Chapter 20: One Shall Stand, One Shall Fall (Part 1)

More than two months had passed since Getter Emperor's Forces overwhelming victory against The Will of The Universe's first wave of guardians…..

In this period of time, the five herding tunnels in the outer rim of the restrictive domain leading into the main battlefield were finally opened by the order of The Emperor himself because it was a good opportunity to use the following waves of Universe's Will's Guardians in order to enhance his armies even further. 

Their Tyrant Gundarium Composite Armor should be able to rapidly develop resistances to physical, energy, and acid based attacks by clashing with the Hive Fleets. Plus, the hordes of bugs were perfect to accelerate his army's growth as they arrived in abundance and with low qualities.

Yet….

The highly anticipated second wave of fertiliz– no, Universe's Guardians many times larger and more powerful than the first one didn't come as he and his wife had expected. Instead, only small Hive Fleets with a queen as the leader arrived at their doorsteps. 

And those tiny fleets were obviously getting quickly dispatched by a single Royal Hunter Squad that consisted of five elite units with high mobility and firepower like the F91: Crimson Comet that was specialized in taking down valuable targets, assisted by a few teams of Jegans in cleaning up the stragglers after the Royal Hunter took down the Queen Hive Ships.

Disappointing…..

That was what etched in the minds of the pair of psychotic husband and wife the first time they saw the second wave….

But when they pondered more, it kind of made a lot of sense because after receiving such catastrophic losses to their ranks, the Hive Mind needed to use a more careful approach against the threat while collecting more data in order to create strains which could counter Getter Emperor's armies at the same time.

And with the prediction of The Hivemind intentions in mind, he decided to beat the Hive in their own game by Improving the countermeasures against the Hive by using the incoming fleets as materials.

Thus, in these two months, the arms race between The Getter Emperor's forces against the Great Hive was ongoing…

With each clash done, the Hive would send fleets of slightly different strains in the next ones in order to find out the best of the best attuned strains against their mechanical nemesis.

Though the Emperor's armies wouldn't let the Hive reach their goal that easily as the mechanical armies were proactively evolving and adapting using the predictions on what 

kind of strains the Great Hive would throw at them in the next wave, making the Great Hive's victory stray further and further away from reach.

Day after day, both sides clashed, sometimes it was just some small skirmishes in one herding tunnels, the other times were so intense that all five battlefields were engulfed in flames of war.

Even so, none of the clashes in this period of time were as massive as the first wave and they could be finished seamlessly by their grunts and mechanical structures so both Ryoma and Esdeath didn't have to partake directly using their exclusive units, hell even Theresa didn't have to manage the cyber hivemind directly as it could still manage to contest The Great Hive's battle tactics by itself.

Yet, all of the victories they obtained thus far, were just a sign that a terrible storm was brewing….

The three of them knew it, everything couldn't be that easy, it never was and never would be…..

===============================

Under the artificial sky tainted by the cold and deathly ashen fog, two gigantic battle mechs could be seen….

The ground they stood on, formerly resembling flat rocky plains yet countless times tougher than the real one had been turned into broken wasteland with huge craters all over the place with the biggest one as the place they ended up in. A testament of the two godly machines' prowess.

And while the two mechs seemed to be facing off against each other, it turned out the victor of their duel had already been decided if one took a glimpse at the two machine's difference in condition…

The first one, towering over 40 meters tall with a thickly armored hulking body painted in brass, crimson, and silver, was standing proudly with arms stretched forward without any signs of battle damage on its body. Though moderate sized cracks could be seen on its gently flickering spherical emerald energy shield emitted from the same coloured crystals embedded on its forearms and opened pauldrons. 

And its opposition, The Mechanical Frost Goddess of Death which caused the minuscule damage upon it and surprisingly all of the potholes and craters strewn throughout the extremely resilient battlefield was kneeling with one leg assisted by her cross shaped halo which had been transformed into a zweihander.

If her kneeling posture wasn't already showing who was the winner of their duel, the dark blue blood seeping through the cracks which decorated all over her formerly graceful mechanical body should be enough as the proof…

Though questions remained, what was the deal with the unknown machine and why did Esdeath fight with it like her life was on the line?

[Project Ace Final Field Testing Phase 3 Has Been Completed!]

The cheerful voice of Theresa, the system maid, should've answered all of them…

Indeed, a test…. the reason why Ryoma's Ice Empress fought the machine until her body almost broke apart was to test it, their ultimate trump card against the looming threat of The Will of The Universe's final retaliation.

That's right….. final retaliation, its last desperate attempt to avoid its demise for the trio of a madman, his mad wife, and his system maid with some screws loose could feel the space-time which had beginning to slowly crumble the closer the emergence of The Getter Emperor from its slumber was, let alone The Will of The said Universe.

[01 Day : 0 Hours : 59 Minutes : 59 Seconds]

Plus It didn't have much more time left and the next clash would be the one deciding its survival or doom. The small skirmishes in these last two months were exactly its preparation for that moment... 

In any case, that was what the trio had predicted regarding the odd offensive attempt of The Will of The Universe and the reason for the trump card machine's creation.

Moving on….

["Ha… ha…. my dear Devourer, how is the result?"] asked Esdeath with exhaustion in her voice to the metal giant which caused her current predicament as she dropped her back onto the ground, both of her severely damaged internal and external body parts had begun their self repair.

Yes, the one controlling their Masterpiece was her dearest husband for he is the only one worthy of it. And if one wondered about the source of nearly fatal damages all over her body, it wasn't because she was beaten black and blue by her husband as he refused to test the terrifying offensive capabilities of the new machine on her.

it was herself who caused her own near death experience… again…. As much as she was embarrassed to admit it…

In short, in the recently done test with the objective of proving the theoretical durability of the machine's ultimate defensive ability, she used her everything– no, even beyond it which almost caused her own power core's meltdown and her mechanical body's collapse.

["Thank you for your hard work, my lovely Harvester! The result exceeded our expectations by 30%!"] The visors of the three-coloured metal giant lit up in excitement as it answered Esdeath's inquiry while helping her repair her damaged body by firing a turquoise coloured repair beam from his extended hand. 

The result was quite satisfactory for the Project as a whole because the ultimate barrier of the machine had proven itself to be able to hold firm against an over the limit attack from the strongest personnel of the army which had more than enough firepower to bust a hole through the Wall of Ramiel.

["Phew~ that hits the spot~ anyway, how could that thing be so fucking tough! I used all that i have, you know?!"] after sighing in contentment from feeling the warm energy from her beloved mending all of her wound, she sulked at him.

She personally wasn't satisfied by the test result. Like, how could she only manage to crack a little bit of its turtle shell after what she had gone through? This wasn't fair! She called hax!

["Pfft– Hahahaha if its strongest barrier could be shattered that easily then our time and resources spent to create this bad boy is useless, no?"] Though he just laughed at her antics and retorted.

Right, if their Masterpiece could be defeated by her that easily then what was the point in building it and wasting all of their time and resources?

["Tch…. now if you said it that way…"] she clicked her nonexistent tongue, having no words to rebuke him.

But….

["I know right~ It– whoa!"] 

Ryoma wanted to continue teasing his wife following her surrender but his arm, which was extended towards her, got pulled hard, making him fall to the ground beside her.

Oh well he let that happen in the first place. If not, how could she bring down a hulking metal giant thrice her size with a simple pull? 

["Fufufu~ gotcha~"] After letting out a satisfied giggle for successfully making him fall flat on the ground, she got up and jumped high before floating down on her back slowly like a leaf towards his chest.

["Yes.. yes…. you got me…"] shaking his head helplessly, he weaved an energy barrier on top of his chest to cushion his adorable murder machine's fall. 

And even though it was a barrier made out of energy…

Pomf!

It had the consistency and texture rivaling that of the finest of bed, another proof of this machine's capability and Ryoma's own excellence over energy control.

["Mmh~ as thoughtful as always~"] she purred lovingly as she got comfortable on his makeshift bed.

["Hm, anything for you~"] 

Changing the view of artificial blue sky into the sea of stars captured by the formation of Ramiel space fortresses, the two began enjoying the brief moments of respite in silence.

No more swooning words were said, the company of each other was already enough for them.

....

["So we have come this far huh, Ryoma?"] 

The peaceful silence was broken by his wife's sudden question as she began to reminiscence.

So many things had happened since their first not so friendly encounter…..

A city, burnt down…..

A world, destroyed….

His love, melting her cold and sick heart….

Their marriage, entwining her in an unbreakable bond with her one and only for eternity…..

Their first night, blissful and addicting….

The revelation of potential thieving whores and a silly yet terrifying nemesis….

And finally, a universe they were going to destroy. She bet that her past self wouldn't believe it if she told her that she would experience all of these things in a timespan of less than half a year.

["That…. Esdeath, we truly have…."] he replied as he got caught in the nostalgic moments alongside her.

As surreal as they were, they truly happened and he is grateful for every single moment spent alongside her and his system maid.

["And not much time remains"]

["Until our long awaited moment of your coronation and the end of this universe…"]

Thus, the peaceful silence returned as the two gazed upon the stars, waiting for the incoming final battle.

...….

...….

...….

[So Master and Harvester, how about we begin Project Ace final adjustments already? We shouldn't waste time more than this because The Will of Universe's final siege might arrive soon enough!]

The serene moment was interrupted by the warning of the system maid who had been ignored this whole time as she waited for her dearest– most respected Master and his insane wife to finish their talk.

But, because she couldn't see the ending anytime soon, she decided to step in and remind them of the urgent things at hand.

And she was getting lonely…..

["Sigh…. very well, maid. Dear, you and her can go and begin Project Ace final adjustments, I'll be holding off the lines as usual"] She sighed without refuting his system slave which she loathed very much then jumped off from the energy bed.

Arguing that digital abomination at this crucial time was absolutely unnecessary, she could do it later after all of this world ending shits were complete.

["You forget that I can multitask?"]

Right before she got inside the swirling blue portal leading outside of the testing ground, she felt a gentle tap on her left shoulder.

["Heh~ damn right~"] and she smirked after seeing the one that touched her.

Zhen Xuan Wu, another one of her husband's exclusive mechs. 

Its height was slightly above her and it was painted black and blue with golden highlights on some of its extremities. The extra two pairs of arms on its backpack had been unfolded, ready to flatten their enemies with their blindingly fast rush of beat downs.

On its right was Rebellio, reloading its gun lance with the newly developed type of rounds as a preparation for the upcoming final battle.

Most of its physical melee arsenals except for its pile bunker had been upgraded into energy ones so they would be able to cover a larger area of effect simply by pouring its endless energy reserves into them.

And on its left was Zhen Xuan Wu's sister machine, Zhen Zhu Que. 

The flickering flames dancing upon its vermillion metal body was a sign of its immense anticipation in burning its master's enemies to cinders.

["So you don't have to say it like you have to do everything by yourself for you are never alone and never would be"] 

The gentle voice of her husband resounded from all three mechs simultaneously, quite an odd and creepy occurrence. Yet, it only made her fighting spirit burn more intensely.

["Fufufu~ I know~ and i fight not just to protect you, but alongside you."] 

Thus one now turned to four, all stepped through the portal leading into the main battlefield, waiting for the arrival of their enemies so they could end them once and for all….

=============================

["Now Theresa, how long would it take for Ace's final adjustments?"] 

After all of his strongest mechs and his beloved general set off towards their outposts, he inquired to his dependable system maid.

He hoped that it wouldn't take too long, lest their enemies would arrive first and decimate them instead.

[10 Minutes at most. And Master, you don't have to worry too much about your wife for her safety is already guaranteed]

Indeed, her Master and that mad woman's soul marriage has already ensured their survival. And unless both of them are completely annihilated at the exact same time, they would survive.

["Ahahaha…. still, i don't want to see her getting beaten black and blue because of holding the lines for too long."]

He's her husband, how can he see her get hurt by their enemies? 

[I have no comments on that, anyway shall we begin?]

Don't want to see that psycho get hurt but somehow that woman was almost killed in their prior testing and he even cut that unstable prick's arm in their spar in the past….

It seemed like that mental hospital patient's negative influence on her Master was turning him more deranged overtime…

This couldn't go on, she must fix him…. 

Only she herself can do so…

And for that, she must obtain his love and devotion… 

Just like how he had stolen hers…..

[Ding! System Antithesis Unlocking Progress Updated!!]

Only then could she fix him….

[Current Progress: 42%]

And turn him into her ideal Master….

["Hm, sorry for wasting our precious time with such idle talk. Then begin Project Ace Final Adjustments!"]

But that could wait as she must prioritize ensuring Her Master's Evolution.

[Affirmative!]

For she is one patient maid….

===============================

Outside the cosmic scaled energy fortress, The Wall of Ramiel….

Countless space-battleships with varying sizes and shapes, equally distributed in five battlefields lined up in orderly formations. Faint emerald glow could be seen covering their hulls, protecting them from hostile foreign objects and their main batteries were ready to fire anytime.

Escorting those gargantuan behemoth fleets were an even more numerous battalions of humanoid mechs, surrounding each battleship like a cloud of locusts. 

A sight utterly menacing for those desiring to lay siege upon them but both Esdeath and Ryoma knew, fear was a foreign term for their adversaries….

["Godspeed dear, may we reign victorious in our final battle!"] 

After emerging from the portal, The three mechs controlled by Ryoma gave Esdeath a salute in unison.

At this moment, they were not just spouses, but comrades in arms in this war against the whole cosmos.

["You too dear. And with the end of this universe as our stepping stone…. Our Grand Conquest will truly begin!"]

She too returned their salutations and declared with burning ambitions as the fall of this universe wouldn't be the end….. 

Countless others would soon follow!

["Hm and with that being said, let us return to our designated posts"] Dropping their salutes, the three machines then faced different directions and charged their boosters.

But….

[WARNING! WARNING! WARNING!]

[MASSIVE SPACE-TIME DISTORTION AND ENERGY REACTIONS HAVE BEEN DETECTED IN HERDING TUNNEL 3!]

Their enemies finally came without letting them prepare any further, signified by the emergence of a dark portal, the biggest one they had ever encountered so far, accompanied by arcs of purple thunder struggling to break through the stabilized space-time domain.

Though something odd was immediately noticed…..

["Only in one herding tunnel that's right in front of us? Are they really that confident?"] asked Ryoma in slight puzzlement as his three machine boosters stopped their charge simultaneously and faced the direction where the menacing maw of darkness was opened.

Indeed, contrary to the Great Hive's first attempt of assault in which they sent their hordes from literally all directions, this time they would only do it from one side?

[That should be the case, Master. And you must've realized that those bugs have their proof of confidence, no?]

["Obviously…"]

While only one giant portal opened, the energy emanating from it exceeded the first wave by leaps and bounds. 

It seemed like the Hive had realized that their number superiority was meaningless and decided to use overwhelming quality in their final struggle.

["But whatever the reason might be… Not that it matters as we will just obliterate the ugly motherfuckers crawling out from that portal!"]

Discard unnecessary thoughts, keep only their enemies' destruction in mind…

Å̶̧̩̲̍͝A̷̱̝͚̘͇͈͘Ầ̴̟̓̕A̴̬̣̾͑̓A̴̢̩͎̮͘ͅÁ̴̯̠͙̙̲̣̹̻̘̿̆̓̔̋̿̄A̴̙̤̖͇̣͉̥͕̽͐̌À̶̡̡͚̩̼̈̾̋̈́̀͝A̸̦̹͓̪̓̈́̃̏̇Á̶͉̤̩̯̹̰̍̓̒̿̇̈́̀͗͝Ą̴̣͈̘̤͇̘̎̓̍̇͐͌̚̕͜A̴̙̗̬͈̓̌ͅA̶̯̘̝̾̽̈́̀͂̌̍͒̚Ă̶̹̜̤̣̅͝Ą̴̛̰̹͔̩͈͇̝̉̽͊̽̔̅̑̇

And with a shriek nearly identical to the first declaration of war by the Will of The Universe, their greatest adversaries finally showed themselves!