I, the Five-Clawed Golden Dragon, am being kept by the state.

Time seemed to stand still in the church square.

The air was thick with the smell of gunpowder and tear gas, but everyone froze in place.

Dozens of special forces soldiers remained in firing positions, staring blankly ahead.

Between them and the church doors, a golden curtain of light appeared out of nowhere, like a wall of divine sighs, silently floating.

The surface of the light curtain is shimmering and colorful, both soft and indestructible.

The dense barrage of bullets just now scattered and clanged across the ground in front of the light screen.

General Stryker's facial muscles twitched.

He had spent half his life in the military, seen electromagnetic guns and experienced laser weapons, but he had never seen such a bizarre sight.

"An energy shield?"

His throat was dry, and he managed to utter three words.

This was the only reasonable explanation he could think of.

Attention all units!

Stryker snatched the communicator and roared into it, "The target is using some kind of unknown energy defense technology! It must have an energy limit!"

His voice roused the dazed soldiers.

"Mount-mounted heavy machine gun, prepare! Fire armor-piercing rounds continuously! Use up all your ammunition! Let's see how long it can last!"

Orders are our duty.

On an armored vehicle, the turret slowly rotated, and the dark muzzle of a 12.7mm heavy machine gun was aimed at the golden light curtain.

Jackson's heart sank to the bottom.

He was powerless against Stryker's absolute military authority.

"madman……"

He could only mutter to himself.

Da da da da da—!

A deafening roar ripped through the deathly silence of the square!

Flames spewed forth as scorching bullets surged forth, each armor-piercing round capable of penetrating steel plates, transforming into streaks of death as they crashed violently into the golden light barrier!

However, what happened next completely shattered Stryker's understanding.

The bullet is neither deflected nor blocked upon contact with the light barrier.

They vanished silently, like snowflakes thrown into a hot iron.

Yes, it disappeared.

There was no explosion, no fire, not even a ripple.

It was as if behind that curtain of light lay another dimension, a space that devoured everything that came to invade.

Inside the church.

Wilson closed his eyes, his expression solemn.

The moment the light screen appeared, a vast and warm stream of information flowed directly into his mind through the Dragon Slave Mark on his forehead.

He saw an energy channel spanning the ocean.

He understood the nature of this power.

The rule of water—guardianship.

This is not his power, but a divine grace bestowed by our Lord Dragon God through his supreme power.

Now, it seems that divine grace is urging him to respond.

……

Kunlun Base.

"Report! The 'Guardian' rule's energy consumption is rapidly increasing! The enemy has deployed heavy weaponry!"

"North American coordinates have stable energy fluctuations and smooth connectivity."

Qian Youmin calmly watched the fluctuating curves on the screen, his eyes showing no emotion, but rather a kind of almost insane rational light.

"very good."

He pushed up his glasses. "It seems the other party needs a more profound lesson."

He turned to Sun Mingde beside him.

"Old Sun, among the Five Elements, which one governs killing and warfare?"

Sun Mingde blurted out almost without thinking, "Metal! Metal represents change and transformation; its nature is firm, and its emotions are intense!"

"That's right."

A glint flashed in Qian Youmin's eyes, and he turned around and began operating the control panel at lightning speed.

"Switch to array number two, 'Geng Metal'! Compile the rules of sharpness, and attach the 'Dissociation' instruction!"

"Energy output power... set to 0.5%."

"Target locked, North American coordinates, the non-living entity with the most intense energy fluctuations."

"Command... Upload!"

hum-

At the reactor core, the aquamarine light instantly faded, replaced by a sharp, chilling silvery-white glow.

An invisible stream of information, carrying rules, traveled across half the Earth in an instant through that invisible quantum channel.

……

In front of a Gothic church.

The heavy machine gun was still roaring wildly, but a hint of despair had crept into its gunfire.

Streak stared intently at the unmoving golden light screen that showed no sign of dimming, veins bulging on his forehead.

Fear was spreading in his heart.

Just then, he saw Wilson at the church entrance and slowly opened his eyes.

A profound, serene tranquility, overlooking all living beings.

Wilson raised his right hand and pointed his index finger forward slightly.

A silver-white ray, thinner than a strand of hair, shot out from his fingertips.

Then, to everyone's utter astonishment...

That heavy machine gun, made of special alloys and symbolizing the brutal aesthetics of modern industry, along with its sturdy turret...

It decomposed silently.

Like a sandcastle model, blown by the wind, it crumbles inch by inch from the most basic molecular level, turning into a handful of the finest metal powder, which falls down in a soft rustling sound.

The roaring sound abruptly stopped.

The soldier operating the machine gun remained in the position of pulling the trigger, but all he could see before him was an empty turret and metal dust drifting in the wind.

one second.

two seconds.

The entire square was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Everyone seemed to be frozen in place, their minds blank.

"My God..."

A soldier's assault rifle clattered to the ground, but he didn't notice. His legs buckled and he collapsed to his knees.

This action is like a signal.

Panic spread like a plague.

"A devil...this is a devil!"

"What exactly are we attacking?!"

Stryker swayed, his face ashen.

As a general, he could face death, but he could not face the unknown.

This power to conceptually "erasure" matter directly goes beyond his entire understanding of war.

This is not a weapon.

This is divine punishment.

Jackson's mouth gaped open, his whole body ice-cold.

He watched the old man slowly lower his fingers, his white robe fluttering gently in the breeze, and the last shred of FBI rationality deep within him was utterly crushed and evaporated.

He finally understood the meaning of Wilson's earlier statement.

It's not about whether they tolerate God or not.

It is God's will to tolerate them.

Wilson's gaze calmly passed over the collapsed soldiers, over the distraught Jackson, and finally landed on the ashen-faced Stryker.

He didn't open his mouth, but a clear and authoritative voice resounded directly in everyone's mind.

"Mortal, do you know your sin?"