Foolish Game of the Chapter 323: The Gods' Game of Chess—Cheng Dashi's

Cheng Shi suddenly grew restless.

"You... knew?"

"Hmph. Why do you, think, I, intervened, to save you?"

"Huh? Wasn't it because I'm your hardest-working, highest-performing employee?"

"..."

The massive skull fell silent. Green flas smoldered in its eye sockets—a gaze that seed to be looking at so shaless [Deceit].

Though it said nothing, Cheng Shi could swear he heard the faint sound of teeth grinding.

'Uh oh. The boss doesn't acknowledge his top seller's performance?'

He quickly plastered on a grin and looked up at the Bone Throne. The great skull remained silent for a long ti before speaking again in its hollow tone:

"[Fate].

It was your... other, Benefactor, [Fate].

He, saw, your crisis. So He, made a deal, with .

To save, you."

[Fate]!

Again, [Fate]!

'Praise the goddamn [Fate]!'

'From this mont forward, I am [Fate]'s die-hard loyalist! Anyone who dares blasphe my Lord answers to !'

'I, Hero of Today Cheng Shi, vow to defend [Fate]'s glory unto dea—scratch that, can't die yet. Unto the last weapon in my hand!'

Loyalty pledges aside, Cheng Shi was still curious: when exactly had his Benefactor foreseen his peril?

He posed the question, and [Death] didn't withhold:

"When I, took, the nascent, [Corruption] Authority, from your, body."

'Nascent [Corruption] Authority?'

'What's that?'

'Wait...'

'Germinating Divinity born from fear?'

'So it really was [Death] who took that Germinating Divinity!'

Still, as long as it hadn't gone to Le Le'er, ending up in [Death]'s hands was... acceptable.

But Cheng Shi probed anyway: "That Divinity..."

"Do not, entertain, Wishful Thinking."

"..."

'Great. So the trade between [Fate] and [Death] was swapping the Divinity for my life...'

'Well, when you think about it, not a bad deal. What good is Divinity if you're dead?'

But sothing nagged at him. If his Benefactor had foreseen the crisis that early, didn't that an everything was written in His script from the start?

Since He'd already known everything, did He know that Cheng Dashi had returned?

Even if He hadn't before—the mont Cheng Shi learned of it, He should have too. After all, Cheng Shi was a character in [Fate]'s script, a character He'd personally penned. Any Change would register with the Screenwriter imdiately.

So Cheng Dashi had never hidden anything from [Fate]...

Then had his machinations truly changed fate, or hadn't they?

The question was so profound that even as nothing more than a skull, Cheng Shi furrowed his bony brow in confusion.

[Death] glanced at him and said coldly:

"Do not, attempt, to approach, [Corruption]."

'What?'

Cheng Shi hadn't expected his silence to be misinterpreted. He quickly changed the subject:

"Not thinking about it, not thinking at all. Sir, I was just wondering—did [Prosperity]'s other two children betray Her precisely because they feared Her Assimilation?"

The great skull was apparently still interested in the topic of [Prosperity]. He nodded and resud His account of [Prosperity]'s disgraceful history.

"Your guess, is correct.

Her second son, Dizel, feared, Her Assimilation, and chose, to betray, His own mother, by throwing Himself, into, [Decay].

However, He embraced, [Decay], solely, to take revenge, on His mother.

This was, incompatible, with, [Decay]'s, Will.

[Decay], discovered, this. But, He still, took Dizel, in.

Yet Dizel, did not believe, that being, a Servant God, was enough, to oppose, [Prosperity].

So, He attempted, to kill [Decay], and usurp, the Divine Throne.

Then, He was, dismantled, by [Decay], and turned, into, the mindless, Barren Walker."

'Holy crap!'

'So Dizel's story was that explosive?'

'Kill His rival and seize the throne—all to get back at His mom?'

'Bold idea, but hasn't it occurred to him that assassinating the host looks a lot more like a spy his mom sent?'

Still—he hadn't expected [Decay] to be so soft-hearted. Taking in soone like that?

Cheng Shi recalled his audience with [Decay] in the Septic Final Tomb. The oddness deepened.

[Decay] had called Himself "pitiable." So... He'd sympathized with the equally pitiable Dizel?

Seriously? The god whose followers spent their days self-mutilating... was a Being who liked to sympathize with others?

'Shouldn't You be sympathizing with Your own followers?'

'Grinding Yourself down to give charity to outsiders, huh?'

'Fine, no wonder You and [Prosperity] are arch-rivals. One plunders, one self-flagellates. A match made in heaven.'

[Death]'s sharing continued. Today, He was unusually talkative:

"After losing, Dizel, [Prosperity], reflected, on Herself.

And so, Her youngest daughter, Le Le'er, was born, without, a shred, of fear."

"..."

'So that's Her idea of self-reflection—cutting off the possibility of ever needing to self-reflect again, right at the source...'

"But Le Le'er, was a fool. She, sensed, that all, Her children, could feel, fear.

So She, began to, doubt Herself. Then, behind, Her mother's, back, She ca, to , to ask, what fear, was.

I, miscalculated. The greatest, mistake, was sending, Garuda, to guide Her, toward fear.

Garuda, went with Her, to the [Sea of Desire]. There She, felt, the call, of countless, fears.

And so, ignoring, Garuda's, pleas, She leapt, in.

Garuda, tried to, pull Her back. But it was, already, too late. She had, sunk, into it, intoxicated, by the, beauty, of fear, beyond, rescue.

She beca, entirely, the Mother Tree of Fear, absorbing, the universe's, fear.

And my, Envoy, racked with guilt, upon learning, nothing, could be, undone, chose, to take, that bitch's, place, and let, [Prosperity], Assimilate, him.

The [Prosperity Mother], was eager, to seize, my Authority. So, She, did not, refuse. Thus, She, devoured, Garuda!

Garuda, died. Died, inside, [Prosperity]'s, Divine Shade."

"..."

Cheng Shi had never imagined the truth of history could be this absurd.

'An honest boy fell for a rebellious girl, and was even willing to pay her debts with his own body...'

'But bro, let's be real—Le Le'er may truly have been a fool. But to get yourself Assimilated by [Prosperity] for the sake of a fool who chose to fall... Garuda...'

'Ahem. Well. It's all that bitch Le Le'er's fault!'

While Cheng Shi was chewing over this gossip, [Death]'s next words froze him solid where he stood.

"Now, you have, opened, a new path, of Assimilation, for the, [Prosperity Mother].

So, She once again, wants, all of Us, to return, to [Prosperity], to beco, one.

[Fate], only believes, in Himself. So He, will not, agree.

[Truth], from the very, beginning, has been, the one, pushing, Faith Fusion!"

"What?

The one pushing Faith Fusion is [Truth]?

Sir, isn't every god pushing Faith Fusion?"

The great skull paused, then nodded:

"Yes. But the one, who convinced, Us, was Him."

"Then..." Cheng Shi thought it over and decided to muster the courage: "Why fuse faiths at all?"

"You, do not, need to, know this."

"..." Right. Not important enough. Cheng Shi nodded sheepishly. "Please... continue?"

"[Truth], does not want, to be, Assimilated by, [Prosperity]. Yet He, covets, [Prosperity]'s, Authority of Assimilation.

But He, has long, lacked, an opportunity. Until today, when [Prosperity], openly, broke, the Convention, by Assimilating, [Decay]'s, faith.

[Truth], finally found, His mont, to strike.

He wants, to devour, [Prosperity]'s, Authority. His justification, is upholding, the Convention, and purging, [Prosperity]'s, ambition!

The [Iron Law], believed, [Truth]'s, aggression, also, violated, the Convention. So He, tried to, stop Him.

But [Chaos], blocked, the [Iron Law], on [Truth]'s, behalf.

[Oblivion], wanted, to Muddy the waters—to annihilate, [Prosperity]'s, Authority, for His own, pleasure—but [Folly], kept Him, outside."

Hearing all this, Cheng Shi was thoroughly bewildered.

Honestly, he'd always felt his Benefactor [Fate] didn't want to side with [Truth]. Yet in this so-called God War, the two happened to be fighting on the sa side.

Even stranger, [Folly] was supposed to be [Truth]'s natural enemy—yet here He was helping [Truth], even blocking [Oblivion] for Him.

'What's going on?'

'Is [Prosperity] really that universally despised?'

Bewildered, he looked up at the skull on the throne. The skull sensed his confusion and paused before speaking:

"[Folly]... no one, can understand, Him."

"..." Cheng Shi didn't dare wonder why [Death] couldn't understand [Folly]. He pivoted to a different curiosity: "And my other Benefactor?

Sothing this... entertaining—I an, significant—and He's not involved?"

The great skull scoffed, disdain dripping:

"Your, annoying, Benefactor.

To prevent, escalation, [Existence], has probably, already, imprisoned, Him."

"..."

This was the first ti Cheng Shi had ever heard [Death] say so much. And the first ti he'd gained a complete, clear picture of the Gods' machinations.

All of it originated from so-called Faith Fusion. And the God driving Faith Fusion was the one behind the Tower of Logic he encountered in every trial: [Truth]!

So this was Cheng Dashi's goal?

He'd maneuvered Cheng Shi into luring [Prosperity] down, then let [Truth]—who coveted [Prosperity]'s Authority—kill [Prosperity], thereby shattering the so-called Convention?

Cheng Shi felt he'd finally untangled the logic. Digesting the avalanche of information, he looked up at the flickering green screen, watching invisible shockwaves erupt above the canopy. At last, one thing beca crystal clear: Cheng Dashi's target had always been [Prosperity]!

Even though [Decay] had been weakened to the extre by having His faith Assimilated by [Prosperity], none of Them could tolerate [Prosperity] using Faith Grafting to Assimilate Them!

Indeed—when titans clashed, the weak didn't necessarily die first, but the strongest was always the Public Target!

And so every divine blade now pointed at [Prosperity]!