With a flick of his wrist—
Uchiha Mo drove the Tang blade forward like a venomous serpent.
Thrust—
The blade pierced straight through Robert's heart.
Robert Epps's body stiffened violently.
The light in his eyes vanished in an instant.
Terror—
Confusion—
Still frozen on his face—
As he collapsed forward heavily…
Never to rise again.
"ROBERT!!!"
William Lennox let out a heart-wrenching roar.
Watching his comrade slaughtered before his eyes—
Grief and rage surged together, nearly tearing apart his sanity.
He raised his rifle—
Firing wildly—
But the bullets passed uselessly through that intangible figure once more.
Mo moved calmly through the hail of gunfire—
As if he had merely completed something trivial.
Advancing toward his next target.
Too weak.
Even academy students could exchange a few lives if they fought desperately.
But these soldiers—
Before an elite ninja like him—
Were nothing more than lambs awaiting slaughter.
Not even worthy of his full attention.
Slash!
Another blade flash—
Another soldier dropped—
Hands clutching his throat as blood poured through his fingers.
Boom!
A brutal elbow strike crushed another man's sternum—
Sending him flying like a broken puppet.
Mo flickered through the battlefield.
Each appearance—
Another life taken.
The number of NEST soldiers dwindled visibly.
Their resistance—
Fragile.
Like a candle in a storm.
Lennox emptied his final magazine—
Then stood frozen in despair.
Watching that nightmare-like figure—
Harvest the remaining lives one by one.
"AAAAHHH!!!"
He threw aside his rifle—
Drew the military dagger from his waist—
And charged forward with a roar.
Even knowing—
It was meaningless.
Mo didn't even turn.
He simply swung his hand back.
Clang!
The dagger was knocked away instantly.
Lennox's palm split open—
Blood spilling freely—
As a crushing force slammed into his chest.
He was sent flying like he'd been struck by a speeding truck—
Blood spraying from his mouth—
Before crashing heavily onto the ground.
Darkness swallowed him.
He lost consciousness.
At this point—
Inside the barrier—
Aside from the towering mechanical giants still locked in combat—
Not a single member of the NEST forces remained alive.
Mo stood at the center of the battlefield.
Corpses lay scattered around him.
Blood stained his Daoist robe—
Like blooming flowers of death.
He slowly sheathed his blade—
His gaze lifting once more—
Toward the decisive battle at the center.
As if everything that had just happened—
Was nothing more than a trivial warm-up.
CLANG! BOOM!
The clash between Megatron and Optimus Prime reached its peak.
Each collision shook both sky and earth.
Yet even such overwhelming force—
Could not dispel the despair spreading elsewhere.
Arcee blocked one of Barricade's heavy strikes with her only functioning arm—
Staggering backward—
Cracks spreading rapidly across her armor.
Her gaze drifted—
Toward where the human soldiers had fallen.
Watching that dark-robed figure—
Effortlessly erase them—
Like cutting down wheat.
A chill crept into the depths of her spark.
"Arcee! Watch out!"
Skids shouted.
He was locked in combat with Devastator—
Massive fists crashing down relentlessly—
Leaving him no room to break free.
Arcee barely dodged another charge.
Her voice crackled with distortion.
"Skids… can we… still win?"
That single question—
Made Skids falter.
For just a fraction of a second.
Boom!
Devastator seized the opening—
Driving a heavy punch into Skids' shoulder.
Metal twisted.
A pained grunt escaped him.
"We have to trust Optimus Prime!"
Skids forced the words out—
But even he could hear it—
The doubt in his own voice.
Trust Optimus Prime?
Even if he defeated Megatron—
What then?
That human—
No—
That monster—
Still stood there.
Untouched.
Unstoppable.
Barricade let out a vicious laugh—
His cannon locking onto Arcee once more.
"Now you understand, don't you?"
"This so-called 'death battle'—"
"Means you die…"
"And we fight!"
"Once Lord Megatron finishes Optimus—"
"You're next!"
Arcee stared at him.
Then at Mo.
Standing silently in the distance—
Watching.
Waiting.
As if all of this—
Was nothing more than a game.
A crushing helplessness filled her.
She understood.
From the very beginning—
This battle had never been fair.
The Autobots.
The humans.
They were all—
Pieces.
Meant to be removed from the board.
And the one controlling everything—
Was that man.
Uchiha Mo.
"Death battle…"
Arcee's optics dimmed.
"So it's… our death… and their fight…"
Her voice was lost beneath the chaos—
But the truth—
Resonated in every surviving Autobot's spark.
Hope flickered—
Like a dying flame.
And slowly—
Went out.
"Autobots—do not lose hope!"
Optimus Prime's voice rang out—
Still resolute.
Still unbroken.
Trying to reach every ally still standing.
"Hope?"
Megatron laughed wildly.
Seizing the moment—
Energy gathered within his fusion cannon.
"Where is your hope?"
"In those insects lying as corpses?"
"Or those broken scraps barely holding together?"
BOOM!
The blast grazed Optimus's shoulder—
Detonating against the canyon wall behind him—
Leaving a massive crater.
Optimus did not respond.
He stepped forward again—
Blade raised.
But this time—
His movements carried the slightest hint of sluggishness.
In raw power—
He could match Megatron.
Even surpass him—
Through sheer will.
But—
Everything beyond the battlefield—
Had already tilted the scales.
BOOM!
A cry rang out—
Arcee.
A direct hit struck her back—
Tearing away large sections of armor—
Exposing sparking internal circuits.
"Arcee!"
Optimus's spark tightened—
His attention wavered for a split second.
That was enough.
Megatron's optics flared with savage light.
He seized the opportunity—
Pouring everything into a single strike.
Fast.
Ruthless.
Precise.
All his fury—
All his killing intent—
Condensed into one blow—
Aimed straight at Optimus Prime's spark chamber.
"It's over… Optimus Prime!"
CLANG—!!!
A piercing metallic scream tore through the battlefield.
Megatron's claw locked Optimus's blade—
While the other broke through his defenses—
Driving deep into his chest armor.
Not enough to reach the spark—
But more than enough.
"Guh—!"
Optimus let out a heavy grunt.
For the first time—
His massive body faltered—
Dropping to one knee.