Chapter 28
Chapter 28
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 28
Chapter Title: 8. Mecha God Chronicle - Third Apocalypse (1)
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📰 Breaking News Professor Hermione, who had been writing critical articles on Mecha God Chronicle, declares he will no longer pen any more criticism. 📰 Breaking News Professor Hermione: The creators of Mecha God Chronicle are artists on a level far beyond mere mortals like myself... I can only apologize for not realizing it sooner... 📰 Breaking News Mecha God Chronicle is an unparalleled masterpiece... Professor Hermione reveals plans to incorporate it into academy classes starting next year... 'Fuck.'
The next morning, I scowled at the headline plastered across the front page of the newspaper.
It stung deep in my chest.
Professor Hermione, who had been my greatest ally in dragging Mecha God Chronicle toward a trash-tier ending, had now flipped sides completely.
Was this how Liu Bei felt upon hearing of Guan Yu's death in Jing Province?
Or perhaps how Cao Cao felt, tears in his eyes, as he released the pigeons?
Either way, with my most trusted and powerful ally betraying me, my options were severely limited.
'Damn it... what the hell am I supposed to do now?'
If things kept going like this, public opinion might force me to wrap up Mecha God Chronicle as a clean, masterful story with perfect structure.
And then I'd end up as the emperor's personal slave, churning out anime for the rest of my miserable life.
How terrifying and horrifying was that prospect?
'Part of me wants to just kill off some more minor characters...'
Unfortunately, I couldn't arbitrarily kill off characters in Mecha God Chronicle.
After episode 17 aired, the emperor had called me aside and said this:
"Raguna, if possible, I'd appreciate it if you held back on killing off characters."
"...Pardon?"
"Haha, even though it was just a side character, seeing a pilot who devoted himself to humanity die so pointlessly... it pains my heart."
"Your Majesty... Luke's death was a necessary sacrifice for the story's progression..."
"That's why I haven't said a word to you about it, isn't it? But... if Saya or Eileen had died, I don't know what I might have done to you."
"..."
"I have no desire whatsoever to interfere with the story progression or ending of Mecha God Chronicle. All I'm asking is that you show a little mercy."
...Something along those lines had been exchanged.
'At least I got a firm promise from the emperor that he won't meddle with the ending...'
Still, losing the easy tool of killing characters to darken the mood was a bone-deep loss.
'At this rate, the path to an orange juice ending is drifting further away.'
All I wanted was that modest goal of wiping out humanity in the finale—why were there so many obstacles?
Sighing deeply, I realized it was time to deploy the trump card I'd been holding back.
'Right—he said to avoid killing characters if possible.'
But if I interpreted that a bit differently...
As long as I didn't kill characters, anything else should be fair game, right?
And with that, I completed episode 25 of Mecha God Chronicle, poised to plunge all viewers into shock and horror just like episode 17.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ After episode 17 of Mecha God Chronicle aired.
The already sky-high interest in the series exploded to unprecedented levels.
Because episode 17 had unfolded a shocking story no one could have imagined.
An Outer God absorbing a Mecha God, Unit 0 going berserk, and a fellow pilot's death to top it off.
The dopamine-blasting developments pulled even those who hadn't watched before to their TVs.
People complained of serious addictions to Mecha God Chronicle and glued themselves back to the screen.
But contrary to viewers' hopes for more dopamine highs, the story settled into a relatively subdued pace afterward.
On the surface, the storyline didn't deviate much from pre-episode 17.
Humanity still faced threats from Outer Gods, with new ones attacking relentlessly.
Pilots like Kai boarded their Mecha Gods to fight and ultimately triumphed.
Yet everyone could sense a profound shift in the atmosphere of Mecha God Chronicle.
"Doesn't the vibe feel kinda... down lately?"
"Like something big is about to go down soon."
Indeed.
Prior to that, despite the premise of humanity teetering on extinction due to Outer Gods, the tone hadn't been all that dark.
No—it was a bright, upbeat mecha show brimming with hope.
But starting with episode 17, where Luke died, the atmosphere flipped entirely.
"I boarded the Mecha God to save someone, but because of me, another person died. Is it really okay for someone like me to pilot a Mecha God...?"
The protagonist Kai wrestled with inner conflict over why he had to pilot, haunted by the trauma of killing Luke with his own hands.
"...Kai. I can't do anything for you while you're suffering like this. Seeing you sad makes me sad too, but no tears come from my eyes. Am I... really just a doll after all...?"
Saya watched Kai's torment in secret, her face clouded with melancholy.
"Mecha God, I have to board the Mecha God. I have to kill Outer Gods in place of that idiot. Only then... only then will others acknowledge me... That's the only value in my existence..."
Eileen showed severe obsessive tendencies toward repelling Outer Gods.
"Everything... is going according to my plan."
"Are you sure about this? The council elders might interfere with your scheme."
"Doesn't matter. That's within expectations. The real plan begins after all Outer Gods are exterminated..."
The supreme commander and his deputy were busy scheming in shadowy dialogues.
And crucially:
"What even is a Mecha God...? What makes Mecha Gods able to wound Outer Gods and kill them?"
"...Exactly what you know. An anti-Outer God weapon crafted by humanity—that's all a Mecha God is."
"...Don't bullshit me. Do you think I'm some brainless idiot? No weapon humanity's ever made has worked on Outer Gods. But Mecha Gods alone can kill them? Does that even make sense?"
"So what? Does doubting it change anything?"
"...What?"
"As your old friend, my advice: stop digging into the Mecha Gods' true nature. This is your final warning."
The friendship between Rinoa, the operations commander, and her brilliant scientist colleague Rachel fractured.
Viewers hooked on dopamine from Kai and the pilots smashing Outer Gods naturally felt bewildered.
"Sure, tying up loose ends is fine, but they could do it in the bright vibe like before. Why push the story in this depressing mood?"
"Well, the Illuminati being shady and Mecha Gods having secrets were breadcrumbs from episode 1. They had to address it eventually."
Opinions split among viewers just like that.
Then, the day of episode 25 arrived.
"Wonder if Rinoa will keep trying to uncover the Mecha Gods' secret today."
"It's been too gloomy lately—hope this one has some hot action."
As if answering their hopes, episode 25 of Mecha God Chronicle opened with an Outer God assaulting the base.
"This unique wavelength! It's an Outer God! Enemy Outer God detected ahead!"
"...The fifteenth Outer God, the Crawling Chaos. Known as Nyarlathotep."
"We mustn't underestimate it. According to the scriptures, the Crawling Chaos is among the mightiest Outer Gods. We'll need to go all out."
The supreme commander thus deployed Kai, Eileen, Saya, and Chloe simultaneously.
But.
"My God. The Outer God has layered fifteen dimensional barrier fields. Standard Mecha God attacks won't penetrate!"
"Unit 1, Unit 2—both Mecha Gods over 70% structural damage from the Outer God's attacks! Pilot signals lost!"
"...Unit 3, total silence. Destroyer readings vanished."
"What about Unit 0?"
"Unit 0 damage is still minor. But..."
The current Kai lacked his former spirit.
Since killing Luke himself, his sync rate with the Mecha God had steadily dropped, yielding zero results against Outer Gods.
No way could such a Kai slay the so-called strongest fifteenth Outer God.
In the end, Kai crumbled under the Outer God's overwhelming power.
However.
"Oh my God. The Outer God—it's absorbing a Mecha God again!"
"It's devouring Unit 1! The pilot's vitals are on the brink!"
Right before Kai's eyes, an Outer God was absorbing a Mecha God—just like before.
And inside it was Saya, who had learned to smile faintly after gaining humanity from Kai.
Watching that, Kai felt something snap inside him.
"...No."
Scenes from the day he killed Luke flashed before Kai's eyes.
"...Not that. Anything but that again. I don't want to feel that pain. So, Saya...!"
"Give her back!"
The next instant, Kai's eyes glowed red as Unit 0 unleashed a massive roar.
"GRRRRROOOOAAAR-!"
"Hell yeah, that's what I'm talking about!"
"Unit 0 going berserk in a crisis is basically expected now, right?"
Viewers watching assumed it was the usual Unit 0 rampage.
But.
"That's not a rampage...? That's... awakening...?"
This Unit 0 rampage was different from before.
Previous berserks had the pilot unconscious, the unit moving like a beast.
But now, Kai was fully conscious, piloting the rampaging Mecha God by his own will.
However, the recoil of consciously controlling the awakened Unit 0 left Kai far from normal.
"Pilot mental corruption levels have breached the negative threshold! It's too dangerous!"
"Stop, Kai! Push further and you won't retain human form!"
Rinoa and Rachel desperately tried to stop him, but Kai ignored them, thrusting his hand into the Outer God's heart.
And then.
"This time, I will save you. No matter what!"
Responding to Kai's iron will to rescue Saya, Unit 0 glowed, wings unfurling from its back—at that exact moment.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ A colossal pillar of light linking heaven and earth formed with a eerie hum—
KEeeeeEN-!
—and promptly annihilated everything it touched.
The pillar started the size of a mountain but soon swelled to engulf an entire range.
Awe-struck viewers blurted out without thinking.
"So, with this episode, Saya's locked in as the heroine of Mecha God Chronicle, right?"
"What bullshit? How's a dead girl the heroine?"
"Shut up! By the end of this episode, that debate should be settled!"
But defying expectations, the pillar expanded relentlessly, eventually swallowing the entire continent—
"...Huh?"
Moments later, viewers blinked at the screen in disbelief.
They simply couldn't accept what they'd just seen.
"Huh...? What the...?"
"The Earth... just got wiped out entirely?"