Foolish Game of the Gods - Chapter 90

“You bluffed me?”

Su Yida’s face twisted with fury as he glared at Cheng Shi, who was pounding the ground, laughing uncontrollably. Through gritted teeth, Su Yida spat out a cold, venomous threat:

“Cheng Shi, do you really think that just because I killed you once, I wouldn’t dare do it again?”

Cheng Shi’s laughter subsided, replaced by a crooked, enigmatic grin. He slowly lifted his head to meet Su Yida’s eyes, replying with deliberate precision:

“You won’t. You can’t.”

Su Yida’s gaze darkened. He raised his hand sharply, and the violent forces of [Time] and [Memory] swirled at his fingertips, their combined divine power rivaling the overwhelming torrent of bones Cheng Shi had once witnessed in the Bone Temple.

It was clear now—an otherworldly [Existence] had intervened.

What was even more intriguing was that Su Yida’s body harbored two distinct divine powers, yet there was no trace of [Deceit].

“Enough with the theatrics. Even if you wield this terrifying power and tear the world apart, you still won’t kill me.

If you really know me as well as you claim, then you should understand: the moment I called your bluff, I learned where your limits are.

You won’t kill me, and you won’t dare use His power in front of me.

Isn’t it hilarious?

A master of trickery, a follower of [Deceit], trying to kill me by borrowing the power of an [Existence]…”

Though the freezing cold had started to recede, Cheng Shi’s injuries were very real. Choking back his discomfort, he cast a healing spell on himself and let his body fall back against the ground, drained but still thinking.

“Now, let’s talk. The power of [Time] at your fingertips seems to be stronger than that of [Memory]. Let me guess… was it [Time] who sent you back?”

Su Yida’s hands clenched tighter, the divine energy crackling more violently. His eyes remained fixed on Cheng Shi, filled with a hatred that longed to erase him from existence entirely.

But!

Cheng Shi had hit the mark.

Su Yida didn’t dare.

He didn’t even dare use a fraction of [Deceit]’s power against Cheng Shi!

He was terrified that He would find out—that He would be displeased—that He would have objections!

Indeed, an [Existence] had intervened, sending Su Yida from the future to the present.

But that [Existence] wasn’t [Time]—it was [Memory]!

“What’s wrong? You love hearing yourself talk, so why go quiet now?

Fine, I’ll do the talking.

Let me think it through.

If you’ve come from the future, with the specific purpose of killing me, that must mean I affect you—or perhaps the [Existence] behind you—at some critical point in the future, right?

Knowing myself well, I doubt I’d ever stop being overly cautious, even far into the future.

I’m not someone who picks fights, nor do I go out of my way to provoke others. To stay alive, I’d be willing to abandon unnecessary things.

So, anything that I’d be willing to throw myself into… well, those things no longer exist.

If everything I’ve just said is true, but I still somehow disrupt you or that [Existence], then it must be that our paths crossed, and my steps obstructed someone.

Yes, that sounds about right.

You said earlier, ‘What brought you to such heights?’ Now, I’m curious—just how far did I go in the future?

For you to bear such murderous intent, so much so that you had to come back to the present to eliminate me?

That kind of effort must’ve come at a high cost, right? One that doesn’t allow for a second chance?

Hmm… wait, no, something doesn’t add up here.

Your killing intent is strong, but your will to actually kill me isn’t.

You’ve had plenty of chances to kill me, yet you didn’t.

We both follow [Deceit], so we both know each other has safety nets. But what’s strangest is that after you killed me, you didn’t check if my safety net had worked. You didn’t even bother confirming whether I was truly dead.

If you knew about the gift I received from [Death], you would have known that I’m a Gravekeeper in this game.

Why didn’t you check?

Ah, right.

Zhao Qian is dead.

And most likely, you killed him, didn’t you?

Let me think… why did he die?

That [Existence] sent you back to kill me, but for some reason, you spared me.

But you still have to report back, so you killed Zhao Qian instead, offering him up as a replacement?

Hahaha, hahaha—your face is turning pale. Looks like I was right.

Su Yida, you’re quite the character.

You’re a follower of [Deceit], and yet, when it comes time to kill, you’re too afraid to use His power. But afterward, you’d try using His power to fool an [Existence]?

What were you thinking? Did you really think you could deceive Them?

Wait, no.

You knew you could deceive Him, didn’t you?

Oh—

Now I get it. It wasn’t Him who sent you back, was it? It was… someone else? Another [Existence]? Or maybe… a player?

So it was a player, wasn’t it?

Looks like someone who doesn’t like me set this whole thing up, borrowing the power of an [Existence] to send future-you back here.

Interesting. Who is it? Care to tell me?

Since you’re not planning to return anyway, why not satisfy my curiosity?”

Cheng Shi rambled on, Su Yida standing silently and listening.

The more he heard, the more alarmed he became. The more he listened, the more his expression darkened.

This assassination from the future—it was as if Cheng Shi had witnessed the entire plan unfold firsthand, so clearly was he describing everything.

But that wasn’t the most disturbing part. After all, there were plenty of clues to piece together for anyone sharp enough.

It was Cheng Shi’s final words that Su Yida couldn’t hide his fear from.

“Self from the Past won’t leave me stuck in the memory forever. I’ll return, Cheng Shi—no matter how accurate your guesses are or how angry you feel, it won’t change a thing. We don’t belong to the same timeline.

As for whether I kill you, or kill someone else… that’s entirely up to me, and it has nothing to do with anyone else.”

Su Yida’s tone was scornful, and his gaze returned to its icy indifference.

But by now, Cheng Shi had fully seized the upper hand. He had seen right through Su Yida’s scheming.

“So the talent is called Self from the Past, huh? So it’s [Memory] after all…

Although I follow an opposing faith, I don’t see how I’d be important enough for [Memory] Himself to get involved.

I’m just a small-time player. What could possibly make me worth His personal attention?”

Cheng Shi chuckled nonchalantly and continued.

“Return? Return to where? To whatever rest area your future self is hanging out in outside the trial?

Don’t kid yourself, Su Yida. I kept wondering, if a future assassin successfully completes his mission—even using [Deceit]—why would he stay behind in the trial, waiting for his target to wake up?

And not only that, but why would he go so far as to save his target with a lie?

What, do you have a crush on me?

Hahaha! I doubt it’s me you’re so fond of—it’s yourself, isn’t it?

Su Yida, you’re in love with your present self!”

Cheng Shi’s voice suddenly rose, and he pointed directly at Su Yida’s face, as if looking at a complete madman.

“When you killed me, you did it so quickly, which tells me the future scenario you were part of left you with a very tight window of opportunity!

If time was that limited, how could they let you stick around to continue the trial?

I might not fully understand this terrifying talent of Self from the Past, but I do know that [Memory] doesn’t like anyone but Himself tampering with memories. He wouldn’t tolerate His assassin hanging around to engage in unrelated activities!

Which means—you’re not going back!

Or rather, someone’s already gone back in your place!

Am I right?

I kept wondering, if you came from the future, then what happened to the original Su Yida?

He disappeared into the void rift the moment you showed up, and the two of you missed each other. So your appearance wasn’t a possession of his consciousness.

Sure, it’s possible that your arrival caused his complete erasure, but still, that begs the question:

How do you have the audacity to think you could deceive the ones who set this whole plan in motion to kill me?

These people were powerful enough to borrow [Memory]’s power. They have to be the top players out there. Aren’t you afraid they’ll see through your lies?

You’re scared of death, Su Yida. Truly, you are. You’re so scared that you didn’t even dare gamble on whether I had a backup plan. This means you’re terrified of dying.

So how is it, then, that you weren’t afraid to gamble on the game set up to kill me?

That leads me to one conclusion.

You don’t care if they figure it out—because whether they do or don’t, you’re safe!!!

You complete and utter madman—you actually sent your present self… into the future!”