Chapter 1174: The Sky of [Annihilation] Has Fallen

The sky of 【Annihilation】 has collapsed.

(The word count speaks for itself!)

On the other side.

Cheng Shi hadn't slept well these past two days; he was waiting for the call from Lord Death.

Neither the Jester God, the Whore God, nor 【Chaos】 and 【Time】 had acknowledged him in these days, leaving Cheng Shi deeply uneasy—he could only place all his hopes on my lord.

Fortunately, Lord Death had always been reliable; just before the trial ended, the long-waiting clown finally received word.

He was pulled into the void by an irresistible force, where he met Hro Luo Bosi, even more anxious than himself.

Clearly, all preparations were complete; now, Hro Luo Bosi only needed to request the inheritance of the 【Annihilation】 authority, and my lord would relay it to 【Justice (Order)】, summoning the Divine Pact Assembly—this "usurpation" war would then fully ignite.

Yet at this moment, Hro Luo Bosi had begun to "hesitate."

He tried several times to speak, but each time his expression changed and he swallowed his words; seeing this, Cheng Shi offered no encouragement, but instead relentlessly mocked:

"You weren't like this during negotiations, Hro Luo Bosi.

Are you scared?

You don't think there's still a way back now, do you?

I told you: if I cheated in this 'usurpation,' the true gods I persuaded wouldn't spare me—now I return that warning to you.

If you back out, not only will they not spare you, I'll be the first to notify your still-unaware patron and tell them exactly how you conspired with me to steal their divine seat."

"You!!!"

Hro Luo Bosi's pupils shrank, desperate to erase this annoying 【Deception】 envoy right now.

But He couldn't.

So He took a deep breath and said softly:

"Having decided, I have no regrets.

You needn't provoke me—I'm not doing this for myself, but to continue the true will of 【Annihilation】.

I have never betrayed my faith; not in the past, not now, and never in the future!"

Hearing this, Cheng Shi sneered.

You certainly didn't betray in the past—the future 【Annihilation】 is you yourself, so you won't betray either; as for now...

I was just lying to you with that speech, and you actually believed it yourself.

This "piety" is truly admirable.

But if it makes you happy, fine—after all, I'm delighted that 【Annihilation】 has fallen from its throne.

Cheng Shi nodded in approval, then raised his hand to urge the other to begin.

Hro Luo Bosi clenched his fists tightly, wrestling for a long while, then finally released them, his gaze resolute:

"I, Hro Luo Bosi, the Subordinate God of 【Drowning】, the Envoy of 【Annihilation】, the Hand of Pure Corruption, formally petition the 【Pact】 to inherit my lord's 【Annihilation】 throne and authority.

I humbly request the Great Lord of 【Void】, the 【Deception】, to relay this wish to 【Justice (Order)】, so that the Divine Pact Assembly may convene and vote on this motion!"

"?"

Why is it the Jester God?

Cheng Shi froze—he had assumed Lord Death would handle the relay, but the Jester God wasn't bad either; after all, He'd surely vote yes, and such a grand spectacle would draw Him rushing to the front row to gawk, perfectly in line with His nature.

At this moment, Cheng Shi's anxiety was no less than Hro Luo Bosi's—this was a mortal issuing the ultimate provocation to a true god, far more intense than mere blasphemy; to say he wasn't afraid at all was impossible, but perhaps more than fear, he felt excitement and thrill.

As Hro Luo Bosi finished speaking, the silent void pulsed with the pounding of two hearts; soon after, the void churned and darkened, every hollow blackness coming alive.

Before the star-tipped eyes, slanted at the corners, could open, both heard a voice from the depths of the void...

"Hee~"

That "hee" struck like thunder, jolting both into a shiver; by the time they steadied themselves, the star-strewn, spiraling eyes had already opened above their heads.

"Boldness indeed!

Since ancient times, you are the first to demand your patron's throne.

Given your motive isn't purely ambition, but a sliver of piety, this favor...

Hee~

I'll take it!"

"..."

After the 【Deception】 spoke, Hro Luo Bosi's face turned green.

What?!

From your tone, it sounds like I'm the mastermind?

I was pushed here by you all—and now, before the Pact Assembly even begins, you're already dumping the blame on me?!

He dared not blame the true god, so he glared at Cheng Shi.

Cheng Shi also had a headache.

Oh, my lord, my lord—why must you stir up trouble? We're one step away—why provoke Him now?

What if something goes wrong again?

Couldn't you just wait until the Divine Pact Assembly votes before making your sarcastic remarks?

But the Jester God couldn't hold back even a second; though He didn't laugh aloud, the permanently upturned corners of His eyes proved His laughter had never ceased.

Helpless, Cheng Shi could only try to comfort Hro Luo Bosi:

"Ignore Him—he's mentally ill.

Besides, once you sit on the true god's throne, He won't have many days left to dance—don't forget to vote for me then."

Cheng Shi's words bound their fates together, easing Hro Luo Bosi's heart slightly.

He knew he was already on the pirate ship; he might as well cheer with the pirates, closing his eyes and lowering his head, pondering how to face his patron, soon to stand before him.

Those eyes, seeing there was no more fun to be had below, blinked, relayed Luo Luo Bosi's request in full to 【Justice (Order)】, and said:

"Old antique, you heard it all, time to get to work.

The 【Covenant】 does not forbid an Emissary from inheriting their true god's authority while the god still lives, so this motion is valid. Quick, call them all over here, I want to vote!"

"......"

The void rippled once more, and a great scale, with stars for weights and flowing light for its frame, descended from the endless darkness. The instant It appeared, the entire void fell into a rigid, mechanical order. Its joyless, emotionless gaze swept past those eyes, then swept past Luo Luo Bosi and Cheng Shi beneath Its feet, and It rumbled:

"Is what you have done not treating the 【Covenant】 as a child's game?"

In the end, this was 【Justice (Order)】, the embodiment of the supreme rules. The moment It spoke, Luo Luo Bosi nearly bent at the waist. Cheng Shi, however, knew that 【Order】 had long since shattered into pieces and was nothing to fear, so he watched with keen interest instead to see how his patron would rebut the other party.

Yet 【Deceit】 did not rebut at all. It nodded and said: "So what if it is."

"......"

"......"

"......"

If the one being answered right now were not 【Justice (Order)】, It might well have come to blows with 【Deceit】. But It could not, because, as Boss 【Death】 had said, It was fair to the point of being rigid.

As long as the rules did not forbid it, It could not deny it either.

So no matter how little It wished to see 【Deceit】, It still had to follow the rules: convene the Covenant Assembly of the Gods, and invite the gods to come and vote on the ownership of the divine seat.

One mortal and two gods were drawn by 【Justice (Order)】 into a resplendent starry sky. Before long, the gods appeared one after another along their own river of stars.

But when 【Justice (Order)】 invited the gods, It did not mention whose divine seat was to be voted on, so the few who were uninformed arrived at the assembly with eyes full of confusion.

They had not heard of any god's fall recently, nor had they......

Wait, could it be 【War】, whom they hadn't seen in ages?

But what does 【War】's divine seat have to do with the clown?

Why is he here again?

The gods looked at Cheng Shi beside 【Deceit】 in astonishment, and felt a touch of confusion again upon seeing Luo Luo Bosi appear at the Covenant Assembly as well.

Until 【Oblivion】 made Its entrance, frowned as It swept Its gaze over Its own Emissary, then looked at the mortal who dared to desecrate It, let out a cold laugh, and said:

"It seems I still underestimated 【Void】's obsession with the offering. 【Deceit】, you value this mortal so highly — surely you're not planning to use your divine seat to legitimize him?"

The Fun God let out a snort, overcome with mirth:

"You guessed half of it right.

The one using a divine seat to legitimize him isn't me — it's you, 【Oblivion】."

"?"

At this moment, the gods who had agreed to attend had all arrived. 【Justice (Order)】 cut off the two parties' confrontation and issued a thunderous decree of order that shook the cosmos:

"Demigod of 【Fallen】, Luo Luo Bosi, intends to inherit the divine seat and authority of his lord 【Oblivion】. The 【Covenant】 contains no clause forbidding this; therefore, this motion passes. Voting begins."

"!!??"

"What!?"

"Who!?"

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Also, I'm not refusing to fix errors lately — it's just that the comments and @s are so numerous they get drowned out and I can't see them. The ones I do see, I still fix! (Bowing to all you woodpecker-sensei editors out there!)