Chapter 185: High Stakes Gambling 24
And now, at the end of it all, it was time to make a decision.
As was obvious already, the casino had promised them not only to free them if they voted against Damon, but also various benefits that would ensure that they would be able to rise in the Bright Realm once more.
It was a deal too good to pass up.
In a way, these Pre-Chaos beings felt sorry for Damon. He was truly something exceptional, understanding the core truth of the universe about 'value' from a young age without any violence inflicted on him.
Many of them had to go through harrowing fights and deep crises back in the day in order to realize that they needed to accumulate strength in order to increase their value in order to become more useful, more authoritative or more willful.
Not only was this human blessed with the right mindset, but he had the power and potential to back it up. His future, whether in the post chaos universe, here in the Bright Realm or in the chaotic void would have been limitless!
But the outcome was foregone!
He would belong to the chaos casino henceforth, becoming its chief executive arbitrator in all its future endeavors!
As such, all species mentally pushed the 'red' button, dismissing Damon's performance.
And at this moment, it was as if time had stopped.
This was the crucial final moment in which Damon could make his last struggle, and he fully intended to make that struggle! As such, he immediately activated his Probability Manipulation at full power and the choice before him was twofold.
To make an incremental adjustment or a full one time adjustment?
In the end, Damon's mind buzzed with thoughts as he eventually decided that a full adjustment was his best bet, a one shot chance to change his fate!
'What are the chances of the final vote turning out in my favor?'
[Objective chances are currently 0%.]
A straight zero. None of these Pre-Chaos beings even hesitated to vote on his side, not to mention the casino was breathing down their necks for sure.
But Damon smiled still, because he had one advantage that the casino did not. The casino's ability was to alter luck, not reality, so it couldn't interfere with his current movements.
That was precisely why it wanted him so bad that it went this far.
With his Probability Manipulation on its side, there was literally 0 chance for anyone who came next to escape unless they also had a reality manipulation ability. And given that in the known universe there were only two, himself and Marshal, that was extremely unlikely.
So right now, it was just Damon versus these ancient Pre-Chaos beings, and Nyros wanted it that way. Because Damon had been forced to share the information of his abilities and their weaknesses with Nyros, he knew that Damon could not affect things that were stronger than him to a certain degree.
However, Nyros' eyes narrowed because there was a second layer to this that neither Damon nor the casino knew. The Casino wanted Damon to stay, but Nyros didn't not only because Damon and his human race were a danger that could bite them in the ass later, but because Damon joining the casino would be a threat to his own position.
Sp Nyros designed this game mode with the intention of making Damon lose, but the 'loss' here was what different between him and the casino. The casino thought that Damon would lose according to the rule and then negotiate a deal with him since he would be trapped here, but Nyros knew that a person like Damon would rather die standing than kneel.
So Damon would do just that. He would likely gamble his all into one attempt and risk his life, either succeeding by some fluke of luck or letting his ability consume him to death.
Either way, Nyros would be the true winner in either regard, so he was absolutely calm and poised, waiting for the outcome.
The Vanguard Team were not so certain.
They had largely stood by Damon through danger and madness, through galactic politics and the gaze of the Chaos Eye, all these events being ones that none of them could ever forget even if they tried.
He was the one they followed, the one they called 'boss', not just because of his strength, but because of his charisma and wisdom. He was the compass in the craziness of this new age of the IUAS, a guiding light for humanity to stand behind.
Yet now, as the votes were about to be cast, as the moment of truth drew near, they each felt the creeping chill of something inevitable.
Felicia was the first to feel it, and she felt it the deepest.
People misunderstood her feelings towards Damon, in mistaking them for being purely romantic, but it was more than just that.
Damon was not he first handsome or capable male she met. As a Rothschild and especially as a very capable woman herself, she had seen the heights of skill in various fields all in one high class 'ball', all surrounding her trying to win her affection due to her lineage and her own strengths.
But what made Damon different from the others to her was that she knew how far he was willing to go, how much he was willing to give to win.
She had always understood Damon more than the others in the team… if not emotionally, then ideologically.
But this… this wasn't just a gamble, this was abandonment. This was him placing himself as a necessary sacrifice against an outcome he despised.
Her lips tightened, and her mind whirled with numbers, calculations, and possibilities.
There… there weren't enough of them.
There weren't enough ways to win this!
Kyle, by the side, folded his arms, but his cocky bravado was absent. "He's gonna try it anyway, isn't he?"
His voice was full of wry defeat. "Dumb bastard. An absolute giga-chad dumb bastard."
Henry was pacing mentally, his thoughts jumbled and erratic. "Bro, come on… this is insane. He's not actually gonna kill himself over this, right? Right?! There's gotta be a better way… right?!"
Levi didn't speak this time. He had always been one of the most level-headed, but now, there was a crack in his stoic facade.
One word echoed in his mind, looping with each heartbeat… hopeless!
This was not because he didn't believe in Damon, but because he'd seen the odds they were dealing with… that Damon as dealing with.
And no amount of water could fill such a bottomless well.
Nicholas adjusted his stance, his mental voice bitter. "The real tragedy is that he probably accounted for all of this to a certain degree after the last round. He even counted on us believing he had a plan, which was to prevent us from doing anything 'heroic' to save him."
Connor let out a breath. "A man who doesn't fear death. If he survives this, he will have my blade and gun for life."
Protizen, whose armor was always polished, receded his helmet, showing his trembling lips. "It's not right… we're supposed to protect him. That's literally why we're here. We're the Vanguard of Humanity, not passengers."
Xela bit her lip, fingers curling tightly. "He's doing this for us, that's the part none of you want to say. He knows that he's the only one the casino wants, so he's trying to make sure we get out."
Her mental voice cracked, like a child trying not to cry. "I don't want to go if it means leaving him behind!"
Marshal closed his eyes. "That is exactly why he played it out like this, because none of us would want to leave him behind."
Bane clenched his fists. "Xela, if he dies, can you resurrect him using your ability?"
Xela shook her head sadly. "I'm not entirely sure. Ive tried my resurrection ability and even thought it sounds great, it comes with many hidden rules."
Xela glanced at Damon's broad back. "I haven't yet encountered anyone who has been killed by overusing their ability, but I don't think I can resurrect something of that category."
"So we shouldn't keep our hopes up. That's fine, I don't think he's banking on resurrection working either. Not to mention, that it would be pointless since even if he resurrected, according to Bright Realm rules he still lost this round to the casino and may be dragged back here after coming back to life for all we know." Felicia sated with a deep sigh.
She then raised her head, her eyes devoid of any emotion as she glanced at Damon's back.
"For now, lets watch and wait. The only thing we can do is pray for a miracle."
Meanwhile, Damon - whose back was turned to the others - was actually grinning slightly, his eyes full of challenge. This situation was perfect for him, because it would allow him to test many of his hypothesizes and answer a lot of the questions he needed answered.
Now was the key moment!
Probability Manipulation, activate!