Chapter 1070: The Sky Has Fallen! |
The world was still being reconstructed. [Truth]'s experiment continued.
But this didn't actually make sense.
For [Fate], [Truth]'s experiment was undeniably the greatest variable threatening the Fixed Destiny. Now that He had extricated Himself from the Convention assembly, logic dictated He would move immediately to halt the experiment and drag the universe's trajectory back on course.
Yet He didn't.
Not because He hadn't tried — but because He hadn't succeeded!
An unexpected force had blocked His interference, ensuring [Truth]'s experiment proceeded in orderly fashion.
This force did not belong to [Truth]. It was merely a contingency He had left behind. Ultimately, with [Truth] dead, no matter how grand or precise His experimental design, it could never withstand the power of a true god.
Only another true god could stop a true god.
[Fate] stared at those familiar eyes before Him, fury boiling over:
[War]. Yes, it was [War]. Those eyes of blood and fire bore straight into [Fate], all former restraint and deference stripped away, replaced entirely by battle lust and defiance.
His left eye erupted in flame; His right eye spattered with fresh blood. Blood and fire spiraled before the beam of [Truth]'s light, encasing the experiment's core within a fortress of impenetrable iron.
[War] was not facing [Fate] alone. After the Convention had adjourned, virtually every god had converged on this spot. They gazed at this [War] — so different from before, yet so reminiscent of the past — with undisguised shock. None had imagined that the final guardian of [Truth]'s experiment would be [Truth]'s sibling within the [Civilization] path.
[Death] was somewhat puzzled. The enormous skull tilted in confusion and asked:
"[War]... the universe... collapses... faith ends... what do you... gain from this?"
[War] shook His head, His flames roaring: "Nothing."
"Then why... do you... obstruct... the gods... from interrupting... [Truth]'s... experiment?
[Truth]... died... seeking... proof — clearly... He already... had His... answer.
Since an answer... already exists... why must... the experiment... continue?
The world's... reconstruction... is destroying... the foundation... of our... faith.
When everything... in the universe — every vessel... of faith — becomes... a variable... in [Truth]'s... experiment — do you mean... to let our... very foundation... be held... hostage?
Even if... [Truth] is dead... and the experiment... has no master... we will never... entrust... our faith... to an... experiment.
You stand... here... blocking... the gods — do you intend... to use... this experiment... to seize control... of the universe?!"
A masterful move — the old fox had slapped [War] with a hat almost too large to bear. [Death] had already learned the truth about the universe from [Deceit], and knew full well that the unprepared universe could not withstand the "truth" that [Truth]'s experiment would bring.
If the universe's understanding were truly upended by a single experiment of [Truth]'s, then — as variables in a higher-dimensional experiment — might they not trigger uncontrollable changes that would alert the supreme Experiment Master to the anomalies in this corner of the starry sky, prompting measures detrimental to this world?
This was the Fear Faction's — or at the very least [Death]'s — gravest concern.
But these worries could not be spoken aloud; He could only "delicately" dissuade.
What He didn't know was that [War] should have been standing on His side. [Deceit] had long since established a cooperative relationship with [War].
What He knew even less was that [Deceit] hadn't yet found the right moment to share His plan with His Fear Faction allies — and one crucial link in that plan had already gone wrong!
[War] truly should not have been here!
He was never supposed to accept [Truth]'s invitation. [Deceit] had kept Him in reserve, promising that an epoch-shaking battle awaited Him — a promise exchanged for [War]'s support of the Fear Faction.
But [Deceit] had clearly underestimated [War]'s battle lust. Or rather, when a more direct path to confronting that Entity presented itself, [War] — who had restrained Himself for so long — refused to wait any longer.
So when [Truth] approached Him, He agreed without a moment's hesitation.
And [War]'s eagerness had, in turn, solidified [Truth]'s conviction in His own hypothesis — steeling His resolve to die in pursuit of truth for all.
When [Deceit] arrived on the scene and discovered that it was [War] who had safeguarded [Truth]'s experiment, His expression turned extraordinarily grim.
If [Truth]'s experiment merely revealed the truth to the world, then [War]'s presence here meant He intended to tear the sky wide open — to confront Origin head-on. After all, that had always been [War]'s sole and singular purpose.
As expected, different fears could never unite different beings.
[War], in the end, was never truly part of the Fear Faction. His one and only desire was to challenge the Supreme — and even after losing to Himself countless times, He had never given up.
But [Deceit] couldn't understand. Suppressing His fury, He addressed [War] in an icy tone:
"With what you have right now — how do you expect to win?"
In truth, the cooperation between [Deceit] and [War] had been mutual. On this front, [Deceit] had neither failed [War] nor deceived Him. It was [War], driven solely by His obsession with battle, who had betrayed [Deceit].
He knew He was in the wrong, yet He had no desire to turn back.
He simply gazed beyond the universe, spirits blazing:
"[War] lies in the fighting and in the struggling — but never in winning or losing!
From the day I shattered [Order] with my own hands, I have yearned for this moment day and night. All I seek is to challenge the first creation of this world. Win or lose, I will have been worthy of the divine name [War] above my head.
This, too, is the meaning of my existence.
[Deceit], though I have broken our pact, this is no reckless impulse.
You told me yourself — beyond this universe lie countless others, each containing another me. Since they are all me, when I cry out in blazing blood, every one of them will answer in roaring flame!
I cannot imagine how magnificent and fierce such a war would be. I only know that battlefield is my destiny.
'He' bestowed upon me the bloodlust of [War]; I shall return to Him a war worthy of that bloodlust. If I win, the fear in your hearts will vanish. If I lose, then every being in the universe will know terror.
Either way, I will have honored 'His' divine name and your 'guidance.'
Where is the fault in this?
So today — blood boils, flames rage, and I march to war!"
The instant His words fell, under the gods' stunned gazes, the entire universe shuddered violently. Then the reconstructing world ceased its cycles of destruction — it froze in place, and at some bizarre frequency, began to resonate with something beyond the universe.
The boundless Void began to peel away. Behind the nothingness, the iridescent colors of [Existence] bled through. One glance told every god these were Existence Rifts — yet the divine power seeping through these gaps between parallel worlds felt disturbingly unfamiliar and chaotic.
Whatever lay on the other side of these rifts didn't resemble the parallel timelines that [Time] had derived. Could what lurked behind them be the truth that [Truth] had sought?
But what was it, exactly?
Before anyone could ponder further, the substantive flow of [Time]'s power that had enveloped the universe fractured like a spider web — cracking open like an egg breaking its shell, admitting a breath that did not belong to this starry sky.
In that instant, every god who sensed the alien presence grew deathly grave and tense.
[Fate], watching the universe careen toward catastrophe, hardened His gaze. He wrung from Himself the very last drop of divine power, ignited the Authority of the Fixed Destiny, and single-handedly suppressed the universe's resonance.
[Birth] followed immediately. [Death] took up the relay. Every god unwilling to let the universe fall unleashed their full power, barely managing to hold the shattering world together.
Yet [Deceit] still had not moved.
[Fate] strained against the burden, spirals spinning in His eyes like whirlpools, starlight flashing like meteors. He caught sight of His sibling's utter indifference to everything unfolding, and through gritted teeth urged:
"Whatever plans or schemes you harbor, [Deceit] — the universe's collapse is absolutely not a prerequisite for your success! Why won't you act? This world is about to be destroyed!
The era must not end here, and the Fixed Destiny cannot be led astray! If the universe falls, he will die too — the [Void] Pact will be severed. Can you truly accept that?"
"Tch—
Is this really my dear sister who wanted to drag the universe into ruin?
You can't only count me as part of [Void] when it's convenient for you.
I'd love to help, but my understanding tells me it's all futile.
The only reason you're managing to hold on is that [War] hasn't struck yet. The moment He does, no one — no one — can save this starry sky.
Look — over there. He's about to begin."
The gods turned in alarm — and saw a world-burning inferno surge skyward in a reverse cascade, slamming directly into the place where [Truth]'s light shone. It was like a hammer striking a stress point, shattering the already overburdened "eggshell" beyond all recovery.
In that moment, beneath a sky raining shards of [Time]'s dissolving bubbles, the gods beheld countless identical worlds arrayed before them. Cries of disbelief and exclamations of shock rippled across every reality; scrutinizing gazes and examining stares intertwined. When the barriers of space-time came crashing down, the incredible truth of the universe was laid bare before all the gods.
The sky of this world had finally collapsed.
But not at [Truth]'s hand — it was [War] who had torn it apart.
Terror condensed in a single instant. The cacophony fell silent. Every slice universe seemed to reach an unspoken agreement, growing still at once.
And then, countless points of fire plunged like inverted meteors — streaking upward, a hundred answering one call.
In that moment, blood stained the crimson heavens, and flame illuminated the universe.
...
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