The Creators: From Night City

Page 477

The black suit made Jiang Bing look exceptionally tall and straight, but his physique still couldn't compare to the burly men around him who were easily over two meters tall.

However, no one will look down on him because of this.

All the 'Apostles' present bowed their heads in unison to show their respect, while several sword-and-shield 'Judges' stood guard beside him in perfect harmony, leaving the flying eagle ruthlessly aside.

This treatment far exceeds what commanders or chapter leaders enjoy; only their own Primarchs and the Emperor can receive such support from the Astartes.

The members of the killing squad had different thoughts.

"Empires are forged by loyalty, by great sages, but blind loyalty only tarnishes the emperor's glory."

“I understand your concerns.” Jiang Bing tapped his cane lightly on the ground and slowly walked towards the gate of the Mechanicus.

"After all, even the slightest mistake in something inside the temple could blow up this planet in an instant."

The surging data flowed through the brain of the Great Sage, who also served as a processor. His surprise at this moment had broken through the rational suppression of the 'Pure Node' and was now showing.

“Identify yourself, stranger. This should be a top secret of the Empire.”

"The Empire has never kept any secrets, just as your insistence is both admirable and laughable." Jiang Bing slowly walked to the Void Shield, raised his staff, and gently tapped the originally invisible force field barrier in full view of everyone.

The next instant, golden light spread outwards from the point of contact, and without the Great Sage receiving any data feedback, the Void Shield was gently punctured by Jiang Bing like a bubble in the sunlight.

"Snapped!"

Along with the shattering of the force field, the Great Sage's worldview was also destroyed.

The Void Shield, which was powerful enough to withstand the bombardment of orbital weapons such as the Light Spear and the Macro Cannon for several hours, was destroyed in a spectacular fashion.

The mechanical temple was now wide open, completely undefended.

"Oh, Messiah above!" The Great Sage's breathing hissed and crackled, as powerful as a blower running at full speed.

Only those in the know understand just how much value is hidden within this.

His cognitive processor had not anticipated such an amazing situation, which caused his brain to experience a brief 'overload'.

But the killing squad, which had been preparing all along, was not distracted.

"【Busita decapitation tactic!】" the commander roared in the squad voice chat.

Regardless of who the opponent was, if he didn't act now, the fall of the Mechanical Temple was a foregone conclusion.

He instantly unleashed the Alien Phase Sword to its maximum power, its blade flashing with a brilliant azure light.

The distance of nearly 100 meters takes only two or three seconds for Astartes, who is running at full speed.

While this suspected psionic being would undoubtedly be protected by a psionic shield, the phase sword in the commander's hand, originating from the Eldar, also has some resistance to psionic abilities.

He had every opportunity to abduct the psionicist and retreat into the mechanical temple before anyone else could react.

Although the chances seemed slim based on the other party's previous actions, the empire needed him to make a sacrifice, risking his life for that negligible probability.

Jiang Bing, as if he had foreseen this, turned around and looked at them simultaneously.

A pair of golden eyes revealed no power whatsoever, yet in an instant, they silently pinned the entire elite Astartes squad to the spot.

Physically, it means being stuck in place.

An invisible and intangible force seemed to press down from the void, binding the nine Astartes tightly, making it difficult for them to move even a finger.

[Don't do anything foolish, Fist of the Empire] Jiang Bing's voice suddenly came through the team voice chat, which should have been absolutely private.

【By the Emperor, grant me the power to crush the enemy before me!】 In the squad voice chat, the commander responded with a prayer.

However, the emperor did not reduce his power.

Even if he lowers his power, it's unlikely he can break free from Jiang Bing's restraints before this body collapses.

Prayers and roars rose and fell as everyone struggled with all their might to break free of their restraints.

No matter how hard they tried, they could only watch helplessly as Jiang Bing strolled leisurely into the mechanical temple, followed by his 'apostles' who filed in behind him, while the great sage unusually remained silent.

He wanted to say something, but from the moment Jiang Bing pierced the void shield, he was physically 'silenced'.

Whether it's wireless media or physical lines, all his data exchange requests are coldly rejected by some invisible entity.

All the equipment in the Mechanical Temple was still functioning normally, the command core of the machine servants was still online, the Guardians of the Faith were online, the servo robots and the autonomous defense devices were all operating normally, but they could not receive his commands, nor were they transmitting any data feedback to him.

These cold and absolutely rational machines seem to have gone blind and deaf at the same time, while the great sage has become a 'data island' trapped in the torrent of data.

It should be noted that this mechanical temple was, in a sense, built by his own hands. Every brick, every pipe inside was imbued with his painstaking efforts. Every prayer on the floor, pillars, walls, and machinery was imbued with his loyalty to Om Messiah. All the security systems and data barriers were written and debugged by him personally.

This temple was to him like a wife he would never have.

But now, his wife ran off with someone else right in front of him.

To be honest, this feeling of being "caught in the act" is more painful than killing him.

He wanted to cry, but had no tears to shed. How the great sage wished he had preserved his tear ducts during the 'divine transformation'.

Meanwhile, the members of the killing squad, with their superhuman thinking speed, were rapidly conducting a silent 'brainstorming'.

[The Emperor is above us, what kind of being is he? Why doesn't he just kill us?]

Although they are unable to move their bodies, the members of the killing squad can still communicate through the communication channel.

Of course, for the sake of secrecy, they abandoned the infiltrated communication channels and instead adopted a more covert but less effective short-range microwave communication system built into the powered armor.

"This could be a conspiracy by the Chaos Demons. Brothers in arms, we'd better stay alert and hold fast to our faith in the Emperor." A ranged archer from the Fist of Salth commented.

"Perhaps he does belong to the human empire, which is why he harbors no ill will towards us." The fire lizard Urzan noticed PDF timidly inching into the Mechanical Temple with the 'Apostle' army and offered his opinion.

"Your idea is dangerous, Brother Urzan. Don't let your overflowing kindness cloud your judgment." Space Wolf bluntly criticized.

Finally, the commander spoke.

"Elijas," he called out the name of the Black Shield think tank for the first time.

Did you 'see' anything more?

His response was indeed silence.

Elias?

Commander Cassius Valkan confirmed from the life support system readings built into the visor that the other party was conscious at the moment.

However, the other party unusually did not respond.

A wave of emotion washed over the commander, and the other members of the squad were also lost in their own thoughts.

Silence is sometimes a form of response.

【Fellow cultivators, from a technical perspective, I suspect he might be some kind of unclean entity originating from human technology, such as some ancient 'abomination intelligence'.】 Tech Sergeant Galian offered his speculation from a professional technological standpoint.

Before the other Astartes could express their opinions, Jiang Bing's voice suddenly rang out from the new communication channel.

[That's a good guess. I suggest you don't guess anymore.]

The communication channel fell silent instantly, an enigmatic silence.

Furthermore, if you have awakened from your foolish fanaticism, then hurry into the temple.

Titus, who had been keeping quiet and preoccupied with his own thoughts, felt a sudden lightness throughout his body the moment he heard those words; the invisible constraint had vanished.

Chapter 968 The Value of Tzeentch

Life is always full of helplessness, and when there is no way to resist, one can only choose to submit.

Under the watchful eyes of the 'Apostles' who were on guard along the way, the killing squad finally stepped into the mechanical temple.

The air here is heavy; the unending incense burning and prayers of a thousand years have permeated every inch of space and every piece of metal with an unusual scent.

The interior of the mechanical temple is enormous, with massive metal support columns resembling the calves of a knight-titan, each exceeding 3 meters in thickness.

Endless binary prayers are etched on the floor and walls.

The fiber optic cables laid along the grooves in the walls and floors emitted pulsating red and cold blue light, like the blood vessels and nerves of a temple.

At the very center of the main hall is a sacred altar, filled with a sense of disharmony resulting from the mixture of technological advancement and religious ignorance.

The altar itself is the wreckage of a massive engine, originally a warship's warp drive. Because it is so ancient, in this world that somewhat reveres the old (Warhammer humans believe that old objects contain the souls of their former users and will protect them; in fact, these old objects may indeed carry spirit rings and may indeed manifest themselves), it was worshipped as a sacred object.

A rusted Mark I plasma core and a sacred circuit board imprinted with fragments of STC standard construction templates are surrounded by incense and candles, making it look utterly ridiculous.

The Mechanical Temple is also a giant factory.

After passing through the main hall, guided by solemn and imposing guards, the members of the killing squad passed several production workshops that were still operating noisily before arriving at their destination.

'Energy Core Room'

Titus frowned imperceptibly. He remembered Jiang Bing's earlier words; the thing inside should be the creation that could flatten a planet.

"It must not be shut down..."

The voice of the mechanical sage, arguing vehemently, came from inside the room.

Two 'Apostle' guards, their faces cold, pushed open the metal door engraved with the emblem of the Martian Cult and let everyone in.

The Astartes finally saw the bomb.

It was a plasma sphere emitting a dazzling white-blue light, located in the center of the room.

Countless enormous gravitational anchoring rods, etched with sacred runes, point at it from all directions like cage bars, forming a spherical constraint field.

“You should understand what you’re doing, Sage Stroika.” Jiang Bing stood in front of the control panel, calmly looking at the huge ball of light, watching dozens of mechanical priests busily maintaining this artificial marvel.

"Of course, Your Highness Sabur."

They didn't know what had happened, but after only a few minutes apart, the Great Sage's fawning attitude made the members of the killing squad feel somewhat uncomfortable.

"This is a great miracle originating from the 'Golden Age,' the culmination of my life's work, and an inexhaustible source of life."

The Great Sage grew increasingly fanatical, his cold electronic voice reciting hymns dedicated to Om Messiah.

Jiang Bing tapped the other man's foot with his cane, signaling the madman to calm down.

“It is dangerous, Great Sage, after all, this thing is almost as big as a miniature artificial star.”

“No, Your Highness Sabur, its energy does not come from ordinary fission or fusion technology, but is based on…”

“I know,” Jiang Bing waved to the guards beside him to bring over a technical priest responsible for maintaining key positions, and continued, “Reality Structural Crack Technology.”

"Does the Inquisition know that you used this thing to tear a rift between the material universe and the warp, Great Sage? Although I don't know how long it has been operating, it's probably enough for you to enjoy the Empire's extermination punishment."

“What I have done is entirely for the Empire. This device can provide an inexhaustible and vast energy source. Your Highness Sabur, compared to those ignorant mortals, your wisdom will surely be able to understand the prospects it brings.”

"Of course I understand, but I can understand other things as well."

The mechanical priest was led to Jiang Bing by the 'Apostle'.

"Moreover, it is clearly more 'thorough' than you understand it, and it is more ingenious in how it is used."

Golden eyes gazed at the mechanic priest with lowered brows and drooping shoulders, and a scorching light, almost tangible, caused black mist to rise from the body beneath the red cloak.

This is obviously not normal.

Everyone instantly raised their weapons, and even the Great Sage activated his plasma hand cannon to warm it up.

"Chaos?" At this moment, the Great Sage's cold, artificial voice could not hide his astonishment.

The red robe suddenly exploded open, and the mechanical priest instantly turned into a cloud of dust, only to be forcibly dragged back to reality in the next second.

This is a shapeshifter.

A golden chain, seemingly forged from refined gold, with countless mysterious characters flowing spontaneously, bound the psychic master, skilled in illusion and transformation, firmly to the spot.

"A follower of Tzeentch?"

Jiang Bing's casual use of the title "Great Enemy of Chaos" startled everyone, but they quickly realized that this action did not cause any ripples in the subspace.

Even an evil god is still a god. Calling a god by his name is no different from shouting it to his face. So, in unavoidable situations, people associated with the Empire will generally refer to him as the "Great Enemy of Chaos".

If more specific is needed, then it is a descriptive title that refers to something vague, such as 'Tyrant' being called the Lord of Deception, the Manipulator of Fate, the Source of Sorcery, the Master of Despicable Intrigues, etc.

"My Lord will love you, unrecorded one. You will bring about a whole new change for Him, I promise..."

Jiang Bing had absolutely no interest in listening to this obviously powerful transformation demon babbling on. He tapped his cane twice, and more chains surged from the void, tightly binding the other party into a mummy before pulling it into the void and sealing it away.

This is an excellent sample.

“Take a look at your masterpiece, Great Sage. I assure you that your proud work has been defiled.”

If he had sweat glands, the great sage would probably be drenched in sweat by now.

He never expected that the devil had already infiltrated the area unnoticed and was secretly causing trouble.