Poison God's Heritage

"That may also be an answer," the being said, its tone neither confirming nor denying.

"Then… am I to be judged?" I asked, dreading the answer.

"Yes," it replied, the single word hanging in the air like a death sentence.

"I find it… quite unfair," I said, gathering the last shreds of my courage. "The heavens… they're never unfair?"

"The heavens are never unfair," the being stated, as if it were an immutable fact.

"I beg to differ," I countered, my mind racing to form an argument that might save me. "I had no intention of learning any secrets. They were simply deductions. If the heavens truly wanted to keep the knowledge of Soul energy and Origin Energy hidden, why did they embed the thought in my mind?"

"It wasn't a thought that anyone should venture and think of, reincarnator," the being replied, its voice cold and unyielding.

The title hit me like a bolt of lightning. Reincarnator. So they knew. Of course, they knew.

I paused, letting the weight of the situation settle. "Say, would you consider the consciousness of a man a gift from the heavens?" I asked, trying a different angle.

"It is indeed so," the being replied. "It was given to man to elevate him from the beasts."

"Then his thinking, his thoughts, and his beliefs are all guided by the heavens, yes?" I pressed.

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"That is incorrect," the being said, its tone final. "All have free will. All are free to do as they desire. We only judge what is done after the fact."

"May I tell you a story?" I asked, a sudden idea forming in my mind.

"A story?" the being repeated, sounding intrigued. "That is a first. I have seen all the stories, though. But speak."

"There was a man in a village who loved his gold dearly," I began. "He would always hide it in his safe, never spend it, but always add to it. A secret that no one else in the village ever knew. Afraid that if the villagers found out about his gold, he'd be robbed. One day, an old friend of the man came to visit.

In his rush, the man forgot to close the safe where his gold was hidden as he welcomed his friend in. The friend noticed the gold, and upon seeing it, the man immediately brought an axe down upon his friend's head. Now tell me, was the old man right in killing his guest? Or was the guest in the wrong for discovering the old man's secret?"

The enforcer laughed, a deep, resonant sound that echoed through the vast space. "Quite a weak story, but I understand your intentions. Indeed, the old man is in the wrong. For if he truly wished to keep his gold hidden, he should have done a better job of it. His friend wouldn't have died for it. Regardless, our concern is bigger than mere gold, would you say so?"

"Indeed," I agreed.

"You, of many names," the enforcer continued, "have not only seen the gold but grabbed it. Intentionally or unintentionally, you took it away from the old man's home."

"More like a piece fell into my pocket," I admitted, "but you're right."

The being's expression remained inscrutable, but there was a sense of grim amusement in its voice. "For that, you have been eliminated. Regardless, why do you still think? Why do you still reason? And why haven't you been either eliminated or taken to the wheel of reincarnation?"

"I'm afraid I don't know why," I replied honestly. "My knowledge about death is pretty limited. This is my first… wait," I paused, counting on my fingers. "Third time?"

"It is your fifty-eighth time," the enforcer corrected.

"Oh…" The revelation was staggering. Fifty-eight times? How many lives had I lived before becoming Du Shen, before I even became aware of myself?

"You have received

something from us," the enforcer said, drawing my attention back. "Something that contradicts our decree of death. Look at your right hand."

I glanced down and saw, to my astonishment, that I was holding a peach. A simple, unassuming fruit that glowed with a soft, golden light.

"The Fruit of Rebirth," I murmured, recognizing it immediately. I had completely forgotten about it in the chaos of everything that had happened.

"Now here lies our issue," the enforcer said. "We have promised you life, and we have promised you death. The two contradict each other. We need to find a way for you to either die or return to the world of the living. Since the heavens cannot break a promise, we cannot let you live, as we promised you death. And we cannot let you die, as we promised you life."

"Quite the conundrum," I remarked, feeling the weight of the situation pressing down on me.

"Indeed, it is so," the enforcer agreed.

"Then what is the solution to this issue?" I asked, my heart pounding in my chest.

"Simple," the being said, rising from its throne and beginning to shrink in size. "Life is not an easy thing to create, but it is an easy thing to take away. For you, who is between life and death, you must prove to us why you deserve to live. Ready yourself, for you shall only live if you survive, and forever perish if you die."

A cold shiver ran down my spine as the reality of the situation sank in. I was being given a chance, a slim, perilous chance to reclaim my life. But it would come at a cost—a battle against the heavens themselves, or at least, their enforcer.

"Fantastic," I muttered to myself, steeling my resolve. "I get to fight the heavens' enforcer if I want to keep my life. What a freaking nice day!"

The enforcer stood before me, no longer towering, but still radiating an aura of overwhelming power. I could feel the weight of the heavens in every breath, every step, every thought. This was a fight I couldn't afford to lose.

The battle was about to begin.