Chapter 289: Gate (4)

Time gradually slowed, then came to a complete stop.

Louis’s gaze locked onto Sandra.

Unlike her, who wore a compassionate smile, Louis was bewildered.

No!

He grimaced at the overwhelming Time Attribute surging from Sandra, draining his attribute power at a terrifying rate.

Gah!

As his attribute power rapidly depleted, Louis roared in frustration:

What the hell are you doing?!

Time Stop.

For Louis, who could only control time within a localized area, Sandra’s display of mastery over time was utterly astonishing.

Insane! She stopped time?!

If they weren’t in this situation—

If his own attribute power wasn’t sustaining this Time Stop phenomenon—

I must have been all over Sandra, sweet-talking her into teaching me a trick.

How dare you steal someone else’s attribute power without permission!
My attribute power and Origin can only maintain this for about five minutes, so I had to borrow yours.
You’re not even planning to give it back! What kind of “borrowing” is that?!
But you, kid… What the hell are you?
What do you mean?
You moved that much, yet you still have this much attribute power left. Fortunately, this should be enough to last us a good thirty minutes.

Perfect Time Stop.

This was Sandra’s trump card, a move she could unleash by interfering with the world’s laws.

The only drawback was that the caster’s body was also immobilized by the Time Stop.

Fortunately, the ritual maintained the consciousness of the designated user, allowing Louis and Sandra to calmly hold their strategy meeting.

Of course, Louis didn’t care about that.

The real problem lay after the ritual ended.

If we exhaust our attribute power because of this, how are we supposed to deal with that guy?!
Didn’t I say it? Let’s take a gamble.
What in the world is this gamble?
You’re being a bit curt, aren’t you?
You must be mistaken.
Putting that aside… doesn’t it seem strange? According to history, Kaiders was a being who had reached Zero Rank in all three attributes.
So?
If that guy is truly Kaiders, there’s no reason for him to stall for time against just the four of us. Unless… no, unless your death is his goal.

“What if he’s just toying with us?”

“No, I think differently.”

Sandra’s voice carried conviction.

“He’s not toying with us. This is the best he can do right now. He’s pretending to be calm because he can’t reveal his true intentions.”

”…What’s your basis for this?”

“Intuition.”

“So you’re going to gamble everything on this sudden move, based on your intuition?”

“Isn’t that what a gamble is?”

As his attribute power rapidly depleted, Louis gritted his teeth.

Oh, for crying out loud!

He didn’t understand what Sandra was babbling about—some kind of “gamble” or whatever—but one thing was certain: the dice had already been rolled.

No, Sandra had forced his dice into a wild spin, and they were still tumbling.

Crap! I need to pull off some kind of trick before these dice stop spinning.

Desperate, Louis asked, “So… what’s your plan?”

“If I’m right, he can only use two Zero Rank attributes right now.”

“Are you certain?”

“If this is really the Kaiders, there’s been at least tens of thousands of years since his last appearance. If his physical condition were intact, wouldn’t there be a reason he’s remained hidden all this time?”

”…What if he’s returned now that his body is fully restored?”

“Then our gamble will fail.”

“Damn it, you’re going all-in, no-holds-barred?”

“What are you talking about? Damn it? No-holds-barred all-in?”

”…Yeah, that thing exists. So what?”

“Death by this or death by that—it’s the same death either way. In that case, let’s try to reverse the situation with one bold gamble.”

“Really? What the hell is this?!”

Despite Louis’s exasperation, Sandra replied calmly:

“If that brat is a Dual-Attribute Zero Rank…”

”…Then?”

”…Then we should match his level, shouldn’t we?”

”…Huh?”

“Don’t worry. I’ll give you the shortest possible attribute tutoring to reach Zero Rank quickly.”

”…”

Louis was slightly flustered.

Is Sandra actually laughing? Am I just imagining that?

“Let’s begin. Stay focused!”

“W-wait!”

Before Louis’s bewilderment had even faded, Sandra’s Origin poured into his Dragon Heart like a waterfall.

Gah! This is insane!

Louis groaned as the forced infusion of the Origin burned through him. The pain was like millions of ants crawling across his heart, biting and tearing at his flesh. In defiance, his Dragon Heart roared repeatedly.

Woom, woom.

His chest churned like a boiling cauldron, the pain in his heart overwhelming. It was a torment that would be difficult to endure even for someone with extraordinary mental fortitude.

Louis clung desperately to his fading consciousness, his mind reeling.

What the hell is this crazy old hag doing?! Is this even safe?!

This wasn’t a simple transfer of attribute power; this was the Origin itself being transferred. Worse still, it wasn’t the Origin he had gained through his own enlightenment, but someone else’s. Even Louis, with his vast knowledge, had never heard of such a method.

If it were possible to ascend to Zero Rank through this method, the world would be overrun by Zero Rank powerhouses.

No… wait a minute…

A realization suddenly struck Louis.

…Come to think of it, this isn’t the first time, is it?

It finally dawned on Louis. This wasn’t the first time he’d been entrusted with transferring another dragon’s Origin.

The Seed of Origin I received as a child!

This was part of the dragon race’s traditional practice of assessing hatchlings’ attribute power, as well as early education aimed at reaching Zero Rank. During that process, Louis had already received the Time Attribute Origin from Sandra.

But it didn’t hurt at all back then… So why is it so painful now?!

As if Sandra could sense his confusion, her voice echoed in his mind:

Does it hurt?

“You think you’re gonna die, you old hag?”

It seems the pain is too great for you to even send a message.

“If you know, kill me slowly!”

Of course. Planting the Origin in your heart as a child was like sowing seeds in fertile, empty soil.

Louis’s Dragon Heart reacted violently once more to Sandra’s voice.

Once again, Louis felt dizzy.

Amidst this, Sandra’s soft voice continued:

After a long time, the Origin I planted in your heart sprouted and grew splendidly. Now that your tree is fully mature, the Origin I’m transferring to you is like excessive water and sunlight. For an ordinary tree, this would rot the roots or wither it to death, but…

Sandra’s voice lowered.

“If you are a tree with sturdy roots, embrace everything I give you… and grow even greater. So endure. Endure and endure, and accept everything I give you!”

Sandra’s voice echoed in Louis’s mind.

But Louis, his mind blank from the relentless pain that assailed him whenever he had a moment of respite, couldn’t focus on Sandra’s voice.

He mustered his last ounce of strength to desperately send a message:

“H… Old Hag.”

”…Old Hag?”

“Has anyone… ever succeeded in this kind of twisted thing?”

Courtesy?

Louis no longer had the energy to maintain such niceties.

Despite the excruciating pain he must be enduring, Louis stubbornly persisted in voicing his thoughts, causing Sandra to snort derisively.

Well, I can’t claim to know the entire history of the dragon race, but…

…

In all my knowledge, no dragon has ever succeeded in pulling off such a crazy feat. In fact, this is likely the first time anyone has even attempted it.

For the first time, the pain vanished, replaced by a searing fury. He channeled his boiling rage into his message:

Hey, you crazy old hag…!
Why call me, child?
Just… just wait until this is over… When the time comes, I won’t care if you’re an elder or some other nonsense—I won’t let you get away with it!

With that final declaration, Louis shut down his consciousness.

Sandra watched Louis enter the observation chamber.

Later… If he wakes up, he’ll find out eventually.

A bitter taste lingered in her eyes.

I’m afraid we don’t have a “later,” child.

Muttering inwardly, Sandra cast another spell within the frozen time. She increased the time dilation factor to 10,000.

This caused a strange phenomenon: for every second that passed physically, 10,000 seconds passed mentally.

If Louis knew, he would have been furious about imprisoning a perfectly healthy dragon in the Room of Time and Mind.

The agonizing countdown began.

One second, ten seconds, twenty seconds, thirty seconds…

There’s less time than I thought.

The first time Sandra drew upon Louis’s attribute power, she gained thirty minutes.

But now, the maximum time I can endure is barely eight minutes…

Time Stop combined with Time Dilation. Even while maintaining a high-level Sacred Scripture, she had to transfer the Origin to Louis, leaving her with a mere eight minutes at most. No, it might be even less.

Everything rests on you, Louis.

In these eight minutes—equivalent to approximately fifty-five days in mental time—he had to completely make what she gave him his own.

And Sandra believed in Louis.

Two minutes passed.

Eight minutes—equivalent to approximately fourteen days in mental time—had passed.

Sandra could sense that Louis’s aura was more stable than she had anticipated.

Time passed again, four minutes.

Sandra felt a pang of sorrow as she gradually sensed her Origin fading away.

It was a sense of loss akin to parting with a lifelong friend.

Yet Sandra overcame this grief and smiled.

Louis… that child will become a better friend than I ever could.

As time continued to pass, Sandra’s scales gradually lost their luster.

Crack!

Her scales, now parched and brittle as if all moisture had been drained, began to crack.

Ignoring the strange signals her body was sending, Sandra continued her task.

Time passed again, six minutes.

Still not awake?

Sandra grew anxious, watching Louis remain unresponsive.

Hurry!

Seven minutes had passed.

Sandra looked like a mummy, her body withered and desiccated.

She felt utterly defeated.

Was I wrong…?

The time dilation she had been maintaining would soon expire.

No, it was more accurate to say she had no strength left to sustain it.

Aah…

If it were Louis…

If it were the child she had seen, she was certain he would have succeeded.

He had already elevated one attribute to Zero’s Domain, and she believed his Time Attribute was sufficiently prepared to advance to the next stage.

Given just a small opportunity, he would undoubtedly have reached Zero’s Domain with his Time Attribute as well.

Was my choice mistaken…?

If the time control were to expire now, Louis, still unconscious, would be left completely vulnerable to the enemy.

I should have saved that child at all costs…

A dark shadow fell across Sandra’s eyes.

As Sandra struggled to find a solution, the time ticked from seven to eight minutes. At that moment—

Crackle.

Huh?

Sandra’s eyes widened at the sudden surge of fluctuating energy. Its source was none other than Louis. Her eyes lit up with joy.

That rascal!

She could feel it—the powerful pulsation of the Time Attribute’s Origin within Louis’s embrace.

Of course!

Sandra cheered inwardly.

A moment later—

Crash!

A sound audible only to Sandra—the sound of a wall being shattered by a presence blocking her path. Simultaneously, light flashed from Louis’s entire body as vitality began to flow back into him.

Then Sandra heard a voice:

“Old Hag…”

Louis, now fully conscious, spoke with a poignant tone.

He had realized what it meant for Sandra to transfer the Origin to him.

A warmth filled Sandra’s eyes.

I did it…

As the Origin she had nurtured for a lifetime passed to Louis, the light in Sandra’s eyes gradually faded.

She sent him one final message:

…Have faith.

With those last words, the Time Barrier Sandra had maintained crumbled.

At the same time—

Fwssss…

Sandra’s body disintegrated into tiny particles of mana, scattering in all directions.

The particles circled Louis as if caressing him before dissolving into light and merging with their surroundings.

”…”

Louis silently watched the process, then raised his gaze.

Kaiders, who had been looking this way, was caught in Louis’s direct stare.

Seeing him, the corners of Louis’s mouth curled into a fierce grin.