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Chapter 332: The Thirteen Primes
Krypto pounced ferociously, just as he had countless times before at the reckless employees who teased him like a common, dumb dog. Krypto struck again.
His tail stood straight up, a sign of his proud and sassy nature. His powerful legs revealed bulging veins and muscles, flaunting his formidable strength. He had every right to show off; many super-soldiers had tried to tease him, only to pay a heavy price.
To this day, no one had been able to ascertain this little white dog's upper limit.
Kryptonians who basked under a Yellow Sun started with a thousand-ton power level, and leveling dozens of skyscrapers with a single punch was commonplace.
As for Kryptonians with high-level genes, given enough time, their strength and speed would rise to a terrifying degree. Then there's Superman, that cheat, who carries the Codex of Life and possesses the strongest genes of all Kryptonians. His potential is immeasurable.
But Krypto wouldn't truly bite down hard; it was more of a small act of retaliation. When he bit those super-soldiers, it was only to teach them a lesson.
This fierce bite did not cause the slightest bit of damage to Optimus Prime's toe.
Optimus Prime's outer shell was made of brand-new Secondary Adamantium. To damage such a hide, one would need a force of at least several hundred tons. Since Krypto wasn't using his full strength, it was naturally ineffective.
"A strange little dog, completely different from the ones outside." Optimus Prime was also very surprised by the stinging sensation from his toe, but he gently held Krypto, picked him up, and placed him to the side.
Krypto barked twice, sniffed the air, and then trotted away sullenly to find another spot to continue sunbathing.
The door of a small building was pulled open, and a young man with a resolute and stern face gave a hearty stretch, facing the Sun.
His gaze, filled with calm and faint pressure, swept over everything. All that he looked upon felt his stare and a subtle sense of pressure.
Optimus Prime's tall, blue body cast a large shadow on the ground, appearing incredibly intimidating.
Tony looked at this big blue fellow and was momentarily stunned. Although he had seen him many times, he experienced this same complex emotion every single time.
"Optimus Prime, out for another stroll? Huh, you brought the other Protoforms out, too?" Tony's eyes shifted, landing on the various quiet vehicles.
There was a Hummer, a supercar, and an ambulance.
Unlike Optimus Prime, the other Transformers were still in a muddled state. They needed a bit more time to find themselves and develop their souls.
Optimus Prime had been the same. It took him a month to recover from that muddled state and for a soul with complete consciousness to be born.
That peculiar CNA chain was inextricably linked with his soul, influencing each other, a process that itself required time.
Tony's calm yet affectionate gaze gave Optimus Prime a completely different feeling.
It was as if he had met that gaze countless times in the past, a gaze full of warmth and kindness.
His feeling was not wrong. This gaze was not only how Tony had looked at Optimus Prime in the past but had also been deeply engraved during the shaping of his CNA and soul, becoming an indispensable part of their lives.
Two figures, one large and one small, cast long shadows on the ground, stretching far under the sunlight.
Their meeting gazes seemed to span the two ends of a timeline, crossing eras, transcending space, and overwhelming dimensions.
Slowly, Optimus Prime knelt, his enormous head drawing close and gradually lowering.
"Hello, respected Creator..." his heavy voice was filled with deep reverence.
Tony stared blankly at Optimus Prime, his small figure revealing a profound mix of complexity and joy. Every time he saw the living Optimus Prime, Tony felt a satisfaction that came from the bottom of his heart.
After a long moment, Tony smiled. "Optimus Prime, I've told you before, you don't need to do this."
Optimus Prime lifted his head slightly, his eyes meeting Tony's, and the corners of his mouth turned up. "You gave me life and created many other lives like me. You are a true Creator."
Tony shrugged and smiled freely. "Have it your way. It's just a title, anyway."
During this time, Tony had come to clearly understand that Optimus Prime had no memories of the other world, nor of the time he had spent with Tony's family.
After an initial touch of disappointment, Tony had come to terms with it.
Did his past memories matter? As long as he had life and could guide a civilization forward like a proper leader, that was enough.
Tony had already done everything he could. He should be content.
With a wave of Tony's hand, a large stretch of flat ground began to sink, revealing a massive underground space.
Tony gestured to Optimus Prime. "Come in with me. There are some secrets you should know."
In the vast, empty space, there was none of the complex, precision machinery one might imagine. Instead, there were only thirteen colossal figures completely shrouded in shadow, standing like thirteen monoliths.
Each figure was far taller than Optimus Prime.
"These are..." Optimus Prime felt a mix of surprise and doubt. He felt immense pressure from these figures, but at the same time, he also felt the aura of a fellow Mutant.
"These are the thirteen most powerful Transformers. Each one possesses strength that surpasses yours. Their power, speed, processing capabilities, neural resilience, cellular activity, and the total individual gene manifestation of their CNA Gene Chain are all terrifying. Every single metric surpasses your current self, though I am only referring to your current state. In the future, you will definitely surpass them."
Optimus Prime nodded silently. He wasn't too concerned about their strength; he was more focused on the state of these thirteen Giants.
"Are they... asleep?" Optimus Prime asked.
"You could say that. And they need to continue sleeping. They will not awaken unless it is absolutely necessary. These thirteen supreme powerhouses will be the future behind-the-scenes Guardians of Cybertron, the trump card for dealing with uncontrollable disasters."
As Tony spoke, he silently shook his head.
Only he knew how difficult it had been, what a painful price he had paid, to create these thirteen combatants who started at the demigod level. Even after splitting off a large piece of the Allspark, he still couldn't truly awaken them.
They needed to sleep, and for many, many years.
To put it bluntly, Tony couldn't directly create demigod genes and souls yet. He could only lay the foundation. As for the skyscraper to be built on that foundation, it still needed time to settle.
In other words, they were only semi-finished products that required Tony to periodically perform augmentations and upgrades. They were thirteen powerful backups.
"Prima, Alpha Trion, Liege Maximo, Vector Prime, Solus Prime, Sai Tianjiao, Nexus Prime, Alchemist Prime, Micronus Prime, Liege Maximo, Quintus Prime, Amalgamous Prime, The Thirteenth Prime. These are their names... hmm, their temporary names."
Tony rubbed his chin, deep in thought.
They were indeed temporary names. He had actually considered changing a few of the special Primes' names to more familiar ones, but after thinking about it, he gave up on the idea.
For example, changing Liege Maximo to The Fallen.
These thirteen Primes, who started at the demigod level, would be the future Guardians of Cybertron, the backbone of its wisdom and power.
(end of chapter)
Krypto pounced ferociously, just as he had countless times before at the reckless employees who teased him like a common, dumb dog. Krypto struck again.
His tail stood straight up, a sign of his proud and sassy nature. His powerful legs revealed bulging veins and muscles, flaunting his formidable strength. He had every right to show off; many super-soldiers had tried to tease him, only to pay a heavy price.
To this day, no one had been able to ascertain this little white dog's upper limit.
Kryptonians who basked under a Yellow Sun started with a thousand-ton power level, and leveling dozens of skyscrapers with a single punch was commonplace.
As for Kryptonians with high-level genes, given enough time, their strength and speed would rise to a terrifying degree. Then there's Superman, that cheat, who carries the Codex of Life and possesses the strongest genes of all Kryptonians. His potential is immeasurable.
But Krypto wouldn't truly bite down hard; it was more of a small act of retaliation. When he bit those super-soldiers, it was only to teach them a lesson.
This fierce bite did not cause the slightest bit of damage to Optimus Prime's toe.
Optimus Prime's outer shell was made of brand-new Secondary Adamantium. To damage such a hide, one would need a force of at least several hundred tons. Since Krypto wasn't using his full strength, it was naturally ineffective.
"A strange little dog, completely different from the ones outside." Optimus Prime was also very surprised by the stinging sensation from his toe, but he gently held Krypto, picked him up, and placed him to the side.
Krypto barked twice, sniffed the air, and then trotted away sullenly to find another spot to continue sunbathing.
The door of a small building was pulled open, and a young man with a resolute and stern face gave a hearty stretch, facing the Sun.
His gaze, filled with calm and faint pressure, swept over everything. All that he looked upon felt his stare and a subtle sense of pressure.
Optimus Prime's tall, blue body cast a large shadow on the ground, appearing incredibly intimidating.
Tony looked at this big blue fellow and was momentarily stunned. Although he had seen him many times, he experienced this same complex emotion every single time.
"Optimus Prime, out for another stroll? Huh, you brought the other Protoforms out, too?" Tony's eyes shifted, landing on the various quiet vehicles.
There was a Hummer, a supercar, and an ambulance.
Unlike Optimus Prime, the other Transformers were still in a muddled state. They needed a bit more time to find themselves and develop their souls.
Optimus Prime had been the same. It took him a month to recover from that muddled state and for a soul with complete consciousness to be born.
That peculiar CNA chain was inextricably linked with his soul, influencing each other, a process that itself required time.
Tony's calm yet affectionate gaze gave Optimus Prime a completely different feeling.
It was as if he had met that gaze countless times in the past, a gaze full of warmth and kindness.
His feeling was not wrong. This gaze was not only how Tony had looked at Optimus Prime in the past but had also been deeply engraved during the shaping of his CNA and soul, becoming an indispensable part of their lives.
Two figures, one large and one small, cast long shadows on the ground, stretching far under the sunlight.
Their meeting gazes seemed to span the two ends of a timeline, crossing eras, transcending space, and overwhelming dimensions.
Slowly, Optimus Prime knelt, his enormous head drawing close and gradually lowering.
"Hello, respected Creator..." his heavy voice was filled with deep reverence.
Tony stared blankly at Optimus Prime, his small figure revealing a profound mix of complexity and joy. Every time he saw the living Optimus Prime, Tony felt a satisfaction that came from the bottom of his heart.
After a long moment, Tony smiled. "Optimus Prime, I've told you before, you don't need to do this."
Optimus Prime lifted his head slightly, his eyes meeting Tony's, and the corners of his mouth turned up. "You gave me life and created many other lives like me. You are a true Creator."
Tony shrugged and smiled freely. "Have it your way. It's just a title, anyway."
During this time, Tony had come to clearly understand that Optimus Prime had no memories of the other world, nor of the time he had spent with Tony's family.
After an initial touch of disappointment, Tony had come to terms with it.
Did his past memories matter? As long as he had life and could guide a civilization forward like a proper leader, that was enough.
Tony had already done everything he could. He should be content.
With a wave of Tony's hand, a large stretch of flat ground began to sink, revealing a massive underground space.
Tony gestured to Optimus Prime. "Come in with me. There are some secrets you should know."
In the vast, empty space, there was none of the complex, precision machinery one might imagine. Instead, there were only thirteen colossal figures completely shrouded in shadow, standing like thirteen monoliths.
Each figure was far taller than Optimus Prime.
"These are..." Optimus Prime felt a mix of surprise and doubt. He felt immense pressure from these figures, but at the same time, he also felt the aura of a fellow Mutant.
"These are the thirteen most powerful Transformers. Each one possesses strength that surpasses yours. Their power, speed, processing capabilities, neural resilience, cellular activity, and the total individual gene manifestation of their CNA Gene Chain are all terrifying. Every single metric surpasses your current self, though I am only referring to your current state. In the future, you will definitely surpass them."
Optimus Prime nodded silently. He wasn't too concerned about their strength; he was more focused on the state of these thirteen Giants.
"Are they... asleep?" Optimus Prime asked.
"You could say that. And they need to continue sleeping. They will not awaken unless it is absolutely necessary. These thirteen supreme powerhouses will be the future behind-the-scenes Guardians of Cybertron, the trump card for dealing with uncontrollable disasters."
As Tony spoke, he silently shook his head.
Only he knew how difficult it had been, what a painful price he had paid, to create these thirteen combatants who started at the demigod level. Even after splitting off a large piece of the Allspark, he still couldn't truly awaken them.
They needed to sleep, and for many, many years.
To put it bluntly, Tony couldn't directly create demigod genes and souls yet. He could only lay the foundation. As for the skyscraper to be built on that foundation, it still needed time to settle.
In other words, they were only semi-finished products that required Tony to periodically perform augmentations and upgrades. They were thirteen powerful backups.
"Prima, Alpha Trion, Liege Maximo, Vector Prime, Solus Prime, Sai Tianjiao, Nexus Prime, Alchemist Prime, Micronus Prime, Liege Maximo, Quintus Prime, Amalgamous Prime, The Thirteenth Prime. These are their names... hmm, their temporary names."
Tony rubbed his chin, deep in thought.
They were indeed temporary names. He had actually considered changing a few of the special Primes' names to more familiar ones, but after thinking about it, he gave up on the idea.
For example, changing Liege Maximo to The Fallen.
These thirteen Primes, who started at the demigod level, would be the future Guardians of Cybertron, the backbone of its wisdom and power.
(end of chapter)
