Chapter 320: [Deceit], [Existence], and the Shadow

Foolish Game of the Gods

But Cheng Shi knew full well that mercy had its limits. His heart clenched as he unhesitatingly slipped a hand behind his back and gripped a Mask.

If the die could summon [Fate], then logically, the Mask should be able to summon [Deceit].

So before [Decay] could speak, Cheng Shi clutched the Mask and silently recited:

"Fate like stars, within sight but Out of Reach..."

But the Mask didn't budge. No response at all.

Cheng Shi's heart plummeted. He scrambled to switch: "Come and Go, all is destined!"

"Lie Like Yesterday..."

"Cannot distinguish true from false..."

His mind was practically smoking with panic, but the Mask remained dead silent.

Cheng Shi's heart sank like a stone. [Deceit] wasn't answering. [Fate] was busy fighting. This was bad—really bad.

Cold sweat erupted across his forehead and back. He retreated another step and quietly squeezed the [Death] Fun Ring on his finger.

He was using it to bolster his courage, hoping the aura of [Death] might give the Being before him some pause.

But obviously, a mere artifact meant nothing in Their eyes.

The aged giant slowly opened his eyes. Those clouded orbs were saturated with sorrow and anguish. He seemed to harbor some unfulfilled wish—something yearned for but never achieved. And yet His body appeared to have already reached its very end.

He gazed down at the tiny Cheng Shi and squeezed out a rasping whisper from his nearly dry throat:

"[Deceit]'s... follower... you did... well..."

'Huh?'

That single sentence nearly blew Cheng Shi's skull off!

'What did He just say?'

'He's praising me?'

Think about it: if you just demolished someone's house, and the next moment that person walked up and complimented your work, what do you think they're about to do?

Wasn't this a Feint Move before sneaking a club upside his head—a Sarcastic death sentence?

Cheng Shi panicked. But then he steadied himself.

Because in an instant he realized: if He didn't want him alive, Cheng Shi never would have heard those words in the first place.

So he steeled himself, suppressed the fear, stepped half a pace forward, and opened with the most reverential praise he could fake:

"Praise You, great God of [Decay]!

May all beings in the world decay into rot..."

'Except me.'

"May all things in the universe wither as they walk!"

'Also except me.'

Then, with the most self-reproaching sincerity, he bowed his head in contrition:

"Bound by the trial's rules, I—Cheng Shi, walker of the [Void] Path, second Collection of [Deceit], beloved of [Fate], part-time employee of [Death], candidate Envoy of [Chaos]—committed a small, tiny act of blasphemy against You...

But please allow me to explain: I never harbored a single shred of genuine disrespect toward You, and those so-called 'offerings' were never born of devotion to [Prosperity].

I simply wanted to clear the trial. And in the process, my methods may have been... slightly... a touch... intense. For any inconvenience caused, I am deeply remorseful and willing to assume a certain degree of... not-exactly-fatal... responsibility."

The already sluggish giant grew even more sluggish after hearing this string of smooth talk.

He stiffly turned his head. When his eyes settled on Cheng Shi again, the black blood was dripping even faster.

"You need not... fear...

I summoned you... only to see... whether this [Deceit] follower who made me realize... the futility of the past... is also... a pitiable soul like myself...

Alas... you are too much like Him... incompatible with my Will...

[Deceit]'s follower... you did well... but remember to stay far from [Prosperity]..."

'Huh?'

Cheng Shi went blank. The staggering volume of information packed into [Decay]'s words crashed his brain on the spot.

'He really is praising me!'

'Wait, what?'

'What exactly about me pleased You, big guy?'

'Has the world turned upside down?'

'I make an offering to [Prosperity], and He hits me with questions. I sacrifice [Decay]'s stuff, and He gives me praise?'

'Hold on—is this a script written by [Deceit]?'

'Why does everything behind the scenes seem to flicker with the words "Fun God"?!'

...

Speaking of the Fun God—[Deceit]'s situation wasn't exactly rosy right now.

The moment the Faith Game erupted with anomalies—the moment [Prosperity] shattered the rules and descended into the trial—those spiral-and-star-speckled eyes had instantly sensed the disturbance and vanished into the Void, rushing to the front lines of entertainment.

But when He opened His amused eyes, He found Himself beneath a sky of wildly flickering stars. Looking around at time itself warping from excessive acceleration, He...

Smiled even wider.

"[Time]. How rare."

Beneath the starry sky, the distorted flow of time crumpled further. Countless rays of light collapsed into two terrifying black-hole pupils, and they turned to gaze at Him—simultaneously fast and slow.

"It's been a long time."

"Indeed it has. You're as irritating as ever." The star-and-spiral eyes blinked, searching for cracks in the time flow.

"So are you."

The black-hole eyes were apparently always terse. He stood amid the Starry Sky, and with every blink, time surged forward in a brief torrent—stars rising, dawning, and dying in dazzling splendor across the heavens.

When the eyes were open, the distorted timescape froze utterly, solidifying into an Unchanging eternity.

These stuttering fluctuations of speed gave [Deceit] no window to escape. So He abandoned the attempt and heaved a long sigh.

"I can't even deceive myself into thinking this is merely a memory—that all of this happened a million years ago.

So... [Memory] is here too. You brothers really are in perfect sync."

The instant those words faded, a new star was born in the silent sky. It swelled with the flow of time, then collapsed. Across countless iterations of the temporal river, it lived and died, shifting through endless forms, until every trace of its existence linked together to sketch a pair of eyes—etched with the weathering of history.

Those eyes flickered with the star's many pasts. From the moment they appeared, they seemed to have weathered eons of time, suffusing the entire sky with an ancient, mysterious aura.

The spiral-and-star eyes turned toward Them with a scoff:

"Two against one. What, waiting for me to make the first move?"

The history-worn eyes regarded [Deceit] without joy or sorrow, their voice heavy with the weight of ages:

"There's one more."

The moment those words landed, a figure materialized directly beneath those mischievous, spinning eyes.

It really was just a figure—a shadow. A human silhouette floating in the Starry Sky, bodiless. A shadow with no original.

The shadow flapped and twisted like a paper cutout in the temporal storm. After much effort to flatten itself out, it extended one hand and waved at the three pairs of eyes before it:

"Tch—three waiting for a fourth? So what's it gonna be today... poker or mahjong?"

[Time]—Unchanging. [Memory]—without joy or sorrow. [Deceit]—pointing fingers.

He glanced at the shadow, eyes tinged with displeasure.

"Sneaking back is one thing. But when there's a good show, why didn't you call me ahead of time?"

The shadow froze, scratched its head, and gave an awkward laugh: "Didn't quite have the chance."

"Then how'd you have time to notify [Fate]?"

"Uh... just bumped into Him. Couldn't hide it."

"Tch. You think I don't know He helped cover your tracks?

Eating inside, crawling outside!"

"..." The shadow sighed helplessly. "The [Void] is one whole, my Lord. There is no 'outside.'"

"Oh, how eloquently put. In that case, why not send my dear sister back to serve my sentence while I go pick a fight with [Prosperity]?"

The shadow nodded vigorously:

"Sure! As long as these two are willing, I'm all in—hands and feet.

The question is, do these two agree?"

It looked toward [Time] and [Memory].

[Time]—Unchanging. [Memory]—without joy or sorrow. [Deceit]—marveling in mock wonder.

He sneered:

"If [Existence]'s choice is [Silence], then please do notify me before you fully embrace Him. I'd like to join in the festivities."

Hearing this, the shadow burst into laughter.

But no matter how hard the two of them cackled, the time and memory imprisoning this space remained utterly unbreakable.

Finding no opening, both the eyes and the shadow stopped laughing.

It and He exchanged a glance and sighed in unison.

"Lord Benefactor, the deception failed. Now what?"

"How is that my problem? You weren't calling for me. I'm just bitter about missing the front row of a great show. But you—you're in real trouble. Before you get sent back, any 'last words'? Better make them quick."

The shadow rubbed its nose and grinned: "Nothing much to say. I just wanted to come back and have a look."

Seeing the two still running their mouths, the long-silent [Memory] finally spoke again.

"No one can break the Convention and kill [Prosperity]. [Truth] cannot. And [Deceit], neither can you.

Whatever you covet, it is futile.

The Convention stands above all. You and I both know this.

I can choose not to investigate whether this was an accident. But I will be guarding my Collection Hall—ensuring no uninvited guest sneaks in again."

[Deceit] scoffed and turned his Sarcastic gaze on [Memory]:

"Since [Existence] is so confident I can't kill [Prosperity], then what are you two brothers doing surrounding me here?

Watching me and my follower sink into the Sea of Desire and share the Authority of [Birth]?"

"..."

"..."

"..."

The shadow went rigid. It coughed twice and offered a friendly reminder: "Humans... and... Gods... cannot share the Authority of [Birth]."

Those eyes let out a snicker and turned toward it: "Are you human?"

"..."

'Well, when you put it like that...'

'I'm really not...'

Unable to refute, the shadow chose to go silent.

With the shadow's silence, the flow of time normalized. The black-hole eyes sketched in light spared a single glance at the shadow, and the shadow began to fade.

It could feel [Time]'s power pulling it back to its original space. So before vanishing, it threw back its head and laughed:

"I knew [Time] was a bitch too!"

The words echoed—and the shadow was gone.

Every temporal crack in this space sealed shut.

[Time] said nothing. He glanced once at [Deceit], then departed without a sound.

[Memory] watched [Time] leave, heaved a sigh, and closed His eyes:

"Would it truly be so bad... to draw closer to [*Him]...?"

Those star-and-spiral eyes blinked, feigning ignorance: "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"You understand perfectly."

"Fine, fine, fine—I understand. Now that we're on the same page, why don't we celebrate? With a fight?"

"..."

The eyes of history collapsed without a trace, giving Him no opportunity to strike.

"Tch. Boring."

No sooner had the word left Him than He too dissolved into the Starry Sky.