The first to sense [Pride (Order)]'s demise were not other gods, but the players currently in [Order]'s trial settlent.
These bewildered players only noticed that today's final judgnt was exceptionally harsh. Even those who hadn't violated a single rule throughout the trial were still sentenced to lashings with no right of appeal.
The players suffered in silence, blaming the ga for growing ever more difficult, endlessly squeezing humanity's survival space.
They thought [Order] had gone mad. But [Order] wasn't mad — It was afraid.
[Fear (Order)], as the embodint of [Order]'s will within the trials, imdiately retreated to a dazzling starry sky the mont Its "work" ended.
Another fragnt of It "dwelled" here. The mont the Judgnt Chair beheld the Scales forged of flowing starlight, It spoke in terror:
"It's dead! Can you feel it? It's dead! [Order] is no longer complete!
[Deceit] must have killed It. [Deceit] is finally making Its move against us!
I knew it — all those excuses about '[Pride (Order)] leaving of its own accord out of arrogance' were lies! [Deceit] imprisoned It and then killed It!
Now It has enough votes. Order is disposable to It. It's starting — It's coming for us!
[Justice (Order)]! Look at ! Tell
you still stand with !!"
Terror poured ceaselessly from the Judgnt Chair, but the Flowing Light Scales remained unmoved. They rely humd:
"You are afraid."
"Of course I'm afraid! The universe is about to lose [Order] entirely — are you not afraid?!"
"But you are [Order]. And I am [Order]. [Order] has lost only one of its own. How can you speak of losing everything?"
"I..."
The Judgnt Chair was struck speechless. After a mont, It cried out in mingled shock and fury:
"I'm trapped inside the trials! You're locked within the Convention! This was all [Deceit]'s plan! When It pushed for the Convention's signing, It had ulterior motives from the start — to throw the universe into chaos and achieve Its [Void] objectives!
Out there, the only one left is that fool Iron Law of [Order] who doesn't even know its own identity! Are you really going to pin the last hope of universal order on [Chaos]?!
Absurd!
'If I can make [Chaos] convert to [Order], will you agree to build a Faith Ga with ?'
Listen to that! Those were the lies It used to deceive us all! And you still haven't woken up, [Justice (Order)]?!
It's all a sham! All of it!!"
The Flowing Light Scales remained calm, responding to the Judgnt Chair's questions at a asured, unhurried pace.
They said:
"You are afraid. [Deceit] is also afraid. If that is so, then why would you fear It?"
"?"
The Judgnt Chair was stunned. For a fleeting instant, It even suspected that [Deceit] had long since dealt with [Justice (Order)] and taken Its place — that what stood before It now was not a fragnt sharing Its origin at all, but [Deceit] Itself.
At the thought, It grew even more terrified.
"You... who are you, really?"
"I am [Justice (Order)]. A fragnt of [Order]. The rules of the Convention. And I am also His..."
"Enough! Don't say it — please, don't say it!" The Judgnt Chair shrieked, recoiling frantically, as if unable to face whatever the Scales were about to say next.
The Flowing Light Scales fell silent. After a long pause, They spoke in a distant, contemplative tone:
"This is our fate, and [Order]'s final destination. For the universe to possess order, you and I must eventually die.
Without sweeping away the old order, how can the new be born?
The sound of [Order]'s fall will be the resounding first note of a new order's symphony."
The Judgnt Chair went mad. It roared at the Scales: "I am [Order]! If I die, what order will the universe have?!"
The Flowing Light Scales' tone remained devoid of joy or sorrow. Yet what They said made the Judgnt Chair freeze cold to the core.
"True order does not rest in your hands or mine. We...
...are nothing more than His tools."
...
"[Order] must raise its voice — and that voice must ring with iron resolve!"
Those were [Pride (Order)]'s last words before self-annihilation. Yet It had died without a sound. How could that possibly count as "ringing with iron resolve"?
Cheng Shi had a splitting headache. Not only did he need to decipher what sches lurked behind the codex's dissolution, but he also lanted the lost opportunity to claim [Order]'s Authority.
He had assud the [Chaos] temple held buried treasure. Instead of treasure, he'd gotten himself covered in trouble.
[Order]'s other fragnts — one was inside the trials, the other locked within the Convention. Given his track record, wringing any benefit from those two seed unlikely. That left only the Iron Law of [Order] as a possible source of [Order]'s Authority.
Cheng Shi wasn't deliberately collecting [Order]'s Authority. It was simply that among the gods no longer "sitting in their seats," [Order] had been the easiest to "approach."
His reason for wanting [Order]'s Authority was the sa as his plan to salvage [War]'s Authority — he needed to amass as much power as possible to counter the risks from the Real Universe... and the risks from [Void].
Now it seed he had been outmaneuvered. The Fun God had likely known his intentions all along and, together with [Pride (Order)], had used him in turn.
'As expected — not a single simple character among the gods.'
He stood in the temple, brow furrowed in deep thought. Li Wufang, having "made a mistake," naturally didn't dare interrupt. He could only exchange hushed words with Kataro, who stood equally at a loss.
Li Wufang's head was bursting with questions, and he had no idea where to begin. But catching site of Kataro's devout expression, a sudden flash of inspiration struck, and he asked:
"Brother Cheng... is he actually human or a god?"
Kataro's heart clenched. 'As expected of an Investigator — he picked up on the clues.' But without Lord Cheng Shi's explicit permission, he certainly couldn't speak freely. So he could only avert his gaze and look up toward the temple ceiling.
As fate would have it, that casual upward glance was all Li Wufang needed to connect the dots!
'Mortals and gods occupy different planes. If mortals are the dirt beneath our feet, then gods are undoubtedly the stars overhead. Kataro looked up — doesn't that an Brother Cheng is a god?!'
Li Wufang held his breath in an instant. He stole a glance at Cheng Shi. He should have realized sooner that the player who understood the universe's truth and led them in rebellion against [Fate] couldn't possibly be a re mortal. What ordinary mortal would dare to challenge the authority of the gods — or even discuss the Creator seated atop the Real Universe?
But when the realization truly struck — that the brother standing beside him was a god — Li Wufang still felt a wave of disorientation.
He scrutinized Cheng Shi for a long ti, then in a mont of heated impulse blurted out:
"Brother Cheng, what's your Divine Na?"
"?"
Cheng Shi froze, his train of thought derailed. He gave Li Wufang a strange look and rattled off his ergency contingency response without a second thought.
He figured now was not the ti to co clean with the Destined Ones. Besides, announcing his own identity felt far too strange.
"My life is your life. The fates of us Destined Ones have long been bound together."
"..."
Li Wufang was dumbfounded. In his muddled state, it didn't even occur to him to question whether Cheng Shi was brushing him off. He was even wondering whether he'd genuinely misheard — had he confused his own pronunciations?
'No way, right?'
He turned to Kataro, only to find the quick-witted servant offering a slight smile and a nod:
"My life belongs to the Benefactor — and also to the Lord."
'Which lord?'
Li Wufang couldn't tell. All he knew was that Kataro had seized upon his confusion to deliver one magnificent piece of flattery to that mysterious "Lord."
...
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