Legacy of the Betelgeuse

Chapter 249 - Episode 249: The Lost Dynasty, Mauron Empire. (5)

In just 15 minutes, the Keeper of Time already destroyed one-third of the buildings on the northeast side of the area, and if he keeps doing that, there's no way for me to get a good hiding spot anymore. 30 minutes left, I have 30 minutes left to keep him occupied and make him stay on this side of the area. I look around and he's been quite busy thanks to Azrael in his specter form to distract him away from me, and while he's busy I take the opportunity to move stealthily to the east and look at the buildings and the terrains.

Azrael is back in his world, now I'm on my own again but I have prepared so much stuff around me to use to distract him. I look through the window and see him wandering around the northeast area, it seems that he's starting to get pissed that he hasn't found anyone yet. I will let him be for now and let him waste his time rampaging the buildings over there.

"Where are you, little rat!"

The sound of his claws breaking the building walls and the stomping sound of his feet crumbling the building floors are so loud and echoing through the whole area. I hope he's going to keep rampaging like that, but suddenly he stops and lifts his head. He looks toward the southwest and he starts chuckling mischievously while slowly crawling there, without hesitation I grab a clay pot and get outside of the building slowly and stealthily. I thought that he would come to me, but he seems to ignore me this time and he keeps crawling toward the players that are hiding over there. I'm exposing myself and he really is ignoring me, so I swing my clay pot and throw it at him.

The Keeper of Time looks at the broken clay pot that I threw at him, but he keeps crawling to the players on the southwest.

"Your trick will not work against me anymore, little rat... I can smell and hear their breathing from over there, they look so delicious and fragile. I cannot wait to play with them..."

Damn it, he's starting to hunt the easier target first. I'm slowly walking toward him while keep hugging the wall, I know that he's not that far from me and so I still try to make a distance between me and him even though I know that he's ignoring me. I sigh and it's time to provoke him and see if it's going to work or not.

"So you're going to hunt the easier target since you can't find me? Isn't that just proving that you're incapable of someone who can control time and space but ironically is running out of time?"

The Keeper of Time is giggling heavily that I can feel my eardrums trembling from his giggles.

"Little rat, your provocation will not work for me. You are just a little rat who I can easily get rid of once I see you..."

I chuckle and then laugh so hard.

"I'm not trying to provoke you or anything, I'm just stating the fact, that's all. Even if you take them all and get enough time, you still won't be able to find me. I can bet that even if you're looking for me for eternity, you still can't catch me."

The Keeper of Time suddenly stops moving and I think I succeed in provoking him, it's time for me to move and hide. The Keeper of Time is growling and I know his gaze is pointing at me but the walls and buildings are blocking his vision.

"Eternity? Eternity, you said?! Do you think that you know time more than I do?! Do you think eternity is like a blink of an eye to you?! Little rat, you managed to make me angry and you must taste how eternity feels like!"

The Keeper of Time is screaming so loudly and then it becomes silent, I smirk and look to the right of the corner of my eyes.

"What's wrong? You can't control the time? Are you really the Keeper of Time?"

The Keeper of Time slams his claws on the building and it crumbles in an instant.

"What is this?! What did you do?! Why I cannot control the time?!"

Of course, he can't, no matter how strong he is, he's just a program and the system is more superior to him, so no matter how many times I mock him, the system won't let him take control of the game. Thanks to that stupid conversation with him, I managed to waste 5 minutes of his time, I suppose I can keep doing this and buy us another minute.

I laugh while keep walking stealthily.

"Why do you ask? Of course, it's because I'm stronger than you. That's why I said that you won't be able to find me even if you have eternity to hunt me down, you're inferior to me and that's another fact!"

The Keeper of Time growls and leaps toward my direction, and I immediately use [Moonsteps] and get as far away as possible from him. The Keeper of Time starts destroying the buildings with frustration while screeching.

"Where are you, little rat!"

I keep running and running until the sound of buildings crumbling is gone, I stop running and hide inside the building. I can hear he's leaping toward me and he lands right above me, I'm holding my breath and pointing my staff at the ceiling then I release a fireball big enough to destroy the ceiling and make him fall from the building. I run out from the building hurriedly while keeping myself hidden from him, thanks to the smoke and dust, he doesn't see me.

"I will find you, and I will tear your body apart!"

I climb up the wall and get inside the building, and it's so close for him to see my body entering the window while he's looking at my footsteps. I keep running and jump off the window and land to another building while The Keeper of Time slams his body onto the building and tears them apart. I keep jumping off from building to building, I look at the timer and I have 10 minutes left and I think I can make it without a problem, but then I can see a shadow from above which is his claw that is about to grab my body, but I slide down and kick the door in front of me and get inside.

Before I can catch my breath, he's already stomping his foot into the house and the hole is exposing me, without hesitation, I use [Reawakening] skill and immediately use [Moonsteps] and go to the north. I use [Frenzy] because my movement speed is not fast enough to outrun him, now it's not a hide and seek game anymore, this is like a game of tag but scarier.

"Keep running, little rat... I know where you are, and I will follow you for eternity!"

I keep running while looking back, the buildings are getting destroyed because he's ramping the buildings with his big body and claws. I'm pointing my staff behind me and releasing another fireball so the debris is blocking his vision, then I cast an ice wall to block his path even if it's only giving me an extra second.

The longer he's chasing me the faster he be, I know that it's impossible for me to outrun him even though I use all the buff foods and drinks to increase my movement speed. I summon Azrael again, and since his skill is still on cooldown, I tell him to keep running while I try to hide in one of the buildings in front of me. Azrael is running and getting followed by him, but as soon as he realizes that it's just a wolf, he turns around and growls.

"Get back here, little rat!"

The Keeper of Time is blocking the way, I'm stuck inside this building and I'm looking at his feet and claws outside the windows. He grabs the windows with his claws and he's giggling mischievously while slowly lifting up the ceiling.

"This is the end for you, little rat... you have nowhere to run anymore..."

The ceiling is gone and he's staring inside the building.

"Found you!"

I grab my scythe and put it in my inventory and look at him 100 meters away from me while smirking and scoffing.

"No, you don't..."

The Keeper of Time is screeching so loudly that it hurts my eardrums.

"How?! How did you manage to disappear?! I swear I can feel your heartbeat and your breath in here?!"

The Keeper of Time looks around and then he looks in the direction where I'm at.

"You! You will not be able to get away from me!"

I keep running away and look at the time which is 30 seconds left for him to find me. The ground is shaking and I know he's so pissed at me, and he's using everything to catch me. He's too far from me, and there's no way he can reach me before the timer reaches 0. I look around and see a wooden chair, then I sit down while sighing with relief. I look at the timer and smile happily.

5...

4...

3...

2...

"Found you!"

1...

[You successfully survived the Fourth stage!]

[You will be teleported to the entrance of the Fifth stage!]

I look at him and smirk while waving my hand.

"See you soon. Atraxthes..."

Atraxthes is about to grab my body, but then a hole appears behind him and forcefully sucks him in.

"NO!