Free Web NovelChapter 13: Timeless II
[You have activated the skill (Heaven’s Authority).]
A crushing pressure suddenly fell over Alex, forcing him hard against the ground. The weight was overwhelming, like an entire mountain pressing down on his body, leaving him unable to move as the earth beneath him cracked from the force.
Rentaro held his fist tightly, but with the (Heaven’s Authority) active, and Alex’s body forcefully pinned to the ground, the joints of his right hand shoulder snapped, then was forcefully separated from his body.
Alex’s eyes widened on instinct as he felt his hand being forcefully ripped away from his body.
"AAAARGHHH!" He screamed at the top of his lungs and fell to the ground, clutching his severed hand with his other, his blood gushing out like a sprinkler.
"MY ARM! MY ARM!"
Rentaro stared at him, his eyes cold and unreadable, as he casually tossed the severed hand back towards Alex.
He stared at his right palm, feeling his Soul-Energy draining fast, nearing total depletion.
His ability — Timeless, was a defensive ability that discarded the beginning of a Soul-Technique so that there wouldn’t be an end.
It wasn’t negation or erasure, that beginning still existed, but not just in this timeline. freeweɓnøvel.com
In every moment in time, countless possibilities exist. If fire normally needs gasoline and a spark of light to come to life, somewhere among those possibilities, there’s one where that law of physics doesn’t hold.
In simpler terms, it sent the beginning into an unknown timeline so there wouldn’t be an ending. He didn’t know where it went, but in that timeline, his Tempest Cannon had actually hit.
But not just in this one.
However, an issue remained.
Every time he used that ability, a significant portion of his Soul-Energy was drained. Simply put, at his current level, using Timeless three times would drain his energy to a dangerously low level, using more than would leave him completely defenseless or worse.
’Tch, judging from my previous attempts in using this ability, it only works on Soul-Techniques or whatever he called it, and its effect on techniques of higher grades remains to be seen. But for something so strong, its drawbacks are devastating.’
Using even one Timeless took a heavy toll on his body, but years of experience on the street had taught him to stay composed, no matter how weakened he felt.
"Well, it doesn’t matter." For now, he discarded the thoughts. All he saw as his gaze settled on Alex was a broken warrior.
Right now, despite his severed hand, Alex had an advantage over him in terms of Soul-Energy output and utilizing Soul techniques.
But Rentaro had shattered him psychologically by making him think that truly all his attacks were useless against him, when in fact if Alex had actually calmed down a bit instead of flaring out, he might have won.
"Wait! Wait!" Alex pleaded as he struggled to breathe, the searing pain of his bones being crushed by the overwhelming force of the Heaven’s Authority still coursing through his body.
Rentaro stopped in front of him, and for a brief moment the pain eased, though it was still more than Alex could bear.
But that slight hesitation gave him hope, and that’s all he yearned for in this situation.
"Don’t kill me, if you kill me Charlotte will be left alone. I’m all she has after losing all her friends to the sanctuary... Please..."
Rentaro stared down at Alex, his eyes empty and cold, showing no trace of emotions.
"... So?" His eyes flared with a powerful blue hue, and Alex’s eyes snapped open as he felt another overwhelming pressure press down on him once again.
"AAAARGHHH!!" He screamed at the top of his voice as he felt his entire bones being crushed to the ground, bit by bit, he could hear the slight cracks in them as they could no longer bear it.
Princess Sylvaria shifted her head away, with disgust in her eyes. This was the problem with humans, their brutality, their wickedness, it was always too much.
"We are in the first sanctuary where survival is everything, you should have thought about that before doing things that compromise the safety and well-being of someone you claim to care about. In a world where survival is the only necessity, your fate was sealed the moment you allowed your anger to cloud your judgement."
’This kid...’ Alex’s eyes wavered as his blurry gaze fell on Rentaro’s face.
And he did not see the face of the weak, unsure and talentless carrier of the mark he met back then.
What stared back at him was something more terrifying to him. What he saw was a man marked by the gods of the sanctuary!
Tears streamed down his eyes as the realization dawned on him.
’This kid... Is not human!"
All he wanted was to avenge the death of his brother, just like all families, they both had plans for each other, promised to be there for one another, and now he was gone, and he wanted payback.
But what he didn’t realize was that he wasn’t dealing with an ordinary kid, and now, it was far too late.
"Engrave this lesson in your memory as you return to your brother, just as you have taught me Alex, there is no such thing as mercy in the sanctuary." With his final words, his eyes glowed once more, and this time, the overwhelming pressure that fell on him crushed his entire body to a puddle of blood.
[Ding! You have killed a member of your own race!]
[Ding! You have made an unexpected achievement!]
[The constellations are shocked by your actions!]
[You have received 30 evolution points!]
[Ding! The allocated time has elasped!]
[You have passed the first trial of the sanctuary!]
As the flood of notifications panels flashed continuously in his line of vision, Rentaro took a few steps forward as his vision suddenly swayed.
A wave of dizziness hit him, and his body gave way.
He stumbled and crashed down, but his hand shot out just in time, gripping the edge of a tree and stopping him from falling completely.
He tried his best to endure it, but it was to no avail. The effects of using Timeless hit him all at once.
His strength and Soul-Energy was completely drained from his body, his breath turned shallow as a crushing weight pressed down on him.
His head throbbed, memories and sensations blurring together, and his limbs felt heavy and unresponsive.
It was as if time itself was demanding payment for its use, and his body was the one forced to pay the price.
He raised his hand weakly, but it shook violently, the strength barely holding as the tremor ran through his fingers. freēwebnovel.com
He underestimated his own ability.
Although his ability served to protect him, his body was unable to comprehend its power.
In the end, it all came down to comprehension, because in a sense, he swapped timelines to one of those infinite possibilities where the Tempest Cannon had no effect on him.
But his body, at its current level, was unable to comprehend it.
Rentaro’s body jerked, sharp convulsions running through him without warning.
His grip loosened, his strength fading, and he collapsed completely to the ground, then a moment later, everything went dark as he lost consciousness.
