Chapter 152: Time-Locking Orb

The ruins of what was once the Verdant Dawn Academy still smoldered, the earth blackened and scorched from the devastating battle. Smoke curled into the sky like the last dying breath of the battlefield, and the once-proud structures that had stood as a beacon of magical knowledge for generations were now nothing more than rubble and ash. The massive crater left behind by Principal Bartolmew’s final attack remained a testament to his overwhelming power—even in death, he had left his mark.

And yet, despite that, Ingranad still stood.

Albeit barely.

The Third Prince of the Obsidian Revenants coughed up dark, viscous blood as he leaned on his greatsword, the once-imposing blade now chipped and coated in the residue of burned flesh. His armor, once a menacing obsidian black, had cracks and scorch marks all over it, revealing raw, exposed muscle beneath. His body was slowly regenerating, but it was taking far too long.

That damn old man had done far more damage than he had ever expected.

’If that battle had lasted any longer…’

No, he refused to dwell on that thought.

He had won.

That was what mattered.

He straightened himself, ignoring the searing pain that coursed through his body. The army of demons that had survived the cataclysm now gathered around him, awaiting his command. Most of the lesser demons had been completely wiped out in the explosion, leaving behind only the stronger warriors—the Captains and higher-ranked entities. They were bloodied but victorious.

Ingranad took a deep breath, his crimson eyes flickering across the ruined landscape. He could sense it now—something beneath them, something powerful.

“This place…” he murmured to himself, planting his greatsword into the ground and closing his eyes for a moment. His demonic senses extended beneath the battlefield, through the shattered remains of the academy, deep underground.

And then he felt it.

A magical vein—a massive, pulsating flow of raw mana running directly beneath this place.

His lips curled into a grin.

“This isn’t just an outpost,” he muttered. “This land… is valuable.”

That old man had been standing on a goldmine of magic this entire time.

No wonder he had been so strong. If he had been tapping into this vein to supplement his power, then it made sense how he had been able to push Ingranad to such an extent.

Ingranad exhaled slowly. His body was still crippled, his wounds deep, his demonic magic still not fully unsealed after his long imprisonment.

’If I absorb this mana… if I take my time recovering here…’

Yes. He would use this place.

He would turn it into his fortress.

He turned toward his remaining soldiers, his voice ringing with authority.

“Kill the remaining humans. Anyone who has not escaped, hunt them down.”

The demons grinned, baring their fangs and weapons eagerly.

“This place is now ours.” Ingranad’s eyes glowed. “Tear down whatever remains of the human structures and fortify this land. Build our stronghold. Gather resources. We will make this place our base of operations.”

The demons roared in approval, immediately scattering to complete their orders.

All around, the last remnants of survivors—professors or students who had not managed to escape—were hunted down without mercy. Some tried to resist, throwing out desperate spells or fighting with whatever little strength they had left.

It was futile.

Their fates were sealed.

Meanwhile, far from the battlefield, the ones who had escaped were moving swiftly toward the nearest cities.

Professor Lilliana and Professor Maelis led one group of students toward a large fortified city, their exhausted bodies barely managing to keep moving. The professors had already been wounded from their fights, and the burden of protecting the students weighed heavily on them.

As for the other group, which included Noah, Kenneth, and their companions, they were being led by the three remaining professors toward another major city to the east.

Kenneth trudged along, glancing at his group. The normally energetic much was eerily silent.

’We really lost…’

There was nothing left of their academy. The place they had trained, studied, laughed, and grown together—it was gone.

Kenneth clenched his fists.

For now, survival was all that mattered.

Hours later, the groups finally arrived at their respective cities.

At the city gates, the guards were immediately alarmed by the state of the professors and students. They looked exhausted, injured, and in complete disarray.

Professor Lilliana stepped forward, her voice firm despite the exhaustion in her eyes.

“We need to see your city’s governor immediately.”

The guards exchanged glances before nodding and opening the gates.

As for the group led by the other three professors, they were met with a similar response in the eastern city. Once the city’s authorities saw their condition, they immediately contacted their superiors.

Within an hour, both cities had been informed.

The authorities were horrified. The professors explained everything—the attack, the mysterious creatures, the fall of the Verdant Dawn Academy, and the uncertain fate of Principal Bartolmew.

But the moment the words ’Verdant Dawn Academy has fallen’ were uttered, the expressions of the officials turned grim.

This wasn’t just some small incident.

This was a disaster.

Each city had one enchanted Phone, an artifact capable of directly communicating with the reigning noble family of their region.

The highest-ranking authority of each city immediately activated the artifact.

Messages were sent to the noble houses overseeing their regions.

And soon, the Royal Family of the Eloriath Kingdom itself was notified.

The entire kingdom was about to be shaken.

Meanwhile, the students remained silent.

They didn’t know what would happen next.

They only knew one thing—

Their home was gone.

~~

The city of Ghinspol was a bustling hub of activity, filled with merchants, travelers, and adventurers who knew nothing of the disaster that had just unfolded at Verdant Dawn Academy. The people here laughed, traded, and lived their lives oblivious to the horrors that Kenneth and the others had just barely escaped from.

Kenneth walked through the crowded streets, his expression unreadable.

’It’s almost surreal…’

Just yesterday, he had been a student, training, learning, joking around with Noah and the others. And now? His entire academy was gone. The professors were scattered, the students were in hiding, and that demon—Ingranad—was turning their home into a fortress for his own kind.

And no one in this damn city even knew.

Kenneth sighed, shoving his hands into his pockets. He had left the temporary inn where the students were staying, needing some air—and more importantly, some space to experiment with the strange black orb that he had found.

He turned a corner into a deserted alleyway, ensuring that no one was watching before pulling the orb out from his coat.

The black sphere was smooth and cold to the touch, an eerie dark mist swirling inside it. It had no inscriptions, no obvious magical signature, and no immediate reaction to his mana when he had tried probing it earlier.

’What the hell are you?’

His Eternal Emperor System had identified it as ???, which meant that it was so rare that not even the system could immediately recognize it.

That in itself was terrifying.

Kenneth had encountered plenty of rare artifacts, but never one so completely unidentifiable that even his System—something that had been guiding him with absolute clarity—couldn’t provide an answer.

There was only one way to test it.

Kenneth took out a small dagger, rolling up his sleeve before making a tiny cut on his finger. A drop of crimson blood dripped onto the orb’s surface—

—And the moment it made contact, the orb trembled.

Kenneth’s Eternal Emperor System reacted instantly.

[Item Identified: Time-Locking Orb]

Kenneth’s eyes widened in shock.

’Time-Locking Orb? What the hell kind of artifact is this?’

His heartbeat quickened as more information flooded in.

[Item: Time-Locking Orb]

[Grade: Unknown]

[Status: Severely Weakened]

[Abilities:

Temporal Stasis: Can stop time within a limited area. All individuals within that area will be completely frozen in time.

Temporal Preservation: Allows the user to save a moment in time within a specific region. This saved moment can be restored at will, effectively rewinding time for that location.

]

Kenneth’s mind went blank for a moment.

’Wait, wait, wait—hold on a damn second.’

Stopping time? Rewinding an entire area to a previous state?

The potential of these abilities was insane.

If he used Temporal Stasis in battle, he could freeze an entire battlefield and kill his enemies without them even realizing what had happened.

And Temporal Preservation—it was even more broken. If he saved a location in its perfect state, then even if it got destroyed later, he could restore it as if nothing had happened!

Kenneth’s breathing was a little ragged now.

’This thing is beyond powerful… it’s ridiculous! If I used it to save someone’s life, even if they died, I could restore them to their last saved moment! If I saved an entire battlefield, I could reset it over and over! The possibilities are… limitless!’

But just as he was about to celebrate, another message popped up.

[WARNING: The Time-Locking Orb is currently in a weakened state.]

[Due to its damaged condition, Temporal Stasis and Temporal Preservation can only last for extremely short durations.]

[Further usage requires energy to restore the Orb’s strength.]

Kenneth frowned.

’Damn it… of course, there’s a catch.’

If the orb was at full power, it would have been godlike. But right now, its limited duration made it far less useful in large-scale battles.

’Still…’

Even in this weakened state, it was far too valuable to ignore.

Then, the final line of information appeared:

[Method to Restore: The Orb requires life energy to regain its power. Slay living beings and use the Orb to absorb their vitality. ]

Kenneth froze.

And then, he laughed.

A low, dark chuckle echoed through the alleyway.

“Absorb life energy? You mean, I just have to kill people and feed their souls to this thing?”

Kenneth’s lips curled into a sinister grin.

’How convenient.’

For others, this kind of method would have been disturbing—even terrifying. But for Kenneth?

It was perfect.

’This means I can restore it as much as I want… as long as I kill enough people or creatures.’

And he had plenty of enemies.

The demons that had invaded his academy?

Any bandits or criminals who got in his way?

All of them could be food for his new treasure.

’The stronger this orb becomes, the more unstoppable I’ll be.’

But he had to be careful.

If people found out he had something this powerful, there was no doubt that kings, emperors, and ancient monsters would come after him.

Kenneth rolled his sleeve back down, carefully tucking the Time-Locking Orb away.

This would be his secret trump card.

Not even Noah or the others could know about it.

The only one he trusted with this knowledge was his Eternal Emperor System—his greatest weapon.

Kenneth exhaled deeply before stepping out of the alleyway, his expression calm once more.

For now, he would play along with the others. He would act like a normal student, a survivor of the attack, just like everyone else.

But in reality?

He was preparing.

For power.

For the day when he would stand above all others—with time itself in his grasp.

~~

The road leading back to the Steele Family Mansion was long and winding, cutting through dense forests and small villages scattered across the territory. Alaric Steele walked alongside Brita Kuusk and Natasha Khysarel, the two women keeping pace with him as they traveled on foot.

The situation was not ideal, of course. The Verdant Dawn Academy was most likely gone, and while Alaric wasn’t the type to dwell on sentiment, there was something undeniably unsettling about having one’s place of study wiped off the map by mysterious creatures—demons, no less.

’Well, at least I got out before things got too ugly,’ he thought, his sharp gaze sweeping the surroundings.

Brita and Natasha stayed close to him, almost glued to his sides.

“You know,” Brita finally spoke up, flipping her long blonde hair over her shoulder, “I didn’t expect to be traveling on foot for this long. Are we seriously walking the entire way?”

“Unless you’d like to grow wings and fly,” Alaric replied dryly.

Natasha, who had been clutching his sleeve as they walked, pouted slightly.

“We could have stolen some horses back in that last town,” she murmured.

Alaric raised an eyebrow, looking down at her.

“You want me to commit grand theft equine now?”

Natasha rolled her eyes.

“It’s not theft if the owners aren’t around to notice.”

“That’s… literally still theft.”

“Not if no one sees.”

Alaric let out a tired sigh, rubbing his temples.

“I’m surrounded by criminals.”

Brita grinned, nudging him with her elbow.

“And yet, you like us anyway.”

They continued walking for a few more miles until they reached a small town nestled near the edge of the Steele Family’s territory. This was a place Alaric was familiar with, and luckily, there were carriages available for hire.

With a generous payment, they secured a comfortable carriage, and for the first time since their escape, they were able to sit back and rest.

Inside the carriage, Alaric sat in the middle, with Brita on his left and Natasha on his right. And, as expected, the two women didn’t seem to believe in personal space.

Brita leaned into him, resting her head on his shoulder with a satisfied sigh.

“This is nice,” she murmured.

Natasha, meanwhile, wasn’t about to be left behind. She wrapped her arms around Alaric’s right arm, pressing up against him in a way that made it very, very obvious just how soft she was.

“Mm, it really is,” Natasha added with a smirk.

Alaric exhaled slowly, looking between the two.

“You both realize this is just a carriage ride, right? It’s not a luxury vacation.”

Brita giggled.

“Shh. Let us have this moment.”

And so, with two beautiful women clinging to him, Alaric resigned himself to the remainder of the journey.

Upon arriving at the Steele Family Mansion, Alaric immediately took charge.

The mansion staff greeted him with respect, and he arranged for separate guest rooms for both Brita and Natasha, much to their dismay.

“Separate rooms?” Brita crossed her arms.

“Yes,” Alaric said firmly.

“Are you sure we can’t just—”

“Yes.”

Natasha puffed her cheeks, looking equally annoyed.

“But I—”

“Yes,” Alaric repeated, effectively cutting off any further protests.

With that matter settled, he turned his attention to another guest—one that he was particularly eager to see.

Inside one of the guest rooms, Iridelle Khysarel sat by the window, deep in thought.

She had no idea that Alaric was on his way back. In fact, she had assumed he would still be at the Academy, focusing on his training, preparing for whatever awaited him there.

So when she suddenly felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her waist from behind—pulling her against a firm, familiar chest—her body instantly froze.

The way he held her, the warmth of his touch, the subtle scent of him—

“Alaric,” she breathed.

She didn’t need to see his face to know it was him.

Her initial shock melted away, and her body relaxed into his embrace, a small smile playing on her lips.

“You couldn’t even wait for me to come to the Academy as a professor, could you?” she murmured, leaning back into him.

Alaric chuckled, his grip on her tightening slightly.

“It’s a good thing you didn’t come,” he said, his voice low.

Iridelle turned her head slightly, confused.

“What do you mean?”

Alaric took a deep breath before explaining.

“The Academy… is gone.”

The words hung in the air for a long, heavy moment.

Iridelle’s entire body stiffened.

“What?”

“We were attacked,” Alaric continued. “A massive force of mysterious creatures—demons. They came out of nowhere, overwhelmed the Academy, and… most likely destroyed it.”

Iridelle spun around in his arms, grabbing his shoulders.

“What about the professors? The students?”

Alaric’s expression remained serious.

“I don’t know,” he admitted. “I managed to escape with your little sister and another girl before we got caught in the chaos.”

Iridelle’s eyes widened in shock, and then—relief.

“Natasha… she’s safe?”

Alaric nodded.

“Thanks to me, yes.”

Iridelle felt her heart swell with gratitude, her hands tightening their grip on him.

“Thank you,” she whispered. “Thank you for saving her.”

Alaric’s eyes softened as he looked at her.

And then, with a sudden, fluid motion, he pushed her onto the bed.

Iridelle let out a small gasp, her voluptuous body sinking into the plush sheets as Alaric leaned over her, one hand cupping her cheek while his gaze roamed over her curves.

Her face flushed, but there was a spark of excitement in her eyes as she saw the undeniable hunger in his.

“Alaric…” she murmured.

His lips curved into a smirk.

“Naturally, it was because of you that I saved her,” he whispered.

His fingers brushed along her collarbone, trailing downward, and Iridelle shivered.

She could feel his intense stare, drinking in the sight of her voluptuous figure.

She bit her lip.

“You’re ogling me again,” she teased, her voice breathless.

Alaric grinned.

“And what if I am?”

Iridelle’s breath hitched, her body tingling with anticipation.

Because truthfully?

She wanted him to.