Kui Gate.
Qutang Pass.
A man stood against the wind.
The gale howled, tugging violently at his clothes, yet his body was as unmoving as a bronze statue.
Splash.
Water surged from the raging current below. This was common here.
What wasn't common was the way the spray froze in midair.
The suspended water seemed alive. It flowed forward, gathering toward the man, filling an invisible mold. Limbs took shape. Features formed.
An exquisite figure made of water.
"I thought you'd make a move on me somewhere along the way," the man said calmly. "Didn't expect you to actually let me come all the way here."
"Cooperation requires mutual trust."
The Waterman smiled, handsome and relaxed. "My name is Ethan Hunt."
"Your real name?" Norton asked coldly.
"Of course. I've used this face and name many times."
"How badly did this person offend you?" Norton hissed. Thinking about what the Waterman had done, it had to be deep hatred to frame someone like that.
"No, no. On the contrary-we're good friends," the Waterman said, shaking his head. "I even helped him pad his performance record recently."
"Let's not waste time. Shall we enter the Bronze City?"
"If you have the courage, follow me." Norton glanced at him, walked to the shore, and dove straight into the water.
-
"Nibelungen. From Niflheim in ancient Norse mythology. The 'Land of Mists.'"
"In the Dragon World, it's an independent space created by dragons. Inside, space can fold. Time can stagnate."
"To enter, you need a medium that can form a 'mirror'-water, or an actual mirror."
Inside Norton Hall's meeting room, Morin held a book and continued his monotone "tutoring session."
"Is time stagnation real?" Lu Mingfei asked curiously. "If it is, doesn't that mean immortality? You could train forever and become infinitely strong."
"The world is vast. Nothing is absolutely impossible," Morin replied. "But exaggeration exists too."
"Because of myth, truth and fiction get mixed."
"For example-if I told you I could wave my hand and move a planet, would you believe me?"
"I respect you, Boss, but don't treat me like an idiot," Lu Mingfei said warily.
"What if I did that in an ancient era without dragons?" Morin continued. "Power beyond comprehension would be passed down as legend. Over time, I'd become a god who 'moves mountains and chases light.'"
"If you later saw that written in mythology-or something even more exaggerated-wouldn't you believe it?"
"Time is the cruelest thing," Morin said calmly. "But also the most magical. It creates everything. And erases everything."
"You really sound like an old man," Lu Mingfei muttered. "Are you sure someone this young should be saying things like that? Which classic did you steal this from?"
"They're personal conclusions," Morin said casually. "Haven't you noticed something strange? My speed is extreme, yet my Spirit was misidentified as Heavenly Deduction."
He tapped his temple, smiling as he lied smoothly.
"My speed isn't just physical. It's mental. However much my body accelerates, my thinking does too."
"So being mistaken for Heavenly Deduction isn't unfair."
"A mini Time Zero?" Lu Mingfei blurted.
"Close enough."
After finishing his daily intimidation-along with carefully leaking "intel" for Lu Mingze to overhear-Morin waved him off.
"Go. Zero's waiting."
"Thanks, Boss! Bye, Boss!" Lu Mingfei jumped up and bolted like a student sprinting for the cafeteria bell.
Morin smiled faintly and shook his head.
If he unleashed everything, he could tear this world apart in minutes. But the unrest in his heart couldn't be resolved that way.
Watching original characters change their own futures was... strange.
Like being an observer.
Having the power to overturn everything, yet choosing not to.
That restraint itself was growth.
Strength wasn't frightening.
What was frightening was someone strong who could still think from the perspective of the weak.
Morin packed up and left Norton Hall.
He wasn't heading to the dorms.
He was going to the Headmaster's office.
Two hours after that day, the campus had returned to normal.
The reappearance of the Kings of Bronze and Fire, and Oceans and Water, shocked the world-but among Cassell's students, it only fueled a desire to grow stronger.
They dared to strike our home. We will take revenge.
Details of the invasion were sealed.
Lu Mingfei-the most likely leak-didn't cave even after Finger's threats and bribes. Angat's personal warning outweighed any senior pressure.
In the end, Lu Mingfei only agreed to let Finger hype his reputation a little more-later wondering if that had been Finger's goal all along.
Angat had been busy these days.
The Black Card. Two Dragon Kings.
Students could unite and train, but the world outside Cassell wasn't Angat's playground.
Even as the strongest modern hybrid, he couldn't ignore everyone.
Knock. Knock.
"Come in."
A gentle voice answered.
Morin pushed the door open.
Sunset light poured through the carved windows. Behind the wide desk, an old man brewed tea.
White hair. Deep wrinkles like aged wood.
Yet no one could treat him as merely old.
This man had hacked at the King of Bronze and Fire hundreds of times just days ago.
Though the defense hadn't broken, rumors already claimed:
Angat fought two Dragon Kings to a draw.
The office felt more like a library.
Two floors merged into one. A massive skylight overhead. Autumn leaves pressed against frosted glass.
Paintings and towering shelves lined the walls. Leather-bound books stretched to the ceiling. Ladders leaned quietly between them.
"I thought you'd be busier," Morin said, stopping at the desk.
"Sit." Angat smiled. "People who panic at a name are easier to deal with than dragons."
"I'd rather deal with dragons." Morin sat and shrugged. "I don't like people who hold money and think they hold power."
"Good temperament. I like it." Angat handed him a bone-china cup. "Da Hong Pao. From China."
"If possible, I really don't want to go," Morin said after a sip, grimacing at the bitterness. "What if I can't stop myself from killing the trustees?"
"I haven't even said anything yet," Angat paused.
"Easy to guess," Morin replied. "Once you understand the structure and the incident."
"An unregistered Black Card. A King of Bronze and Fire. A suspected King of Oceans and Water."
"And a Headmaster fighting two at once."
"If the Board didn't react, that would be strange."
"Excellent logic," Angat nodded. "But you missed one factor."
"You."
"The one who rescued me."
"I prefer scholarships over salary," Morin smiled. "Personal quirk. Other money doesn't interest me."
"You remind me of an old friend," Angat said softly. "Talking to you is effortless-though I sometimes worry how much I'm leaking."
"Your Spirit," he continued. "It isn't Moment. And it isn't Time Zero."
"I felt it then. You didn't evade Time Zero."
"It simply didn't affect you."
"You're immune."
"Lu Mingfei is immune too," Morin replied calmly.
"Fair enough." Angat nodded.
"Day after tomorrow, the Board will convene. They unanimously requested that I bring you."
"If you refuse, I'll block it. You'll still get your scholarship."
"I'm not worried about that," Morin smiled. "What's mine is mine."
"I'll go. I want to see the financiers."
"But Headmaster-be careful."
"I'm not sure I'll be able to hold back."
"I'll try." Angat nodded. "Eight a.m. The day after tomorrow. Helipad."
"Understood."
Morin stood. "If there's nothing else... goodbye, Headmaster."
"Until then."
After Morin left, a man dressed like an old cowboy barged in and dropped into a chair.
Beer stench. Bottle in hand.
"You called me for this?" he scoffed. "Isn't it normal for an S-rank to be immune in your domain?"
"What if I told you he still maintained speed beyond normal humans inside my domain?" Angat asked.
Pfft!
The cowboy spat beer-
But Angat was already by the window.
Tea cup steady. Not a ripple.
As if he'd been there all along.
"...Are you serious?" the cowboy whispered.
"I'm certain," Angat said. "For that moment, he surpassed me."
"I could only see an afterimage."
"If we fought... I'd lose instantly."
"He showed signs of exhaustion afterward."
"But who's to say that was real?"
"Your Time Zero is top-tier," the cowboy said slowly. "Even unawakened purebloods would be affected."
"Norton couldn't fight back at all."
"To be completely unaffected-and faster-there's only..."
He hesitated.
"...Sky and Wind."
"Enough." Angat cut him off. "Speculation is pointless."
"If he isn't, suspicion will only push us apart."
"And if he is..."
"Bronze and Fire. Oceans and Water. Sky and Wind."
Angat chuckled.
"Then this truly is a dragon's nest."
"Is the Black King here too?"
"We're only missing Earth and Mountain."
Watching Morin's departing figure, Angat smiled.
"Good."
"Good?!" The cowboy shot up. "If that's true, I'm resigning right now!"
"I've lived a long time," Angat said quietly. "Long enough to think about my grave."
"What words go on it."
"What clothes I wear."
"What I hold in my hands."
"...You'd be unwilling to die like that," the cowboy muttered.
"Yes. I would."
Angat straightened.
Power surged in his aged body. His voice rang like clashing blades.
"So before I leave this world-"
"I will kill the Four Great Lords."
"And use their dragon-bone crosses as my tombstone."
"The future belongs to the young."
"Dragons are old things that refuse to die."
"They should be buried..."
"...with old men like me."