Quote Originally Posted by Kish View Post
Yes, exactly. That is one example of something that would be in line with that statement.

"Vaarsuvius just isn't there at the final battle, because the fiends yank them down to the Abyss" is something that would not be in line with that statement.

If Rich can come up with a way that being able to yank Vaarsuvius out actively helps the fiends, rather than being the same for them as if Vaarsuvius was permanently out because Xykon had crushed their windpipe, well and good. I'm just concerned about the story leaving it at: all they ever needed was Vaarsuvius' absence, and they should not have said that line because in end-of-comic retrospect it was the opposite of true.
They needed the Order to destroy the gate. The Order with V was far more likely to get to the gate, and the order without V was far more likely to destroy it because they couldn't hold it against Xykon/Nale/Tarquin. So they came up with a way to "curate" the order's efficiency (and knowledge) by removing their only Arcane specialist/flamethrower whenever they want.

If V died, then Xykon would probably have beaten the Order in the race for the fourth gate, and secured it against intrusion. That would go against the fiends manifest interest (lots of conflict around the gate, apparently)

What's their plan for the fifth Gate? I don't know. But I suspect they share Serini's earlier assessment that the Order fighting Xykon here endangers the last gate. So they allow them to have their wizard. For now.