Free Web NovelChapter 113: [113] Dismissed with Prejudice, The Cosmic Erasure
"This isn’t a free-fire zone, rent-a-cop," Arthur stated. "This is a registered subsidiary of the Ebon Empire. And under Section 4, Paragraph 12 of the Omniversal Legal Code, you are personally liable for all unauthorized destruction of private corporate assets."
The Enforcer froze. The robotic processing unit behind the visor stalled entirely. It was trying to reconcile its prime directive to kill anomalies with the absolute financial laws of the universe.
Arthur didn’t give him time to reboot.
"System," Arthur growled. "File a formal grievance. Submit the damage report directly to the High Court."
[Ding!]
[Grievance Filed. Assessing collateral damage caused by Celestial Enforcers...]
The massive blue holographic screen vanished from the air.
For a single, agonizing second, the plaza was entirely silent. The fifty Enforcers stood completely frozen, their rifles still raised but their fingers entirely still on the triggers.
Cassia held her breath. Vane gripped his sword so tight his knuckles popped audibly. The tension was thick enough to choke on.
Arthur just stood there with his hands shoved casually in his pockets. He waited for the customer service rep to arrive.
Suddenly, the sky above the plaza violently folded inward.
It didn’t tear like a spatial portal. It didn’t flash with bright, chaotic magic. The very fabric of reality simply folded into a perfect, geometric square.
The temperature in the plaza instantly dropped to freezing. The air grew impossibly heavy, completely devoid of any emotion or life.
Stepping out of the square void was a towering, twelve-foot-tall construct.
It possessed no face. It possessed no armor. It was forged entirely of faceted, grey glass that seemed to absorb the light around it. It radiated an aura of pure, unadulterated universal law.
Cassia gasped loudly. She instinctively took a step back, bumping into Vane. Vane’s eyes widened in sheer horror as the heavy pressure hit his chest.
It was a Prime Auditor.
The grey glass construct floated inches above the ground. It didn’t look at Arthur. It didn’t look at Cassia or Vane. It slowly turned its featureless head toward the fifty trembling High Enforcers.
The construct raised a perfectly smooth, glass hand.
"Liability detected," the Prime Auditor droned.
The voice wasn’t sound. It was a physical vibration that rattled the teeth of everyone in the plaza.
Arthur smiled a dark satisfied smile. The trap had snapped shut.
The sky above the plaza remained violently folded inward. The massive, faceted grey glass construct hovered just inches off the ground.
A Prime Auditor.
"Liability detected," the Auditor droned again.
Arthur Sterling watched the scene unfold with the calm, detached satisfaction of a CEO watching a rival company crash and burn. He did not move. He kept his hands in his pockets.
The fifty High Enforcers, who just seconds ago had been ready to execute Arthur, were now shaking. Their flawless military formation broke. The white starlight armor they wore clattered loudly as several of them took involuntary steps backward.
These were the elite hunters of the Celestial Court. They were bred for combat. But right now, they looked like terrified children caught breaking a window.
"My Lord," the lead Enforcer stammered. The robotic, synthesized authority in his voice was completely gone. It was replaced by panicked static. "We were pursuing an unregistered anomaly. The target was hostile. Collateral damage was unavoidable during the engagement!"
The Prime Auditor did not look at Arthur. It did not look at the ruined city blocks behind them. It kept its featureless grey face locked directly onto the lead Enforcer.
"You have operated outside acceptable destruction parameters," the Auditor stated. The voice vibrated through the ground, vibrating up through Arthur’s heavy boots. "You failed to file a secondary asset requisition form before discharging heavy plasma rounds in a registered corporate zone. You incurred a debt of six million Merit Points."
"But he is an anomaly!" the Enforcer captain shrieked, pointing a trembling finger at Arthur. "He does not belong in this dimension! His assets are forfeit!"
Arthur just smirked. He didn’t say a word. He let the system’s absolute laws do the talking.
"The anomaly’s status is currently under review by the Apex Tribunal," the Prime Auditor corrected coldly. "Until the trial concludes, his registered assets are protected by the Omniversal Economic Code. You destroyed private property without authorization."
The fifty guards lowered their weapons completely. Some of them dropped to their knees.
Cassia stepped out from behind Arthur’s broad shoulder. Her silver eyes were wide, and a sudden, sharp laugh escaped her lips.
"Oh, that is beautiful," Cassia laughed loudly. The sound echoed in the tense plaza. "You sued the cops. You actually sued the fvcking cops."
Vane just stared. His massive broadsword hung limply at his side. He had spent his entire life fighting street thugs and pirates with pure physical force. He had never seen a battle won with a damage report before.
"Ignorance of the law does not void the penalty," the Prime Auditor buzzed. The grey glass entity slowly raised its right hand. "Your assets are seized to cover the debt."
"Wait! We yield! We will pay the fine!" the lead Enforcer begged. He dropped his plasma rifle entirely and held up both hands.
"You do not possess the required capital," the Auditor replied. "Commencing liquidation."
A wave of absolute erasure washed over the Enforcers.
It wasn’t a spell. It wasn’t a blast of fire or a surge of kinetic energy. It was pure, unadulterated deletion. freewebnovel.cσ๓
The moment the invisible wave touched the lead Enforcer, his white starlight armor simply ceased to exist. His physical body did not bleed. He did not scream. He just dissolved into fine, grey ash instantly.
The wave rolled through the remaining forty nine guards.
"No! Please!"
"Creator save us!"
Their panicked screams were cut short. One by one, the elite soldiers of the Celestial Court were unwritten from reality. Their weapons, their armor, their very flesh turned into grey dust that fell softly onto the cracked marble of the plaza.
In less than three seconds, the fifty High Enforcers were completely gone.
