Chapter 537: When the tide has already ebbed

When the tide has already ebbed...

"However, this prayer must be changed a bit.

How about this, I'll say it, and you follow me and recite it."

Nangong's expression became strange. She looked at Cheng Shi blankly and nodded unconsciously.

Cheng Shi chuckled, cleared his throat, and said while brewing his wording:

"Why do all living things decay, why does everything rot?

Oh, supreme Lord of 【Decay】, your pious believer has felt your true will, willing to respond to the decree with her body, and contribute a meager effort to your great cause of universal decay.

Humble me knows that I can no longer follow by your side, and my heart has regrets, but in order to practice true 【Decay】, I hereby pray to you...

Praying for you to break the shackles of my faith, so that your believer can sing praises for the coming universal decay on another path.

Therefore...

All living things should not decay, and everything should not rot.

The glory of 【Decay】 will return to you, and until that moment, it will be the true universal decay!"

"..."

For a moment, Nangong felt that Cheng Shi was the true believer of 【Decay】, and she was just someone making up the numbers who didn't even know how to say the prayer and praise.

However, since she chose to believe, she did as she was told.

She repeated Cheng Shi's words without missing a word, and when the last syllable left her lips, a strange fluctuation came from the void above the Imperial Court, which had been ravaged by endless Thunder Punishment.

She saw a huge vortex suddenly open in the accumulated dark clouds, and a phantom giant's hand hung down powerlessly. His fingertips lightly pointed, and a wisp of gray-white light descended. That light was clearly as bright as the stars but could not illuminate this real world. It streaked across the sky like a meteor, and then fell straight down, passing through the roof and hitting Nangong directly.

Nangong shuddered all over and looked up in fear, only to see that with the fall of that light, the "decay" of the entire Imperial Court dissipated. The dilapidated was restored, the old was refreshed, the damaged was repaired, the withered was revived, and even her own body felt a burst of unbearable itching.

She pulled open her sleeves in shock, only to see that her arms, which were covered in scars, were now flawless and white. Where was there even a trace of 【Decay】 left!

She checked her body in disbelief, and then looked at Cheng Shi with confusion and excitement.

He didn't lie; everything he said was true!

【Decay】 let her go, broke the shackles of faith, forgave her oath-breaking, and didn't cast down a curse. From now on, she... was a person, a pure person without faith!

"Cheng Shi..."

Nangong had countless gratitude she wanted to say to Cheng Shi in her heart, but when the words reached her lips, she didn't know how to say them. Thus, she could only stare blankly at Cheng Shi, using her eyes to express everything.

And Cheng Shi at this time was far more confused than Nangong.

Judging from the scene in front of him, 【Decay】 did indeed ebb, but...

Your tide...

Did it ebb in the wrong direction?

???

How did it ebb to me!?

Cheng Shi was confused, because the light from the sky just now didn't just hit Nangong; there were two beams of gray-white divine light, and one of them happened to hit him!

No, brother, I'm a guide. I said those words so that your believer would pray to you, not so that I would pray myself!

Besides, I'm not a believer of 【Decay】, why are you shining on me!!

This is a misunderstanding! A pure misunderstanding!

But is this really a misunderstanding?

No...

When Cheng Shi discovered that the nail on his left pinky finger began to change color, he knew this wasn't a misunderstanding.

【Decay】! Nail!

His divine gift returned to Cheng Shi's hands in this way.

And this meant that his speculation about 【Decay】 was correct; He had already changed His strategy and began to die of faith.

"..."

What does this count as?

What's mine is still mine?

Cheng Shi swallowed his saliva and looked at the nail on his left pinky finger. That nail, which was originally healthy and reddish, was now even brighter. It didn't show any characteristics of 【Decay】, but it had already become the representative of 【Decay】!

That nail had merged with Cheng Shi!

Cheng Shi originally thought this was another divine relic, but he was wrong—wrong to the extreme.

Because...

【Decay】 Authority "Fading" (Partial): A true divine authority recognized by 【Covenant】, bestowed by its wielder. The user has part of the power to act on behalf of this authority.

Authority Effect 【Fading Redemption】: The agent is affected by the authority and can act on behalf of the authority wielder to grant forgiveness, freely break the faith contract of His believers, acknowledge their oath-breaking behavior, and erase the curses they bear.

Authority Effect 【Fading Majesty】: The agent is affected by the authority and can borrow part of the power of this authority when encountering blasphemous attacks of this faith, strengthening themselves to deal with crises.

Authority!!!

Cheng Shi had never thought that the nail he threw away would actually be the authority of 【Decay】!!!

Ah?

Ah!!??

He is too generous!

What does this mean? Seeing that he had the "vitality" of 【Prosperity】 on him, so He specially came over to balance it out?

Is it a rule of 【Covenant】 or His voluntary bestowal?

If it's this logic, then should he ask his benefactor for two authorities to play with, and then pit the two of 【Existence】?

Forget it, don't seek death. After all, even Avlos is as obedient as a primary school student in front of 【Time】. They don't look easy to mess with.

However, honestly speaking, this fading of 【Decay】... is a bit like the eternal imprisonment of 【Time】.

A specialized artifact for the home family?

Looking at the description of this authority, the meaning is clearly that he can "persuade to quit" 【Decay】 believers at any time in the future, and if the 【Decay】 believer doesn't listen to persuasion and wants to resist, he can even borrow the power of the authority to give the resister a big one!

Good, good, good!

I understand. It turns out that the essence of the existence of the gods is not only stealing authority from each other, but also backstabbing their own believers!

Right, too right! Doesn't the God of Fun treat me as a clown every day too!

"..."

From today on, he seems to have gained another identity: 【Decay】's... Fader?

Tsk tsk tsk, if I can personally break His shackles of faith, then why can't I be called His Messenger?

A 【Decay】 "Messenger" who acts on behalf of "Fading"!

Earned it. Today is another day of temporarily having the surname "Lu"!

Cheng Shi gradually recovered from the shock. He looked at Nangong, who had a complex expression in front of him, and smiled:

"Don't panic, fading 【Decay】 is just the first step. The next step is to join 【Prosperity】.

After this trial ends, Nangong, go pray. Pray to 【Prosperity】. The prayer is casual, as long as you add my name, it's enough.

Don't ask why, just do it.

However, honestly speaking, although I expected it, I still didn't expect 【Decay】 to really ebb..."

Nangong also gradually calmed down from the excitement. She heard this and looked up in confusion:

"Ebb? Ebb what tide? Snow tide? Indeed, the snow seems to have stopped."

"...?"

Cheng Shi paused and turned to look outside the hall.

【Decay】 did indeed fade the decay of the Imperial Court, but the heavy snow was just a normal weather condition and shouldn't be affected.

Even when the gray light descended just now, the snow didn't stop. How could it stop suddenly now?

His gaze condensed, seeming to feel that something was not quite right, but in an instant, he realized something, and his eyes widened suddenly.

It's broken, the World-Enders have arrived! ===== CHAPTER 538 =====