Chapter 147 - Godzilla and Gundam?

BOOM!

A violent tremor surged from deep beneath the earth. The entire Shibuya ground convulsed wildly, like a tattered cloth shaken by a giant hand. Yuji Itadori had just leaped down from a 100-meter-high electrical tower when the rooftop beneath his feet emitted a tooth-grinding crack. He steadied himself and looked toward the source of the tremor.

A nauseating stench, thick with high-concentration sulfuric acid and rotting marine decay, crashed down alongside acid rain drifting from the sky, striking him head-on.

"Cough... what the hell is that smell!"

The acid rain pelted down, sizzling against his skin with a sharp sting. Yuji ignored it, his gaze locked dead onto the southeast. That patch of night sky was now stained by an apocalyptic dark-yellow glow.

"ROAR!"

A terrifying howl tore through the night sky. The sound held nothing but pure hunger and savagery. The next second, at the edge of the horizon, a commercial building over 30 stories tall was crushed like a biscuit, collapsing with a thunderous crash and kicking up a sky full of dust. A massive black silhouette slowly stepped out from the dust. A colossal monster over 100 meters long.

Its form resembled an ancient lizard, but its entire body was covered in deformed bone armor like heavy industrial waste. Dozens of enormous bone spikes glowing with eerie green light extended from its spine to its tail. Viscous, highly toxic black liquid dripped from its limbs, corroding gaping holes in the asphalt that billowed white smoke. With every step it took, the earth wailed in lament.

Elevated highways shattered like fragile toy blocks before it. Countless cars were flattened into iron pancakes, the sound of twisting metal piercing the air. This ultimate behemoth, born from deep-sea nuclear pollution and human terror, carrying tens of thousands of tons of poison and momentum, stomped into the Shibuya battlefield.

"Wh-what is that..."

"Godzilla... it's Godzilla!"

"It's the end of the world! Run!"

On the ground, the surviving civilians had just broken free from the slaughter of the modified humans, only to be swept into an even vaster, more hopeless abyss. Staring at that world-ending monster, they let out broken screams and fled in all directions. At the same time, outside the Shibuya Barrier perimeter. Toji Fushiguro had just finished a set of blood-boiling pre-battle stretches.

The sudden violent tremor made him stagger.

"Hm?"

He frowned and looked up, just in time to see the Pollution Behemoth smash the Shibuya landmark building to pieces. His eyes narrowed slightly. A troublesome opponent. No Cursed Energy, a pure physical disaster. Its body was too large, a single roll could crush hundreds of ordinary people. Bzzz bzzz, The special communicator in his pocket vibrated frantically.

Toji answered impatiently. The panicked, distorted roar of a Jujutsu Headquarters higher-up blasted through.

"Toji Fushiguro! What are you doing! Stop that monster immediately! Under no circumstances can it be allowed to approach the Shinjuku core district!"

"Ha? You old farts sitting in your offices blowing air conditioning sure have it easy running your mouths." Toji picked at his ear, radiating exasperation. "Can't you see I'm blocked outside by this crappy Barrier? If you're so capable, come out here yourselves and convince it to retreat with a set of Youth Calisthenics!"

"You..."

Toji hung up directly. Every extra second spent talking to these wastes of space was a second of life thrown away.

"Toji-sensei, can you hear me?"

It was Kokichi Muta.

"That big guy... please, leave it to me."

Kokichi Muta's voice held not a shred of hesitation.

"Mr. Gojo is sealed, the Jujutsu High forces are divided, and the civilians on the surface are facing a threat. This is exactly the moment when someone needs to step forward!"

"You?" Toji raised an eyebrow.

"Yes." The voice on the other end of the channel grew impassioned. "This body of mine, these 17 years of accumulated Cursed Energy, they exist for today, for this very moment! Toji-sensei, your strength should be used in more critical places! Evacuating civilians, protecting the students, that is what you should be doing!"

"Please, take that monster as the first answer sheet I, Kokichi Muta, submit after returning to the Jujutsu High camp!"

Toji Fushiguro paused. He looked at the distant rampaging giant, listened to the resolute Declaration of Youth coming through the communicator, and the scar at the corner of his mouth curled upward into a brilliant arc.

"Ahh... is that so."

Toji raised his hand and rubbed the corner of his eye with the back of his hand. There were no tears there, but his voice carried a trace of choked emotion.

"You bastard... have you finally grasped the true meaning of the Will of Fire, Kokichi Muta!"

"Good! Excellent! Now that's what a student of mine should look like!"

He let out a wild, roaring laugh into the communicator, radiating 200 percent approval.

"Then go! Let all of Tokyo, no, let the entire world witness it! The resolve and perseverance of our youth!"

"Go! Mechamaru! With your body of steel, carve a path toward tomorrow for these innocent people!"

"Yes!"

The communication cut off. The next second, from the southwestern sky of Shibuya, came the piercing shriek of a sonic boom. A massive dark silhouette tore across the sky at supersonic speed, carrying unparalleled kinetic energy, and slammed heavily onto the central avenue between the Pollution Behemoth and the panicking crowd!

BOOM!

The ground shattered. The shockwave sent dozens of nearby cars flying. As the dust cleared, a giant steel mecha, half-kneeling in the center of the massive impact crater, slowly straightened its body. Sleek, powerful armor lines. Massive shoulder pauldrons bearing the Jujutsu High crest. The core reactor on its chest radiated a deep blue light. Ultimate Mechamaru - Mode: Absolute!

"Wh-what is that?"

"A Gundam! It's a Gundam!"

A girl who had just collapsed to the ground in terror stared at the colossal robot that had descended from the sky, standing between her and Godzilla. In her despairing eyes, a glimmer of hope rekindled.

"ROAR—!"

The Pollution Behemoth noticed this tin can that dared to block its path and let out a furious howl. It opened its massive, blood-drenched maw. A sickly green acidic breath, mixed with nuclear waste, shot out like a high-pressure water cannon, aimed directly at Ultimate Mechamaru's chest. The steel giant neither dodged nor evaded.

Inside the cockpit, Kokichi Muta, his face restored to flesh and blood, bore an expression of utter calm, ready to embrace death. He pushed steadily on the control console with both hands.

"Mode switch... Absolute Defense, deploy!"

Hum, The armor on Ultimate Mechamaru's chest slid open to both sides. The massive 17 years' worth of Cursed Energy within poured out without reservation, coalescing in front of the unit into an enormous octagonal energy shield, shimmering with incantation marks.

BZZZZZZT!

The sickly green torrent of acid slammed violently against the shield, erupting with a tsunami-like roar and towering white steam, yet it could not advance a single inch further. The steel giant, braced against the world-ending breath, slowly raised its right arm. Five fingers spread open. The cannon muzzle in its palm began to gather a blinding radiance that rivaled the sun itself.

A battle wagering everything, at this very moment, in Shibuya, now reduced to a living hell on earth, officially commenced.

➤ Next: The Seventh Gate — One Punch Destroys the Titan