An audience with [Destiny], part two

Giggle and Mock.

When Cheng Shi stepped into it, the spider web he had transformed into grew even larger, almost capturing all the colorful things in sight and hanging them on the web.

He carefully examined the Change in himself, searching for the shadow of [Destiny], but found nothing.

He cannot see [Destiny].

Fortunately, the overwhelming aura of [Destiny] surged in the same direction. He looked in that direction and finally sensed a figure that seemed to exist amidst the surging Giggle and Mock.

The existence felt in a distorted river of [Existence] is actually Nothingness —is this not ironic?

Cheng Shi looked in that direction, his eyes flickering, his expression strange.

The blasphemy that had accumulated day and night finally resulted in a cry for help. No matter how thick-skinned a person was, they could no longer pretend nothing was wrong and call out to their Lord of Grace.

But Cheng Shi doesn't consider himself a human being.

He immediately switched to a devout stance, crying out in that direction, "My Lord of Grace, save me!"

A terrifying wave of [Destiny] erupted from the Giggle and Mock, carrying an aura of world destruction that surged in all directions.

The immense pressure caused Cheng Shi's body to hunch over for a moment, but soon, this oppressive force from the god bypassed the only Fate Weaver present and turned to crush the surrounding Giggle and Mock.

Distortion is boiling, absurdity is burning, and abstraction is unraveling.

At this moment, Cheng Shi once again saw those twinkling, star-like Starry Eyes open before him.

His gaze remained cold, his eyes slightly downturned, clearly concealing boundless rage. He looked at his Believer, angry at their lack of resolve, yet his tone softened, and he spoke with pity for their misfortune:

"Wrong Path... easy to walk?"

"..."

I feel like I've been slapped in the face.

Cheng Shi felt a slight, tingling pain in his cheek. He lowered his head awkwardly, still trying to justify himself:

"How can one comprehend the Predestination of Destiny without straying from the Wrong Path? Change is also within your Divine Authority; at least the path you take on the Wrong Path is one that brings you closer to yourself..."

This was a completely unconvincing excuse. Usually, Cheng Shi would have waited for divine punishment after saying this, but today was different. [Destiny] was trapped and unable to punish him.

Even more surprisingly, the trapped [Destiny]'s eyes softened considerably because of these words, and even the boisterous Giggle and Mock around him gradually subsided.

Seeing that it was effective, Cheng Shi immediately revealed the [Deception] metaphor he had guessed during the Trials. He no longer cared whose territory this was; he only had one chance. If he couldn't win the support of [Destiny] here, then perhaps only a "Wrong Path" awaited him.

Of course, the support of [Destiny] is probably not a good thing either. The Sacrifice can never escape the Destiny of being Sacrifice. But between two evils, it is better to stay in one's own world as Sacrifice than to be taken away from the world as a tool to save other worlds.

Cheng Shi was in a hurry. He tried his best to remain calm and clearly explained his suspicions about the Deception, his fear of the Deception, and his resistance to the Deception...

[Destiny] Remains silent.

Cheng Shi sensed something was wrong with [Destiny]. He paused for a moment, looked up in confusion, and seeing that [Destiny] still did not respond, he gritted his teeth and finally asked the question that had troubled him for a long time.

"The Outer God [Deception] intends to trick the Clown, which is already an affirmation of Predestination."

But your Believer have been puzzled by what exactly is Predestination, and why I... am Predestination.

How can you be so sure that the aloof and unapproachable [Origin] requires the Predestination you advocate?

"Presumptuous!

Do not disrespect [*He]!

"..." Upon hearing [Destiny's ] rebuke, Cheng Shi chuckled and suddenly felt relieved.

He shrugged, staring into those eyes, and said nonchalantly, "Go ahead and be presumptuous. I'm about to die, why should I care so much?"

Lord of Grace benefactor, since I cannot escape my Predestination Destiny, why won't you let me die knowing the truth?

If I were offered to the Creator with a sense of bewilderment, wouldn't He be displeased by this impure piety?

By all accounts, you should let me know the truth by now, right?

I accepted my fate when I realized that the [Deception] came from outside this world and wanted to lure me to Another World.

Predestination predetermined is Predestination. No matter how much I resist or oppose it, it will always find a way to bring me back on track and make me 'willingly' accept what is Predestination.

I just never expected that the final method would be to shatter all my illusions about the Fear Faction...

And now, I'm only one truth away from being 'willing'.

Tell me the Predestination truth, and I am willing to become the Predestination as you understand it.

You once said that it wasn't you who chose me, but rather that Predestination for me. So why was it Predestination for me!?

I know I may not be qualified to seek the truth, but please, Lord of Grace, grant me one last blessing...

"..."

The Giggle and Mock froze instantly, as if frozen in time. Even the brilliance gradually faded, and everything ceased to be distorted, making those Starry Eyes shine even brighter.

[Destiny] lowered its gaze, looked at its Believer, and sighed softly.

He eventually softened and gave Cheng Shi the answer.

"This is not my will, but..."

"[The Origin]!?" Cheng Shi's pupils shrank, and he broke out in a cold sweat. "My Lord of Grace, please don't tell me that the Creator above billions of living beings, no, billions of universes, conducted this cosmic Experiment to anchor a Mortals!"

I!?"

[Destiny] fell silent; He did not finish speaking, yet He seemed to have revealed everything.

Ha, ha ha ha ha!

Cheng Shi suddenly burst into laughter, his laughter growing louder and louder as he clutched his stomach and pounded the ground, completely out of control and in a state of madness.

He couldn't understand it, nor could he comprehend it.

What merit do I possess to deserve the sole gaze of a Creator?

What does He want to do? What is He doing?

My Lord of Grace, perhaps you chose me as Sacrifice to please Him, but why did He choose me?

Could there be something beyond the [Origin]?

If not, it can't be so that the position of [Origin] can be passed on to me!?

Haha, does that mean I'm about to become [Origin]!?

Very well, all the gods are annihilated, the Cosmos is collapsing, this is the [Origin]!

No wonder this phrase echoes in the graveyard of the True Universe; I understand now!

When I succeed to the [Origin] throne, that will be the day this absurd Cosmos collapses!

Gods should never exist in this world!

Sensing the Despair in the hearts of his Believer, [Destiny] forgave his blasphemy against the Creator.

But He did not offer Cheng Shi any comfort, for Predestination cannot be changed.

He can tolerate Cheng Shi astray because of Predestination Wrong Path, but He will not tolerate Cheng Shi betraying Predestination beliefs out of Despair. This is [Destiny]. He does not favor any particular Believer, but rather the path ahead of Him.

Ruthless!

Two words popped into Cheng Shi's mind, but he didn't dare to say them.

He was ultimately asking for a favor, and even in his most desperate moments, he couldn't bring himself to utter those two words in front of "Destiny."

Cheng Shi laughed until he was exhausted. He lay back, sprawled amidst the Giggle and Mock, emptying his mind, gazing up at the distorted figures, and muttering to himself in a frenzy:

What's so great about me? What's the point of electing me?

How can this world be so absurd?

Haha, speaking of which, the last person to take a liking to me for no reason was Old Jia.

Old Jia?

Yeah, what if [Origin] is actually Old Jia?

This might just be a test of succession given by a Creator Father to his adopted Mortals son.

"Only by passing the test can I inherit His Divine Throne, don't you think, my Lord of Grace?"

"Nonsense!"

Giggle and Mock erupted once more, followed by a surge of chilling Nothingness.