Chapter 702: Mutual Deception (End) (Patreon)

Transformers Begin : Table of Content/Chapter List

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A massive leak of the Autobots' military strategies emerged, giving the Decepticons a clear shot at victory.

Having lost his patience with the Autobots, Sentinel Prime chose to grant even more power to the old aristocrats and the conservative factions who had always undermined him from the shadows. In their newfound power, they formed the Autobots parliament, mirroring the old Council of Primes. This led to frantic struggles for power, with their actions being nothing short of disgraceful.

The downfall of the Autobots was set in stone the moment Sentinel Prime lost patience with them.

With an increasing number of their transport spaceships and territories falling, the Autobots' space for survival diminished gradually, until only their capital, Iron Fortress, remained.

Sentinel Prime, willing to negotiate with Megatron using the entire Autobots faction and the Cybertron Planet, made Skytiger Legion's commander, who was ever-ready to deliver a fatal blow, even more wary.

Having dealt with Sentinel Prime for millions of years, he understood this self-proclaimed king of the Primus much more profoundly than most Autobots ever did.

Only substantial benefits could convince this king, hell-bent on restoring the glory of the Primus royalty, to give up on the Autobots he had nurtured for years.

Out of caution, and with Megatron hoping to gain even more from the negotiations, he held back his murderous intentions. Even when Sentinel Prime boarded the spaceship, feigning death to escape Cybertron Planet, Megatron let the original plan with Sentinel Prime continue unhindered.

Later, the Skytiger Legion successfully captured the Autobots' capital – the Fortress. While some Autobots escaped to a satellite, a few managed to sneak out of the Decepticons' encirclement through hidden tunnels, continuing their guerrilla warfare on Cybertron Planet.

However, the Skytiger Legion indeed claimed the final victory in the Civil War, seizing the entire Cybertron.

This unprecedented achievement boosted Megatron's reputation within the Skytiger Legion, with even ambitious characters like Starscream bowing to him.

But Megatron wasn't blinded by this glory. He always harbored a deep sense of vulnerability. Only he knew that his destiny had never truly been in his hands.

Whether it was ages ago when he was newly conscious and sent to the Five-Faced Monster's lab, undergoing brutal experiments and modifications, or when he was chosen by Lord Fallen, who claimed to be one of the Thirteen Primes, to become his disciple, learning various combat skills and abilities.

Or even later, when using the combat capabilities learned from Lord Fallen, Megatron rose from being a gladiator slave to the king of the arena.

Young Superior General Sentinel Prime, in his quest to eliminate the meddling Council of Primes, once again singled him out. Ignoring Megatron's resistance, he molded him into the hero of the Cybertronians, better packaging him to usurp the military power from the hands of the Council of Primes.

Megatron was acutely aware that for most of his life, he was manipulated by unseen hands controlling his destiny. Even when Sentinel Prime elevated him to the position of Cybertron's military commander, Megatron still couldn't determine his fate.

A pawn that had outlived its use had only one fate: to be eradicated.

After successfully leading the revolution alongside Sentinel Prime and eliminating the Council of Primes, he soon found himself trapped in another pre-arranged chess game.

Megatron quickly realized that the triumphant Sentinel Prime now viewed him as the next target. At this juncture, his long-lost mentor, Lord Fallen, re-emerged, bestowing upon him even greater power and guiding him to the modification factories and labs from the time Quintesson colonized Cybertron Planet.

Lord Fallen had but a few commands for him: eradicate the Primus royal lineage and kill Sentinel Prime.

Up until this moment, the defiant Megatron finally realized that the shadowy hands that had been manipulating his destiny since birth were none other than his very own nominal mentor – Lord Fallen.

No one likes their fate to be controlled by others, and Megatron was no exception. Even with the endless benefits he received from Lord Fallen, nothing could soothe the anger and fear he felt from being puppeteered by someone else.

Driven by this fear, during the second Cybertron Civil War, he accepted the deal proposed by Sentinel Prime.

Although he vaguely suspected the intentions of Sentinel Prime, who had once wanted him dead, the terms offered by Sentinel Prime were too tempting for Megatron to refuse.

Eliminating the Autobots and ruling the entire Cybertron Planet were only secondary.

The most enticing proposition from Sentinel Prime was the revelation of Lord Fallen's whereabouts.

As the former king of the Primus, many Pathfinders dispatched by the Cybertron Planet during the Council of Primes era pledged their loyalty to Sentinel Prime upon their return after the Council was overthrown.

Thanks to this, Sentinel Prime had access to critical information unknown to Megatron.

Like the colonies and Pathfinders dispatched during the Council of Primes era, which had discovered resource-rich planets and established distant colonies long ago.

Or the civilizations Pathfinders had chanced upon in the cosmos and the life-bearing planets they had documented.

And even reports of battles witnessed by Pathfinders in a distant galaxy, far from Cybertron, between followers of different Primus legends from Cybertronian tales.

What finally convinced Megatron to suppress his murderous intent and collaborate with Sentinel Prime was the latter's promise to help him kill Lord Fallen.

Thoughts swirled tumultuously in his mind.

Megatron suppressed his intense hatred and rage for Frenzy, asking, "Starscream, any news on my mentor, Lord Fallen?"

Starscream bowed slightly, "I regret to inform you, my lord, we've increased our search efforts, but we have yet to locate Lord Fallen."

Lord Fallen had been missing for over a month. Although Starscream and Megatron suspected he might have been defeated by Optimus Prime, who possesses the Leadership Module, neither believed Optimus had managed to kill him.

After all, being one of the legendary Thirteen Primes of Cybertron, even if gravely injured, Lord Fallen remains a supreme leader, powerful enough to easily overpower leaders like Megatron and Optimus Prime.

Such a formidable ancient being, not well-acquainted with the Leadership Module, could, in Megatron and Starscream's estimation, only have been bested by an Optimus Prime armed with the Module and subsequently gone into hiding due to severe injuries.

With this in mind, Megatron's gaze shifted to Prowl, his eyes filled with a menacing glare, "The Decepticons will secure the moon, preventing the Autobots from approaching before I recover. But tell your master not to keep any secrets from me. What mysteries does the Leadership Module hold? I demand an answer!"

"Now, with your laughable arrogance, leave!"

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Next Chapter >>Chapter 703: The Pathfinder Stone