Chapter 340: You Killed Me, So What's Next?

Beneath the central spire of the Sky Mechanical City, within the sanctum of the Council, six steles flickered with a rapid, rhythmic luminescence. They pulsed like a frantic, bewildered soul, desperate to converse with those nearby to decipher the unfolding catastrophe.

I cannot fathom what has transpired. I have lost all visual input from my alchemical constructs; in the blink of an eye, the vistas I once commanded flickered out, one by one, leaving only an abyssal void.

Even the eyes concealed to monitor the Truth Supervision Society have gone dark. The sector they occupy is now a complete blank in my perception; there is nothing left to see.

The Eye recounted these events with a tone of profound disbelief, struggling to grasp a reality that had never manifested in all these long years.

The same is true for me. Every channel of information has been severed. Silence. Now, whenever I attempt to probe the vicinity of the Truth Supervision Society, I am met only with a absolute, deathly stillness.

The Ear’s tone mirrored the Eye’s, their experiences identical. Every observation point had vanished in an instant, and any attempt to survey the Truth Supervision Society or its surroundings was now strictly forbidden.

There is no difference. I am utterly unable to transmit information to that sector; every window has been shuttered.

The legions of alchemical constructs under my command have been severed from my reach; I possess no means to manipulate them further.

The Mouth and the Hand found themselves in the same dire state.

A chilling realization began to dawn upon the minds of these Council members: some entity had, in a span of time too brief for them to even react, obliterated every one of their eyes and hands, including the entire alchemical legion.

The final fragments of data they received were frozen in the magical fluctuations of the temporal stasis spell cast by Icarus, coupled with the activation signals of the counter-mechanical defenses. Given the anomalous situation, it was clear the countermeasures had failed.

Did Icarus conceal his true power? But how could that be? Even if he were of the Feathered Race and hiding his strength, he could never possess the power to annihilate an alchemical legion, and in such a fleeting moment.

Or perhaps, does an entity capable of such destruction truly exist within the Sky Mechanical City? This transcends the limits of legendary power!

The Eye analyzed the situation with mounting agitation. The conclusion sent a tremor through his core: had the Truth Supervision Society been harboring such a formidable existence?

Monitoring of the surrounding area has commenced, yet no anomalies have been detected. No additional destruction, nor any sign of Truth Supervision Society members or unfamiliar faces.

The incessant chatter suddenly ceased. The Mouth began to murmur to himself, as if receiving a transmission from Astartes. His tone shifted from palpable terror to bewilderment and surprise.

It is highly probable that this is merely an inexplicable fault in the connection. Astartes will likely investigate, and then the situation will become clear.

Gaga, screech...

Void, pfft!

Before the Mouth could finish, a sudden, cataclysmic shift tore through the space with lightning speed.

In a corner of this dark expanse, the solid wall forming the boundary of the space twisted and deformed. A cavity appeared in an instant, and a figure stepped through from the outside.

The next moment, another silhouette overlapped with the intruder. The dull thud of a sonic boom and the wet spray of bursting flesh arrived a heartbeat too late.

The Machine God moved. With a speed and force that transcended the legendary, it punched through the intruder like a fist through tofu, shattering his heart and "killing" him.

Wang Yu’s heart had vanished before he could even react. As his feet touched the ground and his senses flooded back, a massive portion of his torso was already gone.

A cavernous void appeared in his upper body, radiating outward from the site of his heart.

The Machine God’s target was precise: Wang Yu’s heart. It sought to pierce the organ, slay the intruder, and protect the Council members present.

Yet, the force and velocity of the blow were so monstrous that what should have been a clean puncture instead tore a gaping, jagged maw through Wang Yu’s chest.

A horrific, visceral hole manifested in his frame, making one wonder if he would simply snap in two. The circular breach had already claimed the center of his upper torso.

Heart, lungs, ribs, trachea, sternum, stomach, pancreas, spine—a series of vital organs were reduced to pulp and debris by this thunderous, destructive strike. Some clung to the Machine God’s arm, while the rest splattered against the wall behind Wang Yu’s mangled form.

This injury, bordering on a bisection and far more severe, led the steles—only just realizing their space had been breached—to declare Wang Yu dead.

Cough, cough...

You have killed me...

And then what?

Yet, a weak, indifferent whisper echoed through the void.

...

Returning to several minutes prior, a dark veil like water draped over Wang Yu. He had departed the Truth Supervision Society beneath the brilliant, explosive fireworks of the dying alchemical legion.

The power of the Lady of Night, Darkness, obscured his presence, rendering him invisible to the Sky Mechanical City’s sensors, save for the small device he held—the one used to contact Astartes.

He was speaking into it now. You promised to help me as much as you could, right? Point me toward the Central Council, and if you can open a path, do it.

What are you doing? Are you truly attempting to eliminate the Council members? This is impossible. I don’t know how you escaped those alchemical constructs.

Is it this power covering you? It will never hide you from the Machine God’s perception. It will kill you the moment you enter, as it is a rule-bound command executed against all intruders. I cannot stop it!

Astartes’ response was fraught with distrust and anxiety.

Wang Yu glanced at the device. It seemed Astartes had been blocked from observing the Truth Supervision Society by the Council during that time, but that was fine; it made things simpler.

Stop the chatter. If you can do it, help me. If not, forget it. You never know until you try.

His tone was casual, yet the sincerity and resolve beneath it were devoid of even a hint of falsehood.

You are truly insane, aren't you? So eager to throw your life away? Even if I open the path, you will only reach the exterior of that sealed space. How will you enter? And even if you do, I cannot stop the Machine God from killing you!

Can you do it?

...

I have never seen someone so inexplicable and fearless. I will try my best to keep the Machine God from killing you, you bastard.

Thanks.

...

And so, Astartes watched as Wang Yu stood outside the Council’s sanctum, pressing his hand against the thick wall—a composite of alchemical alloys, anti-magic, and anti-sorcery, capable of autonomous high-speed repair. He simply carved an opening and stepped inside.

Then, the Machine God moved. In that instant, faster than any could react, the consciousness of Astartes—the "Machine Soul"—managed to catch the moment.

Astartes tried with all its might to prevent the Machine God from attacking Wang Yu, but bound by the supreme rules, it was impossible. It could only watch as the Machine God unleashed that devastating blow.

A sense of defeat washed over Astartes. This inexplicable man had somehow managed to carve a hole and enter, only for Astartes to watch him be slaughtered.

Suddenly, it recalled Wang Yu’s words: he hoped that if he were to die, it wouldn't be by having his head blown off. A ruptured heart seemed a decent way to go.

Astartes sighed. So, he had known he would die all along? Why, then, come here to perish? It relayed the command to the Machine God.

A death as he wished—it was the only thing Astartes could do for him. Changing the method of execution did not violate the rules. The Machine God’s strike, intended to obliterate half of Wang Yu’s body, was refined into a singular, lethal punch to the heart.

...

Bang, clatter!

The moment the whisper echoed in the space, the sound of something heavy and solid striking the floor reverberated.

It was the Machine God. Before the disbelieving eyes of all present, the entity that had punched through Wang Yu’s body now knelt, its support and power failing, dragging Wang Yu’s limp form down with it.

This kind of injury... it’s the first time I’ve encountered it. I almost used that thing. My internal organs are nearly gone, yet I’m still alive. I really can’t call myself a pure Earthling anymore.

The thoughts in his mind were chaotic, but the essential task remained. The silver wing sigil on the back of his hand had flickered a moment ago; Wang Yu had nearly activated it.

Clatter.

The Machine God stood, pulling the limp Wang Yu up with it, looking for all the world like it was supporting a frail friend—though the arm still protruding through Wang Yu’s mangled torso made for a grotesque sight. It walked, step by slow step, toward the six steles.

“?”

“What is the Machine God doing?”

“Why not finish him off?!”

“……”

A cacophony of confused questioning erupted from the tablets, filling the space with noise. No one answered them; the Machine God offered no response. It lacked the function to do so, and besides, it was no longer the property of the Sky Mechanical City—it was now an instrument under Wang Yu’s command.

As Wang Yu had previously stated, he had his reasons for choosing the Sky Mechanical City. It was the power of the Chariot that granted him an advantage here beyond anyone’s imagination.

His Chariot power could not directly affect entities possessing a soul—those deemed “living”—but any other matter could be commanded and twisted at his whim.

Yet, the greatest strength of the Sky Mechanical City lay in its alchemical mechanical legions. To him, these soulless constructs were no different from mere ingots of metal.

The only exception might have been the machine spirit Astartes, but fortunately, this mechanical soul stood on his side.

Through his long study after boarding the Sky Mechanical City, Wang Yu had mastered a vast amount of knowledge regarding alchemical machinery. He had learned the structures of every type, the composition of their energy cores, and more—all to ensure that when faced with the legions, he possessed the power to annihilate them instantly with the Chariot’s influence.

Alchemical machines, those formidable weapons forged from metal and magic-conductive circuits, were designed to defend against various attacks. For instance, against time-based magic, the legions possessed specialized counter-mechanisms.

Furthermore, they were equipped with comprehensive magic-conductive circuit countermeasures and protective runic arrays embedded within every unit to thwart any attempt to sabotage their internal structures via spells.

But alas, Wang Yu’s Chariot power was neither magic nor part of any known system of power. This ability to directly distort the structure of matter applied perfectly and impartially to all alchemical machines. The Machine God was no exception; for all its power, it possessed no soul.

The strength of an alchemical machine stemmed from its internal architecture—complex magic circuits, precision mechanical parts, and composite energy cores. These components, working in concert, formed the machine.

Yet, the more precise a thing is, the more easily the failure of a single internal structure can trigger a total collapse of the whole.

To Wang Yu, who had deeply studied and understood these structures, destroying them was simple. By twisting the intake and exhaust of an energy core and fusing them together, the result was a brilliant explosion, much like the fireworks that had bloomed in the district of the Truth Supervision Society. An explosion was inevitable.

The intricate and delicate nature of the machines meant Wang Yu only needed to exert a tiny fraction of his Chariot power to warp and ruin their internal workings.

The only two factors limiting his destructive potential were the long-range capabilities of the machines and his own inability to warp too many things simultaneously.

Thus, he had borrowed Icarus’s power to lure the legions into his range, while Icarus invoked a temporal stasis, buying him enough time to detonate twenty percent of the mechanical legion in a single stroke.

Since the Central Council possessed a guardian as powerful as the Machine God, they would never keep non-mechanical entities with uncontrollable variables by their side. Their caution forbade them from trusting anything beyond the cold, unfeeling machines.

The pact with Astartes had prevented the Machine God from killing Wang Yu instantly. In that brief window of respite, Wang Yu had fully seized control of the Machine God with his Chariot power.

Supported by the Machine God, Wang Yu drew closer to the six tablets representing the members of the Central Council. His blood writhed, covering his horrific wounds in an attempt to mend them, though this time, the process was agonizingly slow.

“Wang Yu, do not attempt to kill them. If you attack them, every defensive measure other than the Machine God will be triggered by the rules.”

“I do not know how you made the Machine God obey you, but the other alchemical machines are arriving. These tablets are stronger than you can imagine; they may not be harmed, but you cannot withstand the area-of-effect bombardment!”

Astartes warned him, his tone urgent. If Wang Yu struck at the Council members, high-intensity fire would blanket the area. Wang Yu had shown him hope, and he did not want him to perish here.

Indeed, Wang Yu lacked the means to intercept long-range mechanical artillery. Once triggered, he would be reduced to nothing.

“Who said I was going to kill them…”

He responded with difficulty, a mass of darkness appearing in his hand before the six tablets, coalescing into a pitch-black sword. He raised it.

“Non-existence and death… are two very different concepts.”

The dark sword fell.