Ajitha then flew off from the mothership, the engines roaring to life as the assault ships followed him in a precise formation. Everyone on board watched Ajitha leave, their faces a mix of determination and worry. Reginald, standing at the helm, clenched his fist, his knuckles turning white. He wanted to follow his Lord, to protect him, but Ajitha's orders were clear: this mission was to be his alone.
Ajitha soared through the cosmos, his mind focused and his heart steeled. The stars blurred into streaks of light as he reached the core region of Chronos's domain. The immense gravity and temporal distortions in this area would have disoriented most, but Ajitha navigated through them with ease, his aura shimmering with power.
He descended upon the planet of the Aeonians, a place of ethereal beauty and ancient power. The landscape was a blend of crystalline structures and flowing temporal energy, making the air shimmer with unseen currents. Ajitha landed on a plateau overlooking a sprawling city, its architecture a testament to the Aeonians' mastery over time.
Without hesitation, Ajitha activated the assault ships, setting them on autopilot as they began their mission to target any lifeforms above the mortal level. The ships moved with precision, their weapons systems primed and ready.
Ajitha moved swiftly through the city, his senses attuned to the presence of powerful beings. He knew the strongest Aeonians would be deep within the city's core, their temporal powers a formidable force. He had to strike quickly and decisively.
As he navigated the labyrinthine streets, he encountered the first of the Aeonians' elite. They appeared as shimmering figures, their forms shifting with the ebb and flow of time. Without a moment's hesitation, Ajitha unleashed his power, a brilliant surge of energy that cut through their defenses. The Aeonians fell, their bodies crumpling to the ground.
Ajitha continued his assault, each step bringing him closer to the heart of the city. He could sense the core believers, their energies resonating like a beacon. With every fallen enemy, he swiftly gathered their blood essence and nebula-cores when they were easily accessible. For the others, he left markers for his men to collect later, ensuring none were left behind.
Back on the mothership, Reginald monitored the operation with a heavy heart. The ships' sensors picked up the energy fluctuations from Ajitha's battles, each one a testament to his lord's strength and determination. Reginald's respect for Ajitha deepened, but so did his concern. This mission was fraught with danger, and he wished he could be there to protect him.
Ajitha finally reached the inner sanctum of the city, where the strongest Aeonians resided. They were gathered in a grand hall, their eyes widening in shock and anger as Ajitha burst in. The battle that ensued was fierce, the Aeonians using their temporal powers to try and gain the upper hand. But Ajitha's will was unyielding, his attacks relentless. One by one, they fell, their temporal essence absorbed into Ajitha's being.
As the last of the Aeonians crumbled, Ajitha stood amidst the ruins, his chest heaving with exertion. He felt the weight of the lives he had taken, and the sin energy began to rise around him, making him feel as if he were being punished by the universe itself. The air grew heavy with a sense of cosmic retribution, but Ajitha steeled himself against it.
"Reginald," Ajitha spoke through the comms, his voice steady. "Initiate the collection. Gather the blood essence and nebula-cores. Ensure nothing is left behind."
Reginald's response was immediate. "Understood, my lord. We are on our way."
As the collection teams descended, Ajitha looked up at the sky, where the stars seemed to hold their breath. The operation had been a success, but there were more battles to come. He still had to visit the next planet and eliminate the remaining core believers. The journey was far from over. With the materials in hand, they would soon face new challenges and greater enemies. But for now, Ajitha allowed himself a moment of reflection, knowing that every step brought him closer to his ultimate goal.
Ajitha thought about the formidable foes still ahead: the Temporians, Timekeepers, and Chronalites, all more powerful than the Aeonians. But his resolve remained unwavering. He had to do it. His mission, and the future of his people, depended on it.
He took off toward the next planet, his form a streak of light across the dark expanse of space. As he descended upon each new world, the same scene unfolded: swift, brutal battles against the strongest inhabitants, the collection of blood essence and nebula-cores, and the ever-increasing weight of sin energy. The energy now surrounded him like a shroud, growing so intense that he began to feel a profound, soul-deep pain. Yet, he pressed on.
Ajitha reached the planet of the Temporians. The landscape was a surreal mix of towering crystal formations and swirling temporal anomalies. The air itself seemed to hum with the power of time, a testament to the Temporians' mastery.
Landing on a barren plateau, Ajitha took a moment to center himself. The pain gnawing at his soul was becoming harder to ignore, but he knew he couldn't stop now. Only one planet remained.
He moved through the Temporian city with calculated precision, his senses honed to detect the strongest among them. The Temporians were ready for him, their temporal powers weaving intricate defenses. They moved in a blur, shifting through time in an attempt to outmaneuver him. But Ajitha's will was unbreakable, his attacks devastatingly effective.
He fought his way to the heart of the city, where the most powerful Temporians awaited. The battle was fierce, with temporal rifts tearing through the air and the very fabric of reality seeming to strain under the onslaught. Ajitha moved like a force of nature, his attacks relentless. The strongest Temporians fell one by one, their temporal essence absorbed into the growing maelstrom of sin energy around him.
As he fought, Ajitha realized that the Temporians were stronger than any other race he had encountered. He battled several demigods, each more formidable than the last. The final Temporian, a towering figure with eyes blazing with temporal power, stood before him. As he lay dying, he cursed Ajitha, "You will face the wrath for your sin."
Ajitha calmly looked at him and said, "I know."
As soon as the Temporian died, a thunderbolt with black fire fell on Ajitha. In an instant, he was engulfed in black ethereal flames—the sin flame, a punishment for those who had taken countless lives. Ajitha's screams of agony echoed across the battlefield as the flames burned deep into his soul. The pain was excruciating, unlike anything he had ever experienced.
After what felt like an eternity, Ajitha began to get accustomed to the pain. The flames still burned, a constant reminder of his sins, but he could function. His suffering was evident in his eyes, but his resolve remained unbroken.
With the pain of the sin flames gnawing at his soul, Ajitha took a moment to steel himself.
Reginald arrived near Ajitha and was shocked by what he saw. "What happened to you, Lord? What are these black flames surrounding you?" he asked, his voice tinged with worry.
Ajitha, though visibly in pain, remained composed. "I am fine," he replied, though the strain in his voice was evident. Pointing toward the flames, he added, "These are the consequences of my actions. Tell our men to hurry; we don't have much time. Chronos may appear at any moment. Don't leave any traces that might lead him to us."
Reginald nodded, his concern replaced by urgency. He swiftly relayed Ajitha's orders, urging the men to act quickly. Meanwhile, Ajitha used his limited temporal and spatial powers to distort the space and time of the battlefield. Though his understanding of these laws was not profound, it was enough to create confusion and obscure their traces from Chronos's potential temporal investigations.
Back at the Chronoarch's shrine, Chronos was deep in meditation. The shrine, a sacred place built by the Overlord Chronoarch, served as a beacon of knowledge and a tool for those seeking to deepen their understanding of temporal laws. Chronos often visited the shrine, seeking to strengthen his grasp on these elusive powers.
As he sat cultivating, Chronos suddenly felt a sharp decrease in his strength. His eyes snapped open, and panic flashed across his face. "What is happening?" he thought. "My strength... it's draining so rapidly. Something must have happened to my believers in my domain. I must hurry, or I will lose more strength."
Chronos, born strong by the forces of the universe, was fundamentally different from Ajitha, who had risen from mortality through sheer will and cultivation. Chronos's strength heavily depended on the power of faith. As his believers perished, his strength ebbed away. Although Ajitha could not kill all of Chronos's believers without incurring fatal punishment from the universe, he had targeted a critical portion—enough to significantly weaken Chronos.
Some sovereigns too depended on the power of faith for their strength, But as the sovereigns were well-known and revered across the universe remained nearly invincible due to their widespread following. Only if more than half of the universe's population perished, sovereigns like would suffer immensely.
On the battlefield, the men worked with feverish intensity. They collected the blood essence and nebula-cores, ensuring they left no trace. Ajitha's distortion of time and space added an additional layer of protection, making it nearly impossible for Chronos to retrace their steps.
Chronos, now fully aware of the dire situation, hastened his departure from the shrine. He had always relied on the unwavering faith of his believers, and now, with their numbers drastically reduced, he felt vulnerable for the first time in ages.
As Chronos was returning to his domain, he noticed a group of figures blocking his way. His eyes narrowed with irritation as he shouted, "I am in a hurry right now. If anyone tries to stop me, they will be killed." He only sensed some demigods and divine lords among them and thought little of the threat. But as soon as his voice receded, powerful auras began to approach him. Confusion and concern flickered across his face. "Who are these people, and why are they coming toward me?" he wondered.
These were the pirates and personnel from the Chamber of Commerce, deceived by Ajitha's ploy to frame Chronos. Sensing the auras of several celestial monarchs, Chronos's mood grew solemn.
When they arrived, one of the celestial monarchs stepped forward. "You thought you could hunt down the pirates to uncover the treasure of the Galactic Commerce Guild and even destroy the Guild to obtain it. Hand over the treasure, and we will let you go. Otherwise, face the consequences."
Chronos looked at them, genuinely bewildered. "What treasure? What pirates? What are you talking about?"
His words were met with laughter. "You know exactly what we're talking about," one of the celestial monarchs sneered, before launching an attack.
The battle erupted with a fury that shook the fabric of space around them. Chronos, though weakened, summoned his temporal powers, creating ripples in time that slowed his attackers. But the celestial monarchs were relentless. One of them, wielding a blade that shimmered with the essence of a dying star, slashed at Chronos, who barely deflected it with a temporal shield.
Another monarch, harnessing the power of cosmic storms, summoned bolts of lightning that cracked through the void. Chronos dodged them with preternatural speed, but one bolt grazed his arm, leaving a smoldering wound.
The third monarch, a master of gravitational forces, manipulated the very fabric of space to create crushing gravitational fields. Chronos felt his body being compressed, his bones creaking under the immense pressure. With a roar, he unleashed a wave of temporal energy, distorting the field and freeing himself.
The fourth monarch, with eyes that glowed like molten gold, unleashed beams of searing energy. Chronos deflected most of them, but a few struck his torso, burning through his divine armor.
Despite his injuries and the overwhelming odds, Chronos fought back with a ferocity born of desperation. He conjured temporal clones, each one a fraction of a second out of sync, confusing his attackers. With a flick of his wrist, he trapped one monarch in a temporal loop, forcing him to relive the same moment repeatedly.
However, the celestial monarchs were seasoned warriors. The one trapped in the loop broke free with a burst of raw power, his eyes blazing with anger. They coordinated their attacks, striking at Chronos from all sides. The monarch with the cosmic blade slashed again, this time cutting deep into Chronos's shoulder. The gravitational master intensified his fields, pulling Chronos in different directions. Lightning crackled around him, and beams of molten energy scorched his skin.
Chronos, now bleeding and battered, realized he couldn't afford to prolong the fight. Summoning the last reserves of his strength, he unleashed a temporal storm. Time itself seemed to fracture, creating a chaotic maelstrom that disoriented the celestial monarchs. In that moment of confusion, Chronos struck with devastating precision. He immobilized the gravitational master with a temporal lock, diverted the lightning bolts back at their source, and sent the cosmic blade wielder hurtling through a rip in space.
The celestial monarchs, reeling from the onslaught, regrouped for another assault. But Chronos, though injured, was not finished. He channeled his remaining power into a final, desperate attack. A sphere of pure temporal energy formed in his hands, pulsating with the potential to unravel time itself. He hurled it at his attackers. The sphere exploded on impact, creating a shockwave that rippled through space-time, sending the celestial monarchs sprawling.
Seizing the opportunity, Chronos turned and fled, his body a mass of wounds and his strength waning. As he raced back to his domain, his thoughts were consumed by the realization that his believers were being slaughtered, and his power was draining away. The once-mighty god was now a shadow of his former self, desperate to return and salvage what remained of his strength.
On the Temporians planet, Ajitha turned to Reginald, a sense of urgency in his voice. "Did you find any other valuable things on this mission to make it look like a loot? Chronos must not discover that we took the blood essence and nebula-cores of the immortals."
Reginald, his face lit with enthusiasm, replied, "Fret not, my Lord. We have found not only rare and precious treasures but also their medicinal herbs and stores of immortal metals. All have been delivered to our ships." He paused, a barely contained excitement evident in his expression. Ajitha, catching on, felt a surge of anticipation.
"And?" Ajitha prodded.
Reginald's eyes gleamed with triumph. "Lord, we have discovered the temporal chambers where these races cultivate. These chambers bend the temporal laws, making ten days inside equal to one day outside."
Ajitha was startled, then elated. "This is quite a harvest. With these, not only will we benefit, but so will humanity." He then asked, "How many chambers did you manage to acquire?"
Reginald's smile widened. "Although the population of these races was more than a trillion, these chambers were reserved only for the royalty and saints. Even so, we were able to seize over 2,000 of them."
Ajitha nodded, impressed. Such treasures were rare, and obtaining more than two thousand was a significant achievement.
As Chronos raced back to his domain, Ajitha and his men finished their task. Reginald, seeing the toll the sin flames had taken on Ajitha, approached him with a mix of respect and concern. "My lord, we are ready to leave. The materials are secured, and there are no traces left behind."
Ajitha nodded, his face etched with pain but his eyes burning with determination. "Good. Let's move quickly before Chronos returns. Our mission is not yet over."
With the collected materials, they headed back to their ship, the air thick with the tension of their narrow escape and the gravity of their actions. Ajitha knew that the path ahead would be even more challenging, but he was resolute. The sacrifices he had made, the pain he endured—everything was for the vision he held. And nothing would deter him from seeing it through to the end.
Meanwhile, as time passed, Chronos returned to his domain. When he saw the planets closest to his sanctuary, where his core believers dwelled, they looked like disaster zones. His fury grew with each visit.
He visited one planet after another, his anger intensifying. All the immortals and those above of his core believers were dead, and the precious materials and treasures were stolen. He questioned the few survivors, but they were only mortals who had not even glimpsed Ajitha during his swift assaults.
Seething with rage, Chronos decided to use his temporal powers to look back in time and uncover the identity of the culprits. He began chanting incantations that sounded like gibberish. His vision turned white as he peered into the past, but just when he thought he would find the perpetrators, his vision blurred and returned to the present. Ajitha's temporal distortions had effectively blocked Chronos's sight of that time.
Chronos's anger turned to a cold, calculating fury. He realized that a powerful adversary had challenged him, evidenced by the strength of the time distortions and the elaborate plot to push the blame onto the pirates and the Chamber of Commerce. This was no random act but a carefully orchestrated attack by someone who understood the stakes.
As Chronos stood amidst the wreckage of his domain, his eyes glowed with vengeful determination. He would not rest until he had identified and obliterated his enemy. The game had just begun, and Chronos was ready to play it to the end.