Master of Time

Chapter 58: Hidden Conflicts

A lion is known as the king of beasts, but a dragon is the king of mythical beasts.

Without a doubt, a dragon can eat a lion any day of the week.

Its size is enormous, filling out the entire coliseum completely.

There is little room for me to maneuver in the upcoming battle, but it does make the dragon a really big target. It will be hard for my attacks to miss, right after I get over this intense pressure.

Its magical power is staggering, drowning me even though I am insensitive to magic generally. If I have trained in the arcane art, how terrifying would I be, standing before a monster of near limitless magical power.

As for its spiritual energy, I assume it is at the pinnacle of its realm.

Thankfully, I couldn't feel its overwhelming spirit crushing upon mine. This is because its cultivation is being supressed, currently.

Terra just didn't suppress its magical energy on the account of me using magic through technology.

Honestly, it can't be considered cheating if it isn't really magic.

It is science!

Just because you don't understanding how the world work, you cannot just equate it to magic.

We are not in the medieval age anymore!

But Terra didn't accept that.

And arguing with a child will not get me anywhere. This is not to mention the fact that she could throw a tantrum and make me dead. Why is there a compulsory loli at the zenith of creation? If there is the creator, I would like to have a long, long chat with him – or her.

I'm not sexist.

And I know that Terra isn't a child in all sense of the world. She could have fool me at the moment, as her cheeks puff out.

Anyway, I can't say I have met a real dragon before, but I have seen them plenty in games and virtual reality. I even killed plenty of them before. Let's see if I kill one in reality. This would probably require all my aces in the hole.

"Selene, release all limiters on my body. There is no need to hold back. Also, aid me."

[Acknowledge, Operator.]

To prevent me from breaking everything I touch, the nanomachines does not boost my biology to its maximum.

However, against such a titanic opponent, I don't have the luxury of holding back.

I also really wants a dragon as my summon.

It is just simply too awesome, being able to summon a dragon.

The world slow down as my mind gone into overdrive. I usually just use my power for this, as it allows my body to keep up with my mind.

To a human eyes, I vanish from my spot. And with a laser spear in my hands, I slash at the dragon with all my strength.

The laser edge of the spear crashes against its black scale.

In an instant, my spear shatters.

My eyes widen at the flying fragments before I was send flying against the stone pillar.

"Grark!"

The pillar crumbles, letting me right through.

I slam against the indestructible barrier that surrounded the coliseum before falling face first onto the ground. My entire body is in pain.

[Operator is in critical condition. Please remain still for repair.]

What the hell was that? It just gently flaps its wing and I was send flying for possibly mile. What is this insane gap between what I know of dragons and what they actually can do.

I groan and slowly pull myself up.

The dragon actually yawns, pissing me off.

"Fight properly, you goddamn overgrown lizard!"

The dragon seems to understand that. It glares at me before the surrounding heats up. Its belly glows brightly. The glow drifts up its body and slides up its throat. It then unleashes a fire blast.

My arms cover in nanites just before the flames crashes into me. There is really nowhere to dodge as it was blasted at a wide arc.

"Fuck!"

I shout as the machines absorb the kinetic and thermal energy. The heat is intense, burning my clothes and incinerate my flesh. My hair instantly vaporise along with my eyebrows.

Although the attack only lasted a handful of seconds, it feels like a lifetime. Luckily, it is not as powerful as a fusion blast, which will instantly reduce me atoms regardless of my inhuman durability.

[Thermal Energy at Maximum.]

Selene informs me about a couple of seconds after the attack hits me. The rest of the time, she informs me that I am in critical condition.

When the flames died down, Terra is rather surprised that I am still standing.

A smile creeps upon her face as she finally acknowledges me.

The dragon on the other hand exhales a puff of smoke. It didn't seems to pay any attention to me at all. The damn thing is super arrogance. I swear I will beat it up one day and remove that smug.

My body glows brightly as all thermal energy condenses into a single point. A miniature sun is formed.

It is sent crashing into the dragon. To my shock and surprise, the dragon chomps down the miniature sun before exhaling another puff of breath. It then raise its claw and flexes one of its finger.

As if I am some piece of metal being attracted to a super magnet, I went flying towards the dragon. It flicks me the moment I was within range.

The instant it did, I swear I was hit by the weight of an entire planet – probably more.

I didn't feel anything on the account of my body becomes fine red mists instantly.

That is how much forces being exerted on my body from a single playful flick.

When I come to, I was sitting on a chair across the small table from Terra.

She is drinking tea from a small cup – like a little girl having tea session with her doll.

In fact, the damn chair is really small.

"Alright, you have made your point, big sister. I am just a big fish in a really, really small pond."

I look at the tiny tea cup in front of me. After a light shrug, I pick up the cup and take a sip.

After getting reduce to bloody mist, I really need to relax myself.

I could also feel my power is no longer being sealed or supressed.

She did keep her word, so I suppose she isn't really an enemy, at least not at the moment.

I wouldn't want to fight the final boss in my first step into the multiverse. I need to grind down mobs, get some levels and experiences then challenging the mini-bosses and normal bosses.

Getting right to the final boss is a complete suicide.

"I see Deus' little side project has gotten far. It can mimic magic on the basic level. Maybe in the future, it will be branded as Digital Magic."

Terra speaks up after she blows the steams from her cup.

I didn't fully understand what she has just said.

And I didn't really care at the moment as I continue to enjoy my tea.

Without really asking her, I did learn that Deus is the Master of Order, her opposite. He was born from the digital space.

It is strange that the Order wasn't born at the same time as the rest of the Aspects.

And like Time and Space, Order is also born from Chaos. It appears everything is born from Chaos.

That makes Terra the eldest of all of the Aspects.

In the real beginning, there is only Chaos. Everything else comes after. Since Time is really high in the hierarchy of things that appears, I suppose I am somewhat of a senior to other Aspects.

But in term of power, I am probably the weakest on the account of me being killed before.

"We Aspect cannot be killed. For us to die, the entire existences will unravelled. If they truly kill you, and I am just speaking hypothetically, Time would cease to exist. The entire multiverse will come to a standstill."

Terra points out and refills her cup. She offers me refills, which I accepts.

"Who are they, exactly?"

I question. For them to be able to kill the old me – which should be on the same level as Terra – it isn't a small feat.

"Champions or Spawns of the Primordial."

Terra states simply.

"We, Aspects and the Primordial have a mutual understanding. An verbal agreement if you preferred. To prevent the destruction of the multiverse and all that is within, we and they do not stand in each other's way. However, the agreement only extends to us Aspects and Primordial. It does not include their creations just like it does not include our creation."

Terra places her cup down.

"Children can never surpasses their creators. I do not think they could have killed you even with their combined power, little brother. One of the Primordial must have helped them. Unlike us, they do not see eye to eye with each other, so it is natural for one to step out of line. We don't need to do anything about it. The Primordial punishes their own, just as we do as well."

"Is that so?"

That is all I can come up with. All of this is way beyond me. But it is good to know I was the top dog. I will be again, hopefully. Although, I am curious of how I was killed the last time around.

"If you want to know what happened, little brother, you will have to find out yourself. I am not here to clean up the messes you have created. Even if you died, you should retained your memory of what happened. Since you did not, you voluntarily cast away your memory. Why you did that, I do not know, and I don't want to know. If you do, go find all the fragments of your memory.

They are scatter across time and space."

"I did it voluntarily? Now, that is something interesting, big sister. Whatever happened, regardless of what, I wouldn't forget anything."

Terra smiles.

"Even reborn, you are exactly the same person. Chaos makes a person. Only through Chaos, a person can grow."

I nearly spray out my tea when she said that. It seems that there is some truths about her really being my elder sister. To think her teaching ingrains into me after I have lost my memory.

Terra giggles and re-enjoys her tea time. She looks extremely cute as she holds the cup in both hands and blows the steam from the top.

"As for why I am here. This world is falling into Chaos. If it is natural, I wouldn't pay any attention, but someone thought it is a great idea to introduce magic into a reality that based on science. I could have corrected it myself, but I suppose you will do that. Isn't that why you are here?"

I nod. It isn't exactly why I am here, but if I can fix it, sure why the hell not.

"Then I will leave it to you, little brother. I must be going now. Having two Aspects in the same space and time is extremely dangerous. The others might take it wrong."

Terra stands up and pats herself. She is about as tall as me sitting down. And for some reason, I want to pick her up and give her an embrace.

I miss Antigone. It has been a couple of days since I have seen my beautiful daughter. She is being care for by some of the people I trusted the most.

"A warning, little brother. Relearn magic and cultivate your soul as soon as possible. As you are right now, while exceeding powerful in many realities such as this one, you are extremely weak compares to the higher ones. Like you have said, you are a big fish in a very, very small pond. Wouldn't you like to be an ocean instead?"

Terra pauses and gives me a smile.

"Even if you do not find troubles, trouble will inevitably find you, little brother. They are attracted to our power, like moths to a flame. Also, say hi to Time for me."

With that, Terra vanishes. One second she was there, the next she was not.

"Who is Time?"

I question before taking another sip from my cup.

Time resumes once more as I did.

And when the men returns from their mission, they are stunned at seeing me sitting in a small plastic chair, drinking from a tiny-ass cup.

"Don't mind me. I am just enjoying my tea-time."