History Sandbox / TheBeginningAfterTheEndAgronaVritra

''[[Characters/TheBeginningAfterTheEndAlacryans Alacryans]]'' '''(Agrona Vritra)''' \\
''[[Characters/TheBeginningAfterTheEndAsuras Asuras]]'' (Kezess Indrath)]]]]-]

The main antagonist of the novel, Agrona is the Lord of the Vritra Clan, a faction of Asuras that was exiled from Epheotus to the distant continent of Alacrya in the distant past for their experimentation upon the inhabitants of that land, an act that violated the Asuras' policy of non-intervention in the lives of the lessers. In retribution, he began preparing for a DivineConflict that would span countless millennia and consume the entire world, a war that Arthur finds himself not only caught up in, but one that he has a much deeper role to play in than he realizes.

[[folder:A to M]]
* AffablyEvil: Agrona is polite, softspoken, and occasionally generous to his allies. Even Arthur calls him eccentric and sociable.

* AmbitionIsEvil: Not only does he desire to exact revenge on Kezess and the Indrath, but he wants to rule over the Asuras if not destroy them all outright.

%%* AngelDevilShipping: Volume 8 reveals that [[spoiler:he and Sylvia were once lovers, with Sylvie being the product of their union. Their relationship came to an end with Agrona's exile from Epheotus and his subsequent StartOfDarkness, as when Sylvia reunited with him following his exile, she came to discover that the Agrona she once loved was no more as he had been consumed by his desire for vengeance]].

* AssassinationAttempt: Agrona is twice subjected to an attempted assassination by Kezess. Not only does he survive both times, but he uses Kezess's failings to gain favorable terms and capital in their conflict.
** After Agrona and his clan were exiled from Epheotus, Kezess heard word of their activities in Alacrya. He promptly sent a group of Asuras to perform a DecapitationStrike. When the group arrived, Agrona was waiting for them with a group of Vritra-blooded mutants and killed them all. He then brought word of what happened, including the death of Sylvia who had stowed away with the group, to Kezess. In spite of Kezess's anger, the rest of the Great Eight pushed for what would become the treaty that defines the DivineConflict.
** Later on during the Alacryan invasion of Dicathen, [[spoiler:Kezess orders another DecapitationStrike on Alacrya without consulting his Dicathian allies. Not only does it fail yet again, but Agrona uses his failure to revoke Epheotus's involvement in the defense of Dicathen as a violation of the treaty. Without the aid of the Asuras, Dicathen falls under Agrona's rule]].
* BadBoss: Despite his claims of being beloved in his domain, Agrona has no regard at all for his minions, especially the lessers. As far as he is concerned, they are all expendable in his desire to wage war on Epheotus.

* TheBadGuyWins:
** At the end of Volume 7, [[spoiler:Agrona conquers Dicathen and has the Council executed. His reign over the continent only lasts for a year as when Arthur returns from Alacrya, he undoes Agrona's conquest in a matter of days as Agrona's attention is distracted with both his plans for the Legacy and Seris's rebellion]].
** At the start of Volume 11, [[spoiler:Agrona had managed to quell Seris's rebellion before Arthur could arrive to relieve it, as he has been stuck in the aether realm for two months while trying to resurrect Sylvie. Not only had she and her closest followers been forced into the Relictombs, but after the botched mission to kill Exeges they are forced to abandon the Relictombs altogether and seek asylum in Dicathen]].
* BasiliskAndCockatrice: Agrona is a basilisk, which in the novel are Asuras whose true form is that of a giant serpent. Fittingly, he is the leader of a clan of basilisks in the way the basilisk is sometimes called the king of serpents, albeit instead of a crown he has HornsOfVillainy.

* BetterTheDevilYouKnow: {{Invoked}}. Even though he could not care any less about the lessers of Alacrya whom he has ruled over for generations, throughout his rule he has demonized the Asuras of Epheotus (and [[spoiler:[[JerkassGods rightfully so]]]]) and indoctrinated the populace into believing his rhetoric. This becomes especially apparent in Volume 11, as after [[spoiler:Exeges's mysterious demise, Agrona frames Arthur and Sylvie (and by extension the Indrath Clan and the rest of Epheotus) for the act. In doing so, Agrona rallies the populace to his side as he paints Epheotus as the greater evil, in spite of his own rule having been terrible for them]].
* BigBad: The main antagonist of the novel.

* TheCharmer: Part of Agrona's skill as a manipulator comes from his very charismatic personality which has drawn some of his pawns into working for him. Before his fall from grace, even [[spoiler:Sylvia fell for his charms and their relationship was genuine]]. Afterward, he turned those skills of his to fulfill more nefarious purposes.
* TheChessmaster: Agrona is a master manipulator of both events and people to achieve his plans. In preparation for his war with Epheotus, he turns an entire continent into his own domain and amass an army of Asura/lesser hybrids. All the while, he is able to hide his plans from Kezess, who does not discover them until he has already accomplished them.

** Given his clan's nature as EvilutionaryBiologist[=s=], Agrona experimented on various mana beasts by splicing his essence into them, causing them to mutate into more monstrous creatures which sported his signature horns. These beasts can then be put into the control of his minions and directed onto anything that opposes his will. Anything that has his blood in it can be controlled by him. Just ask [[spoiler:Sylvie or Tessia]].

* DemonicPossession: He is able to possess anything that has his blood in it, which is usually indicated by RedEyesTakeWarning. At the end of Volume 6, [[spoiler:he takes control of the now-human Sylvie so he can talk to Arthur for the first time]].

** The crux of Agrona's plan is [[spoiler:his attempts to summon the Legacy, whose power he came across as he was searching across time and space for a power strong enough to overcome Kezess. To summon her, Agrona reincarnated the souls of her childhood friends Grey and Nico to act as anchor points for her, which he followed on by reincarnating the Legacy herself into a suitable vessel. At the end of it all, Agrona had acquired an Asura-killing PersonOfMassDestruction that he had manipulated into obedience as his ace in the hole for the inevitable invasion of Epheotus]].
* FallenAngel: He and his clan were exiled from Epheotus for [[spoiler:discovering the fate of the Djinn and threatening to expose the truth to the rest of the Asuras]]. In his exile, Agrona has been preparing to exact revenge on the rest of the Asuras.
* FallenHero: He used to be a renowned figure among the Asuras capable of charming the likes of even [[spoiler:Sylvia]]. Then came his exile, and in his fall from grace he has become far worse than he ever was.

** As both are near-immortal deities in positions of power, they should be extremely intelligent {{Chessmaster}}s considering they have lived for thousands of years. However, only Agrona truly demonstrates this requisite intelligence, as he uses the millennia he has lived to plan ahead and see the big picture which always puts him one step ahead of his enemies, especially considering that he and his forces are the underdog when facing the rest of the Asuras. On the other hand, Kezess, despite being even older than Agrona, continuously demonstrates himself to be rather short-sighted when it comes to dealing with any perceived threats as his position of TopGod causes him believe himself infallible.

* GenocideFromTheInside: Agrona is so far gone from who he used to be that he is willing to kill off all the other Asuras just to achieve his revenge.

* GodWasMyCoPilot: Before his exile, Agrona was fond of sneaking off to Dicathen and Alacrya in disguise for his research. This ended up being used against him by the Indrath Clan when the time came to exile him as they used his visits as evidence for his experimentation on the lessers of those continents. The actual reason was that [[spoiler:he uncovered that the Indrath Clan committed genocide upon the ancient Djinn and threatened to expose them for it]].

* GreaterScopeVillain: He is responsible for the main conflict of the story as he sees Alacrya and Dicathen as stepping stones that will allow him to conquer Epheotus by making Vritra-blooded lessers to act as CannonFodder against the rest of the Asuran clans as well as [[spoiler:the reincarnation of Grey, Nico, and Cecilia]].
* HateSink: He invades Arthur's homeland of Dicathen [[spoiler:and conquers it, in the process causing the deaths of many of Arthur's loved ones. Not only that, but it turns out he was responsible for the reincarnation of not only Arthur, but also his childhood friends Nico and Cecilia whom he had ReforgedIntoAMinion through MindRape. In the case of the latter, he even had Arthur's LoveInterest Tessia captured to act as Cecilia's vessel. Not to mention, but Arthur has been almost powerless to stop him as Agrona is an InvincibleVillain whose plans have almost always gone the way he wanted, on top of being an Asura which puts him above Arthur in terms of raw power]].
* HeKnowsTooMuch: The reason for his exile from Epheotus was [[spoiler:his discovery of the Indrath Clan's genocide of the Djinn, which he threatened to expose to the rest of the Asuras]].

* HellInvadesHeaven: His end goal is to either conquer or destroy Epheotus using both his army of Asura/lesser hybrids and [[spoiler:the Legacy]]. Following [[spoiler:Kezess causing the destruction of Elenoir by forcing Aldir to use World Eater technique in a futile bid to kill the Legacy, Agrona finally has his casus belli to break the treaty and launch his invasion]].

* HopeCrusher: Agrona has a twisted sense of satisfaction in that he likes to make his opponents think that they have the chance to defeat him before showing them that he had the game stacked entirely in his favor from the very start. In the case of the lessers, that game had been stacked long before their ancestors were born.

* IControlMyMinionsThrough: Agrona controls his minions through a wide variety of means. For the most part, his minions are MotivatedByFear due to his godlike power as an Asura. As such, many of them view him as a god, though said perception varies between being outright fearful or indoctrinated reverence. In some cases, this fear is due to him threatening their loved ones so that they will comply with him. However, for some of his other minions, in particular his LesCollaborateurs in Dicathen, are motivated by the promise of greed or power that he offers them.
** As for [[spoiler:the reincarnates under his command - Nico and Cecilia - he claims that he has their best interests at heart and promises to fulfill their deepest desire should they help him exact his revenge on the Asuras. Specifically, not only did he promise them that they would be reunited, but he also promises that once the DivineConflict is over that he will return them home to Earth. He also promises them that he will let them have their revenge on Grey, but in this case it is revealed he has been twisting their memories of Grey by emphasizing the harm he has done to them]].

* IHaveYourWife: Part of his way of manipulating others into doing his bidding involves holding their loved ones' lives at stake. The most notable instance of this is when [[spoiler:he reveals to Alduin and Merial that he has control over their daughter Tessia's life thanks to her beast will, which he uses to get them to let his forces into the Council Castle]].

* ImmortalRuler: While Asuras are not truly immortal but extremely long lived, Agrona nonetheless fits the trope as he has reigned over Alacrya since its inception millennia ago, being the one responsible for uplifting their civilization. He goes so far as to refer to himself as "The Eternal Ruler".
* InvincibleVillain: Considering Arthur is an InvincibleHero, it is only fitting that Agrona is the opposite trope in order to maintain the sense of narrative tension. Not only is Agrona an Asura which puts him at the top of the power scale (as even [[ThoseWereOnlyTheirScouts the weakest among the Asuras]] can outmatch the strongest mortal mages), he has also survived several attempts on his life. However, what truly makes him this trope is that he is arguably ''the'' top {{Chessmaster}} and ManipulativeBastard in the setting. Agrona is always one step ahead of his enemies, and [[YouCantThwartStageOne almost all of his schemes have come to fruition]] with his enemies being able to do little to stop them.
-->'''Arthur:''' What was a mere two mortal lifetimes of experience when compared to an ancient Asura's lifetime of intellect and wisdom?

* MakerOfMonsters: Agrona has experimented upon the inhabitants of Alacrya for years, and so his armies include hordes of Vritra-blooded mana beasts who are much stronger than normal. This is an act that most Asuras find incredibly repulsive, and was the excuse that the Indrath Clan used to exile him from Epheotus (the true reason being that [[spoiler:he uncovered that clan's DarkSecret and threatened to expose them for it]]).

[[folder:N to Z]]
* NotSoDifferentRemark: Not from Agrona himself, but to anyone who knows the true nature of the DivineConflict, it is very easy to compare him to his ArchEnemy Kezess as both deities [[spoiler:are tyrannical despots who are willing to tear apart the world in their conflict and have no regard for the lives of others, especially lessers. Arthur and Seris are prone to making such remarks]].

* OrcusOnHisThrone: {{Justified|Trope}}. In spite of being the BigBad and the prevalence of his minions, Agrona so far has not left the confines of Alacrya, though he has communicated to others through either his minions or through possession. He spends most of his time conducting his experiments into fate itself while sending his minions to invade Dicathen or investigate the Relictombs. To be fair, this is because of GodsHandsAreTied, as due to the treaty any direct involvement on his part would lead to MutuallyAssuredDestruction, and in the case of the last part the Relictombs [[spoiler:are designed to repel Asuras]]. Even after [[spoiler:the treaty is broken, Agrona still remains in Alacrya for the time being as he is only getting ready to launch his invasion]].
* PragmaticVillainy: In the aftermath of [[spoiler:Exeges's death, Agrona rallies the populace of Alacrya by not only framing the Indrath Clan of the act, but by surprisingly offering clemency to anyone who had been part of Seris's rebellion in spite of him normally punishing treachery with death. He does so not only to undermine whatever remaining support Seris has left in Alacrya, but to unite all of its populace against the Asuras in preparation for his invasion of Epheotus]].

* RevengeBeforeReason: Agrona has been so consumed by his desire to exact revenge against Kezess that he is willing to cause the deaths of untold thousands who had nothing to do with his vendetta. A desire that [[spoiler:transcends across time and space as he is willing to pull Grey and his childhood friends from their world to his just to attain the power he needs to exact his vengeance]].

** His backstory mirrors that of Satan's rebellion and the War in Heaven as depicted in ''Literature/ParadiseLost''. Agrona was [[FallenAngel cast out from]] [[HomeOfTheGods Epheotus]] by [[TopGod Kezess]] when he discovered that [[spoiler:he committed genocide upon the [[{{Precursors}} Djinn]]]]. This led to his StartOfDarkness as in his exile he instigated the DivineConflict that drives the plot. Not only that, but his end goal of uniting and empowering the mortal populations of both Dicathen and Alacrya to act as his army for when he invades Epheotus brings to mind ''Literature/TheBookOfRevelation'' wherein Satan unites the nations of the world for a final war with God with [[spoiler:the Legacy serving as TheAntiChrist]].

* SecretSecretKeeper: In his conversation with Arthur at the end of Volume 6, he reveals that he knows of Arthur's past life as King Grey. After all, [[spoiler:''he'' was the one responsible for Grey's death and reincarnation]].

** To Arthur, or rather his past self King Grey. Both are the instigators of a war and had good intentions behind doing so - Grey wanted to avenge his ParentalSubstitute, Agrona because [[spoiler:he had been exiled for attempting to expose Kezess's genocide of the Djinn - but while Grey grew to regret the war he started due to the CollateralDamage, Agrona instead became a case of HeWhoFightsMonsters, [[GodAndSatanAreBothJerks becoming no better if not worse than Kezess]]. To further hammer in the similarities, in her second message, Sylvia remarks how Agrona truly had once been a decent person but after being exiled had gone insane out of grief and vengeance to an degree not even Grey went down]].
** To Mordain. Both [[spoiler:threatened to expose the truth about the genocide of the Djinn and were exiled from Epheotus by Kezess as a result. While Agrona was consumed by his desire to exact vengeance on Kezess and became a case of HeWhoFightsMonsters, Mordain was content with creating a safe haven for the victims' of Kezess's crimes]].
* SnakesAreSinister: As basilisks, Agrona is serpentine in his true form. True to his nature, he is the main antagonist, and befitting a snake is rather manipulative and conniving.

* SorcerousOverlord: As an Asura, Agrona is not only much more magically adept than the strongest mortal mages, but his very body is infused with mana itself. With his unparalleled power, he and the clan he leads were able to establish themselves as the rulers of Alacrya and empower their mortal subjects to fulfill their ambitions to conquer the world and exact their revenge on the gods who had exiled them.
* StartOfDarkness: [[spoiler:Agrona had a vested interest in the ruins left behind by the Djinn, which led to him uncovering that Kezess and the Indrath Clan committed genocide upon them. When he threatened to expose the truth, he and his clan were exiled to Alacrya. In his exile, Agrona swore vengeance upon the Indrath and the rest of Epheotus, leading him to become just as much a monster as Kezess himself]].

* TheSvengali: Acts as this towards [[spoiler:the reincarnates under his control, namely Nico and Cecilia. He strung Nico along into working with him by promising to resurrect Cecilia and to help him exact his revenge on Grey. Following Cecilia's resurrection, he promises them that after they help him exact his revenge on the other Asuras that he will return them both to Earth. Of course, it is highly likely Agrona has no intention of fulfilling that final promise to them as to him everyone under his command is merely just a tool to be discarded. After all, he has already subjected them both to MindRape and twisted their memories of Grey into utter hatred, all to make them more compliant to him without them knowing]].

* ThenLetMeBeEvil: [[spoiler:He was once a good person who sought to expose Kezess for his crimes, but when he was cast out of Epheotus and exiled to Alacrya, he devoted his entire being to exacting revenge on not just Kezess but all of the Asuras. In the process, Agrona's villainy wound up eclipsing that of his nemesis. To illustrate, part of Kezess's false pretext for exiling Agrona and his clan was that he accused them of interbreeding with and experimenting upon with the lessers of Alacrya. In their bid to exact their vengeance, Agrona and his clan have done exactly that. Similarly, even though Agrona sought to expose Kezess for the genocide of the Djinn, he is now perfectly willing to commit genocide of his own kind]].
* TragicVillain: [[spoiler:Sylvia claims that he used to be a decent person who she had a romantic interest in, and that he was once a revered figure among the Asuras for his personality and research. Then he uncovered Kezess and the Indrath Clan's DarkSecret, and when he confronted them and threatened to expose the truth, he was banished from Epheotus and exiled to the distant continent of Alacrya. In his exile, Agrona's desire for revenge has consumed him, making him as much a monster as Kezess himself]].

** In a meta example, despite his appearance being described in the novel, Agrona's actual physical appearance was not depicted for a very long time, with the closest being him appearing in silhouette in Chapter 148 when he informs Kezess of Sylvia's death. He was finally shown in an official illustration released much later depicting both him and [[spoiler:the Legacy]].

* VillainousUnderdog: He is this trope against Kezess on paper. In the DivineConflict, Kezess has the support of all of the Asuran races while Agrona only has a few basilisk clans at his side. Given how outgunned the Vritra and their allies are in the grand scale of the conflict, Agrona has resorted to subterfuge and underhanded tactics to gain an advantage over his nemesis. He conceals the true scope of his plans from Kezess, and takes full advantage of him holding back to go to lengths that Kezess would not cross.
* WickedCultured: Despite being the main antagonist, Agrona is an intellectual figure who is passionate about his scientific and cultural interests. To reinforce that image, he presents himself in a debonair and elegant fashion. This front is what draws some his pawns into working for him as not only does he act in a refined fashion but he comes off as suave, affable, and intellectual.

** Despite not foreseeing [[spoiler:Seris's rebellion, which in turn allows Arthur to retake his homeland followed by him joining up with said rebellion, Agrona is once again able to manipulate events in his favor. Not only had he already hunted down most of Seris's supporters and forced the survivors into hiding within the Relictombs by the time Arthur arrived, but he took advantage of Exeges's demise to frame Arthur and Sylvie for it (tellingly, even if they ''had'' been the ones to kill Exeges, Agrona would have done the same) and thus rally public opinion in Alacrya against not only Arthur but also the Indrath and the rest of the Asuras, as by this point he is readying his forces to invade Epheotus. As such, Seris and her supporters are forced to abandon the Relictombs and seek asylum in Dicathen]].

* ArchaeologicalArmsRace: His primary objective is to unearth the secrets of the Relictombs in order to master fate itself and win the DivineConflict. While he is able to hide his plans from Kezess, Arthur ends up competing with him upon hearing about it from Sylvia’s second message.

* TheBadGuyWins: [[spoiler:Manages to conquer Dicathen at the end of Volume 7. This only lasts for a year as when Arthur returns from Alacrya, he undoes Agrona’s conquest in a matter of days as Agrona's attention is distracted with both his plans for the Legacy and Seris's rebellion]].

** He was surprised to learn of [[spoiler:Arthur's survival following the end of the war and his RePower as an aether-wielding demigod. What caught him more by surprise was Arthur's participation in the Victoriad. Not only did Arthur effortlessly defeat two of the Scythes, but when Agrona and the Legacy had him cornered at the end Arthur escaped them using God Step. All of this happened right in front of all of Alacrya, embarrassing Agrona in front of all of his subjects]].

* EvilOverlord: Agrona is a near-textbook example. In appearance, he resembles a demonic deity with black and gold clothing complete with an OminousOperaCape, RedEyesTakeWarning, and HornsOfVillainy to make him all the more ObviouslyEvil. He has ruled over the continent of Alacrya for millennia from his impregnable fortress of Taegrin Calum, in the process twisting and mutating its inhabitants into his subservient minions, and he seeks to conquer the known world and assemble its inhabitants for his army to invade the HomeOfTheGods.

** The crux of Agrona's plan is [[spoiler:his attempts to summon the Legacy, whose power he had been searching across time and space for in order to overcome Kezess. To summon her, Agrona reincarnated the souls of her childhood friends Grey and Nico to act as anchor points for her, which he followed on by reincarnating the Legacy herself into a suitable vessel. At the end of it all, Agrona had acquired an Asura-killing PersonOfMassDestruction that he had manipulated into obedience as his ace in the hole for the inevitable invasion of Epheotus]].

* ThenLetMeBeEvil: [[spoiler:He was once a good person who sought to expose Kezess for his crimes, but when he was cast out of Epheotus and exiled to Alacrya, he devoted his entire being to exacting revenge on not just Kezess but all of the Asuras. In the process, Agrona's villainy wound up eclipsing that of his nemesis. To illustrate, part of Kezess's false pretext for exiling Agrona and his clan was that he accused them of interbreeding with and experimenting upon with the lessers of Alacrya. In their bid to exact their vengeance, Agrona and his clan have done exactly that to create an army of Vritra-blooded lessers and mana beasts. Similarly, even though the crime that Agrona sought to expose was Kezess's genocide of the Djinn, he is now perfectly willing to commit genocide of his own kind if that is what it takes]].

* VillainousUnderdog: He has been this towards Kezess ever since his exile. In the DivineConflict, Kezess has the support of all of the Asuran races while Agrona only has a few basilisk clans at his side. Given how outgunned the Vritra and their allies are in the grand scale of the conflict, Agrona has resorted to subterfuge and underhanded tactics to gain an advantage over his nemesis. He conceals the true scope of his plans from Kezess, and takes full advantage of him holding back to go to lengths that Kezess would not cross.

--->'''Seris:''' (''To Arthur'') I don't imagine your appearance and actions at the Victoriad were part of his grand design. I've never seen him so angry as when you vanished out from under his nose.

* NotSoDifferentRemark: Not from Agrona himself, but to anyone who knows the true nature of the DivineConflict, it is very easy to compare him to his ArchEnemy Kezess as both deities [[spoiler:are tyrannical despots who are willing to tear apart the world in their conflict and have no regard for the lives of others, especially lessers]]. Arthur and Seris are prone to making such remarks.

The main antagonist of the novel, Agrona is the Lord of the Vritra Clan, a faction of Asuras that was exiled from Epheotus to the distant continent of Alacrya in the distant past for their experimentation upon the inhabitants of that land, an act that violated the Asuras' policy of non-intervention in the lives of the lessers. In retribution, he began preparing for a DivineConflict that would span countless millennia and consume the entire world, a war that Arthur finds himself not only caught up in, but one he has a much deeper role to play in than he realizes.

* AllAccordingToPlan: By the end of Volume 10, [[spoiler:Arthur, after having humiliated the Scythes at the Victoriad and escaping Agrona right in front of all of Alacrya to return back to Dicathen, had led the Dicathians to retake their homeland on top of also inspiring Seris to launch her own rebellion, a rebellion that Arthur himself later joins up with along with his resurrected bond Sylvie]]. How does Agrona react to this string of unforeseen setbacks? He is completely unfazed at the least and mildly surprised at the most. He had [[spoiler:already crushed Seris's rebellion by the time Arthur arrived and knowing Arthur would go after Cecilia to free Tessia he intends for exactly that to happen to fulfill his own ambitions. Not only that, but with Kezess having sent his forces to occupy Dicathen and bringing Epheotus out of the aether realm, the door has been opened for him to launch his invasion of Epheotus. Seris embitteredly remarks about how everything still ended up playing into his hands right before she withdraws from the Relictombs]].

* BigBadEnsemble: [[spoiler:As Kezess is no different from him with both being divine tyrants responsible for their fair share of atrocities and with no regard for the lives of the lessers caught up in their DivineConflict, they both act as the main antagonistic forces that Arthur and his allies are up against, although both remain opposed to one another]].
* ButForMeItWasTuesday: Sure, Agrona's planned invasion of Dicathen has lead to the deaths of many of Arthur's loved ones, in particular Sylvia, [[spoiler:his father Reynolds, Sylvie (though she gets better), and the Council]], but as far as Agrona is concerned, those deaths are meaningless to him and just a natural consequence of his plans. Hell, even though he does employ TargetedToHurtTheHero to get an edge over Arthur and his allies, it is not out of any personal grudge but rather as a means to his end goal. He had no personal attachment, interest, or vendetta towards [[spoiler:Arthur's past self King Grey either; Grey's world just so happened to be the place where he found the Legacy and so he reincarnated him, Nico, and Cecilia to fulfill his ends]].

* DarkMessiah: Agrona is a ruthless demagogue who claims that his rule has done wonders for the people of Alacrya who have come to view him as their savior. In the NewEraSpeech that he has read out [[spoiler:following his conquest of Dicathen and the execution of the Council, he claims that the same will happen to his newly conquered subjects as well]]. Agrona presents himself in this fashion to his mortal subjects in order to make them subservient to him in preparation for his war with Epheotus.

** The crux of Agrona's plan is that in his bid to find a power strong enough to overcome Kezess [[spoiler:which led to him searching across time and space, he discovered the Legacy and coveted her power. To summon her, Agrona reincarnated the souls of her childhood friends Grey and Nico to act as anchor points for her, which he followed on by reincarnating the Legacy herself into a suitable vessel. At the end of it all, Agrona had acquired an Asura-killing PersonOfMassDestruction that he had manipulated into obedience as his ace in the hole for the inevitable invasion of Epheotus]].

** While Agrona has been known to target people's loved ones to get them to comply with him, he takes it to a much further degree with Arthur as he knows Arthur is primarily driven by his desire to protect his loved ones. In his conversation with him at the end of Volume 6, Agrona reveals to Arthur that his parents had been caught up in a recent ambush and had only survived because he willed it so, showing that he is not afraid to do so to get an edge over his mortal nemesis.
** Regarding Kezess, Agrona took advantage of his desire to uphold the treaty and his limited intervention on Dicathen that was driven by his own pride to empower his mortal savants in Alacrya to a degree that would surpass that of the Dicathians. As such, when the time came for him to invade Dicathen, he had armies of Vritra-blooded mages and mana beasts at his beck and call, while the Dicathians only had the Lances. In doing so, Agrona takes advantage of Kezess severely underestimating him to advance his own goals to full effect.

* OrcusOnHisThrone: {{Justified|Trope}}. In spite of being the BigBad and the prevalence of his minions, Agrona so far has not left the confines of Alacrya, though he has communicated to others through either his minions or through possession. He spends most of his time conducting his experiments into fate itself while sending his minions to invade Dicathen or investigate the Relictombs. To be fair, this is because of GodsHandsAreTied, as due to the treaty any direct involvement on his part would lead to MutuallyAssuredDestruction, and in the case of the last partthe Relictombs [[spoiler:are designed to repel Asuras]]. Even after [[spoiler:the treaty is broken, Agrona still remains in Alacrya for the time being as he is only getting ready to launch his invasion]].

* SarcasmMode: In Volume 11, [[spoiler:when Cecilia asks him about the next stage of his plans following her confrontation with Arthur in Nirmala, Agrona asks her if she thinks that the reason Arthur has survived for as long as he has is because he is more powerful, intelligent, and prepared compared to Agrona. Of course, as the events of the past volumes have indicated, the opposite is true as Agrona has had Arthur OutGambitted at every turn. It leads into Agrona revealing why he has allowed Arthur to last this long and how it ties in with his current plans]].

** In a meta example, despite his appearance being described in the novel, Agrona's actual physical appearance was not depicted for a very long time, with the closest being him appearing in silhouette in Chapter 148 when he informs Kezess of Sylvia's death. He was finally shown in an official illustration released after the end of Volume 9 depicting both him and [[spoiler:the Legacy]].

** Similarly, while he did not foresee [[spoiler:Kezess's occupation of Dicathen following his deal with Arthur, he takes full advantage of that to prepare his forces to invade Epheotus. Given that Kezess not only sent down a good portion of his forces to Dicathen but also brought Epheotus out of the aether realm, it opens the door for him to invade now that Epheotus has let its guard down]].

* AllAccordingToPlan: By the end of Volume 10, [[spoiler:Arthur, after having humiliated the Scythes at the Victoriad and escaping Agrona right in front of all of Alacrya to return back to Dicathen, had led the Dicathians to retake their homeland on top of also inspiring Seris to launch her own rebellion, a rebellion that Arthur himself later joins up with along with his resurrected bond Sylvie]]. How does Agrona react to this string of unforeseen setbacks? He is completely unfazed at the least and mildly surprised at the most. He had [[spoiler:already crushed Seris's rebellion by the time Arthur arrived and knowing Arthur would go after Cecilia to free Tessia he intends for exactly that to happen to fulfill his own ambitions. Not only that, but with Kezess having sent his forces to occupy Dicathen and bringing Epheotus out of the aether realm, the door has been opened for him to launch his invasion of Epheotus]].
-->'''Agrona:''' (''To [[spoiler:Cecilia]]'') Do you think Arthur has survived this long because he is...what...more powerful than me? More intelligent than me? Better prepared than me?

* AngelDevilShipping: Volume 8 reveals that [[spoiler:he and Sylvia were once lovers, with Sylvie being the product of their union. Their relationship came to an end with Agrona's exile from Epheotus and his subsequent StartOfDarkness, as when Sylvia reunited with him following his exile, she came to discover that the Agrona she once loved was no more as he had been consumed by his desire for vengeance]].

** BigBadEnsemble: [[spoiler:As Kezess is no different from him with both being divine tyrants responsible for their fair share of atrocities and with no regard for the lives of the lessers caught up in their DivineConflict, they both act as the main antagonistic forces that Arthur and his allies are up against, although both remain opposed to one another]].

* DidntSeeThatComing: While he is almost unmatched as a planner and manipulator, there are a few moments where Agrona does get caught off-guard by a sudden setback.

** He was surprised to learn of [[spoiler:Arthur's survival following the end of the war and his RePower as an aether-wielding demigod. What caught him more by surprise was Arthur's involvement at the Victoriad. Not only did Arthur effortlessly defeat two of the Scythes, but when Agrona and the Legacy had him cornered at the end Arthur escaped them using God Step. All of this happened right in front of all of Alacrya, embarrassing Agrona in front of all of his subjects]].

** However, the crux of Agrona's plan is that in his bid to find a power strong enough to overcome Kezess [[spoiler:which led to him searching across time and space, he discovered the Legacy and coveted her power. To summon her, Agrona reincarnated the souls of her childhood friends Grey and Nico to act as anchor points for her, which he followed on by reincarnating the Legacy herself into a suitable vessel. At the end of it all, Agrona had acquired a Asura-killing PersonOfMassDestruction that he had manipulated into obedience as his ace in the hole for the inevitable invasion of Epheotus]].

** Regarding Kezess, Agrona took advantage of his desire to uphold the treaty and his limited intervention on Dicathen that was driven by his own pride to empower his mortal savants in Alacrya to a degree that would surpass that of the Dicathians. As such, when the time came for him to invade Dicathen, he had armies of Vritra-blooded mages and mana beasts at his beck and call, while the Dicathians only had the Lances. In doing so, Agrona takes advantage of Kezess underestimating to advance his own goals to full effect.

* HateSink: Let's see. He invades Arthur's homeland of Dicathen [[spoiler:and conquers it, in the process causing the deaths of many of Arthur's loved ones. Not only that, but it turns out he was responsible for the reincarnation of not only Arthur, but also his childhood friends Nico and Cecilia whom he had ReforgedIntoAMinion through MindRape. In the case of the latter, he even had Arthur's LoveInterest Tessia captured to act as Cecilia's vessel. Not to mention, but Arthur has been almost powerless to stop him as Agrona is an InvincibleVillain whose plans have almost always gone the way he wanted, on top of being an Asura which puts him above Arthur in terms of raw power]].

** As for [[spoiler:the reincarnates under his command - Nico and Cecilia - he claims that he has their best interests at heart and promises them their deepest desires should they help him exact his revenge on the Asuras. Specifically, not only did he promise them that they would be reunited, but he also promises that once the DivineConflict is over that he will return them home to Earth. He also promises them that he will let them have their revenge on Grey, but in this case it is revealed he has been twisting their memories of Grey by emphasizing the harm he has done to them]].

-->'''Agrona:''' (''To [[spoiler:Cecilia]]'') You and Grey, need each other now, [[spoiler:Cecilia]]. You are the hammer, he is the anvil. Its is where you meet that the truth of power in this world will be revealed.
* ImmortalRuler: While Asuras are not truly immortal, Agrona nonetheless fits the trope as he has reigned over Alacrya since its inception millennia ago, being the one responsible for uplifting their civilization. He goes so far as to refer to himself as "The Eternal Ruler".

* OrcusOnHisThrone: {{Justified|Trope}}. In spite of being the BigBad and the prevalence of his minions, Agrona so far has not left the confines of Alacrya, though he has communicated to others through either his minions or through possession. He spends most of his time conducting his experiments into fate itself while sending his minions to invade Dicathen or [[spoiler:explore the Relictombs]]. To be fair, this is because of GodsHandsAreTied, as due to the treaty any direct involvement on his part would lead to MutuallyAssuredDestruction, and in the case of the last part [[spoiler:the Relictombs are designed to repel Asuras]]. Even after [[spoiler:the treaty is broken, Agrona still remains in Alacrya for the time being as he is only getting ready to launch his invasion]].

* TragicVillain: [[spoiler:Sylvia claims that he used to be a decent person who she had a romantic interest in, and that he was once a revered figure among the Asuras for his research. Then he uncovered Kezess and the Indrath Clan's DarkSecret, and when he confronted them and threatened to expose the truth, he was banished from Epheotus and exiled to the distant continent of Alacrya. In his exile, Agrona's desire for revenge has consumed him, making him as much a monster as Kezess himself]].