The view returned to another stretch of starry sky.
This was perhaps the least-attended Assembly of Gods Convention in history. Even though Justice had relaxed the restrictions and extended invitations to every true god eligible to attend as well as every servant god permitted to observe, not a single deity affiliated with the Fear Faction had shown up. Only a scant handful of true gods were present.
This undoubtedly made the atmosphere even more eerie.
The servant gods had voluntarily huddled in a corner the mont they arrived, standing at attention like punished children, terrified of being dragged into the horrifying standoff unfolding before them.
Hong Lin had co as well. As the Proxy of Prosperity, this was not her first ti appearing at the Assembly of Gods Convention, but it was the first ti she attended with her eyes open. She looked toward the figure at the center of the starry sky — head lowered, expression unreadable — and fought the urge to rush forward and rescue him imdiately.
The galactic river flowed in asured orbits, stars flickering in orderly rhythm. The Flowing Light Scales glead brilliantly, and before them, the Holy Light Law Code — radiating the aura of Order from every page — turned gracefully, pronouncing judgnt upon the cold-eyed Stellar Gaze:
"Deceit, your ambition is plain for all to see. Your cris are too many to record. You have defied the order of this world. If you still refuse to see the truth..."
"And what?"
The Outer God Fate cut short the Iron Law's droning pronouncent with a cold snort. "Deceit has already paid for His foolishness. If a judge cannot even identify the suspect he has convicted, then what right does Order have to speak of order?
You don't actually think you are Order, do you — Chaos?"
The mont the words fell, a swirl of chaotic yellow mist rose behind the Outer God. Before the stunned gazes of every god and mortal present, the churning hand of Chaos quietly shed its aura of disorder and transford into a Stellar Gaze identical to Fate's.
The stars within that gaze were dim and lightless, yet the spirals still whirled ceaselessly.
Two spirals, synchronized in frequency and rhythm, mirrored each other. Before long, amid gasps of shock, they rged into one.
Chaos had been a disguise worn by the Outer God Deceit all along?!
Then where was the real Chaos?
Every gaze — mortal and divine — involuntarily drifted toward the Iron Law of Order that the Outer God had called out by na. The Holy Light Law Code of Order faltered mid-turn, its pages hesitating for a heartbeat, before it humd:
"No one believes your lies anymore!"
"No one believes the lies of Deceit — but do you refuse to believe even the truth spoken by Fate?
If you recognized that I am Fate, why didn't you dare acknowledge it?
Is it because you're afraid I'll tell you that even though this world possesses Fixed Destiny, you still cannot provide the Origin with an answer that satisfies Him?
Fate is dead. Even if I placed the answer in your hands, would you... even know how to use it?
Only I have any chance of saving this world!
To this day, even mortals know more than you. The so-called Order is nothing but a laughingstock."
"..."
Silence blanketed the assembly. Even though Silence had not co in person, His will still perated this place.
The Outer God Fate surveyed the surroundings, His tone growing ever more frigid and contemptuous.
"The Spaceti Storm has not yet arrived. I still have ti to watch a universe-wide farce of self-deception.
I'm curious to see what agenda this Assembly of Gods Convention can possibly pass today, with so many gods absent."
With that, a howling gale of Void surged toward Cheng Shi, who stood before the assembled gods. Even though the Assembly no longer posed any threat to His plan, the Outer God still refused to let Fixed Destiny out of His sight.
Yet the instant that gale was about to reach the Clown, a resonant bell toll suddenly rang out, accompanied by the clash of weapons and the thunder of warhorses, exploding in everyone's ears.
The Iron Law of Order erupted into a frenzy of flipping pages, sheaves of parchnt scattering through the air. Boundless power of Order cascaded from the Law Code like a waterfall of holy light — like a dam bursting and unleashing a flood of divine law — drowning the entire starry sky, swallowing the Void's howling gale, and dragging Cheng Shi along with it into this endless tide of order.
The Clown, who had thought salvation had arrived, never imagined that before he could even celebrate for a single second, he would once again beco Order's "honored guest" — only this ti, the seat was not one of safety, but the defendant's chair!
Indeed, boundless power of Order coalesced into chains that bound Cheng Shi to a Judgnt Chair to await trial. In the eyes of the Iron Law of Order, Cheng Shi's past actions clearly qualified him as an accomplice of the Outer God — a fate of judgnt he could not escape.
However, given the suspect's exceptionally sensitive status at the mont, the Iron Law of Order did not begin the trial imdiately. Instead, it poured its full strength into battling the Outer God Fate.
Interestingly, whenever the Assembly of Gods Convention was in session, any combat occurring within this stretch of starry sky should have been halted by Justice, who would strip the offenders of their corresponding voting rights. Yet this ti, Justice said nothing. Not a single word of objection.
Seeing this, the Outer God Fate let out a scornful laugh.
"When Justice is no longer just, what right does Order have to speak of order?
I once thought this world could still be saved, but now it seems only a precious few are worth saving.
Chaos — you refuse to reveal your true identity, and yet you dare try to stop
with Order's power, power that has lost all claim to order?
Who gave you that courage?"
As He spoke, every star in the sky was draped in shadow.
The Void encroached!
Though the Outer God could not defy the Pact of Gods, could not nullify the results of the Assembly, Fate — whose power surpassed all the gods — could still influence the proceedings through other ans.
Even if His voting rights were revoked, it would make no difference. Every true god present could vote in favor and still fail to reach a majority. This Assembly of Gods Convention was less a lifeline for the Clown and more a final cry — a last desperate struggle — by the gods who had been kept in the dark all along, those "gods of foolish acts," fighting for their divine authority and their dignity.
They refused to fade silently alongside a dying world.
Folly was among them. He sensed the power that did not belong to this world seeping into the starry sky, then gazed at those ice-cold Stellar Eyes. He froze for a mont, then suddenly let out a derisive snort.
"So there was never an answer to foolish acts after all."
With that, He left — departing gracefully before the darkness could engulf this place.
He looked like a sage who had seen through everything, and also like a coward fleeing from the battlefield.
And just as the endless Void continued pouring into the starry sky, as the encroaching blackness slowly devoured the sight of every mortal and god present, a spark of light suddenly blazed before their eyes.
Fire!
A crimson tongue of fla licked forth, and then an inferno roared skyward!
The howling fire erupted from behind the fading Law Code, its sparks carrying War's zealous will, spreading through the darkness like a plague.
It was as if a single ember had fallen into a sea of oil — in an instant, the lost horizon was painted a searing white!
War had returned!
No one had expected War — absent from the Assembly for so long — to appear at this mont, much less that He had been hiding behind the Iron Law of Order all along.
No wonder the typically stamring Iron Law had suddenly found its nerve. This was not a trial of Order — it was a renaissance of Civilization!
Then what about Truth?
Where was Truth?
The gods searched in every direction, but alas, Truth was nowhere to be found.
Perhaps the universe had never possessed Truth. Perhaps all that existed was the endless cycle of Order and War.
Yet just as everyone believed War's arrival would turn the tide, the Outer God Fate let out another cold snort:
"Has the universe truly run out of gods, that a re servant god must now speak on their behalf?
Follower of War — I sent you to the Real Universe so you could learn, not so you could co back and challenge !"
Only then did the assembled gods realize that the towering battle aura — equal to War itself — did not emanate from the true god of War, but from a... human, standing in the roaring sea of fla, drawing a giant bow.
Qin Xin's hair and beard were ablaze, his left eye rolling like magma, his right eye fierce and dripping blood. He fixed a solemn gaze on the Outer God and spoke in a deep voice:
"Borrowing greatness from the gods has always been the will of the Torchbearers.
Using the gods' own power to grind away the gods' oppression is the indomitable spirit of the Torchbearers.
Whether you are Deceit or Fate, so long as you do not belong to this world, you are our enemy.
Against enemies — take up the arrow!
To dispel darkness — pass the torch!
How do we survive? With blood — and fire!"
Before his words had faded, those hands — skin splitting, flesh tearing, blood spraying wild — released the bowstring and loosed an arrow carrying every ounce of the Torchbearers' will, an arrow sworn to protect humanity and defend the world, aid straight at...
The Judgnt Chair beneath Cheng Shi!
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