In the past, the ever-prudent Cheng Shi would never have dared to blasphe a god this brazenly to His face.
It wasn't because firing Thundering Judgnt at Oblivion had sent him into a nihilistic "shattered-pot" ntality. Rather, he reasoned that since the Fun God was willing to expose the imprisoned Order to him, it ant he was absolutely safe at this mont.
At the very least, even if the prisoner rioted, the warden had to be nearby.
So Cheng Shi pushed his luck.
He wasn't just fulfilling a "promise" he'd once made to Order during a trial. Drawing from his own experiences and feelings, he genuinely wanted to confront Order with so hard questions.
He often wondered: if Order had never faltered from the very beginning, would reality look different from what it was now?
It was a question with virtually no answer. Cheng Shi knew that. But he still wanted to ask — because that was the instinctive longing buried deep in every human heart for peace and goodness.
Muddled thoughts silenced him for a mont. Seeing that Pride of Order had also fallen silent under his judgnt, he let out a snicker and pressed on with another taunt.
"Though they have their faults, at least they are still Order.
Justice of Order uses the Convention to restrain the gods and discipline their conduct.
Fear of Order may be extre, but at least, driven by fear, it constantly reinforces order.
The Iron Law of Order may have fallen prematurely, but within its limited 'lifespan,' it ensured a stable transition of historical order.
So let
ask — what about You, Pride of Order?
What have You contributed to the order of this universe?
Being tied up here to please Chaos, begging Him not to add more chaos to the world?"
"..."
"..."
What Pride of Order was thinking, Kataro had no idea. All he knew was that his own eyelid was twitching violently.
This Order truly couldn't escape the cage. But what if...
'Lord Cheng Shi was always so steady — why has he suddenly gone into this crazed mockery mode? I'd like to ask You, sir — where did Your prudence go?'
It had to be said: while Cheng Shi's strength was negligible before a god, his biting sarcasm — learned to a good fifty percent from Deceit — packed staggering destructive power. Pride of Order had absorbed every word, which was precisely why He couldn't refute them.
But His inherent arrogance wouldn't let Him bow His head. So His pages still fluttered — the holy light dim — and in a tone of lofty detachnt, He denied it all.
"I acknowledge that Justice of Order is Order's essence. Fear of Order is Order's worry. And I am Order's transcendence over all.
But...
What is this 'Iron Law of Order'?
It is rely a creation of Order. How dare you equate it with the likes of us?
I created it for the sole purpose of providing guidance from Him to the foolish, self-unaware mortal lives. By that logic, everything it accomplished was rely the manifestation of my will. Its rits are, by rights, my rits.
The fact that it collapsed midway through propagating Order's will — without a contingency plan — constitutes a betrayal of my expectations and an act of blasphemy!
It... is not worthy of speaking of Order."
"..."
That outburst actually left Cheng Shi speechless.
'Buddy, I thought I was shaless — but you're on another level.'
'Is this a divine talent? Even in shalessness, you can transcend the mortal plane and ascend a whole dinsion?'
'If you had the slightest shred of self-awareness, how could you spout such brain-dead nonsense?'
Cheng Shi nearly laughed in anger. He was about to fire back when Kataro behind him muttered in a strange tone:
"That doesn't add up..."
Cheng Shi paused and turned to look at Kataro. Kataro was nervously glancing left and right, as if searching for soone's presence. But in this temple devoid of Chaos, who would a servant of Void be looking for?
Cheng Shi read Kataro's mind instantly. He raised an eyebrow.
"Looking is pointless. If He wants to know what you said, He'll know regardless of where He is. So just say what's on your mind, Kataro. It's not like there's anything new that I don't already know."
Kataro clenched his fists nervously. He wasn't sure whether he could share this. But since Lord Cheng Shi had asked, he had no choice but to confess, anxiously and honestly.
"Sir, the Order that Chaos replaced — the Iron Law of Order — was not a pure creation of Order. It was Obsession of Order, who fused with the Iron Law to turn the creation into a true deity!
So He should also be one of the fractured Orders.
Order split into four — this is common knowledge among the gods regarding the Sea of Desire shattering."
"?"
Hearing this, Cheng Shi froze.
Granted, for a true god to fuse a fragnt with a creation wasn't particularly unusual. But given Kataro's alard tone and Pride of Order's definition of the Iron Law, was there more to this story?
He turned back to the codex beneath his feet, only to hear it scoff:
"I erred in stepping into the Sea of Desire. I was torn apart by desire. I split into three — where does this fourth co from?
It seems that a universe stripped of Order can't even keep its basic facts straight.
How pitiful."
"..."
Cheng Shi couldn't hold back. He pressed one finger onto the codex's cover, pinning down the feebly fluttering pages, and sneered with maximum derision.
"Who's the pitiful one here?
You don't even understand your own death. You wear Order's divine na on your head, yet at the mont of your shattering, you couldn't even let the world clearly perceive the order of your fracture — leaving outsiders to guess how many pieces you split into!
Pathetic!
Never mind how many fragnts you truly beca. Your stubborn dead-duck posturing right now — what good does it do for the last shred of order left in this universe?
Making the world see how wretched the forr Order has beco, so they'll toss you so humanitarian sympathy?
Sorry — you can't even manage that.
Only two people have seen you this pathetic. Only one has heard you this stubborn. No one pities your predicant — just as no one even noticed the fall of Order.
Now I understand how Chaos managed to replace Order. Hah — if even Order can't face itself, then a Chaos that's equally blind to its own nature is no different from you.
Order's codex, the Grand Tribunal — nothing more than a clueless troupe of amateurs, if you ask ."
After that, Cheng Shi even spat on the ground. Then he stepped off the throne, brow deeply furrowed, and walked over to Kataro. He laid a hand on his shoulder and, with the utmost gravity, asked:
"Who told you about the existence of Obsession of Order?"
Kataro's expression shifted. Sothing clicked for him, and he didn't dare hide it. "The Benefactor. But sir, this is common knowledge among the gods."
The gods?
Cheng Shi seed to grasp sothing. He snickered, waving a hand dismissively.
"Good. Of course I know the gods all know this. But does your 'all the gods' include the Order right in front of us?
In this world, who understands Order better than Order Himself?
He says He split into three. That doesn't seem to include your so-called Obsession of Order.
So here's the second question:
If the gods all know about this — who told them?"
"..." Kataro was a sharp man. The answer ca to him instantly. But he didn't dare say it.
Cheng Shi didn't press him. He just shook his head with a wry smile and began counting on his fingers.
"That's a tough one to guess. So let's use the process of elimination.
First, eliminate Order. Second...
Eliminate every god except Deceit."
"..."
Kataro's eyelid twitched. 'Sir, your process of elimination is certainly... unique.'
But Cheng Shi paid no attention to Kataro's odd expression. He stroked his chin, deep in thought.
"Interesting. So during Order's fracture, the Fun God was already plotting for Order's divine throne?
No — wait. He wasn't scheming for Order's throne. He was scheming for Chaos's throne!
Getting Chaos to replace Order was all about vacating this temple for Himself.
He'd been eyeing a fusion with Chaos all along!
And this covetous intent may have begun even before Order stepped into the Sea of Desire!"
The further Cheng Shi's thoughts ran, the more alard he beca. He kept feeling that Deceit — who concealed everything — hadn't sought to fuse with the all-obscuring Chaos for any simple reason. It was to better hide so secret.
But what exactly was He hiding?
...
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