"Code Degradation," Everett repeated. He liked the sound of those words. "Yes," Ignis nodded. "A weapon that does not just cut the meat. A weapon that tears the raw code of the target. Every time you hit Valerius with this weapon, it will not just take away ten HP. It will permanently reduce his Maximum HP. It will inject exhaustion directly into his digital muscles. It will make his Level 999 body feel as heavy as lead. We will make the god tired. And when he is tired, he will fall."Everett stared at the ugly block of raw black iron on the floor. "Can you make this weapon?" Everett asked. Ignis let out a harsh, dry laugh. He held up his wrinkled, shaking human hands. "I am an old, mortal man, Everett," Ignis said softly. "I do not have the magic fire anymore. I cannot melt this deep-core iron by myself. I cannot lift the heavy hammer fast enough. If I try to forge this blade alone, my heart will stop before morning."Ignis looked directly into Everett’s green eyes. "But if you he

Ignis turned around and walked over to Everett, who was sitting in the dirt, catching his breath. The old man held the heavy black sword out. "Take it, Everett," Ignis commanded gently. "Take the God-Bane."Everett reached out with his left hand. He grabbed the handle. As soon as his fingers touched the leather, he felt a strange, cold, heavy connection to the weapon. It felt like a piece of his own soul was trapped inside the dark metal. It felt perfectly balanced. He slowly pushed himself up to his feet. He held the massive greatsword at his side. "What is its name?" Everett asked quietly, his voice hoarse from the smoke. "The Null-Edge," Ignis answered. "It does not kill the flesh. It kills the math. Every time you strike Valerius with this blade, you will tear away a piece of his maximum health. You will force him to feel the heavy exhaustion of a mortal man. You will make the god bleed his own code."Everett looked at the jagged, brutal black blade. He strapped the massive

The hot desert sun beat down on the red dirt. Everett’s pale, artificial right hand was inside the massive, terrible mouth of the Sand-Drake. The monster bit down hard on the gray, plastic flesh. Its sharp teeth pierced the fake skin, but Everett did not feel any pain. The arm was just a tool. The monster paused for a tiny microsecond. It was confused because the arm did not bleed red blood. That microsecond was all Everett needed. Because the monster’s mouth was stuck on his dead hand, its head was perfectly still. Everett gripped the heavy, leather-wrapped handle of the Null-Edge with his strong, scarred left hand. He swung the massive black greatsword in a brutal, flat arc. The jagged, shark-like teeth of the black iron blade slammed into the side of the monster’s thick neck. The sound was horrible. It sounded like a giant tearing a thick phone book in half. The Null-Edge did not just cut the monster’s flesh. It cut the monster’s code. The gray stone scales instantly turned

On the global broadcast, the entire world gasped in horror. Everett’s blue HP bar flashed bright red. [HP: 60 / 100]One single punch. One punch that was blocked by a heavy iron sword. And it had taken forty percent of his total health. "Everett!" Lyra screamed at the computer screen in the bunker. She covered her eyes. She could not watch. "Get up, brother," Silas whispered, clenching his fists. "Get up."In the throne room, Valerius laughed. It was a deep, rumbling, joyful laugh. "Did you feel that, little man?" Valerius asked, walking slowly toward the broken pillar. "I barely touched you. I have crushed armies. I have broken continents. You are nothing but fragile glass."Everett pushed his left hand against the floor. His whole body screamed in agony. Suddenly, a new, bright red System box popped up in Everett’s vision. The entire world saw it on the stream. [SYSTEM UPDATE: MORTAL WOUNDS MECHANIC ENGAGED.][DEBUFF APPLIED: BROKEN RIBS.][EFFECT: STAMINA REGENERATION REDUCE

The giant, heavy bronze fist of Valerius came down. It moved faster than a cannonball. It was aimed perfectly at Everett’s head. If the fist hit, Everett’s skull would crack like a fragile egg. The 10 Health Points he had left would instantly drop to zero. It would be a permanent, final death. The entire world was watching on the live broadcast. Millions of people held their breath. But Everett was already moving. He was pinned to the floor by the giant's heavy boot. His left wrist was broken. His ribs were crushed. But his pale, gray, artificial right hand was free. A second ago, he had commanded his brain to close his fake right hand. He knew the delay. “One, Mississippi.”His pale hand was resting on the broken stone floor. The floor was covered in sharp pieces of shattered marble, thick gray dust, and his own dried blood. Exactly as the giant’s fist rushed toward his face, the one-second delay ended. Everett’s pale fingers violently snapped shut. He grabbed a handful of the