Chapter 611: You... Defeated Order? |
"Was what?"
Those upturned eyes refused to let the Clown off the hook, pursuing the question with gleeful relish.
Cheng Shi sighed, wearing the expression of someone being forced to perform: "It was truth-and-lies, Benefactor. I said truth-and-lies."
"Truth-and-lies?
I've heard of truth. I've heard of lies. But I've never heard of this 'truth-and-lies.' What on earth is that?"
Cheng Shi collected himself, straightened his posture, and spoke with absolute solemnity:
"Truth-and-lies means:
When you question my praise as a lie, it becomes the truth.
And when you question it as truth and attempt to use that truth to define my words as blasphemy, it becomes a lie.
After all, you are the one who blurs truth and falsehood across this entire universe. Calling truth a lie, or denouncing a lie as truth—it all hinges on a single thought of yours."
The instant those words fell, every wind in the Void softened.
The spirals in those eyes twirled with a rhythmic pulse, and even the brilliant star-points blinked in and out in sync.
Deceit laughed—satisfied, unreserved.
"Very good. I shouldn't have let it leave. I should have kept it here to hear what you just said—so it would understand that every oathbreaking has its reasons."
Cheng Shi's spine went cold. His eyes widened in alarm.
'Who? Fate?'
He blinked dryly, a flash of panic crossing his gaze: "The Benefactor truly left? It's not standing behind me again, is it?"
He even spun around for a quick check.
Nobody. Good.
But his words and his manner made the eyes before him curl into a half-amused smirk: "Oh? The Clown is bold enough to shoo away his Benefactor right at the start of an audience?"
"..." 'No—that Benefactor is not this Benefactor! Benefactor!'
'Juggling two Benefactors is way too stressful.'
Cheng Shi's expression crumbled. He shook his head frantically: "Not you—of course not you."
"Ahh, I see. Since it's not me, then naturally, it must be Fate.
So you don't want to see it.
Mmm, noted. Next time I see it, I'll be sure to pass along your annoyance."
"..."
'Is this really happening? Is there no end?'
'So Clowns deserve to be bullied?'
'A Clown's life isn't a life?!'
'Benefactor, if you're going to keep scaring me like this, just stab me and get it over with!'
Cheng Shi was numb. He wanted to curse but didn't dare—didn't even dare let the thought form. So, left with nothing but bitter silence and resignation, he lay flat under the mockery. It wasn't until the eyes, finding no more resistance from the listless Clown, sighed with visible boredom:
"As I thought—once a Clown loses its spark, it becomes boring.
Say what you came to say. I'm on a schedule."
"?"
'What do you mean "say what I came to say"? Benefactor, you dragged me here! I—'
'Wait!'
'It's giving me a chance to ask questions?!'
Cheng Shi froze, then his eyes lit up. Eagerly lifting his head, his very first question went straight to what mattered most—faith fusion.
"Benefactor, haven't I already fused with Fate? How could I also fuse with Chaos?
Was this all your doing?"
"No. Next."
"..."
'That's way too brief! No to what—no, it wasn't your doing?'
'Heh—as if I'd believe that.'
'Wait... not believing... Deceit... Is it speaking in reverse?'
Cheng Shi paused with sudden insight. He studied those eyes—upturned with mischief, yet radiating impatience—thought hard for a second, then immediately nodded and asked:
"Why Chaos specifically?"
"It copied me by concealing the essence. Been annoyed at it for ages. Next."
'Concealing the essence? Annoyed?'
'Wait—aren't you and Chaos on the same side?'
'I need to hear this one in reverse too, right?!'
Cheng Shi's eyebrow twitched. Before he could think too deeply, he fired off another question: "Then... will the Fate within me also fuse with yet another faith?"
"You care a lot about Fate, do you?" Those playful eyes suddenly went cold, their gaze dripping with derision.
"Next, next!" Cheng Shi panicked, rushing to steal Deceit's line before it could say more. "Benefactor, I barely survived playing Order's subordinate inside Chaos. I almost didn't make it back to see you. Do you know about that?"
"What—are you blaming me for not rescuing you?"
"Uh... would it kill you to consider it?" Cheng Shi muttered under his breath, then immediately looked up and shook his head wildly. "Of course not! I was just wondering—Chaos... what happened to it?"
"It went chaotic. Isn't that obvious?
Can the Clown ask questions with some substance? Next!"
'?'
'If I had substance, would I still be a Clown?'
'You'd be the Clown instead!'
The thought had barely flickered through his mind when Deceit's gaze turned playful. The inscrutable gleam in those eyes seemed to say: 'Go ahead. Try it.'
"..."
'Nope. Scared. Very scared.'
Cheng Shi bowed his head again. After a few seconds' deliberation, he asked what he considered a genuinely high-caliber question.
"You helped Chaos trap Order, didn't you?"
This question made Deceit's eyes brighten. It was finally interested.
"Interesting. Why do you ask that?"
The reaction confirmed there was a story here. Cheng Shi's expression sharpened and he immediately explained:
"Because you're the one who pushed me toward Chaos!
I was once summoned by Chaos. At first, it wasn't chaotic at all—it was perfectly communicative, even seemed to favor me... Wait, please don't strike—I harbor no disloyalty toward Void, Benefactor! I'm simply describing the situation accurately.
But now it's completely abandoned itself and is single-mindedly playing the role of Order.
I know the gods can transcend all temporal dimensions, so I'm not fixated on when it started the performance. What puzzles me is: why would a perfectly functional deity suddenly become like this?
Just because it's Chaos?
No—I don't think so.
I've walked those Chaos Steps. I know the chaos that constitutes it far exceeds what mortal minds can achieve. So there must have been some external force influencing it, pushing it toward that decision.
Before faith fusion, I couldn't guess who. But once I fused...
Benefactor, only when there's profit to be had does someone become the mastermind... the driving force behind the scenes!
So I reasoned: even if you weren't the 'ringleader,' you'd have to be at least an 'accomplice.' To advance faith fusion, you got involved.
But there's still one question: why would Chaos give me benefits?
Naturally, it was for your sake. Even if it was for the sake of the Ultraman identity, that's still your face. But a one-sided olive branch doesn't build a sturdy 'friendship,' so I'm inclined to believe you also contributed to this 'grand performance.'
Which brings me to my earlier question. So—you really did get involved, didn't you?
You... defeated Order?"