With his eyes closed, William sensed the location of Optimus Prime's ship. With a flick of his hand, a massive portal over ten meters tall opened before him. He led the twelve Guardian Knights through it and boarded his own hundred-meter warship, where a desolate, grey-toned Cybertron stretched before them—scarred, lifeless, and heavy with decay.
Introducing the knights to Optimus, he said, "These twelve are elder knights of the Transformers, once Quintessa's guardians. They will fight alongside us against both the Decepticons and Quintessa."
After the Autobots and the knights exchanged greetings, William lifted the wooden-looking Merlin's staff and said, "I need to return to Oxford to find Merlin's last descendant in order to restore the staff to its original form."
"Wait," the leader of the knights called out, "This staff was entrusted to Merlin by me. If you want to remove its disguise, I can help.
But a word of caution—once the staff's seal is undone, Quintessa will be able to sense its location."
William didn't hesitate. With his telekinesis, he sent the wooden staff floating over. "The staff is mine. That's not a problem, right?"
Seeing the icy blue energy surging through William's armor and the Frost Hammer that had suddenly appeared in his hand, the knight leader knew one thing for certain: if he dared to say no, William would just take it by force.
"Very well. We wouldn't have used it even if we kept it," the knight said with a sigh. "After stealing the staff from Quintessa, we separated its power to create sentient machines and gave it to the Autobot elders in the form of the AllSpark.
We fled with the staff to Earth, intending to hide it forever.
But the worst-case scenario still happened. After countless years, not only were the Transformers repeatedly drawn to this staff, they came to Earth again and again because of it.
Even the AllSpark found its way here more than once.
If the AllSpark and the staff are ever reunited, Quintessa will regain the peak of her power. That's why we entrusted the staff to humans—to keep it hidden.
Luckily, the AllSpark has vanished, and this staff is now merely an incredibly powerful energy source."
As soon as he finished speaking, the wooden staff emitted a brilliant flash and instantly transformed into a gleaming silver metal scepter.
William beckoned, and a force pulled the staff from the knight's grip.
The knight hesitated for a few seconds, but the pull only grew stronger. As William's expression turned cold, frost crept into the air, and tiny crystals formed around them.
Reluctantly, the knight dropped to one knee and raised the staff, saying, "I can sense that Quintessa is already awakening. I ask you to swear on your family name that this staff will never be turned against Cybertron."
Recalling the scene from the fifth movie where Quintessa used the staff to drain Earth's energy to restore Cybertron, William now understood why the knights were so worried.
"I have no interest in Cybertron itself."
Still, seeing Optimus's concerned expression, William solemnly swore in the name of House Devonshire not to use the staff against the Autobots or the planet Cybertron.
As for the Decepticons? They didn't even cross his mind.
In fact, William's interest in the Transformers had faded.
They were fragile and stubborn, full of rebellion. If he were Quintessa, he'd want to rebuild them from scratch too.
Besides, he already possessed the AllSpark. With the addition of this life-giving staff, it was only a matter of time before he could create a new species—similar to Transformers, but entirely his.
The moment he made the oath, the staff flew into his hand. Then, as if by telepathy, a message rang in his mind:
"I am the Life Lord, Quintessa. Come, human. Submit to me, and I will grant you eternal life."
William smirked. His figure vanished and reappeared in a grand palace. Floating in the air before him was a being no larger than a human, clearly feminine—Quintessa.
But her expression was not pleased.
She had expected an ambitious magician, nothing more. She hadn't anticipated that William could teleport directly into her sanctum. That was troubling.
But the moment she saw the staff in his hand, her eyes lit up. "Human, let's make a deal. If you give me the staff—"
"Silence." William didn't wait for her to finish.
He scanned her with his psychic sense, confirming she was a physical entity, then immediately cast a spatial lock, freezing her in place.
When you don't know your opponent's abilities, it's best not to talk—secure them first, then talk.
If Quintessa had teleportation powers like the Fallen, she'd be much harder to catch later.
Now? Perfect. She was locked down.
William waved again, pulling the entire palace into a mirrored pocket dimension.
Hovering in midair, he circled her once before removing the lock and rubbing his chin. "Should I kill you outright, or imprison you?"
Quintessa didn't answer. She merely smiled, then began to shift. In seconds, her metallic form changed into a stunningly voluptuous woman.
"Shapeshifting? Cute," William laughed lightly. His Sentinel Armor shimmered and shifted in return, taking on a metallic version of Quintessa's form in just a second.
"Too bad you're made of metal. That does nothing for me. Besides, using seduction won't save your life."
Seeing that her tricks had no effect—and hearing William's mocking tone—Quintessa dropped her disguise and snarled in rage.
"What do you want, then? My energy core? Or do you want me to serve you?"
That, surprisingly, gave William pause.
What should he do with this volatile, unpredictable creature?
After thinking it over, he realized that outside of controlling Transformers, she wasn't as valuable as he'd thought.
Better to eliminate her than leave a threat that could turn on him at any moment.
The moment that thought solidified, Quintessa felt her body freeze again. Flames erupted around her.
Within seconds, her entire frame turned red-hot, began to melt, and eventually collapsed into a pool of molten metal.
Only then did William extinguish the flames.
He gathered the floating metal remains and, with a thought, reappeared aboard his ship.
The moment he materialized, the twelve Guardian Knights looked at him with stunned excitement.
"We felt it—Quintessa is gone! Did you truly defeat her?"
William lifted a hand, and Quintessa's metallic remains floated before them.
Sensing the residual energy, all twelve knights dropped to one knee.
"Thank you, great Lord Devonshire. You have freed us from our enslavement. We pledge ourselves as the Guardian Knights of House Devonshire."
Afraid that William might not accept them, they didn't stop there.
The twelve transformed—merging into a massive, three-headed mechanical dragon—and roared into the skies above Cybertron.
______
(≧◡≦) ♡ Support me and read 20 chapters ahead – patreon.com/Mutter
• Every 100 Power Stones = 1 extra chapter on Saturday.• Every 5 reviews = 1 extra chapter on Saturday.