Chapter 257: Annoying Time Magic

Instead of responding to Aragon’s roar, Max flapped his wings and vanished from where he stood. However, before he could escape the descending axe, the strange backward ticking returned inside his ears, and his eyes widened as he suddenly found himself standing exactly where he had been a moment earlier.

With the colossal weapon already falling toward his back, void and crystal magic burst from Max’s body and formed a dense defensive structure across his scales. The barrier attempted to stop the attack, but Aragon’s axe tore through it as though it were made of butter, shattering its layers before they could fully stabilize.

Scorching heat raced along Max’s spine as the sharp crimson blade struck his back, leaving a deep red mark across his scales. Before he could turn and retaliate, Aragon vanished once again, leaving nothing behind but a fading trail of crimson magic.

He reappeared directly in front of Max with the colossal axe already separated into two weapons. Both axes descended from opposite directions, returning to almost the exact position they had occupied during Aragon’s previous attack, as though the battle itself had been forced backward and made to repeat.

"Annoying time magic..." Max cursed under his breath as his fingers tightened around the hilt of his void blade.

He had never fought anyone who possessed such an ability, much less someone powerful enough to injure him while using it. Aragon did not merely move quickly. He twisted the order of their movements, returned Max to places he had already escaped and struck before his defenses could properly form. Unless Max found a way to interfere with that magic, Aragon would continue opening wounds faster than his body could close them.

"Void... devour."

The void heart answered his command with a heavy beat.

Darkness exploded from Max’s body and spread across the battlefield in every direction, devouring the mana within the air as it moved. The raging magical currents surrounding them disappeared almost instantly, leaving the ruined land empty of every power that did not belong directly to Max or Aragon. Even the remaining traces of their previous attacks were stripped from the ground and swallowed before they could fade naturally.

The backward ticking vanished from Max’s ears.

Aragon’s axes were already descending toward him, but the moment the surrounding mana disappeared, their movement slowed. The Crimson Horde Emperor continued forcing them forward with the mana contained within his own body, yet the loss of the power supporting his time magic left his attack suspended for a fraction of a second.

That fraction was enough.

Max stepped into the attack and swung his void blade horizontally, striking both crimson axes before they could close around him. The collision released a powerful shockwave that tore through the ground beneath their feet, while the three weapons remained pressed together and screamed beneath the strength flowing through them.

Instead of attempting to overpower Aragon from the front, Max twisted his body and used the force of the collision to carry himself around the emperor’s side. His wings folded close behind him before releasing a short, violent flap, increasing his speed without lifting him from the ground.

Max circled behind Aragon while keeping his blade pressed against the two axes, forcing the emperor’s arms to remain extended and preventing him from immediately changing the direction of his attack.

The moment Aragon’s broad back faced him, Max drove his free claw beneath the emperor’s arm and locked his grip under his armpit. Void magic wrapped around Max’s fingers and sank into the crimson power covering Aragon’s body.

The ticking attempted to return.

Crimson magic spread from Aragon and twisted around both of them, trying to reverse the exchange before Max could complete his attack, but the void surrounding his claw devoured every current that approached. The crimson power vanished into the darkness the moment it touched Max’s hand, stripping away the magic before it could drag either of them backward through time.

Max tore his blade away from the two axes. Without releasing the grip beneath Aragon’s arm, he bent his right arm over his head and brought the screaming void blade above the emperor’s shoulder, turning its point toward the exposed back of his neck.

His wings spread to their full width and beat downward with all their strength, using the acceleration of his wings and the strength of his entire body to drive the void blade toward Aragon’s neck.

For the first time since their fight began, Aragon felt that he was the one at a disadvantage, but the realization only made his blood boil with greater excitement.

Rather than struggling against Max’s hold, he allowed the void blade to pierce the back of his neck. Darkness erupted from its point and tore through his throat, causing his windpipe to burst beneath the pressure of the void magic.

Max still had his claw locked beneath the Crimson Horde Emperor’s arm when Aragon suddenly vanished from his grasp. The void blade passed through empty air, while Aragon reappeared at the exact location where he had stood before their battle even began.

A massive crimson stopwatch rose horizontally from the ground beneath Aragon’s feet and carried him high into the air. With a flick of his fingers, another manifested upright behind his back, its enormous circular frame towering over him as crimson hands slowly moved across its surface.

Both structures appeared translucent, as though they had been formed from countless crimson lasers rather than solid magic, yet the pressure they released was unlike anything Max had felt before. It did not merely weigh upon his body.

It pressed against his two hearts, his Magic Soul and every part of his existence, making him feel as though his entire essence was being crushed.

"Not bad, kid. Not bad," Aragon said, showing no concern for the terrible wound Max had inflicted upon him. "Your magic truly leaves me at a disadvantage. No wonder you can grow so quickly when you devour mana at such a ridiculous rate. But I wonder... can it keep up with time itself?"

Aragon threw both of his crimson axes into the stopwatch beneath his feet. The weapons sank into its translucent surface, causing crimson light to erupt from every mark surrounding its face before a massive wave crashed outward and swallowed Max.

The backward ticking immediately returned to his ears.