Lin Qingyue was about to do something big.
In her teammates' ears, this sentence was automatically translated as: Hold on tight, something big is coming.
"In position!"
Lin Xiyue was the first to respond. The heavy mecha's giant shield slammed into the ground with a "thud," assuming a rock-solid defensive posture.
Su Wan and Xia Lian also stood ready, each on high alert.
They knew all too well that their captain's "big moves" were often accompanied by unimaginably extravagant visual effects and utterly unpredictable consequences.
The energy core in the Commander Mecha's chest glowed blindingly bright.
A smile curled at the corner of Lin Qingyue's mouth, carrying a hint of cynicism yet brimming with confidence.
She melded her understanding of the Holy Light, her insight into the Dungeon Rules, the lingering effects of the "revolutionary ideology" from the [Speech] skill she had just used, and the [Purification Art (Modified Ver.) Sage Mode] she had created earlier.
What she was about to unleash was no ordinary divine spell.
Instead, it was a brand new skill she "modified" on the fly, combining her class's unique traits with the current battlefield environment.
An ultimate anti-brainwashing divine spell, specifically designed to counter "brainwashing"!
She named it: [Liberation of Thought: Sage Mode Plus Edition].
"In the name of Order and Harmony, I proclaim..."
Lin Qingyue's voice, amplified through the Mecha's sound system, became a bell of judgment tolling throughout Winred City.
"Bathe in this Holy Light called 'Reason'!"
"Feel the tranquility of desireless calm! Experience the clarity that sees through all things!"
"Everyone, turn into a Sage!"
As the final word fell, a beam of light erupted from the top of her raised staff!
It was a dazzling, holy, and vast Holy Light.
But the color of this Holy Light was not white or gold, but rather... a rather improper cherry blossom pink.
The pink Holy Light, like the first rays of dawn, tore through the blood-red sky.
And like a gentle tide, centering on the Cathedral Plaza, it spread indiscriminately to every corner of the entire city.
Where the light passed, a miracle happened.
Or rather, the divine miracle was crudely terminated.
The soldiers, who had been kneeling on the ground, immersed in the "Mother Goddess's" embrace with faces full of ecstasy and happiness, saw their expressions freeze instantly.
The gentle, compassionate maternal whispers in their minds were choked off as if by an invisible hand, coming to an abrupt halt.
In its place was an absolute, extreme, and even somewhat cold calmness.
A soldier looked up blankly.
First, he looked at his own tear-stained hands, then at the giant Goddess in the sky, radiating infinite temptation.
One second ago, he still felt it was the most beautiful creation in the world, willing to sacrifice everything for it.
Now, under the forced blessing of this pink Holy Light's "Sage Mode," only one incredibly clear yet incredibly absurd thought remained in his mind.
"A giant collection of protein and fat held together by desire?"
"Bloated structure, leaking energy, the Core has obvious rule-based damage... weak, and in desperate need of nutrients."
He remembered how he had just been weeping and snotting over such a pile of filth.
A visceral nausea and the humiliation of being deceived surged straight to the crown of his head.
"Bleh..."
He retched.
"What... what was I doing just now?!"
Reason had returned.
And it was an absolute reason, completely unaffected by the Dungeon Rule [Echo of the Heart's Abyss]!
The rage of being deceived, toyed with, and treated as a power bank and food exploded like underground magma in everyone's hearts!
"We've been tricked!"
"This monster! He ate our comrades! He corrupted our faith! He destroyed our city!"
"Kill Him! Avenge our fallen brothers!"
Angry roars rose one after another.
The scene of peaceful "conversion" from just moments ago instantly transformed into a revenge rally denouncing the False God.
The soldiers picked up their weapons again, their bloodshot eyes burning with the fire of rational fury, fixed deadly on the Mother of Rebirth.
And the Evil God finally noticed this "betrayal" from the bottom.
He was like a skilled fisherman who had cast a vast, tempting net and was just about to bring in a full haul.
But now, the fish in the net had not only torn it apart themselves, but they had also pulled tridents from their own bellies, one by one, ready to fight the fisherman to the death!
The spiritual link between Him and His followers, built on desire and deception, was being severed and shattered in vast swathes by this unyieldingly bright pink Holy Light!
"Kreeeeee!!!"
The Mother of Rebirth let out a shriek, completely different from before, filled with agony and rampaging fury!
This pain did not stem from the physical body, but from the bewilderment and panic of having Her "Divinity" deconstructed.
Losing the link of faith was far more fatal to Her than any physical damage.
It was as if the net had broken, the power cord was unplugged, and the server had been formatted!
Just then, at the edge of the plaza, Elena, the priestess who had been shrouded in Holy Light, shuddered violently.
She felt the fire of reason rekindling throughout the city, and the hatred and anger against the False God generated by countless people.
A sudden, divine epiphany surged into her heart.
She saw a path.
A path to take revenge, not only for herself, but for the city!
Trembling, Elena held the gear Emblem of the "God of Machinery and Creation" high in her hand.
The Emblem, which had grown dim and lusterless after the previous explosion, unexpectedly bloomed again with a faint blue light representing logic and order, after sensing the pure "rational" will of all the city's people!
"People of Winred!"
Elena roared with all her might, her voice, transmitted through the Mecha's amplified audio channel specially opened by Lin Qingyue, echoed throughout the city!
"Remember! Remember the glory of 'Order'!"
"Our faith is the precision of gears, the truth of levers, and the hands that create all things!"
"And now! A False God woven from desire and lies has stolen our Lord's legacy, defiled our city, and enslaved our spirits!"
She pointed to the Evil God in the sky, twisted with rage, her eyes burning with resolute fire.
"With logic as our spear! With reason as our shield!"
"Now, with your will, with your anger, against this thief, this liar..."
"Revenge!!!"
"Revenge!!!"
"Revenge!!!"
The response, like a mountain collapsing into the sea, echoed in every corner of the city.
Soldiers, artisans, merchants, scholars... all the citizens purified by the "Sage Mode" Holy Light, their wills, guided by Elena, converged into a single point.
This was no longer a chaotic, fanatical faith.
But an incomparably pure Conceptual Armament, built upon logic and fact, mixed with nostalgia for the Old God and hatred for the New God!
An invisible blade of logic, condensed from the will of the city's entire population, soared into the sky.
Its target was not the Mother of Rebirth's body.
Instead, it thrust straight into the depths of Her Divinity!
There lay the remnants of the "God of Machinery and Creation's" Divinity, which She had forcibly devoured and failed to fully digest!
Buzz---
The Mother of Rebirth's colossal body froze instantly.
She let out a cry of agonizing pain.
Because She felt the "food" within Her, which was nearly fully digested, begin to violently resist under the stimulation of this same-origin faith power!