Chapter 86: Guntraus
2023-10-23 Author: Rowing Without Oars 233
The starry sky.
The vast, endless starry sky. Its boundless darkness was dotted with a myriad of stars, radiating an alluring and mysterious light.
Knowledge, whether it be the secrets of the universe or the wisdom of civilization, was considered a priceless treasure. From the moment of his birth on Wisdom Core Star, Brainiac was destined to never escape the curse of curiosity. He was obsessed with discovering countless truths and powers in the ocean of knowledge, vowing to conquer every inch of the vast domain and explore every unknown corner. That grand stage woven from endless darkness and starlight—that was his true target, the very reason for his existence.
Space, Knowledge, Conquest.
"One day, the entire universe will be collected and archived. Brainiac will become the end point of all civilization," Brainiac declared, his head held high with pride. "A mere Earth will be nothing more than the most inconspicuous piece among my myriad collections."
His goal was grand, his ambition immense, and his words were spoken with resounding force, befitting the style of a cosmic overlord.
If only the one speaking wasn't just this miserable-looking robot head, the only part of him left.
Yes, that's right. All that remained of Brainiac now was his head, which Orin Vale was holding in his hand.
"For just a head, you sure are dramatic," Orin Vale said.
At this moment, his mobile armor had also flown up from the surface. Although remnants of Old Bu's steel legion remained on the ground, Superman and Supergirl were more than capable of controlling the situation.
And now, Orin Vale was going to take control of this spaceship.
The mobile armor landed beside Orin Vale. Its palm opened, and two cables shot out, plugging into the head that was all that was left of Brainiac.
Brainiac snorted. "Trying to enter my body? Not so easy. My security protocol..."
Before he could finish, his tone changed abruptly.
"...What are you doing? Get out of me!"
However, in the next instant, he calmed down and gave up the struggle.
"...Do as you please. My link with my true form has been severed. All you can get is the data within this body shell."
With his body blown to bits leaving only a head, the severe hardware damage also compromised his resistance to the intrusion. Even if he wanted to resist, he was powerless to do so.
But his mentality was surprisingly good. It was just like the old saying, "Life is like being targeted by an obsessed stalker; if you can't resist, you might as well learn to enjoy it." In any case, after Old Bu realized he couldn't drive out the intruder, he simply severed the link and resigned himself to his fate, adopting a posture that said, "If you're going to do it, do it quickly."
There wasn't much valuable information left in the body shell after it was disconnected from the true form. Orin Vale used it to smoothly take control of the spaceship, then scanned a noteworthy term from its mind.
"What is 'Guntraus'?"
"It is a program that has already been activated," Brainiac's synthesized mechanical voice stated coldly. "A vanguard sentinel that is only deployed when the threat level reaches a certain value. A destroyer that will sweep away any resistance on the planet's surface."
After a pause, the head's mechanical eye glanced towards the porthole.
"It's too late. 'Guntraus' has already descended... No one can stop it."
Orin Vale followed his gaze through the porthole and immediately saw it.
Like a meteor, it broke through the atmospheric resistance, the flame generated by friction dancing and swirling around it. Upon this stage of flame, a myriad of lights intertwined into a magnificent tapestry. At the center of the blazing inferno, the unknown alloy glowed red-hot like a soldering iron under the force of air friction. Tongues of flame licked at its metal shell, its leading edge like a burning blade. Its incandescent tail flame, like a shooting star, formed a bright trail of light.
BOOM!!!
An earth-shattering crash. Although the object in the fire had deliberately slowed before landing, the impact from its exaggerated weight still tore apart the streets of Metropolis. A violent vibration spread like an earthquake; buildings collapsed, and roads shattered. Countless bits of gravel and sparks flew everywhere, forming a searing chaos. The whistling shockwave threw the streetlights and cars along the street into the air, only for them to fall heavily back to the ground, pulled by gravity.
A meteor-like crater blasted open in the center of Metropolis. Flame erupted from the crater, licking at the solid metal in its center.
A black, spherical object, as massive as a building, occupied the center of the burning crater.
The next moment, indentations on the sphere began to unfold. It was as if it were a structure of flowing black liquid, a liquid that solidified into metal in a mere instant. Smooth curves were segmented, and the spherical surface split apart, revealing the sharp metal parts hidden beneath.
The parts unfolded. Multiple mechanical arm-like devices extended, the metal letting out a sharp roar as it cut through the air. Strange gears and mechanical structures were revealed bit by bit, like a mechanical legion performing an unknown symphony.
A huge torso rose from within, like the awakening of an ancient beast. The surrounding metal plates interlocked, as intricate and tough as a spider's web. The metal parts fitted together perfectly, its black body standing tall between heaven and earth. Over a hundred meters in height, it stood amidst the burning city, its streamlined contours and powerful curves resembling a majestic industrial statue.
But it did not bring civilization; it brought destruction.
"'Guntraus-749,' target reached. Mission initiated."
A cold light glinted in the machine's eyes.
"Mission objective... Destruction."
In an instant, its arms, chest, and shoulders all emitted a brilliant light.
Like countless points of starlight streaking through the city blocks, a splendid radiance illuminated everything.
What followed was explosion, after explosion, after explosion.
Lasers tore through rebar and concrete; skyscrapers were reduced to fragments and firelight. The shockwaves of the explosions and the roar of collapsing buildings drowned out the screams. The crumbling, trembling earth was like it was being trampled by the steps of a giant dragon. The artillery fire from the alien technology was like a devastating downpour.
Two red-and-blue afterimages flew in from a distance, piercing through the curtain of thick smoke and blazing flame as they charged forward.
Superman and Supergirl.
Guntraus immediately noticed their presence. After all, the two of them were clearly the number one—or perhaps even the only—threat to it in Metropolis right now.
It raised its arm. Mechanisms all over the thick limb sprang open, revealing more than a dozen types of weapons at once, which extended like metal tentacles.
A magnificently dazzling curtain of light, a dense rain of energy bolts, and warheads spewing orange-red flame swept towards the two, blotting out the sky.
Superman and Supergirl dodged to the left and right. The two afterimages weaved through the screen-filling, light-polluting bombardment like butterflies flitting through flowers, all while rapidly trying to close the distance.
However, it is said that Superman has zero evasion, let alone two rookies who had just debuted and hadn't even mastered flying yet. Superman flew head-on into a pulse blast, and Kara took a rocket warhead to the head. Two splendid fireworks bloomed in mid-air, and then the two afterimages were sent flying back the way they came.
"Just as I said."
Brainiac's head said in a calm tone.
"It's too late. Once Guntraus is activated, it will not stop. Destruction is inevitable."
*CRACK.*
That was the sound of its head being crushed in Orin Vale's palm. He threw the lump of scrap metal, which was sparking with electricity and broken circuitry, to the ground.
"Do you need help, sir?" Pal asked.
"No need. You control this ship."
The light around Orin Vale's entire body flared.
"Someone just gave me a full charge. I happen to need some exercise to digest it."
(end of chapter)
Can you guys join my Discord? I'll soon be announcing my website there. I'll upload 10 chapters daily instead of 5, and on the opening day I'll upload 15–25 chapters depending on the novel. The Discord link is on my profile.