Tonight, Alice joins the hunt.

But she couldn't just ignore it.

Megatron should already be heading towards the breakthrough point on the front lines. He's so fixated on Optimus Prime that even if he can't defeat him, he'll surely find a good opportunity to launch a sneak attack… Isn't that how he achieved victory in the original comics?

[Given this, the command center where the AllSpark is located must be poorly defended now. Securing the AllSpark will be a victory for me.]

[And... I also have to eliminate the threat of the Fallen. It's currently sealed and unable to use its powers until Optimus Prime dies. Once I kill it, destroy the Nemesis, and then all I need to do is hide in the Great Library to end this world.]

But before that...

She lightly tapped her toes on the ground, and through the feedback of sound and texture, she made a basic assessment of the strength of the lower armor plates of this starship.

It's very tough; even a nuclear bomb might not be able to destroy it from the outside.

But if the attack originates from within, triggering a secondary explosion...

She channeled some magic into the ship's interior to determine the direction of the internal energy flow.

[No, at most we can drill a hole big enough for a person to pass through. And it won't cause any real damage to the Retribution... These aliens don't need to breathe in space, and even if the ship's sealed structure is breached, the pressure difference between the inside and outside won't be enough to trigger an explosion.]

I still need to go to the power furnace afterwards.

She made a gesture, and Shanghai began to gather magic power, weaving a spell to create a powerful penetrating effect. Penglai landed on her shoulder to prepare for other necessary matters, in case of any unexpected situations.

She activated the optical shielding once more, levitating and carefully drifting towards the control hall using the thrust provided by the anti-gravity field. Along the way, she encountered quite a few Decepticon soldiers armed and heading towards the breach—but she carefully avoided them all, showing no intention of engaging in direct confrontation.

This covert infiltration continued until she reached the control hall.

It was a brief battle; she swiftly dispatched the few guards and operators in the operations hall using plasma and gravity wave blades. The entire process took less than ten seconds, and she didn't even feel much magic depletion.

She glanced at the control panel—the numerous screens on the platform still faithfully reflected everything happening throughout the Necropolis. She saw the Decepticons' forces faltering, while the coalition led by Sam and Optimus Prime had gained a foothold and were steadily advancing into the Necropolis.

There's a strange feeling...

The girl muttered something softly, becoming more alert, but continued forward, heading towards the location of the spark source she had determined through information density. After passing through a half-open door, she arrived at another spacious hall.

She saw the Fallen imprisoned on the high platform by some unknown restraint. And on the platform in front of the Fallen was the AllSpark cube, now inactive.

“The Fallen…” Alice said softly. “Was it you who let me in?”

"No, I was the one who let you in." A voice came from behind the platform where the Fallen was, and along with the voice, a huge silver figure appeared in Alice's field of vision.

"It seems the Red Spider didn't seize the last chance I gave it." The silver voice boomed like thunder, and an unsettling aura immediately filled the air. "It always disappoints me, and this time is no exception."

A large silver hand gently pressed down on the Fallen's head. To Alice's utter astonishment, the giant who had lived for countless ages, the only one in countless parallel worlds, the villain of the second Transformers movie who had secretly plotted countless schemes, crumbled and disintegrated into countless shimmering metallic dust!

No wonder the main god didn't give out the side quests to trigger the second movie. The villainous boss is dead, so how can there be a second movie plot!

"Meeting you is not very satisfying, you outsider who does not exist in many destinies."

The silver giant's eyes gleamed with a scarlet light.

"I am Megatron."

Chapter Thirty-Six: I Don't Need Small Fish Getting in My Way

Alice struggled to control her pounding heart. When she saw Megatron appear and reveal the Fallen's death, she knew things had deteriorated to a terrible degree. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that utter disaster was imminent.

The opponent is very strong, stronger than expected.

He was so strong that he reminded her of Zhang Jie when they first confronted each other in the temple of Hamunaptra... no, even stronger.

[This is terrible... Is there no way to escape?]

[Then we must stall for time and wait for reinforcements...]

“I thought you would go to Optimus Prime,” Alice asked tentatively.

“Optimus Prime is very important. It took me a long time to realize that it is the obstacle I must overcome in my life. As long as it is no longer a problem, my dominance will no longer be hindered. But I am a patient person, and my thirst for knowledge requires me to stay here and meet with you.”

For some reason, Megatron didn't attack immediately, but instead continued the conversation with her in a somewhat cooperative manner. Alice immediately noticed this and quickly made a guess.

Could it be that they're also stalling for time...?

The girl's finger had barely twitched when a sharp, piercing pain from between her eyebrows made her cease all movement—it was just a glance, but that glance was as sharp as a sword. An ordinary person might not be able to discern what was happening, but as an information mage, she could clearly sense an unknown wave, like a sharp needle, slicing through the air and leaving a mark on her forehead.

A trickle of blood seeped from between her eyebrows. Although it was quickly absorbed by her body, which was enhanced by the spell, she was undeniably injured!

[They're stronger than I expected... Damn it, I can't let anyone else come here to die!]

She exhaled softly, and an invisible information wave was quietly sent out under the cover of this breath. The message was a brief alarm, intended to inform the Allied forces outside that Megatron was in extreme danger.

“But you’ve disappointed me.” Megatron seemed oblivious. “Very disappointed.”

"What... exactly did you do?"

"What did we do? Oh, it was just a simple case of the survival of the fittest."

Megatron's large, silver-gray hands rested on the throne that had once bound the Fallen. "When I reclaimed the AllSpark and barely managed to return to the wreckage of the Nemesis, my mentor—the Fallen—told me something."

"My flame suffered irreversible damage due to that mortal's efforts. To repair it, its flame must be used to mend my body." It gently shook its head, casually crushing the throne into pieces. "Unfortunately, this is a lie."

“My dear mentor was tired of billions of years of imprisonment and wanted to get out and breathe, so it needed a new body. Originally, it was impossible for it to do so because the power of the curse bound it. However, when I brought back this source of fire that could still be used one or two more times, it was able to make an attempt.”

"It failed, and it succeeded. Am I now Megatron or the Fallen... perhaps both." It shook its head vigorously. "No, it failed because I am Megatron, I am stronger than it, so I am still alive."

"I am Megatron."

“I live, my mentor dies, and its power is now mine.” Megatron clenched his fist slightly. An even more powerful aura erupted from him. “Through its vision, I saw many things. Many… complex and incomprehensible things.”

"I saw myself in many different worlds."

"Different eras, different worlds. But what I do remains the same: I will proclaim my dominance, lead the Cybertronians with my power, give them goals, and become their banner. Then, under my leadership, Cybertron will regain its former glory."

"However many times, Optimus Prime will always stand in my way."

He looked at Alice, a strange emotion surging in his deep red eyes. It wasn't any positive emotion, but it wasn't hatred or curse either; rather, it was something deeper...something more indescribable.

“I even saw the ending I was supposed to have in this world. Losing everything, scarred and battered, even Starscream no longer willing to shout ‘Hail Megatron!’... My carefully prepared plans were overturned once again, my allies chose to betray me, and Cybertron was destroyed. I was left alone to prove my path to Optimus Prime. And then to reach the end that I would eventually have.”

"The victor is king, the loser is villain; it's all just failure. I've lost so many times, I don't care about losing one more time."

“But this time is different…” It took a small step forward.

"Outsider, I learned of your existence from the last message transmitted by the sound waves. Although your appearance seems somewhat different from what it described... it doesn't matter, because I haven't seen you on any timeline, which means something is amiss. This anomaly might become an obstacle even more troublesome than Optimus Prime—I brought you in intending to deal with you before dealing with Optimus Prime. But I didn't expect..." It shook its head slightly. "You are much weaker than I imagined."

“Is that so?” Alice breathed a sigh of relief. Patchouli’s not revealing what was probably the only decent piece of good news for her was that she hadn’t revealed anything. And this finally gave her a sliver of hope. “Perhaps you’ll have to experience for yourself whether I’m as weak as you think.”

This time, however, Megatron did not look at her. It raised its hand, and its sharp claws were bound together with some kind of twisted power.

“I obtained a power from my mentor and from the many timelines that are my counterparts. Things on par with this power are called transcendent… I have mastered it, but I have not yet fully controlled it. This power still has a flaw that needs to be corrected to be complete.”

“I need the energy source matrix to make up for this deficiency, and now, my energy source matrix has arrived.”

Heavy footsteps suddenly came from outside the door. The next moment, Optimus Prime and Sam, leading the Allied Forces, burst through the door and entered the hall.

"Witch, Megatron isn't here—" Optimus Prime shouted instinctively when he saw Alice. But the next moment, a silver shadow appeared before him!

It raised its hands in an attempt to defend itself, but the sharp giant claw pierced through both its arms and the chest that its arms were protecting! The sharp five claws came out directly from its back, grabbing a bunch of fragmented parts that were still sparkling with electricity.

"Without me, what are you?" the silver giant whispered in Optimus Prime's ear. His five fingers then closed, crushing the pile of parts into powder.

Section 37: The Situation Takes a Dramatic Turn!

“Megatron…you…” Optimus Prime’s iron face showed disbelief. It tried to raise its hand, but could only manage to lift it halfway before it fell limply to the ground—Megatron’s attack had not only severely injured it, but also destroyed its musculoskeletal system, rendering it unable to move…or survive for a short period of time.

"Your era is over, Optimus Prime," the silver giant replied, drawing his blade and letting his former nemesis slowly slump at his feet. Yet, no joy or satisfaction appeared on his狰狞 (zhengning, meaning ferocious or hideous) face.

"Is this what final victory feels like? So understated, it doesn't feel that great." It clenched its fist slightly. Its gaze swept over the gaping hole in Optimus Prime's chest. "So you haven't obtained the Matrix of Leadership yet... my nemesis, my brother. Then slumber, I'll uncover that treasure."

Its movements were so swift that the others didn't even have time to react before it was all over. It wasn't until Optimus Prime's body crashed to the ground, sparks flying from the shattered parts, that Sam, who was standing right next to it, let out a roar.

"Optimus Prime—!!!"

Plasma was unleashed, and six laser cannons rained down on Megatron like a storm. However, this barrage, capable of easily killing ordinary Decepticons, was extinguished by Megatron as easily as swatting a mosquito. The intensely hot plasma disintegrated upon contact with its outer shell, while the lasers and heat rays were naturally deflected, barely leaving any scratches on its armor.

"Ah, I remember your voice. That human, the one with the Source Matrix coordinates in his head." Megatron waved his hand casually, and Sam flew out like a cannonball—he crashed into a pillar in the main control hall, a third of his bones breaking instantly. Mouthfuls of blood gushed out, soaking most of his visor in the blink of an eye.

“But I no longer need the coordinates in your mind. I know exactly where the energy matrix is.”

Both commanders were defeated, and the remaining Allied soldiers could only unleash their vengeful fury with their guns. They roared and pulled the triggers with all their might, but the firepower, enough to cause a secondary explosion inside the Retribution, did not harm Megatron in the slightest!

It raised its hand, and the free-floating energy twisted into a resilient barrier. With a swift swipe of its claws, the resulting air blades tore through the allied forces' powered armor like cheese being sliced. With a single strike, the crescent-shaped air slash carved a blood-red wave through the army, stretching from the secret chamber to the outer wall of the control room. Taking a step forward, a violent shockwave spread outward from its feet, easily disrupting the allied forces' formation used to besiege it.

Shockwave...

"Where did Shockwave go?" Megatron's gaze swept across the command center. "Ah...you're dead too?"

It tilted its body slightly, dodging a vertical slash from two daggers. Its outstretched left arm easily grabbed the struggling attacker, crushing the head of the Autobot warrior riding on a pair of wheels. It used the surviving corpse as a shield against a deadly molecular splitting blast. It took a step back, grabbed a weapon from an Autobot warrior, and fired a shot into the sniper's head.

"I think it was called Phantom or Shadow?...I can't remember." Megatron threw his gun aside, ignoring the Allied soldiers who were still attacking him, and looked at the other Autobots.

"Is that you, Ironhide?" It approached Ironhide, dodging the ultra-low temperature jet fired from his rifle at close range. With a casual slash, it severed Ironhide in half at the waist. With a stomp, it broke Ironhide's gun-wielding hand.

"It seems not."

"Ptooey—!" The knocked-down Autobot warrior spat out a mouthful of acid at it, but Decepticon simply flicked his finger, and the glob of acid was blocked in mid-air by the shockwave.

“Acid suits you well, but I don’t want to be like Sentinel Prime, that traitor… never mind, there’s no point in saying it.” The cannon barrel hanging on its back quickly deformed and disintegrated, turning into a fusion gun that it held in its hand. Without hesitation, it fired three shots in quick succession at the iron-clad man’s head, ending the old soldier’s life.

Then, as a pinkish-silver phantom came from above, he raised his hand and fired the fourth shot.

A loud bang echoed through the air, and parts of the severed robotic arm scattered and fell to the ground. However, the shadowy figure managed to drift behind it, its sharp blade leaving a shallow gash on its back!

"So it was you, Arcee." Megatron suddenly roared, and a visible sonic boom radiated outwards from it. It reached out and stabbed at its empty side, and the robot that had appeared beside it like a shadow was pierced through by the unexpected attack. It then raised its other hand, picked up the Fusion Gun, and prepared to blast the attacker's head apart. But in the next instant, a jet of intense plasma struck the robot that had pierced Arcee's left arm, burning away the layer of skin covering it.

"..." Megatron turned around and looked at Alice. The Autobot warrior who had been pierced by the plasma the moment it struck him had successfully escaped and disappeared to who knows where.

“A reptile,” Megatron said calmly, his aura suddenly exploding as he swung his fist, creating a pale barrier of compressed air in front of it. That white expanse instantly filled Alice's vision, shattering her protective magical shield upon contact. It bought her only a fleeting moment.

【Ishtar——】

She felt a sharp pain behind her, followed by a tremendous roar. It was the sound of the walls of the Retribution being breached and destroyed. From the secret hall all the way to the breach point, Megatron's fist, pressing against the witch's body, had pierced through at least twelve layers of isolation walls!

No one could emerge unscathed from such a blow. Alice was no exception.

When Megatron stopped near the breach, shaking his fist that had pierced through twelve layers of defenses, the witch who had been hit was already a puddle of mud.

"Oh, still alive?" The Decepticon leader looked with keen interest at the witch who had barely survived by changing her form at the brink of death through Ishtar's underworld ritual. A look of inquiry appeared in its eyes. It looked at its arm, and the next moment, the part that had been burned by plasma rapidly regenerated, restored, and returned to its original form.

"So that's how it can be done. It seems that Earthlings also have unique technological advantages."

The next moment, the Allied soldiers near the breach pulled the trigger. Countless laser beams came, but it neither dodged nor avoided them, letting the thermal rays melt its body into countless holes.

However, just half a second later, the writhing metal structure repaired all the damage like putty. It then unleashed a horizontal slash, delivering a smooth death to the Allied warriors who attacked it with a wide-range air slash.