[Origin], get out here and face me

That's right, Cheng Shi predicted the [Origin]!

He wasn't sure if this would attract the attention of [Origin]. After all, in the previous [Time] Trials, An the Chosen had only died An Jing under the gaze of [Origin], without causing the end of the Trials or the collapse of the world.

But he knew he was going to die, and in a way that no god could stop him from dying!

He died under the unbearable terror of the Origin, and under the power of the Creator, a power even the gods kept secret.

To be honest, when Cheng Shi shouted, "[Origin], come out and see me," [Death] truly felt that kind of fear that struck straight to the heart.

Cheng Shi is different from An Mingyu. He is the one Predestination this Cosmos, the Sacrifice who is suspected to be closest to the will of [The Origin]. No one knows how deep his connection with [*He] is. What if [The Origin] really looks down on this world because of the Predestination prophecy...?

The giant skull dared not think any further; it even considered simply taking the Fishbone Hall with it and leaving this place of trouble.

This wasn't the first time He had thought this way; just now, when An Mingyu used it as a threat, [Death] had had this impulse.

Time has been turned back slightly.

When An Mingyu showed his resolute attitude towards [Death] was both shocked and furious.

He was shocked that his Believer were so willing to risk their lives, and he was furious that they wanted to bring the [Origin], which he had never wanted to mention, into his Fishbone Hall.

As a god, [Death] had a thousand ways to shut An Mingyu up, but He didn't. Instead, after a long silence, He said softly:

"Outer God, wielding, creation, Divine Power, I cannot stop."

But I can go and ask, for this world, one more question, for even the slightest possibility.

However, His response came too late. The long wait made An Mingyu increasingly anxious. In her eyes at the time, Zhen Xin was involved and Cheng Shi was in great danger. These two people who were most important to her were facing impending misfortune. Her only means was to force [Death] to help her. So, after waiting for a long time without any response, An Mingyu gritted her teeth and directly recited the prophecy of [Origin]!

Yes, the Prophet had already foretold it, just a moment before the [Death] response.

The enormous skull was stunned when it saw the endless sorrow and determination flash in the eyes of its Believer.

He felt that his temple was about to change hands.

But unexpectedly, as the Bell Ringer tolled the death knell, the entire hall...

Nothing happened!

An Mingyu wanted to prove his determination by dying, but the Creator gave no response.

However, her actions truly terrified [Death], but when she realized that the prophecy about [Origin] had not taken effect, a hint of... pity appeared in [Death]'s eyes as she looked at her Believer.

An Mingyu also collapsed to the ground, muttering to himself:

"How so...

Have I really been abandoned by the world?

Upon seeing this, green flames erupted from the giant skull's eye sockets. It looked at the Bell Ringer lying on the ground, weeping, and sighed deeply:

For the sake of this world, I will still go and ask.

"You, come with me, sit down, and listen for yourself to hear the answer you seek."

After saying that, the White Bone Flood swept away An Mingyu, and then came the scene where [Death] interrupted the Outer God [Destiny].

Therefore, upon discovering no immediate Change in the Void, the giant skull realized that the Predestination prophecy seemed to be...

Did it fail too?

The green flames in its eye sockets began to breathe in a very subtle rhythm, and when it looked at Cheng Shi, it carried a hint of... indescribable expression.

Cheng Shi froze.

The louder the sound of "[Origin]" was just now, the stiffer his body became.

The prophecy [Origin] was clearly his final act of seeking death, so how did it turn out like this?

[Origin] no longer observes this world?

Or has the Creator already abandoned this world?

Just as Cheng Shi was feeling lost, An Mingyu, standing beside him, said dejectedly, "It's no use, Cheng Shi, we... have already been abandoned."

This scene was so familiar that it reminded Cheng Shi of the time when he used the excuse of the Fated to save the Blind Man from the clutches of Destiny.

Sadly, the people from that time are still alive, but the gods... have already fallen.

Cheng Shi clenched his fists tightly and shook his head frantically, saying, "No, I don't believe it! I don't believe that even dying is this difficult."

As he spoke, he raised the [Death] Amusement Ring in his hand and slammed it towards his chin, but it was all in vain.

His call did not summon [Origin], but what was meant to come had already come.

A fierce wind suddenly rose in the Void, and jets of dark Storm not only imprisoned the Old Bones on the Bone Throne, but also directly swallowed the fleeting Thunderbolt, sending the Clown flying and rolling in the Void.

The Outer God have arrived!

[Destiny] once again opened those terrifying, suffocating Starry Eyes above the Predestination sky.

He gazed at the Believer who had gritted his teeth and stood up, and said with utter coldness:

"You should feel guilty about his death. He didn't have to die, but because of your cowardice and avoidance, he lost his life."

Cheng Shi is indeed dead...

Cheng Shi was stunned, tears welling up uncontrollably in his eyes, but he still gritted his teeth, raised his head, and stared intently into those eyes, saying:

"Yes, he didn't have to die."

How could he have died if you hadn't taken action?!

What, as [Destiny], you can't even bear this much infamy?

Are you so eager to pin all the sins on me because you want me to inherit your filthy Divine Name of "Destiny," stained with the misfortunes of humanity?

Pooh.

I don't like it!

I never believe in fate!

No sooner had he finished speaking than another unexpected event occurred!

Suddenly, a wisp of fire appeared in the sealed Void. When Cheng Shi saw this light, his pupils contracted sharply, and he was overjoyed.

He thought Qin Xin wasn't dead, that the [War] had returned, even if weak and insignificant, at least people were still alive.

But his smile vanished completely the next second.

Because he discovered that it was not Qin Xin, not [War], but Hope's Flame that had never appeared since the Finale Performance, the last legacy left to the Cosmos by the [Destiny] of this world!

Even if this legacy was something He had once abandoned.

The Candlelight Person fell upside down, blocking Cheng Shi's path. It turned back to look at Cheng Shi with a sorrowful expression in its eyes.

Even if the main villain is Outer God [Destiny], you don't need to wear your disdain for all of [Destiny] on your face, do you?

I know you don't believe in fate, but I didn't know that I was so disliked in your eyes.

Should I not have come?

"..."

The self-deprecating joke from "The Hope's Flame" did little to ease Cheng Hope's Flame's Cheng Shi, but it did bring him genuine warmth.

As this Emissary Destiny said, He always represented the hope of the fewest, standing before the fewest. Even though the Cosmos had already yielded to the Outer God, He still came and stood in front of Cheng Shi.

Cheng Shi felt extremely guilty about this.

Qin Xin is dead, Fire Keeper is left with only one Hope's Flame. What if that Hope's Flame also...?

He dared not think about it, nor did he have the energy to think about it.

Seeing Cheng Shi's thoughts, Hope's Flame comforted him firmly:

Don't lose heart; Despair has always been the cradle of hope.

When Despair collapses like a mountain, crushing us, hope can solidify and thus resist more tenaciously.

I never imagined I would face such a day. [Destiny] has fallen. Perhaps because He abandoned me before His death, I did not feel His departure.

But as His last legacy to the world, as the Change that [Destiny] least wanted to foresee, I will certainly preserve the last glimmer of light in this world.

As he spoke, the Hope's Flame burst forth, growing brighter and wider in scope.

Only Cheng Shi, who was closest, could sense that the flames were becoming increasingly hollow and the temperature was growing colder...

The Hope's Flame is not igniting any power; it is creating power for Cheng Shi!

He looked at Cheng Shi, leaving behind a last glimmer of optimism.

You are not firewood, you are the flame, the light that illuminates this world.

And I, though named the Hope's Flame, am in reality merely kindling for hope.

Ignite me, take this light, and with this final Change in the world, fight for hope for yourself and for the world!

"No, don't do this..."

Cheng Shi helpless. Instinctively, he grabbed at the Hope's Flame. He had seen too many people leave him today, and he didn't want to endure this Despair before he died.

But the instantaneous explosion of flames was too late to reverse.

"Boom--"

His hand was only halfway out when the brilliant yet icy light exploded into a sky full of fireworks, illuminating the dark Void and the only trace left in this world by the Subgod had once been called the Hope's Flame:

An hourglass, its body made of hope and its walls of Change, dripping with Despair and misfortune.

[Destiny] Vessel!