"Nice burn!"
Just as Wei Zhi's expression was growing increasingly twisted, Galusha was having the ti of her life.
Sohow, she caught the purest essence of [Folly] in Cheng Shi's tone, which only deepened her appreciation for him.
"Mr. Prisoner, my earlier offer still stands. There's room for a third in what Pe Laya and I share.
Of course, once you're in — you wouldn't be an outsider anymore, would you?"
"..."
'Like hell!'
'Lady, whose side are you even on?'
'I brought you on as an ally, not to undermine . If you're going to derail the conversation, at least derail the enemy's!'
'Don't tell
you're a mole too?'
Cheng Shi's expression was indescribably strange. Galusha flashed a manic grin, threw her head back with a few peals of laughter, then turned toward Wei Zhi, whip raised:
"Why bother talking? If these old fossils are dead set on stalling for ti, then let
save so instead.
An opportunity a [Truth] follower abandons is too good to pass up."
With that, Galusha charged straight at Wei Zhi — clearly having taken a genuine liking to the idea of claiming a Drifter's identity for herself.
Wei Zhi wasn't fazed by Galusha's attack, but what weighed on him was that this Trial had slipped beyond his calculations and was no longer going smoothly.
Setting aside whether his wish to rge with a Grand Scholar could even be fulfilled — in this dead-end situation where players had turned against him and NPCs surrounded him on all sides — survival itself was a question mark.
So to stay alive, and to bolster his leverage, Wei Zhi chose not to engage Galusha head-on. Instead, he directed his next words at Cheng Shi, his face dark with calculation:
"Fate Weaver — my wish and your goal aren't necessarily incompatible.
If you promise to let
rge with one Grand Scholar afterward, I'll turn around and help you foil the Erudition Presidium's conspiracy. What do you say?"
Cheng Shi snorted derisively. "You? A fish — or rather, a fool — who took the bait hook, line, and sinker, and you still think you can play both sides?"
"You don't believe !?" Wei Zhi dodged another lash from Galusha and let out a cold grunt. "The Truth Limit — do you believe
now?"
"?"
Cheng Shi's gaze sharpened. "You know where the Truth Limit is?"
"Of course!"
Wei Zhi was about to elaborate with more convincing details, but the mont the words "Truth Limit" left his mouth, every Grand Scholar's expression shifted.
They stared at Wei Zhi in alarm, and in the next instant they attacked — alongside Galusha.
Burza plunged everyone's vision into darkness once more. Six figures surged toward Wei Zhi's position in unison.
"!!!
Volent — have you lost your minds!?"
No matter how confident Wei Zhi was in his own abilities, he couldn't solo the entire Erudition Presidium. Before long, their coordinated assault drove him into a corner.
Watching the "teammate" who held the key to breaking free struggle under fire, the equally stunned players began lending him a hand. They couldn't just let their only lead be snuffed out — even if what Wei Zhi claid might be false, it was worth trying.
And so the situation shifted once more.
The fractured player camp, through Wei Zhi's maneuvering, reunited. anwhile, the Grand Scholars and Galusha — lifelong enemies — found themselves temporarily allied out of individual self-interest.
In an instant, the scene devolved into total chaos.
Cheng Shi didn't make a move. In the split second before Burza's darkness fell, he'd studied every Grand Scholar's expression, and he realized that Wei Zhi might truly have found the Truth Limit's location — or at least guessed it. Otherwise, the Grand Scholars wouldn't have panicked enough to try silencing him.
But how had he figured it out?
If Cheng Shi could retrace Wei Zhi's logic, this Trial might still be winnable.
While he was still thinking, the battle on the field had escalated into genuine fury.
Fang Yuan once again summoned the Blazing Sun atop his staff and, standing behind ng Youfang with furrowed brows, declared in a deep voice:
"If this is all just a ga within a ga, why not just crack the shell?
Fate Weaver — why can't we simply destroy this experint with brute force?"
"?"
'What — you think I haven't thought of that?'
'Even Go Lis was blocked from entering outside the experint. What other ans do I have to destroy it from the outside?'
'Be my guest if you can.'
Cheng Shi pursed his lips and, considering that Fang Yuan might actually have so secret [Order] trick up his sleeve, rolled his eyes and said:
"It might work, but I don't have anything powerful enough."
"I do!"
This was no ti to debate who was biting whose bait. Fang Yuan gritted his teeth, had ng Youfang shield him from the Grand Scholars' attacks, then pulled a key from inside his robes. Gripping it tightly, he declared:
"Grand Scholars — today, Tusnat will be reduced to utter ruins under the gaze of [Order].
Your [Truth] experint is finished."
With that, he channeled the power of the Wrath of Abomination, calling down a forbidden teor fire rain from the heavens!
The entire western district froze for an instant at Fang Yuan's battle cry. Everyone looked up — and saw...
Nothing.
Apart from the glow atop Fang Yuan's staff, not a single spark flickered across the sky.
"..."
"..."
"..."
The intensity of the Order Alliance president's rally cry was now matched only by the crimson shade of his mortification.
Cheng Shi never expected to witness a clown act at a ti like this. But rather than simply watching the spectacle, a flash of inspiration struck. He snapped his fingers and activated his [Fate] talent — Fate Has Divergence.
He theorized that any external force capable of destroying the experint must be blocked from outside the true experint — and that "outside" still technically fell within the Trial. So if the entire Trial's destiny veered onto a divergent path, perhaps in the depths of catastrophe a single thread of hope might appear. He tried it, and then...
Still nothing.
The sky was terrifyingly clear. Even under Burza's "lights-out" technique, not a flicker of fire or change could be seen.
In that mont, the divergent path of destiny seed to have vanished entirely.
But had it really?
Not at all!
Beyond the experint, beyond the Trial, beyond reality itself — pairs of divine eyes opened across the infinite void.
[Fate] was seething with rage. [Deceit] was no longer laughing.
[Void]'s gaze should have pierced into the Trial, but it was blocked by a massive Starlight Canon.
Also blocked was the fury of the Wrath of Abomination. His prison gate had been flung open, but when he saw that his wrath hadn't rained down at all, this Servant God of [Chaos] — this prisoner of [Order] — roared and thrust his head out of his cage, only to find three gods arrayed before him, the air crackling with tension.
"..."
The Wrath of Abomination's fire extinguished in an instant. Scrambling frantically, he gathered up the scraps of fury that had spilled past his cage door and swept back inside like a gust of wind.
He didn't dare intervene. He didn't want to intervene. But the situation left him no choice.
[Fate]'s power, triggered by a follower within the Trial, manifested as a great hand of misfortune that once again pulled open — no, outright ripped off — the Wrath of Abomination's cage door, forcing him to unleash his fury upon this bizarre Trial.
The Wrath of Abomination trembled, not daring to refuse. After all, [Void] had two against one — even if [Truth] settled accounts later, that was still better than being dispatched on the spot.
But just as he was mustering his emotions for another howl, [Order] descended.
Precisely — [Order]. Or rather, the Iron Law!
The instant this [Order] — purged of every trace of [Chaos] within itself — appeared, it stuffed the Wrath of Abomination's roar right back down his throat. The Iron Law personally sealed its old subordinate's cage door shut, then, before all the assembled gods, hurled the hapless Wrath of Abomination into the depths of the void.
[Fate]'s gaze grew colder still. It turned toward [Order] and spoke in barely contained fury:
"It seems [Civilization] wants to go to war with ?
Very well. If so — then where is [War]?"
"..."
At those words, the most uncomfortable god present was, ironically, not either mber of [Civilization] — it was [Deceit].
[Deceit] was the one who'd hidden [War] for its own plans. It could hardly embarrass its sibling god now by announcing that a two-on-two sounded lovely. [Fate] had, for once, stood beside [Deceit] because of its follower — it couldn't very well undercut its own position.
But if [Deceit] wouldn't do the undercutting, soone else would.
The massive Starlight Canon flipped its pages rapidly, turning to [Deceit] with a smile:
"I'm curious too — why hasn't [War] co?"
[Deceit] wouldn't badmouth its own sibling in front of other Paths, but that didn't an it wouldn't take a jab at [Truth]. Hearing this, it imdiately fired back:
"Is this how you pursue truth?
'A hundred thousand whys'?
If asking questions were all it took to get answers, the universe would've already been flooded with truth.
Tch — you bookworm. You don't actually think the two of you can stop [Void], do you?"
Before [Truth] could respond, [Fate] cut in coldly:
"I ca to protect my follower. This has nothing to do with you.
And your own affairs — don't drag [Void] into them."
"..."
'Whose side are you on!?'
[Deceit] was so angry it nearly laughed. The starry points within its eyes began flickering wildly.
"Fine, fine, fine. Go protect your follower. I'm staying out of this."
Then it glanced at the looming [Order] and sneered:
"So gods forget their roots far too quickly. Think stealing soone else's throne ans you can replace them?
[Order] is long gone. And the scraps of paper it left behind — what kind of order do they represent?
Hmph!"
With that, [Deceit]'s eyes gradually faded. But no one believed it would simply walk away.
Sure enough — upon discovering that its roundabout approach was useless — [Deceit], face dark, reappeared exactly where it had been. It peered into the depths of the void and spoke with rciless mockery:
"You really think [Void] is your backyard?
[Oblivion] — just what do you think you are?"
Indeed — [Oblivion] had arrived. It was the one that had forced [Deceit] back. Of course, [Oblivion] alone wouldn't have been enough — but if [Truth] insisted on getting an answer here, and with [Civilization]'s backing, [Oblivion] was willing to try.
Seeing the standoff deepen, the pages of the Starlight Canon turned faster still.
"Everyone, please remain calm. The experint will begin shortly — and it will end shortly as well."
Fine words, but [Fate] had run out of patience. Provoked by the gods ti and again, unable to protect its own follower, [Fate] erupted in fury — directly invoking the authority of Misfortune and dragging the entire universe into true misfortune!
In an instant, the void began to crumble. Vast swathes of blackness peeled away, revealing the even more hollow nothingness beneath.
Every god present changed color.
Those who hadn't yet appeared began descending one after another — all except [Ti] — each radiating divine power to prop up the collapsing universe.
[Fate] held nothing back. None of them dared take it lightly. A single mont of carelessness, and this world would truly be done for.
"Have you gone mad!?"
[Oblivion] couldn't stay seated any longer. This was the second ti it had felt [Fate]'s wrath, and this ti it was far more violent than the last.
[Fate]'s gaze grew colder than ever, as though a single look could freeze the void for eternity. It swept its eyes across the assembled gods and spoke without a shred of emotion:
"Since my follower wishes for fate to diverge — then [Fate] shall diverge!"
"..."
"..."
"..."
Who was whose Benefactor, exactly!?
And who was devout to whom!!??
For a mont, the gods stared at each other in utter speechlessness.
Only [Deceit] looked at [Fate] — the corner of its eye lifted, though there was no joy in it.
...
Reviews
All reviews (0)