Chapter 223: The Man vs Iron
Petra-Lani stood on the chronicler's exclusive platform, watching the last ships cross the threshold. Two months had passed since the first vessel entered the space-time tunnel, and the spectacle's initial fever had cooled into something quieter, more profound.
She was overwhelmed. Tears streaked her face as she recorded everything, each departure, each flame trail cutting through the void. When the ceremony finally ended, she left a single sentence on her data pad:
"I witnessed the birth of the Eternal Master of Mankind with my own eyes."
Cybertron
Cybertron was a highly mechanized metal planet, the birthplace of the Cybertronian Civilization.
It had two moons, each half the size of Earth's Luna. Each moon possessed its own atmosphere with density and gravity comparable to Cybertron itself, connected to the planet by massive megastructures that formed a sprawling mechanical city-complex.
Cybertron had once been a colossal mechanical lifeform personally crafted by Primus, possessing its own will. But with Primus's defeat, Cybertron fell under the control of Unicron and was forced into a deep slumber.
Cybertron's original rulers, the Thirteen Primes, had been captured by Unicron's minions, the Quintessons. Their minds were twisted, their memories erased, and they became enslaved pawns.
Sentinel Prime had initially been just a subordinate of the Thirteen Primes. But in the final battle, he betrayed them. His treachery allowed the Quintessons to successfully defeat and capture the Thirteen, earning him great favor with his new master.
Thus, Sentinel Prime became ruler of the Cybertronian Civilization, while the Thirteen Primes—their memories erased, became his subordinates.
His last attack on the Imperium had nearly destroyed him. The combined might of the Primarchs had annihilated his forces, leaving him broken.
Unicron's fury was terrible. His reprimand made Sentinel Prime tremble, his form nearly disintegrating under the weight of his creator's wrath.
But Unicron gave him one more chance to redeem himself. He bestowed upon Sentinel Prime more dark power, weapons, and knowledge to deal with the Primarchs and the invading Human Empire.
Sentinel Prime returned to Cybertron and summoned the Thirteen Primes and many powerful Transformers. They would launch another great war against humanity.
This time, he brought many artifacts of the Cybertronian Civilization: the Star Saber, the Matrix of Leadership, the Creation Matrix, and the Key to Vector Sigma.
Each possessed terrifying power.
"This is the foundation of the Cybertronian Civilization since its birth," Sentinel Prime declared, wearing the Matrix of Leadership and wielding the Star Saber. His confidence had returned. "Let's see how you Outsiders will stop me now."
He would make those damned humans understand how terrifying he truly was.
The universe was vast and boundless, almost incomprehensibly expansive. The stars were separated by gulfs of emptiness that defied mortal comprehension. Only civilizations that mastered cutting-edge technology could ignore the dark, cold void and control the cosmos.
The Cybertronian Civilization was undoubtedly such a civilization.
For them, distance held little meaning. With wormhole technology, Transformers could travel anywhere in the universe at will.
Today, magnificent Stargates opened one after another.
Armed Transformers poured through the gates in an endless tide, rushing toward the battlefield with mechanical precision.
The momentum was grand and mighty, a river of steel that seemed to have no end.
Laser cannons and pulse cannons on their shoulders glowed with deadly light, fully charged. They carried combat swords or spears wreathed in crackling lightning.
This was a mighty army. Every Transformer was an elite, a veteran tempered by countless battles. Just standing there, they exuded an indescribable aura of killing intent.
Magnificent motherships accompanied them, any one hundreds of kilometers long, like small mobile iron planets. Their main cannons were exaggerated beyond belief, with diameters of tens of kilometers. The energy-supplying crystal matrices glowed like small suns atop towering peaks of machinery.
Any single shot could easily destroy a star.
The number of mechanical lifeforms was astonishing. Looking out across the void, there was no end in sight.
High-ranking Transformers advanced through the ranks to become commanders. Under their supervision, the entire army maintained perfect order and discipline.
Sentinel Prime was delighted with this force. With such might at his command, how could he not defeat those Outsider invaders?
"Kill them," he commanded. "Kill all those damned Outsiders."
When he spotted the void fortress built by the Human Empire, he waved his hand forward.
The army of mechanical lifeforms charged toward the star-sized fortress like tigers and wolves, a torrent of steel that shook the cosmos itself.
Warnings blared inside the void fortress. The garrison commander immediately issued orders for the Tech-Priests to activate defensive shields and engage self-defense protocols.
The fortress burst into activity. Garrison soldiers manned various weapons and opened fire on the approaching Transformers.
Dense, high-power lasers, annihilation missiles, anti-matter shells, and pulse waves poured out into the void. The space between fortress and fleet filled with destructive energies.
The first wave of Transformers charging forward was instantly destroyed. Their inherent AT fields were penetrated by overwhelming firepower. Massive mechanical bodies exploded and disintegrated in the fierce bombardment, turning into burning wreckage that tumbled through the void.
The Human garrison's resistance was tenacious. An Astartes squad equipped with second-generation gene-seed was stationed inside the fortress. Their presence caused heavy losses to Sentinel Prime's assault teams.
But the fortress was ultimately outnumbered and outmatched.
Facing a fully formed army of Transformers, even fighting with everything they had, they could not hold the line.
The shields were eventually penetrated. The fortress itself was pierced with several massive holes. Most of the garrison died at their posts. The few survivors were captured.
The captives were brought before Sentinel Prime and forced to kneel.
Sentinel Prime stood in his normal state, only about ten meters tall—but even so, he appeared as a giant to the human prisoners.
The lead captive was an Astartes, his limbs restrained by magnetic locks. His body was battered, covered in marks left by battle. His face, once regal and handsome, was now covered in blood. One hand had been severed, the wound charred black and cauterized. A desolate sight.
The miserable appearance of these captives brought pleasure to Sentinel Prime's twisted heart. This was how it should be. These damned Outsiders should kneel before him exactly like this.
"Your doomsday will arrive very soon." The Astartes coughed blood, struggling to raise his head and meet Sentinel Prime's gaze. "The wrath of the Master of Mankind has awoken, and you are destined to burn."
"You make me laugh, you pathetic creature." Sentinel Prime looked down at the captive with contempt. "Perhaps I shouldn't kill you. Perhaps I should let you witness how I destroy the empire you serve, and let you wail and scream in despair as everything you fight for turns to ash."
The Astartes coughed blood again. He tried to speak, but a laser blade released by a Transformer behind him pierced his lung. Pain twisted his features, but he only let out a few soft groans, refusing to scream.
Sentinel Prime could feel the hatred radiating from the warrior's heart. It was a delightful feeling. The more the enemy hated him, the more it proved he was doing the right thing.
"Let the army advance," Sentinel Prime ordered his personal guards. "We will destroy every fortress built by these Outsiders and drive them back to their filthy kennels."
"Do you hear the bells of death?" the Astartes captive rasped, his voice filled with pain and hatred. "They toll for you. The Imperium of Man is invincible. Humanity is invincible."
"Clown." Sentinel Prime lost patience. He drew the Star Saber and plunged it into the captive. The massive blade easily pierced through the Astartes warrior's body.
"You can kill me," the captive spat, acidic saliva sizzling on Sentinel Prime's metal surface, "but you cannot change your destined failure."
"You look truly disgusting." Sentinel Prime violently twisted the Star Saber, tearing the warrior's body apart. "Nothing can defeat me. Your empire will go to hell with you, but unfortunately, you won't be able to witness it firsthand."
The war between the Human Empire and the Cybertronian Civilization was faster and more intense than anyone expected.
Sentinel Prime had summoned many powerful Transformers, intending to repel the Human Empire's invasion in one fell swoop.
One fortress after another fell. The humans resisted with everything they had, but they were being pushed back.
"The Imperium is eternal! Mankind is eternal!"
A commander who had transformed into an Imperial Giant shouted the words even as death closed in. Around him floated shattered stone statues and burning metal wreckage. Millions of kilometers in every direction had been their battlefield.
But they had lost.
Even with an Ultraman body, it was difficult to withstand the furious bombardment and close-quarters assault of so many Transformers. The Transformers' bodies were no worse than Ultraman forms, their combat power was not inferior in any way, and in some areas, they were even stronger.
Even unleashing various beam skills, the Imperial Giants found it impossible to stop swarms of Transformers.
The final outcome was inevitable: being engulfed by the mechanical tide.
A bright sword light flashed through the void.
Sentinel Prime, wielding the Star Saber, attacked the commander. After several brutal exchanges, he ran the commander through with a single thrust.
The bright Ultraman body quickly lost its luster, reverting to a stone statue.
Sentinel Prime swung his sword again. The commander's head flew off, turning to stone as it tumbled into the depths of the void.
[End of Chapter]
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