"Two vs two?" Vortimer stood up with the help of Quantum. "Who do you think you are to decide the rules? You broke the agreement! I gave you mercy and return it with deception and trickery!"
Aldred laughed wholeheartedly. "What are you going to do? Sue me? You better hope you get a good lawyer."
Vortimer was enraged. The bright green lines all over his metallic skin flickered and turned brighter.
"Since you want it that way then be prepared to face my entire army! I will erase you from existence entirely!"
The warships and robots rumbled into life, revealing their weapons and pointed towards Aldred.
Aldred smirked. "Foolish."
The warships began their attack. The energy weapons on their hull rapidly firing energy beams and kinetic projectiles at Aldred.
However, Aldred and his clone vanished then re-appeared right in front of Vortimer.
Aldred and his clone raised their Phantom Doomblade, attacking from two direction at once.
Vortimer reacted quickly, rising his skinny metallic hands, and using some sort of psychic energy, managed to stop the blade in mid-air.
The other blade was stopped by Quantum's spear.
Aldred pressed on, making Quantum took a half step back. "Haha, if I keep getting close to you, your warships won't be able to attack."
Aldred and his clone moved in perfect synchronization, their Phantom Doomblades a blur of fiery steel as they pressed their assault on Vortimer and Quantum Sentinel.
Despite Vortimer's psychic prowess, Aldred's godly speed and swordsmanship proved challenging. The metallic clash of blades echoed through the celestial battleground as Aldred aimed to overwhelm his opponents.
Quantum Sentinel, though a formidable opponent, found himself pushed back by Aldred's relentless strikes. The robotic champion struggled to match the godly agility and mastery of the Phantom Doomblade.
Quantum thrust forward. Aldred used two finger to deviate the spear trajectory and punched Quantum in the face before laughing.
The clone made its move and charged towards Vortimer.
Vortimer, enraged and determined, amplified his psychic energy. The green lines on his metallic skin glowed intensely as he increased the force with which he held Aldred's blades in mid-air.
"You won't be able to win."
"Really?" The clone raised an eyebrow.
The clone, undeterred, unleashed bursts of fire magic, attempting to break through Vortimer's psychic barrier. Flames danced around the blades, creating an intricate display of celestial chaos.
Next to them
Quantum Sentinel, recovering from the initial assault, brought his majestic spear into play. With a swift and calculated move, he aimed to counter Aldred's godly onslaught. The celestial battleground became a battleground of elements and powers, a dance of fire and psychic energy.
Suddenly, Aldred and his clone leaped 1 meter back before they charged forward again.
Aldred's clone mirrored every move, doubling the assault. The combination of godly strength and fiery magic created a formidable challenge for Vortimer and Quantum.
The warships, their attacks disrupted by Aldred's strategic positioning, struggled to find an opening.
They couldn't attack otherwise they would harm their own master.
After hours of battle, both sides stood still, but still wary and ready for any sudden attack.
Vortimer glared at Aldred. "When you threw that stone earlier. I felt its boundless energy and the soul power within. How did you do that? How did you tricked me?"
"If I tell you, I wouldn't be able to use it on you again." Aldred smiled. "I am not so stupid that I would tell my abilities openly to the enemies."
"Humph! I am merely curios."
Suddenly, the robots charged towards Aldred, bringing with them were all kinds of close-combat weapons such as blades, maces, and spear.
When the robots surrounded them, Aldred saw Vortimer and Quantum sprinting away.
"Fuck! He's trying to create distance!"
Aldred and the clone burst out in a whirlwind of flame that sent all the robots flying. As they were about to chase after Vortimer, the warships in the sky already begin firing.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The impact sent rocks and debris flying all over the place, creating a cloud of dust that covered the landscape.
"Shit! Aren't we going to do something to help?" Shinari said.
A piece of stone fell next to Salamander, almost hitting him. "He got the time stone, he should be fine."
Vortimer snorted in the distance as a bunch of rocks fell around him like rain.
When the dust settled, everyone was immediately shocked.
Aldred was nowhere to be seen. Only a huge crater was left.
"No it can't be!" Shinari trembled with tears threatening to spill out of her eyes.
"I hope the attack doesn't destroy the stone."
As Vortimer was about to approach the damaged site, the stone beside him transformed.
"Ha! You think I will fall for the same trick twice?!"
Vortimer raised his hand and a strange energy wrapped around Aldred's neck. "I am not sure if this is your clone or your real body. What a strange cloning ability."
A clone was usually a defective or lesser part of the original one. The clone may mimic the original perfectly in appearance, but never in energy reading, strength level, and quality of soul.
And yet, Vortimer could not distinguish between the original and the copy.
Aldred crushed the energy around his neck with his jaw before he leaped back.
"Hand over the stone. You have your proof that there is nothing you can do to stop me!"
Aldred gritted his teeth. If he could access his inventory, he could have pulled out some of his powerful items that would help in a situation like this.
Still, he hadn't run out of ideas yet. As a man who had lived through countless battles he always find a way to grasp victory.
"I will be getting serious now. Get ready!" Aldred's eyes shone bright and his muscles bulged with veins popped on the surface of his skin.
A small horn protrude out of his forehead, and when Aldred smiled a pair of sharp fang glinted.
Salamander and the rest of the crew was shocked to see this.
"Is he really a human?" Cellaeth asked.
"He's a human! There is no doubt about it," shinari said with conviction. "He's not the only humans that can transform into other creatures. There are even super soldiers who can transform into werewolves."
She said those statement as if she tried to convince herself.
Nodding, Salamander agreed. "Aldred did not come from this galaxy, his magic is completely different from ours."
Shinari was glad that someone else affirmed her belief.
Slow but sure, Aldred strode forward, his chin high and his steps heavy. "Why don't you two come at me, so I don't have to walk all the way over there."
Suddenly, Aldred instantly appeared in front of Vortimer with a grin.
"Just kidding."
Quantum quickly tried to block his attack, but Aldred's target was never him. It was Quantum.
With a swift motion, Aldred slashed.
Vortimer's metallic eyes widened.
As he saw the bulky metallic limb flying in the air, Vortimer refused to believe that Quantum was injured.
But the next scene could not be denied. Aldred attacked again, and claimed Quantum's right leg.
Quantum fell to the floor. Its face facing towards Vortimer.
Vortimer's face darkened. "How dare you! How dare you harm my brother!"
Aldred rushed towards him, thrusting his blade into Vortimer's metal stomach again. He then twist it, creating a larger hole.
"I won't let you survive this time," Aldred said.
Vortimer's eyes glowed in a burst of blinding light. "You've crossed the line."
With a push of his hand, a powerful shockwave pushed Aldred on the chest so hard it dented.
"You injure my brother, and so, I will injure your friends."
Suddenly, the warships aimed their weapons at Salamander and the others.
Aldred's eyes widened.
"Fuck!" Salamander cursed.
"Feel my pain!"
Then, the warships blasted them with countless laser beams.
Salamander gritted his teeth. There was no way to escape. The beams moved at the speed of light and their destructive power was too much for their exhausted body to handle.
However, the stone beside Salamander's feet moved abruptly.
The beams covered them whole.
Aldred was shocked. Extremely so as he fell to his knees.
Vortimer burst into a crazed laughter. "You are probably the most pathetic human being I have ever met."
Aldred looked down, not because he failed to save his friends, but because it was the opposite.
When the wind blew the dust away, Salamander and the others were standing unscathed. In their midst, there was another Aldred, holding the time stone.
"What!" Vortimer gnashed his metallic teeth in anger. "How did you summon another clone? There should be limit to your power!"
"Oh, I have a limit alright." Aldred appeared in Vortimer's face again. "But it's far higher than what you can imagine."
As Aldred was about to attack, a powerful laser beam blasted his chest and pushed him onto the ground.
When Aldred stood up, he already saw the warships were evacuating Vortimer and Quantum.
"I will return for that stone!" Vortimer's voice echoed.
