Chapter 6: Shattered Divinity, The High-Frequency Execution
The air in the Fallen Forest was thick with the pungent stench of charred flesh mixed with fuel. Morian knelt on the shattered stone steps of the altar, his once-stately crimson robes reduced to tattered rags. Scorched fabric was fused into his torn skin, evidence of the brutal impact he had endured.
The power of the three Mk-12 Tungsten-alloy High-explosive Armor-piercing (HEAP) rounds had far exceeded his imagination. Although his "Holy Spirit Guardian Pendant" had forcibly deflected the trajectories before shattering, the kinetic energy of the near-range blast had still crushed three of his ribs. His lungs were severely contorted, causing a sickening sound of blood bubbles with every breath he took.
"Cough... such... petty tricks of mortals..." Morian struggled to levitate again. As a Presiding Judge of the Tribunal, he refused to be defeated by a lowly "iron shell." He bit the tip of his tongue and spat a mouthful of essence blood onto his staff. "The Lord says, the blasphemer shall be imprisoned by gravity!—7th-Tier Edict: 'Ten-Thousand Ton Shackles'!"
Su Zhe's charging figure suddenly plummeted. The ground beneath him caved in rapidly under the crushing pressure, and the steel frame of his exoskeleton emitted a tooth-grinding screech as it groaned under the warped gravitational field.
[System Snark: Host, the pressure sensors have entered the red alert zone. Current gravity is equivalent to an adult blue whale trying to sit on your shoulder and talk about its life goals. My advice is, if you don't want to become a pile of canned steel meat, you'd better show some 'backbone'—literally.]
"Too much talk. Unlock the Plasma Thrusters' power limit to 150%!" Su Zhe growled against the crushing weight, thick white steam venting from the exoskeleton's exhaust ports due to overheating.
[System Snark: Limit unlocked. Friendly reminder: Overloading will cause the cooling system to collapse and shorten the exoskeleton's component life by 40%. But considering you might not live long enough to see it wear out, just pretend I didn't say anything.]
BOOM!
Vibrant blue arcs of plasma erupted simultaneously from the thrusters at his ankles and back. The massive counter-force forcibly neutralized the gravitational imprisonment. Su Zhe's silhouette transformed into a streak of black lightning, executing a zig-zag dash that defied biological muscle structure, closing the distance to Morian in an instant.
"Holy Light Wall!" Morian shrieked in terror, his staff blooming with a half-meter-thick golden solid barrier.
BANG!
Su Zhe slammed a heavy, armored fist into the barrier, his hydraulic systems screaming under the extreme power output.
"Do you know why your wall is trembling?" Su Zhe's voice, filtered through the metal faceplate, carried a cold, electronic texture. "It's because your faith is fluctuating. Your cerebral cortex is secreting cortisol; your fear is making your energy output extremely unstable. To put it simply, your divine magic is 'dropping frames' because of your cowardice."
[System Snark: I give that line a 9/10. The 1 point deduction is because your hydraulic system is screaming louder than Morian.]
"Shut up! Demon! DIE!" Morian waved his staff frantically.
"Too slow."
The high-frequency vibration wrist blade on Su Zhe's right arm snapped out with a high-pitched cicada-like hum. He slashed precisely across the stress points of the Holy Light Wall—the weakest intersections of energy flow.
SHRED!
The thick barrier was like plastic wrap under a hot knife, instantly shattering into a flurry of golden sparks. Su Zhe surged forward, his mechanical claw lunging out to grip Morian's throat, slamming the high-and-mighty Judge against a charred tree trunk.
[System Snark: Host, I've detected a reverse flow of energy within his body. He's trying to self-destruct his mana core to take you down with him. I suggest a 'physical noise reduction' procedure, or would you like to hear his final award acceptance speech?]
"I don't have time for last words."
Su Zhe reached back with his left hand and drew the "Heavy Composite Thermal Greatsword." The internal heating module instantly glowed white-hot, turning the blade a searing crimson. Morian swung his staff wildly at Su Zhe's shoulder, sparking against the armor but failing to even scratch the composite plating.
"Morian, you said the flesh is a gift from God. Now, watch closely—"
The greatsword swung in a crimson blur. PLOW! Morian's right arm, still clutching the staff, was severed at the shoulder. No blood sprayed; the extreme heat had instantly cauterized the vessels and tissues into carbon.
"AAAGHH!!" Morian screamed piteously. "Kill me... God will not forgive you... your soul shall burn in the Lake of Fire!"
"Lake of Fire?" Su Zhe looked at him coldly, the greatsword spinning in his hand like a bloody storm. "If such a place exists, I'll bring a cryogenic compressor and turn it into my private ice-skating rink. Morian, your so-called eternity is worth less than the lifespan of a battery in my eyes."
[System Snark: Host, that cold joke was so freezing it just saved us 5% of the greatsword's heating energy.]
Su Zhe followed up with a massive side-kick to Morian's waist. The sound of snapping bones echoed clearly as Morian was sent flying over ten meters like a broken sack of flour, smashing through the remnants of a holy altar.
Su Zhe walked forward slowly, the greatsword dragging on the ground and carving a trail of brilliant sparks. He looked down at the dying Judge, his internal HUD locked precisely onto the man's heart.
"Your God can't save you because He doesn't comply with the Law of Conservation of Energy."
Su Zhe raised the greatsword, its tip aimed at Morian's heart. Morian trembled and opened his mouth, as if to spit out one last curse, but Su Zhe's hand was rock steady.
"Goodbye, relic of the old era. May the laws of physics be gentle with you in the afterlife."
STAB!
The greatsword pierced through Morian's heart. All noise fell into a dead silence.
[Ding! Slain a 5th-Tier Heretic Judge. Points gained: 5000.]
[System Snark: A splendid performance of 'demolition and debate.' Although that last strike was a bit of a spoiler, I bet there are no cryogenic compressors in the underworld. Also, your left knee is leaking a bit of hydraulic fluid. Seems that side-kick was a bit too 'passionate.' I suggest replacing the seal ring immediately.]
"Can it be fixed?" Su Zhe lifted his faceplate and let out a long breath, his forehead drenched in sweat.
[System Snark: As long as you have enough points, I can fix you into a literal Transformer. But for now, I suggest an 'elegant retreat.' My radar shows thousands of Holy Light zealots heading this way with swords and light-shields.]
Su Zhe looked coldly toward the golden spires of the Holy City on the far horizon.
"Let them come. I need more points to upgrade my 'scientific tools.' If there really is a God in this world, I'll use steel and gunpowder to drag Him down from the heavens."
Su Zhe's figure vanished into the thick fog of the forest. Behind him, a much grander storm of iron was slowly brewing.