Leonis replied with a scathing tone:

"And now they have lost everything."

Akira fell silent, feeling ashamed of what he had done. After a long walk through the city, they noticed that everyone knew Leonis and greeted him. Youssef said:

"I forgot to ask you... How did they let us pass through them without catching us or doing us any harm? It seems you are quite famous here, from what I see."

"That's because I'm walking with you, so no one suspected you... And as I told you, Gaia trusts me, and all the robots here know me well. This gives us the advantage to complete our mission successfully."

After walking for a few minutes, they saw a luxurious black car parked on the side of the road. Leonis said, heading towards it:

"This is my car; it will make the journey easier for us."

The car was small, but its design attracted anyone who looked at it, as it had no wheels but floated a few centimeters above the ground.

Leonis approached it and spoke in his voice, and the car opened. He slipped into the driver's seat and gestured for them to get in the back. They threw their bodies onto the seats; the suits were tight and uncomfortable to sit in.

They heard a feminine voice speaking to Leonis in a strange language and realized it was the car's artificial intelligence.

Leonis pressed some buttons, rested his hands on the seat, and said:

"Get ready, we're taking off."

Akira noticed there was no steering wheel and inquired:

"How do you drive the car?"

"It operates on an automated driving system, but if I want to drive myself, a steering wheel will appear, if that's what you're asking about."

Akira nodded. Then he heard Youssef's astonished voice and looked out the window to see the city lights and its distinctive architecture surrounding them from every direction in a stunning and magical view. After a few minutes of flying, the car landed in front of a colossal palace. This palace had a tower that stretched proudly to the clouds. The palace was white but sparkled like diamonds, adorned with thousands of stones resembling pearls, peridots, turquoise, agate, and sapphires. In front of it was a large garden of trees of different colors and shapes, similar to many of the trees they had seen before in the wondrous forest.

One of the robot guards opened the gate for Leonis after recognizing him. Leonis drove the car inside, moving it closer to the ground.

Akira's and Youssef's breathing grew heavy, and they felt fear and tension knocking on the doors of their hearts again. Leonis stopped the car on the side of the road amidst the trees and told them:

"We'll continue on foot. He must not sense our presence."

Youssef remarked, catching his breath with difficulty:

"And how will he sense us while he's sleeping?"

Leonis gave a half-smile but didn't utter a word and ordered them to follow him.

They walked quietly among the trees, hearing the sounds of the animals living within them. After walking for a few minutes, they finally reached their destination.

The golden palace door was decorated with magnificent engravings. It depicted two dragons snarling at each other, each dragon carved onto one of the double doors. Leonis approached cautiously and placed his palm on the right door. The right dragon's eye lit up in red, and the door opened. He gestured for them to follow him, and they stepped into the palace, finding a hall before them. They were struck by its splendor and beauty.

They saw a stunningly beautiful chandelier hanging from the ceiling, covered in gold, silver, and another glowing blue metal. Magnificent large paintings hung on the wall, telling the history of Atlantis, the discoveries of the Astra, and displaying portraits of kings from thousands of years ago to the present era.

There were many gold-inlaid tables with exquisite engravings and decorations, upon which sat numerous artifacts and vases of magnificent beauty and craftsmanship. Luminous cubes floated in the hallway to light it, and at the end of the hall was another brown door. Leonis said, walking slowly and cautiously:

"Beyond this door, we will find the throne room, but Gaia is sleeping on the upper floor, so don't worry."

They remained silent and walked towards the door, their hearts racing. When they reached it, Leonis opened it very slowly, entered the throne room, and gestured for them to follow.

Youssef cast a wary, sidelong glance at the room. He saw that it was a large, hall-like chamber with a red carpet extending to the throne and a large chandelier hanging from the ceiling. Dim lights made it hard for them to see anything. They also saw many paintings hanging on the wall. Suddenly, the room lit up with several candles, one after another, in a circular pattern around the room. They felt as if their hearts were about to leap out of their chests from terror. Leonis's face froze and his features tensed, while Akira and Youssef stood frozen in place. A deep, heavy voice spoke:

"Leonis, where have you been all this time?! And who are these companions of yours?!"

Leonis froze. He looked at the throne to find Gaia sitting on it, looking at him with a gaze full of challenge and mockery.

Leonis regained his composure and stepped forward, saying:

"These... they are some of the new robots the factory made for us. I was taking them around the city to test their efficiency."

Youssef looked at the throne and felt as if blood had burst in his eyes. He saw a strange person sitting on the throne, his skin a light blue color, his silver hair flowing down his shoulders. His body was powerful, agile, and formidable, and he stood two meters tall. He held a carefully ornate golden spear ending in a double-bladed tip, and on his arm was a small protective shield for his wrist, with similar protection from his knees down to his feet. He wore a golden cloak, upon which was an engraving of a silver circle that reached just above his neck. In the center of the circle were inscriptions and words that seemed to be written in water. He wore a golden crown studded with jewels and engravings, with a red jewel in the center flanked by several blue jewels on the right and left. On his chest hung a golden chain from which a jewel the color of the sky shone brightly. Akira knew then that the one before him was Gaia, the ruler of Atlantis. A shiver ran down his spine, and perhaps it was the same feeling Youssef had, who stood frozen in place like a robot.

Gaia replied in a calm tone, a slight smile never leaving his face:

"Hmmmm... they look good. This is a new and good design... but it's missing one thing!"

Leonis replied nervously, trying to hold himself together:

"What are they missing?"

Gaia's gaze turned to them, and they felt as if they saw sparks and darkness radiating from his eyes. They felt their feet could barely support them before this immense power. Gaia replied, his face changing to seriousness and severity:

"For the humans to come out from inside them."

His words fell on them like a thunderbolt. They knew that he had discovered Leonis was lying. Gaia continued:

"Do you think I don't know? I sensed your presence the moment you left the facility. I have been waiting for you here for some time to explain to me what you are doing?!"

Leonis shouted:

"Now, as we planned... Remember the hopes pinned on us... and remember the peoples tormented by this monster."

Leonis charged towards him screaming, while Youssef and Akira forced themselves to move. They remembered what he had told them: they were to grab him while he attacked from the front to distract him, while they would circle from the right and left to attack him at the same time.

They hesitated for a moment, then Akira rushed forward. When Youssef saw him, he mustered some courage and also ran to the left.

They began to circle and surround him, while Leonis charged towards him. But Gaia's reaction troubled them; he sat calmly on his throne, eyes closed, resting his cheek on his fist. This enraged Leonis even more, and he lunged forward with a speed that was barely visible, aiming a punch at Gaia's face. But Gaia, without opening his eyes, raised his left hand and absorbed Leonis's blow with ease in his fist, without any effort. Leonis gasped in astonishment and said in a broken tone:

"Wha...aaat?"

Akira and Youssef froze in place with terror when they saw what happened. Leonis shouted at them not to stop. They gathered their courage and charged from Gaia's right and left to surprise him, while Leonis stepped back a few paces and charged at him again. The three of them leaped at him, targeting the crown. But Gaia extended his right hand and pointed his index finger upwards, and walls of stone erupted to surround him from all sides. They smashed through these walls, and when they looked at the throne, they found it empty.

Youssef turned around anxiously and said:

"What! Where did he disappear?!"

They scanned the area with their eyes, searching for him. They found him standing on the stairs on the upper floor, clapping his hands with a malicious smile on his face, saying:

"Your speed has increased, Leonis, I can see that... But it's not enough to bring me down. You still have a hundred years of training before you can touch me, and another thousand years to kill me."

He finished his words and jumped from the upper floor to the lower, landing in front of Leonis. When Leonis tried to move, he found himself frozen in place as rocks emerged from the ground, surrounded his feet, and pinned him to the floor. He was immobilized. Gaia raised his hand and punched him violently in the face, sending him flying far away to crash into the lobby door, shattering it and plowing through everything in his path.

Gaia said, enraged:

"My foolish son... Do you think you can defeat me?"

Youssef and Akira were stunned by what had happened and retreated to get away from him. They were even more surprised by his power and his ability to control the earth and realized they had no chance against this monster. They had come to dig their own graves. But their third surprise came when they learned that Leonis was his son. The surprises came one after another, leaving them no room to think about their next move. Fear paralyzed their bodies.

Gaia turned to them, sparks flying from his yellow eyes. He said to them with a terrifying smile:

"So, you are the ones who came from the far reaches of space to ruin everything for me, aren't you?"

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