“I guess I have no choice but to use it.”
The Clockwork Array was one of Cassandra's pre-laid traps, meticulously prepared to ensnare her enemies.
"The Gravekeepers, the forces of Troyban, and the Holy Magic Church's warriors... it will be too much for Theo to handle alone. I'll set up a few precautions ahead of time."
For all their mystique, mages weren’t exactly suited for direct combat—unless they were war mages. But they inspired awe and fear for a reason: their capacity to perform miracles. Particularly in areas under their control, it was wise to tread carefully.
"...You're planning to use a magic array, aren’t you?"
"You catch on quickly, as expected."
"But where do you plan to get the mana crystals for it? You’re short, aren’t you?"
"..."
"Don’t tell me—"
"I'm confident Theo will handle the preparations for me. Isn’t that right?"
Activating the array required a vast amount of energy. Let alone a mental domain—its requirements were incomprehensible. Cassandra’s solution? A brutal but effective method.
"Let the enemy consume the enemy. What better tactic is there?"
Her plan was straightforward: to harvest the corpses of fallen Troyban warriors as the energy source.
But the true issue lay elsewhere—Cassandra herself. As young and brilliant as she was, her mental framework and magical circuits weren’t yet mature enough to wield such overwhelming magic safely.
At one edge of the clockwork arena where Theo and Od's group stood, a smaller chronograph spun relentlessly.
Whirrr, whirr...
As the hands turned, the buried corpses within the underground crypt began to dissolve. Blood seeped from their remains, fueling the gears of the massive clockwork mechanism. With each cycle, the magic barriers reinforcing the domain grew stronger.
At that moment, Od’s party found themselves effectively imprisoned.
"Aaargh!"
The agonizing screams of Od’s group echoed as they succumbed to the mounting pressures. Qingak’s leader collapsed entirely, his face smashing into the ground. His mana spiraled out of control, causing his body to swell as if about to explode. Muscles twisted unnaturally, leaving him writhing and choking.
Od’s carefully bandaged right arm burst open again, spraying blood everywhere. Kali's spectral Blood Phantom shrank as if strangled, forcing her to grimace in pain.
Beneath each of them, unique chronographs materialized. The hands spun rapidly, enforcing cruel effects unique to each individual.
Theo, however, was an exception.
The chronograph under his feet spun backward, counterclockwise.
The pallor that had clung to him moments before began to fade as color returned to his face. His breathing evened out, becoming stronger.
It was as if time itself was rewinding.
[An external law has been applied. The duration of All Buff has been extended.]
[Current active time: 2 minutes.]
[3 minutes.]
[4 minutes.]
For Theo, time was genuinely reversing.
"As someone who has experienced regression, I assume you’re well-versed in my mental domain, Theo?"
"I’ve heard about it, vaguely."
"My domain draws upon prophetic abilities but differs in a critical way—it doesn’t stop at mere awareness."
"You mean you manifest what you see into reality?"
"Exactly. I grant each intruder a personal clock. I can wind it in any direction as I see fit."
The concept had amazed Theo when she first explained it. And seeing it now, firsthand, it was clear why Cassandra had earned her legendary title.
‘With power like this, how did she allow herself to be so shackled in the future?’
Theo momentarily set aside his fleeting thoughts and infused his sword with mana once more.
Theoretically, as long as he remained within this domain, his All Buff could be maintained infinitely.
“Graaaaaah...!”
With a sickening crunch, the leader of Qingak convulsed violently as his mana rampaged uncontrollably. His head twisted grotesquely to the side, snapping his neck. He collapsed, lifeless—a victim of the fast-forward effect, which had exacerbated his backlash to lethal extremes.
“Why?! Why isn’t this working?!”
Od’s condition was the opposite. Her time had been rewound, forcing her body to relive the immediate aftermath of her severed arm. Blood loss and pain surged anew, keeping her trapped in a loop of agony.
Her pale complexion had drained to an ashen hue, and she felt the icy grip of death creeping closer with every second. A primal fear clawed at her mind—she couldn’t let it end like this.
If she wanted to survive, she had to stop Theo. Somehow.
I can’t die here! she thought, gritting her teeth.
‘My ancestors didn’t dedicate their entire lives for it to end like this!’
Death’s shadow loomed closer.
Od tried to move, but before she could take a single step—
Whoosh!
The Moonlit Blade and Dragon Slayer descended, planting themselves before her with an ominous hum.
“Stay back! Stay the hell away from me!”
Her frantic attempts to fend off the blades were futile. The more she resisted, the more relentlessly they pursued her. It was as if the weapons themselves were alive.
Just as Theo had battled Od and Kali simultaneously earlier, now Od found herself forced to contend with both swords alone.
The real problem, however, was their movements. The blades moved as if controlled by two entirely different masters.
The Moonlit Blade danced with the elegance of the Twenty-Four Plum Blossom Steps, its swings graceful and mesmerizing.
Meanwhile, the Dragon Slayer cleaved with brutal precision, its attacks embodying the deadly techniques of the Six Styles of the Dragon.
Od recognized these styles all too well—they were rooted in the Sword Canon she had sought to restore.
“Are you testing me with the Sword Canon?”
It was a taunt. A challenge.
Theo was mocking her.
Who deserved the Sword Canon more? Her and her ancestors, who had worked tirelessly to reclaim it? Or Theo, who had interpreted it to its fullest potential?
It was as if he were declaring: Let’s see whose swordsmanship is more genuine. Let’s see who truly understands the Sword Canon.
And if that weren’t enough, Theo’s unspoken arrogance was clear:
Your <Black Ice Crescent Moon>? If it’s worth anything, I’ll take it too.
Snap!
Od felt something snap in her mind.
There was no way she could forgive this imposter.
Crack!
Resolving herself, she encased her severed right arm in ice and unleashed a massive Lunar Eclipse, clashing against the Moonlit Blade and Dragon Slayer.
Boom!
Clang! Clang!
"Impossible...! Magic wielded by a mere unbeliever... rejecting the blessings of the gods... This can’t be happening...!"
Meanwhile, Kali bit her lower lip hard as Theo slowly approached. Her personal time had been set to Pause, cutting her off from the infinite mana she had been drawing from the Nameless Sovereign. Maintaining the Bloodshade became increasingly difficult.
"Sanctified brilliance, sanctified brilliance... Lord, this unworthy lamb beseeches You to mend its sinful soul. Rebuke this foolish one who failed Your trials and could not overcome the godless heretic."
Kali shut her eyes tightly, reciting a prayer.
She had no means left to oppose Theo.
Only one path remained.
"As a penance for my failings, I offer my unworthy soul to You, Lord. Please calm Your wrath and show me the righteous path. With closed eyes, I will follow You into eternity."
Kali drew a dagger from within her robes and abruptly stabbed her own throat.
Without hesitation, she dragged the blade across her neck.
Splurt!
This content is taken from freeweɓnovel.cѳm.
Blood erupted into the air, painting it dark like ink. A vortex of energy swirled within the blood, invoking a being from beyond the mental realm.
A massive eye emerged.
The eye, which regarded all mortals as insignificant, including Theo, stared into their reality.
『A pitiful wish it may be, but your devotion is commendable. I shall grant your request.』
The being's will reverberated as a voice, and from the fountain of blood, a dark figure began to materialize.
The Nameless Sovereign.
Through Kali’s sacrificial incantation, a fragment of this being had successfully descended.
Thud.
Theo stopped in his tracks, gazing up at the Nameless Sovereign.
‘So far, it’s all according to the Mage Empress’s prophecy.’
The last conversation with the Mage Empress echoed in his mind.
"But the Clockwork Array isn’t a complete magical framework in this era. Even with an energy source, maintaining it won’t be easy. The causal backlash on this young body will likely be severe."
"Then...!"
"Even so, I must do this. As an emperor, I have a duty to protect my subjects and prepare for the impending apocalypse. Please help me, Theo."
The resolute determination in the Mage Empress's gaze was unforgettable.
"I plan to bind the Nameless Sovereign—with time itself."
The Mage Empress had predicted that if the enemies were trapped within the mental realm, the clergy of the Holy Demon Order would inevitably sacrifice themselves to summon the Nameless Sovereign.
"And then, that creature, in its arrogance, will say something like this—"
『Were you waiting for me?』
"‘Were you waiting for me?’"
『Try your best, insignificant mortal.』
"‘Try your best, insignificant mortal.’"
『Whatever happens, I shall humor you.』
"‘Whatever happens, I shall humor you.’"
The Nameless Sovereign was pride incarnate.
Thus, that arrogance was the key to defeating it.
Whether the plan would succeed or not, Theo decided to deal with that when the time came.
"Dragon Fang Legion!!"
Theo didn’t answer the Nameless Sovereign. Instead, he called forth someone—or something—else.
Figures from an age long forgotten, known only in legend as the Last Battalion.
"I..."
"I am here!"
"I am here as well!"
Ghostly silhouettes began materializing around Theo.
Even under their feet, chronographs appeared, ticking backward at incredible speed.
"Ha-ha-ha! The Dragon Fang Legion!"
"What a nostalgic name!"
"Who would’ve thought we’d reclaim our name in this way?"
The once-faded ghosts began regaining form, taking on solid shapes.
Clad in white armor and helms, wielding gleaming blades, they assembled as soldiers. Mounted cavalry appeared, their white horses pawing the ground. Banners fluttered in the spectral wind, held by towering figures. Drummers beat their instruments, shieldsmen lined up, and spearmen formed a wall of steel.
A legion of 299 soldiers took formation.
The sheer force of their presence drove back the Nameless Sovereign’s oppressive aura, unleashing the full majesty of the legendary Last Battalion, which had once halted the advance of monstrous armies in the distant past.
This was the Mage Empress’s ultimate gambit.
By rewinding the personal time of these ghosts within her mental realm, she resurrected the legendary legion.
And at the center of it all stood Theo.
Rustle.
Theo donned Aegir’s Helm and clad himself in immaculate white armor.
A brilliant radiance exploded outward, banishing the darkness of the Nameless Sovereign and painting the world in stark white.
One hand gripped the scaled Drake’s Edge, while the other held the reins of a shadowy mount.
"Everyone—"
With a tug of the reins, a shadow rose, and Umbra emerged, ready to take flight.
"—Follow me."
Theo issued his proclamation as he soared into the sky, and behind him, the Dragon Fang Legion followed.
"Dragon Fang Legion!"
"Advance!"
"Ad-vance!"
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
The thunderous sound of war drums signaled their march.
Across the span of centuries, they began their advance once more.