NOVEL NEXT Chapter 168: Ascension
Michael looked at him with a solemn expression. "Yes. Everything I told you was true—at the time."
Nolan shook his head. "Then why? Why is this happening? Why is this different from what you said?"
Michael's wings shifted, golden feathers scattering faint sparks of light into the void. "Because this was written long before either of us could see it. The Creator Himself spoke to me the day I granted you the SSS-rank ability of Time Manipulation. He told me why you were chosen and what your path would be. Even then, I doubted it. I thought it was impossible for a mortal.
He took a step closer, his eyes glinting with something like pride, something like awe.
"But you've done it. The mana you carry, the essence of time in your veins—it has surpassed anything even I could imagine.
Nolan's hands trembled as the weight of the words pressed down on him. "I… surpassed you?"
Michael inclined his head slowly. "Yes. Not through arrogance. Not through power alone. Through the very fabric of your being. You are not just wielding time anymore, Nolan. You are time."
"I still don't believe this," Nolan said, his voice trembling with disbelief. "How is this even possible? How did I become a Chronogod? And why was I chosen? He told me everything I needed to know, and he told me about my mana level. I've been suppressing my mana as hard as I could, but ever since I came to this world it has been increasing, growing beyond anything I could explain. And now… now I have the power to protect the people I love. I have the power to make people happy. I can feel it inside me, even if I haven't used it yet."
"There will be no human who stands above you now," Michael said. "But understand this—you are still not stronger than me. As powerful as you are, you are not there yet. With the power of time, with everything you carry, you will see how your power will increase drastically. We have been watching you. We saw you fight the Divine Dragon King."
"Yes. I am," Nolan replied quietly.
"The Creator himself removed the seal from the Dragon King," Michael continued. "He restored his full title, the Divine Dragon King, just to push you to your absolute limit and awaken what was hidden within you. That is what made you the Chronogod."
Slowly, Nolan bent his head toward the Creator. His voice dropped into a solemn vow. "Thank you. Thank you for trusting me and giving me this opportunity. I promise you, I will use this power justly. I pledge to you—no one who tries to trespass against time will be safe. No paradox will be left unchecked. I do not care from what universe or world it comes."
His eyes flickered with sudden understanding. "When I gained this power, knowledge flooded into my head. I saw people—strangers—being summoned into this world day by day by mistake. Different kinds of people entering this very world. I saw it all. Do not worry. I will fix this. I will set it right."
The Creator's light pulsed once, as if in approval. "Good," the voice rumbled. "It is good you understand the position you are in. Very well. What a man. Be gone."
Then everything began to twist and whirl around Nolan.
"Hey, mortal man," the Creator's voice thundered softly in his mind. "Don't forget—you can still live your life the way you want. You can still live as a human."
"Yes… yes, I will," Nolan whispered, his vision blurring as the world spun around him.
"See you next time," Michael's voice echoed faintly, almost playful now. "Because I know we'll cross paths again. And maybe by then… you might even surpass me."
"Yes…" Nolan murmured, his voice low, as his soul was hurled back into his body like a falling star. His body, still suspended mid-air, jolted violently. All his clothes and his battle suit had been burned to ash. Only his underwear remained.
Below, Lyra's tears stained the scorched earth. "Master…" she whispered, her voice breaking. She could barely move, her body trembling from exhaustion.
High above them, the Divine Dragon King laughed, a sound like thunder splitting the heavens.
But then—everything changed.
As Nolan's soul fully re-entered his body, his eyes snapped open. His burned skin healed instantly. The air itself grew heavy, dense; the clouds above twisted into spiraling patterns as if answering his presence. Energy roared from him like a living storm.
From the depths of the earth, something invisible surged upward at impossible speed, tearing through the ground 100 feet below and erupting into the sky.
Status: Flight Activated.
The voice echoed in his mind.
Now that you've reached this level, flight is available.
Nolan raised one hand. His shredded battle suit shimmered with a faint glow as time bent to his will. The torn fabric rewound through its own history, threads knitting themselves back into form until the armor was whole again. A faint, hollow halo-like pattern flickered briefly over his head as he stood in full strength once more.
Lyra, standing far off, gasped. "What… what is going on? Master is alive. I'm happy for that, but—this energy… this aura. It's like he's become a deity himself."
The Divine Dragon King's eyes narrowed. "Wait. What is happening? I thought he just died… what is this?"
But his confusion turned to rage. He lifted his colossal head and roared, his voice shaking the air. "It doesn't matter if you have evolved or not! I will destroy this world! I was only going to attack you… but now I'll burn half this realm to ash!"
The Dragon King's jaws opened wide, glowing like a newborn sun. The flame he unleashed was massive, a mountain-sized inferno with the heat of a star, screaming toward Nolan to burn him and obliterate everything behind him.
But Nolan didn't move. He simply raised one hand.
A silver ripple spread from his palm, a doorway of glimmering time-space opening in the air. The dragon's flame poured into it—then froze, suspended mid-motion—and vanished into nothing.