Titan King

Chapter 40

Pickle stood amidst the ruins of a once-imposing hallway, its vast expanse stretching into the shadows beyond. The towering, prehistoric warrior loomed like a specter of raw, untamed power, his muscular, armoured frame bathed in the dim, flickering glow of dying emergency lights. Sparks rained from severed cables, hissing like dying embers as they dangled from the shattered walls, torn apart by his relentless attacks. His cape hung low, untouched by the carnage he had inflicted.

The air was thick with the scent of burnt circuitry and smoldering metal. The bodies of countless machine soldiers, once tireless sentinels of the hidden fortress, now lay in heaps of twisted wreckage. Their armored chassis were crushed beyond recognition, torn asunder by the savage strength of a being far older than they could ever comprehend. Exposed wiring spilled from their shattered forms, hanging like the grotesque entrails of disemboweled beasts, their coolant fluids pooling across the floor in thick, oil-slick puddles. The liquid reflected Pickle's towering silhouette, distorted and shimmering as small fires flickered in the corners of the ruined corridor.

A low tremor rumbled through the fortress, a deep, resonant groan of metal and stone. Pickle's keen instincts flared, sensing the chaos unfolding deeper within the mountain. The very walls shuddered, dust cascading from cracks in the ceiling as distant explosions shook the foundations of the fortress.

Grün.

The ancient mechanical leviathan was on a rampage, its sheer colossal bulk tearing through the mountain's core with unstoppable force. The machines had once crafted the Behemoth to serve them, to act as a monument of their might, but now, it was their destroyer. The rhythmic booming of metal against stone reverberated through the cavernous halls, the sound of an unstoppable titan carving a path of destruction.

The hunt was not over.

He stepped forward, his massive armoured foot crushing the remnants of a fallen machine's skull, reducing it to nothing more than scrap and dust. His bright obsidian eyes with a ring of sickly green gleamed in the dim light as he let go of the now destroyed chainsaw and placed his armoured palm against the door.

And pushed.

The stone door creaked and buckled under his strength, turning inwards as it opened up. Blue light exited the room and allowed him to see what lay behind the doors.

A vast, circular structure dominated the space, its design an intricate fusion of cold mechanical efficiency and intimidating alien grandeur. The chamber pulsed with an ominous blue light, emitted from the countless lines of energy conduits running across the walls and floor—like veins pumping artificial life into the fortress. A massive, hovering structure loomed in the center, suspended by unknown forces, its underside lined with dangling tendrils of wiring and mechanical components, reminiscent of a colossal artificial brain. At its core, a dark metallic sphere pulsed rhythmically, sending waves of data across holographic displays and transmitting machine orders to the entire stronghold.

Pickle stepped in the silent room, untouched by the chaos outside. Slowly, almost casually,y as if he was not in the greatest technological room that aliens ever hoped to create.

Adam: Is it impressive?

A familiar voice rang out in the room, it did not echo being absorbed by the wall. Bright green visor looked in the direction of the voice.

Pickle: I have seen better.

He replied as he continued to circle the large structure that dominated the space. On the opposite side was Adam. A creature the Khan named, following his moments and circling the structure in a similar pattern. 

Adam: Really?

He questioned as the two met face to face. The mysterious Android-like machine didn't even reach the butcher's chest, yet he held eye contact with the larger creature. Pickle noticed him wearing proper clothing and gloves compared to when they met before, with the addition of a tie and his long white hair was properly combed now.