Foolish Game of the Chapter 523: I Bring You His Forgiveness!

It was a scam!

What Decay's envoy brought was neither His rcy nor His wrath, but... a con of Deceit.

More precisely, it was a con of Yu Xi.

The figure standing in the square draped in a black robe and hooded was, of course, Silence's hunter Qu Yan. He held aloft a dagger that appeared to be a divine gift, radiating a pure aura of Decay.

It was naturally no divine gift — just an ordinary dagger. The hunter had rely concealed a Tomb End Stone inside his sleeve, making the blade appear to possess boundless power of Decay.

But ordinary people couldn't tell the difference. Every resident of Kannar who'd been touched by the aura of Decay erged from their warm hos, flooded into the streets, and followed His guidance toward the Rosna Recruitnt Square. When they beheld this mysterious envoy brandishing a "divine gift," they prostrated themselves in devotion.

They didn't even dare to look directly at the divine envoy's face — all they could do was press themselves to the ground and shout fervently.

The populace knew nothing of the Rosna royal family's escape. They still held out hope that soone would lead the decaying Rosna Empire to victory against the World Destroyers. So when they saw this envoy raising a "divinely-bestowed artifact," hope was rekindled in many hearts — the hope of survival.

But was that truly the case?

Perhaps not entirely. How much genuine devotion lay hidden within that cacophony, loud enough to drown out the howling blizzard... no one could say.

All Cheng Shi knew was that the mont the first resident appeared in the square and dropped to their knees, the missing charge in his ring instantly filled back up.

He nodded thoughtfully, then casually fired a bolt of Lightning Punishnt at the great hall of the Rosna Court behind him.

"BOOM—"

Thunder from a clear sky. The trendous blast made the steadily arriving populace bow even lower, and the ring charge he'd just expended was instantly replenished once again.

Cheng Shi grinned. Without hesitation, he unleashed five consecutive Lightning Punishnts, shattering and demolishing nurous palace structures. Yet even with such prolific use, the Fun Ring's charge never dropped at all.

Full. Always full.

Cheng Shi raised an eyebrow. The lightning continued. Never before had he unleashed thunder so freely. Only after virtually every building in the imperial court had been swept by the raging bolts did he reluctantly stop — and still, the Fun Ring remained at full charge.

That ant the entire square was awash in fear — an overwhelmingly vast ocean of fear!

If everything these people shouted ca from the heart, if all their reverence stemd from genuine devotion, then why would such a massive concentration of fear gather in the square after the arrival of a savior deity's envoy?

"What a contradictory nation. The people worship Him yet receive no blessings. They try to appear more devout, yet it only weakens the empire further. When it grows so frail that a gust of wind could topple it, most abandon their faith entirely. But when annihilation looms, they cling to this singular faith with desperate hope — and the mont that hope appears, they're consud by terror.

Look at this, Gallon. What a magnificent spectacle — truly one for the history books.

I can't sense a single shred of devotion in this Rosna Recruitnt Square. All I can sll is fear.

The people left their hos and poured into the streets, but probably not to follow the divine envoy in the square. They're likely no different from the Rosna royal family — simply afraid that hiding at ho might anger the envoy and bring divine punishnt upon them.

Ram, oh Ram — you died too soon. I wonder if you can sense this collected fear from inside the ring.

Are you afraid too?

I know you're in there. I know you can hear . Don't worry — I haven't forgotten about you. Savor this fear, because there will co a mont when you can no longer feel it.

A Screaming Earl who fed on fear, dying by fear. A fitting closed loop of fate."

Cheng Shi spoke to himself about things Old Gallon couldn't possibly understand. The frail Historian's eyes went round as saucers. Though he couldn't comprehend the words, nothing stopped him from being overwheld by the thunder just now and the scene before him.

This was practically a gathering that would determine whether the Rosna Empire lived or died, because nearly every surviving soul in the city was likely here.

If these three lords wished for the Rosna Empire's destruction, all they'd need to do was unleash that sa thunder upon the crowd, and this nation built on the worship of Decay would crumble to dust — scattered into the ashes of history.

But would this lord... actually do that?

Old Gallon didn't know. Yet as a Historian — one who wavered between devotion and doubt — a thought suddenly arose in his mind. A mad thought.

He wanted to record the final chapter of history for this nation where he'd once lived.

Even if the Rosna Empire ceased to exist after this, he would have fulfilled his last duty as a Historian.

Of course, this duty wasn't owed to the Rosna royal family, but to the Rosna Empire itself — the nation where he'd lived for over thirty years, a place that stirred complex emotions within him.

But he didn't know whether he still had the right to record any of this. So he looked up at Cheng Shi beside him. Just as he was about to speak, Cheng Shi gave him a aningful smile and suddenly leaped off the high wall.

The mont had co. Cheng Shi seed to read Old Gallon's mind, but he didn't respond. Instead, he jumped from the wall, lted into the crowd, and made his way to Qu Yan's side. It was ti to perform his part — playing the mouthpiece of a divine envoy.

'Never thought the day would co when I'd beco Brother Mouth myself.'

'Question Brother Mouth. Understand Brother Mouth. Beco Brother Mouth!'

Now, with Cheng Shi transford into "the mouth" and the mute Silence believer as his partner, the two of them would perform a ventriloquist act on this Recruitnt Square — a lie that would deceive an entire empire.

And the very first line of this act sent the entire square into an uproar!

"I am an envoy of Decay, walking the mortal world on behalf of our Benefactor. I have co to bring His forgiveness to the people of Rosna."

Forgiveness!

Even if the people in the square heard nothing else, those two words alone drew gasps of disbelief. So broke down weeping, clutching their heads, as if divine forgiveness could deliver them from perdition.

In that mont, they seed to forget that it was Decay who had never once looked upon them, who had never bestowed a single blessing. If anyone should be offering forgiveness, it should have been them "forgiving" Him.

But in this era, the gods were everything. No matter how much suffering the people of Rosna endured, it was always because they weren't devout enough. And now, at last, their devotion had earned... the Benefactor's forgiveness.

Yet so harbored doubts, for only they themselves knew whether their devotion was genuine. In the past, even the most fervent piety had never drawn His gaze. Now, when that devotion had been ground down to nothing, would His envoy truly bring forgiveness?

Could this be a scam — a cunning divine punishnt designed to purge the faithless?

No one dared say for certain. No one dared raise their head. Everyone remained engulfed in overwhelming fear, feigning agreent as they awaited the divine envoy's next words.

...