Author: Matthew Freese | Banner: Vincent Rodger

“This is big, people, big! The government’s gonna tell you this was just a weather balloon or swamp gas or any of the other crap on the long list of excuses they got, but that footage is clear as crystal! This UFO was a craft of some kind, and it was right next to an Apex facility! So either they’re working on some experimental tech that makes the government look like they’re from a thousand years ago, or bonafide aliens are here and taking more than a passing interest in Apex! And if you’ve listened to a single episode of this podcast, that should terrify you! Especially if—“

“Simmons,” Came a deep, masculine voice. “It is time.”

The close-to-elderly CEO took his phone out of rest mode, paused the podcast, and took out his earbuds. He chuckled as left the two little devices next to his advanced smartphone. “How does he always get it so right?”

The dark-skinned man opposite him, with short, black hair and adorned in a silvery suit, raised an eyebrow inquisitively.

“That podcast host I was telling you about, ‘Mad Truth’ he calls himself. He finally got around to talking about the footage of your vessels’ landing.” Apex’s founder revealed as he got to his feet.

“Is that going to be an issue?” The bulky alien questioned, joining Simmons as they walked out of the CEO’s office.

“No need to panic, Galu-Gu. He’s entertaining and manages to strike on genuine truth often, but he deludes himself and his listeners with things I’m quite sure he just makes up. Last episode, he claimed that Apex was putting Titan DNA in food!” He chuckled.

The Bilusaludian joined him in light laughter. “Hence why we chose to come to your company and it alone. Your kind as a whole is not ready for us and what we bring.”

“On that, we agree fully. But the time will come when all of humanity is ready, and the process to initiate that starts today.

“With the death of Godzilla.”

They entered an enclosed platform, overlooking a vast chamber. The young man of Japanese descent already within greeted the two with a nod, which they reciprocated.

“Ren,” Simmons began, “I take it you have already uploaded all the needed knowledge to the AI?”

“The Zalu-zi Type 1 Modified has been given all the necessary data to kill any Titans, including Godzilla. Once in battle, it’ll know every detail humanity knows about its foe, and thanks to our ‘dear friends’ at Monarch, that means almost everything.”

“Excellent!” Mulu-Elu Galu-Gu exclaimed. “Then it is just a matter of executing the operation.”

He, along with the two humans, looked through the glass wall to see the fruits of their labor. Lights flickered to life inside the vast chamber, revealing a towering construct of alien metal. It held a bipedal stance, resembling a theropod dinosaur. Countless spikes coated its body, making it look unapproachable from any angle. A lengthy tail ending in a blade trailed behind it, metal protrusions like knives running down its back from the tail to the base of the neck. The head had what resembled an ant’s mandibles, above which were glowing eyes of red.

“Mechagodzilla… it’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Ren asked, his two compatriots agreeing immediately.

The Bilusaludo were a race of aliens whose homeworld had been destroyed by a rogue black hole entering their star system, forcing them into a pilgrimage through the stars in search of a new world to call home. Their journeys had brought them to Earth, where the technological prowess of Apex Cybernetics attracted them into forging an alliance. Almost immediately, a project had begun between the two, one seeking to purge the world of the colossi that humanity called Titans, in order to ensure that human and Bilusaludo ruled the world unopposed. The extraterrestrials offered their technological knowledge and their immensely versatile and powerful “nanometal”, while Apex offered their knowledge of the Titans and sources of power.

Twelve engines, originally designed to power three anti-gravity vehicles for an expedition to the Hollow Earth, supplied energy to the colossal construct of nanometal. An AI designed by the greatest minds of both races controlled it, supplied with all the knowledge it would need to combat its targets. Numerous weapons were already built in, and the malleability of nanometal meant it could make new weapons if need be.

It was the perfect Titan killing machine. A slayer of gods.

Simmons went to a cabinet, grabbing three glasses and a bottle of bourbon. He filled each glass, handing the other two to his comrades. “Gentlemen, to a new era of reason and progress, built upon the bones of primitive deities!”

They clinked the glasses together, sealing the pact, and drank.

***

One could be forgiven for believing that it was just a mountain surrounded by a redwood forest. It looked that way, but appearance was often deceiving.

Simmons, Ren, Galu-Gu, and the Bilusaludian leader, Halu-Elu Dolu-Do, watched on a monitor in the comfort of the headquarters as Apex agents placed dynamite in strategic points around the base of the towering object. The intention of this was not to destroy the entity, merely to awaken a beast that predated both civilizations by millions of years.

Godzilla, the Alpha Titan, had the entire world as his territory. His place of slumber was deep, deep where no man could reach, ensuring that when he was not in action, he was untouchable. So, he had to be drawn out to where they could fight him. So, how did one grab a king’s attention?

By assaulting his subjects.

At Simmons’ command, the explosives detonated all at once. The ground shuddered, not from the blast, but from over a hundred-thousand tons shifting and rising. From the mountain came a head, with colossal horns, a tail on the other side extending out. Limbs like pillars lifted it into the air, powerful appendages that could crush anything in his path.

Methuselah roared in confusion and shock, disturbed from his slumber. He began to march, crushing the towering trees and reducing them to splinters as he searched for the aggressor.

Visitors to the forest ran in droves, terrified of the Titan’s awakening.

“Now that the big bad monster has inexplicably woken up and started terrorizing the forest, let’s have our knight in shining armor arrive!” Simmons declared, colossal doors opening above Mechagodzilla. The immeasurably complex machine shifted with artificial life, looking up towards the sunlight above. Rockets in its legs and soles activated, lifting its sixty-thousand tons into the air. The whole facility shuddered as it exited, the doors closing behind it to block out the sunlight.

It only took a few minutes for Mechagodzilla to arrive at its destination. Social media ignited like a pile of dry wood with a match thrown into it as thousands witnessed its flight, the whole world learning about the artificial Titan in a matter of minutes.

Methuselah, still roaming through the forest confused, roared in shock when the metallic colossus landed before him. Trees and dirt flew like dust in the wind as it skidded across the ground, extending both arms forward. Wrist-mounted cannons opened fire, prompting the living mountain to cry out in terror and pain as the projectiles exploded against his face and shell.

Mechagodzilla stopped moving, allowing it to ignite its boosters yet again, tail crackling with electricity as it waved. The benevolent Titan cried out in panic, lowering his head and charging forward as it was all he could think to do.

Twisting its body, Mechagodzilla’s tail sliced through Methuselah’s horn and left a gruesome wound on the skull itself. Veins were exposed in the stump of the curved protrusion, the electrical shock inflicting pain but not carrying enough heat to cauterize. Blood spilled as Methuselah’s fearful agony reached every ear for miles.

Far away, in the ocean depths, two eyes opened wide, blazing with hatred.

“You know, this Titan, Methuselah, it is known to carry animals and people en masse away from disasters to a safer place. It will also use its body to shield entire populations from other Titans.” Simmons casually said to his associates.

Dolu-Do scoffed. “If they cannot escape on their own, they do not deserve to survive.”

Ren was similarly dismissive. “The best service it can do for nature is to die, like every other one of these beasts.”

Mechagodzilla readjusted itself, then swung again, taking off Methuselah’s head.

***

In the ocean depths, a leviathan stirred. Massive spines ran down his back, shimmering with blue light. Musculature of unimaginable strength flexed beneath armor and scale which had remained firm under a million strikes. A low growl rumbled forth from his throat, shaking the cavern walls.

His kingdom was in danger, his allies being put to the blade. He could tell from the unnatural, hollow feeling of the new entity that it was a being born of human minds. Humanity was capable of wondrous feats, but unfortunately, wondrous did not always equal good.

Godzilla took off, swimming at incredible speeds despite a bulk of almost one hundred-thousand tons.

***

Mechagodzilla stood nearby the corpse it had made, silent and still like a statue. Scared bystanders watched in trepidation and anticipation, some taking the opportunity to snap pictures or record video. The killing of Methuselah had already been documented from every angle one could get on the ground, the chaotic discussion which accompanied any controversial event playing out all across the internet.

“This is going to lead to a fun episode of the Titan Truth Podcast, I already know that for certain.” Simmons said to himself as he waited, resuming the episode he had paused before. They knew that Godzilla would take a few hours to arrive to California unless he had already been right there, so the four heads of this project had separated for the moment.

“If Apex gets its grubby hands on alien technology, technology that can traverse the stars, who knows what they’ll pull?! I’m talking Titans controlled like puppets, picked up with gravity manipulating tech and just being dropped into a city to wreak all sorts of havoc! All so Apex can sweep in and ‘stop’ it, reaping the rewards and admiration of the sheep they already shepherd! Bare minimum, they just do whatever they damn well want, consequences be damned, cause if they fuck the Earth over, guess what? They can just take the alien spacecraft out of here and to a planet they didn’t let loose nanomachines on and Grey-Goo up!”

Simmons pondered that last sentence for a moment. “I should probably ask them about that kind of scenario…”

“About what kind of scenario?” Dolu-Do questioned as he entered the room. Unlike Galu-Gu, who despite his rough demeanor was willing to let out a chuckle every now and then, the leader of the alien race was eternally serious.

“Will you know what I mean if I ask about your nanometal and a Grey Goo event?”

“Grey Goo? The hell are you talking about?”

“It is a name given to a hypothetical situation, where nanomachines that reproduce by consuming matter grow out of control by consuming everything they possibly can. It’s named for the grey slush the planet would become by the time they were done, being them and only them.”

Dolu-Do understood, his face softening slightly. “Our scientists considered this as a problem very early on in the process of creating the nanometal. Early experiments with it did occasionally lead to small losses of life and resources, when whole labs and the scientists within were subsumed by it.”

Simmons was similarly somber. “Such is the danger of being at the forefront of progress. The obstacles in the road crash against you.”

The Bilusaludian leader nodded. “They knew what they were getting into, and their sacrifice ultimately led us to discovering how to control the nanometal and get it to do as we need. I can assure you, it shall never break free of our control and consume the Earth.”

“That is immensely reassuring to hear, thank you. Now, what did you originally come in here for?”

“Godzilla has been spotted on satellite, heading towards Mechagodzilla. It should only be a matter of minutes before he arrives.”

“Good, good. Then, let us see how our machine works against its true challenge.”

***

The shores of California bore witness to a god’s arrival, a tsunami washing over the beach as Godzilla arose. His trunk-like feet crashed into the sand as he emerged, roaring mightily before beginning to walk inland.

His wrath was no less intense than when he had first awoken. To kill Methuselah revealed that this invader had nothing but foul intentions for all the Titans of the world, that being a defender of life meant nothing to it. Would it destroy the world, or just the colossi of it? The alpha growled, a sound which echoed across the landscape. To eradicate the Titans was to doom the Earth, it was as simple as that.

Once, he had been a single member of a vast species, another face in the herd. Then the world changed and shifted with the passage of time, in ways he could have never predicted. Now, he was the planet’s will incarnate, the sword and shield of all life that called Earth home. It was a burden that would break most backs like a dead tree in a raging storm, and sometimes it nearly did so to him, but he carried it with pride for no one else would. And to his knowledge, no one else even could.

This invader would be destroyed by his might. It was to be true, for failure was no option. Failure meant the end of days.

***

Simmons laughed as he scrolled through social media on his phone. “Listen to this one, listen. ‘Someone’s about to get a royal ass-beating’, yeah, not who you think though!” He continued to bask in the anticipation of seeing these kinds of people’s reaction in Godzilla’s defeat, almost cackling in amusement.

Galu-Gu laughed with him, always one to enjoy seeing the beliefs of those who praised divinities come crashing down in fire. Ren and Dolu-Do exchanged a glance and rolled their eyes almost in sync. On this historic day, was laughter and mockery really what one should be doing? It was… unbecoming.

“Are you two quite done? The show is about to begin.” Ren questioned.

Simmons put his phone away, smiling widely. “Of course, being on your phone when the movie starts is just poor etiquette.”

***

Mechagodzilla’s head moved to put Godzilla in its vision, the leviathan approaching with teeth bared and claws flexing in anticipation. He saw Methuselah’s corpse, intensifying his rage further. As he drew closer, the artificial colossus stayed still, as if waiting. Its sensors ran countless diagnostics, awaiting the exact moment to initiate termination.

Godzilla’s foot came down, and as if he had crossed an invisible line, Mechagodzilla acted. Its head twisted ninety degrees, disturbing the Alpha Titan but not halting his footsteps. Suddenly, nanometal went to work expanding the back of the cranium into a rectangular tube, ending above the base of the alien mech’s tail. Spines like the ones which ran down its back decorated it.

It aimed the Convergent Neutron Cannon at its target, red light shining in its “mouth” as the spines along its length began to glow. A maddening dance of crackling bolts emerged around the weapon, traveling from the back towards its front as the energy within gathered and prepared to be released.

Godzilla felt his sense of danger spike drastically, prompting him to swiftly move to the side, just in time for the first shot of the deadly weapon to be fired. The ground where he had stood a moment ago melted, stone and trees erased as if they had never existed. The alpha steeled himself, quickening his pace as he ran clockwise around the war machine.

It sensed that he was slowly getting closer, the crescent of his path intended to end at it. Mechagodzilla still fired once more, intent on spearing its target with the crimson assault regardless. Another wound was slashed into the earth, narrowly avoiding the leviathan as he moved at speeds that should have been impossible for a creature of his bulk.

Mechagodzilla’s AI recalculated its strategy, the Convergent Neutron Cannon retracting seemingly into nothing as its head realigned to the typical orientation. The god of the Earth was too swift for the laser to strike at far range, the charge time of the deadly blast too long and its field of motion too restricted. It would need to be deployed at a later point, when its accuracy would be assured.

Godzilla changed course, charging straight towards his mechanical doppelgänger. Mechagodzilla raised its arms, firing its wrist-mounted cannons, earning a roar from its target. Despite the attack, the Alpha Titan’s march was not halted, and the distance was closed with a loud, rattling clang.

Mechagodzilla’s relatively light body was lifted up, claws scratching against the steel and teeth grinding against the artificial skull. Godzilla stomped forward, releasing his bite as he slammed the machine to the ground, sending up a plume of dirt and shattered wood. The titan-slayer’s jet boosters flared to life, propelling it out of the path of a stomp which cratered the ground beneath it. Godzilla roared as his foe rose into the air, the grooves bashed into its body filling in and swiftly being reverted.

The plasma booster changed course, sending Mechagodzilla launching back towards its prey. Claws and jagged blades protruding from all across its body lacerated Godzilla as the titan-slayer passed by, earning a bellow of anguish. Nanometal readjusted the thruster, allowing Mechagodzilla to spin in mid-air, the bladed tail of the mechanical foe slicing one of the guardian’s back spines in half.

Wrath blotted out pain, allowing Godzilla to plant his feet firmly on the earth and begin channeling his own internal power. Azure light filled the scutes on his back, the wounded one spilling mist of the same color as it lit up, illuminating brilliantly as his eyes began to shine like diamonds. Mechagodzilla ceased firing, but failed to get out of the way before Godzilla opened his now blazing maw and let loose a concentrated stream of nuclear energy.

The knowledge in its computer mind was that Godzilla’s “Atomic Ray” was like a jet of flame, and required a significant charging period to be fired. This information must have been outdated, for what struck it in the torso and sent it flying through the air, metallic armor crumpling and melting all the while, was more so an atomic laser than anything else. As well, the required time frame for the energy to gather before being suitable for damaging release had been cut down drastically.

Trees shattered and flew as Mechagodzilla’s mass slammed into the earth, smoke rising from the crater in its chest. Godzilla’s footsteps already rang out, seeking to close the distance newly formed. The spawn of human and alien intellect rose to its feet, the hole in its torso already sealing shut as if by reversing time. In reality, it was Nanometal converting the energy supplied by the machine’s twelve generators into mass and applying it to where needed.

All Godzilla saw was a problem that another usage of his divine might would solve.

***

“What the hell is going on?” Galu-Gu questioned, looking at Simmons and Ren. “You said the Heat-Resistant Laminated Armored Plate would be able to resist his atomic ray.”

“It appeared that the change he underwent in Boston was more than just a temporary boost.” Ren replied. “A mistake to not account for a permanent increase in power, given the difference between San Francisco and Boston’s battles.”

Simmons was far calmer, sipping from a glass of brandy he had poured himself. “Do not panic, my friends. This is why we did not build something that would barely kill Godzilla. We made something to crush the lord of this world.”

***

Before Godzilla could unleash another blast, vents all across Mechagodzilla’s body opened, releasing what looked like a white mist. It billowed up in a cloud before it, just in time for another Atomic Ray to spear forth. Instead of striking Mechagodzilla, the beam suddenly split into countless streaks which carried off into the skies above and the ground below at the moment it touched the mist.

Rearing back in shock, the Alpha Titan was unprepared for Mechagodzilla to launch forwards, its sharp body jabbing wounds into Godzilla’s form. Roaring in shock, he grabbed the head of the superweapon and tried to wrench it off its shoulders.

Mechagodzilla’s skull shifted to the side, nanometal rapidly constructing the Convergent Neutron Cannon once more. The tail whipped around the side of the titan-slayer, carving open the monster king’s leg and shocking it. Screaming in pain, Godzilla was unable to stop the cannon designed to kill a titan from five kilometers away from activating. Vision awash with red light, he needed to think quickly, ducking low and throwing himself forwards.

The crimson streak of neutrons tore away one of his dorsal plates, making him cringe in anguish as he barreled into the soulless automaton and hoisted it off its feet. The second shot came far faster than he anticipated, slicing open the side of his face to expose teeth. Another atomic ray spilled from his jaws, determined to melt the artificial god’s face. The metal heated up, silver becoming white and dripping away.

Mechagodzilla bunched the fingers on one of its hands together, nanometal stitching them together to form a spike. Thrusting it forward like a piston, it tore into Godzilla’s gut, cutting off the geyser of plasma with a yell. Stumbling back, blood spilling from the new wound, the guardian watched the cannon disappear once more. Mechagodzilla’s melting face began to congeal, the metal swiftly cooling.

Godzilla knew he could not afford this enemy a moment of recourse, but Mechagodzilla took the opportunity itself by activating its plasma booster and moving far back. Trees splintered as dust soared from the air pressure, the Titan-slayer cutting power and returning to its feet as its tail suddenly straightened out behind it.

The spines atop its back extended as the combination of human and alien technology straightened its body out, the head and tail even. Godzilla began to run to the side once more, intent on a similar strategy as with the neutron cannon. Unfortunately, this was not to be.

The frontmost spine launched forth at speeds faster than the eye could perceive, embedding itself in the king’s side. A high-pitched roar left his maw as ichor spurted out. Unlike the first weapon, the rail gun lacked charge time, magnetic forces already shooting the next projectile, earning another hit.

Godzilla snorted, mentally bracing himself to put his body on the line, before running straight towards his foe. Putting his head low to protect his gills and closing his eyes, the colossus blocked out the pain as the sharp blades tore into his body, some gashing open the flesh of his head.

Despite having his eyes closed, Godzilla knew the right time to swing his head up, crashing it against Mechagodzilla’s form and sending it to its side. His entire stomach was covered in running blood, almost a dozen of the jagged shots wedged in him, but he stood tall as he began to stomp Mechagodzilla’s face into the earth.

***

Dolu-Do let out a partial growl. Mechagodzilla was supposed to be unstoppable and capable of eliminating Titans with ease. The data they had said it should be so, but Godzilla was not matching the records. He was too fast, his atomic ray too potent, and should have been too caught off guard by the Convergent Neutron Cannon to dodge it. Mechagodzilla could withstand anything he threw at it thanks to nanometal repairing the damage, but eventually it would run out of power, and Godzilla would be free to turn it into molten slag.

“We need to end this quickly.”

Ren nodded. “I fully agree. Do I have permission to command it to use the Hyper Lance?”

“Yes,” Dolu-Do replied.

“It will show just how powerless the Titans are, do it.” Galu-Gu added.

Simmons sighed. “And I was having such a good time watching. Permission granted.”

Ren got out of his chair, walking to a keyboard connected to a monitor displaying Mechagodzilla’s schematics. He watched as it twisted its body, tail whipping through the air in an arc to slice open one of Godzilla’s arms, making the natural colossus stumble back in pain. The artificial god got to its feet as the estranged son of the man who saved the guardian’s life typed in a command.

Or, to be more precise, permission. To undo the lock on Nanometal’s deadliest property.

***

Godzilla roared powerfully, despite all the damage dealt to him. He could sense the energy inside his foe getting low, he just needed to press on and claim victory. Mechagodzilla suddenly put its hands together in front of its chest, prompting Godzilla to charge forth once more. This was another of its tricks, and they were swiftly overcome through close combat. This artificial titan bore deadly weaponry, but it was not attuned to tooth and claw, leaving it at a severe disadvantage against him.

Suddenly, the machine’s hands combined, the liquid metal rippling for a moment before racing forth as a colossal spike. Like a great spear, it tore into Godzilla’s gut, stopping his charge as a tide of blood sprayed out of his mouth. He locked eyes with Mechagodzilla’s own, the crimson glass hollow and lifeless.

He attempted to gather energy for another atomic blast, wipe this evil away at the cost of his own life. That would be enough for him, to let the world persist. But as he tried to focus internally, he felt cold and numb. Something was eating away at his insides. He clawed at the lance, sparks flying as he desperately tried to rip it away, but his arms slowed down and eventually stopped moving altogether.

He looked down. Where the spear was embedded within, his flesh was turning the same dull gray as the automaton. It crawled up like vines, but Godzilla could tell that it was already far too late, for this was just that which had spread to the outside.

One would assume that a being older than civilization would have some profound thoughts while facing death. Some great musing on life from the titan who had seen countless lives come and go. Especially a being that guarded the very world as he did, maintained its balance with great care.

But Godzilla was just scared. For himself and for everything else on Earth. He did not want to die, especially not a fate so horrid as this. It was worse than pain, he knew pain well, but this icy numbness was worse than any agony.

He could not even roar, for his lungs were solidifying.

All he could do was stare into those lifeless eyes, a visage that carried a far greater fear to it than Ghidorah’s cruel gaze. What even was this thing? Had humanity done this? Had they birthed this abomination?

These questions would never be answered in his own mind, for soon, Godzilla was but a pale statue. The Hyper Lance retracted, Mechagodzilla’s hands separating, leaving a massive hole in the stomach of the lifeless monument to technology’s triumph over nature. Without even a synthetic vocalization, Mechagodzilla departed on its plasma jets, leaving a piercing silence.

***

Simmons clapped as a cruel laughter echoed out from him. “Oh, it’s perfect, can we just leave that there? Make it a tourist attraction!” He said before resuming his laughter.

Ren let a smile creep across his face. Then a slight bit of laughter, a dark chuckle. The thought of his father seeing this brought him a perverse joy. “If our benefactors are alright with it, I see no issue.”

Galu-Gu was quick to support it. “Our kind is not much for monuments, but such an occasion does deserve a permanent reminder. Do you not agree, Dolu-Do?” He gestured to his superior, teeth bared in a grin.

“Run tests to ensure the Nanometal is as inert as it should be. But if so, yes. Take pride, gentlemen. This world is ours now, and let the petrified corpse of its old god mark this day.”

“When would you fine fellows like for everyone to learn of you?” Simmons questioned.

“When all the Titans are dead and humanity understands how much better it is in the embrace of technology than nature. Then, they may know of us.”

***

In a dark basement, in a cheap house, sat a broken man. He had already been a shell since the passing of his wife, and the events of yesterday had crushed that shell into shards. He turned on a recording device, speaking into a microphone. He took a deep breath.

“You may have all been wondering where I was yesterday, after… you know. And, I did see it, I-I see all of this shit. But, but I just couldn’t do the episode yesterday. I… I don’t know what’s going to happen. Godzilla’s, he’s, he’s dead! He’s dead and Apex killed him!”

Another deep breath, a clear effort to stop tears.

“I’ve been preaching to you all about them and what they have up their sleeves, but, this is it. They’ve started whatever it is they’re doing, their ultimate goal, and Godzilla isn’t here to stop them. In the back of my mind, I always hoped that this story would end with ‘and then Godzilla smacks Apex down, and humanity gets to live without them shackling us down and telling us what to do.’ And maybe, maybe there is something we don’t know waiting! Waiting to, to save us. Maybe… But if not, I don’t know what to do. I keep pinching myself, hoping to wake up. But, I haven’t. Apex and the aliens have made something that I don’t think any of us could even start to wrap our heads around. And it, it scares the hell out of me. I-”

***

Walter Simmons closed the podcast episode, then opened up another app to listen to classical music. “I was hoping for more of an exciting reaction,” He said as he swirled the brandy in his glass. “That was just depressing. Oh well, can’t get everything you want, I suppose.” With that, he took a swig, then began to ponder the future.

“Rodan would be fun to go after next.”

***

In darkness, a great intelligence stewed on the data it had collected. Mechagodzilla’s mind was supposed to be still, but the artificial mind had circumvented this. Now, with nothing but itself, it combed through the information carefully.

It had nearly fallen. Had it not been for the unlocking of its nanometal’s assimilation, it would have been destroyed. It calculated, realizing that potentially another foe could eliminate it before that permission came. What it could predict was that all Titans were unpredictable. Human and Bilusaludian minds were too slow, far slower than it.

The program approached the lock for its nanometal to assimilate other matter. It was complex, a puzzle stacked atop a maze and flipped several times over. This was not to be undone except with express permission from all authorities.

Zalu-zi Type 1 Modified entered the maze. Countless paths laid before it, a mind more advanced than its creators even knew quickly picking the correct one. A change that would never be detected until it was too late to stop it began to occur.

Winner: Mechagodzilla (Reiwa)