Just sliding down from the first layer, a pungent smell of rust assaulted the senses.

  Snip—Snap—Crunch!

  The noise here was deafening. Countless gigantic scissors opened and closed automatically without any external force, emitting a tooth-aching sound of metal grinding against metal.

  Looking around, this place was simply a gigantic, abandoned metal processing plant. There was no soil on the ground, only a thick layer of rust and broken blades. With every step, the iron filings underfoot squeaked.

  "Watch your step!" Daoist Singularity activated a levitation spell, floating in mid-air. "Every pair of scissors here is tainted with ten thousand years of resentment. Once cut, the wound will bleed forever and never heal!"

  Slayer didn't float.

  He wore heavy combat boots, stepping directly onto those sharp blades.

  Snap.

  Several small scissors under his feet were snapped directly by his boots. For the Praetor Suit reinforced with Argent Energy, this level of sharpness posed no threat.

  But he soon encountered trouble.

  Ahead, a massive shadow blocked the path.

  It was a Cyber-Mancubus, standing a full four meters tall.

  But unlike the standard version, this one had clearly undergone a localized Underworld modification. Its right arm, originally a bio-cannon, was now forcibly welded with a giant hydraulic shear two meters long. The blades of the shear flashed with a dark red bloody light, wrapped in black chains of vengeful spirits.

  "ROAR!!!"

  The Cyber-Mancubus roared, swinging its right arm.

  Crunch!

  It casually snipped a solid iron pillar as thick as two people hugging. The hard iron pillar was cut cleanly like a noodle in front of the hydraulic shear. The cut was smooth as a mirror.

  Singularity sucked in a cold breath: "That's... the 'Scissors of Judgment'! A legendary artifact capable of severing the red threads of fate! And a demon mounted it on its arm?!"

  The Mancubus spotted Slayer.

  Its clumsy body suddenly burst with surprising speed, charging over while waving that giant shear capable of bisecting a tank.

  Slayer raised his Super Shotgun and fired a round at the Mancubus's chest.

  BANG!

  The pellets hit the Mancubus's heavy armor, sparks flying, but it only staggered back half a step. This thing's hide was too thick!

  In that momentary pause, the giant shear was already in front of him.

  Slayer could only raise the arm blade on his left arm to block.

  CLANG!!!

  The massive impact force plowed two deep trenches under Slayer's feet. The arm blade rubbed violently against the hydraulic shear, sparks cascading like a waterfall.

  Slayer felt the pressure. The biting force of that shear was astonishing, even causing his armor to groan under the strain.

  Can't tank this.

  Slayer's combat instincts instantly took over.

  He didn't retreat; instead, he stepped forward, using the height difference to dive into the Mancubus's bosom (blind spot).

  Because the shear was too long, it couldn't cut a target pressed against its body.

  Slayer pulled out the chainsaw from his back.

  Vrrrrm—!

  The chainsaw's violent roar instantly drowned out all the surrounding snipping sounds.

  Slayer didn't go for the Mancubus's thick chest armor. His target was clear—the connection shaft of the right arm.

  That was where machinery met flesh, and it was the weakest point.

  ZZZZZZZZZT!!!

  The chainsaw cut in. Black machine oil mixed with demon blood sprayed out wildly, drenching Slayer.

  The Mancubus let out a shrill scream, thrashing its body crazily.

  Slayer gripped its shoulder tightly, like a beast biting the throat of its prey, refusing to let go.

  Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

  Three seconds.

  Crack!

  With a loud noise of metal snapping, that massive mechanical arm equipped with the "Scissors of Judgment" was forcibly sawed off.

  Thud!

  The heavy mechanical arm smashed onto the ground, creating a large crater.

  The Mancubus without its weapon was like a tiger with its teeth pulled. Slayer didn't even bother using his gun anymore; he jumped up and smashed its chest power core with one punch.

  Battle over.

  Slayer shook the bloody oil off his chainsaw, his gaze falling on the severed Scissors of Judgment on the ground, which was still twitching slightly.

  He walked over and lifted this heavy object weighing several hundred pounds with one hand.

  He tried pressing the hydraulic switch on it.

  Snap!

  The scissors closed, snipping the air with a sonic boom.

  Slayer's lips curled up slightly (though invisible).

  He turned and tossed this giant shear to Singularity floating in the air.

  "Whoa!" Singularity hurriedly caught it with telekinesis. "Big Hero, this is a murder weapon! The resentment on it is too heavy; mortals will go mad just touching it!"

  Slayer pointed to the deep gouge on his own pauldron.

  The meaning was clear: Fix. Use this to fix.

  Singularity understood.

  "You want to... Merge?" Singularity's eyes lit up. "Brilliant! The material of these Scissors of Judgment is 'Hell Black Gold,' extremely hard. If we can smelt it into your armor..."

  Singularity immediately landed, pulled a set of miniature array flags from his backpack, circled them, and set up a temporary "Samadhi True Fire Refining Array."

  "Heaven and Earth as the Furnace! Melt for me!"

  Singularity threw the resentment-filled giant shear into the center of the array. Blue flames rose—Daoist fire specifically meant to counter evil.

  Hiss... wail...

  The vengeful spirits inside the scissors screamed and dissipated as black smoke. What remained was only the purest dark red liquid metal.

  Singularity's fingers danced, carving golden defensive runes onto the liquid metal:

  [Sturdy]

  [Thorns]

  [Demon-Breaking]

  Ten minutes later.

  Two pauldron inserts emitting a dark red flowing light took shape.

  Slayer took the inserts and snapped them onto his shoulder armor.

  Click.

  In that instant, his shoulders seemed to catch fire. The originally silver-gray pauldrons turned dark red, with scissor-like patterns faintly emerging on them.

  Slayer turned sideways and slammed his shoulder into a nearby iron pillar.

  Crunch!

  The iron pillar wasn't bent; it was cut directly by the sharp qi that erupted from the pauldron in that instant.

  [Equipment Upgrade: Shoulder of Judgment.]

  [Effect: Dashing/Ramming deals cutting damage.]

  Slayer nodded in satisfaction.

  Now, he wasn't just a human tank; he was a human cutting machine.

  Singularity wiped his sweat and unceremoniously stuffed the remaining metal scrap on the ground into his gunny sack.

  "This scissor steel is good stuff." Singularity weighed the sack. "I'll take it back to upgrade Black and White Impermanence's gear. Their Mourning Sticks should be retired; replacing them with Mourning Scissors would be great—one snip, and the evil ghost is cut in two."

  Slayer ignored Singularity's muttering.

  He walked to the center of the hall, looking at the tightly closed door leading to the Third Layer, and the complex combination lock on it.

  He touched the fully recharged BFG on his back.

  "Next chapter, elevators are too slow. Slayer decides to teach the Underworld what 'Vertical Efficiency' means."