Free Web NovelChapter 99: [99] The Settlement, Shattering the Badge
"You prolong the inevitable," the Auditor buzzed. "Your stamina is failing. Your debt remains. I will pass judgment now."
The Auditor raised the gravity gavel high into the air. The weapon hummed with a terrifying, pitch-black energy. The air around the construct warped and pulled inward. It was preparing a massive, unavoidable area-of-effect strike.
Arthur stood twenty feet away. He was panting heavily. His muscles were burning, and his suit was torn.
He didn’t run. He didn’t try to dodge. He gripped the Ebonheart Sword with both hands.
"Let’s settle the account," Arthur whispered.
He stepped directly into the strike zone.
"Judgment!" the Prime Auditor roared.
The massive black gravity gavel came down. It didn’t just target a specific spot on the floor; it targeted the entire immediate area around Arthur. A crushing wave of absolute, unyielding conceptual weight dropped from the sky.
Arthur’s system interface flashed a violent, blinding red.
[Ding!]
[WARNING: Unavoidable Conceptual Strike Detected.]
[Calculating survival parameters...]
[Recommendation: Sacrifice left shoulder to preserve vital organs.]
Arthur gritted his teeth. He didn’t brace his entire body. He twisted his torso hard to the right, completely exposing his left side to the descending blow.
"CRACK!"
The edge of the gravity wave slammed into his left shoulder. The sound of his own bones shattering echoed loudly in his ears.
"GAAAAH!" Arthur screamed. frёewebnoѵēl.com
The pain was blinding. His collarbone snapped, and his shoulder was instantly dislocated and crushed under the impossible weight. His left arm went entirely numb, hanging limply at his side like a broken doll’s limb.
But he didn’t fall.
The sheer momentum of the glancing blow didn’t push him away; it violently propelled him forward. He used the kinetic force of the Auditor’s own attack to slide directly inside the entity’s guard.
He was inches away from the faceless grey glass.
The Auditor froze, its mechanical logic struggling to process the move. Mortals retreated from pain. Mortals did not sacrifice their own limbs just to get closer.
Arthur looked up into the blank face of the deity. His pitch-black eyes were filled with raw, terrifying human grit.
"You missed the heart, suit," Arthur snarled, blood dripping from his chin.
He gripped the Ebonheart Sword tightly in his good right hand. He didn’t aim for the entity’s face. He didn’t aim for the neck. His dark eyes locked onto the center of the Auditor’s chest.
Resting right over the entity’s core was a glowing, golden crest. It was a physical manifestation of the Omniversal Law. The ’Badge of Authority’.
It was the source of the Auditor’s power to judge and execute.
Arthur swung the heavy pitch-black blade in a short, brutal, upward thrust. He put every single ounce of his remaining physical strength into his right arm.
"SHAAAAANK!"
The blade didn’t cut flesh. It slammed directly into the golden crest.
For a fraction of a second, the heavy metal of the sword strained against the absolute law of the universe. Arthur’s right arm shook violently, the muscles screaming in protest.
Then, the corporate logic broke.
"SQUELCH!"
The glowing Badge of Authority shattered into a million tiny, golden pieces. The fragments exploded outward, raining down on the marble floor like useless confetti.
"ERROR!" the Prime Auditor shrieked.
The entity’s calm, mechanical voice dissolved into high-pitched, panicked static. The heavy gravity gavel dropped from its hand, instantly dissolving into grey dust before it even hit the floor.
The Auditor stumbled backward. Its grey glass body flickered erratically. Without the Badge of Authority, it was no longer connected to the foundational laws of the Omniverse. It was no longer a judge. It was just a broken machine.
The towering construct fell to its knees. Its arms slumped lifelessly to its sides. It was completely, utterly powerless.
Arthur stood over the defeated God. He was breathing in heavy, ragged gasps. His left arm hung uselessly, completely shattered. His dark suit was ruined, covered in dust and his own blood.
But he had won.
The entire colossal amphitheater fell dead silent. Millions of deities, nobles, and officials stared down at the arena floor in absolute, mind-breaking shock.
A mortal man, stripped of his magical powers and system multipliers, had just physically beaten the highest authority in the universe in a fistfight.
Cassia lowered her stun pistols. A massive, genuine smile broke across her face. "Holy shit. He actually did it."
Vane slowly lowered his broadsword, shaking his head in pure disbelief. "The crazy bastard actually did it."
Arthur didn’t celebrate. He didn’t cheer. He stood up straight, ignoring the agonizing pain in his shoulder, and slowly turned his head.
He looked up at the two remaining Prime Auditors standing frozen on their podiums high above the arena.
The massive holographic projection of Eternity Holdings’ stolen ledgers was still floating in the air, glowing brightly for everyone to see. The undeniable proof of their corruption, right alongside the broken body of their leader.
"I believe," Arthur yelled up at them, his voice echoing in the dead silence of the stadium, "that concludes the defense’s case."
The two remaining Auditors didn’t speak. They didn’t summon more guards. They just stared down at him, completely trapped by their own rules.
Arthur offered them a cold, bloody, corporate smirk.
"Are we ready to negotiate a settlement?"
[Ding!]
The system interface in Arthur’s mind suddenly flared to life. The dull, restricted copper text vanished, replaced by a brilliant, beautiful blue.
[Trial by Combat Won. Host has successfully defended against the Audit.]
[Legal claim verified. Hostile corruption exposed.]
[Reward Distributed: Absolute Debt Forgiveness.]
Arthur watched as the massive negative number hovering in his vision rapidly ticked down to zero. He felt the heavy, suffocating restrictions on his soul instantly lift. His core warmed as his absolute power returned.
The CEO was back at his business.
The massive holographic projection of the stolen Eternity Holdings ledger hovered in the dead center of the Apex Tribunal. It cast a bright, glaring blue light over the millions of terrified deities in the stands.
