It’s 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.

...

’Blazejudicator, you’re good at picking up lies, right? I’m going to need your help.’

[Of course, Executor.]

...

^What...what did you just say?!^the preacher hissed like a soaked cat.

The preacher’s parishioners and would-be converts looked intrigued by Zhen Liu’s declaration. Not necessarily because they believed him, but the man spoke with such conviction that they couldn’t help but to wonder if he did know something about their preacher.

Then again, he could’ve 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 Liu’s 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 you’re 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 don’t know,^ Zhen Liu answered with a sarcastically high octave in his voice. ^Probably because you’re ashamed of your former identity? But what would cause so much shame, I wonder?^

Zhen Liu didn’t 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 someone’s 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.

Blazejudicator’s ability manifested in Zhen Liu’s 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 Liu’s head to feel as if they were on fire.

Now, this should’ve been the moment Zhen Liu could’ve 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 Lee’s 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 you’re 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 you’re if I had to be generous...sixty plus? Now I don’t 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 don’t 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 wouldn’t be entirely surprised at it."

"I don’t 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 you’re actually their bastard of a father?^

^...^

Burning.

’Alright, let’s bring it home,’ 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 man’s 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 might’ve 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 didn’t like people like him in the slightest. Especially after they had directed insults about people he cared about.

^Now let’s 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.

’Well, ain’t that novel.’

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 wouldn’t 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.

’Let see, do I just take the punch and then smack his ass, or do I stop the punch altogether...maybe permanently,’ Zhen Liu thought to himself as he stared at the charging young man.

On the one hand, he admired the young man’s courage and didn’t 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 wouldn’t have the chance to exact this lesson upon the youth.

^Apologies young man, but I don’t think lashing out is giving the best impression of your congregation, yes?^

’Huh? Who the heck is this?’

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 man’s hand, while she used her other hand to gesture Zhen Liu for him to stay in his position.

’Wait a minute...’

Not only that, but written on the woman’s 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 you’re 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 it’s 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 it’s the former, then I believe we can come and make an arrangement.

Come to the Central Cathedral after the final evening service. I’ll 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.]

...

’What the fuck...’