Cheng Shi's lips twitched faintly — once again, the Clown was himself.
But he didn't let this "blaspher who had disrespected him" off the hook. Instead, he put on an act and let out a cold laugh.
"You perform chaos when I am absent, yet rein in your true nature the mont I arrive.
Zhen Xin?
A fine na. A follower of Deceit who dares call herself 'True Heart' — I wonder if your performance today also cos from that true heart of yours?
This is not your Void stage. This is the birthplace of Chaos. To attend an audience before the Lord of Disorder in an orderly manner — follower of Deceit, are you blaspheming ?"
As he spoke, Cheng Shi closed in on Zhen Xin with an overwhelming air of dominance.
He was only slightly taller than her, but the difference in their presences was like heaven and earth. Cheng Shi gazed down at the "blaspher" from on high, let out three cold laughs, and in a peculiar cadence, pronounced her guilty.
"Aren't you afraid I'll execute you for blasphemy?"
Zhen Xin felt the imnse pressure. It was a kind of pressure she had never experienced from any true god.
But she reasoned that was probably because true gods wouldn't deign to lower themselves and argue with mortals, whereas a Servant God was far more "down to earth" — hence the scene before her.
Yes — Zhen Xin was certain that the being standing before her was the one and only Chaos Envoy, a Servant God of Chaos bearing a comical na: Lord Ultraman.
Throughout the long history of the Land of Hope, His traces had surfaced more than once. Although all records related to the Chaos Envoy were deeply hidden, the History School was a colossus, and under the full weight of their investigation, their president had unearthed secrets no ordinary person could know.
After limited research, she had arrived at a conclusion:
This figure was a puppeteer who covertly plucked at history's strings, guiding the tides of the eras. He was exceptionally mysterious and rarely appeared, yet His na lived vividly on the lips of countless Chaos followers, propelling the chaotic landscape of the Land of Hope ever forward.
He was like a low-profile strategist, orchestrating sothing for His Benefactor and His camp.
But given the current circumstances... He seed more like a bad-tempered, sinister scher.
And this scher apparently didn't like her very much.
Why?
Had He discovered sothing and was using veiled hostility to protest against her Benefactor, Deceit? Or... had He noticed nothing at all and simply didn't want to walk alongside Void?
Zhen Xin's expression tightened. She couldn't help recalling the earth-shattering secret Cheng Shi had shared with her back in San Dales:
"Order is actually Chaos — so who do you think Chaos might be?"
When she'd first heard those words, the divine na "Deceit" had sprung to mind faster than her shock could catch up.
She didn't know why Order had beco Chaos, but in that context, the implication was unmistakable — he was suggesting that Chaos might be their shared Benefactor, Deceit.
So Zhen Xin had always believed this audience was simply about identifying whether Chaos and Deceit were one and the sa. After all, certain effects of Their authorities were strikingly similar, and the talents Deceit had been granting players were increasingly tinged with Chaos.
That was also why she'd engineered a way for Zhen Yi to petition the Fun God to bring her here. The Fun God's reaction to that petition was equally important — another piece of the puzzle she needed.
What she hadn't expected was that the one granting her audience was not Chaos Himself, but His Envoy, Ultraman.
Still, Zhen Xin didn't panic. She simply lifted her chin with a calm expression, neither retreating nor showing fear. She t the yellow mist churning beneath that hood dead-on, and with well-reasoned precision, parried Cheng Shi's "intimidation."
"Whatever cri I may have committed, the very concept of 'cri' belongs to Order's vocabulary.
If Your Excellency wishes to judge
by cris, then Your Excellency is presently acting in accordance with order.
For Zhen Xin to attend an orderly audience before an orderly envoy — that doesn't seem wrong to .
Of course, I know the order Your Excellency wears is rely disorder in disguise, just as the chaos I perford earlier was nothing but Void's illusion. We each practice our own will and offer devotion to our respective Benefactors. Such piety, I believe, cannot be called 'wrong' anywhere.
Don't you agree, Lord Ultraman?"
"..."
'Are you prepping for the civil service exam or sothing?'
Cheng Shi was floored. Beneath the yellow mist, his eyes blinked blankly twice. Then he stepped back slightly, forcibly suppressed his twitching eyelid, and burst into "appreciative" laughter.
"Ha ha, ha ha ha ha! You're quite entertaining."
He turned around, waving away the surrounding yellow mist to reveal the long stairway beyond the platform.
"I am aware of your purpose. Since you have interest in Chaos..."
"Your Excellency!" Zhen Xin seized the pause between his breaths to politely cut in. "Please forgive my impertinence, but allow
to explain why I've co.
It was actually my sister — my other personality, Zhen Yi — who petitioned our Benefactor Deceit to find
a second faith. Before I could agree, she brought
here. I—"
"Enough."
Cheng Shi cut her off with a cold snort.
"Save your Deceit theatrics. Don't assu that everyone in this era bows before Void.
Cheap lies only make you look like a clown.
I'll give you a choice. Either you ascend the divine staircase and attempt to earn my Lord's gaze — or you leave this place. For the sake of the era's rulers, I'll spare your life."
As he spoke, Cheng Shi waved his hand once more, carving a passage through the endless yellow mist. At its end lay the river the Fun God had buried deep within Void:
Mockery and Jeering.
The sight made Zhen Xin's pupils contract, while Cheng Shi laughed inwardly.
In truth, he had zero control over the chaotic yellow mist on this platform. Even with the container in hand, he held not a shred of authority over this temple.
It was Kataro, the gatekeeper, who possessed partial proxy authority over the temple. This "attentive" servant had razor-sharp observational skills, watching Cheng Shi's every gesture from the shadows and coordinating perfectly to help him... show off.
Of course, from Kataro's perspective, this wasn't showing off. He was rely fortunate enough to serve Lord Cheng Shi — to offer his humble loyalty to this favored child of Void who was on the verge of becoming a true Him.
The modest Kataro had already learned that this lord had obtained a container, and his self-chosen loyalty only grew firr.
Cheng Shi was quite satisfied with that.
But his attention wasn't on his "shadow" Kataro right now — it was fixed on Zhen Xin.
In reality, the Chaos Temple held no appeal for Cheng Shi anymore. His sole purpose in playing pretend here was to get Zhen Xin to climb the Chaos staircase and morize every mont of what would undoubtedly be a hilarious experience.
Once she'd made a fool of herself and given him leverage, he could consider leaking a few tidbits of information — perhaps even accommodating Zhen Xin's need for a second faith.
Because the fact that the Fun God had sent Zhen Xin here after revealing the truth, and had Kataro summon Cheng Shi to receive her, ant He had already approved of Zhen Xin fusing Chaos the sa way Cheng Shi had.
So Cheng Shi was here today purely to enjoy the show and flex — or to put it more practically, to construct a full-bodied image of Ultraman before a player who commanded the History School, so that the Chaos Envoy's legend would spread as premium intelligence, accelerating the drip of Chaos divinity into his container.
Getting Zhen Xin to embarrass herself was just a bonus perk.
And so, under Lord Ultraman's crushing pressure, Zhen Xin pressed her lips together, lowered her gaze in submission, and chose to give it a try.
"Thank you for this opportunity. If I step onto the staircase, will I receive His audience?"
"That depends on how far you can walk.
The last player I considered promising — and who actually received His audience — managed to reach...
six steps."
Cheng Shi offered a faint smile, telling a not-too-outrageous lie.
Six steps?
Zhen Xin gazed at the staircase stretching endlessly above her and silently counted out six steps.
Less than two ters.
Her pupils shrank, her expression a masterpiece of emotion.
That tiny distance was all that separated a mortal from an audience with a true god.
Was this what they ant by "so close, yet so far"?
With that thought, the Magician's jaw clenched behind a complex expression. She steeled herself, and with one decisive stride, stepped upward.
...
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