Chapter 62 - Unyielding General Kneels to None - Part 11

Around the same time the battle in Metropolis commenced

The world engine descended onto a piece of land west of Australia. After lodging itself onto the land, it expanded and started operating, sending a ping to the mothership, waiting for the initiating pulse. The signal was picked up by the mothership's system AI in Metropolis, which then shot the initiating pulse. Soon, the ship fired an energy beam downwards, similar to an energy drill, passing through the mantle and moving towards the world engine. Upon receiving the initiating pulse, the world engine reacted and began the terraforming process. It locked onto the pulse and worked in tandem with the ship, slowly increasing Earth's mass and releasing particulates to modify the environment to suit the Kryptonians.

En route to the Indian Ocean on a mobile aircraft carrier base

Dr. Emil Hamilton, an analyst and scientist traveling with the team, reported to General Lane, "Our satellites are detecting activity on a land mass to the west of Australia."

Cyborg, who had been following the situation via a live satellite feed connection, nodded. "Yes, I'm seeing it too. There's a massive energy pulse oscillating between Metropolis and Australia. It appears to be manipulating gravity. If this continues unabated, they'll alter the very mass of our planet."

"But that's not all," Dr. Emil added, his voice shaky. "I'm detecting particulates being released by this 'world engine'. My God! If these readings are accurate, then the Kryptonian prisoner wasn't bluffing. If we don't intervene, there may be no 'us' left to worry about."

At this, General Lane grew quiet, his brow furrowing in deep thought. News of the battle unfolding in Metropolis had already reached him. They were still a significant distance from their destination, and all they could do was hope that their Indian and Australian allies would arrive in time. Realizing that they wouldn't make it in time, Lane had already used diplomatic channels to coordinate their allied forces to counteract the world engine. This was a global crisis, and such crises necessitated setting aside petty squabbles. Their allied forces were given the green light to make their moves by all nearby nations.

Elsewhere, Aquaman, fully aware of the dire situation, cast aside his differences with the Atlanteans. He sent an urgent request to Atlantis through Vulko and Mera. They needed every reinforcement they could muster. On receiving the news about the world engine, Mera and Vulko swung into immediate action. They managed to convince Nereus, Ricou, and the Brine King to lend their support. Covertly the Atlantean flagships of their respective kingdoms were deployed and were now en route to Australia under his charge accompanied by Vulko. Unfortunately, Mera couldn't join them as they needed to keep up appearances with Orm.

In the face of this threat, it didn't matter friend or foe, all united for the survival of their shared world.

Pluto

"Are you finally satisfied, Young Master?" Mother Empress asked, her voice carrying a simulated tone of helplessness. She looked at her young master who had initially set out to fix the buoy but ended up upgrading it into a mini relay station.

"Satisfied? Nah…Far from it," Orach retorted as he concluded his analysis of the readings from his recent set of tests. "But given our limited resources, this is the best we can hope for."

Mother Empress, in an attempt to placate her seemingly unsatisfied young master, complimented, "Young Master, you've managed to achieve an amplification factor of 49%! Considering the limited resources you have access to and your nascent understanding of this lower realm, it's a clear testament to your brilliance."

Orach grumbled, "That's only during harmonic convergence events. We were fortunate enough to notice these events occurring at such frequent intervals in this system. So, once a day, the signal will be amplified by 49%. But if you consider the normal operations, my modifications only boost the base signal by about 23%."

Mother Empress tried to reassure him, "Even if it was luck that we discovered the surprisingly frequent harmonic convergence events, not many would think about piggybacking off the wavelength. Plus, a 23% amplification is impressive given what you had to work with. Even the fabricator has its limits since this is an attack pod."

"I understand that," Orach admitted, "It just leaves a bad taste, that's all. On another note, did the sensors pick up anything unusual? A few days ago, I felt a little nauseous. At first I thought, it was the emergency rations that I had been having these days. However, now that I think about it, it felt different from a typical upset stomach caused by bad food. It's been a long time since I felt like that."

Mother Empress responded, "The sensors did detect a blip in the spacetime of the system. It's likely just a spacecraft utilizing primitive jump bridge technology. However, I did notice that for a brief moment, the core of the space law drive actuated on its own. It went quiet later, and my subsequent scans showed no changes. Based on your order to prioritize the current project, I planned to bring this to your attention once our work here was done."

Orach paused, deep in thought, "Actuating by itself? That shouldn't happen. We ran diagnostics on both the system and the shielding. Unless …" Suddenly, he asked hurriedly, "Mother Empress, check the logs and tell me the direction of the spin of the core at that moment."

Checking the records, Mother Empress exclaimed, "Huh! It actually ran in reverse! Young Master, what does this mean?"

Upon hearing that the core of the space law drive had actually run in reverse, Orach felt a surge of anger. Gritting his teeth, he said, "That explains the slight feeling of nausea. My body and God Ki were instinctively defending me. The shielding is intact, and the drive is functioning properly, and so are you since your main terminal is in the ship. It seems like some creature in this system at that moment, tampered with the most infuriating primordial law. TIME! But who would be foolish enough to mess with such laws?" Orach's tone was filled with annoyance.

"Young Master, the only intelligent creatures in this system we've noted so far, have been the humans. Young Master, I suggest we return immediately. Diana could also be affected," Mother Empress suggested, already transforming into her red God form, ready for action.

"That's what I'm worried about. If Diana doesn't remember me, I swear I'm going to go on a rampage and hunt down the one responsible," Orach declared, his eyes glinting with chilling killing intent.

With that, the Saiyan warrior quickly finished his work on the buoy and reentered the pod. Soon after, the pod activated its space law drive and embarked on its journey back to Earth. During the trip, Orach adjusted his position and closed his eyes, trying to sense Diana. Feeling her agitation through their link, he couldn't help but wonder what she was doing. Was she in a major battle? Had the enemy returned for revenge? Regardless, he opened his eyes and began monitoring signals as they neared Earth.

Site of the World Engine

The Australian army and navy had already arrived at the site, assessing the situation and potential strategies. However, the advanced technology was beyond their immediate comprehension. Consequently, the commanders, feeling they had no good options, decided to launch everything they had at it.

Sensing the incoming barrage, the world engine reacted swiftly. Its defense mechanism released tendrils that destroyed the missiles, leaving the observing soldiers distraught. Subsequently, other allied forces arrived and initiated their own responses, but each attempt failed.

Later, the Atlantean fleet, led by Aquaman, emerged from the ocean. The surface world forces were informed of their arrival, but the captains and commanders present were awestruck by the might of the legendary kingdom of Atlantis.

Following Aquaman's call to attack, the Atlantean fleet launched its own barrage of energy plasma cannons. The surface world forces, observing this display of power, realized the disparity between the Atlantean weaponry and their own. They recognized the need to take Atlantis seriously and committed to informing their leaders about their observations from this operation.

This time, the world engine's defense mechanism struggled against the Atlantean fleet's attack, as some of the tendrils were destroyed. However, it quickly regenerated new tendrils to replace the destroyed ones.

Everyone became frustrated with the situation. Unable to destroy the engine and forced to retreat due to growing particulate clouds, their spirits were low. Then, their radars detected a silhouette approaching at high speed. Aquaman heard Cyborg's voice on the Justice League communication frequency. Cyborg explained that he had left General Lane's group, knowing they wouldn't arrive on time, and was now approaching their airspace.

Soon, Cyborg arrived. He tried to approach the world engine to examine its technology, but its defense mechanism kept him at bay. With no other options, he landed on the deck of the Atlantean ship next to Aquaman. After their discussion, Cyborg decided to attack the engine. He anchored himself onto the ship's deck, and his right arm transformed into a long-range cannon, similar to the one he had previously attacked Orach with. This time, however, he had more control and could adjust the power. Although he couldn't amass as much energy as he had against Orach, he managed to charge a shot nearly as powerful as a nuclear explosion. After several minutes, he unleashed a massive energy blast at the world engine.

The world engine responded by transforming all its tentacles into a shield to block the energy blast. Despite its efforts, the defense mechanism struggled, and its shield shattered. The energy blast managed to breach the shield and hit the main body of the engine. Unfortunately, the shot ended before it could cause significant damage. It only slightly damaged the exterior and nudged the main body.

Upon witnessing the success of breaching the engine's defenses, the forces requested Cyborg to fire again. However, Cyborg informed them that it would take considerable time to gather enough energy for another shot. Realizing they couldn't rely on such firepower for a while, they used the opening created by Cyborg and launched their own attacks. With the defense significantly weakened, their attacks managed to hit the main body, but unfortunately, did minimal damage.

Of all the forces, only the Atlantean energy cannons managed to inflict some damage. However, only a few of their shots penetrated the defense shield. The defense mechanism, while recovering, prioritized blocking most shots from the Atlanteans after assessing the potential damage their weapons could cause. As it recovered, it was able to block an increasing number of shots. Approximately five minutes later, the engine's defense mechanism fully recovered, making the Atlantean attacks ineffective against the main body.

Despite these attacks, the main body's position remained relatively stable and the pulse wave persisted. The phantom drive of the mother ship ensured the engine's continuous recovery. As the engine released particulates, both the land army and navy were compelled to retreat repeatedly. The situation appeared dire.

Suddenly, a large full moon in the sky attracted the attention of several soldiers from the allied surface world forces. The chatter about this unusual sight drew everyone's attention, with many gazing in wonder at the moon piercing through the clouds, especially as it was supposed to be daytime in this part of the world.

Cyborg POV

As I waited on the deck of our ship, to gather enough energy for another shot, I overheard chatter on the comms about a full moon piercing the dark clouds. I looked up and was taken aback by the sight of the large, beautiful moon. I had never seen such a huge moon before. But then it hit me, this moon was unlike the one of my world. Moreover, it was supposed to be daytime in this part of the world.

"How can there be a moon above us right now? And that moon is clearly not ours. So, where did it come from?" I voiced my confusion, not expecting an answer.

"Brother, could this be another Kryptonian attack?" Arthur's question soon followed.

"I seriously don't know, Arthur. It could be," I speculated, when a roar suddenly echoed through the area. It emerged out of nowhere, sending shockwaves through our surroundings. As I collected myself, I saw that everyone else was also trying to comprehend what had just happened. I noticed some people gazing into the sky before falling onto their ship decks in terror. They pointed towards a specific direction above. Following their gaze, I saw a sight that sent chills down my spine. I didn't know it at the time, but this nightmarish scene would forever be etched in my memory.

In an instant, the clouds parted, revealing a titanic figure slowly descending from the heavens. One colossal foot appeared, followed by another, then a broad and imposing chest, two mighty arms, and finally, an ape-like face with piercing red eyes. The figure, a huge ape like creature that stood an astounding 60 meters tall, covered mostly in brown fur with large black clothing shrouding its lower body, was now visible to all. The creature's menacing red eyes glared down at us, its long tail waving ominously as it hovered in the sky. Both surface world forces and the Atlantean troops stared up in utter horror, unsure of the nature of the beast they faced. I could only imagine their terror, their hearts pounding in their chests as they confronted this unknown entity. Their fear, however, was nothing compared to mine. Unlike them, I recognized exactly what this creature was. My mechanical half was sounding alarm bells, warning me about the threat this creature posed. I truly wished I never had to face this monstrosity.

Suddenly, the creature drew a deep breath, tilting its head back slightly. Slowly, it opened its mouth wide, inching it forward. After a moment that seemed to stretch into eternity, it unleashed a massive energy beam from its mouth. The energy beam tore through everything in its path, obliterating the world engine's defense mechanism and swiftly annihilating the World Engine itself. The power was so immense that none of us could move. All we could do was watch in awe and horror as the creature unleashed its formidable power. At the end of the blast, as the creature closed its mouth, it let out another bone-rattling roar. Then, it turned its gaze towards another direction, growling softly as its eyes narrowed. With a final, powerful lunge, the creature flew away, ascending into the sky and disappearing from sight.

Once the dust settled, silence fell over the scene. The landscape of destruction starkly contrasted with the peaceful sky above. Only after the creature had departed could we emerge from our stupor to see the once seemingly invincible World Engine reduced to mere debris. This sight was a testament to the immense power of the creature we had witnessed. As awe filled our hearts, a creeping sense of dread also emerged, reminding us of the immense power we had just witnessed.

The thought of this power made me nervous and swallow hard. It posed a far greater threat than the Kryptonians. If this creature were to rampage as in my Golden Oozaru vision, we would be hopelessly outmatched, and be screwed six ways to Sunday.

Arthur's grave voice interrupted my thoughts. "Victor, was that what I think it was?"

I met his gaze, noticing how tightly he gripped his Pentadent. His slightly trembling arms mirrored my own fear. I nodded in affirmation. "An Oozaru."

At that moment, I heard Arthur swallow audibly. The dread was clear in his voice as he replied, "It seems like Orach has returned. But in that form... I hope he's still the Orach we know. Otherwise, we have no chance against him."

I could only nod in agreement, my mind clouded with worry. "He should be in control since he did help us just now. I'm not sure why he's in that form. But, based on what he told us, I think it has something to do with the moon that suddenly appeared," I said, pointing to the large moon. For me and Arthur, who knew about Saiyans, the moon had quickly changed from a beautiful sight to an ominous presence. This was especially unsettling since it was supposed to be daytime in this part of the world.

Arthur followed my gaze to the moon, his face hardening as he spoke, "We need to inform the rest of the League. As for the forces present here, let's just tell them that our ally lent a hand seeing our struggle. It's not far from the truth, and it would calm their nerves knowing that creature is on our side. The last thing we need is a widespread panic."

I nodded in agreement. We couldn't risk causing a panic with the sudden appearance of Orach in this form.

Despite the fear that Orach's transformation had instilled in us, there was also a sense of awe. "But, as terrifying as it was, it proved effective. Orach obliterated that thing in one go. There's hardly anything left. We had to give it our all just to budge it," I couldn't help but grumble a little, the disparity in our power levels all too clear.

Arthur nodded, his gaze still fixed on the direction Orach had disappeared in. "Did you notice the direction he went? Those Kryptonians are in for quite the surprise."

I chuckled grimly at that, "Yeah, he's heading straight for Metropolis. I wouldn't want to be in the Kryptonians' shoes right now." My gaze shifted to the approaching military personnel, their faces a mask of panic and curiosity.

After calming the nervous soldiers with the story we had concocted and expressing our gratitude to the forces who had lent a hand, both Arthur and I took to the skies, heading to meet up with the mobile base that General Lane was using. With me carrying Arthur, we flew towards General Lane, the aftermath of Orach's power still echoing in our minds.