The Deceitful One

The blue sky was speckled with white clouds as the blazing midday sun shone relentlessly. However, strangely enough, everything underneath was covered in velvety darkness. Almost as if the natural laws of the world had been deceived.

On this day, a certain large uninhabited island somewhere in the middle of the Western and Central Continents was chosen to be the battlefield for the war that would drastically change the power balance of the entire world.

This war was not just any simple war waged between mortals. But a war that involved the likes of Transcendents and Gods!

These were beings who had transcended the limits of man. With just a wave of their hands or a snap of their fingers, they could summon earthquakes, meteor showers, hellfire, tornados, or even tsunamis.

On one side, was an army of more than a hundred thousand people. They were geared up to the teeth. Some standing on the ground, wearing armor, and with their weapons in hand. While some levitated in the air, anxiously awaiting the start of the war.

Large dirigibles as well as flying steel ships floated in the air, aiming their artilleries and cannons at the opposition. At the same time, the entire island was surrounded by a fleet of steam-powered ships, making sure to block any attempts of escape by the enemy.

This was the army of the Central Continent, the greatest and the most dominant power in the world! However, right now, on this battlefield, there was one thing in common amongst all the Transcendents from the Central Continent. Fear!

For they were facing their greatest enemy yet. An enemy that struck terror in the hearts of others just from the mere mention of their name. An enemy that caused chaos and wreaked havoc throughout the Central Continent, leaving behind countless legends.

Seeing the expressions of anxiety and sheer terror on the faces of the Transcendents from the Central Continent, one would assume that they were facing an army even bigger than theirs or at the very least, an army of equivalent size.

However, this could not be further from the truth. The one facing the Central Continent's army was, in fact, one single man. No, to be more precise, He was a God!

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He had a head full of black hair and His eyes were darker than the blackest void of space. If one were to gaze into His eyes, they would fall into a sudden trance and be under the impression that something very dear had been stolen from them.

Wearing a three-piece black suit and a black trench coat, the hems of which fluttered behind Him as the wind blew, made Him appear exceptionally majestic. He looked at the vast army in front of Him as His lips curled up into a mischievous smile.

"I am willing to forgive you for taking up arms against me if you surrender now." Said the God with a playful look in His eyes.

Although He spoke in a low voice, astonishingly enough, His bewitching words reached the ears of all the hundred thousand-plus Transcendents.

At once, the majority of the people in the massive army began to hesitate. Some of the ones with weaker wills even dropped their weapons on the ground as they started to beg on their knees.

"Do not believe a thing He says! Have you forgotten already? He is the personification of deceit and the patron of liars, the despicable God of Mischief!" Shouted a God, wearing a set of white robes underneath a shining golden armor.

He was one of the leaders of the Central Continent's army. But if He had to be honest, He too would have liked to surrender and escape the battlefield. Yet, He had no choice but to make a stand here with the other Gods from the Central Continent.

At once, the people in the army got their bearings under control, however, not a single one of them could stop their knees from shaking and hands from sweating.

After all, this was the God of Mischief they were facing. A deity said to be able to steal and deceive anything in existence!

The God of Mischief pursed His lips, "Tsk, how boring."

He slowly lifted His right arm as He grinned from ear to ear, "In that case, die!"

"No!! Do not let Him make a move! Everyone, attack!" The God in golden armor screamed at the top of His lungs as He ordered the army to move forward, however, it was already too late.

The God of Mischief made a downward slashing motion with His right palm as if He were cutting something down with a sword. After which, silence ensued for a brief second.

BOOM!!!

In the next moment, the entire island was split into two, leaving a clean cut straight down the middle. All the Transcendents who were previously positioned in the region where the island split, instantly turned to dust.

One single strike was all it took and more than twenty percent of the hundred thousand-strong army had perished!

"W-What technique was that!? Has His sword mastery reached such a level that He doesn't even need a sword to attack anymore!?" Asked the golden-armored God in terror.

Another God beside Him replied in angst, "No, that was no sword technique. He simply stole a section of space that ran through the middle of this island, effectively splitting the island into two. As expected of the ultimate thief!"

"T-Then what about the people that just died?" Stuttered the God in golden armor, His body trembling in dread.

The God beside Him gulped as beads of cold sweat dripped from His forehead, "Existence! They had their very existence stolen from them!"

"How can He steal something like a person's existence!? This is simply impossible!" The golden armored god refused to believe it.

"This is what He excels at, turning fallacies into truth, and the impossible into the possible. Truly befitting the title of The Deceitful One." Replied the other God as a dispirited sigh escaped His lips.

What followed was a ruthless massacre of what was left of the Central Continent's army.

All those who opposed the God of Mischief had something stolen from them, whether it was their life, identity, thoughts, self-awareness, or even something as elusive as fate and destiny. However, that is a story for another time.

After all, even the biggest of trees was once nothing but an insignificant seed that weathered the harsh winds and the strong rain before piercing the heavens. And so it begins, in the slums of Damascus, the story of The Deceitful One!