anwhile.
Cheng Shi had not been at ease these past two days. He was waiting for [Death]'s boss to summon him.
Whether it was the Fun God or that sly deity, or [Chaos] and [Ti] — none of his four Benefactors had paid him any attention these past few days. This left Cheng Shi so anxious that he could only pin all his hopes on that particular lord.
Fortunately, [Death]'s boss was reliably dependable. Shortly before the Trial ended, the long-waiting Clown finally received word.
An irresistible force pulled him into the void, where he found Herobos — looking even more nervous than himself.
Clearly, all the preparatory work was in place. Now Herobos simply needed to formally request to inherit [Oblivion]'s authority. Then that lord would relay it to [Justice (Order)], who would convene the Assembly of Gods Convention, and the "usurpation" would officially begin.
Yet at this critical mont, Herobos showed signs of "cold feet."
He tried to speak several tis, but each ti His expression would shift and He'd swallow the words. Seeing this, Cheng Shi offered no encouragent — instead, he went all out with mockery:
"You didn't look like this during our negotiations, Herobos.
What, getting scared?
You don't actually think there's a way back at this point, do you?
I already told you — if I played false in this 'usurpation,' the true gods I lobbied would never let
off. Now I'll say the sa to you.
If you back out, not only will they co for you — I'll be the first to inform your Benefactor, who's still in the dark, exactly how you conspired with
to steal His throne."
"You!!!"
Herobos's pupils contracted. He wanted nothing more than to erase this insufferable [Deceit] envoy on the spot.
But He couldn't.
So He drew a deep breath and spoke in a low, resolute tone:
"Once decided, there are no regrets.
You needn't provoke . I do this not for myself, but for the continuation of the true will of [Oblivion].
I have never betrayed my faith — not in the past, not now, and not in the future!"
Hearing this, Cheng Shi pursed his lips.
'You certainly haven't in the past. In the future, [Oblivion] will be you, so you wouldn't betray yourself. As for the present...'
'I used that pitch to deceive you, but I never expected you'd actually deceive yourself.'
'This "devotion" is truly admirable.'
'But hey — whatever makes you happy. [Oblivion] falling from the Divine Throne? That makes
happy.'
Cheng Shi nodded in appreciation, then raised his hand to urge the Envoy to hurry up and begin.
Herobos clenched His fists, agonized for a long while, then finally relaxed His hands. His gaze turned resolute:
"I, servant god of [Descent], Envoy of [Oblivion], the Hand of Purifying Weevil — Herobos — hereby formally petition the Convention to inherit my Master [Oblivion]'s Divine Throne and authority.
I request that the great sovereign of [Void], [Deceit], relay this petition to [Justice (Order)], so that the Assembly of Gods Convention may be convened for a vote on this matter!"
"?"
'Why the Fun God?'
Cheng Shi blinked. He'd assud the relay duty would fall to [Death]'s boss, but the Fun God wasn't a bad choice either. He'd certainly vote in favor — such pri entertainnt would have Him shouldering aside that lord to claim a front-row seat, which was perfectly in character.
At this mont, the anxiety in Cheng Shi's heart was no less than Herobos's. This was, after all, a mortal's supre provocation against a true god — far more audacious than the blasphemy before him. It would be a lie to say he wasn't afraid. But even more than fear, what he felt was excitent and anticipation.
As the last echo of Herobos's words faded, two pounding hearts were the only sound in the void. Before long, the void's sky churned — all the hollow darkness ca alive with vibrant energy.
Before those star-bright eyes with their upturned corners had even opened, both of them heard a sound drifting from the depths of the void:
"Hee~"
The gleeful exclamation struck like thunder, making both of them shudder. By the ti they steadied themselves, those eyes — star-points swirling in frenzied spirals — had already opened above their heads.
"What audacity!
Throughout all of history, you're the first to ever demand your own Benefactor's Divine Throne.
Given that your original intent wasn't entirely selfish ambition — there's still so genuine piety in there — this favor...
Hee~
I'll gladly oblige!"
"..."
After [Deceit]'s declaration, Herobos's face turned green.
'What?!'
'The way You're framing this, it sounds like I'm the mastermind!'
'I was pushed along to this point by all of you, and now — before the Convention has even started — the bla's already on my head?!'
He didn't dare bla a true god, so He could only glare furiously at Cheng Shi.
Cheng Shi had a headache too.
'Benefactor, oh Benefactor — You truly love watching chaos unfold. We're literally at the finish line. Why did You have to antagonize Him at this exact mont?'
'What if sothing goes wrong now?'
'Couldn't You just hold it in and save the sarcasm for the Assembly vote?'
But the truth was, the Fun God couldn't hold back for even a second. Though He hadn't laughed out loud, those perpetually upturned eye-corners made it clear His laughter had never stopped.
Left with no choice, Cheng Shi could only do his best to console Herobos:
"Ignore Him — He's got a screw loose.
Besides, once you're on the true god's throne, He won't be strutting around for much longer. When the ti cos, don't forget to give
your vote."
Cheng Shi's consolation bound their positions together, putting Herobos slightly more at ease.
He knew He was already on the pirate ship. So He might as well let the pirates celebrate. He closed His eyes, bowed His head, and began thinking about how to face the Benefactor who would soon stand opposing Him.
Those eyes saw there was no more fun to be had. They blinked, relayed Herobos's petition in its entirety to [Justice (Order)], and added:
"Old fossil, you heard everything. Ti to do your job.
The Convention doesn't prohibit an Envoy from inheriting authority while a true god still lives. This petition is valid. Hurry — summon everyone. I want to vote!"
"..."
The void stirred once more. A set of Scales — forged of starlight and strung upon beams of flowing radiance — descended from endless darkness. The instant it appeared, the entire void locked into rigid, unyielding order. Its emotionless gaze swept over those eyes, then down to Herobos and Cheng Shi at His feet, and spoke in a resonant hum:
"What you have done — is this not treating the Convention as a farce?"
As befitting the representative of supre law — [Justice (Order)] — His very first words nearly made Herobos buckle at the waist. Cheng Shi, on the other hand, knew that [Order] had long since fractured into pieces and was nothing to be afraid of. He watched with keen interest as his Benefactor handled the rebuttal.
Yet [Deceit] didn't bother refuting at all. He simply nodded: "So what if it is?"
"..."
"..."
"..."
Had anyone other than [Justice (Order)] been on the receiving end of that reply, they probably would have started a fight with [Deceit] right then. But He couldn't — because just as [Death]'s boss had said, He was so just it bordered on rigidity.
As long as the rules didn't forbid it, He could not deny it.
So no matter how much He detested [Deceit], He was bound by the rules to convene the Assembly of Gods Convention and invite all the gods for a vote on the ownership of the Divine Throne.
One mortal and two gods were drawn by [Justice (Order)] into a resplendent starry sky. Before long, the gods appeared one after another, each taking their place upon their respective orbital tracks in the galaxy.
But [Justice (Order)] had not specified whose throne was at stake when summoning them. The uninford gods arrived with eyes full of bewildernt.
They hadn't heard of any god falling recently, nor had they—
Wait. Could it be [War], who had been absent for so long?
But what did [War]'s throne have to do with the Clown?
'Why is he here again?'
The gods stared at Cheng Shi standing beside [Deceit], visibly startled. And when they noticed Herobos also present at the Convention, confusion deepened.
It wasn't until [Oblivion] made His entrance — frowning as He swept His gaze across His own Envoy, then turning to the mortal who had dared blasphe Him — that He gave a cold laugh:
"It seems I've underestimated how obsessed [Void] is with the sacrifice. [Deceit], do you prize this mortal so highly? Surely you don't intend to offer your own Divine Throne just to legitimize him?"
The Fun God let out a snort of laughter, barely containing His delight:
"You guessed half right.
Soone is indeed offering his throne to legitimize this mortal — but it's not . It's you, [Oblivion]."
"?"
At that mont, all the gods who had agreed to attend arrived. [Justice (Order)] cut short the tit-for-tat exchange between the two and issued the thunderous declaration of supre order that echoed across the universe:
"The servant god of [Descent], Herobos, seeks to inherit the Divine Throne and authority of his master, [Oblivion]. The Convention contains no clause prohibiting this. The petition is therefore valid. The vote shall now comnce."
"!!??"
"What?!"
"Who?!"
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