131: Chapter 131 Entering the City

"Sizzle—!!!"

Between heaven and earth, there was no metallic clang of a collision.

There was only a terrifying explosion of light, bright enough to blind one instantly, and a violent crackling sound like ice-cold water being dropped into boiling oil!

That blazing Sword of Flame sliced through as if cutting through a void phantom.

Without any resistance, it smoothly sliced through that massive Warp arm that was twisting gravity and space!

Golden holy fire instantly ignited the smooth surface of the severed wound.

That was the power of absolute purification from the Emperor of Mankind!

Vashtorr's pale, leathery flesh and twisted brass gears began to frantically disintegrate and annihilate the moment they touched this golden divine flame!

"Ah!!!"

From the other side of the rift came the shrill, fear-filled scream of the Lord of the Soul Forge.

It was an absolute agony that struck the soul, being thoroughly incinerated.

The severed, massive arm crashed heavily into the ruins below.

However, before it could even hit the ground and corrode the reality of the earth, the golden flames spread like maggots on a bone, completely burning it into ashes that scattered in the wind mid-air!

A god slain with one sword strike!

Lin Li endured the terrifying, agonizing pain of his body being on the verge of collapse and reversed his grip on the hilt.

He thrust that Sword of Flame, burning with blinding golden light, fiercely into the purple-red Warp rift in mid-air!

"Boom!"

A golden psychic storm exploded outward, centered on the blade!

The overbearing flames, like a crude branding iron, forcibly cauterized this bleeding wound in the real world.

The Warp corruption energy that had been roiling and surging was instantly dispersed and evaporated by this golden light.

The sickly purple-red was completely replaced by a dazzling pure white.

The space emitted a crisp crackling sound.

The rift was forcibly stitched shut.

The golden Sword of Flame turned into light dust drifting through the sky, dissipating in the cold sea breeze.

...

The entire eastern battlefield of Coastal City fell into a deathly silence.

Defense Force soldiers, Political Commissars on the walls, and civilians hiding in air-raid shelters—everyone lost the ability to speak under this holy might.

One second, two seconds, three seconds.

After a full three seconds of silence.

The group of The Fourth Calamity on the ground suddenly exploded like a boiling pot, erupting in a wave of sound so crazy it could flip a skull!

"Holy crap! 99,999 damage in one hit?!"

"Damn developers! Did you freaking give your own account a cheat code?!"

"Look at these special effects! That big gold sword! It turns out our boss is a hidden max-level, max-geared big shot! You should've said so earlier; I've been here miserably shooting at these tin cans with a plasma gun!"

The player channel was instantly flooded with a dense wall of comments.

Immediately after, the most ridiculous scene occurred.

The veteran players from the Scourge Legion and the Brotherhood of Steel didn't care at all about how holy the heavenly phenomenon was.

Like zombies catching the scent of blood, they swarmed toward the location where the severed giant hand had fallen.

"Quick, quick, quick! Grab the loot! Loot the body!"

"Equipment dropped by a demigod—it must be a unique red Mythic-tier item for the whole server!"

"Don't push! That glowing brass gear is mine!"

Several thousand people crowded together, frantically rummaging through the ashes on the ground.

After rummaging for a long time, the players discovered in despair.

Under the purification of those overbearing golden flames, forget Mythic-tier equipment—not even a piece of common material had dropped; it was all freaking burned to ash!

"Damn! Bad luck! Absolute bad luck!"

"Trash game! Such a big faction Boss battle, even if it's a scripted kill, you won't even give us a participation prize?!"

"Disperse, disperse. The damn developers are stingy to the core!"

Meanwhile.

The golden flames on Lin Li's body had completely dissipated.

He landed steadily from mid-air.

On the surface, he looked incredibly imposing, but in reality, Lin Li didn't even dare to take a heavy breath right now.

His legs felt weak as if filled with lead, and his muscles were twitching frantically from enduring power that did not belong to mortals.

"I used a high-interest loan to act this cool. If I go weak in the knees and fall on my face right now, I'll lose face all the way to the Warp!"

Lin Li gritted his teeth hard, forcing himself to stand straight.

The players, who were always looking for excitement, realized there was no loot and immediately turned their attention back, swarming toward Lin Li like a tide.

"Boss! Is that thing from just now for sale? I'll pay real money!"

"Lord, do you want to sell that big golden sword? I'll offer five hundred thousand in cash!"

"Boss, give us a hidden quest!"

Looking at this mass of pouncing mad dogs, Lin Li's scalp tingled.

If anyone bumped into him now, he'd probably break character and collapse on the spot.

Fortunately, heavy footsteps rang out just in time.

Ushtan, the Commander of the Thunder Warriors, arrived at his side with large strides.

Standing two and a half meters tall and clad in heavy armor, Ushtan was like a mobile iron tower, shielding Lin Li.

His face, which looked like a Byzantine sculpture, radiated a palpable, tragic killing intent.

His cold eyes, which had witnessed countless mountains of corpses and seas of blood, glared fiercely at the surrounding players.

Although the The Fourth Calamity weren't afraid of death, the game's 100% realistic physical pressure still made them subconsciously stop in their tracks.

"Wow, the boss's bodyguard NPC is so badass! His hitbox is too big; we can't squeeze past him."

The players could only watch and take screenshots from a few meters away.

Ushtan's gaze was very complex.

He was full of resentment toward the Emperor, but he had seen clearly just now that it was that pure golden power that had saved everyone.

A thousand words welled up in his heart.

Ultimately, Ushtan let out a silent sigh.

He reached out his arm, as thick as a tree trunk, and steadily supported Lin Li's swaying body.

Lin Li caught his breath and took the opportunity to pat the back of Ushtan's rough armored hand.

Maintaining his aloof NPC persona, he said in a low voice: "Enter the city directly."

Ushtan understood his meaning.

Carrying the momentum of a great victory, now was the best time to establish absolute authority.

He nodded, supported Lin Li, and took large strides toward Coastal City's towering adamantine gates.

...

Meanwhile, on the distant wilderness.

With the Daemon Engine blown up and the Orc Warboss killed, the Ork tribes had completely lost their backbone.

These brainless xenos no longer sought battle and instead turned tail to sprint toward the northern wastes.

They were in a hurry to get back and have a proper internal scrap to elect a new Warboss.

Amidst the green fleeing army, a special player was mixed in.

Because the battlefield had been so chaotic, the gas mask used to hide the identity of the Ork xeno player [I Think The Emperor Can Stand Up] had long since flown off to who-knows-where.

A broken truck emitting black smoke and packed with Ork speedsters happened to pass by him.

A strong Ork Boyz in the truck bed was quick-eyed and quick-handed, grabbing him by the back collar and scooping him onto the truck like a salted fish.

In the eyes of the speedsters, although this Ork Boyz was short and thin and didn't look tough at all, and would surely be useless in a fight.

He would certainly make good emergency rations to fill their bellies if they ran out of food on the run.

But sitting in the jolting truck bed, the player Emprah wasn't afraid; instead, he was excitedly typing messages into the global channel:

"[I Think The Emperor Can Stand Up]: Brothers! I've successfully infiltrated the enemy! These Ork NPCs actually treated me as one of their own and pulled me onto the truck!"

"Once we get there, I'll use player tactics to duel them! If I lay low until the end, maybe I can just become an Ork Warboss for fun!"

The channel was suddenly filled with a cheerful atmosphere:

"Awesome! Saving the country through a curved path, eh!"

"When you become an Ork Warboss, remember to bring your troops to give us some XP!"

...

On the other side.

Before the massive gates of Coastal City.

As Lin Li slowly walked through the gates with Ushtan's support.

What appeared before his eyes was a high-impact scene.

The wide main road inside the city was packed with hundreds of thousands of Hive City residents.

But there was no chaos or noise here.

Everyone stood spontaneously on both sides of the road as if welcoming a descending deity, heads bowed, not even daring to breathe loudly.

In the open space in the middle of the road stood three groups of people.

These three groups represented the remaining highest authority of the city.

The group on the left consisted of officers and wealthy merchants led by several high nobles.

Usually high and mighty, holding the power of life and death, they were now all pale-faced with trembling legs.

The group on the right consisted of several blood-stained Astra Militarum Political Commissars and the remaining Arbiters of the Adeptus Arbites.

The leader was none other than Political Commissar Arthas.

Standing in the very center was an aged Ecclesiarchy Bishop wearing ornate robes.

Behind him were Sister Frannie, whom Lin Li had met, and a female cleric in black robes with a solemn expression.

Everyone's eyes converged on Lin Li.

They were still immersed in the golden miracle that had just sliced through the void; no one dared to be the first to break this suffocating awe.

*Cough.*

The old Bishop finally moved.

Carrying a pure gold censer emitting a thick scent of sandalwood, he walked forward tremulously.

He did not speak, but instead circled Lin Li slowly with a solemn expression.

The curling smoke surrounded Lin Li, as if performing some ancient and holy confirmation ritual.

Confirmation complete.

The old Bishop turned around and held the censer high.

He faced the three distinct groups of power-holders and the endless civilians on both sides of the road.

The old Bishop took a deep breath and announced in his aged but exceptionally resonant voice:

"This is the will from the Golden Throne! This is the holy light that disperses the darkness!"

"In the name of the Ecclesiarchy, I declare! Until the formal appointment of the new Sector Governor arrives, all military and political power in Coastal City shall be temporarily overseen by this Angel of the God-Emperor before us!"

The old Bishop's voice echoed for a long time in the silent street.

Lin Li stood quietly in place, appearing as steady as an old dog on the surface, but inwardly he breathed a sigh of relief.

"This borrowed high-interest loan really has a big enough presence. This power grab went even more smoothly than imagined."

His gaze swept over the people before him.

The nobles on the left shuddered, but looking at the tower-like Ushtan behind Lin Li, who radiated terrifying pressure, and the immortal outlanders outside the city who were cleaning up the battlefield.

They decisively chose to remain silent and bowed their waists deeply.

On the right, Political Commissar Arthas looked up and stared fixedly at Lin Li.

There was no longer any doubt in the eyes of this iron-blooded soldier.

He snapped to attention, his right hand striking his left chest heavily in the most standard and highest Astra Militarum salute, signifying absolute obedience.