Chapter 145: REMATCH
Aaron hovered in the vast emptiness just outside Blue Star's atmosphere, his golden eyes fixed on the planet below, patience etched into his features like a predator lying in wait. He knew the four guests were coming, their presence a looming shadow in his precognition, and he mulled over strategies in his mind—how to turn this confrontation to his advantage without sparking an all-out war he wasn't ready for.
"You there. What are you doing?" The voice Aaron had been anticipating cut through the silence, calm yet laced with underlying authority, echoing across the void.
Aaron turned to face the group of four, a knowing smile playing on his lips, his fallen angel wings subtly flaring as if to emphasize his composure. "Aaron. I am Aaron Highborn, a descendant of Dracula Highborn," he replied, his voice steady and confident, the revelation hanging in the air like a challenge.
"Did you just say Dracula?" Ignis asked, his eyes narrowing as he floated slowly toward Aaron, flames flickering around his form like a warning.
"Yes, I am. And who exactly are you guys?" Aaron countered, his smile unwavering, curiosity mingling with the strategic play in his tone.
"Doesn't matter. You'll be dying here either way," Ignis said coldly, his voice dripping with disdain. He surged forward with blinding speed, his fiery aura igniting the space around him, intent on ending the encounter swiftly.
"Things will be different this time," Aaron murmured, his smile widening as he extended his time manipulation, slowing time within a five-meter radius around him. The void seemed to thicken, movements dragging like molasses for anyone caught in the field.
Ignis threw a punch, his fist blazing with infernal heat, but unlike the previous timeline where Aaron's reflexes had failed him, he now easily caught Ignis's arm. With a fluid twist, he swung the fiery being toward Blue Star, the motion amplified by the temporal distortion.
Boom!
Ignis crashed into Blue Star's surface, the impact carving a massive crater that rivaled the devastation of a cataclysmic earthquake, dust and debris erupting in slow-motion plumes under the lingering effects of Aaron's domain.
"You...," Ignis growled, rising from the rubble with a surprised look on his face, his flames sputtering as he shook off the disorientation. He had felt his entire being slow to a crawl the moment he entered Aaron's proximity, the sensation unnerving even for a being of his power.
"The others will be arriving shortly. Before then, let's have a go at it," Aaron said, his smile turning predatory. He expanded his time domain to envelop the entire planet, slowing time for everyone within by a factor of ten. The air hummed with temporal energy, birds mid-flight hanging suspended, waves on distant oceans creeping like syrup.
"Ignite!" Ignis snarled, his voice echoing with fury as the area around him burst into roaring red-hot flames, the heat warping the atmosphere into a shimmering inferno.
Aaron didn't let Ignis's fiery display faze him. He made the first move, appearing before Ignis in a burst of speed enhanced by his control over time. Ignis conjured a wall of flames to block the assault, but with time dilated against him, the barrier materialized too slowly, leaving a critical opening.
Aaron exploited it ruthlessly, landing a punch square on Ignis's jaw, sending him flying across the cratered landscape, rocks shattering in his wake.
"Not quite there yet," Aaron sighed in frustration, his broken arm knitting back together instantly, bones realigning with a faint glow of regenerative energy.
"Brother," Rhaigon called out, descending onto Blue Star with Loki and Thor close behind, their presences radiating divine power that clashed against Aaron's temporal field.
"I'm still not strong enough to defeat them physically. Let's go back to abilities that bypass their unholy defenses," Aaron muttered under his breath, retrieving Excalibur from his inventory once more. The legendary blade hummed in his grip, its edge gleaming with an otherworldly sheen.
He struck again, vanishing in a time-step and reappearing behind Thor, swinging Excalibur with precise, lethal intent.
Thor dodged at a hair's breadth, relying purely on his godlike reflexes, but not entirely unscathed— the blade grazed his cheek, drawing a thin line of divine blood that sizzled in the air.
"I don't know what's going on, but we can't stay within this world. Time flows too slowly here," Ignis informed the group, recovering from the punch that had done little lasting damage, his flames reigniting with renewed vigor.
"Thor, with me. Let's get out of this world," Rhaigon said softly, lightning crackling around him like a storm brewing.
"Heaven's Fury," Rhaigon muttered, his eyes turning a brilliant blue as dark clouds gathered around Blue Star, the sky rumbling with thunder, lightning bolts dancing in anticipation of unleashing hell.
"Fury of the Gods," Thor was not to be outdone, ascending into the sky and hurling Mjolnir upward at full force. The hammer transformed mid-air into a colossal titan forged entirely of thunder, its form towering and crackling with raw elemental power.
"That's one task done," Aaron muttered, a sly smile creeping across his face as he watched their escalation unfold.
[You could have done so yourself, you know, right?]
"Nah. Let's milk these mfs," Aaron replied inwardly, his eyes glinting with mischief as Rhaigon and Thor's combined assault slammed into Blue Star. The planet shattered from the core outward, exploding into fragments in a cataclysmic burst, sending everyone hurtling through space amid a storm of rocks and debris, the void filled with the roar of destruction.
After a few chaotic seconds of tumbling, Aaron regained his balance in the vacuum, his wings stabilizing him as he shook off the disorientation.
"Now, step two. Play the weakling," Aaron smiled, surging toward the group with feigned fervor, his movements deliberate to draw them in.
"Don't get close to him. Bombard him from all sides. He seems to have a talent for controlling the flow of time," Loki analyzed, his voice sharp and calculating amid the floating wreckage.
"Do something besides analysis, will you? This isn't some picnic," Ignis yelled, his frustration boiling over as he conjured armies of red flames in staggering numbers. Each fiery soldier exuded an imposing aura, some radiating god-level strength, their forms flickering like living infernos ready to swarm.
"Ragnarok!" Thor roared, releasing a barrage of lightning bolts that illuminated the starry void like a divine fireworks display. The bolts coalesced into a massive hammer shaped like Mjolnir, hurtling toward Aaron with thunderous speed.