Ares felt the urge to punch him, but he knew his hand would just end up hurting if he tried. He suppressed his anger and said in a calm tone, "It seems you've managed to maintain your consciousness while in this form."
Ivanov replied with a frightening black smile on his metallic face, "I didn't cover the soles of my feet with metal so I wouldn't lose control of my consciousness, because I lose control when I fully transform into the metallic state."
"Well, this is not the time for discussion. They are waiting for our reaction. If we attack first, they will attack, and we are exposed now with nowhere to take cover. The hall is large and open. And if you look over there, that crystal is what powers them. If we destroy it, they will stop working, which will enable us to get out of here."
Sairi looked at the generator and the large blue crystal hovering above it, supplying it with energy. "What is this strange, large diamond that powers the generator below it?" he said.
Ares replied, staring at the large number of robots with apprehension and despair, "I don't know what it is, but as you can see, it seems to be what powers them. Therefore, if we destroy the generator, it will have nothing to give its energy to. Now, can you fight them here?"
Ivanov said confidently, striking his fists together, producing a metallic clang, "It doesn't matter how many there are, I will destroy them all. Get behind me and start firing without stopping. We will attack them from a distance until the rest come and support us. Now, Sairi, protect everyone else."
Sairi did not answer him but continued to stare at their large numbers, which exceeded fifty. From among the horde of robots, a figure who looked different from the rest emerged. Everyone stared at him in amazement. He was completely different from the other robots. He had to be the leader. The strange figure approached them a short distance, then stopped. His features became clearer. He was not a robot, but another, different creature, unlike anything they had ever seen before.
He wore a black suit of armor that looked like something from the distant future. The armor covered his entire body, and on his face was a glass mask that looked like a mirror. But when you looked closely at it, it was as if you were seeing a reflection of the vast universe—of shining stars and galaxies hovering in a dark, black space. He stood for a moment and stared intently at the people standing before him.
"Who in God's name is this?" Ares whispered, a sense of dread creeping over him. "He's completely different."
Suddenly, the mysterious figure began to speak in a deep, hoarse voice. "Welcome, humans. I did not expect you to have the audacity to penetrate my world and destroy my most precious possessions."
Everyone's jaw dropped in astonishment. They looked at each other, then back at him. He continued, "Of course, you do not know who I am. Your leaders must have invented some story about what is happening around you to suit your small minds, so they can continue to move you as they wish. In the end, you are just cattle to them, and cattle don't ask questions. They just obey."
Ivanov retorted in a scathing tone, "And who are you, you arrogant fool, to judge us? You are just a damned, rebellious machine that we created, and we will return you to where you belong, even if we have to use force!"
The stranger laughed loudly, which angered Ivanov even more. Then he said in a malicious tone, "Is that really what you think? That you created me? How ironic. But I am far too deep to be created. I am what you call organic life."
The tension increased, and sweat poured from their bodies despite the cold air. Behind them, the elevator opened, and ten more people emerged, brandishing their weapons, not understanding what was happening. Ares motioned for them not to fire yet. They obeyed and stood watching the events unfold.
"What do you mean by that?" Ares's voice boomed throughout the large building.
Suddenly, the mask on his face disintegrated, retracting back to a designated place on his strange black suit. Everyone gasped loudly when they saw his face and took several steps back, aiming their weapons at him as an automatic reaction.
"What in God's name is that damned thing?" Sairi said, his eyes wide with astonishment.
His skin was a light blue, the color of the sky, and his features looked to be in his forties, with a face that greatly resembled a human's, except for its strange blue color. He had pointed ears and long silver hair that fell to his shoulders, and yellow, cat-like eyes. He wore a crown of pure gold with a red jewel in the center, while sparkling blue jewels wrapped all around it. A gold chain hung around his neck, from which a small, brightly shining blue crystal protruded.
The face of this strange creature sent fear through the veins of the humans standing before him. Their bodies began to tremble, and their hearts were pumping. Ares felt a shiver run through his body. "Who... are you?" he said in a broken tone.
A terrifying smile appeared on the strange creature's face. "I am your doom."
Ivanov screamed at him, "Stop joking with us and tell us who you are and where you came from!"
"Rather, I should be asking you where you came from, although I know your truth. But the question in this situation is my right, because you came to my planet and destroyed my precious facility."
Sairi frowned, beginning to feel anger and confusion. "Your planet! Are you kidding me? This is our planet, and we came first."
The creature's two frightening eyes widened, and he stared at Sairi with a look that made him look away. "Is that what you really think? That this is your planet? Yes, of course, they deceived you and made you believe that this is planet Earth, as you call it! But do you really think this is planet Earth? Do you remember where you were five years ago?"
Sairi felt a pain in his head, and mystery shrouded his memories. For the first time in years, he felt fear course through his body just by looking into the eyes of this strange creature. After a moment of silence from Sairi, the creature continued, "Of course not. Your memories have been erased, and no one remembers anything. But to make things clear for you, you are on my planet. This is not planet Earth. This is planet Atlantis!"
Ares protested, "You're lying! This is our planet!"
Many more humans began to emerge from the elevator one after another until most of the prisoners had gathered. They gasped in fear upon seeing the strange creature, wondering what was happening here, but no one understood anything, which made them whisper in panic among themselves while they watched what was happening closely.
The creature signaled to one of the robots. It approached him and took out a white cube. He walked a few steps forward into the building's courtyard and placed the cube on the ground. Some of the humans retreated, aiming their weapons at him, but Ares signaled for them not to fire, so they restrained themselves.
The creature said in the same calm, confident tone, "Since I know your nature well, you will not believe my words unless you see for yourselves. That is why I have brought you concrete proof that will silence your tongues. But I hope you can accept it, because the truth is sometimes terrifying."
Suddenly, the cube disintegrated into pieces, and a light emerged from within, forming a three-dimensional image above it, hovering in the air like a large screen. What looked like a documentary film appeared. Everyone fell silent and watched in horror and confusion, their bodies trembling from exhaustion and lack of food.
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