Chapter 429: Mystic Code: Time Authority

Unlike the old transformations. This one in particular was different. It was based on how long he could last in the full dragon transformation. There was no cooldown or a usage limit. His body itself had to get used to it and if he was in that transformation for more than what was allowed, his body will start hurting.

Blue scales spread across Caelus’s body as he entered his full dragon transformation.

His hands became claws, and enormous wings unfolded behind him. He lowered his head to examine his new form before pushing off the ground.

WHOOSH!

A single wingbeat carried him across the training zone.

He had used this body to travel through space and tear apart a Space Worm. Now he finally had somewhere to test its strength without worrying about what lay beneath him.

Caelus landed and drove one claw into the ground.

BOOM!

Cracks spread beneath his feet as the impact threw broken stone into the air. He watched the destruction before repeating the strike with more of his strength behind it.

The second blow tore much deeper.

He began changing how he attacked, testing short movements before putting his full weight into each strike. There was a clear difference between having a powerful body and knowing how to use all of it.

For the next several days, he worked through that difference.

He practiced moving between attacks without returning to his human form. His wings let him change the angle of a strike, while his claws could pin a target before his jaws reached it.

The more he trained, the less he had to think about those movements.

Chaos Analysis continued working throughout his sessions. Whenever he checked the progress, Temporal Regression had advanced a little further.

Outside his assigned zone, the others followed their own training plans.

Caelus met them during breaks and discussed what they still needed before attempting ascension. He promised to provide the Faith Power when they were ready, but none of them would enter a trial unprepared.

Ayame chose to leave before their training was far along.

She came to speak with him outside the zone, accompanied by Candy.

"I want to visit the Kami Archipelago. There are things about myself that I might understand better there."

Caelus nodded.

"If you think it will help, you should go."

Candy shifted her gum to one side of her mouth.

"I’m going with her."

"Keep in touch, both of you."

"We will," Ayame said.

They left soon afterward, and Caelus returned to his training.

By the time a month had passed, he could remain in his dragon form through an entire practice session without feeling the need to change back. Attacking and moving in that body had become much more familiar.

The Chaos Faction had also continued growing.

During a break, he opened the latest reports and found new branches on planets beyond the Star King World. Their Faith Power balance had reached seventy-one billion.

That meant even more people could follow them into the God Domain.

He was still reading when another notification appeared.

[Analysis Complete: Temporal Regression.]

Caelus immediately closed the reports.

Four options appeared beneath the analyzed skill.

[Derive.]

[Refine.]

[Merge.]

[Duplicate.]

He could improve the original skill or reproduce it for another purpose. Before doing either, he wanted to see what allowed it to work.

[Talent Activated: Chaos Analysis.]

[Function Selected: Derive.]

Five results appeared as the skill was broken into its parts.

[Temporal Reversal (Secret): Returns a target toward an earlier temporal state.]

[Temporal Anchor (Secret): Records a state or moment for later reference.]

[Memory Continuity (Secret): Preserves memories and consciousness through temporal reversal.]

[Causality Preservation (Secret): Protects selected information or effects when history changes.]

[Temporal Traversal (Secret): Allows movement between points along an established timeline.]

Caelus studied the first result.

It described returning a target to an earlier state. That target did not have to include everything around him.

He went back to Temporal Regression and selected Refine.

[Talent Activated: Chaos Analysis.]

[Function Selected: Refine.]

The components drew together as the description changed.

[Temporal Regression Refined.]

[Maximum Regression Window: 15 minutes → 60 minutes.]

[Selective Temporal Regression Unlocked.]

[The user may designate targets and preserve selected states during regression.]

Caelus returned to his training zone with a spare blade.

He snapped it between his fingers and let the broken tip fall.

CRACK!

[Skill Activated: Temporal Regression.]

The tip rose from the ground and joined the weapon in his hand. Nothing else moved, and the analysis window remained exactly where he had left it.

Caelus ran a finger along the restored blade.

He had reversed the weapon without going back himself. He could do that in the Abyss but not here in this world.

Next, he made a shallow cut across his palm and selected his body.

[Skill Activated: Temporal Regression.]

The wound disappeared.

He still remembered making the cut and choosing the target. His body had returned to its earlier state without taking his memories with it.

Caelus smiled as he considered using it in a fight.

An enemy who healed could be returned to the injured state he had just escaped. A broken weapon could be restored without undoing the attack that broke it.

The same idea could apply to a consumed item.

Even a battlefield could return several seconds into the past while Caelus excluded himself from the change. He could remain where he stood and watch his opponent return to an earlier position.

That was far more useful than simply starting over.

He opened Chaos Analysis again and selected the refined version.

[Talent Activated: Chaos Analysis.]

[Function Selected: Derive.]

The components appeared once more, the skills from before showed up again. Caelus selected them together and opened the merge option.

[Talent Activated: Chaos Analysis.]

[Function Selected: Merge.]

Symbols filled the window as the abilities joined.

Caelus waited until the separate names disappeared. A single result took their place.

[Mystic Code Obtained: Time Authority.]

"A Mystic Code?" Caelus was stunned.

His grin widened just before another notice appeared.

[Activation Unavailable.]

[Minimum Requirement: Lesser God Rank.]

[Time Authority is a Mystic Code, not a Skill.]

Caelus clicked his tongue.

He had spent a month analyzing the skill and finally reached something beyond it. Now he could only look at the result.

Perhaps he had been a little too hasty.

Still, he would soon become a Lesser God. Waiting a little longer was fine as long as Time Authority would be ready for him.

He closed the window and left the training zone to eat.

His food had barely arrived when John contacted him.

"Lord Caelus, we may have found traces of the Heavenly Faction in one of the places you asked us to investigate."

Caelus put down his fork.

The search had taken a month, but it had finally produced something useful.

"I’ll be there."

"Please come quickly, Lord Caelus. This place is rather strange."

His smile faded hearing this.

"Strange? How so?"