Vonix lowered its head slowly, its colossal body rumbling like a living mountain just awakened. Its wings covered half the city sky, casting a dense shadow over the still-smoldering ruins of collapsed buildings.
Edward felt the pressure pierce straight into his bones—the pressure of a being that had ruled time far longer than human civilization itself.
Yet he remained standing.
Fragments of time revolved around him like the orbit of small stars, radiating silvery-white light.
Liora dragged herself to the edge of a cracked street, struggling to breathe. "Edward… you can't solo a legendary dragon…"
"Of course not," Edward replied calmly. "Its meal is the three of us."
He let out a small breath.
Zeco hugged the Chronite Seed tightly. Though his body trembled, his eyes stayed locked on Vonix.
"I can help… just don't tell me to get close to that dragon. Please."
Edward smiled faintly. "You're safe. Stay behind the scenes. Protect the artifact."
Vonix released a deep hum, a sound like mountains collapsing.
"Time… is mine…"
A blue glow seeped through the gaps in its scales—a clear sign of danger.
Edward's gaze sharpened. "Liora. Plan B."
Liora quickly reached for her cracked timepiece. "The Chronite Seed isn't stable yet. But I can try synchronizing its energy frequency with Vonix. It might… give us a few seconds."
"That's enough."
She looked at him anxiously. "Edward… you really want to try that plan? The one that—"
"—has a two percent success rate?" Edward smiled bitterly. "Yes."
He looked straight at Vonix.
"…I'm not Zahir. But I'm not a failed student anymore either."
Opening Strike — Power & Fragments
Edward bent his knees.
Breathe… focus… don't think about fear.
"Power Burst — First Gate."
BOOOOM!!
A surge of energy erupted from his body, shattering nearby glass. The ground cracked. Time fragments spun faster, drawn into the new flow of power.
Vonix opened its jaws.
Blue fire began to gather.
Edward vanished.
Not teleportation—but extreme speed fused with micro-range time manipulation. He moved like a white line slicing through the air, cutting wind, splitting space.
Vonix released the blue flames.
FWOOOOOM!!!
The fire tore through the city—but Edward reappeared beside Vonix's head, his body glowing white.
"Edge of Time!"
He struck the air—and the space before him cracked like glass.
The impact slammed into Vonix's scales.
BOOOOM!
The dragon staggered slightly—only slightly. Its scales vibrated; small blue cracks appeared… but did not break through.
Vonix snarled.
Its blue eyes sparked with fine lightning.
"Slow…"
Edward barely managed to raise his arms before Vonix swept its wing.
WHOOOSH!!
A storm wind blasted Edward through three buildings, crushing them like cardboard.
Zeco screamed, "HEY! EDWARD!! THIS IS STILL THE BEGINNING OF THE PLAN, RIGHT?! RIGHT?!"
Edward's voice came from the dust cloud. "Y-yeah! Still the beginning!"
He stood again, forcing himself through the pain.
"Liora—now!"
Time Synchronization
Liora pressed her hands against the Chronite Seed.
The artifact pulsed violently, as if rejecting her touch. Its energy stabbed into her skin, blood seeping from her fingers.
But she didn't stop.
"Chronite Synchronization… Mode 1… active!"
Soft green light spread through the air like a sonar wave. Vonix turned, sensing it.
"Chronite… return…"
It roared and redirected its energy toward her.
Edward appeared directly in front of Vonix's face.
"HEY!! LOOK OVER HERE, NEON LIZARD!!"
He raised both hands.
"Basic Skill — Gravitational Pulse!"
A burst of gravity erupted from his palms.
Vonix halted—only for a second.
But that was enough.
Liora shouted, "Synchronization 16%! 27%! DON'T LET IT BREAK THE SIGNAL!!"
Edward forced his body to move faster.
Time fragments whirled around him like a storm.
"Alright. Plan C."
Zeco stared in disbelief. "WE JUST GOT TO PLAN B?!"
Plan C — Locking the Dragon's Time
Edward focused his entire temporal field on Vonix's head.
Threads of white light formed, wrapping through the air.
"Temporal Binding — Full Ring!"
Five rings of time materialized, slicing through space and locking around Vonix's body from neck to wing base.
Vonix roared, furious.
"Human… forcing…"
It unleashed its power.
The time rings began to crack.
"Liora! This is the best window! Hurry!"
Liora forced her broken timepiece to respond, turning its internal gears despite the grinding sound.
Green Chronite light surged outward.
"Synchronization 62%… 73%… almost there!"
Zeco whispered desperately, "Please… hurry…"
Then Vonix changed.
Its blue scales turned WHITE.
The air froze instantly.
Edward's face drained of color. "…Absolute Time Mode…"
Vonix inhaled deeply—not for fire, not for lightning.
But to stop time itself.
"Time… halt."
A wave of white light swept outward.
Edward reacted instantly, spreading every time fragment into a shield.
BOOOOOOM!!
Everything stopped.
Only Edward could still move—and even then, barely, as if wading through solid air.
The temporal rings shattered one by one.
Edward forced himself forward.
"Liora… hurry…"
Liora trembled, blood streaming from her nose under the energy pressure.
"Synchronization 92%… almost…!"
Then a small voice cut through everything.
The Mistake
"Help!!"
A small child—five or six years old—ran through the rubble. His mother lay unconscious several meters behind him. Crying, the child ran straight toward Vonix.
Vonix turned its head.
Its blue eyes hardened.
A new target.
Liora screamed, "THE CHILD—WATCH OUT!"
Zeco covered his mouth. "Don't tell me…"
Edward knew what he had to do.
He hated this choice.
"I'm sorry… plan failed…"
He forced his body beyond its limits. Time itself nearly killed him—his veins bulged, blood trickled from his ears.
But he leapt.
Caught the child.
And threw him toward Zeco.
Zeco caught him and rolled across the ground. "WOAH—!! OKAY—GOT HIM!!"
But the moment Edward threw the child—
He opened a gap.
All temporal rings shattered at once.
Vonix focused all its energy on Edward.
"Die."
FWOOOOOOOOOM!!!
A blast of white fire—absolute time flame—struck Edward square in the chest.
The explosion shattered the city air.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
Edward was launched backward, smashing through a massive building and crashing into an ancient stone wall.
His body fell—motionless.
One by one, his time fragments vanished, like stars going dark.
Liora screamed, her voice breaking. "EDWARD—!!!"
Vonix turned toward them.
"You have lost."
Its wings spread wide, preparing to erase the city completely.
To be continued…