Just as Zhou Yi and the others thought the dust had settled and were about to step forward to exchange pleasantries, disaster struck!
Amidst a piercing alarm, the cockpit of the disabled Tyrant Model III was forcefully ejected into the sky!
It wasn't a traditional escape pod.
In mid-air, with a grating screech of metal, it transformed into a three-meter-tall, four-legged spider-like mechanical construct!
Heavily armored, its eight sharp mechanical legs spread wide, propelling it with astonishing speed—utterly disproportionate to its size—as it scrambled frantically toward the shadows of a distant street!
"Oh? Trying to shed your golden cicada shell?"
Lin Qingyue finally lifted her gaze, her pale pink pupils glinting with the appreciation one might have for an amusing new toy.
"Too bad. The shell may be gold, but the cicada is still just a cicada."
No commands were needed.
Their unspoken understanding had long since become combat instinct.
Xia Lian's figure blurred, leaving an afterimage as her Dark Night Starwhisper instantly switched to rapid-fire mode.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
A volley of silent arrows flew from the bowstring, each one striking the rapidly moving mechanical joints of the Spider Escape Pod with pinpoint accuracy!
The mechanical spider's movements abruptly froze, becoming stiff and erratic, as if its legs were entangled by countless invisible threads.
At the same moment, Su Wan tapped her staff on the ground. Her red lips parted, and she uttered a single, icy word.
"Freeze."
Instantly, a mirror-smooth sheet of ice spread across the stone path in front of the Spider Escape Pod.
The high-speed mechanical spider stepped onto it and immediately performed a spectacular eight-legged split!
Its heavy body spun completely out of control, whirling like a top before slamming violently into the wall of a nearby building!
BOOM!
Brick and stone flew!
Now!
"HRAAGH!"
Lin Xiyue let out a battle cry simmering with suppressed fury.
In the instant the escape pod spun out of control, she spotted its power engine, briefly exposed by the rotation—a perfect bullseye for a charge.
She took a deep breath and, in a voice only she could hear, bid farewell to her old partner.
"Immovable Mountain, you've worked hard. This is our last job."
No technique, no fancy tricks.
Just the purest, most primal shield charge!
All her strength, all her rage, and all the heartache for her soon-to-be-retired old friend poured into this single collision!
In that moment, woman and shield became one, transforming into a divine semi-truck of judgment, ready to obliterate all demons and monsters!
DOOOOM—!!!
With a thunderous, bone-jarring impact, the shield smashed directly into the Spider Escape Pod's power engine.
The ear-piercing shriek of tearing metal and exploding components mingled as the sturdy engine casing was completely smashed, caved in, and shattered. Countless electric sparks erupted wildly.
The entire escape pod tumbled and crashed to the ground, twitched twice, and then fell completely silent.
But at the same time...
Crack...
A crisp, faint cracking sound—not loud, but it reached Lin Xiyue's ears with perfect clarity.
She looked down.
The Immovable Mountain, the shield that had been her companion for months, the shield that had just perfectly blocked the Tyrant Model III's thunderous strike, now had cracks spreading across its entire surface from the extreme impact.
Finally, the shield disintegrated into several pieces of varying sizes, lost all its luster, and slid from her arm.
Clang.
The fragments hit the ground with a dull, ugly thud.
Lin Xiyue stared blankly at the wreckage on the ground, silent for a full three seconds.
Then, she stomped her foot violently, and the hard stone pavement cracked under the force.
"You bastard! Do you have any idea how much it protected me?!"
Her fury finally erupted in a raw, visceral outburst.
She spun around, lunged toward the smoking escape pod, and kicked open the deformed hatch.
Inside, there was no trace of the young noble's composure.
Marcus and the fox-women were piled together in a twisted heap, like sardines in a violently shaken can.
Lin Xiyue grabbed Marcus from the top of the pile and tossed him to the ground like a sack of garbage.
Though his face was covered in soot and his clothes were in tatters, Marcus's inherent arrogance remained completely intact.
He struggled to his feet, pointed at Lin Xiyue, and shrieked, "You lowly commoner! How dare you lay a hand on me? I am a noble knighted by the Holy Court! My family—"
His answer was Lin Xiyue's fist, the size of a clay pot.
"Shut up! And pay for my shield!"
Thwack! Thwack!
Sometimes, a Paladin's fury is directly proportional to the repair bill.
She landed two swift, brutal punches—one to Marcus's left cheek, the other to his right eye.
Marcus's handsome face quickly swelled into a pig's head, and the rest of his threats were beaten back down his throat. The world instantly fell silent.
Adela tumbled out of the pod. Seeing the scene, she glanced at her own tail—a source of shame so profound she wished she were dead. The last glimmer of light in her eyes extinguished, leaving only endless despair.
"Junior... Junior Sister..."
Zhou Yi and his team finally arrived. Seeing the clean, decisive end to the battle and the noble childe's miserable state, the corner of Zhou Yi's mouth twitched uncontrollably.
He steeled himself and stepped forward to help restrain the fox-women, who had completely lost their will to fight.
"We received an urgent mission from the City Lord to help quell the rebellion. We didn't expect..."
...that you'd already finished.
Before he could finish, the heavy, rhythmic sound of marching footsteps echoed through the area.
A tall, imposing middle-aged Cat-man with black cat ears and a long, slender cat tail strode onto the scene, leading a squad of elite guards clad in exquisite armor.
His sharp gaze swept over the massive mech wreckage, paused briefly on Lin Qingyue's group with a slight nod of acknowledgment, and finally landed on Marcus, whose face was swollen into a pig's head.
"In the name of the City Lord of Blackrock Stronghold, I hereby formally arrest Marcus, the ringleader of this rebellion!"
Faced with Punk's declaration, Marcus—who had been dazed by the two punches just moments ago—became eerily calm.
Despite his swollen face, he showed no fear. Instead, a smile blending contempt and mockery spread across his lips as he stared defiantly at the City Lord.
"City Lord Punk, you've arrived so 'quickly,'" he said, deliberately emphasizing the word "quickly." Then, spreading his hands, he began his effortless "performance," exploiting a loophole in the [Truth] Rule.
"I admit, I happened to be at the Clock Tower, watching an interesting play."
"I also admit that I greatly admire the strong, such as these beautiful ladies."
"I even admit that I'm quite pleased to see you in this desperate, frantic state."
"But if you accuse me of inciting rebellion, I must say I don't know any of those rebels!"
Every word he spoke was "true," yet when combined, they completely absolved him of being the mastermind, painting him as an innocent bystander who just happened to be passing by.
City Lord Punk's face turned ashen, but he restrained himself.
"Marcus, the [Scales of Justice] in the City Lord's Mansion will render all wordplay useless. Before it, you can only speak the entire truth."
Lin Qingyue ignored this childish word game.
Her gaze shifted between the pile of mecha wreckage and Marcus.
The Holy Court... A Deity...
Compared to this posturing clown, she was far more interested in the two terms Marcus had mentioned earlier.
Was this a genuine faith system that truly existed in this Dungeon World, or... was it merely a disguise for the Dungeon Core hidden behind the scenes—the true enemy they were here to face?
Just as Punk's patience wore thin and he was about to order Marcus dragged away for interrogation using the City Lord's Mansion's special methods—
BOOM!!!!!!
An earth-shattering explosion suddenly erupted from the direction of the City Lord's Mansion!
Everyone looked up in horror.
In the city's center, a massive mushroom cloud of black smoke and fire billowed into the sky!
The ground beneath them groaned as a terrifying shockwave swept through, shaking the entire Blackrock Stronghold to its foundations!
At the sound of the explosion and the sight of the mushroom cloud, Marcus—who had been feigning composure and toying with the rules—instantly contorted his face.
He froze for a second.
Then, he burst into a fit of utterly deranged laughter.
"Haha... HAHAHAHAHAHA!"
He laughed and laughed until tears streamed down his face.
With eyes that looked down on an ant, he stared fixedly at the Cat-man City Lord, whose expression had drastically changed.
"Punk! You self-righteous, stupid cat! You think you've won? No! You've just stepped onto the stage I prepared for you!"
"Now, do you still have the chance to use your [Scales of Justice] to judge me?"
Under the rule of [Truth], he brazenly roared out the truth.
Because now, the truth had become a victory horn!
"The Clock Tower was a trap! The rebellion was a feint! And I... I was just the bait!"
Marcus spread his arms wide, as if embracing his masterpiece, and revealed the answer to everyone in a crazed, operatic tone.
"The tables have turned!"
"Now... the game truly begins!"