By his estimate, night was about to fall.
Looking at Hong Lin—now devoid of any trace of [Prosperity], her entire body wrapped in [Decay] instead—Cheng Shi sighed inwardly.
Though Baldy had been talked into joining this gamble, the "favor" he owed had grown rather large.
She trusted him too much. Trusted him enough to hand over every fragnt of Divinity she'd spent so long collecting, all placed on his body. That trust was crushingly heavy—enough to make Cheng Shi suspect sothing:
'Could Baldy possibly be...'
'Playing dumb?'
'Had she figured out long ago that I respond well to this approach, and bet everything—all her trust—on a single all-in?'
'Was this seemingly dim warrior actually soone with even more tricks up her sleeve than him?'
'Hmm...'
'Doesn't seem like it.'
Regardless, Cheng Shi felt he could live up to that trust. So he spoke:
"Ready? We're heading out."
Wrapped in [Decay], Hong Lin was nowhere near as spirited as before. She was barely maintaining the balance between the two opposing faith forces within her body, struggling to keep [Decay] from fully corroding her into an "accidental Oathbreaker."
"Heh. Honestly, I'm suddenly a bit nervous. I'm worried a Fate Weaver like you can't actually protect . I feel like I'm staring at my own doom."
"Relax. Right now you're [Decay]'s cherished child—an envoy from the Final Tomb. Every creature in this Sighing Forest ranks below you. They won't attack you; they'll follow you.
So as long as we don't run into Eposka, safety shouldn't be a concern.
The aura of the Final Tomb will make them submit."
"Heh. I'm a [Prosperity] player pretending to be a [Decay] envoy. Isn't that a blasphemy against Him too?
Cheng Shi, don't con —when this gamble's over, I'd better not turn out to be the stake that gets lost."
"..."
'That's quite the stake you'd be—no wait, you're quite the pessimist.'
Cheng Shi slapped his cheeks, composing a confident expression:
"Don't fear sharpening the spear before battle—fear the loss of troops before the fight even starts. Relax, [Fate] will look after us.
Besides, think of it this way: isn't this equally a blasphemy against [Decay]?
The more you desecrate Him now, the more your Benefactor will be... well... pleased."
"..." Hong Lin shot Cheng Shi a strange look, sensing sothing off about that statent. "I suddenly feel that a [Prosperity] follower praying for [Fate]'s protection is also a blasphemy against Him."
"..."
'Enough with the blasphemy talk. We've got places to be.'
Cold feet at the mont of truth was never a good sign. Cheng Shi gave Hong Lin a push:
"Stop blaspheming. Let's go. Once the bow is drawn, there's no turning back. If you quit now, all that suffering from [Decay]'s erosion was for nothing."
Hong Lin let out a dry laugh and raised her hand.
"Rushing
won't help. I don't even have enough strength to open the Void right now. Cheng Shi, please don't tell
you can't even open the Void. Your move."
Cheng Shi smacked his lips and pulled out the Tongue of Eating Lies once more.
Truth be told, before obtaining this tongue, he genuinely couldn't have guaranteed he could slice open a Void rift from nothing.
If he switched to Hero of Today and fired five Lightning Punishnts at a single point, there might be a chance. But a Hero of Today in the Sighing Forest at night couldn't protect the "helpless" Hong Lin beside him.
So Cheng Shi had no choice but to secretly play the Clown.
He used the tongue to lick open a Void rift, then looked back at Hong Lin, his expression turning serious:
"There's still ti to back out. Otherwise, the mont we step out of the Void—the gamble is on!"
Hong Lin rolled her eyes with a sneer:
"You said it yourself—quitting now would an everything I just went through was pointless.
I think you're right. If fate's script has already been written, then soone who's always been blessed by fortune won't die here.
So—I won't die. Right?"
Cheng Shi smiled, absolutely certain: "Right. You won't die. And neither will I."
"Then let's go. Ti's wasting."
With that, Hong Lin stepped out first. Cheng Shi followed close behind.
But when they exited the Void and returned to the Sighing Forest, the first thing that greeted them wasn't the giant serpents slithering through the woods under the cover of night—but a pair of eyes blazing with blue flas, filled with desperation and frenzy!
Eposka!
This relentless Barren Walker, obsessed with [Prosperity], had been standing guard at the exact spot where they'd vanished, never once leaving!
The millisecond Cheng Shi spotted the colossal creature just inches away, cold sweat erupted across his body. He shoved the equally shocked Baldy in front of him and steeled himself to perform an Oracle Act.
But to everyone's surprise, when Eposka discovered Hong Lin had shrunk and no longer carried any [Prosperity] aura, it roared in fury several tis—then left, reluctant but undeterred.
It had lost interest in Hong Lin.
Seeing this, Cheng Shi let out a massive sigh of relief. But the next instant, the Hong Lin he'd shoved forward slowly turned around, face ashen, and snarled through gnashing teeth:
"CHENG! SHI! Is THIS how you protect ???"
Cheng Shi flinched, but in the next heartbeat he assud a composed, "all according to plan" posture:
"Easy, easy—everything's within expectations. See? It left, didn't it..."
Hong Lin glanced at the departing Eposka, then at the fraud of a "good teammate" behind her. She wanted nothing more than to stuff the Tomb End Stone down Cheng Shi's throat!
'That lying, deceiving, accursed mouth!'
"This is the last ti! If you hide behind
again, don't bla
for flipping the entire gambling table!"
Cheng Shi laughed awkwardly, then quickly pointed at the stirring around them:
"Look! Look! They're coming! The show is about to begin!"
Hong Lin paused. Following Cheng Shi's gaze, she saw countless Twisted Night Pythons cautiously approaching now that Eposka had gone.
One by one, massive serpents writhed forward. Upon detecting the boundless [Decay] and Final Tomb aura emanating from Hong Lin, they began frantically hissing and trembling as they circled the pair.
Their piercing cries rapidly carried through the now-treeless "forest." Before long, answering echoes resounded from every direction!
One shadow after another ca surging toward them like waves. The tide of serpents, as if they'd found the very aning of their serpentine existence, raised countless pairs of eerie green eyes and fixed them unblinkingly on where Hong Lin stood. They gathered tighter and tighter, more and more of them, until before long, dense currents of Power of Faith began flowing through the contract in Cheng Shi's hands, converting into fresh [Decay] and rising within Hong Lin's body.
Hong Lin's features aged visibly. From the inside out, her entire being began radiating decay.
This kind of sudden, disease-like deterioration would be difficult for most people to endure silently. But Hong Lin endured it. She didn't make a sound, letting [Decay] pile up within her.
Cheng Shi, impressed by her tolerance for the changes in her body, whispered from behind her:
"More and more Twisted Night Pythons are gathering, but it's not enough yet. He hasn't cast His gaze. Hold on a little longer. Just a bit more!
Trust —we won't die!"
"Cheng... Shi..."
Hong Lin's voice had begun turning elderly and hoarse. Her eyes flickered as she rasped:
"Don't... tell anyone... about
getting old..."
"..."
'Really, sis? At a ti like this, THAT'S what you're worried about?'
'Besides—do you think everyone has a mouth as big as Tao Yi's?'
'These lips are sealed, I'll have you know!'
Cheng Shi nodded peevishly, then suddenly pressed a die into Hong Lin's hand.
Hong Lin took it with surprise. When she realized it was just an ordinary die—not the [Fate] token she wanted—she looked at Cheng Shi in puzzlent.
Cheng Shi grinned slyly:
"A die to strengthen your resolve. Feel [Fate]'s favor. I've got sothing to take care of, so I'll have to leave you for a mont.
Hold on. You must hold on!
Wait for .
I'll be quick!"
With that, Cheng Shi vanished from the spot!
Watching the teammate who'd talked her into going all-in suddenly disappear right before her eyes, Hong Lin could no longer hide her shock.
This was NOT part of the plan!
This Fate Weaver who'd dragged her into the gamble had never once ntioned he'd vanish!
Hong Lin's expression transford. She clutched the die in a white-knuckled grip, her eyes blazing with fury.
"CHENG! SHI! You..."
More and more serpents sward around her. The [Decay] inside her grew thicker by the second. Realizing there was no turning back, Hong Lin let out a furious roar, venting every ounce of frustration in her heart.
She told herself: 'This is the last ti! This has to be the last ti! This MUST be the last ti!'
And hearing that roar, the sea of pythons prostrate and writhing around her simultaneously raised their heads to the sky and shrieked.
The chorus of [Decay] echoed across the heavens, lingering and unending. In the thick darkness of night, it finally caught the attention of soone who'd been watching.
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