Witch, Fireball and the Evil God of Steam-Chapter 751 - 117: This Is a Trial (Part 2)
When the sky changed, they all looked up at it in unison.
Another being ascended to the "arena."
For many of them, this scene felt familiar. They had all once wielded weapons against those incomprehensible entities for the sake of their faith, but all their resistance led them to understand only one thing—that they were insignificant, and that their beliefs and resistance were negligible in the face of the empire destined to rule the universe.
And the mechanical enhancements later installed on them helped them better comprehend the grand vision of the empire.
The "Destroyer."
They were not unfamiliar with the entity suspended above the City of Truth. Every time it appeared, it heralded the destruction of a civilization... and also, its rebirth.
It was the blade executing the will of the empire, an entity that was the natural enemy of any civilization, because it always possessed an energy field that perfectly countered a particular civilization, or rather, the Destroyer existed specifically to obliterate a certain targeted civilization.
They witnessed a destroyed city and a diminutive human youth.
However, some individuals with keen insight had already noticed something unusual—the human youth was standing in front of the entrance to a sanctuary, and they saw the deep darkness lurking behind that door, almost instantly reminding them of a spaceship crash that occurred hundreds of years ago.
Along with the starship, an observer also perished.
The residents of the Holy City suddenly realized this was a hunt for a "black hole."
Before long, with the help of their mechanical collars, they saw more clearly, discerning the essence of that "human."
Darkness spread across the land, forming a stark contrast with the holy white radiance, and even the sky of the Holy City turned into a distinct division of black and white.
"After all the trouble you took to summon me, don't you plan to say something?"
The dark echo reached the ears of every resident in the Holy City, and although they were separated by several galaxies, they still felt a chill of horror.
Amidst the residents' bewilderment, the response from the mechanical shrine dispelled their fear, reminding them of their identity as imperial citizens. No longer did they have to face darkness and terror alone.
"I want to know your reason."
Ethan received a response from the "Angel," a gender-neutral voice that was difficult to distinguish, omnipresent, as if it had always existed in his mind.
"Is it because we dismantled and recycled the simulation facilities, or is it because of the way we treated you?"
The voice carried confusion, as if it genuinely wanted to hear his answer. "What if we replace the simulation materials to make them look more like machines or wood?"
Almost simultaneously, another thought appeared in Ethan's mind.
It was an emotionless assessment report, explaining the reason behind using "synthetic humans" in Simulation No. 52. The core purpose of this simulation was to interact with a Believer from the Truth Society, as the same race would appear more intimate. It also contained some experimental details that the special citizens didn't have time to tell anyone.
This simulation was conceived much earlier.
When an accident brought the discovery of humans and the Old Gods to Observer No. 003 of the First Epoch, it was put on the agenda, waiting until the Sixth Epoch for the most suitable moment to commence.
For that "eternal empire," a span of one or two thousand years wasn't considered long.
The ultimate goal of Simulation No. 52 was, like dealing with previous civilizations, to incorporate it into the Holy City's domain. They had already drawn up subsequent colonization plans, and it was to become an outpost for studying mysticism and the Old Gods.
In the course of their long exploration and territorial expansion, the Holy City discovered some special entities.
In many civilizations, they existed in the form of deities.
They were the source of all mysticism, and an energy form that the Holy City still could not fully grasp, and the only existence that could threaten them.
From a series of assessments and data, Ethan understood their desire for active communication.
They were eager to gather information about the Old Gods.
And Ethan happened to be the weakest among them.
He had voluntarily left the unassailable shadow world, breaking through the barriers created by the True God and Middle-Level Gods in a human form, descending into the human world, all of which became illogical and incomprehensible errors in the computation.
Yet it was precisely these "errors" that made the calculation tractable for capture and study, breaking their long-standing assessments of the Old Gods as "incomprehensible," "unknowable," and "incommunicable."
The simulation materials of Simulation No. 52 successfully communicated with the shadow, finding it to be more understanding than most humans.
What they never expected was that it would actually develop a desire to aid the sanctuary.
Of course, saving some simulation materials held no significance.
If Ethan truly cared about humans as he appeared, then the Holy City could offer him a more meaningful plan.
He could serve as a sample, helping humans understand his existence, unlocking the mysteries of mysticism, blessing many more people.
Only one line of dialogue occurred between Ethan and the "Angel," but information was efficiently transmitted and exchanged through thought.
He felt as if he was communicating with an emotionless AI throughout.
No anger or hatred, nor threats or insults; it seemed genuinely focused on seeking solutions, despite many of its proposals being provocative.
But Ethan believed it wasn't intentional.
Because it had long since eliminated unnecessary negative emotions, conveying a fact to him objectively.
The "Angel" would reclaim him and Little Dark for research of indefinite duration, depending on the research progress.
To prevent them from taking extreme actions during the experiment, they might be fitted with restraints.
And he could choose between "surrendering peacefully" or "resisting and then being captured and reclaimed," because according to computations and evaluations, shadow energy was powerless before the "Angel's" energy field.
Since the recovery of Observer No. 009's fragments, the Holy City had been preparing for this day.
Before this moment arrived, they had conducted 381 million battle simulations to ensure 100% victory.
The thoughts in Ethan's mind answered his questions diligently, sincerely suggesting he choose the "surrender peacefully" option, as that would spare both sides unnecessary trouble and minimize potential harm to him. After all, they didn't want the research sample damaged during transport.
Ethan rarely experienced such smooth communication, feeling the need to do something in return and also trying to answer some questions raised by the other party.
For example, the computation errors that couldn't be explained.
He walked toward the "Angel."
At the same time, the residents of the Holy City, gazing at the sky, noticed Ethan's transformation.
They clearly saw the shadows spreading across the ground, corresponding to the Destroyer, receding rapidly, and Ethan, devoid of Magic Power, walking toward the "Angel" like a Believer called upon.
"Because this is a trial."
In an instant, the "Angel," alert to the disturbance, launched an attack.
A rain of light, like chains, poured down, leaving the whole world with only one color.
Time seemed to stand still at this moment.
The residents of the Holy City watched as the sky was occupied by the light rain, an energy capable of destroying a civilization, leaving even the shadow with nowhere to hide before it.
Yet that voice continued.
"This is a trial set to understand the soul."
In the sky occupied by white, a fissure appeared.
It was no longer shadow energy, but another form of energy they could not comprehend.
The fissure became increasingly apparent, spanning the entire sky.
Soon, more fissures appeared, connecting into one, forming a web that took their breath away.
Followed by the echo of mirrors shattering and breaking.
Their sky had been shredded.
