Old Man Don stared at Kranos with a complex expression, his gaze filled with disbelief. He could hardly accept that Kranos had chosen to walk such a treacherous path. A long sigh escaped his lips, and his expression shifted, growing resolute.

"In the end, it falls to me, your master, to bring you back to the proper path and rid you of this arrogance," he murmured, stepping forward with steady determination.

The longsword at his waist gave a faint tremble, and in the next instant, it shimmered and appeared in his hand as though summoned by sheer will.

Kranos wore a peculiar expression as he looked at his master. Amusement flickered in his eyes, but the gravity of the situation wasn't lost on him. He was about to cross blades with the man who had taught him everything.

With a quiet breath, the Azure Sky Sword materialized in his hand, its blade gleaming with an ethereal blue glow.

Since this wasn't a life-or-death confrontation, there was no need to summon the Time Sword. That weapon was meant solely for killing, and this was not that kind of battle.

A faint smile lingered on Kranos's lips as he glanced at Old Man Don. Just like before, he couldn't sense his master's cultivation level. It was as if his power had been cloaked by something deeper. But a heartbeat later, Kranos's pupils narrowed sharply.

Old Man Don vanished from where he stood. A piercing whistle filled Kranos's ears, a sharp rush of air that threatened to split his eardrums. His expression changed instantly, and he quickly activated his essence, allowing the Time Pause ability to flow from him in a silent ripple.

From Kranos, a wave of time energy surged outward. The flow of time around both him and Old Man Don began to slow, then halt entirely, like water thickening into molasses.

But to Kranos's shock, just as the Time Pause was about to envelop his master, Old Man Don twitched, as if sensing the anomaly. His sword tilted slightly in response.

Then, in a blur of movement, Old Man Don twisted and slashed through the surrounding space. Blades of faint sword light erupted from his weapon, cutting through the air like spectral serpents.

The space around them cracked and collapsed under the sheer force of the attack. Waves of distorted energy burst out, shattering the temporal hold Kranos had tried to enforce.

Time, which had begun to freeze, splintered apart.

Kranos's eyes widened in disbelief. That swordsmanship… it was beyond anything he had ever witnessed.

Even the cat beside him let out a loud exclamation within Kranos's thoughts.

"How terrifying! How has his swordsmanship reached such a level? How is this even possible? For someone like him, and yet… it's actually his…" The cat's voice trailed off as though it had stumbled upon a realization too immense to comprehend.

Old Man Don stepped forward calmly, the fractured space cracking further beneath his feet. The very air seemed to hum in his presence.

"Interesting. You've actually improved over the years," he said, his voice steady. There was a flicker of pride in his eyes, though his face remained composed. He was pleased with Kranos's progress, but he wouldn't let it show. This wasn't the time to inflate the boy's ego.

Off to the side, Kranos's parents stood frozen in place, eyes wide with awe. They had never witnessed their son in combat before. Now, watching him stand toe-to-toe with his master, they were overwhelmed with amazement.

He was nearly on par with his teacher.

It had only been six years. If he progressed this much in six more, how strong would he become?

Anna quietly shifted her gaze toward Raphael. His expression reflected quiet disbelief, his brow furrowed with thought. A small smile tugged at the corner of Anna's lips.

Kranos gripped the Azure Sky Sword tightly. The blade trembled in his hand, not from fear but anticipation.

Was his time-based ability truly ineffective against his teacher?

He refused to believe that.

Focusing his essence, Kranos moved again, this time executing the Heaven and Earth Movement Technique. His form vanished from his position like a flicker of light, too fast for the naked eye to follow.

He employed a newly mastered ability — the terrifying Time Movement Technique. It had taken him weeks to perfect. A bold idea had struck him the moment he received the technique.

If he could teleport to locations from his memories, what if he also shifted to a different point in time at that same location?

It was an absurd concept. Dangerous. Reckless.

But Kranos had decided to test it.

For three short seconds, the ability took hold. A nauseating wave crashed over him, and in that brief moment, more than ten thousand time points vanished from his reserves.

Fortunately, Kranos now had the ability to generate time points on his own. His reserves had grown tremendously.

And yet he grinned. It worked.

He had traveled back to the past — three seconds, to be exact. Just enough to return to the instant before Old Man Don shattered his Time Pause.

This time, Kranos reacted preemptively. His thoughts sharpened, and he unleashed a sword move of his own.

Suddenly, the surroundings erupted with blinding energy as a hundred Kranos figures appeared. Each of them shimmered with temporal afterimages, and all gripped the Azure Sky Sword.

The Hundred Ghost Time Technique.

Old Man Don's eyes widened in sheer disbelief. The ghostly Kranos figures radiated overwhelming pressure, their presence suffocating.

How had Kranos anticipated his move? And more terrifyingly, how had he attacked at the precise moment the original attack had occurred?

It was said to be impossible to execute two attacks within the same time frame.

No one could do it.

No one, except for Old Man Don.

As if time itself yielded to his blade, the original attack he had unleashed against the Time Pause did not end. Instead, it split and fragmented again and again, until a hundred dazzling slashes filled the space.

Kranos's breath caught. His eyes went wide with shock.

Even now, his master could react in time. Even now, he could move at such speed.

Explosions rang out across the field.

Boom. Boom. Boom.

It was as if Old Man Don could see Kranos's exact position among the hundred illusions. One by one, the clones were cut down with brutal precision, until only the real Kranos remained.

And his master's sword was at his throat.

Kranos didn't even try to activate the Time Pause again. He already knew — it wouldn't work.

He exhaled slowly, allowing the tension to drain from his body. His expression shifted for a moment, then returned to its usual calm.

He had lost. But he wasn't disheartened.

Defeat was not unfamiliar to him. He had lost to the mastermind. He had even lost to Kathryn once. But in the end, he would rise above them all.

Even though he couldn't sense his master's cultivation, he could roughly gauge it. Old Man Don was likely on par with his father, perhaps slightly weaker.

His father was already at the God Immortal Realm. Kranos himself was merely at the Monarch Realm. Yet he had managed to resist, if only for a moment. That alone was proof of his strength.

Old Man Don's eyes softened with praise as he withdrew his blade.

With a sharp slap, he patted Kranos's shoulder.

"Brat, it's good to see you've remembered this old man's teachings." He could tell, just by looking, that Kranos was confident — but not arrogant. That pleased him. His efforts hadn't gone to waste.

"Haha, old man, you need to teach me that sword technique. How did you execute the same technique in the same timeframe?" Kranos asked, his eyes shining with curiosity.

He himself could use time to replicate the effect, but it wasn't the same as truly mastering it.

Old Man Don chuckled.

"You certainly are a curious one."

At that moment, Anna and Raphael approached. Anna was holding the cat in her arms, and for once, the feline seemed surprisingly well-behaved.

Kranos blinked in surprise. The cat actually looked… cute?

He chose not to dwell on the oddity.

"Well done, son!" Anna beamed as she reached him. She ruffled his hair with one hand while cradling the cat in the other, warmth radiating from her smile.

"You did great. It looks like you're more than capable of handling the demon horde threatening Mana Stone Mountain," Raphael added, his eyes thoughtful.

He had been quietly evaluating Kranos's strength throughout the battle. The boy now rivaled an early-stage God King.

Raphael was genuinely impressed. His son was truly exceptional.

Anna's smile faded as she turned to glare at Raphael.

"Hmph! Are you trying to send our son to his death? Raphael, do you want to sleep in another house for the next ten years?"

Raphael winced, a blush creeping across his cheeks. He hadn't expected her to say that in front of their child.

He sighed, rubbing his temple.

Kranos stepped in.

"Actually, there's no need to worry. I want to go, Mom, Dad. I want to help the family." His voice was calm, his expression steady.

But inside, he let out a silent sigh. He disliked throwing himself into danger.

Yet, by confronting the beast horde, he could drain their lifespans and gain an enormous number of time points.

With those, he would have another life-saving card.

That was the reason behind his decision.

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