An endless swarm of Iron Soldiers surged forward to contain the Embracer of Night, though it showed no signs of faltering. Once again, it summoned its scythe, tearing through the ranks with savage delight. Yet, after scouring the battlefield and massacring countless soldiers, the lack of soul, of spirit in these constructs quickly bored it.
After cleaving a colossal Iron Soldier clean in two, it cast its gaze toward the Leviathan hovering above and leaped skyward. But just as it left the ground, a giant Iron Soldier seized it in a powerful grip. The Embracer looked back, surprised that this mere automaton could restrain it, before being unceremoniously hurled back to the earth.
The Iron Soldier's head rotated slightly on its shoulder, and the energy weapon on its arm transformed into a gravity generator. This newly devised weapon, first used by the Iron Soldiers, created a gravity field strong enough to crush even the heaviest shields. Its larger, more powerful model had now firmly pinned the Embracer into the ground. Attempts to disperse its own form proved futile, hindered by the blue dome enveloping the planet, which anchored matter in another dimension.
Qin Mo watched the Embracer's every response projected on the Superdimensional Canopy, then asked Mimic, "Do you think this is having any effect?"
"It is," Mimic nodded. "That fragment fed on stellar energy to strengthen itself, but it's still just a fragment—it will crumble under prolonged attacks of this magnitude." After a moment's reflection, Mimic continued, "Good fortune it's just a fragment. Were it a complete Star God, even trapping it here would take until the universe's very end."
"Then let's answer force with force." Qin Mo nodded, approving of Mimic's assessment. "If we were truly facing a complete Star God, the fight would have spanned an entire star sector, altering the laws of physics and igniting stars like fireworks."
"Complete Star Gods are rare. Only two exist within the galaxy," Mimic said.
This brought Qin Mo's thoughts to the Outsider—a full-fledged Star God who, after devouring one of its own, was deceived by the Spirit Race's Laughing God and now lay dormant, a lifeless sphere brooding in a distant galactic corner. Even the Swarm avoided it, keeping a cautious, wide berth.
Meanwhile, the Celestial Engine had finished recharging and returned to the planetary system. The Leviathan quickly recalled the Iron Soldier forces on the ground, making way for another round of particle lances capable of obliterating the planet.
As the beams rained down, dismantling the planetary crust, Qin Mo asked suddenly, "Should I use the Hypercube Labyrinth to contain it or simply consume it?"
"Are you looking to become as mad as it?" Mimic gestured at the fragment, struggling among the planet's shattered remnants.
"In that case, I'll keep it locked up as a battery." Qin Mo stood, rifling through a nearby cabinet until he unearthed a fist-sized sphere—a Hypercube Labyrinth, differing little from those used by the Deathless, though its surface bore an unusual red-and-white pattern, unlike his customary black.
"Transport us beside the Embracer," Qin Mo commanded the main intelligence.
Instantly, he and Mimic materialized in proximity to the fragmented being. The entire planet lay shattered by the Celestial Engine, its broken pieces drifting amidst intense electromagnetic interference. Between two such fragments floated the Embracer, its resistance still intact, though visibly weakened.
"Creator…" it seethed, glaring at Qin Mo. "You, of slave lineage, crafted god-slaying weapons—who else could be responsible?"
"Come down here yourself and face me, instead of hiding like the coward you are!"
"You're still alive? Remember me?"
"Free me from its grasp—you swore to me!"
Conflicting voices, each laden with varying emotions and intentions, echoed in Qin Mo's mind. Which of them, if any, was truly the Embracer?
With a touch of curiosity, he calmly raised the Hypercube Labyrinth. The sight sent the Embracer into a frenzy; it twisted and fled a kilometer away in an instant, but the distance between them remained fixed. Aware that Qin Mo had altered the space around them, it was helpless to escape the labyrinth's pull.
"We'll have plenty of time for answers once I've contained you." Qin Mo tossed the labyrinth toward it. With a sudden flash, the fragment was drawn inside, and the device displayed a projection reading, "Capture Successful."
"What's with the theatrics?" Mimic frowned. "It's just a fragment—once inside the labyrinth, it can't escape."
"Shows what you know." Qin Mo retrieved the Hypercube Labyrinth, watching it shimmer with satisfaction.
With the Embracer fragment now safely contained, Mimic could finally rest easy. Yet, recalling Qin Mo's earlier mention of an "important task," it now wondered what remained for it to do.
"What exactly did you mean by 'important task' earlier?" Mimic queried.
"Nothing, now." Qin Mo shook his head. "I'd prepared a range of plans to handle the fragment. The main plan, of course, is what we executed, but there were others…including one where you and I fought it directly. But none of that is necessary now."
Taking human form, Mimic exhaled a sigh of relief. "You're nothing if not cautious."
Qin Mo made no reply, teleporting himself and Mimic back to the Leviathan. Their mission complete, the Leviathan and the Celestial Engine set course to return.
Watching the Celestial Engine disappear into transport, Mimic asked suddenly, "Why build such a weapon in the first place?"
"Because I wanted to," Qin Mo answered simply.
In truth, the Celestial Engine had been crafted in anticipation of a conflict with the Tribunal over the Tyrone system—a campaign to subdue it as a den of heretics under Imperial decree. The Celestial Engine had been designed to counter the formidable Shanzhen-class dreadnought.
"This isn't even the full Celestial Engine," Qin Mo continued with sudden zeal. "A complete Celestial Engine consists of a planet, satellites, thousands of lance arrays, and an immense shield. It would be a mobile citadel brimming with forces."
"Many would be built, each forming a piece of a greater stellar battle network."
Listening to this, Mimic felt a growing sense that an arsenal on such a scale seemed excessive. Unless they ventured into the Eye of Terror, such a machine would likely only satisfy Qin Mo's boundless need to create.