"So it's finally time to leave."
Skyler floated in front of the winged man, his gaze complex. After learning the space element skill, he had spent another grueling month, filled with painful beatings, training to enhance his mastery of the Scythe Style and refine his close combat abilities.
Anyway, the main point was that he had finally landed a hit on him. Yes—he had.
But how did he, the weakling against his overpowered master, manage to do it?
Obviously, he cheated.
It had happened a day ago. While the man sat cross-legged with his eyes closed after their training session—which, as usual, had been tiring only for Skyler—he had secretly sent a subtle wisp of wind to tickle him.
In truth, the tiny wisp was blocked by the golden scales covering his master's body.
Still, he was going to shamelessly claim it had reached the calamity's body. And that, technically, was how Skyler landed a hit.
Following that, his master had given him one final lesson—a very brutal beating to ensure he'd never dare to cheat again.
Then, the freaking bastard healed him and patched his battered body with a satisfied glint in his smiling ocean-blue eyes. That's how they ended up floating face to face.
The calamity nodded at him curtly.
He had originally planned to keep Skyler here for several years, but Skyler managed to learn what he had expected would take numerous years in just five short months.
"Indeed, it's time you go. I won't stop you, since you did actually land a hit on me."
Skyler flashed a smirk.
"I know, I'm quite impressive—"
He shut his mouth when those piercing blue eyes staring at him narrowed, as if daring him to continue praising himself—and they'd make him regret being born.
The calamity clicked his tongue, then waved his hand dismissively.
"Leave, before I decide to beat you again. I've already opened the exit behind you."
Skyler glanced back at the crack that had opened directly behind him. Instantly, blue and golden chains snaked out of it, and as if a path to another time had been opened, the inside of the crack turned white.
Yet, he didn't step through. Instead, he nervously rubbed his hands and turned to face the man floating before him.
"Umm, master..."
The calamity snapped, thinking Skyler wanted to rip more treasures from him.
"What now? I have given you more than most could ever hope for in their lifetime."
Skyler blinked his eyes, then put on a sad expression. So, in his master's eyes, was he nothing but a greedy prick? No way. He was a very good person—alright, a saint even—since he was literally part angel. Naturally, he conveniently forgot his demon side.
But his feigned hurt had no effect on the indifferent man floating in front of him.
He rolled his eyes, dropping all pretense.
"You've got it wrong. I don't want anything else—just the lost sapphire of serenity. The Queen sent everyone here just to find that sword. I'd rather not return empty-handed."
The calamity's eyebrow twitched.
"What do you even want with that weapon? Sure, it's Mythic-tier—but it is incomplete. I could tell right away it's just one of five, all forged from the same power. It will only be useful when all those weapons—wherever they are—are brought together."
Skyler shrugged his shoulders.
"I don't need it. But all the royal families in Eldoria are searching for those weapons to defeat some immortals on the 51st level of Battle Royal. They failed to secure the Lost Sapphire of Serenity due to the protagonist and his team messing up their mission. But since I've decided to change the story, with that sword, Eldoria won't need Max and his team to clear the 51st level anymore."
The calamity let out a long sigh.
"You are really confusing sometimes. I don't understand half the things you say."
He reached into the air and pulled out a round steel marble, then tossed it to him.
"Here—your Lost Sapphire of Serenity."
"Now, get lost."
Skyler eyed the tiny marble in his hand.
"This is the Lost Sapphire of Serenity? A literal marble?? What happened to the shine and sparkle I was expecting?!"
His master burst into a chuckle.
"I told you—it'll only be useful when it's reunited with the other weapons. Still, it's a good thing it looks like this. Knowing you, you would've hoarded it if it were a shiny sword—even if it was useless to you."
Skyler deadpanned, simply tossing the marble into one of his storage rings as if it were trash and not a dormant Mythic-tier weapon. Then, he hurriedly turned toward the crack that had opened behind him.
"I'm off. Bye—let's never meet again."
He paused for a second and looked back. This time, there was no playfulness in his gaze, no mischief—just genuineness.
"Never give up. I don't know what occurred during the time I don't remember, but even if you know that another future of yours exists, don't give up. Fight till the end. That is your life, just as this is mine. Don't worry that your decision to fight might erase the future if you end up winning. Be selfish—just like me."
Saying that, Skyler stepped into the crack and vanished, feeling a bit cringe. He didn't see how the calamity erupted into laughter, the sound genuine and filled with mirth.
Then the man whispered.
"Who said I would give up? I'll never."
He surveyed the space around him.
It shattered into tiny fragments under his pressure, and alongside it, the time pocket also began dissipating into nothingness.
It was time for him to return and fight his own battle. First, he would ascend as the king of the spirit race, then he would make all those who had made him suffer pay—hundredfold, until they begged for death.
Especially that man from Heaven—the one the Spirit Queen wanted him to kill. He had dared to attack him from behind while he was fighting the spirits that attacked him, despite having no connection whatsoever.
"What did he say again...? That I would be the one to destroy heaven, and that's why he came to pass divine judgment? I never had any quarrel with heaven... but now, I'll make sure to fulfill his prophecy."
Then, he vanished, his indifferent voice lingering in the emptiness. But he never imagined his carefully crafted plans would change when he became entangled with the lady presented to him by the Spirit Queen—a sickly beauty, adding yet another goal to his already complicated path.
***
Meanwhile, within the familiar massive underground chamber where the entrance to the ancient tomb stood, the mages and many guards stationed around the tomb's gate gasped in surprise as the golden and blue chains, which had materialized from thin air to seal it, suddenly retreated in the same manner they had appeared.
One of the elder mages shouted.
"Call Prince Alistair! Tell him the chains around the tomb gate have vanished! That means whoever—or whatever—was sealing it has been eliminated! There are still three days left before the ancient tomb naturally seals itself permanently, which means the other young royals can enter it again!"
A guard scrambled to call the prince, his fingers frantically tapping on his phone.
After everyone who entered the tomb was expelled—except for Skyler Thorne—Prince Alistair had spent the past six days trying to break the chains around the tomb gate, but the chains hadn't budged. Just an hour ago, he left to gather some powerful artifacts.
So they could somehow break the chains—after all, inviting too many other formidable Lights would risk attracting the attention of Dark Lights, who might attack the castle to wreak havoc or uncover the tomb's secrets.
Who would have thought that the moment the prince stepped away, the chains would suddenly decide to retreat on their own?
The guard calling the prince sighed with relief when Alistair Thorne answered. He had been assigned to inform the prince if they noticed any changes with the tomb during his absence, so this was expected.
But before the guard, a tall man with a powerful aura, could greet the prince and relay the news, a sudden pressure spread from the tomb, freezing them all in place.
Then, a long leg dressed in peach-colored pants stepped out from the tomb gate, its closed surface flashing with a bright light.
The guards instinctively reached for their weapons, and the mages prepared to cast their strongest spells or skills, dreading the worst—that some strong entity slumbering inside the ancient tomb was coming out.
They were confused when they sensed that the heavy pressure spreading from the tomb gate didn't belong to the person coming out, as he only exuded the aura of a 10-star. The pressure actually vanished after a second.
However, their eyes widened in disbelief when they saw the face of the handsome young man who stepped out of the tomb.
He still had the familiar ash-brown hair and the same striking, clear blue eyes they had seen when he entered the tomb. However, now he stood taller—much taller—and his toned, lean physique radiated power.
Even his visage had changed; the boyish traces of immaturity had faded, replaced by a refined, mature handsomeness.
Skyler ran his fingers through his hair. But what he said next shattered the shock in the air, leaving many staring at him speechless.
"Man, I'm starving."