Chapter 4.

Chapter 4: The Carrot Uprising and the Gamble of Destiny

The air was thick with steam and the acrid scent of burnt metal as the massive war machine lumbered forward, its mechanical arms clanking as it strode toward Clara's workshop. It was a grotesque beast, a patchwork of gears, pistons, and glowing red eyes. Every turn of its massive gears sent vibrations through the ground, the noise deafening as it slowly inched toward them, like some ancient titan from a forgotten time.

"Alright, people, we've got a problem," Clara shouted over the din, her face grim as she adjusted her goggles. "This thing's coming for us, and I don't think it's here to chat."

Sans, hands casually in his pockets, squinted at the monstrosity. "Oh, no kidding, genius. Maybe next time we can go for something a little less evil and menacing. You know, like a nice vegetable garden instead?"

Gojo stood motionless, his hands in his pockets, a serene smile on his face. "Hah. If this thing was any more dramatic, I'd think it was auditioning for a soap opera. Still, I guess I'll take care of it, since no one else is doing anything."

The Doom Slayer, ever silent, was already checking his arsenal—his chainsaw revved menacingly as he scanned the machine. His eyes burned with an unyielding rage, and it was clear that he wasn't going to let the mechanical beast get too far.

"Clara, where's the weakest point on that thing?" The Doom Slayer's voice was low, almost a growl.

Clara pointed to a small section near the back of the machine. "There. The gears are exposed, and the power core's unstable. If we can get close enough, we could—"

Before she could finish, the war machine let out a deafening roar, sending a shockwave that rattled the workshop. Its massive mechanical arms swung down, smashing into the ground with such force that the entire room shook.

"This is it!" Hikari yelled, grinning like a madman as his Domain Expansion—Idle Death Gamble—lit up the room in neon colors once again. The roulette wheel spun above him, and he threw out a handful of cursed energy into the air, the lights flashing erratically. "This fight's gonna be a gamble, people! Everyone place your bets! Let's see who's gonna win this round!"

P. Diddy, who had been uncomfortably quiet since the interrogation earlier, raised an eyebrow. He'd been staring at the war machine, his earlier bravado faltering. "Yo, I'm all about making moves, but this is looking real dangerous. What's the plan here, people? We can't just let this thing roll over us."

Clara shot a glare at P. Diddy, her patience wearing thin. "Look, we're not getting out of this alive unless we take it down. You want to bet on the outcome of this fight, or do you want to actually help?"

"Hey, hey, no need for all that. I got you, Clara." P. Diddy adjusted his gold chains and tossed a wink toward the group. "I'm just saying, things are moving fast, and I need to keep up."

Rick Sanchez, who had been tinkering with his portal gun in the corner, rolled his eyes. "Yeah, sure, keep up. How about you keep your mouth shut and actually do something useful, Diddy? I don't know about you, but I'm not in the mood for another musical number while we're being squashed by this thing."

"Uh, alright, alright!" P. Diddy raised his hands, laughing nervously. "I'll get with the program. No more distractions."

Rick pointed to the war machine, which was now taking heavy steps toward them. "Okay, look. We need to destroy that thing's power core, or we'll be toast. There's no time for your ego trip, P. Diddy. We're literally seconds away from getting obliterated."

"I got it!" Hikari shouted over the chaos, eyes locked on the roulette wheel spinning furiously above him. "This is the perfect round to gamble on! Let's all place bets on how long it's going to take for me to destroy that power core! Whoever wins gets to be the hero of the day!"

"I'm betting on you," Sans said, deadpan as always. "You seem to have a knack for causing chaos."

"I'll go with Hikari too," Gojo said, flipping his hair back. "After all, his luck is pretty much guaranteed to mess everything up—so we might as well make it interesting."

Rick, still messing with his portal gun, smirked. "I'll bet this ends in a big mess, because that's basically guaranteed. But hey, it's fun to watch."

The Doom Slayer grunted, his expression unchanging. He was already charging toward the war machine, chainsaw revving as he sliced through the giant machine's outer layers.

"Everyone focus!" Clara shouted, rallying the crew. "We need to get to that weak spot fast. The machine's power core won't hold for long, but if we don't move quickly, it'll crush everything in its path."

The cyborg Root, now under the control of Dr. Scorn, loomed in the distance, watching with cold, mechanical eyes. He raised his hand, and with a flick of his fingers, several mechanical carrot soldiers emerged from the depths of the machine, marching forward with their weapons raised.

"Now we're talking!" Hikari shouted, spinning a roulette wheel above his head as he spun forward, lightning-fast.

"Everyone, watch out!" Gojo called, activating his Infinity technique, creating a shimmering barrier that blocked the incoming carrot soldiers' attacks. "I'll handle the small fries. You all focus on the big guy."

With that, the battle erupted in full force. The Doom Slayer ripped through the mechanical soldiers, his chainsaw tearing through metal with terrifying efficiency. Meanwhile, Gojo continued to use his infinite void technique to keep enemies at bay, his calm demeanor standing in sharp contrast to the chaos around him.

Sans, for his part, was already lounging behind the scenes, watching with a smirk. "Ah, chaos. My favorite."

The war machine lurched forward, its giant mechanical fists swinging down with the fury of a thousand storms, each swing sending tremors through the workshop.

Rick, however, had his own idea. With a flick of his wrist, he activated his portal gun, opening a portal just in front of the war machine's arm. The giant fist slammed right through it, only to be redirected backwards, colliding with the machine's own body.

"Now that's what I call a setup!" Rick smirked, rubbing his hands together.

Clara, meanwhile, was already on the move, darting across the battlefield, her tools flashing in the light. She reached the war machine's exposed power core, noticing the intricate, glowing blue orb at the center.

"I'm in," Clara whispered, a grin spreading across her face. "Now, to finish this."

With a quick motion, she unscrewed the final bolt holding the protective casing around the core. The neon blue orb pulsed with an ominous energy.

"Everyone, get back!" Clara shouted, diving behind cover as the energy started to spike.

The war machine roared in fury, its metallic body groaning as the unstable core began to overload.

Hikari, still grinning like a maniac, spun his roulette wheel one last time, his cursed energy reaching its peak. "Looks like I'm betting on a big win for us!"

In the final moments, the power core erupted in a brilliant flash of light, its energy ripping through the machine's interior. The war machine began to disintegrate, its gears grinding to a halt as the exposed parts began to melt and crumble.

As the dust settled, the team stood victorious—though, once again, chaos was left in their wake.

Clara wiped her brow, breathing heavily. "We did it… but that was way too close."

Rick shot her a look. "Way too close for comfort. And next time, let's not have a giant, sentient war machine with a ridiculous power core, okay?"

Hikari, ever the gambler, raised his hands in triumph. "I told you guys! I totally nailed it!"

And in the corner, Sans chuckled. "You're welcome, by the way. Without me, that thing would've been a real problem."

But as they stood there, victorious—but utterly exhausted—no one noticed the faint, distant sound of mechanical laughter echoing from the shadows.

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To be continued...