, so how did he do it?

"Come on, little greedy, isn't it obvious? It's because even though I met you today for the first time, I know you, Saginus" Cain replied. "And I know that beyond your evilness, you're also a delusionnal narcissist"

"What? What are you even talking about?" Saginus retorted, not getting his point.

"It's simple, really. Earlier, before I started my little magic trick, you were about to resume the fight, weren't you? It was because you knew that, if you left me enough time, I'd find a way around to beat you.

That's where the irony is: you had no problem accepting that I'm more intelligent, skilled and experienced than you, but couldn't even begin to think that I was more cunning than you. Your ego is so inflated by your own evil that for you, even an angel known for his deceit could only be equally as vicious as you as most.

But the truth is, I'm a very treacherous angel, you see? When I gave you the paper, I knew you'd think I had already found an idea to defeat you. Then, as cunning as you are, you'd try to find a safer way around, and there was only one you could easily think of: taking Tyler's friends as hostages. In your mind, no matter what, I was still a poor little angel devored by guilt, of course I'd never kill a child... of course, haha"

"But... and what if I had a doubt about it? Or if I thought about the fact that could reach me fast enough to not leave me the time to dodge or use my human shield?"

Obviously, Cain had thought about it. One couldn't base an entire plan solely on a single factor. So during the fight, he made sure to create more of these factors to influence Saginus' mind. Firstly, while they were fighting, he voluntarily chose to summon certain types of objects. Judging by what he saw of Saginus' intelligence, Cain knew he'd think it was a double bluff, to make him doubt about Cain's abilities: did he need to know the structure of something to wish it into reality? What was the limit?

But in truth, these two first bluffs were just part of the third one: while Saginus was busy thinking about that, he didn't think about anything else, such as the fact Cain only ever created simple objects. Even if the thought must've passed through his mind, he was too distracted by the bluff and, subconsciously, just accepted that Cain couldn't create non-solid things such as anti-matter rays.

Additionnally, even the baguettes and tea cups joke had been a plan: by reducing the intensity of the battle with it, he contributed to making Saginus think he was feeling guilt, had too much morals and wouldn't dare to kill a little girl.