"Prosperity is dead. She doesn't need a darling anymore."
By the ti Cheng Shi said this, his mind had already weathered a full-blown brainstorm.
Honestly, you couldn't bla him for being this audacious. He hadn't forgotten that the "Vitality" authority Big Cat currently wielded had also co from the Fun God.
So the instant he saw "Breeding" appear inside himself, Cheng Shi's first instinct was that the Fun God intended to complete Big Cat's set of authorities.
Of course, it wasn't that he didn't want it for himself — it was just that having Big Cat obtain the authority and then share it with him was far more valuable than hoarding it alone.
First, it would solidify Big Cat's position and boost her power, making the most reliable friend under heaven even more reliable. Second, he feared that Prosperity's authority might interfere with his Void path. At the end of the day, no matter how many faiths he'd fused, Cheng Shi still considered himself a Void practitioner. Whether out of "devotion" to Void or respect for the source of his power, he had no desire to swallow an authority whole and invite trouble.
What he hadn't expected was that this ti, the Fun God genuinely seed unwilling to part with "Breeding."
Why?
The transfer of "Vitality" wasn't even that long ago. What had changed to make the Fun God suddenly want the authority?
This wasn't about whether the Fun God was obligated to be generous. Cheng Shi was simply wondering: what new plan had his Benefactor hatched that required collecting authority at this stage?
He thought for a mont and drew a blank — until he raised his head and caught a fleeting flash of gravity in those star-bright eyes. Cheng Shi's heart lurched. He pressed a hand over his chest and stumbled several paces backward.
But in Deceit's perception, this reaction looked like nothing more than a greedy follower clinging to his ill-gotten authority for dear life, willing to split from his own Benefactor if that's what it took.
The eyes turned abruptly deep. A cold snort, and gales of biting wind erupted from the Void.
The blood-freezing tempest reminded Cheng Shi of all the tis Fate had punished him.
'These two Benefactors' thods are growing more alike by the day.'
But no matter how frigid the environnt, how labored his breathing, how crushing the pressure — Cheng Shi's hand stayed clamped over his chest. He bit down and held on, never once letting go.
He shouted into the wind, defiant.
"Benefactor! I will NOT surrender this authority to You!
I cannot let You go searching for the universe's ultimate truth!
In all of creation, only the two of us live every day in terror. If You go, I will beco the most frightened person in the entire universe!
You once said that if the fear in my heart exceeded Yours, I would be able to see farther.
But as a mortal, I cannot see that far into the future. All I can see is that if You go there, You will lose Your authority — just like Folly!
And then no one will be left to protect . And a clown without protection would surely..."
Cheng Shi paused, his expression turning strange.
"...be torn apart."
It was bizarre — Cheng Shi had never imagined the Fool's Lips would ever speak in front of the Fun God, and certainly not to tack on such a non-sequitur. But right now he had no energy to worry about it. Pale as a ghost, he pressed on.
"And then — the Fear Faction would suffer a complete defeat!
Would You accept that outco, Benefactor?!"
The instant those words landed, the wind in the Void died.
A streak of light crossed those star-bright eyes. Then, with an expression caught between amusent and sothing else, they regarded Cheng Shi.
"You think I'd follow that foul mouth's example and go exploring into the absolute unknown beyond the universe?"
Cheng Shi had managed to keep his teeth clenched and his spirit intact throughout the gale — but the instant the opposing force vanished, his will collapsed. He crumpled straight to the floor of the Void, gasping in ragged heaves.
"Yes — no, it's not that I think You would. It's that You absolutely will!
I know I can't stop You, but I don't want You to go now!"
"Why do you say that?" Deceit asked with genuine curiosity.
"You can see through my thoughts. You already know."
"I don't."
Cheng Shi stared up into the pitch-black Void and heaved a weighty sigh.
"Because You have never been a god who covets Prosperity's authority. Otherwise, You wouldn't have gifted 'Vitality' to the likes of us.
But this ti, You're unwilling to let go of 'Breeding.' I don't believe 'Breeding' suits Void any better than 'Vitality' does. So You must have an ulterior motive.
I've combed through every change between now and before — and the only thing I can think of is that discovering the Slice Universe gave You a new idea.
On top of that, Folly's loss of authority is almost certainly connected to the truth of the Slice Universe. So I don't think You covet the authority itself. I think You want to use it as a pathfinder stone — to probe the most fundantal secret beyond this universe!
But can authority really substitute for admission, Benefactor? I doubt Folly would share anything with You, so I'm more inclined to think this is entirely Your own speculation.
You... want to gamble!
You want to use a surplus authority as the stake, and gamble on what lies at the universe's ultimate end!
Am I right, Benefactor?"
"..."
"Sigh. A clever clown isn't funny — only pitiable." The eyes snorted a laugh, blinked gently, and sent a soft breeze over Cheng Shi, healing every wound.
But Cheng Shi didn't get up. He lay gazing at the void above, hand pressed to his chest. "Can You... not go?"
Deceit scoffed. "What — as my follower, you have so little faith in your Benefactor?
Or do you think I'd make the sa blunder as that foul mouth and dig my own grave?"
"Yes."
"?" Another storm whipped through the Void — but gusted for only a single second before pulling back.
"Insolent Clown! To dare question your Benefactor — do you know you've committed blasphemy?"
"I'd rather repent to You now inside Void's prison than mourn You tomorrow in the cracks of Existence!"
"?" The eyes twitched with anger-laced laughter. Stars blazed wild. "You think I'm weaker than that foul mouth? She rely lost Her authority — but I would actually die?"
"Yes."
BOOM —
The nothingness exploded. The Clown was annihilated.
An indeterminate amount of ti later, the Void restored itself. The sa pair of still-furious eyes. The sa Clown lying on the ground, refusing to get up.
"You've gotten bolder."
"Benefactor — if I'm timid now, I may never have another chance to be bold."
Those eyes paused. The fury drained away, replaced by renewed delight.
"Why don't you want
to go now?"
"I want to..."
At this, Cheng Shi stood. He had never faced his Benefactor with this degree of solemnity — not even during the confrontation born of fear had he been this sincere.
"I want to wait until I can help You. Then You can go."
"..."
The Void fell silent. Then the limitless dark began to warp, turning phantasmagoric and kaleidoscopic. Every pocket of blackness seed to be painted with color, flowing freely, surging, boiling.
In that instant, it was as if the entire universe was laughing — and the omnipresent nothingness resonated in kind.
Yet the Fun God's tone remained razor-sharp.
"Tch —
A mortal clown — how dare you talk about helping ?"
"Then all the more reason to let
grow. And this!" Cheng Shi jabbed a finger at his own chest. "Is one of the stepping stones for that growth."
Those blinking eyes studied Cheng Shi. In re monts, the upturned corners climbed once more.
"Is it you growing, or your little cat friend?"
"Her growth is my growth. You know — she shares the authority with ."
"Oh?
Authority, authority...
You're getting better at misleading people. In the end, the Clown is just afraid I'll lose my authority and won't be able to grant him the power to deceive the gods anymore, right?"
"..."
Cheng Shi's voice went dead.
'Even if there's a teeny-tiny bit of that consideration — Benefactor, could You at least give
so face? There's nobody else around — why blow the cover?'
Cheng Shi rubbed his nose and muttered, "That's secondary. The main thing is caring about You."
"Tch —
Hard to say which is secondary. But I never planned to go anyway. I was just testing your devotion.
You failed, by the way.
Now scram. Looking at you annoys .
Rember to deliver the authority to your little cat. This isn't suited for you. Nothing good cos from boundless greed."
With that, those eyes prepared to send Cheng Shi away. But Cheng Shi still had a mountain of questions to ask. Seeing the wind of nothingness already rushing toward him, he shouted the one question on the tip of his tongue.
"Benefactor! Is the Fool's Lips Your creation, or was it the shattered mask that was Your creation?!"
But before any answer ca, the Clown had already been blown from the Void.
Watching the vanishing figure, Deceit's smile turned inscrutable.
"It is probably wondering who it really is too, isn't it?
But...
Slice Universe?
Hmm — quite an interesting na for it.
So it seems the end of this universe really does conceal Truth.
Then could He... be one of the culprits?"
...
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