Chapter 1300: Unexpected Change

Unexpected Change

At such a difficult moment of decision, Qin Xin stepped forward once more.

With a grand sweep of his hand, he "wiped away" everyone's worries, and said with utmost gravity:

"We cannot hold the life and death of the world hostage to a single person. This is not what Cheng Shi wishes, nor what we wish, nor what the world wishes — all of this is the doing of the Outer God!

If that is so, then why not turn our spears toward the Outer God?

No god is unbeatable. They are merely variables in the Creator's experiment. Even if the Outer God has stolen the Authority of 【Deceit】 and wields power far surpassing the gods, I refuse to believe such power is infinite!

So long as it is whittled down to nothing, He too is nothing more than an 'ordinary' god.

When that time comes, perhaps we need not choose between Cheng Shi and the world — we need only repel the Outer God, and what remains will all be 'family matters' beneath this starry sky, no?"

Everyone of course knew this was also a method, but the problem was — if there were still gods in the cosmos capable of wearing down the Outer God, how could the situation have come to this?

"Which god today can stand against Him?" Long Jing racked his brains thinking.

"【Order】, who for the cosmos's order would never bow to the Outer God, and......

Me!"

The instant his words fell, a blaze of fierce flame erupted across Qin Xin's body; the bursting wave of heat instantly swept through the great hall, shoving everyone present backward.

Feeling the terrifying pressure akin to a god's, Long Jing gaped and said, "This is......"

"How shall we seek survival!

Only with blood, and fire!"

Qin Xin stood gripping his bow, flame-hair dancing of its own accord without wind; scattered sparks drifted past those pupils of blood and fire, reflecting within them a soaring battle intent.

"Now, the flames of war have been lit — what is still needed is unyielding blood, and it so happens that every drop of blood in this body of mine is written with unyieldingness.

I am willing to stake it all on this gamble. Even if I burn dry the very last drop, I will fight for a future for this world!"

The rolling heat of 【War】 seared everyone's hearts and souls to a boil; all of them felt Qin Xin's resolve, and were even infected by his battle intent, beginning to feel the world was not without hope after all.

But the Fire of Hope knew that, relying on nothing but hot blood, there might be a slim chance of defeating the Outer God's scheme — but what then?

When the Outer God retreats and the cosmos is left with only "family matters," the choice between the predetermined and the world will play out anew.

He knew Qin Xin could not have failed to think of this. This Torchbearer simply did not wish to retreat again and again; he was numbing himself, deliberately ignoring the hardest choice, attempting to postpone that choice indefinitely — or even to die before it arrived.

This was no act of cowardice. To dare declare war upon a god was, for a mortal like him, the greatest courage!

But every curtain must fall at last.

The Fire of Hope fell silent. Facing futures that were all broken, He had no standing and no reason to dampen Qin Xin's resolve with cold water — nor could He fail to support what represented a will to rebel born of the fewest in number.

Thus the Torchbearer's will was settled: Qin Xin, in the capacity of an Emissary of 【War】, would pay homage to 【Order】, and together with Order resist the Outer God, making one final effort for this world and the world's predetermined.

Time waits for no one.

The moment the plan was set, Qin Xin left the Torchbearer's Hall at once to seek a way to pay homage to 【Order】. The others dispersed one after another. Long Jing had assumed that Chen Shu, one way or another, would cling to him and return with him to that trial bestowed by the Outer God to search for his brother-in-law — yet Chen Shu silently vanished before his eyes.

Watching the flash of resolve that crossed the other's face, Long Jing suddenly guessed where Chen Shu had gone.

The Void, before the Leaky Realm Silent Effigy.

"【Silence】, are you too an accomplice in the Outer God's plot to plunder the predetermined!?"

The Leaky Realm Silent Effigy gave no response, not even casting a single glance down at the believer before Him. He floated quietly in the void, performing silence to perfection.

"Why? When the predetermined leaves the world, when the experiment loses its answer — can you alone survive?

Such a simple question — I refuse to believe the gods never thought of it. So what on earth are you all after!"

【Silence】 remained silent. Chen Shu clenched both fists.

"Grandma was right — good people...... aren't here."

The Void, the Fishbone Hall.

A massive skull sat upon a bone throne, watching the small skull ascending the fishbone staircase to pay homage. Green flame burned low in its eye sockets as it said:

"You, have come, to the wrong, place."

"I have not come to the wrong place — I have come to find you, my lord and benefactor." The small skull spoke calmly.

The massive skull fell silent. After a moment, He sighed:

"I, know, your purpose, in coming, but in this matter, I, cannot, intervene."

"You knew long ago that 【Deceit】 was the Outer God! Didn't you!? But why?" The small skull raised its head, its tone still flat as it questioned, "You shelter Cheng Shi so — was it only to make him believe in the Outer God? This is your world, and our world. Why would you aid an Outer God and plunge the world into a dead end with no future?

Could the utter annihilation of the cosmos truly be your ultimate wish?

But that is plainly 【Obliteration】, not 【Death】!"

These words, anywhere else, would count as the greatest blasphemy against 【Death】 — let alone now, within the Fishbone Hall itself.

A terrifyingly dreadful breath of 【Death】 erupted from beneath the bone throne in an instant; the entire Fishbone Hall began to shake and tremble. Countless bones surged upward like a torrent flowing in reverse, encircling and enveloping the whole Fishbone Hall.

At this moment, the shadow of death completely shrouded the staircase, and the small skull could no longer make out the divine throne before it.

But it remained composed, for she could not see clearly to begin with.

Yes — she is not he. She is An Mingyu, the prophet abandoned by 【Fate】, the bell-knocker who has taken refuge in 【Death】.

The small skull still gazed upward, but no longer at the bone throne — it gazed up at the void obscured by the torrent of bones.

She did not fear any of this, for she knew that true fear did not lie here.

The massive skull did not punish further. Upon sensing the persistence of its believer, it sighed helplessly and said:

"I, too, only, recently, learned, of His, identity.

But, the gods, too, have, their, unspeakable, burdens.

The predetermined, of 【Fate】, if, truly, the answer, for the world, then His, world, would not, have, endured, a single, failure.

He, once, spoke, to us, saying, only, after, failure, can one, behold, the true meaning, of 【Origin】.

He, already has, a strategy, of certain, success, yet still, lacks, one, chance, to try.

If, the predetermined, of this world, can serve, as His answer, perhaps, both worlds, may yet, have, a chance, to survive!

Therefore......"

Hearing this, the small skull was stunned for a moment, then let out a laugh.

That laugh was very soft, like a chuckle it couldn't hold back, and also like an incredulous sneer.

"You believed it?"

"......"

The green flame in the eye sockets of the enormous skull flickered unsteadily. It looked at its follower, and felt that this follower, usually somewhat frail, seemed different today — it had more backbone, and was more confident.

But the question was, given the current situation, where did that backbone come from?

"Whether to believe or not, is My affair. You, coming here, has no meaning. Withdraw."

Before the words had finished falling, the torrent of white bones encircling the great hall surged toward the small skull. But just as the small skull was about to be swallowed by the torrent, it suddenly spoke:

"Lord Benefactor, the promises of the Outer God are all lies. I believe you must have been deceived by It.

I beg you to see the truth, to lend a hand — help us, help Cheng Shi, help the world.

Otherwise......"

Endless white bones abruptly halted before the small skull; the densely packed skulls completely robbed the small skull of its "sight."

The enormous skull hummed:

"Otherwise, what?"

The small skull suddenly spat out a dozen or so dice, and said calmly:

"Otherwise, your humble follower will personally toll the bell of death for you.

I will be here, upon your throne, once again attempting to gaze upon the countenance of the 【Origin】......"

"!!!"

The Void.

Qin Xin, on his way to an audience with 【Order】, encountered an unexpected figure.

At this time, his beard and hair were still fully ablaze, the very image of 【War】.

The person who had blocked him regarded his new "skin" with great interest, then nodded and smiled:

"As expected, you are the greatest beneficiary of this journey through the real universe.

But before you go to find 【Order】, I can offer you a small piece of advice."

Qin Xin's pupils contracted: "Who told you my whereabouts?"

"You've already guessed, haven't you?"

"......" Qin Xin's brow furrowed, then he closed his eyes and sighed, "Sun Miao."

"Clever.

But also foolish.

As an Envoy who has shed mortal status, you had a far more convenient method to save the Fool's Play, yet you chose to fight head-on.

Does postponing the folly bring an answer?

Since it does not, why not settle the ending from the very start?

I can make the ending of Nothingness play out this instant. You — are you willing to cooperate, Qin Xin?"

"What for, Wei Mu?"

That's right — the newcomer was none other than Wei Mu.

The puppet smiled, gazing into the distance with deep meaning: "To verify whether the cosmos itself is a folly."