"How are you so sure I'd make a move against Fast?" Hodan asked, trying to buy time.
"Of course I'm sure!" Oufu said. "From the moment we first met, I knew you were the kind of person who wouldn't stop until you got what you wanted."
"And I calculated that you'd make a move against Fast." Oufu continued, "I deliberately kept Fast farther away from us, while the other Sovereigns were positioned to support one another."
Hearing Oufu's words, Hodan realized how troublesome the situation was. He hadn't expected Oufu to have formed such a strong impression of him at their first meeting—and now Oufu had laid a deadly trap for him.
All Hodan could do now was pray that his Life Clone would hurry and kill a Life Lesser Sovereign, then refine their Sovereign Spark.
"I also figured out that you can change your soul aura!" Oufu revealed one of Hodan's secrets. "If my deduction is right, the reason you're this powerful is that you're a Soul Mutator, isn't it?"
"Unbelievable. Thunder, Fate, Death, and Destruction—a Four-Element Soul Mutant, unlike anything seen before!" Oufu marveled. "In all these countless years and across all these countless planes, there's only ever been one Three-Element Soul Mutator. I never thought there'd be a miracle like you, too!"
Oufu looked at Hodan, his eyes brimming with the desire to study him. His gaze was much like that of a researcher examining an animal in a laboratory—as if he couldn't wait to dissect Hodan. A chill ran down Hodan's spine.
Thankfully, Oufu hadn't discovered Hodan's Life Clone. That gave Hodan a little more confidence in its mission.
At that moment, Hodan was immensely grateful for his cautious nature. He'd always kept something in reserve, and now he still had a trump card he hadn't