Chapter 582: Throwing
In the nameless valley, the Great Hero and the Sphinx stood opposite each other.
The second question had been asked; all he needed to do was give any answer, and a guaranteed victory would be his.
However, Heracles could not be so careless; he had to find the flaws in the Sphinx's words.
As for forcefully explaining... just as the Sphinx had said in its question.
Whether it was dividing past and future from the perspective of time, or separating the subject and object from the perspective of independence, these only seemed interpretable but actually had no convincing answers.
This was perhaps inevitable, as humans themselves could not comprehend what omniscience and omnipotence were. How could one give a reasonable explanation for something one could not even understand?
Silence fell upon the scene, with only the wind still blowing.
At this moment, the Great Hero was even considering solving the problem in another way.
Yes, solving the problem in another way, not thinking about the problem from another angle... In fact, Heracles was not a reckless man.
He dared to begin this Wisdom-related question-and-answer session without any defenses, naturally because he had been prepared all along.
By his own strength alone, whether it was the indestructible lion hide or the highly poisonous fangs, perhaps they could not stop the Sphinx's domain of order.
But there was something he had obtained not long after the trials began that could help him counteract the rule's erasure.
That was something Ender had given him... the power obtained from the ruins of that ancient human city of the Bronze Age.
On that day, the great flood flowed from east to west, covering the human world for seven days and nights, like the hand of destruction sweeping across the land, bringing disaster to mortals.
But on that same day, there was a group of people who had 'Death' erased from them, viewing the flood as nothing.
In this history, Ender recreated the miracle of old and transformed it into a talisman.
He called it the 'False Immortality,' and before coming, the Great Herohad already confirmed it. Since it was the Sphinx in the valley at this moment and not Typhon, the progenitor of all monsters, its rules, though powerful, might not be able to break through the protection of this 'immortality.'
'Should I directly deal with this demon while enduring the rule's suppression? But strictly speaking, it hasn't done anything that deserves Death.'
'Even today, I was the one who came knocking...'
Silent, Heracles hesitated slightly.
However, before him, the Sphinx was clearly unaware of this.
"What, still not answering?"
"Give up... Humans cannot understand things beyond their cognition, and neither can gods."
"True omniscience and omnipotence are a false proposition... This is something even Wisdom like me cannot answer."
Chuckling, the Sphinx shook its head slightly.
It did not believe this human could give a reasonable explanation; this question-and-answer session was already over.
However, before it, the Great Hero's brows furrowed slightly.
He felt as if he had perceived something, but it wasn't entirely clear.
"Sphinx... did you just tell me that omniscience and omnipotence are a false proposition?"
"Isn't it?"
The Sphinx retorted casually, stirring the pebbles on the ground.
"...Perhaps so, it is indeed a false proposition."
Nodding slowly, Heracles raised his head slightly.
Compared to the towering demon, the human's stature was still too small.
"But whether it's a false proposition or not is no longer important, Sphinx, I already have the answer."
"But before that, I want to express my doubts about your question."
"That is your right," the Sphinx said indifferently, "You can begin anytime."
"Very well."
"Since that is the case... then, Typhon's Sons, please listen to me."
Putting aside the thought of using the talisman for now, the Great Herolooked at the Sphinx and posed his question.
"When I heard you tell this story before, I felt something was off. But only just now did I understand the root of its incorrectness."
"Just like our question-and-answer session, under the shroud of your rules of order, our positions are equal; and like the Goddess of Justice's scales that weigh all things, what is placed on both ends must be equivalent."
"To demand that the answerer be blind, and then ask them to distinguish colors, this is an unjust question and answer; order would not allow it. Sand and gold, placed on the two ends of a scale, forcefully making them balance, this is an act of injustice."
"So, in the final analysis, the unbeliever in your story is also like this."
"Human cognition has its limitations... and even the gods are no exception. They call what is within their cognition 'logic' and discard what is beyond their cognition outside of logic."
"So to ask a person to draw a circle is logical; both humans and gods believe it can be done. To ask a person to draw a square is also logical; neither humans nor gods would question its reality."
"But if you ask someone to draw a 'square circle,' from the myriad stars to the bottomless abyss, no one believes it can succeed, no god believes it can exist, because it transcends their cognition, and thus violates the logic in their eyes."
"However, does a square circle truly not exist? I cannot answer."
"But I know that an insect with a lifespan of only one morning will not believe in night, and a creature with a lifespan of only one spring cannot comprehend autumn and winter. This is the limitation of the Wisdom of Life, and something inherently difficult to break."
His voice was calm, and as he answered the question, the Great Herofelt as if the barrier in his heart was also breaking.
There is no end to the secrets between heaven and earth. What in this world is 'absolute'?
If there is, it is probably the fact that 'there is no absolute.'
"The unbeliever understands God with his own logic. The God he understands is the God within his logic, not the true God. The question he poses is a question outside his logic, not a truly impossible question."
"Whether God is truly omniscient and omnipotent is unknown; whether a truly omniscient and omnipotent being can create a stone that He cannot lift is also unknown. But the unbeliever tries to make the God within his logic do something outside his logic, and this is truly impossible to achieve; his question is baseless."
"If he wants to ask, he can only do this: understand God with his own logic, then use things that his logic can understand to ask if God can do them, thereby verifying God's omniscience; or he admits that God is inherently beyond his logic, and only then can he use questions beyond his logic to verify God's omnipotence."
"Internal and external are equal, and the two are one; this is a valuable question... As for his previous question, it was inherently meaningless."
The statement ended here. Strictly speaking, these explanations had nothing to do with the answer itself.
But both the Sphinx and Heracles knew that his words were not meant to answer the question.
Just as the Sphinx had said before, the outcome of the question lay outside the question itself. When the matters outside the question were resolved, the question itself became unimportant.
So, meeting the Sphinx's gaze, the Great Hero slowly gave his final answer.
"To your question, my answer is 'yes.'"
"Because since the question itself is meaningless, my answer no longer needs to consider reasons of right or wrong."
"And since the reason is no longer important... my reply is merely out of my respect for the gods themselves."
Buzz...
When the word 'yes' was uttered, the familiar fluctuation of Law appeared again.
The rule itself doesn't care about issues within or outside the question; it only cares about the act of answering.
And almost at the same moment, the rule, knowing it could not verify omniscience and omnipotence, judged that Heracles had won another round; he had achieved his second victory.
"I won, Sir Sphinx."
"Let us proceed directly to the third round..."
The domain trembled slightly, the instability caused by two consecutive failures making it no longer steady.
However, the Great Hero clearly didn't care about this; he merely awaited the next question.
Silent, apart from the former Oedipus, this human before him was the first to consecutively solve two questions... But looking into Heracles's eyes, the Sphinx suddenly said:
"There's no need for a third round, young human, I concede."
"Huh?"
His expression changed slightly. Upon hearing this, the Great Hero's first reaction was not joy, but vigilance.
No need for a third round... He didn't think the great demon before him was someone who would willingly face Death.
The former Oedipus had committed suicide here after answering two questions; perhaps his blood still remained beneath the valley.
"Don't be nervous, human, I'm serious."
"Actually, this is also to preserve my own Life."
Shrugging, the Sphinx ignored Heracles's wariness.
"You must know, as I said before."
"If you didn't answer a single question correctly, you would surely die. After all, you didn't sacrifice yourself on the scales before the valley, so even if I didn't want to kill you, the rule would immediately erase you... But young human, you should have guessed, the reverse is also true."
"If all three of my questions fail, even if you don't want to kill me, I will surely die."
"I don't want to die, nor do I want to gamble with my eternal Lifeagainst you, betting that you cannot answer the third question. So I simply give up directly, giving you everything a victor possesses."
"There's nothing wrong with this. Accept my concession, and you win. Everything accumulated in this domain over hundreds of years will be yours."
"Likewise, I can swear to you, by the River Styx, by all gods above and below, that I have not deceived you."
"When you accept my concession, although you cannot take my Life, you can take everything else remaining, and you don't even need to face the risk of failure."
"This is a very worthwhile deal, after all, you don't have a reason to kill me, do you?"
"After your victory, the Goddess of Law will also win her bet with me, and I will henceforth spread Justice alongside her... Hero of the human world, do you accept such a proposal from me?"
Accept?
It sounded like there was nothing to not accept.
As the Sphinx said, Heracles felt he had no grievances with the other party, nor any intention of killing it.
Although the first two questions were extremely tricky, it was ultimately because he had come to its doorstep himself.
In a sense, answering the Sphinx's questions was equivalent to taking up a blade to claim its Life.
Facing someone who came to take one's Life, no amount of viciousness was too much.
"So... should I accept?"
He no longer needed to face such annoying questions; a simple nod would secure victory.
And the other party's oath was true and unwavering; at least the Goddess of Law's artifact hung over the Sphinx's head, and if it broke its promise, it would certainly not fare well.
However, under the Sphinx's expectant gaze, the Great Hero pondered for a moment, then slowly shook his head.
He refused the offer, insisting on answering the final challenge.
"Come on, Sphinx."
"I never fear challenges, whether physical or mental."
"What doesn't kill me only makes me stronger... Come on, tell me, what is your third question?"
"..."
"I..."
Opening its mouth to speak, looking at Heracles's determined eyes, the Sphinx wanted to say something, but ultimately said nothing.
Because at that very moment, the third hum sounded in the Great Hero's ears.
The rule judged that the Sphinx's concession was successful, and Heracles had also won the third question.
"?"
He was slightly stunned at first, not reacting immediately.
But in just a moment, the Great Hero understood the secret within.
What the Sphinx said was true; it had not deceived him.
As long as it conceded, Heracles would naturally achieve victory.
Everything in this domain would belong to him, but there was one thing it hadn't mentioned.
The precondition for conceding was that the question had already begun, that the Great Hero had decided to challenge the third question.
Anyone who won before the Sphinx could terminate the challenge at any time and leave with their victory; Heracles was no exception.
For every previous question, the Sphinx had repeatedly confirmed whether he wanted to answer, only failing to ask the last time.
Because as long as the Great Hero accepted its 'concession' and gave up this challenge, the third question-and-answer itself would not exist, and the so-called victory or defeat would naturally be meaningless.
"So, are you going to die?"
Somewhat regretfully, Heracles couldn't help but ask.
The Sphinx hadn't lied, and its oaths were true, so it truly couldn't stop the rule's killing.
Even at this moment, with the final victory, the Great Hero had already begun to perceive the power of this domain, and this power was converging towards the Sphinx.
If it were other great demons, Heracles wasn't sure if they would die, but the Sphinx was different.
The domain was the vast majority of its power... When this part tried to erase it, it had no ability to resist.
"...Die, huh... Who knows?"
"The truth, whatever it is, I've already told you."
"Since you're so insistent on answering the third question, consider it an extra decryption mini-game... As for my power, it's yours now."
Speaking indifferently, facing this sudden Death, the Sphinx shrugged again, then lay back down on the ground.
Golden light particles scattered from its body.