Chapter 804: The Conversation Between Deceit and Birth |
[Author's Note: Birth speaks too much in this chapter, so I've simplified Her speech pattern to avoid padding the word count. Enjoy.]
...
"So this is the reason — for your fear —"
The Divine Pillar cracked against the Void like a whip, snapping sharply. It was also the first time a god had directly called out Deceit's true feelings.
The spirals within those eyes began spinning madly. After a moment, He laughed.
"Fear? Who said anything about fear? This is just called being prudent."
"..."
'Another day, another casualty for the "prudent" brand.'
Cheng Shi rolled his eyes but didn't dare comment.
But I too am curious —
Come —
Let Me glimpse what else exists — beyond this universe —"
That single word — "Come" — nearly scared Cheng Shi to death. But the words that followed resurrected the Clown, sending his heart racing with excitement.
"You agree?!
Then — Benefactor — what should I do?"
"Tch —
How would I know how to use a talent bestowed by Time?
You don't need to perform devotion for me right now. What kind of follower I've got — as his Benefactor, I know perfectly well.
Do your job. Make it quick.
Don't force me to charge you with dereliction."
"..." 'Since when is asking for instructions a crime?'
Cheng Shi pursed his lips, muttered an "oh," and slowly raised his hand to activate the talent against that grotesque Divine Pillar.
It was his first time targeting a true god. The sensation was profoundly abstract and disorienting — the Clown swallowed several times before he could bring himself to do it.
Fortunately, a gust of wind seeping from the nothingness "reminded" him. He startled and fired off Time Deduction.
The instant the Time-ripple wavefront detonated against Birth, a laugh rang across the universe. Then — whoosh — both Birth and Deceit vanished from Cheng Shi's sight simultaneously.
Only a lingering giggle echoed endlessly through the Void:
"Heeheehee~
Time is such a miser. She thought that by placing what I wanted inside the Clown, I wouldn't be able to use it?
How funny.
Everything the Clown has is mine."
"?"
While that was technically true, still...
'Benefactor! What happened to me talking to the Outer God Birth?!'
'How come it turned into a private chat between You two?!'
'So that's what You meant by "absolute safety," huh!'
Staring at the now-placid Void, all Cheng Shi could do was grumble internally. No words came.
And while the Clown stood there speechless, on the other side, the conversation had begun.
...
In the limitless pitch-black expanse — within the cracks of Existence beyond the Void.
A pair of star-bright eyes snapped open, draping the distant, churning presence in brilliant color.
In that instant, the endless Abyss of Existence — the same one that had once contained the Hero of Today and the Hawk Eye Scout — suddenly transformed, becoming a place uncannily similar to Mockery and Jeering.
So Deceit hadn't created that pocket of existence deep within nothingness just for entertainment. He'd been scheming all along — and now, His scheme finally bore fruit.
The crack of Existence!
He had threaded Mockery and Jeering — that river of near-Existence — all the way to this point: to an aperture in Existence itself, located outside His own universe.
From now on, He would no longer need to "break out" through the power of Time in Cheng Shi's hands. He had punched open a gate in the wall that no god was meant to scale — a gate belonging exclusively to Void.
"Tch —
Existence — nothing special."
No sooner had the words faded than another Divine Pillar appeared before those eyes — one strung with countless Life Marker Boards.
Birth had arrived. But the Birth before the Fun God now was subtly different from before. A mortal might never detect any discrepancy in a Divine Pillar that measured the breadth of Life, but the Fun God spotted it in a single glance: this Pillar bore countless species and tribes that were completely different from the previous one.
And so He laughed. Laughed until He couldn't stop.
"Well, Big Sis — surprised to see me?"
The Divine Pillar lashed the space around it, emitting a confused hum. But before long, She settled and spoke pensively.
"So this is the reason — for your fear —"
"..." Those eyes blinked blankly. Twice. "You two really are alike. But aren't You curious why You're seeing me here?"
The Pillar's swaying grew steadily smaller. Its tail twisted and coiled for a moment, then pointed sharply in one direction. Deceit furrowed His brow slightly and followed the indication. Then the friction between the Life Marker Boards produced a voice.
"There —
His aura — lingers —"
"Yes — I feel it too. His aura is there.
Heeheehee~
Big Sis, bringing that up now — You wouldn't happen to be suggesting we go exploring together, would You?"
Deceit grinned at the Divine Pillar, the star-points in His eyes flashing wildly, radiating obvious anticipation.
But what He received was not a reply — it was a taunt.
"You don't dare —"
The eyes froze. Every spiral, every flickering point of light, went perfectly still.
"Interesting. Why wouldn't I dare?"
"Because you're still here —"
"..." Deceit's gaze rolled aside, then He chuckled. "Oh? So the other me... is bolder?"
"I do not know —
But I know — you share the same fear —"
Now Deceit went completely silent.
He scrutinized this Big Sis from a universe not His own, eyes flickering, utterly mystified.
"Have You... never felt fear?"
"Why would I fear —"
"The unknown." Deceit was curt.
"He birthed Me — I birth all life —
All life knows Me — I know Him —
Where is the unknown —"
Birth's words were striking enough to shake the heavens, but Deceit didn't take in a single one. He simply pretended to be a pair of eyes without ears, blinking innocently, not letting a syllable land.
Still, He had understood Birth's stance perfectly well: no matter what the future held, no matter whether universes existed beyond the universe, no matter who Origin truly was — Birth would always be Birth.
This eldest among the gods, the "origin" of all things, was simply putting Her head down and practicing Birth's will. She seemed to believe that doing so was enough to earn Origin's gaze.
That unwavering conviction was identical to His own — except His took the form of fear, while Hers... was equanimity.
"The obsession in a god's heart is a mountain that can never be moved.
Big Sis — have You ever considered what You'd do on the day Birth can no longer birth?"
"That day will never come —
If it does — it will only mean He no longer needs Me to birth all life —"
"Sigh — it's only at times like these that I actually miss that foul mouth. I should've brought Him along, so He could curse You out when I'm too polite to do it myself.
Pity.
Then again, nothing much to pity. That foul mouth has probably... already been here.
And I suspect He may have..."
Deceit's flickering gaze drifted toward the direction the Divine Pillar had pointed earlier.
"Forget it. There's no point talking to you old-fashioned traditionalists. I'm bored. How do You plan to get back?"
"That doesn't depend on Me —
It depends on the other you — deciding when to end His conversation with the other Me —"
"?"
The eyes sharpened, their hue deepening.
"That Time pulled a fast one here, didn't She? Before we came — were You talking this over with Her?
So She knows too. Is that it?"
"Knowing or not knowing — what difference does it make —
I can see — you do not fear Him — you fear yourself —
Deceit — what has happened in Void —"
"Oh, Void? Nothing much. We just got ourselves a clown who keeps committing suicide-by-blasphemy day in and day out. Annoying as all hell.
But annoying as he is, he's rather fun to tease now and then.
If you want him, I can ship him over. How about it, Big Sis?"
"Being generous at others' expense — classic you —"
"Aww, no fun if everyone's this clever. It's so rare for Him to show up — why not cause Him a little trouble? How boring otherwise."
...
At the same time, in a different crack of Existence, an identical line was being delivered word for word.
"Why not cause Him a little trouble? How boring otherwise."
"Your schemes won't work here — I have no interest in anything —
Do not disturb My reunion —
Leave —
Your ally — is not here —"
The voice faded, and four figures simultaneously dissolved into the crevices beyond the universe.
...
Comments 1