And the robot wasn't the only one who noticed this.
Noticing the state of the hammers, Atticus's eyes flashed as he instantly stimulated his fire bloodline.
With a flick of his hands, his initial upward swing transformed into a powerful downward strike from above.
The robot attempted to block the attack with its failing hammers, but Atticus's katana effortlessly sliced through them, cleaving them into two halves.
Before the robot could mount a counterattack, Atticus swiftly activated his water bloodline. His movements became fluid as he seamlessly transitioned the downward strike into a deadly thrust, akin to an unstoppable wave crashing upon the shore.
Caught off guard, the robot was unable to defend itself as Atticus's katana pierced through the gem embedded in its head, cleaving through its metallic skull.
A resounding clang reverberated through the air as the robot's lifeless form collapsed to the ground, its once-golden exterior now devoid of its radiant glow.
With its power source damaged beyond repair, the robot's metallic shell reverted to its original silver hue in a matter of seconds.
An AI voice instantly sounded.
"[Congratulations, you win. Would you like to save your data for the next genera- ]"
"No," Atticus's rejection was immediate. He didn't even need to think about it.
Atticus's chest heaved with each heavy breath as he triedto regain his composure after the grueling battle.
The intensity of the fighthad taken its toll on him, leaving him drained both physically and mentally.
Releasing a deep exhale, Atticus sheathed his katana, its vibrations slowly subsiding as the adrenaline of battle began to fade.
A chuckle escaped his lips as he addressed his weapon, "Alright, alright, the battle is over. Settle down now."
But to his surprise, the katana continued to vibrate with even more fervor, its excitement palpable, like a hyperactive puppy eager for attention.
Shaking his head with a smile, Atticus chose to ignore its antics for the time being. Instead, he directed his gaze towards the defeated robot lying on the ground, his expression shifting into one of deep contemplation.
'Currently, although I'm not sure about the others, I guess it's safe to say that I can battle a master-rank person if I should use everything in my arsenal. The only problem is...'
Atticus turned his gaze upwards, his eyes landing on the bright light lighting up the room.
'It was at a major disadvantage and it still posed a huge problem,' Atticus couldn't help but wonder.
It was quite obvious that the Stellaris family members would be way stronger if they had access to the sun. But Atticus had taken that access away from the robot.
What would happen if he should fight it under the sun?
'Let's find out.'
Atticus sat down cross-legged on the floor and closed his eyes, entering a deep state of meditation. He took in deep breaths as he tried to regain his stamina.
He also absorbed mana into his core during this time, trying to replenish his lost mana. After about 30 minutes, when he felt completely okay, Atticus stood up from his seated position and approached the interface on the wall.
With a few clicks, Atticus changed the lighting of the room and replaced it with sunlight. Then he chose the same robot data again.
The robot's form lifelessly stood up and walked over to the platform, and liquid metal immediately encompassed its form. Within seconds, it was as good as new.
The robot turned and locked eyes with Atticus, and just as swiftly, Atticus's form immediately jerked as he felt an unimaginable weight press down against him.
Atticus staggered, his figure taking a step forward as he tried to stabilize himself. He instantly channeled every single ounce of mana in his body, trying to keep himself from falling.
As he regained control, Atticus's gaze shot towards the robot, and he couldn't help but gulp as he saw its current form.
Despite the fact that the gem embedded in its head didn't let out any glow, the entirety of the robot's form was glowing with intense amounts of golden light as the rays from the sun all converged around it.
The legs and arms of the robot grew in bulk and mass, its height increasing and becoming even more imposing. It was completely incomparable to the last time when it had used the gem's power.
A wide grin spread across the metallic lips of the robot, its glowing teeth gleaming in the light.
The robot took a step forward, and Atticus immediately took one back instinctively, his hand gravitating towards his katana.
But it was a false alarm as the robot simply walked towards one side of the space and stood.
Atticus unknowingly released a sigh of relief. "This is crazy," he couldn't help but comment.
The differences were outstanding! Completely incomparable!
It was as though he had fought the lower version of Jared before, and this was his real self.
"Can I win?" Atticus wondered. Just standing alone in its presence was taking a lot out of him. He couldn't even begin to imagine how strong it would be now.
Atticus reset the environment to its original state.
"I better use everything," he decided.
Atticus walked over and stood on the other side, facing the robot. He instantly felt the imposing weight of the robot pressing down on him.
Atticus took a deep breath and exhaled in the next instant. Then he slowly unsheathed his katana, its form gleaming and vibrating, as though it couldn't wait to be unleashed.
Then, Atticus simultaneously unleashed Aerokinesis and the burst at the same time, and his form was immediately enveloped in an intense red glow as his speed and perception increased to unimaginable heights.
Atticus felt invincible, as though he could do anything. His eyes blazed as he locked gazes with the robot's, and then, they both moved.
In a few intense hours, the brown earthen terrain had completely transformed into a charred black landscape.
Only two figures were currently present.
The first, with white hair and blue eyes that had slightly lost its glow, lay on the charred earth while facing upwards. His form was completely battered, his clothes burnt beyond recognition, leaving some of his skin charred.
While the second had its form bathed in a golden glow, stood directly over the first figure.
The first figure was Atticus, and he currently had his eyes wide open as he gazed at the massive hammer that was suspended inches away from his face.
Atticus didn't even need to realize it, as an AI voice instantly sounded:
"[You Lost]"
During the past hour, what Atticus had just learned was something many in the human domain were already well aware of: never battle a member of the Stellaris family when the sun is high up in the sky.