Crrkk!
"Took you long enough, Aestrea."
Without any further warning, he attacked first.
The God of Time raised his scepter, the clock face at its head glowing brightly. Time itself warped around Aestrea in an instant.
The air thickened, movements slowed, and the world seemed to drag like molasses.
Chronos blurred forward at normal speed while Aestrea's body felt like it was moving through syrup.
Vwoom!
A concentrated beam of distorted time shot from the scepter, aimed straight at Aestrea's chest.
The beam carried the weight of centuries, capable of aging anything it touched into dust.
Aestrea forced his body to move, pushing against the slowed time with raw willpower. He twisted sideways just enough for the beam to graze his shoulder.
The fabric of his coat disintegrated instantly, and the skin beneath withered and cracked, golden-black blood welling up from the wound.
