The Commentator for This Match Is... Death

(Ahem, beware of audiobook hell ahead, reading is recommended.)

Cheng Shi did not die.

Although his physical body had turned into rotten flesh and bones, he was not dead.

What can be saved is not the Gravekeeper's [Death] talent that is still in effect, but the true... [Death]!

Just as the raging tide of Decay engulfed Cheng Shi, preparing to transform him into a creation of Decay, death gently moved its fingers, adding a touch of deadly spice to this boundless fury.

So Cheng Shi died.

But in His hands, death is the beginning of rebirth.

And so Cheng Shi came back to life, reborn as a skull beside the Great One's Bone Throne.

Looking at the familiar, enormous skull, Cheng Shi's two empty eye sockets stung, and he almost burst into tears.

Finally!

I ran into a familiar face!

I'm home! Oh no, I mean, I'm at the office!

But from this moment on, the company is my home!

I love my job! I love death! Praise death!

The massive skull atop the Bone Throne watched the Little Skull at its feet, its eyes flashing with light. After a moment of silence, it tossed the skull down the White Bone Staircase, where it mingled with the many other bouncing skulls.

For some reason, ever since He saw Cheng Shi, He always felt that there was some noise around Him, even though Cheng Shi didn't say anything. It was as if there was a Deception nearby.

Cheng Shi was inexplicably thrown hard. He looked up at the Great One in surprise, thinking that his silence had offended Him. So he quickly climbed out from the pile of Little Skull, hooked his chin onto the White Bone Staircase, and tapped the ground with his chin, expressing his most sincere gratitude and praise with great piety:

"Please allow me, your most loyal employee, Cheng Shi, to extend my most sincere greetings to the great God of Death, the supreme Dominion of the Hall of Bones."

I miss you so much, it's been so long since we last met.

"My lord, do you have a minute to tell me about the... well... achievements of your devoted servant Lele'er has worked tirelessly for you?"

The name Lele'er clearly caused the massive skull to pause for a moment. A strange green light flashed in its eye sockets, but it did not respond. Instead, it casually said:

"That bitch's mother, the Mother of Prosperity, has also run into problems."

He will become as unfortunate as Lele'er.

?

Upon hearing the word "bitch," Cheng Shi cast aside all his fear and confusion. He stood up abruptly, his eyes gleaming with the shrewdness of someone listening to gossip!

It's time to enjoy the show, and nobody can stop me!

But when he heard the name "Prosperity" again, his gossipy impulse quietly died down, and composure and calmness returned to his mind.

Cheng Shi's heart tightened suddenly. He thought of Cheng Dashi's plan, hesitated for a moment, and tentatively asked:

"What exactly happened between prosperity and Decay...?"

The enormous skull glanced at Cheng Shi and snorted:

"The dispute started with you."

You do not know?"

"Huh? I really don't know. I wasn't thinking about anything, I was just trying to complete the Trials." Cheng Shi denied without hesitation.

The enormous skull watched him feign ignorance, its green flames flickering twice in its eye sockets, before falling silent.

But after a moment, as if he had thought of something, he sighed and shot out two pale green beams of light from his deep, black-hole-like eye sockets. The light, representing death, lingered above the Fishbone Hall and instantly transformed into a green Light Screen, reflecting everything that was happening in the Canopy Sea above the Sighing Forest.

!!

This is... a projection!?

Ha?

I actually fell for the projection that [Death] himself put on!

To be fair, making a projector look like a skull is a novel selling point, but I don't know... oh right, if the world is gone, what's the point of selling it?

After thinking about a bunch of random things, Cheng Shi quickly looked up at the green Light Screen, and then he saw a familiar figure on the Light Screen.

[Confusion]!

This ever-changing, chaotic figure is now appearing in the distance of this canopy sea, alongside a... Codex?

Ah?

He is confronting a Codex!

Cheng Shi's eyes widened in surprise and doubt, because he recognized the style of the Codex, and the cover depicted the most common yet least common pattern in the Grand Inquisition!

At the center of the engraving are intersecting lances and a giant shield, surrounded by two intersecting lines of script.

It's considered common because almost all assets related to the Grand Inquisition bear this symbol, but it's also considered uncommon because when this symbol is engraved on the cover of the Codex, it signifies that the Codex is the only one in the Grand Inquisition that is said to be the "Iron Rule of Order" bestowed by "Order"!

[Order]!

He is Order!?

Cheng Shi had always thought that the gods who ruled the Surface, like "Order" and "Truth," should be closer in appearance to the gods in human perception—mysterious and Divine Majesty. But he never expected that "Order" would be a book.

If He is a book, what is [Truth]?

Is it also a book?

No wonder Surface Civilization were destroyed by underground Chaos; they had too many books.

"..."

Cheng Shi's thoughts wandered aimlessly. He watched the two sides locked in a standoff for a long time without moving, and finally asked in bewilderment:

"That's... [Order]?"

"He is not [Order], He is [the Iron Rule of Order]."

Cheng Shi's pupils contracted sharply, and he instinctively repeated:

"[Iron Rule of Order]? Isn't that the constitution that [Order] bestowed upon the Grand Inquisition?"

How..."

"Old stories, past events, you don't need to know."

You just need to understand that He is not the true "Order."

"And what about true Order?"

Upon hearing this question, the giant skull fell silent. After a moment, it spoke again, "I am also unsure of its condition."

[Order] Something's happened!

The law He gave has replaced Him?

Oh? This is big news!

"That one in the Trials... the embodiment of the [Order] will, is also a [Iron Rule of Order]?"

"You have too many questions."

That is, [fear (Order)].

Fear?

Whose fear?

The fear of Order?

Cheng Shi was stunned, but in an instant he understood everything. No wonder that chair was so afraid of him breaking the Order. It turned out that it was the fear of the "Order".

So it seems that there really is a problem with [Order]. Did He lose the God War and get split up?

Cheng Shi suddenly thought of the current situation again, so he asked again in a low voice:

"My lord, does this mean that a new God War has begun?"

"Calculate."

!!

Just one word ignited the panic and excitement in Cheng Shi's heart. It turned out that Cheng Dashi was trying to start a God War!

So who exactly is his target? Or what kind of ending does he want to achieve through this God War?

He was both nervous and confused. Seeing Cheng Shi's changing expression, the Great One on the Bone Throne pondered for a moment and then revealed to him some of the history of the gods that players should not know.

"[Mother of Prosperity], has always advocated for Cosmic Prosperity."

He repeatedly desires that we, like Him, embrace prosperity and coexist with it.

Herazul, His firstborn son, agreed, and so He disappeared.

Flazhol, His eldest daughter, agreed, and then, too, vanished.

"Disappeared?"

The massive skull seemed displeased at being broken, and Cheng Shi was startled, immediately shutting his mouth.

But He still offered a brief explanation.

"They were assimilated by their own mother."

I became one with Him, becoming a part of the Mother of Prosperity.

!!

Upon hearing this, Cheng Shi's gaze sharpened.

Assimilation, assimilation... As one of the "True God", how could He possibly tolerate the existence of other wills within Him after assimilation?

To put it nicely, it's assimilation; to put it bluntly, isn't it just swallowing up other things?

Sure enough, his guesses were all correct; He was indeed plundering others and using them as fertilizer to nourish Him!

So the countless branches, veins, and even flesh and organs on that giant tree are all remnants after He fused with them?

How many people did He eat?!

Or perhaps, how many gods did they consume?

Cheng Shi was startled and terrified, feeling a chill run down his spine.

The enormous skull sensed his fear and was somewhat surprised.

"You seem to know about these things?"

Cheng Shi dared not hide anything. "Yes, I guessed some of it."

"Oh? Well, you guessed it?"

"Just now, [Prosperity] summoned me and invited me to coexist with Him!"

Upon hearing this news, a moment of astonishment flashed in the giant skull's eye sockets. It nodded and said in a strange tone:

"Interesting. You are probably the first human that the Mother of Prosperity has attempted to assimilate."

Ah?

Before Cheng Shi's jaw could drop in shock, the giant skull continued:

"There's no need to be surprised. Not every life can be chosen by Him and assimilated by Him."

The Mother of Prosperity is very selective. If She invites you, it means that you are perfectly in accord with Her His Will.

A traveler of Nothingness, in harmony with the will of prosperity.

Do you two, my Lord of Grace, know this?

Huh?