The entire world seemed to be swallowed by white light.
Time itself appeared to come to a standstill.
The two powerful spells in Ethan 's hands struck Corin directly — but the effect was far from what he expected.
"What is this...?"
Ethan 's pupils shrank.
A colorful shimmer rippled over Corin's body — his entire frame was now covered in a dazzling, multicolored aura, like he was wearing a divine robe of radiant light.
Ethan 's Rasenshuriken and Chidori were completely blocked — they couldn't push through at all.
> [Star Creation Magic — Flowing Light War Armor]!
"Hah—!"
With a roar, a surge of powerful force burst from Corin, sweeping outward in all directions.
Centered around him, the shockwave ripped the clouds apart and stirred dust and rocks on the ground.
Ethan was blown back by this sudden explosion of power, losing balance in midair like a kite with a broken string.
BOOM!
He crashed hard to the ground. Blood trickled from the corner of his lips, but Ethan quickly got back up.
Just as his figure vanished, several beams of colored light struck the spot where he'd stood — the terrifying impact carved a deep crater into the earth.
"Yes! The Saint Mage has struck him down!"
"That's our Saint Mage! Kill him and avenge us!"
The surviving citizens cheered loudly.
To them, Ethan had appeared as a terrifying invader — one who nearly destroyed the royal capital with a single strike.
No matter the reason, to the people of the Diamond Kingdom, he was the enemy.
The common folk were no match, and even their top mages had fallen.
But they believed — no matter how powerful he was, he couldn't possibly defeat the Saint Mage!
"Cough... cough…"
Golden blood dripped from Ethan 's lips. He clutched his chest, brows furrowed.
As expected... facing a Tier Zero mage while only being Tier Two is just too much...
Even though his speed could keep up with Corin — even surpass him — it wasn't enough.
It was like comparing a bullet and an armored vehicle.
Bullets are fast, right?
Faster than an armored truck, no doubt.
But can a bullet destroy one?
That's not a matter of speed — it's a matter of mass.
His Rasenshuriken and Chidori spells were among his strongest attack magic.
But even they couldn't leave a scratch on Corin.
"You brat — prepare to die!"
Suddenly, Corin's figure appeared before him, shimmering with starlight. The aura of the cosmos surrounded him, his presence overwhelming.
This was revenge — revenge for the devastation caused by Ethan .
And only death could appease the countless souls lost that day.
> [Magic Domain — Time Stasis]!
Eyes wide open, Ethan stared as the starlight-infused palm came within an arm's length of his head.
And then —
A strange, unfamiliar magical presence began to spread from him.
Time Magic.
Among all types of magic, it was one of the most mysterious and unusual.
It had no solid form, no visible body.
Like air — invisible, intangible — it was only a concept, a sensation.
And yet, it was eternal.
No one escapes it. Not humans. Not even gods.
It is ever-present, every second, every moment.
SWOOSH—!
The entire world seemed to freeze.
Corin's palm, glowing with celestial might, crashed down with full force.
And missed.It slammed into the earth instead, shaking the ground of the royal capital.
"Time magic...?"
A trace of astonishment appeared in Corin's eyes.
That magical signature — it had to be Time.
He remembered it all too well… from his past battle with Julius.
But wasn't Time Magic exclusive to Julius?
How could Ethan possibly wield it?
"...Then again, maybe not impossible."
He glanced sideways — at the more than two hundred grimoires floating around Ethan .
Corin's eyes narrowed.
For anyone to possess so many grimoires was absurd.
So if he also had one for Time Magic — it wouldn't be too surprising.
But then…
Almost reflexively, Corin looked up.
"Heh... Looks like you don't have the Time Grimoire, huh?"
He sneered.
He remembered — Julius's Time Grimoire had no cover and was massive.
When activated, it was as big as a three-story house.
And more importantly — a mage without their grimoire can't fully unleash their magic's potential.
He had fought Julius before. He understood how Time Magic worked.
Unlike regular magic, it wasn't just about mana.
To cast Time Magic, the user must store time.
The more time they had stored, the greater and longer-lasting the spell would be.
This kid — so young — even if he had time magic, how much could he have stored?
A year? Maybe three?
Plus, his tier was already two ranks below Corin's.It wasn't enough to save him.
> [Star Magic — Celestial Swords]!
Corin waved his arm.
Dozens of swords forged from starlight floated around him — glowing in five colors.
Like obedient hounds awaiting their master's command.
Then—
SWOOSH!
SWOOSH!
They launched toward Ethan like a divine barrage, tearing through the sky.
A dense rain of lethal blades.
Ethan had already exited his Spirit Assimilation state from prolonged battle.
His speed had dropped by at least 30%.
He could still dodge. He had confidence in that.
But he knew — Corin was the real threat, not these swords.
Corin wouldn't just let him get away unscathed.
> [Time Magic — Foresight]!
As he activated it, Ethan consumed a portion of his stored time.
The barrage of star-swords began to look different in his eyes.
Previously, he relied on instinct and speed to dodge.
A kind of reactive combat.
But now — with Foresight — everything had changed.
He could see exactly where each sword would fly — left, right, forward, behind.
Even an ordinary person, with this power, could dodge a sniper's bullet.
Because speed no longer mattered.
They only needed to move one second before the attack happened.
By borrowing stored time from the past and using it in the present, Ethan could now:
Accelerate. Slow down. Freeze. See the future.
This —
Was the true essence of Time Magic.
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