"You've probably already guessed it.
When you pull the perspective back from this starry sky to the entire real universe, your Benefactor's laughable will becos nothing more than a joke.
I'm not singling Him out — all the gods are the sa. All of them are jokes.
The Creator's experint must have so result, but no one knows what it is.
The gods' devotion to Him is undoubtedly the clearest guiding sign. So if your Benefactor still wishes to fulfill His will and achieve His grand ambition, He has no choice but to beco the most 'correct' [Oblivion] among the countless slice universes!
And that is precisely why I said [Oblivion] is about to disappear. Because once another [Oblivion] beats Him to the finish line, the only fate left for the failed sample is extinction."
The scene was deathly silent. Herobos had all but annihilated the sound of His own breathing. His expression shifted through several changes as if He were weighing the truth of Cheng Shi's words. After a long pause, He spoke coldly:
"Proof.
I cannot take a liar at his word."
Cheng Shi scoffed:
"Tsk—
Herobos, I think you have the wrong idea here.
I'm not here to tell stories and win your trust. I'm doing you a favor out of the goodness of my heart. Believe
or don't.
What does it have to do with ?"
Herobos's expression darkened: "I doubt your heart is all that good."
Cheng Shi shrugged:
"Fine, I admit it. I'm sick of your Benefactor hunting . The Faith Ga isn't over yet, and I haven't truly beco [Deceit]'s Envoy.
This is my only chance in this era. I won't let [Oblivion] stop
from ascending to godhood."
"So you fabricated all this to blunt my offensive?
If you're not yet a true Envoy, Cheng Shi, how dare you stand before
and spout such arrogance?"
With that, Herobos moved to strike again — but Cheng Shi made no move to defend himself. He simply stood there, smiling as casually as ever:
"Those who are too suspicious will always fail due to hesitation.
The fact that you didn't annihilate
the mont you had doubts proves you're not certain whether what I said is true.
I have no patience to make you believe every word I say. Whether any of this is real — you'll have to verify it yourself. All I can do is offer you a suggestion. A suggestion for how to preserve your Benefactor in the real universe.
If you want to hear it, then shut up and listen.
If you don't — go ahead, try using your Hand of Purifying Weevil."
"..."
Herobos froze in place once more.
It was no wonder He was so conflicted. Anyone else would have died eight hundred tis over by now. But the man standing before Him was both [Deceit]'s protege and [Fate]'s favored child, and now he was claiming to be the Envoy elevated by [Deceit]...
Yes, Herobos knew the Convention existed to draw closer to Him. But the revelation of the real universe had already overturned the gods' understanding of Origin. On top of that, [Deceit]'s actions were inscrutable to all. If He truly had chosen an Envoy through this absurd ga... it wasn't impossible.
More importantly, everyone knew [Deceit] was distancing Himself from Origin. Under that objective, it was perfectly logical that He could discover things the Approach Faction could not. So Herobos fell silent.
He didn't dare gamble — especially not with His own devotion and His Benefactor's will as the stakes.
He was afraid that if Cheng Shi's words turned out to be true, then [Oblivion]'s will might truly be extinguished beneath this starry sky.
What He most wanted at this mont was to return to those worlds on the brink of annihilation and consult with His Benefactor. But He also feared that Cheng Shi's claims were nothing more than a bluff. Torn between the two, He fell into Cheng Shi's rhythm.
Seeing that the Envoy neither left nor attacked, Cheng Shi's confidence solidified. He continued with a smile:
"It seems you've made your choice. Good.
Herobos, you know as well as I do — once I beco an Envoy, the tides of this era can no longer erase . I'll stand at the crest of the age just like you, watching the mortal world change and faiths rise and fall.
But how far this era can go under this starry sky depends on whether our world can catch the Creator's eye.
So this plan of mine helps you, and it helps .
Even if I win this era and beco one of the servant gods, the power I'd enjoy won't take effect until the next era begins. I'd rather not beco a god only for this world to be discarded by the Creator the very next mont. So any thod that might please the Creator — I'm willing to try."
At this, a flash of suspicion crossed Herobos's eyes.
"Your Benefactor doesn't seem to share that view. He is distancing Himself from Origin. And as the Envoy He elevated, you would seek to submit to Him?"
Cheng Shi's lips curled in an unbothered smirk:
"That's exactly why you should believe
most of all.
My rebelliousness is cut from the sa cloth as His. That's precisely what proves my will is closest to [Deceit]'s."
"?"
'That's... possible?'
Herobos was montarily stunned. 'As expected of the most aningless [Void] Era,' He thought. 'A crooked roof leads to a crooked foundation. Absurdity truly is this era's defining color.'
After a long deliberation, Herobos finally asked the question:
"What thod?"
'Here it cos!'
After all that groundwork, he'd finally reeled the Envoy in.
Cheng Shi suppressed his excitent, fixed Herobos with a burning gaze, and uttered two words with absolute seriousness:
"Usurpation."
"!!??" Herobos recoiled in shock. "You want to replace [Deceit]?!"
'That's not what I—'
Cheng Shi hurriedly waved his hands:
"No, no — wrong target. You are the one who needs to replace [Oblivion]!"
"Utter nonsense!"
In that instant, the [Oblivion] energy within Herobos erupted outward, dragging the entirety of Redi Core into a world on the brink of annihilation.
Cheng Shi stumbled, staggering before he regained his footing — only to find himself standing in the void. The furious Herobos glared at Cheng Shi with an iron-dark expression, gnashing His teeth:
"You're trying to drive a wedge!"
Cheng Shi smiled and, right before the Envoy's eyes, rang the Bone Bell — a gift from [Death]'s master — and calmly explained:
"Easy now.
This isn't a trap, nor a conspiracy.
[Death]'s presence will block your Benefactor's gaze, giving us the freedom for a more thorough discussion.
I know you are absolutely devout to your Benefactor — otherwise you wouldn't have been trying to kill
under pressure from the two masters of [Void].
But the usurpation I'm proposing isn't a betrayal of [Oblivion]. It's the salvation of [Oblivion].
Think about it — beyond annihilating the universe, what else does your Benefactor's will contain?"
Herobos gave a cold snort: "You think you understand Him better than I do?"
"No, no, no. Nobody understands [Oblivion] better than you. But I have one advantage — I look at things from a uniquely different angle.
I know [Oblivion] doesn't seek annihilation for its own sake. He also yearns for rebirth.
That desire is undoubtedly His way of trying to draw closer to the Creator. But the problem now is that too many versions of [Oblivion] are trying to impress the Creator. How do you make the Creator rember the one you follow?
It's a bit late to start thinking about it now, so let
give you the answer directly:
Rebirth!
Every [Oblivion] across every slice is walking the path of annihilating the universe, but none have found rebirth. If your Benefactor gets there first, our world will earn the Creator's attention — and at the very least, [Oblivion] will enter His field of vision."
"What does any of that have to do with usurpation?"
Cheng Shi gave a cryptic smile:
"Everything. Without casting aside all that you are, how can there be rebirth?
Look at [Decay] — why did He suddenly begin to decay Himself?
Who's to say He didn't discover the real universe's secret long ago and took the first step to compete for the Creator's favor?
I know [Oblivion] and [Decay] share the [Descent] path and help each other. But on this matter, can your Benefactor be certain [Decay] hasn't lied?
Don't forget — while they're both devout toward that Existence, they are competitors on the road to reaching Him!
So take a page from [Decay]'s book...
First, annihilate the self. Then seek rebirth.
And the first step to annihilating the self is to relinquish the Divine Throne He can't bring Himself to let go of.
But He can't do it voluntarily. Only when pushed to the brink of total despair can one burn the boats and fight. I trust you understand what I an.
If you don't, let
spell it out: this ti, you must be the villain who betrays Him.
Can you do it, Herobos?
For your Benefactor. For the will of [Oblivion]."
"..."
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