When one develops enough interest in machinery to the point of obsession, combined with significant talent, a certain name will inevitably surface in their mind.
Its name is "The Broken God."
Perhaps "The Broken God" was not its original name but rather a reflection of its current state.
In an infinite number of worlds and an endless multiverse, there exists a metaphysical, transcendent entity.
It is the sum of machinery, knowledge, order, and reason; a great being.
But for some unknown reason, it was shattered and completely fell.
For such a metaphysical existence, the concept of death may not truly apply—after all, death itself is merely another conceptual existence.
Yet, in a way that humans can understand, it died.
Its body shattered into countless fragments, each carrying a portion of its authority, and fell into different worlds.
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Her name was Joyce Denise—though that wasn't particularly important.
Denise was originally a mechanical engineering professor at Oxford University, possessing exceptional talent and an obsession with the study of machinery.
One day, during her research, she seemed to receive a divine revelation.
The concept of The Broken God flooded into her mind.
At that moment, Denise became a devout follower of The Broken God.
Later, within the academic community, she gradually discovered others who had also received guidance from The Broken God. She was eventually led to join the Church of The Broken God.
At first, it was merely an academic organization.
Until someone discovered an object.
It was a small brass furnace containing a black steel pen inside.
This brass furnace had an odd shape, resembling a beating heart, and it continuously attracted surrounding metallic objects.
Any metal drawn toward the furnace would be assimilated and become part of it.
Upon discovering this artifact, the followers of The Broken God's church became ecstatic.
Denise, like the others, believed that this was a part of The Broken God; specifically, its heart (SCP-882).
If they had found the heart of God, then surely, the other body parts of The Broken God must also exist in this world.
Thus, the followers of The Broken God began searching for other divine remains.
However, they found nothing.
Until a certain group appeared.
They called themselves the "Church of the Second Hytoth" (Chaotic Splitters). They claimed that the reason The Broken God's church could not locate the other divine remains was because a terrifying, authoritarian organization stood in their way.
This organization, known as The Foundation,
Did not permit the masses to know of the Great Being.
They kept the people ignorant and enslaved them.
And the remaining parts of The Broken God were in The Foundation's control.
With the help of the Chaotic Splitters, the Church of The Broken God eventually obtained other artifacts, including:
-The Mechanization Virus (SCP-217) – The Blood of God
-The Broken Tongue (SCP-1139) – The Language of God
-Parts of MR. Brass (SCP-629) – The Muscles of God
-Along with His/Her Broken Heart (SCP-882)
The followers of The Broken God transported these anomalous artifacts to another world, one free of The Foundation's influence.
There, they assembled the pieces together in an attempt to restore their deity.
The Church of The Broken God called this event "Ascension."
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In the heart of La Paz, within the "Unclean Land," a massive mechanical entity had been assembled.
And it seemed to have truly come to life.
Denise described it as follows:
"You don't need to speak with it—just approaching the mechanical entity will flood your mind with images and concepts, the true words of God!"
"Knowledge is generously bestowed upon all believers, knowledge that humanity could never have grasped on its own. Ah, to hear the Way in the morning and die content in the evening!"
However, a closer analysis of Denise's words revealed that these images and concepts were, in reality, meaningless.
They couldn't be classified as knowledge, for they did nothing to advance technology or scientific progress, they were merely images and concepts, nothing more.
And soon, things spiraled beyond the control of the Church of the Broken God.
The assembled mechanical entity—001—
It grew stronger by the day, devouring every metal object in its surroundings and assimilating them into itself.
It was insatiable, so much so that it even consumed its own place of origin.
The devout believers of the church, naturally, could not reason with the god they worshipped.
As a result, some of them were devoured by their own deity, becoming a part of it.
Unfortunately, the Church of the Broken God was not like the cult of the Scarlet King, they could not perceive this event as an ultimate honor or celebrate it.
Some within the church might have desired to join the so-called glorious evolution, but even they would rather receive the gift of divine blood than become a mere fragment of their god.
This was the information Haruto extracted from Denise's memories.
He let out a sigh.
Haruto found it somewhat ironic.
The Church of the Broken God was composed of highly educated intellectuals.
They naturally understood how to evade conventional surveillance, carefully concealing their secret religious organization.
The Broken God only existed within their shared knowledge, it had never been uploaded onto the internet.
Thus, the Foundation had failed to detect this anomalous cult.
And then, some opportunists had taken advantage of the situation.
But… the Chaotic Splitters?
What exactly were they?
Now, however, was not the time to dwell on such questions.
Mechanical Entity 001 had begun its journey.
It had consumed vast quantities of material, shaping its own body.
It resembled a vertical pod, akin to a human spine and ribcage—somewhat like an incomplete form of Susanoo.
It charged toward the mountains of La Paz, shattering them upon impact.
Slow and cumbersome, yet utterly unstoppable.
The mechanical entity did not crawl like a beast or walk like a human.
It advanced through the synchronized turning of millions of gears, moving like a prehistoric mechanical serpent.
At its core, flames burned and danced, resembling the very furnace of Hell.
As it passed through a village, it extended a mechanical limb, scooping up the entire settlement and stuffing it into its maw.
After consuming the village, the entity let out a deafening roar.
Not the grinding of gears, nor the roar of machinery—
But a sound that resonated directly within the minds of all who heard it.
You could hear its voice inside your head, it was screaming!
If left unchecked, the entire Unclean Land would be reduced to its food and fuel.
Even the so-called "Unclean Ones" were nothing more than obstacles to be crushed beneath its advance.
Though they could regenerate, it was futile.
Haruto turned his gaze toward the entity.
Through his Mystic Eyes of Death Perception, its lines of death remained shattered. Clearly, this was not the Broken God.
The Broken God had yet to be restored.
Haruto considered that pure energy-based attacks might not be sufficient to dismantle Mechanical Entity 001.
Its body was simply too massive, and the metals it had assimilated had altered their fundamental properties.
Perhaps tearing it apart with spatial power would be effective—
But the spatial energy in his Divine Authority of the Gods was somewhat lacking.
"Reversing the timeline, then? Maybe sending the world back to before the mechanical entity was assembled?"
Haruto contemplated this but ultimately shook his head.
In the end, he opted for the most straightforward solution.
He would take it apart with his bare hands.
A crimson, blood-like radiance enveloped Haruto's hand.
The crimson glow coiled around his fingertips, flowing endlessly like a tangible, liquid stream.
This was a power Haruto had only recently acquired.
Plunder.
It was, by far, the most complete divine authority he currently possessed.
The nature of Plunder was simple.
It was about taking.
Taking everything.
That was all.
Haruto planned to dig straight into the mechanical entity's chest with his bare hands—
Until he could rip out the Heart of God (SCP-882).
Just as Haruto was about to act—
The gray-white fog in the sky suddenly dispersed with a resounding roar.
For the first time in a long while, sunlight streamed down from above, illuminating the land of La Paz with a dazzling brilliance.
Haruto paused, his gaze shifting upward.
And then, the corners of his mouth curled into a smirk.
What a coincidence.
It was him.
"He" descended slowly from the sky, stepping upon the clouds, radiating divine brilliance.
To an uninformed observer, "he" might have truly seemed like a god.
But in Haruto's eyes—
"He" was nothing more than a filthy, pathetic cosplayer.
Bathed in sunlight, shrouded by clouds and holy radiance, "he" looked down upon Mechanical Entity 001 with obvious displeasure.
"God does not permit the existence of such filthy creations."
"He" spoke, and with a wave of his hand, a massive volume of gray-white liquid cascaded from the sky, crashing down around the mechanical entity.
That should be the high-purity Tears of God, as mentioned in the records.
Haruto crossed his arms, watching with interest.
The high-purity Tears of God splashed against the mechanical entity.
In the next instant, large amounts of white, turbid, swelling substances erupted from its body.
These substances seemed to be attempting to consume Mechanical Entity 001.
But clearly, they weren't strong enough to devour it entirely.
Dozens of Unclean Ones rushed in, joining the attack against Mechanical Entity 001.
And yet, in the very next moment—
The mechanical entity roared back to life.
Cumbersome, yet unstoppable.
Anything in its path was reduced to dust.