Chapter 1303: Time to Wake Up |
When the boss of Death arrived, Cheng Shi's heart clenched tight.
He hoped this was the third path that the Flame of Hope had found for him — but that hope had barely begun to rise before it shattered.
Anyone who heard Death's question would realize that this true god, who rarely left the Fishbone Hall, had known about the Outer God Fate's plan all along. He had come to confirm — not to truly challenge.
That meant all the protection Death had given him before was very likely part of a performance staged in coordination with the Outer God!
Together, they had used flawless acting to deceive him straight into the Fear Faction's camp!
Cheng Shi raged. Cheng Shi grew weary. Cheng Shi laughed.
When he saw that his only hope was, in truth, despair — he knew there was nothing left in this world for him to rely on.
Everything was a delusion. Even the desire to survive was a luxury.
Time to wake up from the dream...
"I believe I explained all of this to you long ago. If you didn't believe me then, why come to question me only now?
I cannot guarantee it — but I am confident.
Fixed Destiny has indeed failed once before. But it was precisely because of that failure that I was able to see through the Origin's will.
A single world's answer cannot satisfy His expectations for a 'sacrifice.' True Fixed Destiny has always come from the Real Universe.
I already have a plan. Once I take Fixed Destiny away and complete the 'sacrifice,' should the Origin approve, then this experiment may end right here — and countless worlds will be redeemed!
I have said it before: I am saving the world. Just not our world — the greater world.
I sheltered the Torchbearers and bound Fixed Destiny to them precisely so they would understand that true success was never confined to a single corner.
Unfortunately, Fixed Destiny refused to see reason, and the Torchbearers went astray."
This was perhaps the most candid the Outer God Fate had ever been. It was clear He truly harbored a desire to "save the world." His starting point was never about tormenting a Clown — He merely wished to sacrifice the Clown to fulfill the "task" that the Origin had assigned to Fate, thereby gaining an audience with that omniscient, omnipotent Creator and persuading Him to end this experiment and save every world.
Yet His candor only deepened the terror felt by mortals and gods alike.
The colossal skull said nothing. The gods exchanged uneasy glances. Qin Xin continued to draw his bow. Only Big Cat, having cast aside all fear and thrown caution entirely to the wind, pointed at Fate's eyes and roared:
"What a joke!
You just admitted this is nothing more than your own idea! In the Origin's eyes, you're just another variable in the experiment — so what does your confidence even count for?
How are you any different from the Truth you murdered? Aren't both of you just using the world as a testing ground for experiments that please yourselves?!
You're satisfying your own 'devotion' while trampling on the lives of an entire world!"
The Outer God Fate's gaze drifted toward Hong Lin, but His eyes slid past Big Cat and settled on His follower.
His apathy remained unchanged:
"So what if it's an experiment?
Countless Deceits, countless Fates, countless Fixed Destinies — they all wagered their lives, gambling everything on the Origin's answer...
Why is it acceptable for them to die, but not for you and me?
How can you find the answer without trying? How can you win the future without gambling?
My follower, you should be honored. When the Origin turns His gaze upon my offering, your name may echo across countless universes simultaneously. All of creation will remember the sacrifice you made for the greater world. You..."
"Go to hell!"
Cheng Shi cut the Outer God's cold rhetoric short, his voice dripping with manic derision:
"Over and over, it's nothing but coercion dressed as purpose. Too bad for you — my will is the same as the true Deceit's. Always rebellious.
The more you want me to be Fixed Destiny, the more I'll tear myself free from it!
The way I see it, what you care about is no different from what we care about for ourselves. Sounds noble — for the greater world, you say?
Bullshit!
If I told you right now that I understand the Origin better than you — that I have a better chance of saving countless worlds — would you believe me? Would you walk away and abandon your plan?!
You wouldn't!"
"I would."
A flash of starlight glimmered in the Outer God Fate's eyes — but an instant later, they turned cold and merciless again. "But you can't.
No one can save the world except me."
"..."
Cheng Shi laughed bitterly. He realized this argument was utterly pointless. The only reason they were still alive was that the Outer God was waiting for some Spacetime Storm to arrive.
Once that storm — powerful enough to let someone traverse time and space — descended, no amount of debate would matter.
Cheng Shi saw it clearly now. Trying to make the Outer God Fate understand Fixed Destiny's position was nothing but wishful thinking.
"Deceit was right — some people are born to tear down the thrones from under the gods!
Maybe Deceit was never truly the face of Void. Maybe He was the one who saw through to the essence all along.
As for you, Fate — hahaha — in my eyes, you're nothing but a..."
He paused, giving "someone else" a chance to vent.
"Bitch."
Enunciated to perfection, straight from the heart!
The Fool's Lips had spoken up. Brother Mouth could not accept the reality that his Benefactor had long since perished, nor could he bear the humiliation of being kept in the dark by the Outer God like a fool. He had wanted to lash out for ages, but held back to keep Cheng Shi from being dragged into an even worse position. He had endured until now — until Cheng Shi reached his own breaking point and gave him the opening.
The Outer God Fate could tolerate Fixed Destiny's emotional outbursts and mockery — but that did not mean just anyone could mouth off at Him. Those cold eyes flicked toward the Fool's Lips, and with a single merciless blink, Cheng Shi heard a sound of shattering beside his ear.
"Crack."
The sound was faint — so faint that Cheng Shi thought he was hearing things.
And yet it was deafening — because in the instant he realized what had happened, it felt as though an invisible gravity had crushed every last molecule of air from his lungs. He could not breathe.
Trembling, as if struck mute, he reached for his mouth — but could no longer feel the Fool's Lips responding.
"Brother Mouth!!"
Cheng Shi's entire body convulsed. He screamed inside his mind, calling out desperately — but the voice within... never came again.
'You're leaving me too?'
The man who had been cursing at the top of his lungs a moment ago suddenly deflated, slumping lifelessly onto the leopard's back.
"Cheng Shi! What happened?!"
Hong Lin was frantic. Qin Xin whipped his head around in shock. The Cheng Shi sitting atop Big Cat seemed to have lost every ounce of fighting spirit in a single heartbeat, falling utterly silent.
Seeing this, Fate murmured in a low, spectral voice:
"It was the first — but it will not be the last.
I told you: there are always lives unworthy of surviving until Void's curtain falls. The longer you struggle, the fewer will remain. This is the farewell performance of the Void Era.
Whether you dye this curtain crimson with blood or bid this stage farewell with laughter and joy — it all depends on your choice.
Fixed Destiny cannot be defied. And I believe that at this very moment, you understand that better than any of them."
"..."
Those were words that struck at the very heart!
Hong Lin's face twisted. She bucked Cheng Shi off her back, reverted to human form, seized his arm, and shook her head violently:
"Cheng Shi, don't listen to Him! Since the dawn of time, submission has always led to bloodshed — only resistance offers a way out!
You said it yourself — everyone has their own choices. Don't make ours for us! Our choice is to struggle, to stand, to fight — to fall on the road to the light even if it kills us!
All you need to do is lead us in breaking the shackles of Fate, in shattering its chains, and fight for a future without Fate — no, without gods at all! Not to listen to an Outer God's words, twist yourself, and wallow in humiliation and hesitation!
We don't need you to save us. We are saving ourselves!"
She set Cheng Shi gently on the ground, whirled around, and glared at the Outer God. She unleashed the full power of her Authority of Prosperity. Her hair danced like sprouting tendrils, and in an instant, wild-growing branches wove a crown of Prosperity atop her head.
But it did not stop there. Countless roots extended from the green crown, plunging into the surrounding starry sky, drawing upon its power, making Hong Lin's body swell with ever-greater strength. Her arm transformed into a spear, leveled at the Outer God, fury blazing in her eyes:
"So what if we dye the curtain in blood? Dye it vivid enough, and it'll make a fine shroud for your coffin!"
The moment the word "coffin" left her lips, a real coffin suddenly squeezed through a Void rift torn open by a branch of Prosperity!
Its lid slid open three inches, and a slender hand reached out. Without a single word, it seized the soul-shattered Cheng Shi and yanked him inside.
The lid flipped. Figures switched.
The person from within the coffin appeared before the assembled gods, while the coffin — now hiding a person — was instantly pushed back into the Void rift.
The newcomer dusted off their hands when it was done, ignored the Outer God Fate's icy stare, and squinted at the colossal skull sitting atop the Bone Throne. Their voice dipped low:
"My lord, my devotion ends here."
