The Malboro's eye loomed like a violet moon, its iris pulsing with diseased radiance. All its mouths hissed in unison. "What will you offer for safe passage?"
Tension snapped in the air like drawn steel. Marla writhed beneath the behemoth's limb, ichor leaking from her mouth, black serpents twitching feebly. My breath grew heavy—Spirit Man flaring hot within. I reached into my spirit bracelet and withdrew a golden vial. The last Sun God Dew Drop. It shimmered like a droplet stolen from dawn, sloshing with condensed solar chi. Even sealed, it radiated warmth that pushed back the Malboro's foul aura.
The monster stilled. A low rumble ran through the cavern. Its eye dilated sharply. A thousand mouths moaned in awe. "...Such golden heat... such vertical vigor... solar quintessence..." The voices lapsed into muttering and hungry whimpers. Felicity blinked. "Ash, are you sure?" I nodded. "He wants to cultivate. Let him."
The Malboro whispered in a dozen cracked voices: "You choose wisely warboy... Now take her... before I change my mind."
I tossed the vial high and to the right, flying over and past the Malboro. The foot lifted. My eyes rolled back as I let wisps of Intent flow into the Vorpal Eye Headband. Lines of celestial script ran across my mind's horizon. I saw the glyphs from the spatial eye path!—a technique… hidden between lines…
Chrono Field.
I remembered all of the details and key activations sigils of the technique instantly. Time trembled around me. The world shattered into stillness. Lava froze mid-drip. Faeluxes worried scream hung in air like glass. The Malboro's tendrils hovered mid-writhe. I was moving through a moment locked in amber.
Time: Frozen.
One second.
Two.
I reached Marla in a blink. I released the field around her and Marla gasped, coughing black blood, her body crushed but not broken. The Malboro's tendrils still reached for the sun god dew vial, I used a quick vorpal retrieval to bring it back into my hand. Marla was Semi-consciousness, fading in and out. I let my golden life force qi flow into her stitching together her Crushed body. But it wasn't enough, I quickly fed her the Sun God Dew Drop.
This had a profound effect on her recovery and her eyes snapped up to my own.
"Lets get this son'uva'bitch " Marla said beaming. I slung her into my arms.
Time cracked—**
Unfrozen.
The Malboro's eye blinked—too late. Marla's eyes flew open—golden slit pupils blazing! Her gorgon qi ignited. With a hiss and a single glance—
The Behemoth Malboro turned to stone.
Twenty meters of curse-born flesh calcified in an instant. Its mouths froze mid-scream. The eye solidified like a jewel of terror. Stone spread up the tendrils and down its roots, leaving a sculpture of madness. We all stared. Snake Man let out a low whistle.
"Kid… remind me not to bet against you." Felicity rushed to Marla's side, inspecting her. "Her bones are knitting. Slowly." Hammer head grinned. Faeluxe exhaled in awe. "Ash... you froze time... didn't you?"
I gave a quiet nod. "Yes, but we're not done yet. That was just the gatekeeper."
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