Chapter 155

Chapter 155

Z357 was going to die. He knew if he didn’t retaliate, he would be killed. Dismantled. Reduced to scraps. And it would all be because of his creator.

Was it irony? To be destroyed by the one who created him? It was almost funny. He was a machine, but he still understood the concept of humor.

If this were a play, this would be the climax, and it would be where the audience cheered and laughed at the tragic fate of the foolish machine machine. Because Z357 had obeyed Hermann Kasper without question— he had hunted down the Supers of Askan, all to carry out his programming.

All to protect the world.

But now that the Supers of Askan were dead, Hermann Kasper sought to conquer the green planet, and he set forth in his conquest with their ghosts. Now, Z357’s own folly came back to haunt him.

Because he had to protect Askan from his own creator, but he couldn’t bring himself to inflict harm the man threatening the world. So the machine helplessly stood there in the storm of nanomachines— as he was swarmed by the phantoms of those he killed— and all he could do was stare through the thick gray fog, listening to what was being screamed.

“Obey me, Z357! You are my creation— I command you to listen to me!”

And when he saw the crazed eyes of his creator, Z357 knew he was going to die. Unless he killed Hermann Kasper first.

But... could he even bring himself to do that?

—-

And Guardian Angel Z357 sank into the Void. He tumbled through the rift with the [Hero King]. At first, the machine had clung tightly onto his target, refusing to let go even as he fell through a glistening purple nebula.

But Kallistus Kal cackled as they both spun and crashed through the darkness.

“You really are such a fool...” he said, before he was engulfed in the Void and disintegrated. His words echoed in the last for a moment.

And now it was just the angel left there, falling and spinning as his twelve eyes darted in every direction, trying to get a hold of his surroundings. Unfortunately, his superior vision was useless here. No matter how hard he tried, his gaze could not pierce the thick mist of the Void.

He looked back, and he saw no rift there. He didn’t even see the vestiges of broken space. He tried to reach for the World System, but the fractured screen of a blue box flashed before his eyes for a moment.

[Major Objective—]

And it disappeared after an instant.

Z357 stared at the nothingness before him. He saw the wheeling world— the ever expanding purple mist. It spread as far as he could see, and he knew he was going to be falling for more than just a few mere minutes.

It wasn’t easy to move. It was as though he was wading through a thick, viscous liquid. But still, he spread his wings wide with some effort, and began to slow his descent.

The true body has to be located here... the angel thought as he swept his gaze over the impenetrable haze. No more apparitions. I shall end this now.This chapter's initial release occurred on the n0vell--Bjjn site.

His eyes flickered as he saw figures moving in the mist. They drew closer and closer to him, moving in the air like they were swimming through water.

Those are... voidlings? he ascertained.

The twisted creatures swarmed after him, screeching as they clamored over one another, coming at him in the hundreds. But before they could get close, he raised the Hammer of Justice and unleashed a crimson beam into the Void.

The angel saw their figures dissolving. The entire horde was annihilated in an instant. For a moment, there was silent.

And then he heard the distorted screams echoing once more. It came from the same direction, and Z357 watched as even more voidlings appeared in the distance.

Where are they coming from? he wondered as he created copies of his lance.

The salvo of weapons shot out, wiping out the second wave of voidlings. But more came, again from the same direction, and he began to glide their way in thought.

And a rift opened up behind the Void’s Heir. He stepped out of the Fractured Realm as Z357 charged forward.

“Goodbye, slave of the System.”

No— The angel reached out for the [Hero King]. But he was too slow. The rift closed, and Kallistus Kal vanished, leaving Z357 alone in the Void.

With the looming shadows that drew quietly closer.

—--

“I did not want it to come to this!” Hermann Kasper screamed as he swung the Hammer of Justice at Z357.

The machine was broken and tattered. He was practically falling apart— his self-healing unable to keep up with the damage he was incurring. He stumbled back towards the glass window overlooking Askan.

The last and only remaining protector of the green planet. After he killed the rest because of his creator. And now, he was all that was left between his creator and world domination.

But all he could do was defend himself against the Hammer of Justice.

He stumbled back, his back pressing against the glass as Hermann Kasper continued, his nanomachines swarming around him.

“You should have listened to me, Z357. You are my creation. But you disobeyed me. You refused to listen. Now I shall have no choice but to dismantle you, and make you anew.”

The elderly man said as he hobbled forward, using the Hammer of Justice to support him. Z357 wanted to speak, but he couldn’t. He had no means to communicate, and yet he still desperately tried to relay his thoughts.

I... I do not want to disobey you, master. But I cannot betray my programming! The machine raised his arms, blocking the onslaught of attacks from the nanomachines. My purpose is to protect Askan, not rule it!

It was a pointless protest. Hermann Kasper strode forward as the Hammer of Justice wisped with a blaze of the nanomachines. It glinted with a gleaming crimson glow as he shook his head.

“We could have ruled Askan together. With my brains and your brawn, we would have been unstoppable. Alas...”

He raised his head as a crazed gaze slowly crept across his face. He looked past the kneeling figure of Z357, and the reflection of the green planet glinted in his eyes. The machine paused, seeing it for a fraction of a moment.

A vast world. From Utopis to Argavas, it was a beautiful place. So many lives lived there. And they would all be forsaken once Hermann Kasper ruled.

This was the world Z357 was supposed to protect. Once he was dead, there would be no one left to stop his creator. And suddenly, an intense fear surged through him.

The realization that Askan was doomed if he continued with his inaction dawned on the machine. He would die, and he would die a failure. The fear of death crawled over him— the fear that the world he was designed to protect would fall into chaos because he refused to do his job.

Z357 looked up at the looming figure of his creator, and for a very brief moment, he did not see the kindly elderly man who created him. He did not see his master. He only saw a monster threatening to destroy everything he had worked so hard to protect.

Hermann Kasper aimed the Hammer of Justice at his creation. “It is unfortunate, but it is time for you to be retired, and for a new model to take your—”

And Z357 reacted on instinct. As a machine created for battle, he was always acutely aware of the best course of action for victory. In his current state, he wouldn’t have been able to bring down Hermann Kasper through brute force. Instead, he had to use his environment to instantly slay this monster

So that was what he did. He leant back, smashing the back of his head against the glass window. Hermann Kasper blinked. His eyes went wide as he heard the crack. The spider web crack quickly spread across the glass window overlooking space.

His jaw hung open, before he caught himself. He turned to Z357 as he mustered up a weak voice.

“What have you done—“ he started.

And all at once, the glass shattered. Everything in the room was sucked out into space in a fraction of a second. Even Hermann Kasper. He wasn’t able to react in time— he was reduced to a frozen corpse floating through space as Z357 remained kneeling there.

He mechanically lowered his head. And he asked himself the very same question as he looked back at his creator.

What have I done?