Every dimly glowing antigravity array and Gauss defense grid on the Dominion Throne went dark in an instant. The entire Throne Room fell into a deathly silence. Szarekh discovered that his indestructible mechanical body could no longer move at all, as though the physical laws around him had utterly abandoned him.
Liu Zhipeng looked at the rigid Silent King, who seemed to be bracing for a formidable foe, and a relaxed smile curled his lips.
He walked over to the wreckage of a destroyed Destroyer, nudged it with the toe of his shoe, and flipped the heavy metal carcass over before casually sitting on it like a chair.
"Relax, great Silent King."
Liu Zhipeng dusted off his hands and spoke as though they were simply chatting at home. His voice echoed through the cold metal hall, carrying a strange resonance that struck straight at the soul.
"That dream of yours, to regain flesh and blood and make amends for your past mistakes, is actually rather touching. Unfortunately, you chose the wrong beings to bargain with. The C'tan are hungry beasts that know nothing but devouring. They can't give you redemption."
Szarekh found that he had regained control of his vocal module. He stared fixedly at the human before him, who radiated something even he could not decipher. His synthesized voice was filled with extreme wariness.
"You... who exactly are you? Humans cannot possess the ability to alter the universe's fundamental constants at will. Even the Old Ones of ages past could not achieve anything on your level."
"Who I am doesn't matter. You can think of me as humanity's... failsafe. Or a 'god' who's fairly easy to talk to." Liu Zhipeng chuckled. "What matters is that I can give you what you want."
"A god?" Szarekh's electronic eyes flickered sharply.