Timeless Assassin

Chapter 1050 Determination

(Meanwhile, The Time-Stilled World, Leo’s POV)

Silence lingered inside the office of the Skyshard Mansion, as Leo sat behind his desk without speaking.

His elbows rested against the polished wood while his fingers pressed lightly against his temples, as though he were attempting to physically push the frustration out of his mind.

Near his feet, Shadow Number One knelt quietly.

The fox-human servant remained completely still, his posture obedient and patient as he waited for his master’s command, much like a loyal guard dog waiting for the slightest gesture from its owner.

Minutes passed.

Neither of them spoke.

Until eventually, it was Leo that let out a quiet breath.

“Not good…”

Leo muttered as he leaned back slightly in his chair.

“I thought success was guaranteed.

With Mauriss absent.

Victory should have been the only option.”

Leo said under his breath as he stared toward the ceiling.

“However clearly… I was being naïve.”

His hand slid down across his face as frustration crept across his expression, because now that the mission had ended in failure, the full weight of the situation had finally begun to settle inside his mind.

The Deceiver had clearly planned for the possibility of his absence, and once he returned, he would inevitably be informed about this

failed attempt, which meant that from this moment onward the defenses around Granada would only grow tighter and far more difficult to breach.

“Shit… shit… shit…”

Leo muttered under his breath as he closed his eyes, while the fight replayed itself vividly inside his mind.

Clarence and Terrence tearing through the storm toward him.

The sheer overwhelming pressure of their combined auras.

The way their attacks had landed one after another without leaving him the slightest opening to retaliate.

And the most humiliating part of it all being the fact that they had not even been fighting with desperation, but rather simply doing their job. ‘Damn it…’

Leo thought, as he shook his head slightly.

‘I really thought I had calculated this correctly!

He felt, as from a strategic standpoint, with Mauriss absent, Granada should have been the weakest it had ever been.

Which meant it should have been the perfect opportunity to slip in quietly, steal the holy water, and escape before anyone noticed. But Mauriss had been one step ahead of him this time.

*Sigh*

Leo exhaled slowly, as that realization stung him far more than the injuries he had taken during the fight, because it meant the entire plan had failed before he had even arrived on Granada, while the battle itself had only confirmed how badly he had miscalculated the situation.

‘The moment Clarence’s blade collided with my guard, I felt the difference immediately. It wasn’t a close contest, and it certainly

wasn’t competitive, because everything that followed was nothing more than a desperate struggle to stay alive!

Leo clenched his fist slowly as the memory replayed in his mind, because he knew that he had survived that encounter purely through movement, through evasion, and through raw speed, but never once had he actually been in control of the fight.

“Two Demi-Gods at once… that’s the wall I cannot cross yet!

He leaned forward slightly as his fingers tightened against his forehead, because the truth was painfully simple, and no amount of pride or stubbornness could change it.

‘Clarence alone was already enough to push me completely into defensive survival mode. Add Terrence on top of that… and the fight turned into nothing more than a desperate scramble to stay alive!

For several long seconds Leo said nothing, as the quiet office absorbed the weight of that realization while the storm of thoughts slowly settled inside his mind.

‘Which means the truth is simple… I’m not ready yet!

His breathing slowed as the thought settled heavily in his chest.

‘Not ready to fight them. Not ready to steal from Granada. Not ready to avenge Ixtal.’

The silence lingered for a few moments longer before Leo finally lowered his hands from his face, as although the frustration still lingered within him, it had slowly begun to give way to something colder and far more controlled.

“…Fine,” Leo muttered quietly.

“If that’s how it is… then I will wait,” Leo said as his eyes hardened slightly, because rushing forward blindly would only lead him toward death, and if there was one lesson he had learned throughout his life as both an assassin and a warrior, it was that patience often mattered far more than pride.

“Opportunities always return eventually!”

His gaze drifted downward toward Shadow Number One, who still knelt silently at his feet like an obedient sentinel, watching, waiting, and ready to execute any command given to him.

“And when the next one comes…”

Leo exhaled slowly.

“We will be ready!”

“For now…” Leo said quietly as he leaned back slightly in his chair.

“…we train,” Leo continued as his voice grew firmer, the earlier frustration now replaced by a cold and determined resolve.

“We train like madmen and bide our time,” Leo said as his eyes

sharpened.

“So that next time when such an opportunity presents itself… we are

ready.”

Leo resolved, as over the coming years he swore to master all three of the universal laws, before trying such a mission once again.

(Meanwhile back on the Eternal Garden, Kaelith’s POV)

If there was one individual in the universe who felt as frustrated as Leo, it had to be Kaelith, as the Eternal Sovereign was not the least bit pleased with how the events unfolded on planet Helion-6.

The entire operation had been designed to eliminate Mauriss for once and for all, yet despite gathering multiple Great Clan Gods for the task, the Deceiver had still managed to slip through their fingers.

Not only that, but the battlefield had descended into absolute chaos the moment Moltherak arrived, turning what should have been a decisive execution into an embarrassing retreat.

‘First Mauriss escapes…’

Kaelith thought, as his jaw tightened.

“Then Moltherak humiliates me in front of the entire battlefield!

And in the end, instead of standing up to the Old Dragon, he had been

forced to abandon the fight like a rat fleeing a burning ship.

The thought alone irritated him, as for a moment he stopped

breathing.

‘Things have really not gone my way as of late!

First Leo killed Raymond, while he was injured in the battle against

Soron.

Then the Dragon King re-emerged and openly challenged the authority of the Righteous Alliance.

And now even Mauriss had slipped through his fingers.

As of now, he had too many enemies, too many loose ends and too

many variables acting outside his control.

Which was why he felt like he was slowly losing control.

“This cannot continue!

Kaelith concluded, because although the balance of power in the

universe had always been delicate, he had never intended to play

second fiddle in its hierarchy.

Not to Mauriss.

Not to Moltherak.

And certainly not to the Cult.

‘All of them…’

His aura flickered faintly.

‘Mauriss. Moltherak. Leo Skyshard of the Cult!

Kaelith’s expression grew colder.

“They will all be eliminated.

Because one way or another…

The universe would eventually have only one sovereign.

And that would be him.