Which One of Them Died!?

Who died?

It can't be [Filth and Decay]!?

This was Cheng Shi's first reaction. He felt a chill explode from his scalp, and a subtle shiver ran through his limbs. His pupils contracted as he looked into the Poison's eyes, his sharp, hawk-like gaze trying to find the answer in the other's eyes.

Where is [the Filth and Decay]? Even the gods do not know. He does not even participate in the Gods' Covenant Assembly. Would He truly summon His Believer in His true form and perish before Believer eyes?

Cheng Shi couldn't imagine it.

He also couldn't understand why [Filth and Decay], which represented the desires of the Cosmos, had fallen.

Everything in this world, whether human or divine, has desires. Although this is an age of Nothingness, it is also Filth and Decay. His Will spreads throughout the Cosmos without even needing to be deliberately propagated. He should be the one who reaps the benefits of this age, no, it should be said that every age. So what reason does He have to perish?

It's no wonder Cheng Shi is getting stuck on this idea, attributing the self-destructing god's identity to [Filth and Decay]. Remember his discovery in the True Universe?

In that Gods’ Graveyard, the bodies of gods rolled down like rain, but [Filth and Decay] and [Destiny] were conspicuously absent!

[Destiny] may have remained in each Slice Universe due to its Predestination obsession, so why didn't any [Filth and Decay] die in the True Universe?

Could it be that the information Poison knows is the answer it has been searching for?

Did each of them die in their own world?

Cheng Shi's heart tightened, and he asked again, "What exactly happened?"

Poison looked up at that face, her expression shifting several times before she finally asked, her face pale, "You... guided me, was it all so that on this day I could get information about Him from you?"

"?"

Is this really [Filth and Decay]!?

But what does the mention of Poison mean? Is she being wary of me?

No, if she were truly wary, she wouldn't have called out to herself through Long Jing. It seems she both wants to trust herself and has some doubts about herself.

These questions seem to be related to the identity of the Fool's Game!

Cheng Shi sensed a crisis of trust from the Subgod identity had somehow created a chasm between her and the Poison, making the other person afraid to approach her again.

Why is that?

Before hearing the Assassin's story, he couldn't determine his stance, but regaining people's trust wasn't a difficult task for a conman.

After a Cheng Shi took out a Mask down on the ground, and solemnly said:

"It's true that I was Fool's Game, but I'm still Cheng Shi."

I am not the god you imagine; at least in this game, I have always stood on the opposite side of the gods.

Whether or not I stand with you depends on your position, not mine.

The matter of opposing the gods is of great importance, and I cannot explain it in a few words. Without understanding your position, I cannot tell you the truth.

But I can tell you simply and clearly that I am trying to find ways to keep this world 'alive'.

If the identity of the Fool's Game terrifies you, then let's forget about the Fool's Game for now. Here we only have Poison and Cheng Shi, an Assassin full of worries and a conman who has shed his disguise.

Miss Assassin, can you trust me now?

Perhaps it was the familiar phrasing that rekindled Poison's trust; she pursed her lips, lowered her head, and said:

"I... went to the Sea of Desire again."

While you were Giggle and Mock, searching for something, I took a detour back to the edge of the sea of Sea of Desire.

"!!!"

Upon hearing the words "Sea of Desire," Cheng Shi knew that this matter was far from simple.

The word "again" made Cheng Shi frown even more.

That wretched place—any normal person who's been there once would never want to go back a second time. But this wicked woman, relying on her status as a [Filth and Decay] Believer, actually went again. What did she do both times?

The Poison was spoken slowly and softly:

"I went there to confirm something."

His self-destruction... is it real or fake?

The Trials came too quickly, leaving me no time to see everything clearly. And now I'm certain, He is dead, dead beside the Sea of Desire, and before He died, He took something from me...

"..."

Girl, let's not play riddles right now, it's driving me crazy.

Cheng Shi suppressed his curiosity and didn't dare to urge him, so he listened patiently.

"Do you know that my lord has three 'children'?" Poison raised its head.

"Nature, [The Sin of Desirelessness] Drachirko, [The Compassionate Lord] Tria, and [The Gate of Joyful Desire] Afros."

The grass on Tria's grave has sprouted, Afros is in prison, and only Drachirko is left, but he has fallen into the hands of the God of Merriment.

These "children" have had a Filth and Decay Path of Fate.

Cheng Shi a semi-expert on "Filth and Decay." Apart from never having seen Filth and Decay, he knows everything about the sordid affairs of His Emissary.

So when he heard Poison mention the three of them, the perceptive Cheng Shi immediately realized something and stared in shock.

You're mistaken!

The one who perished wasn't [Filth and Decay], but... Drachirko!?

"[The Sin of Desirelessness] is dead?"

Poison's expression became extremely complicated. She stared blankly at the ground and nodded.

"Yes.

Because I had never visited God, I ventured to the Sea of Desire; it was the first time I had ever come close to Sea of Desire edge.

I had no expectations, but there I unexpectedly met Drachirko had returned from the Sea of Desire to worship the gods.

He saw me, stopped me, and said:

He is not worthy of an audience, and there is no [Filth and Decay] in this world.

I thought I was who I was, but I was never who I was...

Then he pulled out a Daggers, stabbed it straight into his heart, and knelt down in front of me.

I was terrified and stood frozen in place, too scared to move. He coughed up blood and waved at me with a smile.

I know He wasn't calling me; He... roused my desires.

When He extinguished that Light of Desire with His own hands, He smiled and said, 'Why must evil be evil? This is the first good deed I have done. Go, child, leave this place.'

He died, and with him my desires vanished.

Drachirko stripped me of my desires.

Little Priest... I have no desire left.

At this moment, I am nothing more than a shell; I am merely 'playing' myself. The real me... has long since 'died' beside the sea of Sea of Desire."

"!!!!!"

Cheng Shi was stunned; he said in disbelief:

"You mean, [the Sin of Desirelessness] created a person without desire before he died!?"

Poison gave a bitter laugh. "Yes, it's me. Isn't that laughable?"

That's why I asked you, what exactly is Faith?

What is the reason for the existence of gods?

If their purpose in bringing this game is to spread the Faith, then why do they remove all my desires from the very side of the Sea of Desire closest to my Lord?

Why, by what right... and what is He doing?

"Lord Foolish Play, can you give me an answer?"

"..."

Cheng Shi couldn't give any answers.

He couldn't imagine how blasphemous Drachirko's actions before his death were to [Filth and Decay], nor could he fathom what Delacroix had discovered in the Sea of Desire that led him to make such a choice.

He vividly remembered that when the Gods' Covenant Assembly, Drachirko had told him, "I hope we can meet again," but now, meeting again was impossible, and he even learned of his death from the Poison.

Furthermore, what was the meaning of His dying words, "He is not worthy of an audience, and there is no [Filth and Decay] in this world"?

This statement itself is problematic. It is impossible for the world to be without [Filth and Decay]. He is the True God who was Naming by [the Origin], and whether He exists or not is not up to Himself.

Secondly, even if there truly is no "Filth and Decay" in the world, how could the first half of Drachirko's statement be that "He" is not worthy of an audience?

If there is no such thing as "He", then where does this "He" come from?

Cheng Shi was also confused. All of this was completely beyond his expectations, making the already unclear truth even more elusive.

Cheng Shi's experiences in the True Universe made Cheng Shi realize that [Filth and Decay] must hold clues to unlocking the truth of the universe, but the question is, who can tell me where He is?

Or... does He exist?

Nobody knows the answer.

Just as in the dead silence of the moment, even the wind ceases.