Betting on whether Crystal or Amber would take control?
It was little more than the classic battle of willpower. Where was the fun in that?
Betting on who Akasha would help certainly added a new dimension, but it still failed to completely escape the usual clichés.
As the grand finale for reuniting old friends, it was ultimately a little lackluster.
But add an every-man-for-himself free-for-all, using outright cheating to pierce straight through the ordinary dimension of the gamble, and it suddenly felt complete.
Even though he appeared to be at a disadvantage, Fu Qian didn't feel it was unfair in the slightest.
Why even bet with you?
In so many stories, the ultimate boss—an entity capable of arbitrating across eternity alone—always insisted on dragging the protagonist into some baffling competition, binding themselves to the rules. To Fu Qian, that was practically the equivalent of getting hit with a causality control skill.
It also lacked taste. Even if they wanted to play a game, they had enough resources on hand to put together something far more entertaining.
You can pick first, leaving me forced to take the other side.
But no matter how much thought you put into your deduction, I can simply alter the result to whatever I want.
As the Dark Prophet—the mastermind behind the mastermind—Fu Qian fully believed the Jester was capable of pulling that off.
The safe zone that Akasha and the other two perceived offered them no true sanctuary, even if they looked to still be squabbling over it.
“Then you should just keep hiding.”
Faced with Amber's remark, Akasha was entirely blunt after a brief silence, directly telling her she could go right back into hiding.
“That’s impossible.”
Unfortunately, she was rejected instantly.
Amber, usually the gentler of the two, shook her head with irrefutable resolve as her gaze settled on Crystal's face.
“That’s impossible!”
Before Akasha could say another thing, Crystal echoed the exact same line.
...
“Then I have no choice but to pick Crystal.”
The gambling table was hitting its stride, yet the Jester kept his attention fixed squarely on Fu Qian.
Participating without batting an eye, despite knowing full well his opponent would cheat, undoubtedly did not look like normal human logic.
Because of that, the Jester's mood in that moment was beyond merely satisfied.
Casually confirming his choice, he even put on a look of intense seriousness, like a fired-up duelist.
“I am rather curious. What is your motive for stopping me? Having everyone slumber in the darkness might be dull, but at least it's peaceful.
“The people involved wouldn't even feel any pain. In true slumber, the concept of time vanishes. No matter how much time passes in between, waking up feels like an instant.
“Instead, it's those of us who have received enlightenment—the ones seemingly fighting to stay a little bit lucid—who must endure a long, grueling torment.”
Judging from the Jester's words, it sounded as if the best possible outcome for demigods was to struggle endlessly through enlightenment, fighting to draw closer to Unseen Hill just to avoid complete slumber.
Honestly, if they couldn't escape, it was hard to say whether that was a blessing or a curse. It felt like fighting with everything they had just to suffer.
But not doing so would mean yielding to an unacceptable resignation. Perhaps that was simply the curse of being a higher entity?
“To be honest, I've been looking for the answer to that myself. Unfortunately, I haven't confirmed it yet. From the looks of it, it's tied to Ji Feng's mental state.”
The Jester's curiosity was incredibly sincere, drawing a sigh from Fu Qian.
“But no matter how amusing your plans are, or what they mean to Ji Feng, I need to keep this place bathed in light.”
Not only was his reply just as candid, but Fu Qian also mirrored the Jester, not bothering to spare a single glance at the unfolding gamble.
Even though the air inside the Fright Gift Box was practically burning up at this point.
“What they mean to Ji Feng... So we aren't prisoners at all, are we?”
They were supposed to be at each other's throats, yet Fu Qian's words seemed to strike a chord with the Jester.
“Delusions, madness, memories, reason... This city represents his will, and we are merely the physical manifestations of those concepts?”
Muttering to himself, he finally seemed to have figured something out.
“That explains why there are so many baseless criminals and heroes, the forces of good and evil... as well as the constant returns after death.
“That's why those outsiders always carry that condescending look.”
Wearing an expression of complete enlightenment, it looked as if a halo might pop up over the Jester's head at any second.
“You seem to have left me out of that.”
Fu Qian noted his choice of words.
“You aren't like them. I can confirm you don't belong here... Yet the name Grimm Ballard should theoretically have some connection to this place.”
It wasn't just imprecise phrasing, nor did the Jester think Fu Qian possessed some supreme moral high ground to treat the Natives as equals. The Jester was simply voicing a lingering suspicion.
“It's very strange. Are you some rogue thought that successfully escaped his brain? Shattered the barrier to attain freedom, yet you keep a close eye on this place, returning to play the hero when necessary?”
Admittedly, that hypothetical backstory had a rather cool ring to it.
As for why the Jester felt that way, Fu Qian could guess the reason.
Because he had previously executed the real Ballard with Visceral Attack, erasing the man's information from this world entirely—which was akin to Ji Feng losing a piece of his memory.
If the Jester could sense that, it meant he was indeed drawing closer and closer to Ji Feng's will—which was good news.
“Why can't I be an emissary of evil? Returning to stop everyone else from succeeding like I did?”
Even though Fu Qian was nodding along in agreement as he listened, he still offered a counterpoint.
“Fair point. Theoretically, as the night falls, this place is calming down, but you seem intent on keeping him in a state of madness.”
Faced with Fu Qian scripting his own villainous origin, the Jester agreed wholeheartedly.
“But regardless, having an existence like yours finally makes things much more interesting—you lose.”
Pivoting without missing a beat, he announced the result.
...
“Why...”
He wasn't bluffing. Inside the Fright Gift Box, a scene dripping with resentment was unfolding.
During the time Fu Qian and the Jester had ignored them, the trio's tangled struggle had reached its conclusion.
The bloody, desperate question had come from Crystal, whose human features were still less than absolute.
Compared to Amber a short distance away, she was in a much more gruesome state.
The most central wound had been torn right out of her chest, where a spider egg used to be.
At first glance, it looked very much as if Akasha had directly made her choice through some ruthless method.
Even though this outcome didn't quite match the Jester's claim—it looked like Fu Qian had actually won.
“Akasha looks like she still wanted to give her friend a hand, bringing her closer to the true nature of this place so she could retain some sanity in the eternal night.
“But Crystal hasn't received enlightenment, nor has she been behind the door. Pulling that off wouldn't be easy. With time running out, letting Amber take control would actually yield a higher probability of success.”
Paying no mind to the Jester's claim, Fu Qian actually stood aside and offered his own play-by-play of the situation.
“Very logical. But knowing too little easily leads to good intentions causing harm—or malicious intentions doing good.”
The Jester gave an exaggerated sigh of pity.
“How could—”
Almost simultaneously, another scream rang out. Not far away, identical wounds were actually appearing synchronously on Amber's body, as if she were a literal Reflection of Crystal.
“I told you, I don't have time to play pretend with you... Since you insist, I'll be taking this body.”
Akasha's response was shockingly frigid.
“Right now, she's leaning toward considering herself the Spider Silk Queen, free from the limitations of Akasha's identity. Consequently stripped of any pity for her friend, she wants to use this opportunity to take control of Crystal as a puppet.
“Detonating the wound was just to thoroughly leave a mark on Crystal. Since the Spider Silk Queen is among those who received the deepest enlightenment, it consequently cemented Crystal's status as the primary consciousness.”
Fu Qian's play-by-play was just as remarkably fast, casting a side glance at the Jester as he finished.
“It tracks, but don't you think your spin on it is a bit too far-fetched?”
In the blink of an eye, Amber corroborated his claim. Losing her voice entirely, she rapidly curled up as if about to revert to her true form.
“Yes, I retained a bit of a stretch on purpose so you would know I manipulated the outcome.”
The Jester wasn't the least bit embarrassed.
“So you're starting the countdown now?”
Nor was Fu Qian displeased.
“It has already begun...”
The Jester swept his hand through the air, actually tearing a rift straight through the Ash Descent to expose the deeper darkness lurking behind it.
“With every number that passes, I feel his will growing stronger. Everything is an illusion; only the dark night is real. And from beginning to end, what I represent is his unwavering devotion to that reality—”
Boom!
His voice came to an abrupt halt, the Jester's figure entirely consumed by golden flames.
“We have an old saying in my hometown. When you get to the gambling table, always remember to wear a helmet.”
Amidst the eruption of the long-accumulated Calamity, Fu Qian casually shared a piece of life philosophy.
Growing closer, was he? Representing Old Man Ji's unwavering devotion to the Darkest Night, was he?
That was exactly what he had been waiting for. Hopefully, it wasn't too late—and it looked like it wasn't.
[Current task completed. Designation 1-093 successfully contained.]
The mission prompt rang out almost the very next second.
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