Legacy of the Dark Sage

"W-What....?" Layla furrowed her brows as she gaped at the scene above.

It was not only her who looked at the sky dumbfoundedly.

Obstruction, Tritus, and everyone else who could see what was happening were shocked.

They all had a sense of foreboding a second ago. Some even believe Kyran had no way of escaping the enemy's trap. They were unsure what happened, but the latter did not appear as imposing as before for some reason. It was as if he was holding back.

Their suspicion was actually spot on.

Kyran had been holding back by not using his Void magic. However, True Void was the only one who knew why. Everyone present had not seen how the Macabre Glacier had reacted to Kyran's Void magic energy when he used his magic sense. Thus, their suspicion was understandable.

In any case, most of them believed Kyran was probably trying to conserve and replenish his magic energy for the upcoming finale of this war. That was why he downplayed his overbearingness.

But it was because of this thought that most were convinced Kyran would not be able to escape this situation.

Nevertheless, they were n denial. To be precise, the ones in denial were Kyran's people, while the enemies rejoiced.

If Kyran was captured or sealed by the enemies, their chances of winning would decrease by a lot.

No.

That might not be the case. This was started because of Kyran. If he was captured, it could be considered their loss.

If that happened, the whole empire would fall into the hands of the Soul Emperor. And they could no longer have any means to defy her.

Once the empire fell, the rest of the nations in the Human plane would follow. The oppression and hopelessness experienced by humans during the Chaos Era would happen again.

For this reason, Kyran's people remained in denial. Their feeling was amplified by how it appeared time seemed to have slowed around them.

In their hearts, there was a feeling akin to hope. That any second now, Kyran could once more act overbearing. When that happen, they would all relish the fact of how they foiled the Soul Emperor's plan once more.

Nevertheless, the huge beam of light still descended upon Kyran. At the same time, all of them could only look despairingly.

Or, at least, that was supposed to be their reaction.

The next second, they all froze in their spot.

Literally.

Layla's beautiful face distorted as she realized what was happening. She looked up but was not really looking at anything or 'anyone' in particular. Yet, she shouted with such hatred.

"TIME KEEPER!"

From outside the cracked barrier, a golden ring created from small clocks appeared as Stella descended.

Wearing a long white dress that matched her golden blonde hair and light blue eyes perfectly made Stella appear like a goddess who had finally descended into the mortal world.

Her beautiful face, which would not lose out to Layla, carried a mature yet serene look as she looked down at the scene below.

All those who saw her felt like they had indeed seen a goddess.

A Goddess of Hope that would bring about their salvation.

"I've heard from the First how the Crown Princess has fallen victim to the previous Soul Emperor," Stella started to speak, ignoring how much hatred Layla had shouted her 'title.' She sighed before adding, "That's too bad... I was hoping to meet her before this happened."

Layla's face distorted further as she glared daggers at Stella.

"You have always been neutral, even in the past. Why are you openly defying me this time?"

Stella raised her brows and said, "I don't know about your feud with the First. But I am not her... well, I suppose it is true her memories had influenced my thinking most of the time, but my decision to come here is definitely mine."

After saying this, she turned and looked at the beam of light that was suspended at least fifteen meters above Kyran's head.

Unlike the others— which included Layla, Tritus, the surroundings, and even Obstruction— whose time stopped after Stella used her magic, Kyran was unaffected.

His time would have also stopped if he had only circulated Draconic magic in his body. However, he had already roused the Void magic energy in his body, and its innate effect had been activated.

Seeing Kyran looking at her with an unreadable expression, Stella smiled apologetically before saying, "I'm sorry for being late."

Kyran scowled in response to her words.

Anyone who saw his reaction would think he did not appreciate Stella's help.

But the truth, he scowled at his own misgiving.

Kyran had promised Malek he would not include Stella in battle.

He had thought this before, but he truly believed that the most fearsome among the four Ancient magic would have to be Time magic.

His reason was simple. Time mage could stop someone's time, and that person would drop dead without knowing what caused it.

Apart from this, Time mage could also use their magic to hasten one's time. When that happened, any person, not even the most powerful mage, would end up old and withered in an instant.

That was not all.

If, in case, a magic attack relied upon the accumulation of magic energy or its caster's aura to determine how powerful its output would be, then if Time was used to prolong that accumulation but cram it in a second, how powerful would that magic attack be?

That also applied to unpredictable moves.

For example, what if a mage had been preparing to make a move for a long time? Then he or she released it, Time mage could control how long it would take for that mage's move to 'happen.' The same concept applies to a ritual or activation of an array.

If one considered all this, not even a mage with Void magic would stand a chance.

Nevertheless, Kyran knew the use of Time had its own consequences. For this reason, Malek never wanted Stella to use her magic.

At the moment, the range at which Stella's Time magic had appeared was quite large.

Kyran estimated it should be at least a hundred meters in diameter, with Stella as the center. But that was not all. He was aware that in order for her to stop the beam of light's descent, she had to use her magic at another location.

Previously, the First Time Keeper told him that Stella had fallen into a deep sleep because she had exhausted herself from trying to meddle in the future's timeline. That was how the First Time Keeper managed to control Stella's body, using little consciousness left of her in the Time core.

In any case, even if Stella appeared normal. Kyran knew it was all a facade. He knew she had not recovered from her previous reckless use of Time magic.

And then, just as she regained consciousness, she once more used her magic to save him.

Just as Kyran suspected, she simultaneously stopped the time in several different locations around the estate.

Accurately speaking, Stella stopped the time around the several array formations scattered around the Regis Estate. That would have been the only way for her to stop the beam of light's descent truly.

"You say that, your decision in coming here is not influenced by her. But, why else would you have come here if not for the guilt you felt from that woman toward Caelan's successor?" Layla snarled at Stella.

Choosing to ignore her, Stella kept her focus on Kyran and said with a slight smile, "You don't have to give me such a tragic expression. I have seen and heard the First's interaction with... her. I now understand why she is very important to you.

"You know, she did not hesitate to heal me after realizing how badly my magic core was exhausted. That is why, after I regained consciousness, she healed me. And that was after shehealed you and everyone else in the Conclave.

"I told her to rest, but she did not budge. She is pretty stubborn."

Kyran remained silent. He did consider Cyneah healing Stella, which was why the latter was bold enough to come here and make such a huge move.

However, that was not the reason he was feeling bad.

The fact that Stella had used her magic at such a large scale move meant she would suffer. Kyran did not know what she would give up if she used such a large-scale magic attack. That also happened to be performed at several locations at the same time.

Malek had mentioned something about Stella's 'own time' being affected. And that was what Kyran was worried about. He did not want her to lose her 'time' in exchange for saving him.

Stella had already done so many things for Kyran, and he did not want to owe her anymore.

He could repay her for what she had done for him in the past. But he could never return what she had lost, especially her 'time.'