Ilya's face fell slightly at the lukewarm response. With a pout, she leaned closer and said, "Why are you always like this? 'Not bad'—does that mean good or not good?" Guann couldn't resist her antics and offered a few simple words of praise, which immediately brightened her mood. As they ate together, Guann was acutely aware of the invisible rift between them. He could pretend not to see it, but the pain in his heart was a constant reminder. Deceiving others was one thing, but deceiving himself only turned every solitary night into torment.
Later, Ilya asked casually, "Don’t you think sending Qin Hong to deal with the Bloodrot Mantises is a bit too soon? Those things are on a completely different level, and he hasn’t even unlocked his Absolute Domain yet." Guann replied calmly, "Physically, he’s already capable of awakening his domain. As for the Absolute Domain… well, those Bloodrot Mantises will give him the push he needs."
Ilya set down her chopsticks and nestled into Guann’s p, cupping his face with her hands as she gazed into his eyes. With a pyful smirk, she asked, "Then why did you tell him to bring back their wings~?" Guann’s composure shattered instantly. He averted his eyes and stammered, "W-Well… their wings are a great… great supplement! You’ve studied this too, haven’t you? They strengthen the body, y-yes… strengthen the body…" Ilya watched his flustered reaction with amusement before leaning in to kiss him gently.
---
Meanwhile, Qin Hong sat atop the massive serpent, deep in thought. His eyes drifted to the fruit-den trees nearby, and Guann’s words echoed in his mind: *"In the right environment, every ability can be terrifyingly powerful."*
A spark of realization ignited within him.
In an instant, he activated *Spatial Leap*, teleporting directly into the serpent’s eye socket. The beast roared in fury, its head whipping violently and sending Qin Hong flying like a cannonball. As the serpent coiled to crush him, Qin Hong reappeared in its eye socket—this time waving cheekily. The serpent reared back in shock, flinging him into the air before opening its gaping maw, ready to swallow him whole.
Qin Hong’s heart pounded as he stared into the abyss, two massive fangs glinting ominously. He barely managed to summon *Voidreaver* before the serpent’s jaws snapped shut around him.
Silence.
Then—
The serpent convulsed in agony, thrashing wildly as trees splintered and dust filled the air. Inside its belly, Qin Hong wielded *Voidreaver* like a surgeon’s scalpel, carving through organs and veins with brutal precision. The beast’s exterior might have been impenetrable, but its insides were defenseless. Blood gushed like a river as the serpent writhed, desperate to expel its tormentor.
But Qin Hong was relentless.
By the time he tore open a *Spatial Rift* and emerged atop the serpent’s head, the creature was already succumbing. Its massive body coiled weakly, its breaths slowing. Qin Hong, drenched in blood, colpsed onto the serpent’s skull, exhaustion dragging him into unconsciousness.
---
A sharp, metallic cshing jolted him awake.
Moonlight bathed the clearing, revealing two Bloodrot Mantises locked in combat. Their ruby-carapaced bodies gleamed like polished jade, their scythe-like forearms glinting coldly. Each stood over a meter tall, their movements a blur as they cshed midair, sparks flying with every strike.
*Their arms might as well be steel,* Qin Hong thought, awestruck.
One mantis lunged—its scythe slicing through the air faster than Qin Hong could track—but its rival dodged effortlessly, the missed strike cleaving a tree trunk clean in half.
Qin Hong finally understood why Guann had waited until now to assign him this mission. *Months ago, I wouldn’t have even had time to open a Spatial Rift before dying.*
The fight ended abruptly. The rger mantis’s head tumbled to the ground, its body colpsing. The victor raised its scythes triumphantly before turning to the serpent’s carcass. With a single stroke, it split the beast’s hide—a cut so smooth Qin Hong’s stomach lurched. *That hide could deflect bullets, yet it’s like paper to them.*
Now he knew why the isnd’s prehistoric giants were always reduced to bones.
---
Instinct screamed at him: *One misstep, and you’re dead.*
He activated *Spatial Rift*, aiming to ambush the mantis from behind—but the moment he emerged, his training uniform split diagonally across his chest. Only his weighted undershirt saved him from being bisected.
The mantis’s obsidian eyes locked onto him.
Qin Hong stumbled back, panic rising. The mantis leapt, scythes descending like guillotines. He barely dodged, but not fast enough—a gash opened on his left arm, pain and terror eroding his rationality. He swung *Voidreaver* wildly, but the mantis evaded effortlessly, as if he were moving in slow motion.
Another ssh tore open his back.
For the first time, Qin Hong considered fleeing.
Then—
The world froze.
A faint violet dome enveloped the area. The mantis hung motionless mid-lunge, even the wind-stirred leaves suspended in air. Qin Hong’s heartbeat was the only sound.
He stepped closer, noting the mantis’s eyes tracking him—*slowly*.
*Not frozen. Just… slowed.*
The moment the mantis broke free, Qin Hong barely escaped its killing strike. It shrieked in fury, wings fring as it charged again.
This time, Qin Hong raised his hand.
"**Freeze.**"
The mantis halted.
"One… two…"
As time resumed, *Voidreaver* plunged into its chest.
---
From the shadows, Guann sighed. "If he’d missed that window, he’d be dead."
Ilya tilted her head. "His Absolute Domain?"
"More like a derivative. *Temporal Deceleration*, perhaps." Guann watched Qin Hong colpse, bloodied but alive. "The first freeze sted five seconds. The second, four. The st, two. A second’s dey would’ve cost him his life."
As Ilya’s shadows swallowed Qin Hong’s unconscious form, Guann gnced at the carnage—the mantis, the serpent—then at the moon.
For the first time, he understood why the *Heart of Chronos* had chosen Qin Hong.
