Old Bones Was Surprisingly Cute

After the raging ghostly flames almost engulfed the entire Void, the enormous skull on the Bone Throne finally fell silent once more. It looked at Zhang Jizu with a complex expression, pondered for a long time, its eyes darkening, and sighed helplessly:

"Choose [Deception] as a second Faith, and embark on the path of [Nothingness]..."

Have you made up your mind?

Zhang Jizu was stunned, not expecting that his angry Lord of Grace would choose to give him another chance at this time.

He... agreed?

But what's the use of my decision? My body no longer belongs to me.

However, just as he was thinking this, he suddenly realized that he seemed to have regained control of his body!

So Zhang Jizu narrowed his eyes tightly. He didn't answer the Great One's question, but instead asked a question he was more concerned about:

"My lord, forgive my bluntness, but your relationship with [Deception] doesn't seem to be..."

The green flames in the giant skull's eyes vanished instantly. It seemed somewhat exhausted, and for some reason, it suddenly became extremely weary.

"I am different from Him."

Or rather, everyone you know is different from everyone else.

The gods either pursue the Covenant or remain neutral; only He treats the Covenant as a game and constantly exploits Covenant loopholes to please Himself.

[Deception], perhaps, has other purposes, but no one knows what He really wants to do.

Therefore, whether you adhere to the Covenant or remain neutral, none of you want to be associated with Him.

I, too, am like that.

I hate trouble, but He himself is trouble.

But...

Faith will eventually merge; it's only a matter of time.

Faith, integration, and there is no right or wrong.

At least in the era of Nothingness, getting close to Nothingness cannot be considered wrong.

However, being without mistakes does not mean being without risks.

You must understand that trouble is the source of everything, the source of all risk.

So...

If you really want to step into the "Nothingness" and gain that troublesome gaze.

Have you thought it through?

"..."

After hearing this, the word "Covenant" kept echoing in Zhang Jizu's mind.

This was the first time he had heard anything about His Lord from His Lord of Grace, and this "Covenant" was something They were pursuing!

Is the "Faith Game" born out of the "Covenant"?

What exactly are the gods chasing?!

Zhang Jizu narrowed his eyes tightly. Clearly, his Lord of Grace was saying these things to him for the first time ever, simply to explain one thing:

[Deception] Danger is lurking around you, and it's very likely that the danger comes from the [Covenant] that the gods are chasing!

He was making an exception to remind himself that the path of choosing Deception was not easy!

Therefore, the seemingly generous choice He offered was actually a way of persuading Him to give up!

Zhang Jizu was deeply moved, but he dared not move.

That the Great One clearly overlooked one thing: the "Deception" that He wanted Him to refuse was right there at that very moment, even within Himself!

My Lord of Grace doesn't want trouble, but He isn't afraid of it either. After all, He has the means to combat Deception and the Deception it brings. But what about Himself...?

If you take Lord of Grace's advice and give up the "Deception" Faith that you've already "gotten" from him, you might be in real trouble!

No one can be sure whether, in His view, making a promise to a player while impersonating someone else's Lord of Grace is a genuine promise.

Logically speaking, it definitely doesn't count.

The problem is, Deception is a collection of irrational acts; you can't reason with it!

Then...

Out of a sense of prudence, to protect his own life, and to avoid causing himself insurmountable trouble, Zhang Jizu, for the first time, reluctantly gritted his teeth and bowed deeply before his Lord of Grace, saying:

"Please forgive me, sir, I... wanted to give it a try..."

[Death] seemed to have foreseen the end. A ghostly light flickered in its eye sockets as it stared at Zhang Jizu for a moment before slowly sighing:

"He promised you, what?"

"?"

Are there any more promises?

Just as Zhang Jizu looked up in astonishment, somewhat at a loss and wanting to say that Deception had never promised anything, his mouth suddenly closed again.

And at the same time, a pair of playful eyes opened without warning...

The top of the giant skull!

Deception has occurred.

No, it should be said that He was already here, even using His Divine Authority to deceive Death, just waiting for this moment!

He looked at his new Believer with satisfaction, clicking his tongue in approval:

"Who says Little Bone can't lie? That 'try' you just said was pretty insincere."

It seems you're not so devout in your Faith as I am.

"Hmm, not bad. I like people who are not so devout yet are devout in their lies. Perfect for me. Granted!"

After saying that, he blinked his eyes and a Mask slowly floated down from the top of the giant skull, landing right in front of the Little Skull that Zhang Jizu had transformed into.

Looking at this Mask that was no different from anyone else's, Zhang Jizu finally realized that he had indeed been trapped in a web of Deception all day long!

Only at this moment did He truly accept Himself, accepting Himself through the witnessing and compromise of death!

"..."

"..."

Zhang Jizu fell silent, and so did death.

The situation was almost irreversible. He himself gave his Believer a chance, but they accepted the gaze of Believer with a lie that didn't quite sound like a Deception.

What's even more infuriating is that this "Deception" dares to act arrogantly and domineeringly in the Fishbone Hall, right above us.

I can endure it in life, but I cannot endure it in death!

Then...

"Boom--"

A Cosmos explosion suddenly rang out, and boundless eerie winds and green flames slapped Zhang Jizu, who was wearing Mask, back to reality.

After he disappeared, the entire Void began to collapse, turning directly into eternal Nothingness.

In that eternal Nothingness, countless skeletal hands, symbols of death, rose inch by inch, like blooming flowers, enveloping the entire space layer by layer.

His eyes, trapped in a cage forged by bone hands, continued to laugh as usual, even more happily than before.

"Old Bones, you're finally willing to fight."

"But with your old arms and legs, you're not going to be able to fight anymore, are you? Should I call some outside help for you?"

"[Deception!"

You violated the agreement by doing something that exceeded the transaction limits.

I should have known that my anger would consume Nothingness!

Hehe~

Oh, sorry, I'm just used to smiling.

Don't rush me. Although I really want to fight you, the few moral lessons I've learned from humans teach me to respect the elderly and care for the young. Hmm, I have to consider that if I beat you to pieces, I might not be able to put you back together.

Even if it weren't for you, I can't let my eldest brother be all alone and heartbroken in his life.

How about this, let's make another deal.

I'm quite interested in your bone-based builds. How about you create one for me to play with? As for the reward, I'll pick out two good talents for Little Bones, how about that?"

"..."

The green flames in [Death]'s eyes froze.

He gazed wistfully at those tiresome eyes, his face flashing with an incredibly complex expression.

"..."

Three?

"..."

"Speak up, you Old Bones."

"..."

"Make a deal?"

"..."

"Alright, it's settled then."

"..."

The enormous skull remained silent, staring at Him for a moment before suddenly collapsing into countless White Bone Flood that surged in all directions and vanished into Nothingness at an incredible speed.

Seeing this scene before him, the corners of his playful eyes turned up even higher.

Hehe~

Suddenly I realized that Old Bones are actually quite adorable.