Though sowhat surprised by Cheng Shi's never-before-seen ambush technique, Wang Weijin still blocked the strike.
The instant Shadow Cheng Shi's dagger pierced his flank, an identical stabbing force erupted from inside his abdon, colliding with the blade head-on. The two forces locked in a stalemate, preventing the dagger from advancing a single inch further.
Imdiately after, the Doctor — still single-mindedly devouring Zangier's head — freed one hand and ripped open his own belly. As blood sprayed everywhere, the onlookers saw nothing inside but entrails hollowed out, replaced by arms clutching each other in a tangled mass.
The Faith Stitching Experint!
The feat 0221 had once pulled off behind Zangier's back was now being replicated here by his host body, Wang Weijin.
The arms burst into daylight and shot outward, latching onto the inverted Zangier, frantically tearing at his flesh.
Wang Weijin stood beneath, bathing in blood as he fed. The scene was nothing short of hellish.
Cheng Shi frowned deeply. Playing it steady, he had Shadow Cheng Shi activate the Another Day Assassin's ability to run simulations — but after dozens of attempts, the opponent never failed once. Cheng Shi's expression darkened further.
"You're not the Doctor. Who are you, really?"
Wang Weijin dropped the act. He could already feel the other slices' consciousness beginning to absorb the "truth" from Zangier's mind — proof his experint had succeeded. He'd rged Zangier's knowledge in plain sight.
He threw back his head and laughed, tossing the gnawed skull aside, and looked at Cheng Shi — drenched in blood — shaking his head with a smile:
"Fate Weaver, I know you're a cautious man. But even the most cautious person slips up against a ticulous plan.
He always held out hope for you. Pity — this ti, I can make him accept his fate."
"He"!
The mont Cheng Shi heard that pronoun, he realized his suspicion was correct. This person was absolutely not the Doctor — and "he" referred to the original Doctor he knew.
Given the personality on display, this was more like 0221!
Could the personality that split off during the Doctor's slice-fusion have been a dormant 0221?
"Who are you? A resurrected 0221?" he asked, voice low.
"Sharp guess — but wrong.
I'm not 0221. I'm... Wang Weijin."
With that, Wang Weijin produced a dagger with a sinister smile and without a mont's hesitation plunged it straight at his own throat.
Villains often die from talking too much. But Wang Weijin neither over-talked nor sought survival. Once the objective was complete, he intended to erase himself imdiately to prevent further complications.
But this land ultimately belonged to Aph Ros. Without His permission, no one — mortal or otherwise — got to choose between life and death.
Go Lis's tentacles — which had never once restrained Wang Weijin — instantly coiled around every one of his limbs, hoisting him upside down in the air just like Zangier.
Restrained but unperturbed, Wang Weijin looked at the playfully smiling Aph Ros and laughed in return:
"I should thank You, dual Envoy. Were it not for Your arrogance, how could I have achieved my goal?
But the one I must thank most is you, Cheng Shi.
If you hadn't killed my rebellious slice 0221, perhaps my return wouldn't have co so soon!"
'It's him!'
Cheng Shi's pupils contracted. He finally understood what the na "Wang Weijin" signified.
That wasn't the Doctor's na, nor a split personality. It was the original host body that both the Doctor and 0221 had branched from — the first [Truth] follower, Wang Weijin, who had sliced himself apart only to be killed by 0221.
He hadn't died!
No — more accurately, he'd left failsafes inside his slices. He was the host body, the original architect of the slice experint. What hidden chanisms had been edited into those slices? Only he would know.
'No wonder!'
So the Doctor had been compromised.
Fury kindled in Cheng Shi's heart, but his surface remained breezy as he mocked:
"Tch—
A con artist getting outplayed by a [Truth] follower. What a brain the Doctor had.
Oh, my apologies — I forgot. You're the sa person.
Strange, then. If you're the sa person, how is it that you alternate between stupid and... even more stupid?
Wang Weijin, you don't actually think you've won, do you?
Use that shriveled little brain of yours and think. Standing before you is a dual Envoy of [Birth] and [Corruption], a [Void] walker who subdued 0221, and a [Truth] top-ranker who's obsess... essed with the Life Extension Departnt's techniques!
Even if 0221 was your glorious past — do you really think you're stronger than he was?
And where does the confidence co from that you can escape unscathed right under our noses?
See what's wrapped around ? Go Lis's tentacles!
Aph Ros would rather bind
than bind you. Care to guess why He let you gnaw Zangier's skull clean?
Can't figure it out?
He's right here. Why not ask Him directly."
Cheng Shi's mockery was at maximum. Wang Weijin did have doubts, but he couldn't detect anything wrong. Unwilling to believe the experint he'd completed had any flaws, he chalked it up to Cheng Shi throwing a tantrum of impotent rage.
Still, his gaze drifted to Aph Ros. And that's when Aph Ros began to smile.
Though Cheng Shi had spoken with absolute conviction, He knew His brother was actually burning with curiosity about what trap had been set. Yu Xi had simply used Wang Weijin's mouth to ask the question for him. Since it had co to this, it was ti for the reveal.
He stepped forward with a light laugh, looked up at the dangling Wang Weijin and Zangier's carcass, and said softly:
"I did nothing."
"?"
"?"
"?"
All three were dumbfounded.
"But it seems you've all overlooked sothing. Haven't you considered...
When this Stars Dagger experint shifted every experintal life's faith to my brother Yu Xi — as the experint's supporting structure, its very environnt — what kind of effect would that have on this [Truth] follower Zangier?
Just as I thought. None of you considered it.
Well then — allow
to reveal the answer!"
Aph Ros threw back His head in uproarious laughter and casually withdrew all of Go Lis's tentacles.
Everyone present — including Wang Weijin and Zangier's remains — was unbound and dumped onto the ground. And before Wang Weijin could recover from his shock, a surge of devout faith suddenly flooded his consciousness, seizing complete control of his thoughts.
He clutched his head in panicked bewilder, yet his mouth moved on its own, pouring out praise:
"Praise be to the great Lord of the World. Praise to the Creator above sun and moon. Praise the protector of all people, the great Lord Yu Xi. Your most devoted follower... Wang Weijin... sends his respects."
With that, Wang Weijin collapsed to his knees and stretched his hands toward the sky in supplication.
"?????"
'Dude — what is even happening?!'
Cheng Shi was stupefied. Galusha blinked — then burst out laughing.
"Do you know why Wei Zhi only eats [Truth] followers?
Because he's afraid of swallowing the wrong faith."
"Precisely," Aph Ros laughed heartily. "The puppet master also shared a piece of wisdom with : faith is, itself, a form of knowledge.
Zangier used to be an unwavering [Truth] follower. But under the experint's influence — no, more accurately, under the influence of that mask — his faith had grown muddied.
He wouldn't have gone this way on his own. But the trouble was that every heart harbors desire. He wasn't content being an obedient prisoner. Just like before with the real Stars Dagger, he'd been searching for a way to escape.
And borrowing the Power of Faith from that mask was the first step of his prison-break plan.
I sensed his desire — but I didn't stop him. Because I found it amusing. Not only that — I helped him."
"..."
'Are you sure "helped" is the right word?'
Ever since learning what Aph Ros had done to the Mirror People, Cheng Shi could no longer look at the word "help" with a straight face.
"I snuffed out all his other desires, preserving only his obsession with faith. Through repeated filtration, his desire finally shifted.
In other words, Zangier's muddied faith pool now contained a new elent called Yu Xi — one that grew stronger by the day.
So naturally, this young man who assimilated Zangier's faith... had his own faith muddied along with it."
"..." Cheng Shi seed to understand. He stared, wide-eyed, at the kneeling Wang Weijin. "You an..."
"Exactly what you're thinking. He's beco a devout Yu Xi follower." Aph Ros cast Cheng Shi a aningful look and smiled. "Let's hope he didn't share the knowledge with his other slices too quickly. Otherwise...
The great Yu Xi is about to gain a whole new batch of devoted followers."
"..."
'Wait — hold on!'
'The Doctor... beca my follower?!'
...
anwhile, on the other side.
Wang Mou — the original Doctor, locked in his cell — heard the experint chamber echoing with chorus-like hymns to "Yu Xi." And despite himself, he too began to chant along.
"Praise be to the great Lord of the World, praise..."
He couldn't understand why a strange devotion had risen in his heart. He didn't know what was happening in Dolgod. But he knew it had to be Wang Weijin who'd been affected — and the effect had cascaded to him.
Though he and Wang Weijin were currently adversaries, it was important to rember: whether it was 0221 or the Doctor, they were all the sa kind of slice — slices of a player nad Wang Weijin.
So Faith Synchronization worked on them all the sa.
...
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