Itâs often said that the loudest critics are the biggest hypocrites.
-The words of a man who once challenged the King of Liars to a game of bluffing...and won.
...
âBlazejudicator, youâre good at picking up lies, right? Iâm going to need your help.â
[Of course, Executor.]
...
^What...what did you just say?!^the preacher hissed like a soaked cat.
The preacherâs parishioners and would-be converts looked intrigued by Zhen Liuâs declaration. Not necessarily because they believed him, but the man spoke with such conviction that they couldnât help but to wonder if he did know something about their preacher.
Then again, he couldâve been just a very confident liar.
^You are...a lying snake!^ the preacher shouted for all to hear. He even used aether to make sure his voice carried far.
^I carry no sins or secrets! I have always been a man of faith. If I am a liar, a hypocrite, then my name is not Leandros Orkenn!^
At the declaration of this name, Zhen Liuâs smile became a little wider as he tilted his head to the side in amusement. Not only that, but smoke seemed to leave his nostrils as he snorted in disbelief at the lie.
^Why do people always start with their names?^ Zhen Liu asked aloud with a sense of rhetorical disgust. ^You do realize that the moment youâre caught lying about something as personal as your name, then that just undermines everything that has been said by you, or will be said by you.^
^W-what the fuck are you talking about?!^ Leandros questioned while failing to realize that his words were sounding less and less preacher-like by the second. ^Why would I lie about my own name?^
^I donât know,^ Zhen Liu answered with a sarcastically high octave in his voice. ^Probably because youâre ashamed of your former identity? But what would cause so much shame, I wonder?^
Zhen Liu didnât ask these back-to-back questions because he already knew the answers. He was doing so to get those answers.
One of the things Zhen Liu had learned in regards to getting liars to spill their guts is to barrage them with enough inquiries or hints of answer that they inevitably fuck up their ability to bluff. Then again, it also probably helped that Zhen Liu had Blazejudicator inside his head at this time.
As the embodiment of judgement, Blazejudicator had the uncanny ability to know when someoneâs lying through their teeth. Unfortunately, Zhen Liu had to get the truth out for himself...which was actually something he was looking forward to do.
Blazejudicatorâs ability manifested in Zhen Liuâs head as a mildly warm, tingling sensation in the back of his head.
In other words, he was playing a literal game of hot and cold.
It should also be noted that the moment "Leandros" gave his name earlier, and the moment he said that he had always been a man of faith, caused the back to Zhen Liuâs head to feel as if they were on fire.
Now, this shouldâve been the moment Zhen Liu couldâve drilled down on those questions to get more concrete answers, but he wanted to see just how many more tidbits of information he could glean from the man.
After all, in Thomas Leeâs experience, fire and brimstone preachers were always the biggest hypocrites.
^You preach so much about the evils of the other and the foreign, I bet youâre actually someone with foreign roots as well.^
^P-prepostrous! I have been a member of the Theocracy since the day I was born!^
Mild warmth.
^Then again, purity types like you always seem to let their hearts and lower heads do the talking anyways. A foreign lover is quite romantic, and would be considered a safe taboo if you played your cards right...and paid off the right people.^
^W-what are you on about?! I am a man of faith! I am man dedicated to the Holy Pyre of Purity!^
Warmer.
^Maybe, but youâre if I had to be generous...sixty plus? Now I donât know about you, but I do have an uncle or two who had wilder younger days and may or may not have had a couple of bastard children here or there...^
...Small aside...
"Wait, is he telling the truth on that?" Jinju Ren asked Zhen Xing and Zhen Tai. "Do you truly have bastard siblings out there in the wider world?"
"I donât have any," Zhen Xing answered first. "But my dad did mention that 2nd and 7th uncle did have a lot of wild adventures before settling down. So...I wouldnât be entirely surprised at it."
"I donât think our branch clan has any wild fruits like that, but the Matriarch of the main clan did mention to me once that there were a few such cases amongst their ranks," Zhen Tai answered next, surprising both Jinju Ren and Zhen Xing.
"Why...why do you know that?"
"We exchanged tips on boxing techniques. It came up as gossip."
"Gossip?!"
Bang!
"Oh shit, I think someone threw a punch."
...Wait, what the fuck happened?...
^ ...in fact, maybe some of them are actually members of your congregation and have quietly confronted you about the fact that youâre actually their bastard of a father?^
^...^
Burning.
âAlright, letâs bring it home,â Zhen Liu determined after noticing that "Leandros" had gone silent.
Now that he had more or less dug open every possible avenue of hypocritical behavior from the man, Zhen Liu prepared to deliver a verdict that would surely humiliate the man and severely weaken, if not destroy, the manâs congregation in a matter of moments.
As for what that verdict was, well, to put it bluntly: Leandros was a classic case of a "former" criminal pivoting to being a born-again religious but had failed to remove himself entirely from all of his former vices. In fact, they mightâve gotten worse now that he had the justification of "faith". As such, he was nothing more than a wailing hypocrite who deserved whatever karmic punishment that would inevitably fall upon his head.
Which, in this case, came in the form of an angry Kaijin Lord who really didnât like people like him in the slightest. Especially after they had directed insults about people he cared about.
^Now letâs see; if I had to take a massive guess about what kind of bullshit disqualifies you from being such a "pure" preacher, then lets start with-^
^You heinous heretic! How dare you disrespect father in such a way!^ a young man in the crowd suddenly shouted indignantly while cycling his aether to the peak level of an Aether Acolyte. ^I will burn you alive!^
^Miguel ,no!^ Leandros cried out, his accent noticeably different than how he sounded when he was preaching.
âWell, ainât that novel.â
Miguel resembled Leandros in the ways only a son could resemble their father, and he had rushed at Zhen Liu with a burning fist.
This attack would literally do nothing against Zhen Liu, but Miguel wouldnât have been aware of this fact due to Zhen Liu circulating [Chaos], which was undetectable by most people, including dumbass teenagers who thought they could punch above their weight class.
âLet see, do I just take the punch and then smack his ass, or do I stop the punch altogether...maybe permanently,â Zhen Liu thought to himself as he stared at the charging young man.
On the one hand, he admired the young manâs courage and didnât want to injure him too badly. On the other, he felt that if he broke his arm, this would teach the man a great lesson in humility and patience.
Alas, Zhen Liu wouldnât have the chance to exact this lesson upon the youth.
^Apologies young man, but I donât think lashing out is giving the best impression of your congregation, yes?^
âHuh? Who the heck is this?â
That privilege went to a mysteriously robed holy woman who appeared like a smoke cloud between Zhen Liu, Miguel, and Leandros.
The woman had a firm yet soft grip on the young manâs hand, while she used her other hand to gesture Zhen Liu for him to stay in his position.
âWait a minute...â
Not only that, but written on the womanâs hand was a strange message that he could sense was meant for his eyes only.
Why?
Because he could sense the smallest traces of [Chaos] coming off of the message.
...
[Hello, fellow Shaper. If youâre reading this then you are at least partially aware of the true nature of the Sacred Flame and are probably here to either claim it or destroy it. If itâs the latter, know that I will use all of my power to stop you and send your soul to the afterlife in cinders and ruin. If itâs the former, then I believe we can come and make an arrangement.
Come to the Central Cathedral after the final evening service. Iâll be the one wearing the horribly flashy red robes and a crown that is much too ostentatious for my head.
Hope to see you there.]
...
âWhat the fuck...â