In a space invisible to ordinary eyes, one after another, the beings gazed in astonishment at the figure who had shattered the chessboard, seemingly never expecting a mere chess piece to leap out and give them such a surprise.
This surprise had arrived rather abruptly, yet it did nothing to dampen their delight.
[A human broke through the chessboard?]
[A human unbound by fate, existing outside destiny—how truly rare.]
[Is it one of those witches from another world?]
[Negative. Even witches from other worlds cannot defy the power of fate.]
Meanwhile, Luo Shu, who stood upon the shattered chessboard, ground the remnants beneath his foot into dust before coldly surveying the numerous beings present.
To the naked eye, they were completely invisible. Only through the lens of Spiritual Power could their forms be faintly discerned.
Twelve in total. Among them were colossal entities resembling dragons, golden-haired, blue-eyed women with ample bosoms akin to human females, but the majority were formless aberrations.
A cold, dim full moon. A hammer wreathed in flames. A mummy swathed in bandages. And...
At the forefront, seated in the place of honour, was a radiant orb resembling the sun, emitting a white glow.
Had the Sword Maiden been present, she would likely have recognised each of these beings—displaying near-human or utterly inhuman appearances—as the very deities whose doctrines permeated this Abyss world.
Six righteous gods. Six evil gods.
Every human in this world, whether an ordinary farmer, a despicable thief, or even an atheist, belonged under the banners of these twelve deities, active as believers upon the stage called 'the world'.
Yet compared to their lofty doctrines, what Luo Shu felt upon truly seeing these gods was nothing but disgust for their actions and a faint thrill at their existence.
"Lifeforms composed entirely of concepts... similar to the Spirit King of Wind, perhaps?"
Having arrived in this realm beyond ordinary perception, Luo Shu saw through the nature of these deities at a glance.
Conceptual lifeforms, a chaotic amalgamation of concepts and some disordered force.
They called themselves gods, but at best, they were merely peculiar Demigod lifeforms.
Yet judging by the feedback from his danger instincts and Spiritual Power, these Demigod lifeforms were far weaker than the Spirit King of Wind.
If the Spirit King of Wind was a formidable being capable of battling Top Tier Class Demigods, these conceptual lifeforms were, at most, of Demigod Rank.
Beyond Hero Rank, yet falling short of true Demigods. Stuck in an awkward limbo—a tier that wouldn't dare show itself freely in a world with proper Demigods.
After all, among true Demigods, many Classes advanced by seizing the power of such beings as materials for Spiritual Power.
Under normal circumstances, the requirements for Demigod ascension demanded at least two Demigod materials. Yet here, there were twelve such Demigod lifeforms.
Honestly, the number was excessive—so much so that Luo Shu found it unbelievable.
Could it be that this Abyss world was some special realm capable of producing Demigod lifeforms?
A production base for Demigod Rank ascension materials?
At this thought, Luo Shu couldn't help but narrow his eyes, his gaze brimming with malice as he regarded these so-called gods:
'Come to think of it, did the Desire Faction even properly explore this world before choosing it to confine me?'
'A full twelve Demigod lives, just handed to me for free?'
'Was this a trap by the Desire Faction? Or had they failed to notice?'
As Luo Shu pondered this, the draconic deity to his left emitted a thunderous rumble:
"Human who shattered fate, shall punishment or reward be bestowed~?"
A dice materialised above the dragon-shaped deity's head.
The six-sided die, dull yellow in hue, emitted an eerie radiance.
[1-3 points punishment, 4-6 points reward.]
An intangible will conveyed these words, as if presenting some manner of choice.
Yet before the selection could yield results, the Supreme God, seated loftily at the foremost position - represented by a solar motif - cast a six-sided die first.
The die spun mid-air before coming to hover above Luo Shu's head.
This act of casting immediately reminded Luo Shu of the moment when the Sword Maiden had been subjected to fate's judgment.
Without hesitation, Luo Shu immediately unleashed a Concept Entanglement strike, slamming it heavily into the spinning die.
BOOM
Black-red lightning abruptly exploded forth.
The entire incomprehensible visual field trembled with visible vibrations!
After the collision, both forces instantly separated.
Luo Shu, having retreated some distance, glanced down at his slightly reddened right hand from the impact.
Looking up again, he saw the die now covered in cracks yet stubbornly continuing to spin mid-air.
This sight plunged Luo Shu into mild bewilderment.
"A concept, concentrated so densely within a single die?"
From previous tests on goblins, Luo Shu understood that the Space Concepts in this Abyss world were relatively fragile, far less stable than those in reality.
Considering Abyss worlds were fragments of broken realms, he'd assumed this fragility was standard for such places.
Yet this die cast by the so-called Supreme God possessed conceptual strength rivalling - even surpassing - the real world's, which thoroughly perplexed him.
It was like treading across ground made of tofu dregs, only to suddenly step on reinforced concrete.
Not incomprehensible, just jarringly abrupt.
After Luo Shu cracked the die, the Supreme God fell into deep confusion.
Punishment on 1-3 or reward on 4-6?
The die couldn't display results, having been fundamentally damaged by Luo Shu's Concept Entanglement strike.
Its continued existence stemmed from representing this world's twisted essence, allowing continuous energy absorption from the world itself.
Thus, until fully repaired, the die couldn't produce casting results.
With no outcome, the Supreme God ceased all action.
Witnessing their Supreme God's die grievously wounded by Luo Shu, the assembled deities froze in terror.
[Fate... obstructed?]
[How could a human attack fate itself?]
[Is he human? Truly human?]
Divine tumult seemed to erupt among them.
Observing this, Luo Shu paid no mind, merely maintaining vigilance while casually seizing a nearby book-shaped deity.
Before the assembled gods, he wrapped Concept Entanglement around his hand and began dissecting this deity, seeking answers to his questions.
The moment Luo Shu seized it, a six-sided die appeared above the book-shaped deity.
Then, the book-shaped deity issued a judgment.
[1-3 fight, 4-6 flee!]
The die began to roll.
Its six faces spun rapidly.
Yet at that very moment, a hand appeared before the die, flicked it with a finger, and crimson-black lightning exploded forth!
Unlike before, this time Luo Shu applied just enough force to wound the die without shattering it.
He deliberately controlled his strength to test his hypothesis.
The die froze mid-air once more, riddled with cracks, unable to yield a result.
Instantly, the book-shaped deity ceased all movement.
Like a computer frozen in indecision between fight or flight, it had entered a crashed state.
"So that's how it is?"
Understanding dawned on Luo Shu as he reached for the book-shaped deity again, grasping it firmly.
Then, he wrapped Concept Entanglement around his fingertips. His fingers became like blades, slowly dissecting the book-shaped deity, tearing through its outer form to observe its inner workings.
"So it's composed of the Knowledge Concept as a whole? But mixed with chaotic mental energies?"
Luo Shu made contact with the strands of mental energy, immediately hearing a chorus of prayers and wishes.
He promptly severed the connection, then remarked in surprise:
"Oh, this mental energy... could it be faith?"
"A lifeform composed of blended faith and the Knowledge Concept? No, wait—this faith seems more like an external parasite, continuously eroding from within..."
"Someone, or rather a large group of people, used faith as a means to restrict this Demigod's actions?"
"Using faith to bind these Demigod lifeforms? Such a method exists?"
Under the horrified gazes of the assembled gods, Luo Shu meticulously dissected the God of Knowledge, observing its inner workings.
This terrifying act sent the deities into chaos, each casting a die hurriedly.
Seeing this, Luo Shu's figure blurred as he abruptly appeared before one of the dice, delivering a casual but forceful strike.
The die emitted a sickening crack, nearly shattering outright.
Though it held together, it now bore the same prominent fissures as the die cast earlier by the Supreme God.
The damage rendered the die incapable of producing a result, freezing in place the deity who'd cast it to determine escape.
After several such interventions, Luo Shu grasped the key:
"So your actions truly are determined by dice throws?"
He finally understood this world's foundational principle.
Normally, for an Abyss world to maintain existence within the Abyss, it requires an anchor point—something that sustains its presence amidst the chaos.
In essence, Abyss worlds typically possess what might be termed an "Abyss Core," with the world's existence hinging upon it.
Generally, these cores take the form of powerful Abyss Artefacts, though rarely they manifest as living entities.
In the Abyss Warring States World Luo Shu had previously experienced, the core had been the Tree of Ages.
As for this Abyss world's core? Most likely these dice the gods kept casting.
Or more precisely, behind these dice, there likely existed one fundamental die serving as the true world core.
Only this could explain why these so-called gods relied on dice to determine their actions.
'A world with dice as its core? Such an absurd world actually exists?'
Suppressing his astonishment, Luo Shu glanced upward at the solar-patterned Supreme God.
Noting how even this elevated deity remained immobilised by its damaged die, an amused smile gradually spread across Luo Shu's face:
"If you're all so fond of games... why don't I join in?"
"Let's call this game 'Goblins Versus Gods.' I do hope you'll enjoy it~"