"Ahem, so...
[Ti] is destroying a world. Although the world He's targeting isn't the starry sky above us, you and I can't afford to drop our guard!
We must beware of the other world's [Ti] retaliating by destroying ours once He learns of this.
We must also beware that if [Ti] succeeds this ti, He may grow unsatisfied with our world's evolution and attempt annihilation again — then reboot a new world from [Existence]'s ashes.
Neither outco is one we can afford.
So, to ensure that you and I can continue to exist beneath this starry sky, we must resist and stop Him!"
Seeing Aph Ros closing the distance, Cheng Shi clutched his container and stood up, feigning deep analysis as he circled the table.
"As I've said: know your enemy to defeat your enemy.
To beat [Ti], we first need to fathom His will, then extrapolate His next move from that will, so we can intercept and disrupt.
We already know [Ti] is sparing no effort to preserve [Existence]'s uniqueness. But why He developed this obsession, and where His will originates from...
These minute details will help us — or let
be blunter — will help my Benefactor, [Deceit], to pierce [Ti]'s conspiracy!"
At this, Aph Ros sobered slightly. He lay sideways on the table, sowhat puzzled:
"Every god's will derives from 'Him'...
[Ti] protecting [Existence]'s uniqueness is the universe's orthodoxy. What's there to trace back to?"
"Plenty!
If you believe [Ti] listens only to that 'Him,' you're wrong — dead wrong!"
After witnessing the real universe's turmoil, Cheng Shi no longer dared utter that being's na aloud. Whenever He ca up, Cheng Shi substituted with silence.
"Before now, [Ti] had never committed an act of destruction.
Past and future are rely the angles from which He views the universe. Since He stands above the river of ti to gaze upon the world, why would He bring destruction to another one?
That annihilation, in His eyes, could just as easily be that world's past, not its future.
So His intent to destroy worlds is far from simple. If you can't figure it out, don't bother trying — just tell
how you provoked [Ti]'s will. If we reason backward from the past, we'll naturally see when [Ti]'s ambitions first took root!"
Aph Ros's brow furrowed. He understood now — Cheng Shi was asking why He'd been imprisoned by [Ti].
This was an old wound He'd rather not reopen. But the atmosphere was thick with reminiscence today, and His brother had been genuinely sincere. Swept up in the mont, Aph Ros beca candid in turn.
Candid as His body.
He gazed at Dolgod's distant sunset, and a nostalgic smile played across His face.
Clearly He was recounting His own "cri" — yet Aph Ros harbored not an ounce of "remorse." From start to finish, He believed Himself... blaless.
"I've always believed that the one who wanted to imprison
wasn't [Ti] alone, but all of [Existence]. After all, the first [Existence] I desecrated was [mory]..."
'Here it cos!'
The Mirror of Delusion!
How exactly had this Servant God-level creation been split into the Dreamless Mirror and That Dream My Nightmare? Cheng Shi was dying to know.
His spirits surged, and both ears practically snapped to attention.
"It was the dawn of the fifth era. Thanks to the opportunity [Existence] brought, I was fortunate enough to beco a favored of both Benefactors — a twisted dual Envoy.
But coexisting faiths were far from unified wills. To fully realize my vision, I kept searching for a way to build a pure paradise of Descent.
I observed the world ceaselessly, drifting through various faiths, watching how people worshipped their gods and expressed their devotion — hoping to sketch my paradise's blueprint from the aspirations of these humble believers.
It was then that I found a group — a sect of [mory] followers.
They called themselves 'Mirror People,' a circle of mory keepers. Though the era's wheel was already half-turned, [mory] and [Ti] had yet to descend. They were essentially Seedling Followers — having sensed the current of mory flowing through the universe, they'd gathered spontaneously to pray for their new god's arrival.
Though few in number, their devotion was plain to see. They exchanged mories with each other, shared every history they knew, and annotated the passage of ages through the act of rembering.
But since mortals couldn't be sure whether such a god would ever notice this fresh devotion, their gatherings, though frequent, were like headless flies."
Hearing this, Cheng Shi's eyelid twitched. He seed to guess what was coming. His tone grew strange as he interjected:
"So you... gave them a little help?"
"Precisely!"
Aph Ros suddenly stood up on the table. He was profoundly satisfied with the word "help" — so satisfied that the gaze He fixed on Cheng Shi once again brimd with "admiration."
"My brother — in all this universe, only you truly understand !
I did indeed help them."
"..."
"But I knew their devotion was itself a form of desire — one that shouldn't be warped. So I used no tricks. I simply approached one of their organizers as a foreign traveler, coincidentally crossing paths. And through storytelling, I described how the people of Dolgod worshipped their gods.
Of course, I never ntioned Dolgod by na — I substituted another city. I told him about Object Worship — how dedicating prayers through physical objects best attracted divine attention."
'Wait!'
'Object Worship?'
Cheng Shi froze, suddenly recalling the reward he'd earned in that [Birth] trial — the God-Worshipping Wood Carving.
Indeed — whether it was the wood carvings or the massive divine statue atop the Theocracy of Growth, Dolgod's people had clearly been channeling their devotion through objects.
"I only wanted their devotion to not go wasted — their yearning to receive an answer. So I offered a small nudge.
And that organizer didn't disappoint. Perhaps my story inspired him, for at the very next gathering, he crafted an enormous mirror."
"!!??"
Cheng Shi's pupils contracted. "The Mirror of Delusion?"
"Correct — that was the Mirror of Delusion's prototype.
The Mirror People — those Seedling Followers of [mory] — began praying day and night before the mirror, beseeching it to reveal their Benefactor and bring guidance to the world.
But [mory] seed unmoved by them. Year after year, the mirror showed nothing.
Back then, ti ant nothing to . So I watched them for many years, until their numbers swelled, their organization grew, and their prayers solidified. I thought: 'Surely this great a plea of faith will catch His eye.' Yet still — nothing.
By then, the voice of [Order] rang across the land. The call of [Truth] surged like tides. Even Wild Gods had their prayers answered.
[mory] alone remained cold — more aloof than [Truth] itself.
Ti ant nothing to , but it was everything to mortals. With no light at the end of the tunnel, many elder Mirror People saw their faith crumble. They grew disheartened.
They looked ready to give up.
But how could desire be extinguished?"
"..." Cheng Shi understood. He sighed: "So you helped them once more?"
"Yes!
This ti, I used my power!
I solidified their desire, thereby reinforcing the conviction of their faith. But I never imagined that this validation — born from desire — would drive them to the opposite extre..."
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