"Our game has begun..."
Joy murmured the words, as if savoring some special sensation, a faint smile tugging at their lips.
"That was a good line. It had a certain feel to it. Who did you learn it from?"
After repeating it twice, Joy turned their head to look around at the fireworks blooming beside them and the captivating glow of the flames.
"Do you see this as a game too? That's quite an interesting idea. But what exactly are you planning to wager on, and how will we play?"
After their earlier attempt, Joy knew that this newly risen challenger, who wanted to seize their position, was not someone they could easily drain dry.
So they were in no hurry to attack directly. Playing along would be fine.
Besides, they both possessed the power of joy. What they needed to compare was who held the greater appeal for that power. If one was too obsessed with winning and only thought of killing the other, to the point of not even daring to accept a wager, then they had already lost half the battle.
So no matter what, once Xie Antong had raised the subject, Joy no longer had the option of refusing.
"Then I'll take that as your agreement. As for what we play, isn't that simple?"
"Gods ought to be the ones who make the rules. We'll use what we have right here."
"What does a wager mean? A wager only has meaning when two sides hold different views on the same matter."
"Conveniently, although we both consider ourselves Joy, we have so many differing views. Why don't we see which of us is right, and which of us is the true Joy?"
Xie Antong spoke calmly, as though she was utterly certain of her victory.
The inspiration