"Final warning," Vortimer's voice echoed. "Hand over the stone or perish."
"I would like to see you try."
Vortimer was angered. Immediately, he ordered for another attack.
The celestial battlefield crackled with energy as the Celestial Schemata unleashed their second wave of attack. Drones, sleek and ominous, descended from the heavens with a singular purpose – to overpower Aldred and his crew and claim the Stone of Time.
The sky became a canvas of luminescent streaks as the drones fired beams of energy toward the crew. The ground trembled beneath the onslaught, and the celestial runes around the Stone of Time dimmed under the relentless assault. Aldred and his crew, standing firm, activated the Stone once again. The energy surged through them, rejuvenating their bodies and fortifying their resolve.
Aldred and his crew were protected by the barrier, but they were constantly being pounded at a rapid rate.
The feeling was like holding a shield high up and being struck by a thousand hammer every second. The bones on his body cracked numerous times but the time stone restored his body back.
Vortimer, observing from the Astral Sovereign, clenched his metallic fist in frustration. The Celestial Schemata had not anticipated the Stone's power to replenish the crew's strength so rapidly. This turn of events had shifted the balance of power, and Vortimer was not accustomed to facing resistance.
"The Stone of Time is too powerful." Vortimer couldn't decide if that was a good thing or not.
As the drones unleashed their destructive force, the landscape bore witness to chaos and upheaval.
Cracks formed in the terrain, and pockets of ethereal flames danced in the wake of the attacks. The celestial runes etched into the ground glowed intensely, resisting the intrusion of the advanced weaponry.
After a while, the attack stopped, and it took an entire hour for the dust and flames to finally settle, revealing Aldred and his crew standing on what ground they had left.
They were completely unscathed during the onslaught.
Salamander looked around. They were currently standing on a little bit of land while the earth around them were dug out.
From afar, they looked like they were standing on a circular pillar made out of rocks and dirt.
"One more chance. Hand over the stone!"
"Never!"
A rocket struck on the pillar, snapping it immediately and it began to fall.
The crew screamed as they lost their balance and leaped off the pillar.
They landed on the massive, charred crater with all the robots aiming towards them.
"You have no chance to leave this place with that stone," Vortimer said. "The moment I saw it with my own eyes, I knew it was mine to own."
"And people said that I was arrogant." Aldred shook his head. "Let me tell you something, metal boy. This stone is our, and nothing you do will make us give it to you."
"We will see about that."
For days, the Celestial Schemata constantly attacked Aldred and his crew over and over again, releasing all kinds of energy weapons, kinetic projectiles, atomic bombs, and ionizing rays that could decimate an entire army at once.
But again and again, Aldred and his crew replenished their strength and heal all the wounds on their body.
The attacks continued for weeks and then it turns into months.
Aldred and the crew fell on their knees, heaving up and down. They weren't actually tired physically, but something made them feel tired.
It was psychological. Even though their body weren't tired, their mind were.
The robots retreated for the time being. They would return in an hour after they charged their batteries. It was a routine that had been going on for the last few months.
"I am going to try something." Aldred grabbed the time stone and swiped it near Shuzib's head.
Suddenly, Shuzib stood up. "Where are we? Who are those people?"
Salamander glanced at Aldred. "What did you do?"
"I think I reverse the time of his brain too far." Aldred swiped the time stone again, and suddenly Shuzib fell to the ground again.
"For the Emperor… this attack has been going on for months already. Will they stop anytime soo—"
Before Shuzib could finish his sentence, Aldred reverted back his brain again, and suddenly, Shuzib stood up, all energized.
"Shuzib, how long has passed since these metal cans attacked us?"
"How could you forgot? It's been 3 days already."
"Well, that works."
"Do you guys want me to do the same thing to you?"
They all agreed immediately as they could not take the mental burden anymore.
Aldred reverted their memories to months later, since they completely forgot about it, their mental exhaustion vanished immediately.
Aldred was about to revert his own memories as well, but he stopped himself.
"If I do that, I will forget that I can revert my own memory, and I will forget that I have done it. It's possible that I will think of reverting back memory again and repeat the cycle all over, indirectly trapping myself in a some sort of time-loop."
Aldred trembled when he imagined that.
There was a chance that the Celestial Schemata would get tired, but he did not want to risk it.
And so, for two whole years, the Celestial Schemata attacked him over and over again.
He constantly revert the memories of his crew back, so he was the only one that knew how much sufferings they had actually endured.
When the robots retreated for the day, Aldred's hands fell to the floor. There were deep dark circles around his eyes, and his skin paled. Even though he had revert his body back in time, but his condition worsened almost immediately.
The mind had that huge effect on the body.
"Two fucking years… For two fucking years these piece of metals bastards aren't having enough of it!"
"Aldred, what are you talking about? It's only been three days," Shinari looked at him with a weird expression.
Aldred glanced at her and let out a depressed chuckle. "You've said that many of times already."
The fact that only he understood the amount of sufferings they endured made it far more painful and lonely despite his crew were with him all the time.
Aldred stood up and roared. "Metal head! I am willing to negotiate!"
n the midst of the battlefield, as Aldred roared his willingness to negotiate, a sudden disturbance echoed from the Astral Sovereign, the flagship of the Celestial Schemata. A massive, ancient-looking coffin adorned with cryptic symbols and lines of green light floated out from the mothership.
The coffin, surrounded by an ethereal glow, descended gracefully onto the charred landscape. The crew of the Stardust Voyager, still recovering from the relentless attacks, watched with a mix of curiosity and wariness.
As the coffin settled, the lines of green light pulsated with an otherworldly energy. The lid creaked open, revealing a figure within. Vortimer, Archon Stratos Vortimer, emerged from his stasis slumber, his metallic form radiating an ominous presence.
Aldred, stunned by the revelation, exchanged glances with his crew.
The seemingly tireless leader of the Celestial Schemata had been in a state of suspended animation. The implications of this discovery added a layer of complexity to their cosmic confrontation.
Vortimer, his cold gaze fixed on Aldred, spoke with a metallic echo in his voice. "You persist long enough, human. But your persistence is futile. The Stone of Time will be mine."
Aldred, recovering from his initial shock, responded defiantly, "What's the meaning of this? You, the mighty Archon, were in stasis? All this time?"
Vortimer, unaffected by Aldred's incredulity, explained, "The stasis chamber preserves and enhances our essence. It ensures our eternal vigilance and readiness. It is a testament to the Celestial Schemata's commitment to our cause."
Aldred, despite the weariness etched on his face, couldn't help but feel a surge of anger. The Celestial Schemata had unleashed a relentless assault, seemingly without end, and all the while their leader had been in stasis.
"You attack relentlessly, claim to be an unstoppable force, and yet, your leader sleeps while his minions do the dirty work?" Aldred scoffed. "Is this the might of the Celestial Schemata?"
Vortimer's eyes glowed with an eerie light. "The Stone of Time grants us power beyond mortal understanding. It matters not whether I am in stasis or awake. The outcome is inevitable."
Aldred, realizing that negotiation might be their only chance to break free from this endless cycle of battle, cautiously proposed, "Enough of this madness. Let's negotiate. What do you want with the Stone of Time, and how can we end this ceaseless conflict?"
Vortimer's metallic features remained stoic. "The Stone holds the key to Ascendria's destiny. With it, the Celestial Schemata will usher in a new era. Hand over the Stone willingly, and perhaps your world will know mercy."
"I refuse to back down with a fight."
Vortimer's eyes flashed. "I can see that. So what do you propose?"
"Bring forth your greatest champion. Let me fight him. If I win, you must let me go."
"Impossible! No matter what, I must have that stone."
Aldred clicked his tongue. "In that case, I will help you do one thing with the time stone, but it cannot be something that harm my interest."
"That will depends on what you define as 'your interest'."
"We can talk that out after we know the result of the battle."
"Agree. Quantum. Heed my call!"
