The Undying Mecha Emperor

We took our time walking down the central walkway in between the mechas, while Bruce kept up a running commentary about each of the mechas.

Jeanette remained completely silent, understanding the need for me to experience a Bruce which was different from my test as much as possible. She did, however, hold my hand as we walked past the mechas slowly.

I truly appreciated that little gesture of hers.

I was extremely traumatized and emotionally unstable. I had to deal with new information which are mind blowing, to say the least.

I was lost, and in desperate need of an anchor. And something as simple as holding my hand was like a lifeline to me. She would never know just how much that simple act of holding my hand meant for me at that time.

But then again, maybe she did know.

Jeanette Wen was, afterall, the most thoughtful and considerate lady I had ever known.

I've grown to love her dearly, and her murder was definitely one of the reasons why I went so absolutely nuts. In fact, I still feel the need to vent, even right now. If not for the crisis we are currently facing, the world will be a billion people less in population.

Nobody is allowed to harm the people I love. If you do, I will come back and kill you, your family, your friends and your countrymen.

I've done that before, and I will definitely do it again if I need to.

Anyway, despite the emotional wreck that I was at that time, it was a very educational and interesting walk for me.

I had always loved mechas. And the 36 mechas before me at that moment were truly the most powerful and the best looking mechas I had ever seen.

Although similarly white mechas, they made Amelia Dragonos's white mecha seem like a cute little imitation.

"Do you know the 12 elements of the world, Justin?" Bruce asked me gently with a smile.

I shook my head silently.

"Well, this isn't scientific, of course. But based on an offshoot of Chinese Mythology, there are twelve elements in the world.

The five Basic Elements - Gold. Wood. Water. Fire. Earth.

The two Advanced Elements - Wind. Lightning.

The four Royal Elements - Space. Time. Light. Darkness.

The final Divine Element - Chaos.

Each of the Twelve Mecha Guardians embody one of these elements. And although you might be inclined to think that they are all equally powerful, they are not.

Of course, each of them can be much more powerful and effective than the others in very specific conditions. However, in general, the Primordial Chaos Emperor, which embodies the Chaos Element, is more powerful than, say, the Flame Tempest which embodies the Fire Element."

I nodded in understanding as I stared at the mighty white mechas towering high above me.

They all looked absolutely amazing.

"This is Chronos. My mecha." Bruce pointed at the nearest hundred-meter tall white mecha.

(Check out inspirations for Chronos in my discord server!)

I looked at the mecha and my eyes widened in surprise. It looked incredible! Yet for some reason…

I turned my head to look at Bruce.

Jeanette Wen immediately chuckled. "You feel it too huh?"

"Yes. I feel as though the mecha is… Hmmmm."

"Haha! Feel free to say it. The mecha is… Too…" Jeanette Wen tried to help me along my train of thought.

"Too…" I struggled to find the word for it.

"Too damned cool for him!" Jeanette Wen finally couldn't take it anymore and blurted out the very thing my brain had been trying to put into words.

"Ah!" My eyes lit up in agreement.

"Haha!" Jeanette Wun laughed out loudly.

It was true though.

Bruce is… Well, Bruce. Big, powerfully built like a bull and acts like one too. He looked extremely solid and steady, like a rock you can depend on even in the wildest storms.

Chronos, his mecha which embodied the Time Element, was his polar opposite. It was sleek, angular and intensely edgy. It looked extremely hungry for blood and its bronze-black base colour with red trim merely increased its intensity. Its main weapons are a trio of powerful swords which suited its specialty, Timewalk, perfectly.

Twin swords for close combat, and a giant sword almost as big as its frame which very clearly also doubled as a powerful energy cannon hung behind it on its back.

It was the coolest mecha I had ever laid eyes on. Bar none. Period.

And it was exactly like Jeannete Wen had said.

It was much too cool for Bruce Pang!

I smiled for the first time after my test.

"Would you like to go for a ride in it?" Bruce asked me.

I was about to immediately agree when Jeanette Wen answered the question for me.

"Of course not. We need to pick his mecha for him first. We are almost out of time, Bruce." Jeanette Wen reminded her husband firmly.

"Right, right. Maybe next time eh?" Bruce replied hastily and smiled at me.

I nodded.

"Behind Chronos are the two Mecha Disciples styled and powered like him. One of them is taken, and if you're compatible with the other one, it might just be yours." Bruce said.

"You'll have your compatibility test later after we finish our little tour." Jeanette Wen said.

"Compatibility test?" I said while frowning lightly.

I had enough tests to last me a good long year.

"Don't worry, it's nothing like the entrance test. The compatibility test is something similar to the RPL test. We'll put you in a deep scanning device and we'll discover your affinities with the 12 elements." Jeanette Wen said gently.

"Hmmm. That sounds doable." I nodded.

"Once we've determined your strongest affinity, you can then pilot all seven of the Mecha Disciples. Each Mecha Disciple will then react to your piloting and express their compatibility with you in a number from 1 - 100.

Usually, the mecha representing your strongest affinity will give you the highest score, thus making it most compatible with you. However, that is not always the case.