Recaps

At the Gods' Covenant Assembly, Annihilation confronted Herobas over his attempt to inherit Annihilation's divine seat and authority. Death revealed a loophole in the Covenant that allowed it, leaving Annihilation furious but unable to stop the challenge.

• Annihilation asked Herobas whether Nothingness had controlled him, but Herobas denied it and said he sought Annihilation's divine seat himself.
• Annihilation gathered annihilating force to attack Herobas, but Deception warned him that fighting would risk his voting rights at the Gods' Covenant Assembly.
• Iron Rule of Order questioned how Herobas's succession could be permitted, and Death pointed out that the Covenant did not forbid an emissary from inheriting a living god's seat and authority.
• Herobas told Annihilation that he had not betrayed him because he still intended to inherit his seat, and Annihilation retreated to his position.
• Folly mocked the era of Nothingness, calling it one long foolish deed.

At the Gods' Covenant Assembly, Cheng Shi's sarcastic remarks about Folly and the Primordial Origin drew the gods' attention, while Annihilation tried to have him executed for blasphemy. Annihilation then objected to Herobas's usurpation, but two gods immediately agreed with the motion.

• Cheng Shi mocked Folly, and Deception broadcast his claim that Folly should sit above the gods instead of the Primordial Origin.
• Hong Lin recognized Cheng Shi at the assembly, then closed her eyes again, confident that Deception would protect him.
• Annihilation accused Cheng Shi of blasphemy and asked Justice (Order) to sentence him to death, but Justice (Order) said the Covenant had no such rule.
• The Iron Rule of Order said it could not act without risking cosmic Order, though it would vote against the usurpation.
• Annihilation counted on enough abstentions and opposing votes to defeat Herobas's motion, then declared, "I object!"
• Two gods answered, "I agree."

The Gods' Covenant Assembly continued voting on Nothingness, while Destiny's anger at Annihilation was restrained by Justice (Order). Memory abstained, leaving the vote in Nothingness's favor but revealing that he could neither support nor oppose the universe's return to Nothingness.

• Truth voted in favor of Nothingness, provoking Annihilation's disbelief.
• Birth and Folly abstained, Death and Chaos voted in favor, Iron Rule of Order voted against, and Destiny cast two affirmative votes using Prosperity's voting rights.
• Destiny threatened Annihilation and attacked the assembly, but Justice (Order) stopped him and warned that he would lose his voting rights if he disrupted another vote.
• Justice (Order) explained that Destiny had exercised Prosperity's vote, while the tally stood at 6:2:2 with War, Filth, and Decay counted as abstentions.
• Time voted in favor of Nothingness and left the assembly, while Memory abstained because he could neither support nor oppose its return.

The vote on Herobas inheriting Annihilation’s divine seat ended one vote short, but Cheng Shi challenged Justice (Order)’s declaration that the matter was over. He argued that not every god had voted, leaving the assembly’s result in doubt.

• Silence voted in favor, while Death watched Cheng Shi and mistakenly believed he had helped bring about the scheme.
• Herobas asked whether Decay had been persuaded to support the proposal, and Cheng Shi claimed that he had.
• Decay abstained, leaving the vote at 8 in favor, 2 opposed, and 4 abstentions, one vote short of passing.
• Annihilation mocked Cheng Shi and prepared to attack, but Death drew her scythe and deterred him.
• Cheng Shi interrupted Justice (Order), insisting that gods still had not voted and asking how the issue could be over.

Cheng Shi challenged Fairness (Order) over the vote and argued that Filth and Decay could still cast a ballot. He invoked his own desire to win and asked Filth and Decay for a vote, leaving the assembly waiting for a response.

• Fairness (Order) withdrew the attempt to expel Cheng Shi and granted him the right to question the result, provided he offered evidence.
• Cheng Shi pointed out that only fourteen of the sixteen Origin Namebearers were present and asked why the vote had ended.
• Fairness (Order) explained that absent gods automatically abstained after the attendees finished voting, but Cheng Shi argued that a late response should count before the tally was final.
• Annihilation mocked Cheng Shi for appealing to Filth and Decay, who accepted every desire but never responded to them.
• Cheng Shi shouted his desire to win and begged Filth and Decay for a vote.

Destiny provoked a response from the Sea of Desire during the Gods' Covenant Assembly, while Deception tried to conceal their connection to Filth and Decay. As the sea rose and the gods prepared to contain it, the Dragon King appeared and agreed.

• Deception condemned Cheng Shi as a traitor and sent void winds to kill him, while Hong Lin tried to save him and Boss Death stopped her.
• Destiny defended Cheng Shi, declared that he was predetermined to be the sacrifice, and drew on the authority of change to provoke the Sea of Desire.
• The Sea of Desire began flooding the meeting hall, and Cheng Shi realized Destiny had used Deception's attempted blame-shifting to test their relationship with Filth and Decay.
• Deception secretly made moves in the hall as the gods prepared to suppress the rising sea.
• A black-robed figure appeared at Filth and Decay's seat and agreed, and Cheng Shi recognized the voice as the Dragon King.

At the Gods' Covenant Assembly, Drachirko appeared and cast a vote for Filth and Decay, but Annihilation challenged its validity. Cheng Shi argued that Drachirko had voted on his lord’s behalf, and Justice (Order) ruled that the Covenant did not forbid it, leaving the motion able to pass.

• Drachirko appeared in Filth and Decay’s seat and cast an affirmative vote, then used his prayer to calm the rising Sea of Desire.
• Annihilation challenged Drachirko’s identity and later argued that an apostle could not vote in a True God’s place.
• Justice (Order) initially ruled the vote invalid because Drachirko had not inherited Filth and Decay’s voting rights.
• Cheng Shi pointed out that Drachirko could have cast the vote on Filth and Decay’s behalf, and Drachirko confirmed that he had.
• Justice (Order) ruled that the Covenant did not forbid a True God from sending an apostle to vote on his behalf.

Cheng Shi proposed using Memory to examine Drachirko’s memories and verify whose will its vote represented, but Annihilation interpreted the plan as proof that the gods had conspired against it. Annihilation lost control and declared the age meaningless before urging everyone to embrace Annihilation.

• Justice (Order) said the vote’s validity required further confirmation, and Annihilation argued that Nothingness would have to visit the Sea of Desire with an opposing god, leaving the issue indefinitely postponed.
• Cheng Shi stopped Justice (Order) from ending the proceedings and asked Memory to retrieve Drachirko’s memories to determine whether its vote reflected the will of the True God behind it.
• Drachirko accepted Memory’s examination, while the gods noticed that the proposal put pressure on Annihilation rather than Memory.
• Annihilation saw Deception and Memory exchange a knowing glance, then accused the gods of conspiring to take its divine throne.
• Annihilation called the age meaningless and invited the others to embrace Annihilation.

Annihilation unleashed a cosmic destruction wave, forcing the gods to fight Him, then used fragments of Existence to reconstruct a world. Cheng Shi recognized the scene Annihilation created as a memory of the three gods of Sinking being acknowledged by Origin Primordial.

• Annihilation began annihilating worlds and flooding reality with destruction after deciding that, if He had to die, He would choose how.
• The gods interrupted the Gods' Covenant Assembly and joined forces to protect the cosmos, while Iron Rule of Order tried to persuade Annihilation to stop.
• Deception urged Memory to intervene and questioned her about Drachirko, but Memory challenged Deception about Drachirko's aura before joining the fight.
• The gods attacked Annihilation, who annihilated His own form and released fragments of Existence that recombined into a new world.
• Cheng Shi connected the reconstruction to the Stage Play Ball and realized Annihilation was showing a memory of the three gods of Sinking being acknowledged by Origin Primordial.

Cheng Shi witnessed Annihilation realize the Primordial Origin’s meaning and destroy itself, halting the cosmos’s collapse. Justice (Order) postponed the debate over Filth and Decay, leaving Herobas without his Lord of Grace or the divine seat.

• Cheng Shi saw the histories of Filth and Decay, Decay, and Annihilation unfold before the Primordial Origin described them as the three aspects of Sinking.
• Annihilation stopped destroying the cosmos and chose to annihilate itself, believing this would let it embrace new life and bring it closer to the Primordial Origin.
• Annihilation’s power converged and detonated within the Eye of Annihilation, halting the disintegration of existence and killing the god.
• Herobas wondered whether Cheng Shi had deliberately guided his Lord of Grace toward the Primordial Origin, while Cheng Shi turned to Justice (Order) and questioned the debate’s purpose.
• Justice (Order) upheld the covenant and indefinitely postponed the debate, leaving Herobas without his Lord of Grace or the divine seat.

After the Gods' Covenant Assembly ended, Cheng Shi received Annihilation's vessel from Herobas and watched Deception distract Destiny so the others could leave. Drachirko's words led Cheng Shi to realize that the God of Merriment had secretly hidden him inside Memory's creation, and Cheng Shi asked what agreement Drachirko had made with his Lord of Grace.

• The gods departed after the assembly, and the Death Boss praised Cheng Shi before leaving.
• Herobas thanked Deception and gave Cheng Shi the vessel of Annihilation, then left the void.
• Hong Lin admitted she was shaken by the assembly and fled after realizing she had spoken in front of the two Lords of Grace.
• Deception and Destiny argued over Drachirko, then fought beneath a veil of darkness that allowed the others to leave.
• Drachirko praised Cheng Shi's scent of desire, prompting Cheng Shi to suspect he was the Black Dragon King and to deduce that the God of Merriment had hidden him in My Nightmare, Your Dream.
• Cheng Shi asked Drachirko what agreement he had reached with his Lord of Grace.

After Drachirko left Cheng Shi, he reflected on being a pawn in the gods’ schemes while the Starry Tome of Knowledge questioned Drachirko about the hidden Lord of Grace. Cheng Shi returned from the Void Civil War to find the trial ending, gained nothing from his apparent victory, and received a B rating with four masks and points.

• Drachirko told Cheng Shi that they were both pieces on a divine chessboard, then disappeared after mentioning Tria.
• Cheng Shi wondered whether the God of Merriment had killed Tria’s emissary and questioned what cooperation existed between Drachirko and the God of Merriment.
• The Starry Tome of Knowledge mocked Drachirko’s search for the Lord of Grace and suggested that Filth and Decay might not be the one who had given the emissaries their vessels.
• The aftershocks of the Void Civil War sent Cheng Shi back to reality as the trial neared its end, and he concluded that he had gained nothing despite his victory at The Gods’ Covenant Assembly.
• Cheng Shi’s trial ended with a B rating, four S-rank masks, 12 Path to Godhood points, and 3 Ladder of Audience points.

A wooden puppet investigated the connection between Nothingness, Destiny, Deception, Memory, and Foolish Game, suspecting a forgotten shared past. In the void, Chen Shi told Qin Xin what he had learned about Foolish Game, though his rambling left Qin Xin overwhelmed.

• A wooden puppet reasoned that conflicting wills had converged in Cheng Shi and wondered whether one was false.
• The puppet linked clues about eyes, facial features, Deception, and Memory, then questioned where their forgotten secrets were hidden.
• Chen Shi hesitated over whether to tell Qin Xin that his brother-in-law could help the Fire Keepers approach Foolish Game.
• Qin Xin urged Chen Shi to share only what he could willingly offer, and Chen Shi revealed that Cheng Shi knew about Foolish Game and could be a useful connection.
• Chen Shi proposed recruiting Cheng Shi and asked to become a Fire Seeker, then recounted his information about Foolish Game at length, tiring Qin Xin.

Ji Yue questioned whether Deception had secretly protected the Fire Keepers and went to confront Hope's Flame. Hope's Flame confirmed to a Fire Seeker that they were Foolish Play, Deception's emissary, though Ji Yue had not yet heard the confession.

• Ji Yue recalled how Cheng Shi had claimed Deception protected the Fire Keepers and began doubting Hope's Flame's identity and motives.
• Ji Yue asked Fang Jue what he would do if she had deceived him while still protecting him and the Mutual Aid Society; his response inspired her to seek an honest conversation.
• Ji Yue questioned Fang Shiqing about the God Creation Plan, but realized Fang Shiqing had forgotten the events Ji Yue remembered.
• Ji Yue hurried toward Hope's Flame while Fang Shiqing wondered what she had discovered about the events at 2,400 points.
• A Fire Seeker accused Hope's Flame of being Foolish Play, Deception's emissary, and the Candlelight Person admitted the accusation was correct.

Qin Xin’s group received a Decay Container and began choosing a suitable Fire Keeper to become its master, advancing the God Creation Plan. Meanwhile, Jie Shu recruited Mo Shu into a secret effort against the Fate Weaver and said they would begin once they found the historian and contacted Zhao Xishi.

• Sun Miao delivered the Decay Container to Qin Xin’s group while claiming he had found it outside the lounge.
• Qin Xin decided to guard the container while the Fire Keepers selected a suitable vessel for it.
• Mo Shu questioned what he was annihilating for, and an outsider answered, “For rebirth.”
• Jie Shu arrived with a cloaked Master of Trickery and asked Mo Shu to join their plan.
• Mo Shu agreed after Jie Shu explained that their search for a peaceful homeland required the Fate Weaver’s absence.
• Jie Shu said they would explain the full plan after finding the historian and would begin once they contacted Zhao Xishi.

Cheng Shi brought Candelt’s corpse to the Dragon King, hoping to uncover the Gaze of Mockery’s location by searching Candelt’s memories. The Dragon King began the memory review, setting off on a journey through Candelt’s past.

• Cheng Shi went to the Jester Gathering Place with Candelt’s corpse and found Zhang Jizu tending the Memory gravestone.
• Zhang Jizu revealed that someone had dug up the grave, and Cheng Shi realized he had forgotten to refill it after taking My Nightmare, Your Dream.
• Cheng Shi gave Candelt’s corpse to Li Jingming and asked him to search its memories for clues to the Gaze of Mockery.
• Cheng Shi teased Li Jingming about avoiding memories of Silent Believers, then declined to recount Chenshu’s deeds himself.
• Li Jingming pressed a page to Candelt’s corpse and began traveling through Candelt’s memories.

Li Jingming uncovered Candelt’s betrayal through his memories, while Cheng Shi realized Gaze of Mockery had been stitched onto him all along. The eyes returned to Cheng Shi’s eye sockets, and he began learning what they could do.

• Li Jingming saw that Candelt had stolen Skalt’s divine grace by killing Koshner and hiding the eyes on a criminal, but Max’s intervention had derailed his plan.
• Li Jingming told Cheng Shi and Zhang Jizu that they might need to retrace the trial’s events to find Gaze of Mockery, but Cheng Shi suspected it was already close by.
• Cheng Shi gouged out his eyes, and the eyeballs came alive as Gaze of Mockery, confirming that Candelt had stitched them onto him at the start of the trial.
• Cheng Shi’s eyes returned to their sockets, and Li Jingming asked what Gaze of Mockery could do.
• Gaze of Mockery mocked Cheng Shi and Mouth Brother, while Cheng Shi tried to provoke it by putting one eyeball in his shoe.

Cheng Shi, Zhang Jizu, and Li Jingming discussed the Gaze of Mockery and the Nose of Discernment, then Cheng Shi questioned Zhang Jizu about replacing tombstones for Prosperity and Truth. The exchange ended when they noticed Zhang Jizu had also replaced the God of Merriment’s tombstone, and he offered half-price for a fourth.

• Cheng Shi, Zhang Jizu, and Li Jingming failed to find much use for the Gaze of Mockery beyond cursing and weakening enemies’ resolve.
• Li Jingming asked about the Nose of Discernment, and Zhang Jizu reasoned that it might be connected to another deity’s authority or to existence.
• Cheng Shi noticed Zhang Jizu had replaced the tombstones of Prosperity and Truth and pressed him about what he knew.
• Zhang Jizu claimed he had replaced the tombstones as a pastime, while Cheng Shi suspected he knew that Truth had fallen.
• Cheng Shi and Li Jingming looked up and discovered that Zhang Jizu had also replaced the God of Merriment’s tombstone.
• Zhang Jizu asked whose tombstone they wanted changed next and offered half-price for the fourth.

Cheng Shi questioned Zhang Jizu’s strange behavior and then pressed Li Jingming about the memories he had preserved. The conversation ended with Cheng Shi asking the Dragon King for answers about Drachirko and the gods’ plans, but Li Jingming appeared not to know.

• Cheng Shi tested Zhang Jizu’s identity, and Zhang proved he could not say “hee,” convincing Cheng Shi that he was really Squinty Old Zhang.
• Cheng Shi told Li Jingming and Zhang Jizu about Drachirko and the memory garbage dump inside My Nightmare, Your Dream.
• Li Jingming admitted he had seen many of Cheng Shi’s memories and offered to forget them with Remembrance Mourning if they wished.
• Cheng Shi asked whether Li Jingming had seen his father, then accepted that someone should remember how good his father had been.
• Cheng Shi asked Li Jingming about Drachirko, Memory, Filth and Decay, and a possible Creator, then asked whether he had any more items to share.

After the gathering ended, Cheng Shi examined his body parts and learned that the Nose of Discernment had been hidden so thoroughly that even his other parts could not remember it. He wondered whether Existence, Time, or Memory had concealed the nose, leaving the Mask unfinished.

• Cheng Shi returned to his rest area satisfied with the trial and considered how the gods’ alliances left the Fear Faction without a clear rival besides Destiny.
• Cheng Shi questioned Gaze of Mockery about its abilities, but it mocked him and offered no useful explanation.
• Cheng Shi asked Lips of Foolish Play what it could do, and Gaze of Mockery dismissed it as useless.
• Cheng Shi asked Ear of Secret Prying and Tongue of Lies about the Nose of Discernment, and Lips of Foolish Play revealed that it could not remember the nose’s name.
• Ear of Secret Prying said a power seemed to have hidden the nose from notice, and Cheng Shi wondered whether Existence, Time, or Memory was responsible.

Cheng Shi experimented with the Vessel of Annihilation and the Truth Ritual, then reasoned that Nothingness might be preparing him as a sacrifice embodying the Source’s combined will. He decided to reveal how the Faith Game worked to The Fated and began arranging a meeting, despite Hong Lin’s warning that the truth might overwhelm them.

• Cheng Shi combined the Vessel of Annihilation and the Truth Ritual in an experiment, and the Gaze of Mockery mocked him for treating equipment as experimental materials.
• Cheng Shi realized the Vessel might still be useful and considered whether Nothingness was shaping him into a faithless sacrifice carrying the gods’ unified wills.
• Cheng Shi called Big Cat and asked her to gather The Fated and contact An the Chosen and Li Wufang for a meeting that day.
• Hong Lin warned Cheng Shi that revealing the game’s hidden workings could frighten The Fated, but Cheng Shi said he believed they could face the truth.

Hong Lin and Tao Yi prepared a meeting place for The Fated, where Cheng Shi arrived to find hooded figures already gathered around a gambling table. The unexpected crowd left him wondering whether he had entered the right venue.

• Hong Lin worried that The Fated would need to stand united against the gods, then went to Tao Yi after Cheng Shi called an urgent meeting.
• Tao Yi revealed that the venue was ready, and she and Hong Lin opened a passage through the void to reach it.
• Tao Yi explained that the towering, star-covered gate represented the door of Destiny, and Hong Lin pushed it open.
• Hong Lin discovered that the venue contained only a gambling table and challenged Tao Yi, who defended it as fitting The Fated's connection to chance.
• Cheng Shi arrived, saw the hooded figures gathered around the table, and questioned whether he had come to the right place.

Cheng Shi joined a secret gathering of The Fated and discovered Tao Yi had filled it with illusions to keep Big Cat from realizing how few members there were. An Mingyu arrived troubled, and her ominous question about Order left the group wondering whether she had made a prophecy.

• Cheng Shi recognized that the seated companions were projections created by Tao Yi to mislead Big Cat about The Fated's size.
• Cheng Shi understood Tao Yi had arranged the illusions to spare Big Cat a jarring surprise and smiled at her.
• An Mingyu arrived looking sorrowful, greeted Tao Yi, and sat down without explaining what troubled her.
• Li Wufang arrived and was startled to see An Mingyu, asking whether Order had run into trouble.
• Li Wufang reassured An Mingyu that Order was doing well, but admitted he might approach Destiny more cautiously if it put Order at risk.

Cheng Shi began the Fated Gathering, but Hong Lin discovered that most of the apparent attendees were Tao Yi’s illusions. The gathering’s joking mood turned tense when An Mingyu warned that the world’s final chapter might arrive ahead of time.

• Cheng Shi urged the hesitant Li Wufang to join the gathering and told everyone they could drop their disguises.
• Tao Yi revealed that her talent, Characters in the Play, had created the hooded figures as illusions, prompting Hong Lin to scold her for hiding the truth.
• Cheng Shi opened the Fated Gathering, and the attendees laughed at its resemblance to a casino before Hong Lin confronted him about the organization’s lack of members.
• Li Wufang agreed with Hong Lin that an organization without members did not yet exist, further upsetting Cheng Shi.
• An Mingyu warned that the world might be pulled toward an irreversible abyss and turned all seventeen dice to their maximum faces as her prophecy.

An Mingyu’s prophecy foretold that the world would collapse, and Cheng Shi explained that [Annihilation] had recently tried to destroy the Cosmos before the gods stopped it. The group learned that Hong Lin had become the new Proxy of [Prosperity], while Cheng Shi privately worried that the prophecy might point to a greater threat from the Creator.

• The Blind Man told Cheng Shi that she had prophesied the world would collapse, and that it would happen soon.
• Cheng Shi explained that [Annihilation] had tried to destroy the Cosmos at a Gods' Covenant Assembly, but the gods had thwarted it.
• Cheng Shi revealed that Hong Lin had attended the assembly as a True God and was the new Proxy of [Prosperity].
• An Mingyu recognized Hong Lin’s new status, and Tao Yi and Li Wufang reacted with surprise.
• Cheng Shi told An Mingyu that her prophecy had already come true, though he privately doubted that [Annihilation]’s attack was the only possible cause of the foretold collapse.
• Cheng Shi worried that the Creator might still threaten the world and wondered whether the gods could avert disaster again.