Colossus's Shocking Debut
When Colossus Mark 1 first appeared in the live broadcast, no one could react in time.
It wasn't a mass-produced model but a one-of-a-kind prototype, packed with the pinnacle of performance—including a monatomic gold reactor borrowed from an airship. No human eye could possibly track its speed.
"……."
That's why, when viewers saw the robot slip between Director Masterhand and the camera, their first emotion was sheer bewilderment.
As the people staring at their screens bickered, the footage of the director and Colossus began to shift.
A low rumble like an engine grew louder, and Colossus loomed larger in the frame. To be precise, the camera was zooming in on it.
Colossus Mark 1: Test Operation Commenced.
The screen, once dominated by Director Masterhand's presence, now featured a new subject turning its glowing eyes toward the viewers. A robot with an unrealistically sleek design straight out of fiction, exuding raw power.
Crowdfunding site streamers and home shopping channel watchers were utterly captivated by its majestic form filling the screen. What had started palm-sized now looked like a mythic titan.
This seamless transition came from blending standard footage with close-up shots from macro 3D cameras used for insect documentaries. Eyes once fixed on the director naturally shifted to Colossus.
The protagonist switch. A flawless baton pass.
Macro cameras and Nanoi micro-drone cams captured Colossus in striking poses from every angle, drums pounding as the shots faded to black in sequence. Its overwhelming aesthetic beauty and meticulously calculated framing made it command the air without moving.
"As you can see, Colossus isn't that big. I'm a dwarf calling it small, so you can trust me. See? Just a bit larger than my palm."
The director's voice floated in from off-screen. The "little giant of film," Masterhand, paired perfectly with Nanoi's guardian robot.
The camera zoomed out, framing both Colossus and Masterhand. The robot hovered, fist-bumping the director, then lifted objects larger than itself—undeniable proof it wasn't CGI.
"A one-off machine built solely for victory against cosmic monsters, ignoring cost-performance."
"With a skilled pilot at the controls, it'll unleash unimaginable power."
Vwooom!
As the director finished, swarms of pest-control drones lifted from the ground. Equipped with lasers for exterminating interdimensional cosmic monsters, these were the ultimate weapons of sanitation firms.
Viewers familiar from news clips immediately sensed something off.
As doubts peaked, the camera pivoted—left from the director and Colossus, toward the tent's interior.
"That's…."
Inside the tent stood a sealed metal door, humming faintly with hazy distortion around it. Not mounted on a wall—just an entrance standing in empty space.
Roooar…
"You're probably wondering what this is. Some of you know, but it's a portable Dimensional Gate rented from the Dimensional Credit Vault."
Dimensional Gate.
Hearing that, especially Kikiwai residents, shot to their feet.
A Dimensional Gate in a Colossus demo meant one thing: cosmic monsters as opponents. Preparing one linked Kikiwai to Dimension 0.1—risking an invasion.
Kikiwai locals' rage was justified. But Masterhand had anticipated it.
"As you suspect, this door connects to Dimension 0.1's space—the battlefield for our Colossus units."
He spoke calmly, like soothing a child, to the viewers beyond the lens.
"Kikiwai folks, no need to worry. Cosmic monsters can't cross over."
As he spoke, the gate creaked open—not wide for humans, but enough for monsters or Colossus.
Kikiwai residents watching on TVs, computers, and phones grabbed stowed firearms, loading them with grim resolve to shoot any monster on sight.
Beyond the gate, cosmic monsters drifting Dimension 0.1's solar system turned red eyes toward the camera. Yet the director and crew stood firm, less than ten meters away.
Kieee!
Dozens of monsters rocketed toward Dimension 6-2. Mosquito-sized but gleaming metallic and murderous—no one could stay calm.
But.
"Then, boss, she's all yours."
Zing!
Afro-sized pest drones around Colossus and the director fired lasers in unison.
Fwoosh!
The monsters incinerated to ash mid-air. The drones packed proportional lethality.
But some slipped through, diving at the director.
Monatomic Gold Reactor Output: 40%
Plasma Bayonet: Bayonet Mounted.
Whoosh!
A streak of light—Colossus—flashed between director and monsters.
Slash!
Golden radiance slashed the air; halved monster corpses plummeted. The thruster trail lingered as luminous art. Prototype prowess plus pilot skill.
The severed bodies dissolved into light particles. A majestic scene silencing viewers' screams, curses, and fears moments ago.
"……."
Seizing the awed silence, master storyteller Masterhand guided them.
"As I said, Colossus is Nanoi's guardian born to save them from crisis."
"We want to show you what a giant machine built to hunt monsters can do."
Viewers finally got it. The "test operation" wasn't flips or firepower demos.
Men harbor fantasies of super sci-fi weapons from subculture—super robots or realistic mechs. But real wars mean human deaths; fantasies stay hidden.
Yet fighting guilt-free monsters? Saving a dimension? Who wouldn't watch that robot's back?
The feed switched. Viewers, young and old, peered through Colossus's eyes at the gate's cosmic vista.
Optical zoom revealed planets. A tiny blue star twinkled amid dark matter, monsters swarming.
Awe at the mysterious world of tiny intelligences. Fear and anger at the threatening monsters.
Nanoi's solar system mirrored theirs—fragile stars that could shatter anytime. If it were home?
Could they face death stoically for unseen dimensionals, sealing the gate?
"No way."
Viewers admitted it: they'd ignored facts for self-preservation. Survival instinct undeniable. No more trusting paid Nanoi actors claiming readiness to die.
As empathy surged with theories, a small popup appeared.
Ding.
A clean-cut handsome man, muscular yet composed confidence radiating subtly.
Hello, viewers. I'm Afro, pilot of Colossus Mark 1.
Afro, in streetwear, debuted before viewers, practicing his formal "yo" ending.
Female home shopping viewers sighed incomprehensibly. Afro's undeniable handsomeness, honed from soldier edges, now glowed with heroic aura—star potential unlocked.
"Pretty, right? That star. That's my home, Nanoi."
Masculine voice avoiding neutral vibes, eyes brimming with pilot's pathos for home.
"My family, friends, loved ones tremble sleepless there."
"But lies spread—we're ready to die, they say."
Afro's rehearsed lines pricked consciences of those swayed by false Nanoi suicide propaganda supporting politicians' bombs.
Some viewers averted eyes in shame.
"I've never given up survival. No matter what… we'll fight till victory."
"That's what Colossus is for."
Nanoi won't perish quietly. Simple, potent words spread dimension-wide.
Afro smiled warmly at the cockpit cam, then amped up energetically.
"Alright! Enough gloom! Time to demo Colossus Mark 1 in real combat!"
"Viewers across dimensions! If you're watching Ace Pilot Afro, hit subscribe, like, notifications! Join the crowdfunding!!"
"Forte Store users, call in!!"
Brief streamer vibe, then gripped controls, projecting brainwaves. Colossus charged the gate at full throttle.
Forward cam's cosmic view interleaved with drone third-person footage.
But as Colossus crossed…
Crackle. Zzt-zzt.
Signal degraded entering 0.1 space, noise flooding screens.
As unease grew, signals cut. Unrelated footage hijacked the feed.
The politicians' paid Nanoi actor propaganda.
Communications severed by persistent signal jammer. A cosmic monster dove at motionless Colossus, jaws poised to impale.
Critical crisis.
But Colossus didn't evade.
BOOM!
Soundless explosion in vacuum.
"Afro!!!"
Kim Jian's anguished scream echoed across dimensions, even through the fake feed, witnessing Colossus Mark 1's "demise."