Earth's Greatest Magus

Chapter 2646: Forward

Morgana had revealed her true power.

A terrifying half-blood cloaked in dark cosmic flames, her silhouette now overlaid with the spirit of a massive, draconic beast. With Killgragah’s aura roaring behind her, she charged like a comet through the arena, straight at the god of time.

Kronos, flanked by his phantom, backstepped with an almost desperate flicker of his scythe. Each retreating motion was laced with precision, but his stance was beginning to crack.

Pushed back.

Not once, not twice, but again and again.

Each of her claw strikes sent shockwaves that tore across the arena floor. Each flame burst corroded space itself. Kronos was now on the defensive, retreating, evading.

The audience, both mortal and divine, held their breath.

This was unthinkable.

Even his own magus watched in stunned disbelief.

From the Earth faction’s corner, Julian gave a half-laugh between pained breaths. “Damn… I didn’t think she was this strong… She’s gonna steal all the spotlight.”

Indeed, it was no longer a duel. It was an inferno unleashed.

The sky above darkened as Morgana’s corrupted flames spread like ink across a canvas, dyeing the clouds with swirls of violet and crimson. The ground cracked beneath her feet, scorched into glassy obsidian. With every claw swipe, more flame erupted. With every howl, her energy surged.

It became harder and harder for Kronos to escape.

Finally, the god of time grunted, his golden eyes narrowing.

“Enough…” he muttered, and then louder— “I can’t lose… Not here… Not now.”

His expression twisted—one of fury and disbelief.

He barked a command, and his phantom lunged to intercept Morgana. She met it head-on, her flaming claws clashing against the phantom’s scythe. Sparks exploded as they exchanged strikes.

But Kronos didn’t wait to watch the outcome.

He took a breath and reached into his storage ring. His movements were cautious—reverent—as if he were handling something sacred. What he pulled out was no ordinary tool of war.

A small hourglass—bronze frame, crystal-clear glass—and within it shimmered not sand, but gleaming crystal dust, swirling slowly in defiance of gravity.

“Huh… To think I’d be forced to use this… in a mere duel… against the likes of you.”

A faint hum of power radiated from it, deep and unnatural, like the low growl of a cosmic beast awakening.

Morgana had no intention of letting him use it. With a savage growl, she surged forward. Her claws erupted with black-violet flame as she launched herself at the phantom, striking with overwhelming speed and fury.

The first claw carved through its chest. The second tore through its shoulder. The third strike left burning gouges across its side. With each blow, flaming blood spilled, sizzling as it struck the ground, turning to smoke.

But the phantom held.

Bruised, battered, and bleeding, it stood firm, buying Kronos those precious seconds.

Morgana snarled, her fury reaching its peak.

She plunged both claws into the phantom’s ribs and ripped outward,

SPLATT!!

The sound of tearing flesh mixed with the crackle of flames. The phantom let out a low groan before disintegrating into glowing ash.

Finally.

Morgana’s eyes snapped to Kronos—she dashed forward, her claw cocked for a final, killing blow.

But she was stopped.

A radiant barrier of light flared into existence, halting her advance with invincible force. Then came the familiar sound.

Tick… tick… tick…

The eerie, rhythmic ticking echoed across the battlefield.

Many assumed Kronos was casting his powerful recovery spell again, but something was different. The clock hands weren’t turning backward. This time, they rotated forward.

Kronos raised the hourglass high. The crystal dust within began spinning violently as radiant streams of silver light poured from the artifact, wrapping around his body.

The pressure warped reality. Every step Morgana took toward him was like wading through a river of molten gravity.

Morgana roared, her black-violet claws blazing with Khaos energy as she tore through the temporal barriers surrounding Kronos. Inch by inch, her corrupted flame sliced through the unnatural shield.

The power of Khaos surged through her arms like liquid fire. She wouldn’t stop now.

But just as she broke through the final layer, a blinding light erupted from beyond the barrier,

BOOOOM!

The explosion of temporal force hit her like a collapsing star. Morgana was thrown back, her body flipping through the air before she landed hard, skidding across the stone floor.

Her vision blurred. Then cleared.

And when the light finally faded, Kronos stood transformed.

Fine lines now creased his face. He looked… older. But more terrifying was the aura he exuded.

Reality buckled.

A wave of blinding light surged outward from his body, and the air shimmered like heated glass.

Cosmic.

Dominating.

He raised his scythe skyward.

The cosmos bent.

The ground cracked.

Time bent across every inch of the arena.

“A battlefield domain…” someone muttered.

Kronos had ascended.

He had broken through into the Second Cosmos Realm.

Even his kin were stunned.

Athena’s eyes widened as he asked, “Has the patriarch been hiding his true realm all this time?”

Zeus was stunned himself. “No… he’s been stuck in the First Cosmos for so long… he wouldn’t hide something like this. It’s that artifact… but …this is the first time I’ve seen it.”

With his sudden breakthrough to the Second Cosmos, Kronos received a tremendous boost, not only to his soul and battle power, but also the ability to manifest a Battlefield Domain. Coupled with his high comprehension of the Law of Time, the entire arena became saturated with temporal distortions.

Kronos appeared both surprised and elated by the transformation. He couldn’t contain his excitement as he laughed.

“This… this is the power of time! I’ve borrowed the strength of my future self… hahaha… It’s incredible!”

But Morgana didn’t yield.

She howled.

The crimson runes on her body lit anew, burning against the flow of time. The Khaos within her surged. With one step, she shattered the resistance and raised her chin defiantly.

“So what?!!” she spat. “One Cosmos. Two.. or Three I’ll beat you all the same.”