Chapter 64: O-Rank Combat Record 『Cyber Emperor Colossus』 (Part 2)
Chapter 64: O-Rank Combat Record 『Cyber Emperor Colossus』 (Part 2)
"Red!"
Hearing Blue’s shout, I leaped toward Colossus.
Black held The Enemy in place with a gravity field.
Yellow provided long-range support with the lightning field cannon.
Our most effective attack was a thermal shock strike, utilizing Blue’s cooler and my Flame Sword.
Both my Flame Sword and Blue’s cooler were powerful weapons on their own, but together, they became something far more devastating—especially since our opponents were primarily precision machinery.
“43 615 612 64.”
As if sensing the danger, Colossus hid its frozen right arm behind its back and thrust its left arm toward me.
Was it trying to parry the Flame Sword?
It didn't matter.
Screeeech.
My Flame Sword collided with Colossus’s bronze skin.
The overwhelming heat of the blade caused Colossus’s arm to seethe, the surface beginning to liquefy.
I can't cut through?
As if to prove it was the leader of every enemy we had fought so far, its arm remained attached even after taking the Flame Sword head-on.
The bronze surface melted, and blue circuits flickered momentarily, but that was all.
However, it didn't matter.
We had faced this situation countless times while dealing with the Four Heavenly Kings.
"Blue!"
Before I could even finish his name, Blue lunged from behind me, brandishing his cooler.
He unleashed a blast of blue mist toward Colossus’s molten arm.
The order didn't matter.
Whether I attacked first and Blue followed, or vice versa.
The only thing that mattered was the resulting temperature differential.
Crrrk. Creak. Screeeech.
The ominous sound of twisting metal echoed.
Splash.
Colossus’s left arm fell into The Sea.
“57 68 79?”
The voice betrayed no hint of panic.
Colossus stared at us with a face devoid of emotion.
No, it wasn't just emotion. It wasn't even being proactive.
It didn't attack aggressively; it merely acted as if it were brushing off persistent insects.
It was active when defending, but even that seemed like a mere instinct for self-preservation.
"How’s Green?"
"It’s dangerous."
A quick glance at his face confirmed he was reaching his limit.
He had cast aside his helmet, as if even its weight was too much to bear.
His hair was matted with sweat, and his skin was as pale as the ocean.
A darkness reminiscent of the murky sea we stood upon.
While Yellow and Blue stepped forward to keep Colossus occupied, I approached Green, who was being supported by Black.
"Can you hold on? This is the last one."
"Red! Right now, Green is..."
Thud.
With his one remaining arm, Green pushed Black away.
He equipped a green shield on that arm and struggled to his feet.
"What... do you take... me for?"
"...Understood."
He was burning the last of his life's embers.
I looked around at the countless pillars of water erupting from The Sea.
At the fleet of Colossus being held back by the other Awakened.
"We’re going with Formation G. Get ready."
"You plan... to work me... to the bone... until the very end...?"
"It’s the fastest way."
"I suppose... it is..."
I looked up and saw Colossus in the distance, its last remaining arm now shattered.
The opportunity had arrived at the exact right moment.
The chance to end everything.
I entered the code into the brace mounted on my wrist.
"Formation G. Execute."
"Formation G! Executing!"
"Exe...cute..."
Our voices overlapped. Yellow and Blue, who had been clashing with Colossus, rushed back toward us.
The moment the five of us took our positions.
Clank.
Whirrrrrrr.
A massive gear suddenly appeared in the sky.
It began to rotate.
Clank. Clank.
Parts continuously manifested around the gear hanging in mid-air, and its rotation speed increased.
As the mechanical whirring reached its peak—
Thud.
A massive weight settled onto our shoulders.
A cannon composed of gears, looking nothing like a conventional weapon.
"Urgh..."
"Green! Don't strain yourself! Your wounds will reopen!"
"Shut up... Black. This is... my technique."
"Let him do what he wants."
"Red!"
"You... know him... Leader..."
The Sentai’s Ultimate Technique, which gathered the strength of four and concentrated it into one.
And G stood for...
"Plug-in!"
"Plug... in!"
Whirrr. Clank.
A socket appeared in front of each of us to dock our weapons.
"Insert!"
Perhaps because it was the end, even Green squeezed out the last of his strength to shout the name of the technique.
The artillery, now loaded with everyone's weapons, began to gather energy.
"Charge!"
I began the charging process.
"Control!"
Blue took over the control systems.
"Aim!"
Yellow locked onto the target.
"Condense!"
Black stabilized the energy.
Now. the end.
"Fire! Superconducting Decomposition Field!"
Green pulled the trigger.
From the very back.
Taking a stance to absorb all the recoil, bearing the entire burden.
Because this technique was centered around his decomposition field shield.
“47 72 65 65 614?”
A pillar of green light erupted toward Colossus.
It stood there, staring at the light as if it didn't understand what was happening to its body until the very last second.
Crr-crack.
With the sound of matter shattering, the armless Colossus collided with the green energy field.
The world behind Colossus, where the decomposition field struck, began to fracture.
That wasn't a mistake; it was a safeguard for any potential follow-up.
Please. Let it end with this.
Whirrrrrrrr.
The gears spun even faster, and the width of the decomposition field spewing from the cannon grew larger.
Simultaneously, the recoil of the artillery became more violent.
Please... let it end before Green dies. Please.
Please.
Splash.
But the world was cruel.
Splash. Splash.
I heard the sound of water.
Splash. Splash. Splash.
The sound of Colossus taking steps across The Sea.
Splash.
The sound of it walking toward us even as its body was being unmade by the direct hit of the decomposition field.
"Power... up."
"Green, stop..."
"The initiative... is mine..."
Green pulled the trigger again.
I couldn't look back.
The moment this formation broke, Colossus would be upon us.
Click.
The sound of the trigger told me he had increased the power.
Snap. Crrr-crack.
Did it work?
In the wake of the darker, thicker green decomposition field, Colossus’s body finally began to disintegrate.
Splash.
Colossus’s forward footsteps turned into the sound of it being pushed back.
“414 65 78 74.”
Colossus’s final Death Throes.
As that sound echoed, the green decomposition field pierced through Colossus and surged onward.
It became a single beam of light, illuminating the dark seawater.
"Is it... over?"
Everyone, myself included, swallowed hard and stared at the spot where Colossus had been.
Nothing remained.
Yet, just as I was staring blankly into the air, unable to process that it was truly over—
Plunge. Plunge.
The massive sound of water reached our ears.
The sound of ships sinking.
The sound of the numerous battleships Colossus had raised returning to the bottom of The Sea.
"We won..."
"It’s over! It’s finally over!"
The team began to cheer.
I also ran toward the comrade at the very back with a smile on my face.
"Green! We won—"
He was dead.
Blood leaked from his eyes and mouth, yet his expression was bright.
No breath in, no breath out.
I couldn't feel a heartbeat.
We had won through Green’s sacrifice.
"..."
While the others surrounded Green in silence, the other Awakened approached us.
"...Is Green dead?"
"..."
"I see."
Their expressions were equally somber.
Out of the nearly twenty Awakened who had been with us, only about ten remained.
And most of them were severely injured or on the verge of collapse.
Even Lee Ha-ram had lost an arm and had it tied off with his clothes.
"Let's go back. We have to bury Green."
Someone spoke up.
To celebrate survival, to send off the dead.
And to congratulate everyone on escaping this nightmare.
【For machines harbor a soul】
Splash.
I heard the sound of water.
Everyone turned their heads toward the source.
It was small. The size of a human head.
A copper sphere.
Vrrrrm.
Blue lines began to etch themselves onto the copper sphere.
It wasn't over yet.
Our enemies were divided into two Type S.
Those who were annihilated by an Ultimate Technique.
And those who, while enduring the Ultimate Technique, simultaneously unleashed their true forms.
It seemed Colossus was the latter.
"Machine Sentai! Combine!"
"Combine!"
The voices rang out, missing one person.
It was fine.
It wasn't the first time we had combined with one or two members missing due to enemy interference.
The other Awakened, realizing the situation, quickly began to clear the battlefield.
They knew they would only be a hindrance in this state.
Crr-cr-crack.
Boom!
The space that had been shattered by the impact of the decomposition field exploded.
From beyond the opened sub-space, our final weapons came rushing forth.
Fighter: X-Lumber
Super-Heavy Tank: X-Azul
Railway Gun: X-Breed
Strategic Satellite: X-Plav
Submarine: X-Atra
"Ready!"
Our four voices overlapped, and we were teleported into our respective cockpits.
Flash.
The lights flickered on in the dark interior. I sat in the pilot's seat and steadied my breathing.
Stay calm.
I settled my mind and slowly gripped the controls.
I couldn't afford a mistake during the combination.
This was the final stand, with everything on the line.
Through the canopy spread above the cockpit, various sights came into view.
The numerous battleships didn't just resurface; they began to float into the air under Colossus’s guidance.
The green train and blue tank raced across the water.
The yellow satellite fell from the sky and began to transform into a humanoid shape.
The black submarine sailed in from the distance.
A flood of information poured from the visor on my head.
From the words "Combining in Progress" to the remaining energy levels.
The Enemy’s estimated energy.
Countless warning messages flashed by.
Among the red warnings, one sentence caught my eye.
A sentence that repeated over and over.
X-Breed – No Pilot.
...Right.
I pushed the controls forward with all my might.
With all my heart.
X-Lumber, its nose pointed downward, began a rapid descent.
It wasn't enough.
If I didn't get the timing right...
I pulled the throttle to increase output.
A slight margin of error didn't matter. I had to be as fast as possible.
A warning that I was going too fast appeared on the visor, but now was not the time to heed it.
A massive structure appeared in my field of vision.
Crunch. Boom.
Crr-crunch.
The battleships that had begun to float around Colossus.
They charged toward the center and began to clump together.
Colliding, bending, breaking, and distorting, they slowly began to form a gargantuan shape.
The final form of Cyber Emperor Colossus.
A giant of Scrap Metal made from countless tons of steel.
Only the waist had been formed so far, but soon it would complete its colossal figure.
I had to finish the combination before he revealed his true self.
"I can do it!"
I heard Blue’s scolding, but it was fine.
I could do it. I had performed this combination countless times. There was no room for failure.
As I descended rapidly, a giant robot appeared before my eyes.
A robot with black armor over a yellow humanoid frame.
Blue metal parts, disassembled and floating, rotated around it.
Thud. Thud.
With a burst of intense steam, parts of the blue armor attached to the robot's back.
Clank.
Perhaps because I was so close, the sound was deafening.
The sound of the couplers of the black armor and blue armor locking onto each other firmly. A sound I had never heard before, because I had never been this close at this timing.
Now it was my turn.
I pulled back hard on the controls.
The nose caught the headwind and soared upward, and my body was slammed back by the G-force.
The blood rushed from my head due to the sudden change in velocity.
An ensuing blackout.
For a moment, my vision went pitch black.
A voice calling for me.
It was fine.
I hadn't been the leader of this Sentai for years just for show.
Even if I couldn't see, I knew exactly where everything was.
I pulled the lever in my left hand toward me. The output weakened.
I nudged the controls with my right hand, and the nose began to stand perpendicular.
I felt the craft tilt left from the headwind.
I stepped on the floor pedals. Balance restored.
Screeeech.
I heard X-Lumber’s wheels scraping against X-Azul.
A familiar metallic sound.
Proceeding with the rest of the process.
Clank.
Fuel nozzle connected.
Pshhhhh.
Hydraulic cylinders released.
Clank. Clank.
Couplers engaged.
Thud.
The impact of the couplers locking together vibrated through my body.
Thanks to that, my vision returned.
Was it a courtesy to let me handle the final process while conscious?
I pushed the lever forward.
Maximum output.
Whirrrrr.
As the engine roared to life, my seat began to slide.
Toward my comrades, into the cockpit of the colossus.
"Red, you reckless bastarrrrrd!"
Yellow’s cursing greeted me as I arrived in the cockpit.
"It’s a miracle it worked! What were you going to do if you died?!"
There was no way I’d fail... but saying that would be pointless.
I quietly watched The Enemy.
Colossus had now formed up to its chest.
"The combination?"
"Only X-Breed is left."
"Right."
The final part, X-Breed.
Since there was no pilot, it would have to proceed with an automated combination.
It was slow, but the automated system shouldn't make a mistake.
Beep. Beep.
As if mocking that thought, the cockpit filled with warning chimes.
Truly... the worst day ever.
Along with the red warning lights, a message appeared on the screen.
A message stating that X-Breed could not combine.
"Why?"
"...It seems additional manual input is required because we're over The Sea."
Blue was the first to grasp the situation. As always, he had checked the logs immediately.
Additional manual input.
But Green is already gone.
"Is there another way? Like me going there to operate it..."
"There is no such function. We either break the combination and fight, or we proceed knowing the automated docking will fail."
"..."
Everyone fell silent.
At the final moment, Green’s absence was holding us back.
It was my fault.
If only I hadn't looked away for a second.
Just as I was about to spiral into despair and self-loathing—
"To hell with it, let's just try to combine."
"Yeah. We'll make it work somehow."
Yellow and Black broke the silence.
"During the first combination, they babbled about a 1.4% success rate, and we still pulled it off."
"The screen says 4.5% right now. Those are pretty good odds."
They smiled and turned toward me.
"So stop moping and look up, Leader."
"Do it like you always do."
"..."
"Executing automated docking."
Blue tapped the keyboard, and the final combination began.
Colossus was only a head away from its full descent.
The railway gun X-Breed split in half and began to make contact as the legs.
Perhaps because it had been racing across The Sea, X-Breed looked rough, spewing out seawater from its internals.
"Connecting."
Only Blue’s voice flowed through the cockpit.
Thud. Tang.
Combination failed.
The insertion of the connection point between the legs and X-Breed failed.
"Again!"
Thud.
Combination failed.
The coupler failed to lock, and the leg slipped off.
"Again!"
Another failure.
Colossus began to move.
A giant steel god standing upon The Sea.
Clad in rusted iron.
Exposing hideous protrusions.
A massive, lumbering abomination.
Screeeeeeeeech.
Every time Colossus moved, a hideous metallic screech echoed in the cockpit.
An unpleasant sound caused by metal scraping against metal, the result of haphazardly clumped iron.
How many failures had it been?
"Again..."
Even I no longer believed in success.
Crr-creak.
Colossus swung its fist. It was slow, given its size, but we had no way to block it.
It was the end.
Just as I thought that—
【What the hell are you lot doing with your heads buried in the cockpit?】
Clank. Thud.
With a final impact sound, the red warning lights illuminating the cockpit vanished.
Whirrrrrrrrrr.
The robot's engines began to roar.
The sound of five engines resonating, amplifying their energy.
Everyone, myself included, turned toward the empty seat.
Green was sitting there.
He was transparent, but he was there.
【Let's go.】
Was it Otherworldly Power?
What did it matter if it was?
Green had returned, and the final combination was complete.
So, let's begin.
"Machine King! Ex Machina!"
Our final act.
