Witch, Fireball and Steam Evil God

Chapter 209 Will You Win?
When Ethan announced that his opponent was the God of Trickery, Kadra, Rowena took five minutes to review what she had done in the past few months. Since she moved into the mansion in the imperial capital, had she done anything excessive?

It seems not?
The only thing she could think of was to go to the market to buy vegetables and bargain with the vegetable vendors using her own made-up myths and legends from the East Continent, but...

This isn't a crime punishable by death!
Rowena thought so. It was obvious that there were better candidates in the team. She felt that Ethan could definitely beat the God of Trickery, and Winter was not bad either. If that didn't work, they could go back to the imperial capital and invite Old An - that was a real old god, and he had long disliked the God of Trickery.

"Lao Sen, I don't think this is necessary."

After hearing Kadra's name, Rowena straightened up like a stressed animal.

She did think about changing her faith, but she was still afraid of meeting the real God of Trickery. After all, that was her faith, and she had memorized the name of this righteous god when she learned her first elementary magic.

"No, this can only be done by you."

Rowena prepared for the worst. "You want me to die! Then... is there a chance for me to participate in the resurrection match?"

"If that's the case, you're going to lose."

Ethan felt that Rowena seemed a little too pessimistic. She no longer had the momentum she had claimed before setting out to become a saint. This also meant that Kadra would definitely be able to see through her flaws.

Through his observations of the Scholar, Silver Fox and Rowena, he gradually understood how the followers of the God of Trickster got along with each other, and why that man claimed to the world that he was Khadra himself - this was a trick, but with enough skill, it was enough to deceive any follower of the God of Trickster, even the Scholar.

The scholar mentioned in the manuscript that the biggest lie she could think of was to fake her death to deceive everyone in the Mage Tower and wait for Ethan and others to arrive and wake her up. However, such an ambition was nothing compared to Khadra, who had stolen the title of the God of Trickery.

"This is the rule left by the God of Trickery. If you want to go further, you must be prepared to deceive everyone."

Without a vow, there is no risk of breaking it.

Even if companions eventually turn their knives against each other, it is still within the tacit scope of the rules.

Compared with the inheritance of the Knight Lord, Ethan felt that the God of Trickery treated His believers in a way that was almost like raising poisonous insects. The current Kadra might be the result He would be happy to see.

He inherited his knowledge, but was unwilling to share it with anyone. Anyone who touched the "treasure" would be plotted against by him just like the scholar.

In fact, Ethan had never met Kadra and didn't know what kind of person he was, so he could only deduce Kadra's motives based on known clues, which also involved the rules set by the God of Trickster himself.

"Only the winner is entitled to inherit everything."

"This... this is too dark, isn't it? Isn't the God of Trickery a proper God?"

Rowena asked stutteringly.

No matter how you look at it, this seems to be a rule set by an evil god. Even famous evil gods like Lao Ba and Lao Xin would emphasize competition and cooperation among believers, and would not share power with only one individual who squeezed out all believers.

Ethan: “That’s just one of the possibilities.”

"That's what I said. How could a Righteous God possibly..."

"But now, this is the only possibility. Only if you firmly believe that everything you say is true, you can deceive Kadra."

Ethan's words made Rowena freeze in place. He looked at her seriously and asked, "That's a good question, Rowena. Why would a righteous god leave behind rules that are more cruel than those of an evil god?"

When confronting Kadra, Kadra would definitely ask the same question, and any hesitation or flaw would make Rowena's lies fall apart.

"That's because... uh, how about we go to the observatory and look up some information first?"

"wrong answer."

Ethan shook his head regretfully.

If Rowena gave the answer from the book, Kadra would definitely see through it. "He has read all the books you can find, and he even left them there on purpose. His experience and knowledge are far superior to yours. Think carefully, facing such an opponent, how can you deceive him?"

Winter behind them was admiring the confrontation between the two. He picked up a fruit plate and placed it on his knees. He used magic to produce a dozen cherries and tasted them with relish.

Ethan is in the zone again.

He always has a lot of inspiration that comes from nowhere, and it is not an exaggeration to describe him as having amazing wisdom. Such a scene makes it difficult for you to tell who is the true believer of the God of Trickery.

If this were an oil painting, Winter felt that the title could even be "The God of Trickery Guides His Believers."

Seeing that Rowena just stared and responded without saying a word, Ethan sighed helplessly.

If we use the word "small animal" to describe Rowena, she is the kind that is harmless to humans and animals. When she is really scared, she will freeze in place and even forget to breathe.

Such a harmless little animal would be easily captured by the cunning fake Kadra.

"The answer is to tell the truth. Only the truth you believe in can deceive the other party."

Ethan had already succeeded once.

Everything he said through the mouth of Silver Fox was real.

If there is anyone in the world who can deceive Khadra, it is only himself. His suspicion, fear of newcomers, and desire to completely become Khadra will all become obstacles for him.

"Rowena, the most critical moment is about to come."

Ethan said, "From now on, everything you say is true."

..............................

It was a day full of frustration for Khadela.

So much happened that night.

First, the Knight of the Round Table, Palansi, disobeyed his will, which forced him to crush Palansi's soul and find someone to fill the gap.

However, the operation at the Other Shore Mansion unexpectedly failed. What's worse, at the puppet party, he learned an astonishing guess from the great magician Silver Fox - Rowena, who was hiding in the dark like a shadow, wanted to use Ethan to seize the treasure of the Mage Tower.

That treasure should have belonged to him!
In his heart, Kadra expressed his highest respect for the Silver Fox's wisdom and fearlessness, and even felt sorry for the fate of a mortal for the first time in a long time.

But now, there is something more important waiting for him.

This is the darkest moment before dawn. After hundreds of years, Kadra returns to the Mage Tower.

With his own soul, not a few puppets.

The Mage Tower was unusually quiet. The magicians had fallen asleep. This was the last silence before the storm came.

Kadra walked up the spiral staircase. The road was smooth and unobstructed, allowing him to reach the observatory without any hindrance. He had obtained everything here.

The lights inside were still on. Since he left, this place had seen many scholars, and the layout inside had undergone tremendous changes. Only the back hall remained the same, surrounded by gray energy, making people feel as if they were among the stars. Through the half-open door and the faint light, Kadra knew that someone was waiting for him there.

A certain year, June, 4:04 in the early morning.

Following the faint light, Kadra saw the woman sitting in the center of the circular magic circle in the back hall with her back to him. The woman was motionless and seemed to be lost in meditation.

This was a great opportunity, but Kadra didn't dare to act rashly.

Because... Rowena looked too calm, and he couldn't imagine where her confidence came from.

Along the way, he was looking for information about Rowena.

Born in a small village on the border of the empire, her parents died at the hands of bandits when she was very young. She was raised by the villagers since she was a child. Because of some "bad tastes" of the Imperial Federal Reserve, she was recruited into the Astrology Guild. She was proficient in divination, but created the "destructive" type of cutting magic.

A gifted magician.

If Kadra were asked to come up with a comment, he would say this about Rowena.

But that's all.

No matter what Rowena's motives were for defecting from the Astrology Guild, and no matter what her ambitions were, she was just a mortal. She was not even as good as the current Scholar, who had a much more glorious resume at the same age as Rowena.

If it weren't for what happened tonight, Kadra wouldn't have kept the name in mind.

"It's time to end this farce. Now, hand over the treasure."

Kadra spoke tentatively.

Rowena, who had been meditating with her eyes closed, opened her eyes. The corners of her mouth slightly raised, and grayish-white energy surged between her eyes.

It was clear that she was not frightened by the name of Khadra and the magic he intentionally released.

Maybe……

Rowena knew he was a fake.

This made Kadra extremely anxious. Although this was no longer a secret among the servants of God, in the minds of the magicians, he was the incarnation of the God of Trickery. Every response he created could make the believers ecstatic and make them willing to dedicate everything they had.

"If you want it, you should come and get it yourself. Have you forgotten the rules left by the God of Trickery?"

Rowena turned slowly and examined Kadra's looming soul with a teasing look.

The next moment, everything around changed.

Kadra heard the noise of books. Countless books and manuscripts from past scholars were being flipped through quickly. The ground beneath his feet extended, and the wooden bookcases formed a circular enclosed space. Under his feet was a road paved with magic symbols.

This path was leading him into an enclosed space, a path leading to the arena.

In the center of the arena, Rowena, wearing a magic robe and a pointed magic hat, showed him the calmness and elegance of a pure-blood magician. She held an ebony wand in her hand and bowed slightly to him.

But Khadra didn't like the arena.

He was obsessed with controlling puppets with silk threads, which was the greatest invention of all the spells of the God of Trickster. He fiddled with the puppets at will, making them act according to his will, even in the face of death. At that moment, Kadra felt that he was the supreme god.

He also doesn't like evenly matched fights.

If he had to fight, he would always make sure he had an overwhelming advantage.

However, at this moment, the road under his feet is leading to the unknown, but he has to set foot in the arena, because there is the treasure left by the God of Trickery... No, it is the treasure left by himself, and this time he just wants to take back what belongs to him.

Thinking of this, Kadra's eyes became more determined. He walked towards Rowena.

He is Kadra. Even though the stargazing room has undergone changes he has never seen before and everything here is so strange, he cannot deny the fact that he is the master here.

Kadra's eyes never left Rowena's face. Not even a trace of hesitation or a moment of panic could escape his insight, but... this mortal had a crazy smile on his face. This smile made him very uncomfortable, as if he was the one being dominated in this closed circular space.

When he got closer, he finally realized the heart-pounding part.

Shadows spread behind Rowena, and the wriggling darkness polluted the place like a plague, corroding the treasures that should have belonged to him.

Kadra raised her voice, "Rowena, this is the last warning. As God, I order you to retreat!"

He hoped this would intimidate Rowena, or at least make her reveal some flaws.

No believer of the God of Trickery can defy Khadra's will. If he sees a glimpse of a flaw, he can return to the situation he is most familiar with.

"god?"

Rowena's smile widened. "If that's the case, there's no need for you to come back. You don't even know what treasures are stored here, right?"

The fluctuation of magic power has become unstable.

The creeping and spreading darkness awakened a certain fear that was imprinted in the deepest part of Khadra's heart, strange yet familiar. He soon realized that these emotions did not belong to him, but were something he inherited.

in other words……

The God of Trickery is terrified of a mortal?
How can this be! ?
Just as Kadra was about to make trouble, Rowena's words made him feel like he was falling into an ice cellar.

——"But if you knew, you wouldn't have the courage to come here again."

It was a playful yet compassionate tone, a look of superiority and sympathy for the weak, "But this may be a good thing for you, allowing you to at least live in the lies and dreams you have woven. But Mr. Cardra, the dream is about to end."

Mr. Khadra?
Which magician would dare to call Kadra like that?

"W-who are you?"

Something must have gone wrong.

Perhaps the Astrology Guild had made some deviation in their records of Rowena, or perhaps they had been deceived from the very beginning.

"The remaining treasure is called memory."

Hearing this, Kadra's pupils shrank. He instinctively wanted to refute, but he couldn't make a sound.

The direction of events had far exceeded his expectations, and it was also contrary to the divination that had revealed an image - he saw himself victorious in the image, he saw himself in the phantom magic circle in the stargazing room, stepping on the body of the rebel, and inheriting the last treasure.

That is... the memory of the God of Trickery.

With his experience and the plan to seal the old gods, once he completes this final step, he will be able to become a 100% perfect God without any flaws.

This is also the reason why Kadra dares to enter the circular space.

This was the secret buried deep in Kadra's heart. Even the servants knew nothing about it, but Rowena easily told it out.

Rowena waved her wand gently, and the wriggling shadows blocked Kadra's retreat. Even the gray energy and stars above her head were covered with a layer of darkness.

These are images that have never appeared in divination, which also means that everything that happens next is unknown.

Rowena once again saw through his heart, "You rely too much on divination, but you know that divination doesn't always work, especially... when you are predicting the gods."

The darkness grew more intense.

"You established the God Servant and brought together the saints. You observed the laws of civilization evolution and explored the existence of the decay period. Therefore, you hid in the dark and promoted the progress of civilization... But, is this really out of a sense of justice? Maybe it is true for others. They believe in the future you provide and use it as a goal. However, for you, this is a simulation."

"enough!"

The gray-white magic power condensed into a ball and shot towards Rowena like an arrow. Before it touched her, a shadow hand squirming from under her feet grasped the ball of light in its palm. In the blink of an eye, the light belonging to the God of Trickery disappeared without a trace.

"You are trying to simulate the mind of the God of Trickster and imagine yourself as a true and upright God."

Kadra heard Rowena's voice change, as if it was overlapping with some low echo.

He instinctively looked up. It seemed that something was looking down at them from above the black curtain. Kadra could not describe what he saw in words. It was as if in its eyes, humans were nothing more than a tiny speck of dust.

He had a terrible guess.

"In that case, I will satisfy your curiosity."

Rowena was surrounded by darkness, and she became the source of the plague. "During this long period of time, you should have thought more than once about where the power of Khadra, the God of Trickery, or all the upright gods, comes from?"

Khadra took a few steps back. He wanted to reject the truth, but the wall made of shadows blocked his retreat.

That terrible guess is becoming a reality.

This explained the panic that surged in his heart, explained the origin of Rowena's confidence, explained everything.

"Demon King Xinkalo, this is His power."

Rowena said, "Khadra was once His believer, but she betrayed His master, so now I am here to take back everything that betrayer got."

What he faced was the chosen one of the demon king Xinkalo.

As an equal to the God of Trickery, Khadra, he would naturally not be afraid of an imposter like him.

That's why she can hide behind Ethan harmlessly, and even Ethan and the Winter Witch have become tools for her to use!
Did those people realize Rowena's intention?
Perhaps everything that happened in the imperial capital was the plan of the demon king Xinkalo?

He must get the message out!
Khadra's figure turned into a ball of gray light, and he had forgotten about the treasure in the observatory.

But the darkness blocked his retreat. He failed to create a gap and was instead bounced back by the indestructible wall, falling heavily to the ground.

He had never been in such a mess since he inherited the name of Kadra.

but……

Would the situation change if the real Kadra appeared here?
Khadra saw that the stars were covered by darkness, forcing him to pray to the omnipotent God of Trickery, hoping that the great being could guide his path in this desperate situation.

This time, the light of the stars did not shine on Khadra.

All he heard was Rowena's ruthless and mocking tone.

"stand up."

The Demon King's chosen one waved his wand and he was lifted up from the ground by shadows, which were so wriggling that they could easily touch his soul.

The annihilation of the soul means true death.

"The great demon lord is watching you, and you are a little boring to Him."

The book on the left stopped flipping, and with a slight sound, an identical ebony wand flew to Kadra's side. "So, I decided to give you a chance. Under the joint witness of the Demon Lord and the betrayer - now, pick up the wand like a magician."

Kadra looked at the wand at his feet, and when he hesitated, a blue light hit him.

Burning pain.

There were no wounds left, more like pure humiliation.

"Do as I say!"

Rowena emphasized her tone, not giving him any chance to refuse, "Let's end it like a magician."

Khadra had no choice but to pick up the wand and hold it in her hand.

After thousands of years, his soul once again touched the wand.

This feeling was extremely unfamiliar to him. He could not remember how long it had been since he had dueled with someone using the magician's method. He also could not remember who his last opponent was, nor what spells they had used in the duel.

After all, these were not what he was good at, but now they became his only possibility to survive.

A ray of light seemed to shine into the desperate world.

in case……

If he could defeat the Chosen One of Xinkalo in a fair magic duel, perhaps he could survive.

Presumably, this would also be a result that the Demon Lord would approve of.

Rowena placed the wand in front of her chest and waited patiently for Kadra to pick up the wand on the ground. After that, the pure-blood magicians followed the most particular etiquette.

Even in magic duels, they must remain graceful and respectable.

Following the standard court etiquette, she saw that Kadra was still standing there, and said coldly, "Have you forgotten the etiquette of dueling? Now it's your turn to salute."

The darkness pressed down on Kadra's shoulders, forcing him to lower his proud head and bend his waist.

Next, it was a fair fight.

After the lies, fighting was inevitable, but Ethan had already shared the secret of victory with her.

- Drag Kadra to the area where she is best at, and then defeat him with rich experience!

Back then, she was an expert in magic duels in the Astrology Guild!
This kind of scene has happened countless times, and she has even formed muscle memory of it.

Rowena calmed herself down.

Will it win?
Will win!
(End of this chapter)