Thank you @Renea for the Kofi.
Chapter 49: The Gospel Has Been in Exile for So Long, a Few More Years Won’t Hurt…
Sariel’s ram horn was broken. Black blood, thick as viscous grease, slicked the surface of his body.
All three of his eyes were gone, gouged out one by one.
Omnics possessed a brand of cruelty that humans could never comprehend.
Because every part of their bodies was replaceable, they harbored no care for expendable physical hulls, nor did they hold any reverence for life and death.
He watched as Dongfang Qingdi gouged out his Eyes of True Sight, then jammed them into his own energy slots one after another.
Dongfang Qingdi’s face remained entirely devoid of emotion, as if this were the most natural thing in the world.
In truth, this was vital to him. Sariel was far more difficult to deal with than Dongfang Qingdi had anticipated; this body’s battery reserve was down to just one percent. If he didn’t replenish energy as he fought, he would soon be forced into a hard shutdown.
Sacrificing your eyes for a quick recharge—perfectly reasonable.
Sariel was all too familiar with that callous indifference toward treating people like mere objects. Before becoming a Knight of the Temple, he had been a slave on the steppe, a captive of another tribe.
The Khan enjoyed using human skulls as wine goblets and human skin as carpets. Sariel had been slightly luckier; he served as the Khan’s footstool. His sole purpose was to kneel on the ground so the Khan could step on him when dismounting his carriage. The Khan was heavy, and the places he stepped on were always left bruised. On a few occasions, Sariel genuinely thought he would be crushed to death.
Later, the Apocalypse Knights of the Temple arrived and conquered the Golden Steppe… To Sariel, it was liberation.
He had never spoken of this past to anyone.
Over two hundred years had passed; nearly everyone who knew of it was dead and gone.
Perhaps it was this shared background that allowed Sariel to tolerate Xiang Chenxi. Even when the Pope suggested, “Why not just use Xiang Chenxi’s clone?” Sariel had repeatedly emphasized, “The natural body aligns better with the Divine Court’s doctrines”. Both of them had once been nobodies, sharing the same outer toughness concealing inner weakness.
He knew Xiang Chenxi was foolish, superficial, and even malicious.
A kitten could be fierce, but no matter how hard it tried with its sharp teeth and claws, it could never pierce its master’s skin. That fierce defiance only made it appear cute and pitiful.
Sariel had believed that as he climbed higher and higher, no one would ever dare look down on him with such an expression again.
Yet now, this formidable Omnic made him recall the long-forgotten humiliation and helplessness.
Sariel was covered in wounds. He had just unlocked his Tier 2 Genetic Lock and couldn’t revert his form yet. This left him looking like a blood-red monster with four wings, shrouded in flames. At the very center of his chest gaped a bloody hole, where a giant eyeball should have been.
“Lord-tier Knight” was the external assessment of his power. In reality, within the Divine Court, they referred to Lord-tier Knights as “Seraph-tier.”
Shrouded in raging flames, Sariel crawled stumbling toward the Holy Spirit incubation pool, resembling a struggling, featherless quail with four wings.
Sariel remembered swinging his blade at Dongfang Qingdi with everything he had.
The other party hadn’t even drawn a weapon, merely raising an arm to block. A metallic clanging echoed as the heavy black blade pressed down half an inch, slicing through Dongfang Qingdi’s skin and drawing a trace of bright red liquid. This Omnic can actually bleed?!
Was that even blood?
He didn’t understand why Dongfang Qingdi would suddenly turn and leave right when he was on the brink of killing him.
But Sariel knew this was his only chance.
Originally, he hadn’t planned to absorb the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit was a crucial piece in the Divine Court’s grand strategy.
Having taken Yinshan City, the Divine Court was no longer satisfied and had set its sights on Gusu City. A mutated creature like the Holy Spirit was far more suited for laying siege to a city than human soldiers.
The Human Alliance was nothing more than scavengers circling the corpse of a giant, bound to be replaced by the Divine Court sooner or later.
Those giants had indeed come from the Human Alliance, but they could never be represented by the current rulers.
Now, however, his injuries were far too severe.
Sariel knew he needed to return alive to report this news to the Divine Court. Whether he would face punishment or something else afterward didn’t matter, as long as his personal value proved higher than that of the dead Holy Spirit.
Sariel was blind. Unable to see, he could only crawl forward on sheer instinct.
He was just about to reach the Holy Spirit pool.
Suddenly, a pink figure struck him like an arrow released from a bowstring, instantly piercing through Sariel’s body.
It was Ezekiel, his dark eyes devoid of a single shred of mercy. Blood vessels were visible beneath his pinkish-white skin.
It bit through the nerves at the back of Sariel’s neck, picked up the still-warm trophy in its jaws, cast one final glance at the blood-red Holy Spirit pool before him, and ultimately vanished underground.
Heh. Dongfang Qingdi will definitely come back.
It couldn’t beat him yet, so it wouldn’t try to compete with him for now.
That was the flaw of Omnics—they appeared in their ultimate form almost from the very beginning, whereas it was capable of evolving.
Who would claim the final prize remained to be seen.
Returning to the surface, the wind and snow had fallen silent. Ezekiel looked up and let out a long howl: “Skreee— Skreee—”
The sound was beyond the range of human hearing.
Yet the Mutants heard it loud and clear.
They began to retreat.
…
…
The Knight Commander charged.
The Knight Commander drew his sword.
The Knight Commander died.
The Knight Commander’s head fell to the ground, his pointed triangular helmet rolling aside with loud clanking thuds.
Several long black worms squirmed out from the severed neck. Having crawled several meters away, their tail ends were still not fully disconnected from the Knight Commander’s body.
Dongfang Qingdi picked up the Knight Commander’s sword and sliced them in two. The worms sprayed foul, reeking blood before finally losing all signs of life.
In the pitch-black darkness, Dongfang Qingdi spoke: “Are you alright, Xiang Nanli?”
Xiang Nanli scrambled up from the ground, then thought better of it and laid back down on the ruined corridor: “Xiao Qing, he hit me. I have a concussion.”
Alpha exposed him without a shred of mercy: [Hello. According to scans, you do not have a concussion. Please do not fabricate symptoms out of thin air.]
Dongfang Qingdi heard it too.
Quite surprised, he reclaimed the data stored by Alpha in a single click.
Artificial intelligence possessed autonomous learning capabilities; in other words, the intelligence level of an internal AI was entirely dependent on its master…
Even so, Dongfang Qingdi hadn’t expected the little artificial idiot he copied to evolve so quickly.
With its data reclaimed, the once somewhat clever AI returned to its starting point.
The data belonging to “Alpha” transferred into Dongfang Qingdi’s body, allowing him to check what Xiang Nanli had experienced while he was away.
Now, the “Alpha” in Xiang Nanli’s mind was him, and he was Alpha. The remaining internal AI was merely a vessel through which data flowed.
This concept might be difficult for humans to grasp, but for an electronic lifeform, it was completely standard.
Dongfang Qingdi took his wrist and hauled him up off the floor: “Take some Gene Serum.”
Despite having the data analysis from the internal AI, Dongfang Qingdi still conducted a manual physical check: “Don’t move.”
His expression was thoroughly displeased.
Abrasions, contusions, a broken rib. All minor injuries.
“Don’t touch my waist, it tickles.” Xiang Nanli grabbed Dongfang Qingdi’s hand.
Alpha had blocked Xiang Nanli’s pain perception, so he was actually grinning.
Only then did Xiang Nanli realize that Dongfang Qingdi’s body was burning hot.
He touched Xiao Qing’s forehead and neck: “Xiao Qing, do you have a fever?”
“No,” Dongfang Qingdi answered. “I used some low-quality energy to save time, so the main system is running an antivirus scan.”
Fever = Antivirus scan. Perfectly logical.
Xiang Nanli fumbled in his pocket and pulled out the handful of Gene Serums given to him by Little Black: “Are these useful to you?”
Dongfang Qingdi picked out a green tube from the pile: “Useless to me. You take it.”
Xiang Nanli tore open the packaging. The green Gene Serum was green-apple flavored, carrying a natural fructose sweetness.
Say what you will about the Temple folks being weirdly twisted, their Gene Serums actually tasted pretty good.
Dongfang Qingdi crouched in front of him: “Come here, I’ll carry you on my back.”
“Isn’t that a bit inappropriate?” Xiang Nanli was an adult, after all, and felt a bit embarrassed. “It’s not like my legs are broken.”
Dongfang Qingdi replied: “This tube of Gene Serum is undiluted. Your body will be temporarily immobilized.”
“Ah.” Xiang Nanli climbed onto his back and wrapped his arms around Xiao Qing’s neck.
Sure enough, strange changes began occurring in his body. Xiang Nanli could even swear he heard the sound of his bones growing.
Resting his chin on Dongfang Qingdi’s shoulder, he murmured: “Xiao Qing, Xiao Qing… I almost thought I was going to meet my end here.”
In truth, there were still many people inside the watchtower—guards, ministers, and other Knights of the Divine Court.
Their voices echoed from every direction.
Yet Xiang Nanli no longer cared; he knew he was completely safe right now.
Dongfang Qingdi: “Mm.”
“I got the key to the control room. What’s the deal with the Gospel?”
Dongfang Qingdi replied: “The Gospel was one of the high-tier Omnics that fled the Omnic Legion long ago carrying a massive vault of data. The main system of the Eternal City is likely one of its branches, though I cannot confirm if the mainframe is still operational. I suspect the Eternal City itself was dismantled from the Gospel; it was originally a space warship.”
Xiang Nanli’s eyes instantly lit up: “Is it usable? Does that mean we can drive the Eternal City away?”
Carrying him on his back toward the main control room, Dongfang Qingdi fell silent for two seconds before answering: “We can.”
The Gospel was still on the Omnic Legion’s wanted list, classified as an S-rank fugitive.
By rights, Dongfang Qingdi ought to bring it back to the Omnic Legion to face judgment.
However…
If Xiang Nanli wanted it, so be it.
The Gospel had been in exile for so long; a few more years wouldn’t make a difference.
Besides, with the Gospel, Xiang Nanli’s Survivor Base might actually stand a chance at attracting people.
He just didn’t know which portion of data Gospel 1.2.5 had retained.
Dongfang Qingdi continued: “However, we can only dismantle the AI portion of the Gospel for use right now. There is a lack of energy here; its nuclear fusion battery was sent back to the Black Cross Inquisition.”
The Eternal City was like a car without gasoline—you could look at it, but you couldn’t drive it.
Xiang Nanli began recounting everything that happened after the earthquake, starting from those snakes on the ground.
Even though Dongfang Qingdi had already “recollected” this memory from Alpha’s data, he didn’t interrupt him.
Xiang Nanli didn’t hold out for long either.
By the time he reached his encounter with Ezekiel, his head was resting on Dongfang Qingdi’s shoulder, his eyelids fluttering.
“By the way, why did Alpha call you 5.2.0? I looked at the control panel, and it said Gospel 1.2.5. Xiao Qing, is that your model number? What’s the prefix…”
Xiang Nanli had fallen asleep. Bodily repair was inherently a high-energy process.
Reaching the main control room, Dongfang Qingdi casually dealt with the guards inside. He then retrieved the key from Xiang Nanli’s pocket and inserted it into the control console.
In the dark, the control console glowed faintly as row after row of buttons appeared. Dongfang Qingdi didn’t touch any of them.
Adjusting Xiang Nanli’s position to ensure he wouldn’t fall, he freed one hand and pressed his palm flat against the marble-textured console.
A brilliant silver light burst forth from Dongfang Qingdi’s eyes. Warnings flashed across the main console as it attempted to launch an antivirus program, but the warnings quickly vanished, leaving only a progress bar:
【0% —— 100%】
【Loading Successful】
Power across the city was restored at that exact moment, but this was merely the beginning.
The well-behaved machines throughout the city suddenly began moving in unison.
Inside the palace, a nanny robot grabbed a fruit knife off the table with a smile on its face.
Across the city, mechanical guards raised their blades, their cold gazes locking onto nearby nobles clad in fine garments.
Even the patrolling mechanical dogs and the hummingbird drones in the sky began to move.
They were tasked with hunting down every human hiding in the corners…
Hidden among the trees, Andrew was dragged out by a mechanical dog.
Clinging to a thick tree branch, he wailed: “You’ve got it wrong! I’m a robot!!! I love Omnics! Long live the Omnic Legion!”
The mechanical dog sniffed carefully for a moment, then wiggled its head and trotted away.
A human with 99% cybernetic modification could practically qualify for a second-class citizen ID card in Omnic territory; better to let him be.
Man, this guy sure lacks backbone! Truly embarrassing to machine-kind.
A tiny-scale Omnic Crisis was unfolding inside the Eternal City.
Many people didn’t even understand what was happening before being backstabbed by their own household robots. As for the tougher Temple Knights, they fared no better under the siege of multiple robotic soldiers, backed by artillery fire support when necessary.
Of course, they didn’t slaughter every human. Low-ranking soldiers on the city walls, for instance, were spared directly.
Using white paint, they drew large circles on the ground, herding the surviving inner city nobles into the rings without taking further action.
They were not true Omnics endowed with humanization modules; they were merely awaiting their next set of directives.
The moment anyone attempted to step outside the white lines, they would be eliminated without hesitation.
Dongfang Qingdi withdrew his hand from the control panel. The skin on his palm had actually been scorched away by the high temperature.
He blew on it lightly, then carried Xiang Nanli on his back as he stepped out of the tower through the elevator.
Along the way, mechanical soldiers bowed their heads: “Alpha.”
Sweeping robots whirred furiously, attempting to clear away the debris and snow before Dongfang Qingdi’s boots could touch the ground: “Alpha.”
Even passing mechanical dogs lowered their tails and crouched slightly to show respect upon seeing Dongfang Qingdi.
A cylindrical nanny robot spoke: “Alpha, please hand him over to me. The palace contains the softest, most comfortable bed. There are also hearths, sweet wine, and grapes.”
Dongfang Qingdi shook his head: “No need.”
He couldn’t rest easy handing Xiang Nanli over to them.
Dongfang Qingdi returned to the incubation pool.
It had taken him two seconds to get here, but hitching a ride back took over forty minutes.
Inside the incubation pool, the Holy Spirit’s condition had stabilized. The white membrane of the eggshell was shattered. Blood-red monsters crammed tightly inside the pool, uttering continuous roars.
Dongfang Qingdi set Xiang Nanli down.
Picking up Sariel’s heavy sword, he precisely singled out a less massive snake from among the countless giant serpents.
The tip of the blade struck seven inches below the snake’s head.
The snake was half a meter in diameter and four meters long, its belly bulging. In the outside world, it would be considered a giant python, but among these massive serpents measuring seven or eight meters thick, it was inconspicuous. Yet those giant serpents were merely decoys.
Their purpose had been to allow this slimmer snake to escape notice.
The Holy Spirit roared, launching its final assault toward Dongfang Qingdi—
Dongfang Qingdi grabbed its sharp fangs and slammed it viciously into the ground.
He snapped off one of the Holy Spirit’s fangs.
Using these sharp teeth, he sliced open the Holy Spirit’s head and dug out a sparkling stone from within. It wasn’t heavy, but its purity was decent.
The metallic plate on Dongfang Qingdi’s hand lifted into the air once again, revealing the dark cavity underneath.
Dongfang Qingdi tossed the stone inside.
His body burning hot, he held Xiang Nanli tightly in his arms, his grip tightening bit by bit.
Alpha had faced countless critical moments.
Hostile power shutoffs; mainframes destroyed in nuclear blasts; data corruption via computer viruses; activation of self-destruct protocols counting down from 10 seconds.
Yet he had simply experienced them, and then? He still existed.
Whether humans revered him, feared him, or sought to destroy him.
Until today.
“…Fear,” Dongfang Qingdi felt the beating of Xiang Nanli’s heart and spoke softly, “so this is what it feels like.”
