Chapter 686 - 76: Time Reversal

Chapter 686: Chapter 76: Time Reversal

He had always thought that was a glory unique to that era, proof that the Divine Spirits favored this land.

But now he suddenly understood—it wasn’t glory, it was the price.

However strong the invaders were, that’s how strong our ancestors had to be. And the strength of our ancestors only served to show just how strong the invaders were.

"Doesn’t that mean the invaders three thousand years ago were incredibly strong?" His voice was hoarse. "What about three thousand years later? The invaders are said to be the same Wizards. Is this why we can’t win...?"

"Afraid?"

The High Priest’s voice rang out.

Leander said, "I’m not afraid. If I were, my bloodline power wouldn’t be growing stronger."

He paused, his chest heaving a few times. "But I am still afraid—afraid that we won’t find a way to defeat the invaders and bring peace to our world."

The High Priest chuckled. "That is why I brought you here. To eliminate this lingering threat."

The two of them moved as they spoke.

The passageway grew wider and the starlight on either side grew denser—transforming from a few sparse specks into a vast sea of stars that surged toward them from the distance, then flowed past.

The High Priest said, "We’re here."

Leander looked ahead, but there was nothing there. He watched as the High Priest took a step forward and vanished on the spot.

Though filled with questions, Leander didn’t hesitate and followed right behind him.

...

The Sol Frontline.

Upon the earth.

The pure white light finally dissipated.

The four Demigods were still standing.

But every one of them was swaying on their feet, on the verge of collapse.

Aurelius stood at the very front.

His azure dragon form was covered in cracks, and more than a dozen charred holes were burned through his wings.

Golden blood seeped from the gaps between his scales, dripping onto the vitrified ground and sizzling, releasing plumes of white smoke.

Celeine knelt on the ground.

Her one remaining hand was pressed against the earth, her fingertips dug deep into the shattered rock.

The light shields before her had all been shattered.

Her face was as pale as paper, her lips drained of all color.

Her silver-white hair was turning gray from the roots—a sign of her Life Force being overdrawn.

Elarius’s rock behemoth was no longer recognizable.

A third of its body had been sheared away.

Its left arm was gone from the shoulder down, its right leg from the knee down.

A massive hole was punched through its chest—so large you could see the land behind it.

Most of the roots that delved deep into the soil had been burned away. Only a few tenacious strands remained, desperately gripping the earth to keep the body from toppling over.

Valerius had reverted to his human form and was lying prone on the ground.

His limbs were limp, his body plastered to the rubble like a wrung-out rag.

His face was buried in the gravel, unmoving, with only the slight rise and fall of his shoulders to show he was alive.

But they had held the line.

In the end, they had held it.

The city walls were still standing, the fortresses were still standing, and the Warriors stationed on the walls were still alive.

With their bodies, with their will, with their very lives, they had held the line.

Cheris hovered in midair.

Her deep blue Magic Robe fluttered gently in the wind. Her long, flaxen hair was perfectly in place, and her jade-green eyes were devoid of expression.

She looked down at the four wretched, wounded Demigods who could barely even stand, and sneered.

"Such a paltry light, yet it dares to shine."

Then, everything returned to the beginning.

Aurelius found himself standing in his original position.

Wings spread, shielding the frontline.

There were no cracks on his chest, no charred holes in his wings. ℴ

His strength had returned. His bloodline power surged through his veins, so full it was as if nothing had ever happened.

Celeine’s silver-white hair regained its luster, her Life Force was restored, and color returned to her pale face.

She was in the middle of drawing runes with her one remaining hand, casting her light shields.

Elarius’s legs were whole again, his roots dug deep into the earth.

His body was without breach or blemish, every stone seamlessly fitted back into its proper place.

Valerius was once again a giant turtle, shielding the others.

Aurelius’s pupils shrank to pinpricks. "Time... it’s rewinding... How can time Magic work on us?"

Celeine’s lips trembled, and her voice shook. "Impossible... This is impossible..."

For the first time, fear appeared in Elarius’s eyes. "What in the world is going on? This isn’t the Dawn Mage..."

Valerius raised his turtle head, watching the white light gathering in her palm. "Then we’ll do it again. If once isn’t enough, we’ll do it twice. If twice isn’t enough, three times. She has to run out of power eventually."

Aurelius gritted his teeth.

And then time stopped.

The dust floating in the sky froze in midair. The churning rubble on the ground was suspended in the moment of its scattering.

The wind stopped. All sound ceased.

Cheris hovered in the air, her ten fingers spread wide, the pure white light held between them.

Her jade-green eyes didn’t blink. The hem of her deep blue Magic Robe was frozen in the moment it was fluttering, no longer moving.

The other three Demigods were also caught in the stasis.

Celeine’s hand was frozen in midair, her fingertip poised over a rune.

The roots spreading from Elarius’s feet stopped growing.

On Valerius’s shell, the glowing cracks went dark.

But as their bloodline power surged, they too entered the frozen timeline.

"Now!" Aurelius’s voice exploded into the stillness.

He opened his dragon’s maw, and a blazing, golden-white light erupted from deep within his throat.

Celeine followed suit.

Her one remaining hand once again traced runes in the air.

But this time, they were not for defense, but for attack.

Each rune burned with her Life Force.

The runes condensed in the air, forming twelve lances of ice—longer, thicker, and sharper than any before.

They shot toward Cheris’s heart.

Elarius opened the rock behemoth’s mouth, and lava spewed from his throat, surging toward Cheris.

Valerius charged forward from the rear.

His body transformed again. The giant turtle became a massive golden eagle—its wingspan wider than ever before, its golden feathers burning with a blinding light.

It thrust out its talons, the tips glowing with a Dark Gold light, and clawed at Cheris’s head.

Four attacks, from four directions, with four different powers—all struck Cheris simultaneously within the frozen time.

The next instant.

Time resumed its flow.

The wind began to blow again, the dust began to fall, and the rubble began to tumble once more.

Cheris’s eyes twitched.

And then—the dragon’s breath detonated in her chest, blowing a massive, empty hole through it.

The ice lances shattered in her heart, shards of ice erupting from her veins and freezing her body into a statue.

Lava surged from within her, burning her flesh and blood to ash.

The golden eagle’s talons tore out from inside her skull, crushing her head to pieces.

Cheris vanished.

Not even a speck of dust remained.

Aurelius changed back to his human form and fell from the sky, landing on his knees, gasping for breath.

"We did it... We... we did it..."

Celeine collapsed onto the ground again, her one remaining hand hanging limp at her side, her fingers still trembling.

The color drained from her face once more, and her silver-white hair turned ashen gray again.

But this time, the corners of her lips were curved into a smile.

Tears welled up in her eyes and streamed down her pale cheeks, dripping onto the rubble and leaving small, dark spots.

Elarius stood in place, also having returned to his human form.

He lifted his head, his eyes fixed on the empty sky. His lips moved, but no words came out.

The eagle that was Valerius soared through the sky.

The empty, bloody socket of its left eye still oozed blood, but its intact right eye was exceptionally bright.

Tears streamed from that single eye, flowing down its cheek.

"Finally... Finally..."

They had succeeded.

And then—time reversed.

Everything returned to the very beginning.

Aurelius became a dragon again.

Celeine was carving runes with her life.

Elarius’s feet turned to roots, delving deep into the earth.

Valerius became a giant turtle, bearing his shell.

Even the sunlight, which had shifted with the passage of time, returned to its previous position.

Cheris hovered in midair, her jade eyes cold.

Her ten fingers were spread wide, a pure white light gathering in her palm.

The pure white light flared once more.

Just as before.