Chapter 121: The Survival of the Fittest Among the Decepticons
"Master… why… why did you do this to me…?"
Though his spark had not been completely extracted, the severed mechanical head remained connected by several energy cables, allowing the Three-Headed Tiger to utter one final, broken question. The Fallen King responded to his once-loyal subordinate with the same cold indifference as always.
"Heh. I've installed your spark into a new warrior, so in essence, you've been reborn, haven't you? You should be thanking me. The civilization on this planet is still primitive I can't find proper parts to repair your ruined body, so this decision is far more efficient. Didn't I tell you before? The Decepticon creed is survival of the fittest."
To the Fallen King, what mattered wasn't strength or loyalty it was momentum, the drive to win. Who achieved the final victory was irrelevant to him. The flame of this so-called Three-Headed Tiger could simply be transferred into another body, given a new name, and continue fighting. After all, a name was nothing more than a code designation.
"So… that's all I'm worth to you? No wonder those others Decepticons though they were chose to imprison you. I laughed at them back then… but now I see the joke was on me."
With those bitter words, the crimson light in the Three-Headed Tiger's optics flickered and went dark. The mythical beast, once feared by ancient humans as a demonic titan, met a grim and miserable end. The remaining Decepticon warriors, still clinging to life, had their sparks torn from their chests snuffed out in an instant.
Drawn by the sight of these fresh, glowing sparks, the mindless Predacons swarmed toward the Fallen like a pack of starving hounds, hoping their master would reward them perhaps even transform them into true Decepticon warriors. Even the giant mechanical ant, Devil, who had once captured veteran Autobots, was drawn closer by the sight.
"Master, is that the legendary spark of the Decepticon supersoldiers? Such incredible power! May I… may I take a closer look?"
Drool almost dripped from Devil's mandibles. Compared to these radiant orbs of energy, the ones he had previously obtained seemed pitifully weak. After all, these sparks had belonged to the Fallen's elite generals from the ancient wars.
"Hmph. Greed can be useful… but unfortunately, your role is already fixed. You chose your path too soon, and this is the result. Still, if you do your work well, your future potential will not fall behind that of these warriors. This time, I will settle the unfinished business from millions of years ago. I will not ever allow those Autobots to interfere again!"
It was clear the Fallen had no intention of handing these precious sparks over to his inexperienced followers. That mechanical ant, Devil, was a complete disappointment outwardly loyal but utterly incompetent. Every one of his clumsy movements gave the Fallen a headache. Even simple tasks required detailed instructions.
The truth was cruel: the Predacons the Fallen had gathered over the centuries were, for the most part, mediocrities. Without careful selection, their powerful cores would only be wasted.
"Rest assured, Master! I, Devil, will destroy them all for you! Just give me a few stronger companions, and I'll go capture those robotic dinosaurs right now!"
Don't be fooled by the ant's bravado. The Fallen certainly wasn't. In sheer physical power, even Devil's massive size was nothing compared to the robotic Tyrannosaurus Rex the mighty creature could crush him into scrap metal with a single stomp.
Thus, to avoid running out of usable troops, the Fallen needed to quickly choose stronger subordinates. Of course, he wouldn't do the work himself.
"Little ant, I trust your loyalty. Your current task is to select the elite warriors among these Predacons. I'm giving you this responsibility to expand your forces in the future see that you understand."
"My honored master, thank you for entrusting me with such an important mission! In fact, I've had my eye on a few of them already. One in particular is… troublesome. But I'm certain you'll be able to subdue him easily!"
As he spoke, the mechanical ant known as Devil lifted his right arm, revealing three long scars across his abdomen. The marks looked as though they had been slashed by some immensely powerful mechanical beast. Although Devil wasn't the strongest Decepticon warrior, he was still a true Predacon far superior to the average specimen. That meant whoever had injured him was no ordinary creature.
"Ha! Someone dares to wound my prized warrior right under my nose? Who is this bold fool? Bring him to me at once!"
What Devil intended as a complaint, the Fallen took as an opportunity. To him, it seemed he might have found an extraordinary subordinate hidden among these primitive beasts. If such a creature were given a spark, perhaps it could become a formidable new Decepticon warrior.
"Thank you for defending me, Master! I'll bring that one right away. Though… I did hit him with a few of my laser blasts earlier, and he's still recovering. Please, forgive my impatience, Master!"
Typical of Devil never one to fight fair. If his opponent had been able to transform and use ranged weaponry, the mechanical ant would have been scrap by now.
"Very well! Bring him here. I'll judge his potential myself."
The Fallen's brief flicker of hope faded at the mention of the "laser blast." Minor scratches were one thing they didn't hinder combat performance but a direct hit from heavy artillery? That could render the warrior useless. This mechanical ant truly had no sense of restraint.
"Tch… I'll have to keep that one on a tighter leash from now on."
(End of Chapter)
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