Chapter 967: Oathbreaker, Du Qiyu |
"Relax, I'm an upright person. I won't make things too hard. All you need to do is...
...then come back to see me, and I can help you finalize this trade."
Hearing this outlandish demand, Yu Go once again felt that Mister Yu Xi was truly absorbed in his roleplay. His eyes flickered as He repeatedly confirmed:
"Truly?"
"Truly. But I'll only wait half a day for you. Once the sky darkens..." Cheng Shi pointed at the sun overhead, his smile devoid of warmth. "The deal is void. I'll leave the container here, and you can come collect it yourself."
At those words, Yu Go didn't hesitate for a second. He transformed into a network of rotting roots and burrowed underground, vanishing from Cheng Shi's sight in an instant.
Witnessing the Envoy's escape speed firsthand further convinced Cheng Shi that you could pick a bad name but never a wrong nickname. The runaway emperor's escape skills were truly impressive.
As for who'd coined the nickname... irrelevant. It fit perfectly.
For a long while after Yu Go departed, Cheng Shi didn't bother checking on Sun Miao, still trapped in the zone of decay. Not because he'd abandoned his teammate, but because rare opportunities to set the stage didn't come often. And he knew that the longer the wise man stayed trapped, the more elaborate his mental fabrication would become.
This would not only help cement the Yu Xi identity going forward but also conveniently keep them separated for a time. So he was in no hurry to comfort the wise man.
He simply sat atop the hillock, quietly awaiting Yu Go's return. And Yu Go didn't disappoint. After vanishing for only two or three hours, He reappeared before Cheng Shi, nodding firmly:
"Mister Yu Xi, I've completed your request. Can the trade continue now?"
As He spoke, His gaze fell once more on Cheng Shi's left hand.
'That fast?'
Cheng Shi blinked. The Envoy's urgency didn't resemble someone working to advance his Benefactor's cause at all. It felt more like He was desperate to shed some shackle.
'But buddy, once I Fade you, without [Decay]'s protection, can you still slip away from people this smoothly?'
Curiosity struck. So he prepared to honor the trade as agreed, planning to dump the post-Fading Yu Go in Dolgod to keep Zangier company.
After all, Aph Ros was also a [Descent] Servant God. When these two met, wouldn't that count as a sort of reunion?
Besides, this didn't violate the agreement. The deal only specified its contents, not what happened after. And the Fun God, when telling him to pick up this "delivery," never said what to do with the "delivery man." If garbage could be recycled, why couldn't waste be repurposed?
Obviously, both the deposit and the Fading were mere pretexts. What Yu Go truly sought was security. Cheng Shi wasn't going to mistreat Him. He'd even found Him a sanctuary away from the world. In an era full of scheming and backstabbing, where else could you find such a saint?
Come to think of it, the Envoy still owed him a thank you.
Having hatched his crooked plan, Cheng Shi was ready to act. But first, one more question:
"After you're Faded, can you maintain that [Decay] cage for a while?"
Yu Go blinked: "Sir, isn't that your... uh, friend?
You're not going to continue the roleplay?"
"No, no, no. It's precisely because I'm fully immersed in the role that I need a moment apart from the wise man. I just never found the chance until you showed up, and I realized [Fate] has once again blessed me.
So, can you?"
Yu Go had no reason to dampen Mister Yu Xi's spirits over something so trivial. After a moment's thought, He nodded and drew an engraved seal from His robes, presenting it politely to Cheng Shi.
"This is the Rosna Royal Inscription. I've infused the control power of the 'Decay Breath Cage' into it. This way, even after my faith recedes, you can use this little trinket as a controller for the cage, modifying its state at will.
Consider it an insignificant bonus from my end of the trade. I hope you enjoy yourself."
Cheng Shi accepted the inscription, deeply satisfied. He then channeled the inscription's [Decay] aura to activate his Faded authority and bleached every last trace of [Decay] faith from Yu Go's body. Then, the very next second, he grinned and triggered Sinner Redemption, ready to surprise Aph Ros.
But Aph Ros never got his surprise. Instead, Yu Go turned around and surprised Cheng Shi.
The instant all [Decay] power left Him, a look of ecstatic relief swept across Yu Go's face. Those beady eyes squinted, and — a heartbeat faster than Cheng Shi's move — He vanished from the empty hillside.
Yes. He'd vanished again. And faster than last time!
Staring at the dense divine energy fluctuations left behind, Cheng Shi's pupils contracted sharply, his expression grave.
[Time]!
The residual divine power before him was [Time]'s!
But why [Time]!?
How had Yu Go connected with [Time]? What was this [Existence] Benefactor doing? Had He... actually found the time to meddle in all of this?
...
Meanwhile, on the other side.
After obtaining the [Corruption] container, Du Qiyu had fled north, leaving the Boro battlefield entirely. He settled in a small border town in the Grand Tribunal's Forest County.
Along the way, he continuously recalled his tamed beasts. To test the tool's effects, he'd even steeled himself to kill off several of his favorite beasts, keeping only two or three as a final contingency.
The experiment's results were supremely satisfying.
Perfect!
This was an absolutely perfect tool for him!
[Deceit]'s promise had finally come full circle.
From the seduction to break his oath, to the plummeting score, to what amounted to a split personality — Du Qiyu had endured two months of excruciating pain.
Yes, Xiao Qi was an Oathbreaker.
On the day the Faith Game descended, there had been no masks in his starting room to choose from. As for the Die of Fate? Pure nonsense.
He hadn't even been given a choice. The only thing placed before him was the twisted desire representing [Corruption]!
So from the game's beginning all the way to 2,600 points, he'd been a [Corruption] believer. A Sensory Stalker.
He was undeniably talented at it. But he believed he was better suited for [Deceit], because [Corruption]'s talents were merely the foundation of his strength, while lies were his weapon of choice.
His countless successes had been paved by lies, and every lie brought different rewards. The rush aligned with his desires, amplified his confidence, and combined with the various "legends" of tricksters in the game, Du Qiyu had once yearned deeply for [Void].
...