Warhammer: Don't Call Me the God of All Machines

Chapter 923 I am not the God of Myriad Machines

Faced with the increasingly frenzied Void Dragon, Lothie had to be even more careful and cautious in her maneuvering.

With numerous pre-prepared contingency plans, as well as an unbreakable will and courage, the tide of battle is tilting in a direction extremely unfavorable to Magladros.

Each of Loxi's attacks left deep wounds on its body, and some eerie green light spots would emanate from the wounds like fireflies.

In ancient legends, after defeating a dragon, the dragon-slaying hero would bathe in the dragon's blood to gain an invulnerable body and power far exceeding his former strength.

Loxi also didn't let any of the scattered "dragon blood" go to waste. His figure spun around rapidly on the battlefield, constantly absorbing all the scattered energy into his own body.

His power was originally a fusion of psionic energy condensed from the power of faith and the star god power belonging to the Void Dragon.

When he attacked the Void Dragon, the psionic portion of the Om Messiah Authority began to take effect. The Star God did not have much resistance to psionic energy and could only rely on his massive size to withstand it.

When the Void Dragon retaliated, its Celestial power was partially neutralized by the Celestial power wielded by Lothie, preventing it from achieving significant results.

With this shift in power, Lothie has even begun to withstand the Void Dragon's Celestial Lightning Charge, continuing to weaken the Celestial's state.

Even the Void Dragon, whose mind was in a state of extreme confusion and madness, sensed a sense of unease spreading from this situation.

Looking at Loxi before him, the Void Dragon seemed to be seeing a vision from ten thousand years ago, of the human who rode a four-legged warhorse and charged at him with a long spear.

How arrogant it was back then, how desolate and regretful it became after being imprisoned in the labyrinth of eternal night.

If time could turn back, the Void Dragon would never have come to Terra, and would never have provoked that damned human for the sake of a little bit of the soul and flesh of an intelligent life.

Moreover, the Void Dragon was well aware that if it lost again this time, the consequences could be even more terrible than before.

When the human emperor defeated the Void Dragon, he merely imprisoned it and at most diverted the faith power that should have flowed to it. It did not significantly affect the Void Dragon's life or safety.

The weaker human before him didn't want to be locked up any longer; otherwise, he wouldn't have taken the initiative to unlock the chains of the Eternal Night Labyrinth and give himself a chance to escape.

He wanted more... Perhaps, this human wanted to kill himself completely, just like the skinner Landugor.

The Star God is indeed so powerful that he is almost immortal. Even if he is split into pieces, he is difficult to completely destroy.

However, there is one way to kill the Star God: throw the Star God fragments into the subspace.

Non-material forces can erode and annihilate material gods. If the fragments of the Star God cannot escape back to the real universe before they are completely destroyed, then their death will come as scheduled.

The Menek dynasty of the Necromancers threw Landugor into the warp. Before his death, the Skinner Star God bestowed upon the Necromancers an unsolvable curse called the "Skinner Virus," condemning the infected Necromancers to eternal hunger echoes.

The Skinner Virus, which space necromancers fear and hate most, was born from this. Any space necromancer that gets infected with this virus will be beyond saving, even if they change bodies or reset their consciousness.

The Derazak Bone Kingdom in Ghoul Stars, which was destroyed by the ancient orcs, is a tragic example of an entire dynasty being infected by the Skinner virus.

For a rare moment, the Void Dragon's consciousness was clear; its core of thought was racing, contemplating the terrible consequences it might suffer.

However, even the Void Dragon did not expect that Lothie's true purpose was not to kill it, but to replace it with her own will.

Throughout the long life of the Star God, he had never encountered such an enemy.

The Void Dragon's mindset subtly shifted, and its fighting style began to change as well.

Instead of launching such aggressive and violent attacks, it poured more of its power into the overall structure of this eternal night labyrinth.

It no longer thought about how to defeat Loxi or devour Loxi to restore its power, but instead planned to flee from this damned place as soon as it could no longer withstand the aftershocks of the battle in the Eternal Night Labyrinth.

"Dantiok, keep it up!"

"Disrupt it!"

Loxi didn't want to deal with a Void Dragon with a brain. A Void Dragon that had fallen into chaos and madness, no matter how powerful it was, was essentially just a powerful beast.

So, using his psionic powers, he immediately sent a distress signal to Danteok, who was stationed outside the Eternal Night Labyrinth.

Upon receiving the instructions transmitted by Rosie through psionic energy, Danteok, located on the surface of Mars, unhesitatingly pushed his power to its limit.

He stood at the center of a huge, uniquely shaped, circular device covered with patterns of necromantic space technology. This device was the [Star God Resonance Matrix], created by the Advanced Technology Community with technology provided by Tarasin.

The power armor around Danteok emitted a deep hum, and the eerie green energy patterns lit up with unprecedented brightness.

He raised his hands and placed them on the two energy conduction pillars in the center of the device.

The power of the fragments of the Dominator Star God surged into it like a flood.

Buzz—Boom boom boom!!!

The entire ring-shaped device began to vibrate violently, and the geometric patterns on its surface lit up one by one, emitting a dazzling, eerie green light.

The internal structure of the device began to rotate at high speed, emitting a sharp sound like millions of gears meshing.

A beam of condensed, eerie green energy shot into the sky, bent by the matrix's guiding force field, like a giant bowl-shaped dome, precisely covering and focusing down on the direction of the eternal night labyrinth.

This highly amplified and specifically modulated power of the ruler penetrated the Martian crust, ignoring the barriers of matter, and directly acted upon the original, broken Star God body deep within the labyrinth of eternal night.

"Zahullah!!!"

Inside the labyrinth, Magladros, the Void Dragon who was preparing to concentrate its power on the labyrinth's weakest point, suddenly let out a roar that was a mixture of extreme anger, greed, and confusion.

That repulsive, familiar scent of its kind became incredibly clear and intense once more, like the sweetest poison, frantically stimulating the most primal instincts within its shattered consciousness.

Devour! Merge! Become more complete!
This thought spread like wildfire, almost overshadowing its newly formed rational escape plan.

Its movements became chaotic and contradictory once again. One claw gathered power to try to tear open space, while the other claw involuntarily reached out to grab the non-existent aura of the ruler in the void, as if trying to squeeze it out of the air and swallow it.

Looking at the Void Dragon, which was being controlled and influenced by its own instincts, a pathetic expression couldn't help but appear in Loxi's eyes.

The mighty god of matter and technology couldn't even suppress his own instincts.

The Void Dragon's consciousness knew this was a human interference, but it could not resist its instincts. The power of instincts overcame its independent consciousness, and this was one of the costs of its shattering.

However, the more weaknesses the enemy exposes, the better news it is for Losi.

What he was waiting for was the moment when the Void Dragon's consciousness would fluctuate violently due to interference from its own kind, creating a fatal gap in its defenses.

His will, like a sharp drill bit forged through countless trials, boldly plunged into the deepest part of the Void Dragon's frantically roaring sea of ​​consciousness through that fleeting crack.

In that instant, Roche saw an incredibly complex world of thought, composed of physical rules and mathematical models.

All the memories and knowledge carried in this fragment of the Void Dragon were laid bare before Loxi's eyes.

Loxi began to unleash his perception to the fullest, scouring the Void Dragon's mental world for those priceless treasures.

The torrent of information poured down like a galaxy, instantly overwhelming Roche's will.

He witnessed the condensation of nebulae at the dawn of the universe, heard the silent roar of a supernova explosion, and felt the moment the gravitational constant was set...

Countless fragments of images, sounds, and perceptions, like billions of cold files, frantically scraped and impacted, attempting to assimilate his will.

This is the Star God Magladros, an ancient being who has lived for countless billions of years. Even though it is just a fragment, the amount of information contained in its memories is enough to instantly overwhelm the mind of any mortal.

Roche's will was like a lone boat in a storm, as if it would be completely torn apart and swallowed up at any moment.

His self-awareness began to blur, human memories and emotions seemed to become irrelevant, and cold mathematical formulas and physical laws tried to occupy his entire mind.

"Insignificant! Fragile! Ignorant!" The roar of the Void Dragon stirred up even greater waves in the world of thought.

It truly never expected that what this damned human wanted to do was invade its mental world.

What a foolish act! Compared to a star god, a human's memory and will are utterly insignificant.

Rosie's memory is like a drop of ink falling into the ocean; nothing will happen.

The Void Dragon, who had been somewhat hesitant and uneasy, is now finally completely at ease.

"How dare you covet the realm of the gods! Merge into me, become a part of me, this is your only fate!"

The Void Dragon's malevolent will roared through the torrent of memories, attempting to utterly crush Loshi's last remaining self.

However, Roche's core will was like the hardest reef, remaining unmoved no matter how the torrents crashed against it.

Rose has an incredibly clear understanding of herself.

"I am Roxi, a member of humanity."

“I was once an ordinary immortal being, but then Neos gave me a portion of his power, and I became an ordinary psionicist.”

"From beginning to end, I have never considered myself superior to others. I am human, I was human in the past, and I will be human in the future."

"If I had to find something different, I would say I am the Om Messiah who illuminates the path ahead for humanity with the light of technology, a warrior who fights for the future of mankind."

"The universe in which humanity was born is an incurable dark abyss. In order to survive, everyone has to crawl and struggle in the muddy swamp, using all their strength and courage to fight for a glimmer of hope."

“There are many people like me, Neos, Macado, the Chief… We are comrades-in-arms who fight side by side, and we are comrades with shared beliefs.”

Loxi's will was not broken; instead, she began to actively and painstakingly traverse this turbulent sea of ​​consciousness, searching for the core node representing "self" in the Void Dragon's shattered consciousness.

He witnessed the Void Dragon's quarrels and battles with the other Star Gods, its pleasure in devouring the souls of the Ancients, its pain and unbelievable rage when betrayed and shattered by the Space Necromancer, and its millennia of loneliness and boundless hatred after being defeated and sealed here by the Emperor...

These memories are like poison, each one filled with negative emotions and destructive desires.

But Lothie patiently examined them, analyzing the weaknesses in the Void Dragon's behavioral patterns and sensing the moments when its emotions fluctuated most intensely.

“I see your fear, Magladros.” Lothie’s voice echoed in the Void Dragon’s mind.

"You fear being forgotten, fear losing control of material things, fear becoming incomplete! Your madness, your anger, all stem from this!"

"Shut up! You ant! What do you know?!" The Void Dragon's consciousness retaliated fiercely, with vicious curses ringing out continuously.

But Roche did not back down; instead, his will became even more refined and brilliant.

The external psionic support he received was like an inexhaustible source, while Danteok's constant external interference prevented the Void Dragon from concentrating all its will on dealing with him.

"Yes, perhaps I do not understand the eternity of the Star God."

"But I understand the value of life, the meaning of civilization, and the responsibility to protect!"

"Your power should not be used as a tool for destruction; it should be the cornerstone for building the future!"

"As children of the universe, you not only fail to give back to the universe, but you also become increasingly arrogant and domineering, wantonly venting your violent desires and making the universe even more broken."

"Since you cannot use it well, you are no longer qualified to possess this power."

With each word spoken, Roxi's projection within the Void Dragon's mind world surged. He was no longer a lone boat passively enduring the onslaught of information, but had transformed into a giant who created the world.

Humanity's collective beliefs, the radiant authority of Om Messiah, and his own indestructible will merge perfectly at this moment, radiating a warm and vast light that surpasses even the cold brilliance of the Star God.

Wherever this light shone, the Void Dragon's chaotic consciousness, woven from hatred, greed, and arrogance, melted away like ice and snow.

Those roaring negative emotions, those destructive desires, and that ancient loneliness appear so pale and insignificant in the face of this light that contains the hope of life and civilization.

"No! This is my domain! My power! I am the one..."

The Void Dragon's consciousness let out a desperate shriek, making its final, death throes.

It gathered all the remaining malice and transformed it into countless hideous and terrifying illusions representing different negative emotions, which pounced on the will giant that Rosie had become.

However, Loxi simply raised the large hand formed from light and gently clenched it.

It was like the first heartbeat at the beginning of the universe, and also like the final echo of the extinction of all things.

All illusions, all roars, all struggles ceased abruptly under this grasp, utterly annihilated, and transformed into the most primal, unconscious flow of energy.

The twisted and insane will that had lingered for countless millennia within the largest fragment of the Void Dragon Magladros was finally and permanently erased.

As the clamor subsided, the turbulent sea of ​​consciousness returned to calm.

No, it can't even be called a sea. There are no more waves, no more chaotic vortexes of rules, only a pure emptiness, a "nothingness" waiting to be redefined.

At the center of this void, a gentle yet powerful source of energy floats, shimmering with a dual light of emerald green and silvery white.

That was the essence of a Void Dragon fragment, stripped of all impurities of will, leaving only the purest rules of "matter," "technology," and "mechanics."

It floated there quietly, radiating an indescribable attraction, as if silently calling for a new owner, waiting to be given new meaning and direction.

It yearns to be controlled, to re-exhibit the power of the Star God, and to become one of the supreme beings in the real universe.

If Rosie wanted, he could easily incorporate it into his own right now.

Combining his existing Om Messiah authority with the vast psychic support from the outside world, he will instantly become an unprecedented being who simultaneously wields powerful psychic energy and the power of the Star God's rules.

He was even qualified to peer into the throne of the chaotic eight-pointed star deep within the Naya space, becoming the fifth god alongside the gods.

Power, boundless power, is within reach, easily attainable.

However, Rosie found herself unusually calm, without the ecstasy, excitement, or greed for power she had expected.

Having experienced this extremely dangerous battle of wills and witnessed the Star God's long and twisted life journey, he gained a deeper understanding of power itself.

Power is a tool, not an end.

Becoming a god means being far removed from the human world, being bound by divine duties and beliefs, and becoming another form of "rule" that is high above.

That's not what he wants.

He slowly withdrew from that now empty space of consciousness.

Outside, the Eternal Night Labyrinth was on the verge of collapse due to the aftermath of the previous battle, with countless spatial rifts spreading out.

Loxi raised her hand and waved it gently.

With the fusion of Om Messiah authority and his newly acquired understanding of the laws of matter, his vast psionic energy, like the most exquisite craftsman's hand, began to smooth the wrinkles of space and repair its broken structure.

The enormous cage, which had imprisoned the Void Dragon for millennia and was built by the Emperor, now vanished silently under his will, like snow under the sun.

The light once again fell upon the surface of Mars.

Dalia, the dragon guard who had been anxiously waiting on the outer perimeter, stared in disbelief at everything that was happening before her eyes.

The suffocating pressure of the Star God disappeared, and the violent energy fluctuations subsided.

The entrance to the labyrinth, which stretched deep underground, vanished as if it had never existed, leaving only a huge, smooth, mirror-like pit.

Then, she saw that familiar figure.

Loxi slowly rose from the pit, the light around her gradually disappearing, revealing her original clothes.

In his hand, he held a docile yet terrifyingly powerful silver-white sphere, which was the original essence of the Void Dragon fragment whose consciousness had been erased.

Dalia sensed that the sphere of light contained power capable of easily destroying stars, but at the same time she also felt an unprecedented "tranquility" and "peace".

She looked at Rose in disbelief, her eyes filled with unprecedented awe and shock.

He... he really did it! He not only defeated that terrible dragon, but he even seems to have completely tamed it?!

This is something that could only happen in the most absurd of dreams!

Loshi's gaze swept calmly over Dalia, and he nodded slightly to her without saying anything more.

He carried that stellar divine essence and walked step by step toward the outside world.

When he finally emerged from that area, the scene before him was truly magnificent.

Looking out, on the desolate, rust-red land of Mars, there are countless people, stretching as far as the eye can see!

All the mechanical priests, technicians, friars, iron men, stone men, and even the massive Titan machines on Mars were now kneeling in the most devout posture.

Their binary prayers converged into a deep and vast ocean of sound, while the brilliance of the data streams flickered wildly among them, like a sea of ​​stars.

“Praise be to Om Messiah!”

Glory to the god of machines!

"Lead us! Devout believers will follow you!"

Cheers and prayers erupted like a tsunami, and countless pairs of electronic or biological eyes were filled with fervent worship, boundless reverence, and the most ardent hopes for the future.

They witnessed a miracle, seeing their faith's embodiment defeat the ancient evil god and take its power into its hands.

In their eyes, Roche is a true god walking among humans, the ultimate embodiment and leader of the way of mechanics and technology!
If he simply nods, he will instantly become the sole and supreme true god in the eyes of the Cult of Machine God and countless other technology-loving humans, gaining unimaginable authority and power of faith.

However, faced with this scene that would excite anyone, Rosie's expression remained calm, even carrying a hint of... detachment.

He slowly raised his hand, the palm that held the essence of the Star God slightly higher.

All sounds fell silent instantly, and countless eyes focused on that silvery-white light.

“I have heard your calls.”

Loshi's calm yet clear voice resonated throughout the region, even reaching the entire planet Mars and the Terra leadership who were paying attention to the situation, via broadcasting equipment in various locations.

“But I am not the god you seek.”

A slight commotion and confusion arose among the crowd.

“The Void Dragon Magladros has been defeated by me, and its madness has been erased.”

He continued, his gaze sweeping over the enormous Titans and the devout priests.

"But this power is not for creating a new god."

Rosie's voice grew increasingly firm, carrying an unquestionable resolve.

"This power is a tool, a weapon; it exists to repair our wounded universe and to protect the future of human civilization!"

"I will not become the God of All Machines, not in the past, not now, and not in the future."

His words were like cold water poured on a raging fire, bringing countless boiling emotions to a standstill.

Confusion, disappointment, and disbelief spread through the crowd.

But Rosie ignored all of that; his gaze was fixed on the distant starry sky, as if he could see the scar that stretched across the Milky Way—the Eye of Fear.

"Our goal has never changed."

"Close the eye of fear, restart the universe, and strive for a bright future for all living beings. And this..." He held up the ball of light in his hand, "will be the first step in achieving this goal, and also the most crucial cornerstone."

“I, Loshi, am still one of you, a human who has mastered great power and tools, nothing more.”

After saying that, he stopped looking at the crowd below who were reacting in various ways, and his figure turned into a streak of light, disappearing instantly in the direction of Terra.

"The Great Sage Roche..."

"As expected of him..."

Belisarius Caul stood with his hands behind his back in the engineering command hall, his emotions still surging and unsettled.

As a member of the highest echelons of the advanced technological community, Kaul's understanding of the truth far surpasses that of the mechanical priests who are currently clamoring for his worship.

But it was precisely because he knew so much that Kaul was able to more deeply appreciate the difficulty and greatness of Losi's decision.

Being just one step away from becoming a supreme god, yet able to hold onto that step through sheer willpower, is something most humans in the world could not achieve.

Even when Caul himself put himself in Rosie's shoes and considered his own choices, he didn't know if he could uphold the bottom line as a human being.

Is it to become a god high above, or to be a person who wields divine power?

Kaul's admiration and worship for Rose was not only due to the amazing technology and incredible powers Rose possessed, but also to his worship of Rose as a person.

Even if Rosie lost everything and became an ordinary mortal, Kaul would not change his opinion.

Some people's greatness comes from external things, but when those external things disappear, they return to ordinariness.

Some people's greatness comes from their inner self and spirit; even if they lose all external things, the great remain great.

Lothie, carrying the blank Void Dragon fragment, traversed the void and returned to Holy Terra from Mars.

The Star Torch Tower within the palace grounds had not yet completely dissipated its psionic radiance; it emitted an infinitely dazzling light, enough to drive away all evil spirits and demons.

The subspace rift opened by the God Emperor has also been closed. Although these subspace energies are purified products, the fact that non-material forces have lingered in the solar system for too long is ultimately more harmful than beneficial.

Meanwhile, the Emperor was already waiting for Roxi's return in front of the throne room of the palace.

He knew that his comrades had returned in triumph, taking a solid step forward in realizing the great dream of human rejuvenation.

(End of this chapter)