Chapter 146: FREEZING ACTIONS IN TIME
"Battlefield of Lightning," Rhaigon shouted, the area around them crackling with electric energy as his skill amplified Thor's assault, turning the void into a storm of arcing bolts.
"Time freeze," Aaron said softly, encasing the incoming attacks in a stagnant zone where time halted, the lightning and flames suspended like frozen sculptures as he effortlessly weaved through them.
"Time. What an annoying ability he has," Ignis clicked his tongue in irritation, his eyes turning a deeper crimson as he polymorphed into his true dragon form.
He expanded to the size of Blue Star itself, a majestic crown of flames adorning his massive head, his red scales dancing with eternal fire, the heat radiating waves that distorted space.
"To think we'd go all out against a random being," Ignis rumbled, his voice like grinding boulders, snorting hot flames from his nostrils as he locked his gaze on Aaron, who appeared as insignificant as a speck against his colossal form.
"Guess we'll be doing this," Rhaigon muttered, following suit and transforming into his true dragon form. A crown of lightning perched on his head, bolts dancing across his scaled body like living veins of power.
"Roar!" Ignis bellowed, unleashing the signature dragon breath—a torrent of fire vast enough to engulf a planet. Rhaigon coordinated seamlessly, releasing his own breath of lightning, the two attacks merging into an apocalyptic ball of fused flame and thunder, hurtling toward Aaron with world-ending force.
"God Form," Thor intoned, his clothes ripping apart as Mjolnir melted and reformed into armor that enveloped him. He grew to match the dragons' size, his hair transforming into pure lightning, his hands encased in crackling gauntlets that hummed with destructive potential.
Focusing his might, Thor fired a massive bolt of lightning, which integrated with the dragons' assault, elevating the already terrifying attack to something truly cataclysmic, the combined energy warping the void around it.
"Sigh. I don't want to feel like the useless one here," Loki exclaimed, weaving an illusion of thorny vines that snaked toward Aaron, binding him in place to prevent evasion. The illusion shattered instantly against Aaron's immortality, but Loki shook his head bitterly. "Great. I am the useless one."
Aaron stared at the oncoming apocalyptic assault, a confident smile tugging at his lips, his golden eyes gleaming with calculated calm.
"Time freeze," he called out again as the attack entered his domain, halting its advance in a bubble of stasis.
The group watched with bated breath, hoping their combined might would pierce through Aaron's temporal barrier. Their hope seemed rewarded as the assault broke free, ripping through the zone and tearing Aaron to shreds, his form vanishing in a blaze of energy.
"We won, right?" Loki asked, staring at the empty spot where Aaron had stood, a mix of relief and suspicion in his voice.
"I think so," Thor replied, reverting to his smaller form, Mjolnir materializing back in his hand with a familiar hum.
"Let's get out of—" Ignis began, but his words froze mid-sentence. Time ground to a halt around him, his massive form suspended in stasis. Not just him—Loki, Thor, and Rhaigon all locked in place, the void eerily silent.
"You've all been caught in my genjutsu," Aaron muttered, a knowing smile spreading across his face as he regenerated seamlessly, his body reforming from the void.
The entire battle, from start to finish, had been a simulation orchestrated by him. The final attack bypassing his domain was deliberate, a feint to catch them off guard, their overconfidence his greatest weapon.
[What are you up to?] the system asked, its voice curious in his mind.
"These guys are monsters. I'm not ready to face them yet. I still need more time to grow stronger. If I kill these four, it'll spark a reaction—Odin, Baal, Zeus, Mephistopheles and the others. I really can't deal with them now or get on their radar. Honestly, I'm not ready. I need to grow secretly until I'm strong enough," Aaron explained, his tone resolute as he approached the frozen quartet.
[And how are you going to do that?]
"Enough with this already. You can read my mind, can't you?" Aaron complained, a hint of amusement in his voice.
[Yup. I can. But it's not as fun as you explaining your plans to me.]
"Fair point. Well, my plan is pretty simple. Make them believe I'm dead. They report back to Odin and the Primordial Dragon, and I'm off their radar for a while," Aaron said, floating closer to the immobilized group, his eyes scanning them with strategic intent.
"Well, that was my plan until seconds ago. Why let them go back just like that when I can turn them?" Aaron added, his words dripping with bold confidence, a spark of mischief in his golden gaze.
[You know those sovereigns will be able to tell the four have been turned in an instant, right?]
"Yeah, yeah. But that will definitely change when I grow stronger, and who knows when I'll get an opportunity like this again. So, I'm going to do this," Aaron informed, blood swirling around his fingers as he decided to experiment, his mind racing with innovative ideas.
Aaron infused essence of time into his blood, a shimmering temporal glow enveloping the crimson droplets, before feeding each of the four a precise dose, the liquid seeping into their frozen forms.
[You sure do come up with insane ideas when you decide to be crazy.]
"Thanks for the compliment. And it's a success," Aaron smiled, accomplishing a feat few could even dream of, his blood now a latent weapon within them.
[So they won't turn anytime soon, right?]
"Yup. I put conditions into my blood—like a timer. The genetics of my blood will remain frozen in time, rendering it useless for now, unable to turn them into hybrids. Except when I revert the time freeze, activating it again, and they'll turn."
[Crazy.]
"Well, it wouldn't have worked if my blood wasn't eternal. Thanks to that, it won't be flushed out of their systems. The most work belongs to my talent. Freezing the blood is one part, but to turn, they need to die—which the time talent also handles. The moment the blood activates, I set another timer on their bodies to ensure they die."
[Another timer?]
"Yup. I stopped their hearts, but froze the action in time. So, when the timer ends, the blood activates, and their hearts stop."
[At this point, you're slowly beginning to abuse your broken talent,] the system jabbed, its tone a mix of awe and sarcasm.
"And?"
[Fucking hell. I love it!]