CHAPTER 333: CHAPTER 292: THE SECRET BEHIND_2

"You relaxed slightly, testing the waters by asking... Although I’m your best friend, I still don’t know your name."

"Philis, that’s my name. And you, my best friend?"

"The woman in front of you—the ’Blasphemer Wizard’—oh no, she called herself ’Philis’—politely responded with a question."

"You intended to give your name from before you crossed over, but then it dawned on you. In the mysterious world, a ’true name’ is often the medium for many insidious curses. Even the divine wouldn’t divulge theirs lightly."

"Even though, under the [Holy Redemption] and [Circle of Friendliness] quadruple buffs, Philis no longer harbored hostility toward you, you cautiously made up a random name: ’Leodore.’

You noticed Philis’s brows slowly knit together...

Uh oh, the name failed to gain Philis’s trust... She must possess powers like ’Peeping Secret,’ ’Correction,’ or ’Revelation.’ But since she hasn’t reacted openly yet, she must still be in the stage of suspicion."

"As long as suspicion remains, it can be remedied."

"Your palm, hidden behind your back, opened, and on a badge the size of your hand, a trace of mysterious light flickered briefly."

"Emblem of Justice: The things you deem right and the words you’ve spoken will gain universal acknowledgment."

"Effect now being determined... Determination succeeded."

"Effect generated."

"With newfound clarity in your mind, you smiled and reaffirmed, ’Leodore, that’s my name.’"

...

So that’s how it works? Yang Qizhou curled the corners of his mouth into a smile.

Even though he’d seen it more than once, he couldn’t help but marvel. Sometimes, the maneuvers of a game character were truly ingenious in every sense of the word.

If it were himself in that situation... He’d undoubtedly act even more outlandish—haha!

The game continued.

...

"As a quasi-legendary artifact, the effect of the ’Emblem of Justice’ is doubtlessly formidable."

"You watched as Philis’s furrowed brows eased, and a trace of regret appeared in her eyes... ’I’m truly sorry, my best friend. Because of a vague warning from an ancient object, I actually doubted that you’d given me a fake name earlier. Thinking about it now, that was so wrong of me. After all, we’re best friends.’

"It turned out there really was an artifact capable of discerning lies. Yet, you smirked inwardly—you had deceived her, and yet she felt compelled to apologize to you. The thought filled you with delight."

"Philis, my best friend, I have a lot of questions in my heart. Can you help me resolve them?"

"Of course, we’re best friends."

"With her promise, you didn’t hold back anymore. Straightening your posture, you asked seriously... ’Dear friend, I’m puzzled. The ’God of Justice’ opened the gates to the Land of Truth, aligning with our interests as ’Blasphemer Wizards.’ Why did you try to stop it?’"

"And you, ’Leodore,’ also a ’Blasphemer Wizard,’ why did you betray the ’God of Justice’?"

"What you didn’t expect was that Philis did not immediately answer but instead responded with a question of her own."

"Who’s truly the victim here between us?"

"You muttered inwardly and evasively replied, ’Because that being was acting off—it carried a terrifying resurgence of will and harbored strong malice toward me.’"

"Exactly, a terrifying will."

"Philis let out a long sigh, finally addressing your earlier question. ’The "God of Justice" is no longer the original "God of Justice." Its will has been polluted by the "King of Virtue." In a way, it has almost become the "Ancient God King" itself. And for this reason, the gates to the Land of Truth absolutely must not be opened by it.’

"She indeed knows everything."

"You thought silently, but your lingering doubts remained unresolved."

"You couldn’t help but press further... ’The resurgence of the King of Virtue’s will within the "God of Justice" and the opening of the gates to the Land of Truth—are the two necessarily connected?’"

"Philis’s gaze grew distant and thoughtful... ’Do you know of the one who ruled over all "Blasphemer Wizards" and stood at the highest divine throne of the Third Epoch, governing the earth with unparalleled power over destiny?’"

"The Lord of Blasphemy."

"And do you know the origin of the ’King of Virtue’?"

"It was once a Cosmic Pillar shepherded by the Lord of Blasphemy."

"Philis’s eyes widened slightly, surprised that you knew these secrets. Yet, her expression didn’t linger for long. She sighed again and continued, ’Since you already know these hidden truths, then I can save myself some explanation. This ties to a prophecy.’

"A prophecy?"

"Your expression grew slightly grave, sensing that the unveiling of this secret would shake the heavens and earth."

"At last, Philis revealed the truth... ’Before the Lord of Blasphemy fell, it left behind this prophecy.’

"She paused and continued, ’The script has already been written. The Land of Truth is its grand stage. Eons later, a "Blasphemer Wizard" will tread upon it. He will be the protagonist of this stage. Following the predetermined storyline, he will find the lost symbol and reclaim the highest throne. The glory of old will once again illuminate the ancient land.’

...

In reality.

Yang Qizhou squinted, his hand subconsciously reaching for his soda as he took a deep gulp.

"The Lord of Blasphemy ruled the ancient land through destiny’s unparalleled might. In the domain of ’fate symbols,’ there’s a high probability it surpassed the limits of ’Pillar Level,’ reaching an entirely unfathomable new tier. It indeed might possess the capability to write a script and manifest the story into reality."

"There will be a ’Blasphemer Wizard’ taking the stage as the protagonist."

"Does it refer to a specific ’Blasphemer Wizard,’ or simply to the first one to re-enter the Land of Truth?"

"But one point is strange... The Lord of Blasphemy’s prophecy clearly pointed to the group of ’Blasphemer Wizards.’ The ’King of Virtue,’ while being a Pillar-level Ancient God and once shepherded under the Lord of Blasphemy, visibly doesn’t fall within this category. Why, then, would It go through all this effort to open the gates to the Land of Truth? To prevent the inevitable emergence of a second Lord of Blasphemy?"

"Wait a minute..."

Suddenly, Yang Qizhou considered a possibility, his brow furrowing deeply as he muttered, "Could it also be that behind the ’King of Virtue,’ there is another ’Blasphemer Wizard’?"

The game continued.

...

"Countless speculations and theories swirled in your mind as you furrowed your brows tightly and asked, ’Does the "King of Virtue" have an issue? Are there traces of a ’Blasphemer Wizard’ behind it?’"

"My best friend, it seems you’ve already guessed."

"Philis’s voice carried a note of gravity... ’It’s not just the "King of Virtue." Based on my deductions, the radiant light of the Three Ancient God Kings ruling the Radiant Kingdom, though still shining, has to varying degrees been compromised.’

"It matched your own suspicions, you thought silently."

"With a slightly exaggerated tone, you probed further... ’I still find it hard to believe. The "King of Virtue"—a Cosmic Pillar—being shepherded by a "Blasphemer Wizard"? Could it be a "Wizard King" behind this?’"

"Philis replied..."

"It’s not a ’Wizard King,’ because apart from ’The Correct One,’ all other Wizard Kings have already fallen—that much is certain. Moreover, ’Virtue’ likely hasn’t been completely shepherded; it’s entangled in a tug-of-war with that shadowy ’Blasphemer Wizard’ behind the scenes... That said, the crisis facing ’Virtue’ definitely isn’t limited to just that. Otherwise, as a Cosmic Pillar, it could effortlessly kill every wizard besides a Wizard King with just one glance."

...

In reality.

"Apart from Philis, there are still other Blasphemer Wizards secretly active on the ancient land. Moreover, they have reached the point of meddling with Cosmic Pillars. It seems the Day of Fallen didn’t completely annihilate this group—they’re far stronger than expected."

Yang Qizhou murmured, "As someone possessing ’Fate,’ could my game character be the one spoken of in the Lord of Blasphemy’s prophecy?"

"It really does seem possible."