Atticus's eyes flashed as he saw that he was losing the battle; the robot's beams were about to overpower his.
Without hesitation, his focus shifted to the earth element. With lightning speed, an earthen spike erupted from underneath the robot's form.
Reacting with uncanny agility, the robot darted to the side, leaving behind a golden blur in its wake.
As its right hand remained poised by its side, a palpable golden aura coalesced and intensified around it, shaping into the form of a long sword. With frightening speed, the sword swung upward toward Atticus, each motion leaving a golden blur trailing in its wake.
Atticus swiftly stimulated his fire bloodline, his form flickering backward for several meters. In a swift, fluid motion, he spun clockwise, gathering an intense wave of fire on his left arm.
At that distance, Atticus fist shot forward, an intense wave of scorching fire spreading out from his fist and engulfing the robot's form and the surrounding area.
Atticus's gaze remained sharp, his eyes scanning the area. Seeing that his vision was completely obscured, Atticus instantly released a pulse from his mana core.
As soon as he got a clear view of the area, Atticus's reaction was swift as he released rapid bursts of fire from each of his limbs, deftly evading the multiple beams that threatened to pierce through his form.
With a final burst of fire, Atticus propelled himself backward with a powerful burst from his legs, strategically creating distance between himself and the robot.
As soon as the smoke cleared, Atticus's gaze landed on the unharmed figure of the robot. It appeared unharmed, as though the intense flames that had enveloped its form had been nothing.
'Of course, fire has no effect on it; its bloodline is related to the sun, after all,' Atticus pondered.
He had wanted to see if their resistance to fire and heat had a limit. And from what he just found out, if it had a limit, it was past something he could currently dish out.
Atticus had put his all into that wave of fire.
He had also confirmed a few more of his assumptions.
'The gem embedded in his forehead serves as an alternate source of energy if they don't have access to the sun. They can manipulate the energy gotten from the sun however they like; empowering themselves, shooting condensed beams, or forming weapons,' Atticus realized.
Atticus could still come up with a number of things they could use the power to do; the possibilities were numerous.
'Water should be the best option,' Atticus thought about the best counter for the Stellaris family bloodline.
'I wonder how space would fare,' he wondered.
Atticus's body suddenly tensed, every sense heightened to maximum alertness as he perceived the shift in the air around the room.
In the blink of an eye, the glow emanating from the robot intensified exponentially, forcing Atticus to shield his eyes with a protective barrier to shield himself from the blinding light.
Slowly, the robot began to ascend, its luminous form rising higher and higher until it resembled a miniature sun, bathing the room in an intense, searing glow.
The temperature surged to staggering levels, causing even Atticus, who could withstand extreme heat, to break into a sweat.
As the temperature continued to rise, the golden glow surrounding the robot intensified with each passing millisecond.
And like a nuclear explosion waiting to detonate, the robot reached its climax and went supernova.
In a cataclysmic explosion of scorching energy, a palpable wave of golden light erupted from the robot, spreading outward in every direction with unstoppable force.
"Shit!" Atticus reacted instantly.
Channeling his focus on four elements, Atticus created a protective cocoon comprised of ice, air, earth, and water, each element molding around him to form a resilient barrier.
With total concentration, he poured his energy into maintaining the integrity of the cocoon.
As the wave of scorching energy struck with relentless force, Atticus felt the impact reverberate through his makeshift sanctuary, his form thrown back by the sheer power of the attack.
Despite his best efforts, the outermost water barrier succumbed first, evaporating into steam as it shielded him from the intense heat. Next, the earth barrier disintegrated effortlessly, followed by the air barrier.
With each element collapsing under the attack, Atticus felt the searing heat press against his skin as he strained to maintain the ice barrier, his focus stretched to its limits, making sure it held while also trying to recreate each of the disintegrated elements.
The scorching wave lasted for a few torturous moments, during which Atticus's clothes were completely soaked in sweat.
Atticus released the barrier encompassing him, his breath labored as he took in deep breaths.
Bloodlines were part of an individual, directly linked to his stamina and endurance.
'Just that attack was enough to push me to my limits?' Atticus's gaze sharpened. 'The other tier one bloodlines are truly powerful.'
Atticus was able to match a master-rank individual if he used everything in his repertoire, but this was only in passive strength and speed.
Compared to actual master-rank individuals, Atticus's bloodline still fell short when it came to raw power, and he was just beginning to realize that issue now.
Atticus swept his gaze around the area, his eyes widening in shock at the devastating aftermath of the attack.
The once-pristine landscape, spanning a radius of over 300 meters, lay scorched and desolate. The earth was marred by blackened, charred ground, with tendrils of steamy smoke rising from the smoldering remains.
The air was thick with the lingering heat, the temperature still unbearably high, capable of searing even awakened.
Atticus focused his gaze on the glowing robot descending slowly from the air, the scene akin to the Sun God descending on Earth.
"Hm?"
But despite the feeling of invincibility, regardless of how subtle the signs were, it couldn't escape Atticus's keen senses.
'It dimmed,' Atticus's gaze focused on the gem embedded on the robot's forehead. After unleashing the massive wave of attack, the gem had dimmed significantly. It was obvious that it couldn't use that attack constantly.
'At most three times. That's their weakness, a limited power source if they don't have access to the sun,' Atticus noted.
The robot landed gently on the ground, and instantaneously, an intense aura radiated out of its form once more.